Robbers set van alight with guard inside
2011-09-27 21:14
Bloemfontein - A security guard was injured when robbers set alight a
cash-in-transit van during a robbery at Harmony Gold's Masimong mine, in
Hennenman, on Tuesday, said Free State police. The guard was inside the van
when robbers doused it with petrol and set it alight, said Warrant Officer
Malebo Khosana. He got out, but his right arm was burnt. The injured guard
and a colleague had been making a cash delivery to a financial institution
at the mine, he said. He was driving and stayed in the van while the other
guard carried a drop-off safe into the building. A group of men confronted
the guard with the money when opened the safe. Two of the robbers were armed

with handguns and one with a rifle. They took the guard’s pistol and plastic

bags containing an unknown amount of money, and set the van alight on their
way out. They made their getaway in a green Toyota Corolla.  www.news24.com

Armed robbery leaves guard in a serious condition
27 September 2011
Bernice Maune
THOUSANDS of rands were stolen in a cash heist which left a reaction officer

critically injured at Jet in Pretoria Road on Monday afternoon. Eye
witnesses said they saw the officer as he stumbled out of the store and fell

onto the pavement in front of the shop. A worker inside the store, who
declined to be named, said he noticed the suspect go into the store and wait

for the officer to come out of the storeroom where cash was kept. "When the
officer came out he saw the man and tried to dodge him through the aisles
but the man followed him and shot him from behind. He took the cash and ran
out of the store on the opposite end leading to West Street. "This is the
second robbery in weeks at this store," he said. According to a passerby,
the guard was taken to hospital by an ambulance which arrived moments after
the shooting. When EXPRESS arrived on the scene, there was a large crowd,
many of whom had witnessed the shooting. Several police vans were parked
outside the store, including two vehicles belonging to Coin Security.
Another police kombi could be seen patrolling the CBD on the lookout for the

suspects. A woman police officer remarked that they had already notified
police stations in surrounding areas to be wary of the suspect's car. The
suspect is believed to have fled in a white Toyota Corolla which is also
said to have been involved in a robbery at the store recently. Const Ntombi
Nhlabathi, acting Kempton Park SAPS spokesman, said an undisclosed amount of

money was stolen. According to Nhlabathi the suspect met the guard at the
door and cornered him. "The guard was shot in his lower back. The suspect
was alone in the store. We are not sure if he had accomplices. Our officers
will investigate to find exactly how much was stolen and to find the
suspects," said Nhlabathi.  www.looklocal.co.za  -  Kempton Park

Inmate strangled on the way to court
September 27 2011 at 12:45pm
A prisoner was strangled in the back of a police van on the way to the
Mthatha High Court on Monday, Eastern Cape police said on Tuesday. Two other

handcuffed prisoners were in the van with him at the time on Monday morning,

Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela said. “The prisoners at first said he had

seizures, but a post-mortem shows he died by strangulation.” The inquest
docket that was initially opened had been changed to murder. The 37-year-old

victim was due to appear in court for cases of armed robbery and cash
heists.   www.iol.co.za

Hawks seize cash and platinum
September 27 2011 at 11:42pm
Johannesburg - The Hawks arrested members of an alleged platinum syndicate
on Tuesday after confiscating platinum concentrate worth R50-million, an
official said. “The Hawks raided several locations around Gauteng,” said
spokesperson McIntosh Polela. “They arrested an alleged syndicate kingpin in

Fairland. Another arrest was made in Brakpan, where R125 000 in cash was
also found. “Our members also raided a refinery in Babelegi near
Hammanskraal and arrested three people who run the refinery... It's here
that we found platinum concentrate valued at R50-million. “ At the refinery,

15 uncut diamonds were also found. Polela said the platinum was stolen from
mines and then sent to the refinery, before being exported to Italy, the UK,

Switzerland and Canada for more refining. “Syndicate members have offshore
accounts in which their money is paid. We have already traced an account in
Panama,” said Polela.  www.iol.co.za

‘Victims’ were in on planned robbery
27 September 2011
Gerhardt Theron
THE R1 million cell phone bust in Esther Park on September 16 was not a
robbery but rather a planned hand over. The security company officer and the

driver of the electrical goods company's vehicle, which was reported
hijacked on the day, handed over the car filled with all the cell phones to
the "robbers". Last week EXPRESS reported about the shoot out with robbers
in Civet Street. The driver of the electrical company called the police.
Police arrested six suspects and recovered R1 million worth of cell phones.
After another tip off police investigated and arrested the complainant, his
colleague and the security officer who escorted the vehicle. W/O Shawn Grant

of Sebenza SAPS said it was not a hijacking and that the original
complainants were just as guilty as the originally arrested suspects.
www.looklocal.co.za  -  Kempton Park

Five held after hijacking
September 27 2011 at 11:42pm
Johannesburg - Five men were arrested in Bloemfontein on Tuesday in
connection with the hijacking and murder of a man and his son, said Free
State police. Abel Dyariwe, 59, and his son Vuyisa were travelling to the
Eastern Cape on August 12 when they stopped just outside Bloemfontein to
give the five men a lift, said Captain Harry Nagel. After about 10km the men

hijacked the car. When Abel tried to get out of the car the men shot him in
the back and left him on the roadside, where he died, said Nagel. The men
then drove to the Suidpark rubbish dump, where they shot and killed Vuyisa.
The car was found abandoned the next day in Wepener. The group would appear
in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on Thursday on charges of robbery,
murder and hijacking, said Nagel.  www.iol.co.za

Shoot-out after Joburg hijacking attempt
2011-09-27 15:04
Johannesburg - Police arrested four men who attempted to hijack a woman in
Berario, Johannesburg, on Tuesday morning, police said. Beagle Watch
security guards saw the group trying to hijack the woman, spokesperson
Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said. "As they [the hijackers] jumped
into their vehicle, a chase ensued and several shots were exchanged. "The
hijackers crashed into the pavement and jumped out and fled into nearby
houses. Police, who had already joined the chase, followed the suspects and
arrested them. "Inside their vehicle police found a shotgun, a revolver and
a toy gun." No one was injured. "The suspect's vehicle was fitted with false

registration numbers and has already been linked to a house robbery in
Honeydew." The men, in their 20s, were charged with robbery, attempted
murder and possession of unlicensed firearms. They would appear in court
within 48 hours.  www.news24.com

Alles gesteel by Ryk Neethling se akademie
2011-09-27 23:05
Ryk Neethling se swemakademie vir minderbevoorregtes en gestremdes in
Pretoria is leeg gesteel. “Dit is vir my baie hartseer. Mens probeer so hard

om ’n verskil in jou land te maak. Dan is dit een tree vorentoe en twee tree

terug,” het hy gister gesê. Hy het gesê minstens R50 000 se goedere is
gesteel by die Ryk Neethling-stigting se akademie in Garsfontein. Hy het die

projek sowat twee maande gelede op die been gebring. “’n Groep instrukteurs
leer 80 minderbevoorregtes of mense met fisieke gestremdhede weekliks daar
om te swem. Dit is 40 kinders en 40 volwassenes. “Die swemlesse dien vir
diegene met fisieke gestremdhede as ’n rehabilitasieproses.” Inbrekers het
eergisteraand al die toerusting gesteel. Dit sluit in kabels wat in die
water gebruik word, handdoeke, swembroeke, ’n klankstelsel en radio en selfs

koffie en lekkers wat aan die kinders uitgedeel word. “Toe van die mense
vanoggend by die les opdaag, het hulle gevra waarom dit so stil is. Ons
speel gewoonlik vir hulle musiek en nou is selfs die radio gesteel.”
Neethling het gesê wat hom veral hartseer maak, is dat die projek soveel
aftrek kry en daar baie goeie terugvoering daaroor is. “Die laaste paar weke

het soveel ouers gesê hul kinders reageer goed op die swemterapie.”
Neethling het gesê mense wat gehoor het van die inbraak het onderneem om te
help met nuwe toerusting. Daar is ook al drie keer by Neethling se
woonplekke ingebreek.  Beeld

Questions over how trio hacked an escape
September 27 2011 at 11:22am
By OMPHITLHETSE MOOKI
A hacksaw is all they needed to make a daring escape from a police holding
cell they had been locked in for four days. With it, Anton Americo Bila –
who is also known as Solomon Mthise – John Luis Kumalo and Quive Valerio
sawed through their cell bars and escaped through the roof of the Sebokeng
police station in Vanderbijlpark on Monday. When officers patrolled the
cells at 2am, the men described as “dangerous” were gone – leaving a gaping
hole in the roof of what had been their cell. Now, as Gauteng police
scramble to try to recapture the trio, questions are being asked how a
hacksaw landed in the cell and how the men could have cut through the bars,
climb up the roof and walk out of the police station undetected. “We check
the cells every hour, ma’am. We don’t know how they got the hacksaw.
Possibly someone put it there, but we are not sure,” Gauteng police
spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said on Monday, maintaining the

men had been there when last checked on at 1am. Asked about the number of
officers who had been on duty when the three men escaped, Dlamini said:
“That’s an internal matter.” The men, all in their 30s, were arrested last
Wednesday in Palm Springs, south of Joburg, after police caught them with
computer equipment, electric gate motors, school soccer kits, air
conditioners and cellphones – all thought to have been stolen from schools.
Following their arrests, Bila was linked to 37 housebreaking cases, while
Kumalo was linked to six cases of housebreaking and theft, all dating back
to 2002. Valerio had not been linked to any other crimes. “Bila is linked to

37 cases (that) predominantly took place at schools, where computer
(equipment was) targeted,” said Dlamini. “Police are appealing to anyone who

may identify the three suspects to come forward with information. Contact
Colonel Barney Gordon at 082 8226 839, Captain Oupanyana Mokoena at 082 319
9948 or Crime Stop at 0860 10 10 11.” - The Star

Probe manipulated, says police colonel
2011-09-27 22:29
Durban - A policeman accused of trying to bribe the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head

claimed on Tuesday that the investigation against him was being manipulated.

He made the assertion in an affidavit read by his lawyer Joe Wolmarans
during his bail application in the Durban Magistrate's Court. Colonel Navin
Madhoe said those investigating him were seeking to attack his credibility.
Madhoe and businessman Thoshan Panday are accused of working together to try

and bribe Hawks head Major General Johan Booysen by offering him R2m to
backdate documents in a R60m corruption case, so they would not be
incriminated. Both men indicated through their lawyers they intended
pleading not guilty. The start of proceedings was delayed as the matter had
to be moved from the Durban Commercial Crimes Court to the Durban
Magistrate’s
Court. Panday was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg

on Saturday on his return from Zambia, Hawks spokesperson McIntosh Polela
said in a statement. Smokescreen - He was arrested after allegedly dropping
a suitcase containing more than R1.3m into Booysen's car. The State has
alleged that the remaining R700 000 was to have been paid later. Wolmarans
told the court the case against Madhoe was just a smokescreen. He said the
case against Panday had been dormant for over a year and that Madhoe had
refused several requests to testify against him. During their appearance on
Monday, Panday's legal representative Jimmy Howse argued it was in the
interests of justice for both men's bail applications to be heard at the
same time. Madhoe's bail application continues on Wednesday.  www.news24.com

Murder charge over Newlands shooting withdrawn
September 27 2011 at 11:21am
A murder charge against Cape Town traffic officer Ian Sinclair was withdrawn

when he made his final appearance in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on
Tuesday. Sinclair's many appearances followed his allegedly shooting dead
former Western Province cricketer Luke Fairweather at the Newlands cricket
ground in January. The shooting was apparently sparked by Fairweather's
confronting Sinclair over traffic tickets issued to Fairweather's mother. At

Tuesday's hearing the prosecution said representation had been submitted by
defence attorney John Riley to the Western Cape Directorate for Public
Prosecutions (DPP) for the withdrawal of the charge. The DPP directed that
the matter be referred for an open inquest, at which a magistrate will
decide the cause of Fairweather's death and whether anyone is responsible
for it. No indication was given on Tuesday as to when the inquest will take
place. An open inquest is similar to court proceedings, where evidence is
led. If the magistrate finds anyone responsible for Fairweather's death, the

matter will again be referred to the DPP, and charges against Sinclaire
could be reinstated.  www.iol.co.za

4 corrupt traffic cops fired
2011-09-27 09:38
Johannesburg - Four traffic officers, who were charged with corruption,
bribery and failing to comply with the Criminal Procedure Act, have been
fired, the Mpumalanga safety department said on Monday. "The department
sends a warning to other officials that crime and corruption does not pay
and hope that the decision to dismiss the officers will serve as a deterrent

to other officers working on the province’s roads not to take bribes,"
department spokesperson Joseph Mabuza said. In July, three of the officers
were caught in Malelane after they helped a motorist transport illegal goods

into the country in exchange for money. The fourth officer was caught taking

a bribe from a minibus taxi driver in Barberton, said Mabuza.
www.news24.com

Suspect guilty of rape at abandoned building
September 27 2011 at 10:19pm
A 26-year-old man was found guilty on Tuesday in the Johannesburg Magistrate

Court on charges of rape and assault. Nkosi Shangase was arrested in
December 2010 for raping and assaulting an 18-year-old woman at an abandoned

building in Johannesburg. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. The woman, a

Lesotho national, had come to Joburg to do some shopping. On her way to the
central taxi rank she was robbed off her purse and a pair of shoes she had
bought. Shangase offered to help her with taxi fare so she could go back to
Carletonville, where she was staying. He then lured her to the abandoned
building where he assaulted and raped her. Afterwards, while Shangase was
distracted, the woman managed to slip away and squeezed herself out of a
window, crying and screaming for help. She noticed a police van nearby, ran
to it and started explaining what had happened. When she took the police
officers to the scene of the crime, they found the place locked with
Shangase nowhere to be seen and her bag and passport missing. The police
took the woman to the Hillbrow police station where she opened a case of
rape and assault. Medical reports showed that the complainant had several
injuries and bruises to her body and signs of forced penetration. Shangase
claimed he and the victim were lovers and had seen each other a couple of
times before the alleged rape. He said he called her after the incident to
check on her as her boyfriend and instructed her to fetch her bag and
passport. Magistrate Lukas Van Der Schyff said: “It is clear that you and
the complainant did not know each other. She did not contradict herself. The

medical evidence and her statement made a positive impression on the court.”

Van Der Schyff concluded that Shangase had insufficient evidence and was
contradictory to his facts. Shangase was found guilty of two counts of rape
and assault was taken into police custody.  www.iol.co.za

Cop jailed for robbery, attempted murder
September 27 2011 at 09:57pm
By YOGAS NAIR
A KwaDukuza policeman convicted of armed robbery with aggravating
circumstances and attempted murder was sentenced to 15 and seven years
respectively. Constable Sandile Tembe, who was based at the New Ark police
station, learnt his fate in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court, yesterday. The

sentences will run concurrently. On July 12, 2008, Patrick Ndlovu was
travelling on the R102 near KwaDukuza at about 2.30am when a vehicle forced
him off the road. Four men, including Tembe, stopped Ndlovu; he was
repeatedly assaulted and thrown into the boot of his car. Two policemen,
Captain Manivasigen Perumal and Constable Benedict Mzimela were patrolling
in the area, spotted the commotion and stopped at the scene. A shoot-out
occurred and three of the suspects fled. Tembe, who ran into nearby bush,
was arrested and his service firearm seized. The policemen heard muffled
cries coming from the boot of the car and when they opened it they found
Ndlovu. At the time Tembe was released on R10 000 bail.  www.iol.co.za

Polisiehoof n? ’n jaar uit
2011-09-27 23:16
Marietie Louw-Carstens
Polokwane. – Limpopo het nie tans ’n polisiehoof nie. Lt.genl. Amon Mashigo
se kontrak as provinsiale polisiehoof is nie hernu nie, het Beeld verneem.
Brig. Hangwani Mulaudzi, hoof van polisiekommunikasie in Limpopo, het in ’n
verklaring gesê daar word van Mashigo afskeid geneem. Die afskeid is
eergisteroggend in die Seshego-stadion gehou. Mnr. George Phadagi, LUR vir
veiligheid, het gesê die pos sal eersdaags gevul word. Mashigo, wat die
afgelope 30 jaar ’n polisielid is, was voorheen polisiehoof van die
Vrystaat. Daar is hy by beweerde korrupsie betrek. Die onafhanklike
klagte¬direktoraat het dit ondersoek, maar geen stappe is teen hom gedoen
nie. Hy het lt.genl. Calvin Sengani in Junie verlede jaar as polisiehoof in
Limpopo vervang. Genl. Bheki Cele, nasionale polisiehoof, het Sengani na die

Vrystaat verplaas waar hy nou polisiehoof is. Mashigo was voorheen ook die
areahoof van die polisie in Pretoria. Phadagi het gesê onder Mashigo se
leierskap het misdaad in Limpopo skerp afgeneem. Luidens die jongste
misdaadstatistieke van die polisie is dit die tweede veiligste provinsie wat

geweldmisdaad betref. Verskeie misdaadsindikate wat ’n skrikbewind in
Thohoyandou, Polokwane en Louis Trichardt gevoer het, is ’n nekslag
toegedien terwyl Mashigo aan die stuur van sake was. Dit is nie duidelik wat

¬Mashigo nou gaan doen nie.  Beeld

Illegal fines put province in a fix
26 Sep 2011
Alfred Moselakgomo
THE Mpumalanga government faces possible claims arising from speeding fines
collected from motorists who were caught by cameras operated illegally by a
private company. The National Prosecuting Authority said the application of
Traffic Management Technology by Mpumalanga for speed enforcement was
illegal. The announcement places the province in a predicament since the
provincial traffic department cannot prove that cameras were manned by a
traffic officer. This could lead to claims worth thousands of rand in
refunds. The directive by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions George
Baloyi followed complaints by motorists who were fined by the Cape
Town-based company that has been operating speed cameras since 2008.
Motorists claimed that TMT did not have qualified traffic officers. Baloyi
ordered John Nkuna, general manager of traffic management in Mpumalanga, to
stop the unmanned cameras. TMT's contract ends next year. In a letter seen
by Sowetan, Baloyi said "only qualified and duly appointed local authority
officials shall undertake the tasks of managing speed cameras, and that the
local authority shall not allow private sector individuals to undertake
these functions". He said in terms of the Road Traffic Act "mobile or
manually operated speed enforcement cameras or any mobile traffic
enforcement system shall only be operated by a qualified and duly appointed
traffic officer". Baloyi said while his office in fact gave the province
authority to perform speed law enforcement by camera, it was never
contemplated that a traffic officer would leave the camera under the care of

a guard. Baloyi gave the province one month to implement the system
correctly, and has indicated that the current authorisation to conduct speed

enforcement by camera would not be renewed if the above practice persist.
Joseph Mabuza, spokesperson for the Mpumalanga roads and transport
department, confirmed receipt of the instruction. "The department had the
contract with TMT to administer summonses on traffic violations and not law
enforcement," Mabuza said. "The cameras are set up by qualified traffic
officers and officials from TMT were used to safeguard the equipment due to
fear of theft and vandalism." Anthony Benadie, leader of the DA in the
province, said: "We call on Roads and Transport MEC Vusi Shongwe to
establish a mechanism whereby members of the public can lodge complaints or
queries in this regard."  Sowetan

Gauteng toll roads to cost R2bn more
September 27 2011 at 09:20am
By ANGELIQUE SERRAO AND LOUISE FLANAGAN
The controversial Gauteng toll road system will cost taxpayers R5 billion
more than the Gautrain because costs have skyrocketed over R2bn in a year.
This new costing brings the full amount of the roads and toll system, as
well as the toll operating costs for the Gauteng freeway Improvement
Project, to nearly R35bn over 10 years. And motorists using the 185km of
freeway making up the toll route will be footing the bill for this through
toll tariffs of 40c/km for ordinary motorists whose vehicles are fitted with

e-tags. The latest set of figures have been calculated from a response
Minister of Transport S’bu Ndebele gave to questions by the DA’s SB Farrow
in the national assembly last week. Farrow asked Ndebele what the
construction costs of building the roads and toll system were. In his
response, Ndebele broke down the 19 construction projects and provided the
contract price adjustment (CPA) and VAT. Taken together, the three amounts
come to R19.8bn – a R2bn increase in the R17.5bn MEC for Transport Ismail
Vadi said the roads had cost earlier this year. Ndebele also provided the
cost of building the toll system. With CPA and VAT, this comes to a total of

R2.6bn. This figure is up by more than R1bn from documentation in The Star’s

possession, which shows the costs for building the toll gantries and
buildings in March 2010 to be R1.4bn. The building of the roads and toll
system come to a total of R22bn, but this does not include the operation of
the toll system. Further documentation The Star has shows the operation of
the tolls, including CPA and VAT, is estimated until 2020 to cost R12.5bn.
This means the total amount for this project is R35bn. The announced tariff
structures are: motorcyclists paying 24c/km; light motor vehicles 40c/km;
medium vehicles R1/km; and longer vehicles R2/km. Taxis and buses would be
exempted. Political parties, trade unions, non-governmental organisations
and civil society reacted with anger to the tariff announcement last month.
Cosatu threatened to strike if the policy was not scrapped, and the
Federation of Unions of SA said it would join in. Earlier this month, the DA

submitted a petition to the Gauteng legislature with more than 9 000
signatures opposing the proposed Gauteng toll system. It demanded that the
system be halted. The petition was being considered by the Petitions and
Public Participation Committee of the provincial legislature. Ndebele said,
in his national assembly reply, that the determination of toll tariffs was
based on the project’s capital costs and associated debt servicing, routine
road maintenance costs, future maintenance, toll operational costs and other

costs such as incident management and intelligent transport systems. Ndebele

said he has asked the SA National Roads Agency Ltd to look at their original

research that said freeway expansion will relieve congestion. He wanted to
know if it was well founded. “I have also asked the department to query
whether sufficient attention was paid to opportunity costs, i.e. whether
relieving congestion and addressing other developmental objectives would not

be better addressed through spending on public transport infrastructure and
on shifting a greater proportion of road freight onto rail,” the minister
said. - The Star

Health strike ‘may become expensive’
2011-09-27 16:29
A strike by health laboratory workers may force state hospitals to outsource

services at a cost, a health workers’ union said today. “Most state
hospitals across the country have delayed operations and [have] contingency
plans to outsource to private companies,” said the National Education,
Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu). “We pointed out that if they have

enough money [to outsource pathology and diagnostic tests], it’s difficult
to believe they don’t have enough money for our demands.” About 1 500
workers across the country went on strike from yesterday over wages. A
notice of intention to strike was served on the National Health Laboratory
Service (NHLS) on Thursday after ongoing negotiations since April. Nehawu
wanted a 9.5% increase and R2 300 monthly medical aid benefit, backdated to
May 1. The NHLS, an independent agent contracted to the health department,
had offered a 6.5% increase and R2 100 for medical aid. Nehawu spokesperson
Sizwe Pamla said the health department should be encouraging workers to stay

in the public sector rather than scaring them away with low salaries. “If
workers are constantly provoked, we will find it difficult to convince them
not to leave for more profitable private companies.” The union claims to
represent about a quarter of NHLS staff. Two other representative unions,
the Public Servants Association of SA and the Health and Other Service
Personnel Trade Union of SA, had apparently agreed to a set increase.  City
Press

Mmakau residents want crime free area
September 27 2011 at 08:42pm
Residents of Mmakau, in the North West, took turns complaining about rampant

corruption and crime in the area during a visit by Police Minister Nathi
Mthethwa on Tuesday. Mthethwa listened and took notes with the help of an
official, who occasionally translated for him as most of the crowd spoke
SeTswana. A visibly frustrated ANC supporter said they were being targeted
by police officers who had instructions to make arrests. Mthethwa said this
kind of action showed there was a bigger problem within police structures.
He said senior ANC officials in the area needed to look into the matter. The

discussion with locals was part of efforts to strengthen relations between
the public and the police in the fight against crime. At one point, Mthethwa

asked for the names of the officers residents accused of unashamedly
accepted bribes. Residents also complained that the large number of sheebens

in the area was contributing to crime. Water was another concern. The area
had had no water for three days. One after another, the residents who filled

the humid hall asked Mthethwa to intervene.  www.iol.co.za

Clinic staff locked up during protest
September 27 2011 at 08:39pm
Nurses and patients at a clinic in Bonabona in the North West were locked up

during a service delivery protest on Tuesday, police said.
Lieutenant-Colonel Lesego Metsi said about 60 protesters brought their own
locks to shut the clinic's doors. “We are still trying to free the trapped
people.” Police were keeping an eye on schools and other essential services
should protesters turn their attention elsewhere. Earlier, the police
stopped the same group from looting Somali and Pakistani shops. “These
people were targeted because they have managed to rent houses where they are

running their tuckshops,” said Metsi. Bonabona is outside Morokweng village
near Vryburg, in the central part of the province. “The situation is very
volatile,” said Metsi. Closer to Rustenburg, at Nkaneng informal settlement
near the Bleskop mine, 4000 people protested around 4am against a lack of
service delivery. Metsi said this group wanted to speak to the Rustenburg
mayor. “They claim their own councillor was not doing his job properly.”
Metsi said the protesters wanted access to water, electricity and housing.
They burned tyres and blocked the road to the mine, but were not violent,
said Metsi.  www.iol.co.za

7 held for protest in De Doorns
September 27 2011 at 08:38pm
Seven people were arrested in De Doorns, in the Western Cape, on Tuesday for

throwing stones at motorists during a protest on the N1 highway, said police

Captain FC van Wyk said the police and other law enforcement agencies in the

town had to periodically close the N1 because of the service delivery
protest. “It is reported that some community members, during the protest,
were seen throwing stones at the vehicles that travelled on the N1 national
road in De Doorns,” Van Wyk said. He said they would be charged with public
violence, assault and malicious damage to property and would appear in De
Doorns Magistrate's Court on Wednesday. Van Wyk said the situation in the
town was quiet on Tuesday afternoon. “The police are on the scene and are
monitoring the situation,” he said.  www.iol.co.za