I was high on drugs, says murder accused, and other brief reports

* Six young Uitenhage men have gone on trial in the Port Elizabeth High Court for the July 2003 murder of a teacher. The court heard how Gideon Roman was murdered for his motor-vehicle and belongings. – The Herald * A 37-year-old Ficksburg man, Josef Ntolo, has appeared in the Ficksburg Magistrates\' Court on charges of assault and attempted murder. He allegedly forced his wife to drink battery accid after an argument. The case was postponed to November 29 for a bail application. – IoL * The Pretoria High Court has ordered Olifants River Lodge in Mpumalanga to pay tap-dancing veteran Jody Wayne (60) for proven damages and legal costs. Wayne sued the resort for R4m after a fall in a manhole in the lodge in 2001 left him unable to work. A settlement is expected to be made this week. – Sunday Times * Two new community courts, believed to be the first in SA after a successful pilot project in Pretoria, have opened in Guguletu and Mitchell\'s Plain in Cape Town. The courts will deal with \'petty crime\', such as drug and alcohol abuse, violation of municipal by-laws, shoplifting and traffic offences. A third court is expected to start operating in the Cape Town\'s CBD next month. – News24 * The Gauteng office of the public protector, which was opened in Johannesburg yesterday, has already identified local offices where communities will be able to lodge complaints against the government or any person performing a public function. – Business Day * The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment has issued a warning to the developers of an upmarket cluster complex in North Riding, northern Johannesburg for ignoring environmental laws, obstructing a stream and dumping rubble on a wetland. – Sunday Times