Portfolio Exercise 6: Opinion Blogging

Diwali danger blasts in

A festival of colour which is meant to bring families together, enjoy sweet treats and play with fireworks, turned into a social network comment 'situation' the entire weekend.I'm quite open minded about these type of situations, so I'll be honest, I don't really like the loud fireworks which deafen my ears, I prefer colourful fireworks which are worth watching, however I do know that some colourful fireworks make a loud noise and it does disturb people.

I was really disappointed to see people not accepting our traditional beliefs for at least one weekend because it is something we've being doing for many,many years now.The amount of hate comments and statuses which were all over my Facebook newsfeed disheartened me to the max.
 

We all wants a chance to enjoy ourselves in the way we want, and yes I know people have pets and it troubles them, but I am sure everyone isn't harming their pets and taking fireworks next to their pets, plus there are ways to calm pets down on Diwali, like tranquilisers.

Diwali is about a celebration, not about people commenting on the way we celebrate it.In fact I was pleased when I saw the youth take more of an interest in Diwali because they are learning about tradition.In a nutshell I think people should have given us that weekend or even just Diwali day to enjoy, rather than post all their nasty comments all over Facebook, because for us, it's just us having fun.

Whether there's a firework competition between people in the neighbourhood or just playing in your own yard, it's still about fun.Besides, everybody else also has their own version of celebrations, I don't see people concerned about their pets when they have parties which play loud music, if "loud noise" is an issue, then your parties should be banned too.

The "Sound Police" should be impartial, and regard any "loud noise" as a disturbance, even though I'm a pet lover, what about when your dog barks the entire night and keeps us awake on a "non Diwali" night?There is no store which sells fireworks that states "These fireworks can only be sold to people celebrating Diwali", is there? NO!

So at one point of your life, you are going to celebrate and use fireworks, whether it is New Years or even Guy Fawkes Day.I feel everyone should give a little bit of consideration for other cultures, but hey, I guess that's just me!

Portfolio Exercise 5: Crime Blogging

Lunch turns into hijacking nightmare

A simple lunch at Sadtu Park on Edgar Charlton Crescent became a living hell for former police officer Dejay Maharaj (50) when three male suspects armed with a firearm and a cane knife entered his vehicle on Wednesday, November 20.

One of the suspects seated himself in the front passenger seat and held a gun to Maharaj’s waist while the other two suspects occupied the back passengers’ seat. The suspects ordered him to drive to an isolated area in New Guelderland where he was pulled out of the vehicle and strip searched for valuables.
 
His jewellery and wallet which contained R3000 cash, were taken. While the suspects were counting the money, Maharaj tried to escape to suspects went back into his vehicle and locking the door. On noticing Maharaj trying to escape the suspects went back to the vehicle and pointed a gun at the driver’s window.

One of suspects tried to fire however, the gun jammed, while another suspect used the cane knife to smash the front window. Maharaj said the suspects pulled him out of the vehicle and assaulted him with a steel block and the cane knife. “I was also hit on the head with gun and sustained serious injuries. I was pushed back into the vehicle and driven to another location where my hands and feet were bound. I was then asked for the pin numbers for my bank cards. Once the suspects had obtained the pin, one of the suspects left on foot to withdraw the money while the others guarded me.”

“An hour later, the suspect returned and gestured that he had withdrawn cash.” The suspects then loosened Maharaj’s hands, and asked him to lie face down on the ground for two hours. After the suspects fled, he rushed to his vehicle and drove home.

He was admitted to Alberlito hospital for treatment of his injuries and was discharged two days later. He is now recovering at his home. A case of hijacking has been opened at the KwaDukuza SAPF.

 

Portfolio Exercise 4 : News Blogging

Nedbank R2.5 million Back to School campaign

Nedbank KwaDukuza lent their helping hands to change the lives of learners from six different schools at Sappi KwaDukuza ResourceCentre on Friday, November 1. Learners from Banguni Secondary, Groutville High, Imbuyiselo Secondary, Shekembula High, Stanger South Secondary and Teshelenkosi Secondaey School received uniforms, shoes, stationary and bags as part of the Nedbank’s R2.5 million Back toSchool campaign. Nedbank has been sponsoring mathematics and science programmes through the Resource Centre for grades 11 and 12 since 2008.

The learners and their educators were welcomed by PROTEC (a campaign which runs programmes dealing with mathematics and physical science) Stanger chairperson, Mr M Mazive, who thanked all involved in making a difference in the learners’ lives.

The learners were also addressed by the centre manager Alan Govender, who shared the success stories of the centre and how they can help the learners achieve their dreams. Govender said Nedbank has helped the centre develop, and has assisted in helping learners achieve good results so they were accepted in university.

The guest speaker, department of education superintendent Thotharam Woodraj expressed his gratitude to the Resource Centre for helping make the learners’ dreams come true. Woodraj also stated that he is very proud to be working with the Resource Centre from its inception. He also thanked Nedbank on behalf of the department of education for their generosity.