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Stuff from Johannesburg

Police Seize 240kg of Dagga in Sinoville

GAUTENG – A suspect was arrested and 240 kilograms of dagga, with an estimated street value of R960 000-00 were seized following a high-speed pursuit involving SAPS members from Sinoville and private security personnel on Saturday morning, 7 November 2026.

At approximately 05:15, SAPS members who were conducting crime prevention patrols along Sefako Makgatho Drive, near Kolonnade Shopping Centre, noticed a blue Volkswagen Tiguan attempting to enter the shopping centre while the entrance gate was still closed.

When the driver spotted the police vehicle, he immediately turned around and sped off along Sefako Makgatho Drive.

Police members activated their blue lights and siren in an attempt to stop the vehicle, but the driver ignored the instructions and continued driving at high speed. Assistance was immediately requested through the Sinoville Community Policing Forum (CPF) radio network, and Proshield Security personnel responded to assist.

The pursuit continued until the vehicle was eventually brought to a stop in the Bon Accord area along the R101.

A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of several bags containing dagga weighing a total of 240 kilograms. The estimated street value of the dagga is R960 000-00.

Further checks on the vehicle’s registration details revealed that the number plates did not correspond with the vehicle. The registration number was in fact registered to a Toyota Hilux.

The driver was arrested and is facing charges of dealing in and possession of dagga. The vehicle was also confiscated and booked in as it was allegedly used in the commission of a crime.

The suspect is expected to appear before court on Monday, 9 November 2026.

The District Commissioner of Tshwane, Major General Samuel Thine, commended the SAPS members and Proshield Security personnel for their swift response and cooperation, which resulted in the arrest and seizure.

Major General Thine reiterated that the fight against crime requires continued cooperation between the police, community structures and private security partners. He emphasised that these partnerships play an important role in strengthening crime prevention efforts and ensuring that those involved in criminal activities are brought to book.

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Top Star Drive-In: The Cinema on the Mountain of Gold

The Ferreira Dump began growing in the late 1800s, composed of the crushed rock and chemical residue left over after early, inefficient mining processes had extracted as much gold as the technology of the time allowed. By the 1960s, it was a flat-topped, man-made mesa overlooking the city. In a stroke of entrepreneurial genius, the surface was tarred and the Top Star Drive-In was opened. It quickly became a South African institution. Its appeal was not just the movies, but the unparalleled view: as the sun set, the massive white screen would flicker to life against a backdrop of the glowing skyscrapers of the Central Business District, separated from the viewer only by the elevated M2 highway.

In the decades before television arrived in South Africa (1976), the Top Star was a primary social hub. It was a democratic space in an undemocratic time; while the city below was strictly segregated, the “car” served as a private bubble that allowed a degree of social freedom not found in traditional theaters. For many Johannesburgers, the Top Star was a site of nostalgic rites of passage—first dates, family outings where children were piled into the back of station wagons with blankets and flasks of tea, and the Saturday “car market” where the parking lot transformed into a sprawling hub for buying and selling second-hand vehicles.