Delmas Prays for Peace and Tolerance

On thursday the community of Delmas in Mapumalanga pulled together in the main street of the small farm town to pray against violence, racism, hate and crime. 

The major of the town, Major Eva Makhabane called for the gathering after an incident that occurred a few weeks earlier. 

The town was shocked when a 5-month old baby, Wihan Botes, and his 66-year old day mother, Margrietha de Goede, was murdered.

After the murder far right members of the country held a protest and during this protest racist statements were made and the South African national flag was burned which caused an outcry from the community leaders in Delmas. According to the community leaders the protest was attended mostly by people from other towns and the march didn't represent the feeling of the town.

The Democratic Alliance held a picket in front of the Delmas Magistrates court in protest of the previous  march but the Major felt that a statement from the towns people was needed.

The Major, along with the spiritual and other leaders organised the prayer chain and asked that the people should join hands in the circle and stand black-white-black-white. Before the prayer started all the 250 people sang the national anthem together and the national flag was hoisted.

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON  

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON 

For the full article you can go here:
http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/VIDEO-Saam-teen-misdaad-Delmas-verenig-in-gebed-20120621

A young man stands at the gate of a stadium where Deputy Pres. Kgalema Motlanthe was to make an appearance in Soshanguve in the cold of an early winter morning in South Africa.

Photo: FRANCO MEGANNON

Favourites April/May 2012

Favourites

These are some of my favourite images by myself during the last two months. Seeing as I have started my own blog I thought it well to start building up a base of things I have captured thus far.

Some of them I like for their artistic merit and others for the context they were taken in. Feel free to comment and give constructive criticism.

Commuters on board a Metrorail train holds on as they travel from Pretoria to Johannesburg. Early the morning Pres. Jacob Zuma had started his Presidential Monitoring Visit of the Public Transport System yet most commuters were unaware of his presence on the train. PHOTO: FRANCO MEGANNON

Commuters on board a Metrorail train look out of the window of the train as Pres. Jacob Zuma walks past on their travel from Pretoria to Johannesburg. Early the morning Pres. Jacob Zuma had started his Presidential Monitoring Visit of the Public Transport System yet most commuters were unaware of his presence on the train. PHOTO: FRANCO MEGANNON



A 21-year old inmate of the Pretoria Central Prison laughs when he talks about the possibility of going home after 9 months in prison. He was originally sentenced to 2 years for theft in order to support his heroin addiction. The President however recently declared a mass presidential pardon for certain prisoners and the requirements were met by this prisoner.



The DA marched outside the Magistrates Court in Delmas against the crime in South Africa and the previous march that turned into a racially driven march the previous week. Teit Ramatsetse (4) joined the march after little Wiehann Bothes was murdered. PHOTO: FRANCO MEGANNON

 Members of the far right community is South Africa gathered in Delmas in Mpumalanga to protest against the killing of a 5 month old baby, Wiehann Bothes, and his 55 year old caretaker as well as the farm murders. The protest turned into a racially motivated event with racist slogans being chanted and written on signs. The old South African flag was also flown and old Apartheid Era insignia being donned. The march ended after one of the members burned the SA flag outside the Municipal offices. PHOTO: FRANCO MEGANNON

The Medupi Coal Power Plant's Moisture Condensation Units early in the morning. The Power Plant is hailed to be the 4th Largest coal power station in the world after completion. The plant will add much needed electricity to a struggling South African power grid. PHOTO: FRANCO MEGANNON

A schoolgirl sits inside a Robertson 44 Police helicopter during an event organised by the South African Police Service. The SAPS invited 30 school girls from various schools in the Pretoria district to visit the Tswane Police Academy for the day. The girls were introduced to the different branches of the SAPS and the possible careers in the service. PHOTO: FRANCO MEGANNON

 A young child plays in an inflatable ball on water with her younger brother at the Nuwehoop School in Pretoria. The school recently held their annual Foods of the World festival as a way to raise funds for the school which caters for mentally and physically disabled children. PHOTO: FRANCO MEGANNON

Red Ants at Work

RED ANTS DEMOLISH ILLEGAL HOMES

The Red Ants Relocation and Demolition Services were called in last week to remove the  homes of people who had illegally built houses on property that belongs to the Wallmanstal Communual Property Association. They had been led to believe that they bought the property for R400 by  police sergeant Selemo Mosiya and have now been left with nowhere to go after the eviction.

Read the full article here:
http://www.thenewage.co.za/53487-1007-53-Red_Ants_smash_out_illegals

Two children sit and play in the dust while a Red Ant demolishes another house after demolishing their parent's home following a court order declaring that the building was erected illegally.

A woman watches as a police vehicle drives past.

With no plan of what to do with her remaining belongings a woman walks aimlessly around the site where her house used to be.

Two women sit where their house used to be and wait for transport to take their belongings to a safe place.

Photos by : Franco Megannon