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Stuff from Johannesburg

“Ekurhuleni Women Must Take Precautions” Deflection

Statement by Khathutshelo Rasilingwane MPL – DA Ekurhuleni Mayoral Candidate:

As the Democratic Alliance Mayoral Candidate for Ekurhuleni I am deeply concerned about the spate of murders of women in the Metro. But I must firmly reject the message from SAPS that women in Ekurhuleni must simply “take precautions” while women continue to be killed in the Kempton Park area.

I come from Olifantsfontein where the latest body was discovered. I care deeply about the safety of this community and all communities in Ekurhuleni.

The announcement of a multidisciplinary task team is a step in the right direction, but to keep residents safe it must be coupled with an increase in on-the-ground policing resources. Quite simply, Ekurhuleni needs police boots on the ground now.

SAPS must deploy every necessary resource to Kempton Park, increase visible and targeted patrols, increase policing presence, and increase vis-pol.

A Police Spokesperson briefed media today that there are “similarities” between the murders, raising the alert and alarm over this matter even further.

Five women have now lost their lives in the Kempton Park area in the space of roughly two months, while another woman remains missing after going for a run last week.

Women in Kempton Park have the right to walk, run and live their lives without living in fear. The burden of keeping women safe cannot be placed on women themselves. SAPS must do its job, and it must do so now.

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The Oriental Plaza: Architecture

Architecturally, the Plaza is a sprawling 17-hectare complex consisting of North and South malls linked by a three-story circular “Grand Bazaar.” But the true magic is in the sensory experience. Walking through the Plaza is an assault of colors and smells: rolls of exotic sari fabrics stacked to the ceiling, the scent of high-quality leather from shoe-repair stalls, and the aroma of toasted spices. It is a place where “bargaining” is an art form—unlike the fixed prices of Sandton, here you engage directly with the owner, often a third-generation merchant whose family was moved from Fietas fifty years ago.

The cultural heart of the Plaza is undoubtedly its food, specifically the legendary World of Samoosas. This small stall has become a local institution, famous for its unique sweet coconut samoosas and its “Nelson Mandela approved” status (the former president was a fan). Near the south entrance, you’ll find a blue heritage plaque marking Red Square. Long before the Plaza was built, this was an open square where the ANC and Communist Party held mass rallies, and where the Defiance Campaign was launched in 1952. The fact that a shopping mall now stands over this revolutionary ground is a poignant reminder of the city’s layered history. The Oriental Plaza didn’t just survive Apartheid; it outlasted the system that tried to use it as a cage, becoming a symbol of the “tenacity and trading ability” that defines the Johannesburg spirit.