Klein Edouard kry nuwe Kornea

Storie deur Lourensa Eckard wat Maandag 11 Junie 2012 in Beeld verskyn het.


Daar is groot hoop dat klein Edouard Stander (4) van Witbank binnekort ’n bietjie sal kan sien nadat hy feitlik blind met katarakte op albei oë gebore is.

’n Kornea is onlangs teen groot onkoste uit Amerika ingevoer en op hom oorgeplant. 

En hoewel hy vir ’n hele paar maande met ’n oogklap sal moet loop en die steke baie lank gaan inbly, is die eerste tekens daar dat dit suksesvol kan wees.

Santie Stander, sy ma, vertel hy is al baie sensitief vir lig en nou is sy eers vol vertroue dat haar seun eendag sal sien.

“Met sy geboorte het die dokters nie besef Edouard is so te sê blind nie. Dit was eers toe my man die melkerige vlekke op Edouard se oë sien, dat ons besef het iets is verkeerd,” vertel Santie.

Byna vier jaar later kon ’n kornea-oorplanting gedoen word. Dokters het uit Amerika vir Edouard ’n kornea bestel wat op 28 Mei vanjaar oorgeplant wou word.

Die Standers se mediese fonds wou nie vir die kornea betaal nie omdat dit van oorsee ingebring is en hulle het toe self daarvoor betaal.

“Ons moes dit eenvoudig betaal, want in Suid-Afrika wag ’n mens soms langer as vier jaar vir ’n kornea.”

Op die dag wat die operasie veronderstel was om plaas te vind, was daar ’n oponthoud by doeane by die O.R Tambo-lughawe. 

“Ek was vreesbevange omdat ek geweet het hoe fyn alles beplan is en dat daar net soveel tyd was vir die operasie,” het sy bygevoeg.

Die kornea is die volgende dag oorgeplant en klein Edouard is al weer op die been en net so bedrywig soos altyd.

Orange Farm Service Delivery Protest

Just another day in paradise! Early morning seeking the smoke on the wind.. I received a tip-off on Monday morning (4th June 2012) that there was a service delivery protest in Orange Farm about 40km from Johannesburg. As it was about 7:30 I feared that i might be to late because these things normally happen early in the mornings and when the cops arrive it gets dispersed very quickly, although that's not always the case, some times it continues for days with running battles between cops and unhappy residents flaring up all over the place. But on this occasion I was to late indeed.

 

On my arrival i found that a big section of the road was blockaded but there were no protesters in sight, the only thing I found were these two kids cleaning the road in front of their house, where protesters burned tyres.

So me and the journalist who joined me a couple of minutes later got a call that we had to return to Johannesburg for another story so we made our way back and last found the protesters a couple of kilometres down the road  in front of a municipal building.

I took this photograph of a man while I was driving back, he obviously made the best of the protest and gathered some of the materials they used to block the roads.

So as we got to the municipal building we parked our cars and I started photographing the protesters, I got this picture of youths blocking the road whilst a Police Nyala drove by.

Angry protesters were singing and dancing in front of the building.

A protester standing on a cart giving voice to his unhappiness.

The best part of the protest was when a woman, one of the residents, walked up to us and told us that the Councillor of the area, was as skinny as her and now his fat, gesturing with her hands. Not big like you, she said, but fat like a pig. He sits and eats bacon all day, while we don't have houses and basic services she said. The best part was that she would cut his testicles out and eat them if the situation doesn't change very soon in Orange Farm. Her words not mine.

Emergency Services being put through their paces

The Johannesburg Emergency Management Services held a live Simulation exercise to prepare their members for a real natural disaster, the participants consisted of emergency personal from City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni; City of Tshwane and Sedibeng Emergency Services.

The simulation was put together to resemble a real disaster zone and give the personal a real live working environment where they could be put through their paces. Everything was real, they even had people dressed up in traditional clothing walking around with guns trying to distract the emergency workers from doing their jobs. They had to formulate a plan before hand, on what supplies they needed to take along, what equipment ext. Instructors were also observing the simulation giving advice were it was needed and where the participants were going to far of track.

The biggest thing I noticed was the amount of planning that needs to go into a operation like this, a real disaster zone that is, and also the amount of work these men and woman need to do. This was just a small scale simulation where a real disaster zone would be much bigger. I really respect the work that our men and woman from the emergency services do, where they are willing to risk their own lives to save the lives of others.

Brakpan se Tier

Die Bengaalse Tier genaamd Enzo is die "kind" van Mnr. Michael Jamieson van Brakpan. Op die fotos hierbo is hy besig om vir Enzo sy midagete te gee.

The Shield Defaced

Barend la Grange at the Rosebank Police Station after being arrested for defacing the painting by artist Brett Murray of President Jacob Zuma, the painting was entitled The Spear.

It was suposed to be a normal day of workingthe late shift, 12 to 8 and ill be back home. If only I had known.

I was booked for a story at the O.R Tambo airport at 12:30 and left my house the morning at around 11:20. On my way to the airport I heard on the radio that two men had thrown paint on the painting entitled The Spear. The painting has been causing a lot of waves through the ANC and they were at that stage busy with a court case trying to get the Goodman Gallery to take the painting down.

I finished my story at the airport and got back at the office around 2:30, I finished filing my pix and was sent to relieve a fellow colleague at the Goodman gallery. I arrived there around 3 and proceeded to wait for better days as there was nothing much happening. The reason I was sent was because a man attempted to spray paint the word "respect" on the gallery wall, he didn't get far only the letters Res before he was arrested.

 Lowie Mabokela was the second suspect who used his hands to paint black over the painting.

 Barend la Grange getting into a car outside the Rosebank SAPD

George Moyo the third man who attempted to spray paint the word "Respect" on the gallery wall.

 Lowie Mabokela with some of the black paint still visible on his hands

George Moyo


At about 5:30 the afternoon I was told I could go back to the office when another colleague phoned me to ask if I could come and relieve them at the Rosebank SAPD as she still has a couple of stories to file and off course I was on late shift. So I went and so the epic wait started.

I met with my journalist and got the updates and so we waited for the release of the three suspects.

We proceeded to wait and had to listen to many lies about they were sneaked out and they are not being released. But we prevailed and eventually came up with the goods. Just after 11 that night the three suspects were released and we at last got some footage and images.

Lions vs Brumbies: Super Rugby

The Lions put up a brave fight against the Brumbies the weekend, but in the end the better team prevailed.