Cop held on conspiracy charges
October 13 2011 at 07:11pm
A Free State policeman has been arrested for conspiracy to commit murder,
the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) said on Thursday. He allegedly
tried to hire a hitman to kill a State witness, ICD spokesman Moses Dlamini
said in a statement. The officer was arrested on Wednesday night. Dlamini
said the witness and the policeman were connected to an ICD investigation
into the death of Thabo Amos Mofokeng, 47, after an assault at the Bethlehem

police station in December 2010. The policeman allegedly pushed Mofokeng,
and his head hit a pillar. Mofokeng died the next morning. The officer
failed to report the assault to his superiors. After an investigation, the
ICD established that Mofokeng's death was not an accident, Dlamini said. The

policeman appeared in court on January 18 and was charged with culpable
homicide. He was released on bail, and was warned to appear for his trial on

October 19. He was re-arrested this week after the ICD learned of
allegations that he was conspiring to have the State witness in the Mofokeng

investigation killed. He was expected to appear in Bethlehem Magistrate's
Court later on Thursday, Dlamini said.  www.iol.co.za

Twee mans dood in motors gevind
2011-10-13 20:58
Johannesburg – Twee mans is dood in hul motors gevind in Winkelspruit aan
die suidelike kus van KwaZulu-Natal, het die polisie gesê. Een is
doodgeskiet en die ander een is blykbaar verwurg, het Kol. Jay Naicker gesê.

Die eerste lyk, van ‘n 36-jarige man, is Woensdag op die N2-snelweg gevind.
“Sy broeksakke was uitgekeer, wat daarop dui dat hy beroof is,” het Naicker
gesê. Die man is in die kop geskiet. Die tweede lyk is op die Old South
Road, naby die N2, gevind. “Die oorledene is Donderdag op die agtersitplek
van sy motor gevind met wurgmerke aan sy nek. Ons weet nie of enigiets by
hom gesteel is nie,” het Naicker gesê. “Daar is niks wat die twee moorde
verbind nie. Hulle het net naby aan mekaar gebeur.”  Beeld

Car syndicate hits Alberton
13 October 2011
Zelda Viljoen
A car theft syndicate emerged in Alberton. On the afternoon of October 8, a
Mazda double cab bakkie was stolen from Reading Country Club. On the
afternoon of October 8, a Mazda double cab bakkie was stolen from Reading
Country Club. The men posed as normal day visitors to enter the club and
then went into the men's change room where they stole the key for the Mazda,

as well as keys to a VW Passat. The stolen vehicle was later recovered in
Rosettenville after the suspects failed to remove the tracking device.
According to the owner of the VW Passat, he contacted his wife to bring him
a set of spare keys, he left the country club but soon realized he was being

followed by a white Volvo T5 and phoned the Alberton SAPS. Details of the
Volvo, was sent to CPS Security and the car was spotted on October 10 on
Ring Road East. A high speed chase took place and the car was pulled over in

Raceview with the help of the Alberton SAPS. Stolen goods were found in the
car along with the keys to the VW Passat and a Ford Fiesta. The suspect was
arrested at the scene. After further investigation two more suspects were
arrested the same day. Two of the suspects are aged 29 and another 26.
Investigations revealed that the suspects were wanted in connection with six

cases of theft at the McLaren Circus last week and approximately forty cases

of theft and car theft in surrounding areas. A reliable source told the
RECORD that one of the suspects declared they only did it for a rush. Some
of the items recovered in the vehicle include cellphones, a Tomato watch,
laptops and car audio equipment. If anyone has any information, or claim, on

this case, please contact the Alberton SAPS on 011 907 9148 immediately.
www.looklocal.co.za  -  Alberton

Groep jaag weg met vrou se baba
2011-10-13 08:07
Charné Kemp
Kimberley. – ’n 18 maande oue seuntjie is naby die Shell Ultra City op die
N12-hoofweg ontvoer nadat hy en sy ma geryloop en opgelaai is. Konst. Sergio

Kock, polisiewoordvoerder, sê die eenheid teen gesinsgeweld en seksuele
misdade en vir kinderbeskerming het ’n grootskeepse soektog begin. “Die
voorval het omstreeks 19:35 Dinsdag gebeur. “Sy 28-jarige ma, Amanda Linda
Msimanga, oorspronklik van Soweto, sê sy was op pad van Vryburg na
Kimberley. Sy moes haar man in Kimberley ontmoet. “Hulle sou van hier saam
na Bloemfontein vertrek.” Volgens haar is sy en haar kind deur drie mense in

’n wit Toyota Corolla opgelaai. Hulle het Afrikaans met mekaar gepraat. ’n
Man en vrou het voor gesit en ’n derde man agter by haar en die kind. “Toe
hulle naby die vulstasie was, het die bestuurder afgetrek. Hy het haar
beveel om uit die motor te klim. Voordat sy haar kind kon uithaal, het hulle

weggejaag.” Die seuntjie, Buhle, was geklee in ’n rooi en groen sweetpak.
Die bestuurder het ’n donker gelaat en het ’n swart broek en wit en blou
hemp aangehad. Hy dra ’n groen pet. Die vrouepassasier het ligbruin
gelaatstrekke en het ’n goue en bruin tradisionele rok aangehad. Die ander
man het ’n kakiebroek en bruin hemp aangehad. Die blitspatrollie en honde-
en opsporingseenheid het die omgewing deur die nag en Woensdag gefynkam.
Enigiemand met inligting kan ao. Elizma Roos by 082 566 4512 bel.  Volksblad

Kidnapped, raped teen found
October 13 2011 at 11:18am
A 16-year-old girl who was kidnapped, allegedly by her father, and raped has

been found on a farm outside Grahamstown, Eastern Cape police said on
Thursday. “She is severely traumatised,” Captain Mali Govender said. “Police

received a report of a missing girl on Sunday and it was later discovered
that she was kidnapped by her biological father.” She had reported a case of

rape and assault against her father before the incident, Govender said. The
teenager was found around noon on Tuesday at a farm where she was being held

hostage. By the time the police arrived, her father had left.  www.iol.co.za

Man moved to Gauteng after rape ‘admissions’
October 13 2011 at 05:18pm
A suspected serial rapist who admitted to kidnapping and murdering Florida
high school pupil Louise de Waal is being brought back to Gauteng, police
said on Thursday. “He handed himself in at the Margate police station (in
KwaZulu-Natal), this morning,” acting Gauteng police commissioner
Major-General Nobesuthu Masiya told reporters in Joburg. Police spokesman
Lieutenant-Colonel Tshisikhawe Ndou said KwaZulu-Natal police questioned the

man and “certain admissions have been made (by him)”. He said police were
not sure whether the admissions would culminate in a formal confession.
“There are a number of things that still have to be done. He was on the run,

but is currently in transit back to Gauteng,” he said. “When arrives, we
will see where things go from there.” Masiya said Warrant Officer Peet du
Toit, who headed up the investigation into the kidnapping of the 17-year-old

De Waal, got hold of the man through his brother, and persuaded him to hand
himself over. The man was allegedly linked to nine cases of rape and one of
murder, she said. The crimes were attributed to a man nicknamed the “Sunday
rapist”. “He has not yet confessed to the other rapes and the murder,”
Masiya said. Du Toit said the man's modus operandi matched the Sunday
rapist's. “The man usually goes out to prowl on Sunday between 10 (am) and 1

(pm) in certain suburbs in Gauteng and the North West, and looks for girls
between the ages of 10 and 17,” he said. “He then drives 20 or 30km away and

rapes the girls. He often takes mementos from them like head-bands or
panties.” Masiya said the man, in his 30s, had a previous conviction for
sexual assault. “He was arrested in 2007, convicted and sentenced to three
years in prison. The sentence was suspended for three years. He spent time
doing community service.” Masiya confirmed that a burnt body was found at a
farm in Magaliesburg on Wednesday afternoon, but said police were awaiting
forensic results before it could be identified. De Waal was kidnapped at
gunpoint while walking to school in White Ridge, Florida, west of Joburg, on

Wednesday morning.  www.iol.co.za

Confessions of a car hijacker
13 Oct 2011
Vuyi Jabavu
"My family knew but never discouraged me"  I'VE always wondered how I could
best protect myself against being hijacked. So much so that the fear of
being hijacked has forced me to carefully choose the car I want to own. In a

quest to satisfy my (sometimes unhealthy) sense of curiosity, I secured an
interview with a reformed car hijacker, whose reformation came by way of a
car accident that left him paralysed from the waist down. Being
wheelchair-bound had given Jack (not his real name) time to reflect on the
impact his past life has had on other people. It wasn't difficult to get an
interview with Jack. His contact arranged the interview in a surprisingly
short time. All too soon the day rolled by and, to my astonishment the only
thing I could think of was what to wear. For once I opted not to wear heels,

just in case I had to run! The meeting point was in a part of town with a
reputation of being a crime-infested spot. As luck would have it, I parked
in the wrong place. Three menacing- looking men stared at me in disbelief,
while simultaneously reaching for their pockets. Then Jack's mediator, Adam,

appeared and hurriedly motioned me to park closer to him. And I felt it was
best to comply. I had earlier formed a profile of the former car hijacker in

my mind but on meeting Jack I discovered he was not of diminutive frame and
soft-spoken as I thought he'd turn out to be. He had two cellphones, and
fidgeted with them constantly. It dawned on me that both of us were nervous,

though for completely different reasons. We opted to conduct our interview
while driving so as not to attract attention by being together in one place.

As we ventured out I wondered if Jack was armed. Too late for that, I mused,

but what if I ended up as a car hijacking statistic while trying to pick the

mind of a car hijacker? I was in an unfamiliar neighbourhood, sitting less
than an arm's length from a car hijacker - reformed or not. They say old
habits die hard. I asked Jack why he used to hijack cars. He said that the
allure of quick and easy cash had been too much to resist. He had started a
life of crime when he was only 17 years old as a means to support his
family. In the area he grew up in the only role models were people who
committed crime. Finding work in a white neighbourhood was an option but
Jack felt that working for a "pittance" wasn't for him. Jack had been
involved in and exposed to this lifestyle for more than 20 years at the time

and had been too immersed in it to have willingly dispensed with it. Jack
said many more cars were hijacked for spare parts than for resale and that
it all started with a driver who is unlicensed, uninsured or simply not
willing to report an accident to their insurer for fear of paying a high
excess. It also involved mechanics and panelbeaters, who were not willing to

incur the costs involved inf buying parts. According to Jack the scenario
is: A "boss" (person whom the panelbeater contacts for spare parts) places
an "order" for a particular vehicle through the country's nationwide car
hijacker network. The stolen car, called a "parcel", is "sourced" by the
network and once the "order" is fulfilled, the boss sends out a cancellation

order, thereby ensuring that he does not end up with more than one parcel.
Different parcels sell for different prices and it was interesting to learn
that most cars that can be stolen when stationary fetched a lower price than

cars that "need" to be hijacked. Once the parcel is in hand, it is stripped,

effectively reducing it to hundreds of spare parts. One parcel can be used
as parts for many similar cars, especially those that are not traceable.
Many factors play a role in the pricing of parcels, including availability,
scarcity of the particular model and the risk involved. Jack was quick to
point out that different hijackers used different modus operandi and that
client needs differed. But the general rule was first-come-first-paid. Not
all vehicle thefts can be categorised as hijackings, Jack said. He seemed
disgusted by the fact that his specialised craft was belittled by petty
thieves. He mentioned that some car thieves simply shadowed people in
shopping malls and other leisure areas with the intention of stealing their
jewellery, cash and bank cards. These criminals follow the shoppers out of
the car park and relieve them of their belongings, so "hijacked" cars are
sometimes found abandoned not too far from the place they were stolen. When
asked if car hijackers targeted women, Jack's response was an emphatic no,
but he added he was not speaking on behalf of all hijackers. He said his
team had not targeted women, especially those with children since mothers
were too unpredictable for their liking. Though he didn't articulate it I
sensed what he was really saying was that mothers' maternal instincts often
endangered a "job" and resulted in injuries or death. Apart from mothers
with children in cars, everyone else was fair game. If you happened to be
driving a car that had been ordered you were a target. I asked why car
hijackers often kidnapped the drivers, and Jack's answer was rather a
surprising one. If the hijackers let you go before they have located the
tracking system, Jack said, the driver will have an opportunity to activate
the tracker, meaning the hijackers' efforts will count for nothing.
According to Jack it took about 10 minutes to locate the tracking system in
a car. Those first 10 minutes after a vehicle has been hijacked are critical

and could be the difference between life and death. I got the distinct
feeling that he meant it was at this point that most hijack victims were at
risk of ending up dead. I asked Jack how car hijackers went about finding a
"parcel" and he painstakingly schooled me in the art of "scouting". A group
of youths would venture into a neighbourhood in search of their target. The
actual market value of the vehicle would determine in which suburb they
conducted their search, though in some cases his team would cross provincial

borders to fulfil an order. The scouts would steal a small inconspicuous
vehicle, change the number plates, and drive around until they identified
their target. They would establish the driver's routine by following them
for a few days. Jack suggested that drivers should be vigilant at all times
and constantly change the routes they use to and from work. He said
motorists should use their rear-view and side mirrors often when driving.
"Make a few turns here and there," he suggested. "If the car behind you
makes the same turns you need to be aware that someone could be following
you". Jack said drivers who were easily distracted made for easy targets,
especially those who talk on cell phones while driving. "Rather drive to the

nearest police station and if the car behind you drives past then you know
you have to readjust your travel pattern." Jack told me proudly he had a
wife and children. They were aware of what he did for a living and had never

discouraged him from doing it. At a minimum of R300,000 a job he could
afford to send his children to private schools and did not lack for
anything. As a parting question I asked him why the community had never
handed him over to the police, to which he replied that a sense of loyalty
in communities was sometimes higher than the sense of civic duty, especially

if the community was not at risk from criminal activities. It came as little

comfort that Jack explained that members of the police force and other
authorities were part of the hijacking networks since they provided
legitimate paperwork where needed. As I watched Jack wheel himself along the

dusty path, my mind set about to finding and interviewing someone who might
have been a victim of a car hijacking.  Sowetan

Serial killer gets 14 life terms
October 13 2011 at 07:09pm
Serial killer, rapist and robber Sello Alfred Phalane was given 14 life
sentences by the Middelburg High Court on Thursday, Limpopo police said. The

52-year-old was found guilty on five counts of murder, five counts of rape
and four counts of robbery, Lieutenant-Colonel Mohale Ramatseba said. “The
sentences will run concurrently.” Acting Limpopo commissioner Major-General
Benny Ntlemeza, welcomed the ruling. “The sentence will serve as a deterrent

to would-be killers, rapists and robbers.” Phalane raped, robbed and killed
five women between 2008 and 2009 in the Dennilton area. His first victim,
Eva Lekalakala, 41, was killed in June 2008. Her remains were found at
Spitpunt, in Dennilton. She was identified through DNA tests. Josephine
Manamela, 38, was killed in August 2008 and her decomposed body found at Ga
Maria village. In February 2009, the naked body of an unknown woman, aged
around 30, was found in the bushes at Driefontein in Dennilton. His fourth
victim, Margaret Seretlo, 41, was found at Driefontein July 2009, as was his

fifth victim Elizabeth Kobe, 36. Phalane was arrested while selling CDs at a

minibus taxi rank in Zebediela in September 2009.  www.iol.co.za

Cop accused of stealing docket
October 13 2011 at 12:39pm
A police officer has appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate's Court in Durban

for allegedly stealing a docket, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Thursday. The
Bayview police captain was arrested on Wednesday when it came to light that
she tried to help her colleagues avoid getting arrested by allegedly
quashing a docket, said Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Mdunge. The charge
related to a police operation in July. Two police officers conducted a raid
after receiving information about drugs being kept in a house in Bayview,
Mdunge said. The officers were accused of taking a R2 500 bribe from a man
allegedly dealing in dagga, and of stealing his cellphone. A case was
reported to the captain at the Bayview police station. She ordered the
officers to return the money and allegedly stole the case docket. She had
been charged with defeating the ends of justice and was released on R500
bail. “The two police officers pleaded guilty when they were arrested in
July. “They are going back to the Chatsworth Magistrate's Court on October
18 for sentencing,” Mdunge said. The captain would appear again in court on
October 20.  www.iol.co.za

Minister condemns spate of child murders
2011-10-13 22:39
Johannesburg - A recent spate of child murder cases in South Africa was met
with outrage by the minister of women, children and people with disabilities

on Thursday. “The barbaric actions of child abusers and murderers have no
place in our democratic society," said Lulu Xingwana in a statement. She
said the net was closing on perpetrators of child abuse, with her department

working closely with law enforcement agencies. Xingwana was satisfied with
the police's reintroduction of the family violence, child protection and
sexual offences units. “Child murderers will have no place to hide as more
and more of them will continue to face the full might of the law,” she said.

On Wednesday morning, schoolgirl Louise de Waal was kidnapped at gun-point
as she walked to school in Roodepoort, Gauteng. A badly burnt body - widely
believed to be De Waal's - was found on a farm in Magaliesburg later in the
day. Last Friday, a three-year-old boy's butchered body was found stuffed
into a suitcase in his next-door neighbour's house at Gugulethu in the
Western Cape. Just over a month ago, two sisters, 8 and 12, were stabbed in
Khayelitsha, also in the Western Cape. The younger girl died from her
injuries. Police said they could not rule out the possibility that the girls

had been raped. Xingwana appealed to the public to work with the police to
ensure child abusers were rooted out of society.  www.news24.com

Cele slammed over gun control ‘nightmare’
October 13 2011 at 12:05pm
Political Bureau
NATIONAL police commissioner General Bheki Cele and his top cops were
slammed by Parliament’s police oversight committee yesterday over the state
of the service, with the chair of the committee describing its firearms
control as a “nightmare”. In the past five years, 11 935 SAPS firearms have
been lost or stolen. As the police top brass were being grilled, Police
Minister Nathi Mthethwa said in a written parliamentary reply that one-third

(91 191) of SAPS firearms still needed to be marked to clearly identify them

as police weapons, making it nearly impossible to keep track of and recover
stolen or lost firearms. Committee chairwoman Sindi Chikunga said the
problem was rooted in the fact that “there are no consequences for doing
wrong”. “If you go to a police station just ask for the firearm register, it

will be signed by Sindi, Dianne or whoever.” Neither the firearms register
nor the safe was being managed properly, she said, with junior officers
having access to the weapons. “Firearms are not being controlled at police
station level, national police commissioner, what I’m saying is firearms
control, it’s a real nightmare, simply put. There’s a serious lack of the
very basic principles of management.” Cele, Hawks boss Anwa Dramat and a
contingent of top cops appeared before the committee to discuss their annual

report. MPs also heard that 3 461 of South Africa’s 24 000 detectives were
employed despite not having gone for investigative training.  Cape Argus

Cops nab illegal credit providers
October 13 2011 at 09:11pm
Police arrested six people in a clampdown on illegal credit providers in the

Eastern Cape, the National Credit Regulator said on Thursday. “They were
found in possession of pension cards, ID books, 297 bank cards and pin
numbers,” said Jan Augustyn, NCR manager for investigations and enforcement.

He said the operation was targeting credit providers who compelled consumers

to hand over their cards as surety. Augustyn said similar operations would
be conducted in other parts of the country, “mainly in rural communities
where we believe people are more vulnerable and easily exploited”. The SA
Social Security Agency (SASSA) advised consumers not to leave their pension
cards with micro-lenders as they would battle to get their social grants
without the cards. The two-day operation was conducted by the NCR, SASSA and

the National Prosecuting Authority.  Pretoria News

Muslims lose a fortune in Hajj scam
October 13 2011 at 11:13am
By Vincent Cruywagen
Up to 1 000 Cape Muslims have lost around R33 million in a Hajj visa scam.
The full extent of the scandal is unmasked in a Daily Voice investigation
into the Mecca rip-off. A senior local imam is under investigation for his
role in the scandal and a Flats tour operator – Faizal Moos from
Al-Sabireen – has been implicated. The scandal has devastated hundreds of
Muslim families. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and each year

millions of Muslims around the world undertake the once-in-a-lifetime
pilgrimage to Mecca, many spending their life’s savings to fulfil their duty

to Allah. In the scam, each individual paid an exorbitant R3 000 to tour
operators for ill-sourced visas. But before they could qualify for the
visas, they had to fork out between R25 000 and R40 000 on Hajj packages.
This means each of the 1 000 or so pilgrims caught in the scandal lost an
average of R33 000 to cover the cost of the failed trip to Mecca. Now the
victims have vowed to bring the unscrupulous Hajj operators to justice. They

have formed The Friends of the Hajj (FotH) to pursue a class action against
those responsible. More than 100 angry victims gathered at a heated meeting
on Tuesday night in Silvertown to discuss their options. The group is led by

Imraahn Mukaddam – the shopkeeper who took on the bread giants in a
price-fixing scandal. He told the Daily Voice the scam operators must be
held liable. “Those responsible for throwing the Hajj industry into turmoil,

misrepresenting Muslims and robbing them of their holy journey must be held
accountable,” he says. And he urged all of those who have lost money in the
scandal not to be afraid to tackle the Hajj operators in court. “Please
people, this is a very sensitive case. Don’t turn your back on us when you
are called to testify,” Mukaddam says. “This whole scandal is unacceptable
and despicable. “If irregularities are uncovered, those responsible must be
charged criminally. We will also ask the Competition Commission to
investigate any price-fixing in the Hajj industry.” Notably absent from
Tuesday night’s meeting were the implicated Imam, Moos, the Muslim Judicial
Council and the SA Hajj and Umrah Council (Sahuc). Moos admitted this week
to the Daily Voice that he had dealings with a source in Saudi Arabia who
had arranged Hajj visas. But the deal flopped and the visas Moos applied for

were blocked. Pilgrims who paid their packages are now demanding Moos refund

their money. “I’ll pay back every cent to Hujjaj,” Moos vowed. Sahuc, who
administer and keep a watchful eye over the whole visa process with the
Saudi embassy in Pretoria, say they are investigating. “The cases are sub
judice and we cannot give comment at this stage,” Sahuc secretary general
Shaheen Essop tells the Daily Voice. Every year the Saudi embassy allocates
3 000 Hajj visas free of charge to South African Muslims. But this year,
more applications kept flowing in – even after this number of visas had been

allocated. Irregularities soon became clear and the embassy placed a
moratorium on the issuing of visas. Initial investigations revealed two Cape

Town operators bypassed Sahuc and the embassy to obtain Hajj visas. One
operator allegedly got hold of foreign Hajj visas and sold them at R3 000
each to unsuspecting pilgrims. The Daily Voice has learned a second Cape
Town operator had direct dealings with a source in Saudi Arabia. Now Sahuc,
along with the Saudi Embassy and authorities, are trying to get their hands
on the Saudi Ministry source. The Sahuc also came under fire at Tuesday’s
meeting. The Daily Voice has learned Sahuc do not have permission from the
SA government to negotiate on behalf of South African Muslims with the Saudi

Hajj Ministry. “FotH will ask the South African government to suspend the
recognition of Sahuc and that a transparent body for the entire Southern
Africa be established,” Riyaad Bosch from Hajj Watch told pilgrims at the
meeting. “The Public Protector informed us that the protocol document that
Sahuc is waving about [stating] they have the right to negotiate on behalf
of Muslims with Saudi Arabia, is not a legitimate document.” At this stage
there is no police investigation into the matter. * If you’ve been a victim,

Cops find more guns at house
October 12 2011 at 11:05am
By Karabo Seanego
More ammunition was recovered from a Valhalla home after police worked
throughout the night searching the house following Monday’s discovery of an
arms stash at the house. The huge stash was discovered following a tip-off
by a tenant leasing the house after he became suspicious as some rooms in
the house were always locked. The tenant and his family had access to four
bedrooms, two kitchens, a living area, study and a TV room, but five other
rooms had never been opened since they moved in on September 30. Police were

still hard at work on Wednesday at the Wierdabrug police station, going
through the stash which had grown from the previous night, after an
additional 13 assault rifles were discovered to take the tally of guns to
43. Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Tshisikhawe Ndou said further
searches on Monday night had unearthed different types of grenades,
including the stun grenades used during military training and exercises. “We

also found six R1 rifle magazines and a single R5 rifle magazine. There was
also a lot of spent cartridges which seem like they were going to be
recycled,” he said. On Monday, police found an assortment of firearms, which

included 303 rifles, 9mm pistols, revolvers, pellet guns, army uniforms,
police uniforms, air force uniforms, police blue lights and hunting rifles
as well as ammunition of various calibre. Machines used to reload cartridges

with gunpowder were also found, so was gunpowder. Ndou said at the moment it

did not appear as though the homeowner, who was in the UK, was an arms
collector because they could not find any licences to prove ownership of the

arms and military equipment that was recovered. “In order for one to be a
gun collector or gun smith, he needs to have a licence. When we checked on
the system we could not find any proof of ownership or of a licence,” said
Ndou. He added that police did not know what the man was doing in the UK,
but they were hopeful he would co-operate with their investigations. Ndou
said it is still too early to say if the man was a suspect as investigations

were continuing. “Once we have determined where the stuff comes from and the

person has proven where he got them, that is when we can know if charges
will be laid or not,” said Ndou. According to police, should the owner be
found to be in the wrong, he could be charged under the new Firearms Act for

possession of unlicensed firearms, live ammunition and police equipment.
Meanwhile, the Gauteng Hawks on Wednesday recovered three assault rifles
from two vehicles which were found abandoned at a parking lot in the
Piccadilly shopping centre, Yeoville. Police received information about two
vehicles, an Isuzu bakkie and a VW Jetta, which were parked at the parking
lot of the shopping complex, and went to investigate. Ndou said: “the
vehicles were searched and inside, an AK-47, LM6 and R5 rifles were found,
as well as police reflector jackets, bulletproof vests, woollen gloves,
balaclavas, police blue light and 168 live rounds of both 9mm and assault
rifles.” Police believe the weapons might have belonged to a group of ATM
bombers. Ndou said arrests are expected soon. “Police would like to thank
the public for providing police with information which led to the recovery
of the firearms and vehicles,” said Ndou. - Pretoria News

Ventersburg supermarket robbed
October 12 2011 at 11:46am
A Ventersburg supermarket security guard stole R11,000 in cash to buy
himself a car, Free State police said on Wednesday. “The CCTV was monitored
and he appeared taking the money on the monitor,” Warrant Officer Malebo
Khosana said in a statement. Khosana said the money was noted missing from a

metal cash box placed next to the tills, after Casper Collen Billy
Pretorius, 21, went on lunch without permission and disappeared. Pretorius
bought a blue Leyland Mini, which was later found abandoned on the side of
the road between Welkom and Theunissen. The incident took place between 2pm
and 2.40pm on Sunday October 2. A warrant of arrest was issued after an
investigation.  www.iol.co.za

Two held after hijacking on Signal Hill
October 12 2011 at 12:58pm
By STAFF REPORTER
A couple robbed at gunpoint and who had the car they were sitting in
hijacked at the foot of the Signal Hill viewpoint, managed to raise the
alarm in time for the police to track down two suspects on the N1. Police
spokesman Raldeen Atson said the drama began just after midnight on Tuesday,

in the Lion’s Head parking area in Tafelberg Road, which leads to the
viewpoint. A 35-year-old man and his girlfriend were in the Audi A5 when
three men posing as security guards pulled up next to them in a white Nissan

light delivery vehicle (LDV), Atson said. “Two of the men armed with
firearms jumped out of the LDV and took an undisclosed amount of cash from
the complainant. “Both the complainant and his girlfriend were forced out of

their vehicle and the suspects fled in the direction of Kloof Nek Road in
both vehicles.” Atson said the couple managed to alert police, and the
Audi’s
car tracker system was immediately activated. “Police later spotted the
vehicle on the N1 freeway and forced the vehicle to stop. “They arrested two

suspects, aged 29 and 31, from Eerste River for car hijacking. No firearms
were recovered.” The third suspect was still at large. Atson said that in
their follow-up investigation, police found the white Nissan LDV, which was
used to commit the crime. The vehicle had been stolen in the Cape Town area,

but police could not say when. Both suspects were due to appear in Cape Town

Magistrate’s Court tomorrow. - Cape Argus

Two held for Pretoria kidnapping
October 11 2011 at 09:48pm
Two men were arrested in Lyttelton, Pretoria, in connection with the
kidnapping of three women, police said on Tuesday. They were arrested at a
duplex in Zwartkop late on Monday night when police were tipped off about a
kidnapping in progress, said Captain Brian Plaatjies in a statement. As the
police arrived on the scene, three women jumped from the balcony and ran
towards the gate. Plaatjies said as the gate was opened, three men ran out
of the house in different directions. Back-up was called. Two Nigerian
nationals were arrested while the third man escaped. Police confiscated
R10,000 worth of drugs, 13 cellphones, electronic equipment, jewellery and
about R8300 in cash found in the duplex. Plaatjies said further details
could not be divulged as the investigation was continuing. The men would
appear in Centurion Magistrate's Court soon on charges of possession of
stolen property, possession of drugs, and kidnapping.  www.iol.co.za

Cops rubbish serial killer theory
October 12 2011 at 11:05am
By SHAIN GERMANER
The police say they have three suspects in two of the six gay men murders,
discounting the possibility of a serial killer operating across Joburg.
However, they were unable to explain why they believed four of the most
recent killings were unrelated, even though they had a similar modus
operandi. In each case, the victims were found bound and murdered in their
homes, with each investigating officer confirming there were no signs of
forced entry. This meant it was likely the would-be murderers were invited
into the homes. In five of the cases, the men were strangled, with one man
being bludgeoned to death after being tied up. National police spokesman
Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said a suspect was set to be tried for
the murder of Manolis Veloudos last year. Nigerian Paulnius Dike is to be
charged for the murder this week. However, the victim’s niece, Evita
Veloudos, alleged that DNA evidence found at the scene did not match Dike,
and that it was possible the killer, or an accomplice, could still be at
large. Dlamini also said two suspects were to be extradited from Zimbabwe
for the December murder of Jim Cathels, but the men had yet to be arrested.
“Police are confident that they know the location of these two men,” he
said. Investigating officers in the six cases believe that robbery was an
unlikely motive for the crimes, because little was stolen. All the men were
over 30, were internet savvy, and several were confirmed to have used online

dating profiles for potential interactions. Three of the four most recent
victims were confirmed as using the internet to find potential hook-ups.
Despite the similar modus operandi for each of the cases and similarities
between the victims, police will not comment on why investigators have yet
to compare notes. The most recent victim, Barney van Heerden, 39, was found
bound and strangled in his Orange Grove home on September 19. Among the
others were Oscar O’Hara, 33, found bound and strangled four months ago, and

Siphiwe Selby Nhlapo, found bound and strangled last month. * Anyone with
any information on these cases or similar incidents can contact
shain.germaner@inl.co.za - The Star

Cops’ heads may roll over Jaca saga
October 12 2011 at 11:04am
By Graeme Hosken
The heads of senior Tshwane metro police officers are expected to roll as
the saga around embattled deputy police chief Ndumiso Jaca continues. The
fate of three Tshwane metro police department (TMPD) directors will be
discussed at a high-level meeting on Wednesday. Pretoria News sources said
the early morning meeting would centre on numerous criminal and internal
cases which were being investigated against several high-ranking TMPD
officers, including Jaca. Jaca, who has been placed on special leave, is
being investigated for having fitted a BMW Z4 and a Harley-Davidson
motorbike with the same vehicle registration plates, “Balty GP”, which until

recently had not been registered and were allegedly false. The directors,
whose fate will be discussed on Wednesday, include Jenny Malan, David Mbatha

and Moloko Racheku. The three are said to have had prior knowledge of the
allegedly false registration plates, but apparently did nothing to report
Jaca to his seniors. The trio are expected to face various charges,
including negligence and failure to act on alleged criminal activities.
Malan is involved in the administration and co-ordination of the TMPD’s law
enforcement section and falls directly under Jaca. Malan’s husband,
Commander JJ Malan, was recently appointed to the post of a TMPD regional
commander. His appointment has caused a controversy after Racheku – who Jaca

immediately appointed to act in his position after he was placed on special
leave – signed the appointment deployment notices. It is believed that the
municipality will at Wednesday’s meeting question the deployment of Malan’s
husband and that of his fellow commanders, KES Matlapeng, PM Poshoko,
Ephrahim Ratau and JV Lebombo. Mbatha and Racheku are in charge of several
TMPD policing regions under which the five appointees fall. Racheku said
last night he was not prepared to comment on hearsay. Neither Malan nor
Mbatha responded to voicemails left on their cellphones. Asked if Malan,
Mbatha and Racheku were to be charged either criminally or internally,
Tshwane mayoral spokesman Pieter de Necker said he would neither deny nor
confirm the allegations. “I can confirm there will be a meeting where
internal matters will be discussed. I have sent an e-mail to the TMPD’s
senior executive director, Mahlomola Manganye, and I am awaiting a response.

“The meeting is, however, an internal one and that is all I’m prepared to
say about it,” he said. Manganye said he was not in a position to comment on

the matter. “I have not yet been briefed. “We will be having a meeting where

several matters will be discussed,” he said. – Pretoria News

Pupils hospitalised after refinery blaze
October 11 2011 at 09:40am
By Tony Carnie
More than 100 primary school children were taken to hospital on Monday –
some struggling for breath, others with itchy skin and eyes – after being
splattered by airborne droplets of crude oil and a cloud of smoke and soot
from another fire at the Engen fuel refinery in South Durban. Wentworth
Hospital manager Suriya Kader said 101 children from Settlers Primary School

in Merebank and 10 adults had been brought in with signs or symptoms of
dizziness, itchiness, headaches and sore eyes. About 20 of the children were

treated with allergy medication, headache pills or calamine lotion, while
two were nebulised because of breathing problems. None were admitted,
however, and most did not require medical treatment. Meanwhile, the refinery

remained closed late yesterday after flames erupted from a crude oil
distillation unit, which caught fire just before 11am. Refinery manager
Kamal Bahrin Ahmad said it had taken 20 minutes for Engen firemen to bring
the fire under control. No staff had been injured. There have been several
fires at the refinery in the past few years, including a petrol tank which
burned for 58 hours after being struck by lightning in November 2007. The
latest fire has also sparked new calls from local community groups for a
government commission of inquiry into safety issues and maintenance at the
refinery. Anna-Lydia Pillay, an 11-year-old pupil at the school in Lakhimpur

Road, said that many pupils were outside during break when they saw a cloud
of dark smoke. Along with several other pupils seen by The Mercury at
Wentworth Hospital, Anna-Lydia’s white school clothes were stained with
blotches of an oily substance carried downwind to the school, less than a
kilometre from the refinery fence. “Some of the kids were getting oxygen
from paramedics and others were feeling sick. Our noses were burning and our

eyes were watering. I’m still feeling a bit shaken up and my skin was also
very itchy from the black drops which came in the air,” Anna- Lydia said.
Her mother, Charmain Andreoli, said it was “high time” that something was
done to improve safety and reduce environmental pollution from the refinery.

Desmond D’sa, of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, said the

latest fire was an indictment against both Engen and government health and
safety officials.” Ahmad said it was too early to say what had caused the
fire. “We regret any inconvenience or discomfort caused ,” refinery
spokesman Herb Payne said. - The Mercury

Two Gauteng officials suspended
2011-10-11 16:37
Johannesburg - Two Gauteng government officials have been suspended over
alleged irregularities, Gauteng Arts and Culture MEC Lebogang Maile said on
Tuesday. The offences related to the department's moving to an alternative
building, Maile told reporters in Johannesburg. "Good governance is
important for service delivery and we need to make proper use of the
resources to achieve maximum impact." The suspended officials were corporate

services chief director Dennis Molaba and deputy director of facilities
Wonga Msikinya. Their suspension came into effect three weeks ago, and a
full investigation was underway. Maile said the officials allegedly
fraudulently appointed a service provider in June to move the department to
a building on Diagonal Street. "We are still in a process of determining the

amount of money spent in that act, but the department had set aside R8m for
the whole relocation." Maile said the department became aware of the alleged

corrupt practice only last month. It had terminated the provider's services.

The infrastructure development department (public works) would conduct its
own forensic investigation into the matter.  www.news24.com

Ex-mayor denies getting fraudulent cash
October 11 2011 at 08:17pm
Former Mangaung mayor and fraud accused Pappie Mokoena denied ever receiving

money from his personal assistant for illegal activities, the Bloemfontein
High Court heard on Tuesday. “Not true, absolutely not true,” said Mokoena
during cross-examination in his fraud and racketeering trial. He was
replying to statements by State prosecutor Johan de Nysschen on payments
from the bank account of his personal assistant at the municipality,
Laetitia Hoffman, into his account. Earlier, De Nysschen asked Mokoena why
she would make large cash deposits into his bank account. Mokoena was
testifying in his own defence in a multi-million rand Mangaung fraud and
racketeering trial. The former mayor and 18 others face 259 charges,
including theft and money laundering involving an estimated R130 million.
Not all the accused face all the charges. Mokoena testified that from time
to time Hoffman paid money into his account for allowances and travel
expenses. He submitted that in many instances the municipality’s cheques
were cleared with the bank to allow them to have cash for expenses, instead
of waiting for the seven-day clearance period. The former mayor denied this
was “fraud money” or “stolen money”. Earlier, De Nysschen showed the court
allegedly fraudulent invoices found on Hoffman’s work computer for catering
services worth thousands of rand. Mokoena, his wife Granny, former municipal

manager Mojalefa Matlole, former municipal speaker Zongezile Zumane, and
former business manager Mzwandile Silwana face charges of fraud and
racketeering. Other accused include Jakes Thithi, the political adviser to
the former mayor, Silwana's wife Brigitte, Evodia Kok (Zumane's personal
assistant) and Hoffman (Mokoena's personal assistant), Buyelwa Khethelo, a
businesswoman from Rocklands, Soweto, and two Heidedal businessmen, Keabecoe

and Kegomodicoe Lekone. The trial followed an investigation by the
now-disbanded Scorpions. Mokoena was also questioned about his knowledge of
Koena Foods, a catering business of Granny’s mother. He said Koena Foods had

been doing business with the municipality long before he became mayor, and
that his wife resigned as partner soon after his election. Mokoena denied he

was forced to declare his and his family’s business interests when he became

mayor. “No, sir it’s not correct. We had to do it, not because the issue was

mentioned (a problem),” he said. The case continues.  www.iol.co.za

Cape Town cop acquitted
October 11 2011 at 09:25pm
A senior police official was found not guilty of corruption and attempting
to defeat the ends of justice by the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime
Court on Tuesday. Warrant officer Keith Swartz, of the Lansdowne police in
Cape Town, was accused of falsely informing businessman Udo Heydt that he
had to pay a R500 admission of guilt fine. Swartz allegedly knew that the
authorities had declined to prosecute the crimen injuria case. He claimed in

court that the R500, paid to him at Heydt's business premises, was a gift
and was not intended as a fine. Magistrate Amrith Chabilall, warned him: “As

a senior and respected police official, you are sailing pretty close to the
wind.” He said if the R500 was in fact a fine, it had to be paid at the
correct place and in the correct manner, and not to a police official on a
business premises. “If the money was intended as a gift, you as a senior
police official ought to know that you are not entitled to be rewarded for
your work, other than through your salary,” Chabilall said. He said there
was too much doubt for the court to make any findings of fact, and he was
obliged to give Swartz the benefit of the doubt. According to the charge
sheet in the corruption case, Heydt was mistakenly summonsed to appear in
court two years ago, despite the fact that the prosecuting authorities had
declined to pursue the crimen injuria case. When he went to court, his case
was not on the roll. The State alleged that when Heydt approached Swartz at
the Athlone Magistrate's Court about the confusion, Swartz falsely informed
Heydt that he had to pay the R500 fine. Heydt did not have the cash on him,
and arranged for Swartz to fetch it at his butchery in Ottery, near Cape
Town, which Swartz did. Chabilall said he viewed Swartz's version with
suspicion, but the court was nevertheless obliged to accept it as being
reasonably possibly true. He said the State had an obligation to prove the
charges against Swartz beyond reasonable doubt, but had failed to do so.
www.iol.co.za

One suspect acquitted of cop killing
October 12 2011 at 01:01pm
By JADE WITTEN
One of three men charged with the murder of Athlone police reservist
Constable Ernistene Veroni, and the attempted murder of her boyfriend, has
walked away from the Wynberg Regional Court a free man. On Tuesday,
magistrate Bruce Langa acquitted Ashley Oliver of all charges during
judgment in the case against him and alleged Americans gang boss Bradley
“Kleinkop” Parkins. The two, along with Oscar Williams, were initially
charged with the murder of Veroni and the attempted murder of her boyfriend,

Romeo Petersen, in April 2008. But only Parkins, 31, and Oliver, 24,
appeared in court on Tuesday as Williams has since died. In delivering the
first part of his judgment, Langa found there was no evidence against
Oliver, so acquitted him of the charges of murder, attempted murder and the
illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. Langa said Petersen, who was

with Veroni around 10pm when the shooting occurred, was the only witness.
Petersen had managed to escape and run into Veroni’s grandmother’s house in
Kudu Street, Athlone, but Veroni was shot in the head and died. Evaluating
Petersen’s evidence, Langa said there were many contradictions between his
oral testimony in court and the statements he made to police about the
incident. “This raised very serious question marks about the credibility of
Mr Petersen,” Langa said. The identity of the people who fired the shots was

the main point of contention, he added. Petersen had initially identified
the three as the men he saw that night. But later, under cross-examination,
he conceded that it had been dark and that he had not seen the faces of the
shooters. The court also heard evidence that there was a power failure in
Athlone that night. Langa said further that the ballistics report linked
spent cartridges found at the scene to a gun recovered at Parkins’s house in

Milnerton. “This evidence tends only to incriminate Parkins,” he said. The
court adjourned for lunch on Tuesday, after which the matter was postponed
as the prosecutor was expected at the Athlone Magistrate’s Court. Langa is
set to give judgment on Parkins’s alleged involvement next Thursday. After
the court proceedings, Oliver said he was happy that he could now move on
with his life. “I was under house arrest for over three years. I am very
happy. This case caused me a lot of stress,” he said.  Cape Argus

Man guilty for possession of unlicensed firearm
October 11 2011 at 08:15pm
By Keabetsoe Matshediso
A 39-year-old man was found guilty last Monday in the Johannesburg
Magistrate Court ofbeing in possession of an unlicensed firearm. Yengandram
Chetty was charged with attempted murder in December 2010 after a work
related Christmas party ‘went wrong’. It is alleged that a fight broke out
between Chetty and his colleagues at the function who were then thrown out
and refused entry. Chetty had been under the influence of alcohol at the
time, overcome with rage and aggression he opened fire on security guards
who fired back at him. No one was injured. CCTV cameras show footage of the
incident as it took place. Chetty was declared negligent for having fired an

unlicensed firearm and being in possession of one. The state saw fit to
restrict him from ever owning such a weapon in the future. After Chetty was
cross-examined by a state prosecutor, his charges for attempted murder were
dropped due to his honoured background. Magistrate Lukas van der Schyff
said: “You have a clear record of a useful member to the society, a
respected businessman and a family man with two children. Your charge of
attempted murder will be dropped, as you firing the weapon might have been
fused with other things such as alcohol, which is still not justifiable.”
“Being in possession of an unlicensed firearm is however a serious offence
and should be made clear to you and the public. That charge you will
serve.”,
van der Schyff added. Chetty was charged with one count of being in
possession of an unlicensed firearm and was given a fine of R5000 or six
months’ imprisonment. He got a further judgement of 12 months in prison
which was suspended for five years. “If in the five years you break the law
in any way, your suspended sentence will in every way be enforced.”, said
van der Schyff.  www.iol.co.za

Speaker slams toll debate criticism
October 11 2011 at 10:24am
By BALDWIN NDABA
Gauteng Legislature Speaker Lindiwe Maseko has slammed speculation that she
has unilaterally set aside the debate on toll roads. Maseko was reacting to
the DA’s allegations that she had cancelled the debate, which was due on
Tuesday, without consulting them and other opposition parties. Earlier, DA
caucus leader Jack Bloom said: “I strongly suspect that the sitting was
canned because there are major divisions in the ANC on the tolls issue. It
is highly unusual for a sitting to be cancelled in this way, especially a
Tuesday sitting, when there are questions for oral reply as well.” But
Maseko disagreed. “The premier (Nomvula Mokonyane) is out of the country on
government business and the acting premier, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, will be
attending the President’s Co-ordinating Council – so she is also not
available to respond to the premier’s questions, therefore the order on
questions to the premier is postponed to the next sitting on October 18.”
Mokonyane is in China with an ANC delegation which includes Gauteng ANC
secretary David Makhura and ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe. Maseko
also said Sipho Makama, chairman of the standing committee on public
accounts, had applied for leave of absence for all the committee members.
This was to allow the committee members to complete five reports. A new date

for the presentation of the reports would be set later. Maseko has also
dismissed claims that the provincial government was trying to shelve the
toll roads issue, saying the matter was receiving serious attention from the

government. The Department of Economic Development is expected to report
back on October 28 over opposition to the tolls. - The Star

Company loses bid to bar census
October 11 2011 at 10:23am
By ZELDA VENTER AND SAPA
While Census 2011 has kicked off with enumerators already counting the
population, a Joburg company, which had a multimillion rand contract to
advertise the event on behalf of government, on Monday turned to the
Pretoria High Court in a failed attempt to put a stop to the national count.

This was not the only hiccup to the start of the national census. Posters
showing the pictures of the census field workers who will be working in the
area have still not been put up in some areas. Also, a last group of
counters is still waiting to be deployed, Statistics SA said on Monday.
“We’ve
been experiencing some delays… this happens when you’re trying to get 120
000 people to start something at the same time,” Statistician-General Pali
Lehohla said. “If there is an area with no posters up, then no work has
started there.” In line with the “Know your Enumerator” campaign, Stats SA
earlier promised to put up 2.8 million posters with the faces of the
census-takers. This was to familiarise the residents with the person who
would be coming to their homes to conduct the census. Lehohla could not give

figures of how many posters were up by on Monday “especially in Gauteng”. A
group of 16 000 field workers had to be added to the 120 000 after the
agency realised there were more people to be counted than initially thought.

“Of those 16 000, 8 000 were for Gauteng. We need more field workers in the
province as there was more ground to cover.” Some census-takers could not
start working on Monday as they were still getting their IDs, and still had
to get their pictures taken for the posters, Lehohla said. As the census got

under way, the Joburg company Lightviews Ltd asked Judge Elias Makgoba to
interdict the Department of Government Communication and Information Systems

(GCIS) and Statistics SA from continuing with the count as the government
did not keep its promises regarding its national advertising campaign, it
said. This order, the court was told, should be of “immediate effect”. But
Judge Makgoba, in turning down the application, found it would not be in the

national interest to stop the census at this late stage, just to favour one
company. It would be unfair to do so, he said. He also ordered the company
to pay the government’s legal costs. The company also asked the court to
restrain the government from continuing with the census, pending the
reinstatement it as a service provider in the census campaign. This was also

turned down. Jacob Mocuminyane, director of Lightviews, said in papers
before court that the company and the government had a written agreement. In

terms of the deal Lightviews was to provide GCIS with media and advertising
services for the census. Lightviews would have received R26.2 million for
the contract, which would have included adverts on bills boards. The firm
was paid paid R6.1m, the court was told. Lightviews used the money to put
infrastructure in place by concluding contracts with suppliers for the
advertising space. Mocuminyane said the company incurred additional expenses

and other debts relating to the census campaign, despite not receiving the
remaining amount of the project. Part of the agreement was that GCIS would
have provided Light-views with “creative input” so the firm could provide
the agreed media and advertising services, he said. This input was not
forthcoming, despite various requests, Mocu-minyane said. This was very
frustrating, as the census was fast approaching, and without the creative
input, Lightviews could not do anything. The court was told the government
went ahead with the campaign, without using the services of Lightviews,
while the company had already arranged for advertising and media space. The
firm said advertising was a cut-throat business and that its reputation was
affected, because it could not honour its obligations towards its suppliers,

to whom it was now owing money. “(GCIS and Statistics SA) are conducting
Census 2011 in an unlawful and corrupt manner without the applicant as a
service provider,” Mocuminyane said. A lawyer’s letter sent to the
government said the only way this issue could be resolved was if the firm
was paid the outstanding R20m, provided for in the contract. The government
denied that it breached the contract and argued that the applicant, in any
event, could not expect the census to be put on hold because of its
financial and contractual dispute with the government. Judge Makgoba was
told that if there was a dispute, Lightviews should have turned to court
long ago and not now. - Pretoria News

Cosatu to join ANCYL marches
2011-10-11 21:38
Johannesburg - Cosatu will join ANC Youth League marches for economic
freedom of the working class and poor, spokesperson Patrick Craven said on
Tuesday. "The Congress of SA Trade Unions [Cosatu] supports the social
issues this march is about," he said. "There would obviously be debate about

how these things should be implemented, but we support the principle." He
said it was not immediately known how many people would participate. On
Tuesday, the African National Congress Youth League welcomed Cosatu's
support. "Cosatu proves to the people of South Africa once again that the
federation is a reliable ally in the struggles of the working class and the
poor," spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said. "[It] will never compromise
principle because of petty politics." Shivambu called on other organisations

to follow suit. The Economic Freedom Youth Mass Action would be held on
October 27 and 28 at Beyers Naude Square in central Johannesburg, the
Chamber of Mines in Hollard street, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in
Sandton and at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where a night vigil was
planned. The ANCYL is marching for the nationalisation of mines, the
expropriation of land without compensation, the banning of labour brokers,
free education, decent housing, electricity for all formal and informal
settlements and clean drinking water and sanitation.

Vrese oor sensus besweer
2011-10-11 22:49
Pauli van Wyk
JOHANNESBURG. – Sedert eergister deurkruis 120000 sensuswerkers die land om
alle mense in Suid-Afrika te tel. Die sensus word op 31 Oktober voltrek en
hoewel baie mense vriendelik is, word menige sensuswerker kil ontvang, sê
verskeie van dié werkers. Die hoë misdaadsyfer maak mense waarskynlik
versigtig. Volgens me. Tracy Daniels, bestuurder van die sensus
2011-navraesentrum, het mense egter niks om oor bekommerd te wees as hulle
net fyn oplet nie. “Ons veldwerkers het almal heldergeel baadjies, swart
pette en geel sakke aan waarop die sensus-embleem gedruk is. Daarby het elke

veldwerker ’n identifikasiekaart met ’n foto en ID-nommer op. Dié kaart is
so ontwerp dat die foto nie vervang kan word sonder om die kaart heeltemal
te verniel nie.” Mense het ook hul kommer uitgespreek oor die persoonlike
aard van vrae op die sensus-vorm. Volgens Daniels sal ’n persoon se
telefoonnommer net gevra word indien ’n sensusvorm by dié persoon agterbly
en later weer gehaal moet word. “Hoewel ons die telefoonnommers vra, is dit
net om kontrole te hou – dit word nêrens in ’n stelsel ingevoer nie.” Die
woon- en werkadres op elke vorm word gebruik om die bevolking in elke
munisipale gebied te tel en die salaris-opname word gebruik om die vlakke
van armoede en welvaart te peil. “Dié vraag word in samewerking met die
huishoudelike goedere, soos of jy ’n yskas en mikrogolf het, gebruik.” Geen
veldwerker hoef in ’n mens se huis ingenooi te word as jy ongemaklik voel
daaroor nie, het Daniels gesê. “Die sensusvorms kan by huise afgelewer en
later weer opgetel word of buite by die tuinhekkie of deur die heining
ingevul word. Dit is egter verpligtend om ?l die vrae op die vorm in te
 vul.” Sommige lesers wou ook weet waarom die sensusvorms met potlode
ingevul word. Volgens Daniels is 2HB-potlode perfek vir die
skanderingsproses wat gebruik word. “Mense moet onthou dat sowat 50miljoen
mense bereik word met dié sensus. Daar is geen sin daarin om inligting op
die vorms n? die tyd te verander nie. En selfs al sou iemand dit doen, sal
dit met miljoene ander gedoen moet word om ’n invloed op die sensus te hê.
Daar was al klagtes dat van die sensusopnemers nie goed kan spel nie en ook
self nie die vrae verstaan nie. Al die sensuswerkers was voorheen werkloos,
het Daniels gesê. Jy mag ook kies om jou eie vorm in te vul, wat die proses
vinniger sal maak. “Sensuswerkers sal ook op verskillende ure van die dag na

’n huis toe gaan en behoort ’n identifikasiekaart met ’n kontaknommer te los

waar mense hulle kan kontak om ’n afspraak te maak. Hulle werk van sowat
08:00 tot omstreeks 20:00. Mense is ook welkom om die navraesentrum te bel
en ’n afspraak te maak. Ons probeer ons bes om by almal uit te kom, maar die

sukses van die sensus hang ook af van mense se samewerking.” Bel die
navraesentrum by 0800-110-248 vir meer inligting.  Beeld

Millions of BlackBerry users cut off for third day
12 Oct 2011
Georgina Prodhan
Millions of BlackBerry users around the world were left without text
communication services for a third day on Wednesday. Research in Motion is
struggling to fix what it says is a switching failure in its private
network. Users in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and India suffered patchy
email service and no access to browsing and messaging, ratcheting up
negative sentiment towards a company already losing market share to Apple
and Samsung. RIM, which had said on Tuesday that services had returned to
normal, said later the problems had actually spread beyond EMEA and India to

Argentina, Brazil and Chile. “The messaging and browsing delays ... were
caused by a core switch failure within RIM’s infrastructure,” it said. “As a

result, a large backlog of data was generated and we are now working to
clear that backlog and restore normal service.” The service disruptions are
the worst since an outage swept north America two years ago, and come as
Apple prepares to put on sale its already sold-out iPhone 4S on Friday.
“It’s
a blow upon a bruise. It comes at a bad time,” said Richard Windsor, global
technology specialist at Nomura. “One possibility could be that it
encourages client companies to look more at other options such as allowing
users to connect their own devices to the corporate server and save
themselves the cost of buying everyone a BlackBerry.” Many companies, no
longer seeing the need to pay to be locked into RIM’s secure proprietary
email service, have already begun allowing employees to use alternative
smartphones, particularly Apple’s iPhone, for corporate mail. RIM has made
inroads into the youth market attracted by its free BlackBerry Messenger
(BBM) service, partially compensating for its losses in the corporate
market. But new products like its PlayBook tablet computer have been poorly
received. Following a dismal set of quarterly results and a plunge in its
share price, some investors are now calling for a break-up, sale or change
of management at the company. Increasingly frustrated users tweeted their
frustration on Wednesday, while RIM’s own official Twitter feed was last
updated on Tuesday night, saying problems were being resolved and it was
sorry for the inconvenience. Veteran British entrepreneur Alan Sugar, who
founded electronics company Amstrad in 1968, tweeted: “In all my years in IT

biz, I have never seen such an outage as experienced by Blackberry. I can’t
understand why it’s taking so long to fix.” Some customers used humour to
deal with the situation. One joke making the rounds on Twitter said: “What
did the one BBM user say to the other? Nothing.”  Sowetan

Disused drop-safe bombed
2011-10-12 20:15
Johannesburg - Two men bombed a disused business drop-safe in Fort Beaufort
near Alice on Wednesday, Eastern Cape police said. "The suspects obviously
thought there was cash stashed inside. Video cameras captured two men on the

scene and we are searching for them," said Warrant Officer Bradley
Rawlinson. He said the door of the safe was flung 20m away by the explosion,

which happened at about 02:00 on Wednesday. No arrests have been made.
www.news24.com

Suspect killed in shoot-out with KZN cops
2011-10-12 21:58
Durban - A man has been killed in a shoot-out with police in Welbedacht, in
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, police
were approaching the house of suspected criminals when they came under heavy

fire on Tuesday, Captain Thulani Zwane said. They returned fire and a
shootout ensued. Two men fled the scene. A third man was shot dead. Zwane
said the people in the house had been linked to various crimes including
hijacking, house robberies, murder and attempted murders. "Two pistols and a

Mazda 323 which was hijacked in Chatsworth in October, cellphones and CDs
were found at the house," he said.  www.news24.com

Cops assault wrong man
13 Oct 2011
Mckeed Kotlolo
A PRETORIA businessman was hauled out of his car and beaten up by men he
believed were hijackers. But it turned out that the men were police
officers. Sibusiso Mafalala, 28, who lives in Pretoria East and owns a
transport business in Cape Town, was allegedly chased by an unmarked police
car along the Mabopane freeway on Tuesday evening. "As I looked at my rear
view mirror, I noticed this suspicious-looking and speeding car behind. "I
decided to move from the fast lane to the slow one, but the car followed me.

"After a short distance I moved to the fast lane again, and there it was
behind me as we drove through the mountain pass in the direction of
Soshanguve," he said. "And without signalling me to stop, they started
firing at my car. It was only after I decided to pull over that they put up
a blue light in their car. Then more police officers arrived on the scene
and started beating me up. "Before I could sit down as instructed, they had
already started assaulting me. I tried to speak to them but they told me to
shut up," he said. "They then ordered me to lie on my stomach and
hand-cuffed me before pepper-spraying me and kicking me all over the body."
And then he heard one of the officers speaking to another over the phone. "I

could overhear them saying the car they were looking for was a VW Golf GTi
and not a Polo," he said. "They then apologised for their mistake and said
that they got wrong information from a tracking device company." Mafalala
sustained a black eye and severe bruising to his body, but fortunately no
broken bones, his doctor told him. His lawyer, Maki Nogaga, said they had
laid criminal charges against the police at the Soshanguve police station,
north of Pretoria. "We want the identities of the police officers involved.
We are also going to lay a complaint with the Independent Complaints
Directorate because we do not want the police to investigate the case
themselves," Nogaga said. Soshanguve police spokesman Captain Solly Marindi
confirmed that a case was opened. "But I can only give details tomorrow
after having gone through the docket, which is with the investigating
officer. Unfortunately, I cannot get hold of him now," he said.  Sowetan

Limpopo cops kill two alleged robbers
October 12 2011 at 12:56pm
Police have shot dead two suspected robbers in Ga-Masemola village in Nebo,
Limpopo, police said on Wednesday. The robbers fired at police officers at
the Opel Cross RDP section around 11pm on Tuesday, Lieutenant-Colonel Mohale

Ramatseba said. The police returned fire, killing the robbers on the scene.
A pistol and a revolver were found next to the bodies, Ramatseba said. He
said one of the robbers, Johnny Diale, 31, allegedly killed a man on
Saturday afternoon in the same village. “Diale was bragging about having two

firearms before he shot the 25-year-old man.” Ramatseba said Diale had also
been wanted in connection with 12 other crimes including murder, attempted
murder, rape, business robbery and motor vehicle theft. The crimes were
committed in several villages in Nebo and the surrounding areas between
January and August.  www.iol.co.za

Gauteng census official arrested
October 12 2011 at 06:44pm
A census official was arrested for allegedly soliciting bribes from youths
looking for work in Roodepoort, Gauteng police said on Wednesday. The
fieldwork co-ordinator was arrested on Tuesday after a complaint was laid
with the police, said Lt-Col Tshisikhawe Ndou. Ndou said the man was
released without appearing in court to allow police to obtain further
information. According to the SABC, the official demanded R150 from
desperate job seekers, promising them work as census anumerators. Census
spokesman Trevor Oosterwyk said they were looking at other complaints at the

same office. He said this was the first of such a case to come to their
attention. “If there are any others coming to the fore, they will be dealt
with accordingly. We don't want the census to be contaminated by such
things,” said Oosterwyk.  www.iol.co.za

Kidnapped schoolgirl's burnt body found
2011-10-12 19:14
Cape Town – Eyewitness News reported that Louise de Waal’s family have
confirmed the kidnapped 17-year-old’s burnt body has been found near
Magaliesburg. Her body had been burnt beyond recognition but the family had
been able to identify her body by her unique belly ring. Her body was found
on a farm near Magaliesburg. She was kidnapped on Wednesday morning after a
grey Toyota Hilux bakkie pulled up alongside her and a friend while walking
on the corner of Rina and Herman streets in White Ridge, Roodepoort, at
about 07:00, Lieutenant Colonel Tshisikhawe Ndou said. "A man got out and
ordered the teenager into the vehicle. When the girl refused, he pointed a
firearm at her until she complied." The other girl ran away and the bakkie
sped off with her friend. The girls were both pupils at Hoerskool Die Burger

in Roodepoort. Ndou said the suspect was thought to be aged between 20 and
30, with brown hair. Police have found a vehicle matching the description of

the suspect's bakkie at a house in Roodepoort with a school bag inside. A
massive search was underway for the suspect.  www.news24.com

Man held for Louise de Waal murder - reports
2011-10-13 07:27
Johannesburg - Gauteng police will hold a press briefing on Thursday morning

amid unconfirmed reports that a man has been arrested for the murder of
Roodepoort schoolgirl Louise de Waal. Asked to confirm the arrest, which was

reported on by SABC radio news, Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant
Colonel Tshisikhawe Ndou said: "We will hold a press briefing at our
provincial offices in Parktown [in Johannesburg] at 09:00." According to an
unsourced SABC radio news report on Thursday morning, an arrest had been
made. According to Beeld newspaper, the police had been investigating a man
in the Roodepoort area after finding De Waal's schoolbag in a car that
matched the description her friend gave to police. Burnt body - Ndou earlier

said a grey Toyota Hilux bakkie, matching the description of the car used to

abduct the teenager on Wednesday morning, had been found abandoned at a
house in Florida, Roodepoort. Beeld reported that the man had been under
investigation in the past for harassing schoolgirls in the Roodepoort area.
Police were still waiting for DNA results to confirm that a burnt body,
found on a farm in Magaliesburg on Wednesday afternoon, was De Waal's. Her
family was however widely quoted in the media on Thursday as saying the
17-year-old Horskool Die Burger pupil's body had been identified by a belly
ring and earrings. On Wednesday morning, a bakkie pulled up alongside two
girls walking on the corner of Rina and Herman streets in White Ridge around

07:00. "A man got out and ordered the teenager into the vehicle. When the
girl refused, he pointed a firearm at her until she complied," Ndou said.
The other girl, Natasha Gordon, ran away and the bakkie sped off with her
friend.  www.news24.com

Smash-and-grab suspect killed
October 12 2011 at 04:58pm
Tshwane metro police shot dead a smash-and-grab robbery suspect on
Wednesday. Spokeswoman Louise Brits said he and another man were apparently
about to commit a smash-and-grab robbery at Pretoria's Fountain Circle.
Tshwane metro police patrolling the circle noticed two men heading towards
cars that had stopped at a traffic light. Brits said the officers shouted at

the two men to stop, but they fled. One of them scaled the fence of a nearby

nature reserve and disappeared into the undergrowth. One of the officers
apparently fired a shot into the ground at the nature reserve. One of the
men was later found with a gunshot wound to his head and was taken to
hospital. He died a few hours later. Brits said the search also yielded the
handbag of a woman who had fallen victim to a smash-and-grab incident at the

same intersection on Tuesday evening. The contents of the bag were returned
to the woman. Some cash was missing. Police detectives were investigating.
www.iol.co.za

North West reservist kills girlfriend, self
2011-10-12 17:49
Johannesburg - A police reservist shot his girlfriend five times before
committing suicide by turning the gun on himself, North West police said on
Wednesday. Lieutenant Colonel Lesego Metsi said Maloti Makokwe, 33, held his

girlfriend Tebogo Mosimanyane, 34, hostage at his home in Ikopeleng village
in Ramatlabama, 25km north of Mafikeng, on Tuesday evening. Their bodies
were found around 19:45, after Mosimanyane's family alerted the police. His
service pistol was used in the shooting. Police opened an inquest and murder

docket.  www.news24.com

Cop accused in ET murder trial
Rahima Essop
12/10/2011
The defence in the Eugene Terre’Blanche murder trial on Wednesday accused a
policeman who found his body of "feeding a pack of lies" to the court.
Terre’Blanche
was beaten and hacked to death in 2010 allegedly during a fight with his
employees over unpaid wages. The two accused have pleaded not guilty to the
charges against them. It was a tough afternoon for the state's fifth witness

Jack Ramonyane. Chris Mahlangu's attorney Kgomotso Tlouane accused him of
lying. He questioned why changes were made to his previous sworn statements.

Meanwhile, advocate Norman Arendse had his chance to dig into the witness.
He managed to get Ramonyane to admit that he was forced by the investigating

officer into changing certain information in his second statement. Arendse
asked Ramonyane whether the investigating officer made him to speck about
things he didn't want to speak about. He also admitted that he did not see
the witness.  www.ewn.co.za

Suspected cop killer in court
2011-10-12 20:15
Johannesburg - An Mpumalanga municipal director appeared in the Ermelo
Magistrate's Court on Wednesday in connection with the murder of a police
officer. Daniel Maluleka was released on R1 000 bail, Lieutenant Colonel
Leonard Hlathi said. The matter was postponed to November 21 for further
investigations. Maluleka is the director of public safety in the Msukalikwa
municipality. He allegedly shot dead Constable Patrick Mashaba, 34, on
Tuesday night in Ermelo, Hlathi said. "Police found Maluleka standing next
to the body on the street. They arrested him after he confessed to have
committed the crime with his service pistol." The motive for the murder was
not immediately clear.  www.news24.com

Man jailed for ANC councillor’s murder
October 12 2011 at 07:22pm
A Mpumalanga man has been jailed for 35 years for killing ANC councillor
Johan Ndlovu earlier in the year, police said on Wednesday. Life Khoza, 22,
pleaded guilty to murder in the Nelspruit Circuit of the Pretoria High Court

long before he was jailed on Tuesday, Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard Hlathi
said. Khoza shot dead Ndlovu near his house in Thulamahashe, in the Mhala
district, in January. He took two cellphones and fled in Ndlovu's car.
Ndlovu's family discovered his body under a bush in Thulamahashe, the day
after he disappeared. They searched for the body after Khoza allegedly
called Ndlovu's wife and told her where he had dumped it. The car was later
found abandoned about a kilometre away from the body in the same village.
Police followed leads and arrested Khoza, who was hiding in a house in
Hazyview, several days later.  www.iol.co.za

Alleged Facebook rapist pleads guilty
October 12 2011 at 01:38pm
The man dubbed the “Facebook rapist” has pleaded guilty to raping two women
and robbing them of their valuables. Thomas Bester pleaded guilty to all
four charges against him in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday
afternoon. He faced two counts of rape and two counts of armed robbery with
aggravating circumstances. His lawyer Narendra Narotam read a statement to
the court in which he explained how he committed the crimes. He admitted
raping two women in Westville and Umhlanga, in Durban, in August. Although
he raped them, his intention was only to rob them of their valuables such as

cellphones, credit cards and watches. It emerged in court that Bester had a
previous conviction for fraud. Details of the conviction were expected to be

released when he appeared again in court on Friday. Narotam suggested his
client be assessed by a psychologist, saying Bester had tried to commit
suicide. “He has told me many things that I cannot mention here. I believe a

psychological report will be needed,” he said. Bester told the court he
understood the nature of the charges he faced. He was arrested last
Wednesday in Alberton, south of Johannesburg. Bester lured women by sending
them e-mails claiming international modelling scouts were interested in
them. He befriended them on Facebook, then met them in person.
www.iol.co.za

VIP cops trained to ‘eliminate’ any threat
October 12 2011 at 09:00am
Sharika Regchand
MEMBERS of the police VIP unit assigned to protect MECs are trained to
“eliminate” any motorist they perceive as a threat, whether or not the
official they are meant to protect is present. This was the evidence of
Martin Thulani Khanyile, a trainer of VIP protection officers, in the
Pietermaritzburg Regional Court yesterday. “They (VIP members) must stay
alive in order to protect. That’s what we train them… they have to act as if

the minister is there… if there is a life-threatening situation, they should

make a point that they eliminate the threat,” he added. Khanyile was
testifying on behalf of VIP officer Hlanganani Nxumalo, who is charged with
six counts of attempted murder and unlawfully discharging a firearm after a
shooting incident on the N3 near Ashburton, KwaZulu-Natal, in 2008. Nxumalo
fired two shots at a car, causing the driver, Anuvasen Moodley, to lose
control. It veered onto the median and into oncoming traffic, colliding with

a bakkie. Nxumalo was a passenger in a black VW Golf with flashing blue
lights, on its way to pick up MEC Meshack Radebe. The driver, Caiphus
Ndlela, is charged with reckless and negligent driving in the incident.
Nxumalo said he fired warning shots because the driver of the car had been
braking in front of him, switching lanes and trying to push them off the
road. He said he felt his life was in danger. The case resumes today.  The
Star

Blue light shooting case closed
October 12 2011 at 09:24pm
The State closed its attempted murder case against two KwaZulu-Natal VIP
unit members in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Wednesday. Lawyers
representing Constable Hlanganani Nxumalo and Caiphus Ndlela and their State

counterparts are expected to present their closing arguments on December 15.

Nxumalo, bodyguard for KwaZulu-Natal social development MEC Meshack Radebe,
allegedly shot out the tyre of a Mazda car near Camperdown, resulting in the

driver losing control and colliding head-on with a bakkie. Eight people were

injured in the accident in 2008. Nxumalo has argued that he fired shots
because the driver of the Mazda posed a danger to him and his colleague. The

case caused a public outcry with opposition politicians saying that VIP
officers were abusing their blue lights which allow them right of way in
traffic. On Wednesday, Ndlela told the court they were in a hurry to fetch
Radebe when the incident happened. “We were instructed to fetch the MEC at
9pm. This had changed to 8.30pm and this put pressure on us to reach the
destination on time,” he said. Asked what speed he had been driving at,
Ndlela said he had driven at no more than 140 kilometres an hour. Ndlela
said that after the shooting, his colleague called the emergency number
10111 and his superior reported the matter to Road Traffic Inspectorate
Officers.  www.iol.co.za

Man steals R1m but avoids prison
2011-10-12 22:46
Johannesburg - A Western Cape property developer received a suspended
sentence on Wednesday for stealing more than R1m from the trust account of
an attorney's firm. Pieter Johannes Groenewald, of Durbanville, was
sentenced to three years' imprisonment suspended for five years by the
Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Bellville, Cape Town. He was ordered
to repay the money in monthly instalments of R5 000. Magistrate Amrith
Chabilall said: "You are not going to prison today, but if you fail to make
any of the payments on due date, or at all, the suspended jail sentence will

be put into operation." It emerged in court that Groenewald manipulated a
conveyancing secretary, employed by the attorney's firm to steal the money.
He appeared in his personal capacity and also as the chief executive of
Dangene Property Developers (Pty) Ltd, which is under liquidation. The
company - cited as "accused number one" on the charge sheet, while Groenwald

was the second accused - was fined R100 000. According to the charge sheet,
the company bought an erf (plot) in Eversdal, which was bonded by Standard
Bank, for R6.4m. The property developer then sub-divided the property into
seven portions. Standard Bank consented to the sub-division on payment of R1

151 865 to release the property from the bond. The conveyancing attorneys,
MHI, paid the required release money to Standard Bank by means of an
electronic fund transfer, but for reasons not explained the bank rejected
the payment. The money thus landed back in MHI's trust account. MHI simply
had to re-deposit the money, but Groenewald persuaded a conveyancing
secretary to allow him to personally pay the rejected amount back to
Standard Bank, on MHI's behalf. In order for Groenewald to do this, the
secretary made out a trust cheque to Dangene Property Developers. According
to the charge sheet, Groenewald then deposited the cheque into Dangene's
account, instead of paying it to Standard Bank as he had undertaken to do.
As a consequence, MHI had to make good Standard Bank's loss. Groenewald was
found not guilty of fraud, and was instead found guilty on the alternative
charge of theft.  www.news24.com

Mistake cripples father
October 12 2011 at 10:14am
LEBOGANG SEALE
He was shot and wounded and spent 40 days handcuffed and shackled under
police guard in an incident of mistaken identity involving a car hijacker.
Last month, Gezani Abel Baloyi, 41 was acquitted in the Alexandra
Magistrate’s
Court – 30 months after his shooting and wrongful arrest. Now, the father of

three has lost his job and has been declared medically unfit to work. “I am
so angry and frustrated. Whatever I have done to get back my job or money
owed to me haven’t been successful. I feel like a dead man walking,” he
said. Baloyi lamented how his wrongful arrest had cost him his job as a
supervisor for the construction of the Gautrain tunnel. His life was
miserable, he said. He lives on the margins of survival with no income, is
struggling to pay for his children’s school fees and is heavily in debt.
Adding to his woes is that he recently failed to renew his driving licence.
He was told that his fingerprints showed he had a criminal record. “My life
is a mess. I can’t stand on my feet for an hour without feeling pain. I
spend most of the time asleep,” he said. Medical reports seen by The Star
indicate that Baloyi has “a gun wound with a chronic draining” and medical
nails and screws in his right leg. They confirm that he is in constant pain
and suffers from anxiety. Doctors at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic
Hospital and Malamulele Hospital in Limpopo have recommended him for
disability grants, but a year later he is still waiting. Baloyi, of
Alexandra, said his misery began on the evening of March 6, 2009. He and his

three brothers were walking along a street when police officers raced past,
chasing a speeding vehicle that the driver jumped out of. “The police
couldn’t
see him. One of them shot at me. I fell down and saw blood gushing out from
my right leg,” Baloyi recalled. He saw the motorist fall down after hearing
several gunshots. As Baloyi lay on the ground grimacing in pain, the police
pointed guns at him, and he immediately pointed out the motorist. “My leg
was slightly twisted. It was broken and very painful.” But the police
handcuffed and shackled him before he was placed under police guard in
hospital. He spent 40 days handcuffed and shackled while in excruciating
pain. “At times, I felt like I wanted to die,” he cried. In May 2009 Baloyi
was discharged, then detained at the Alexandra police station. He made his
first court appearance in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court three days later,

and after his fourth appearance, was granted bail. He was acquitted on
September 30 this year. Gauteng police said they could not comment on
matters that had been through to the courts.  The Star

Simelane fails to report to Parliament
2011-10-12 16:26
National Director of Public Prosecutions Menzi Simelane infuriated MPs
yesterday by not turning up to answer questions on the National Prosecuting
Authority’s (NPA’s) yearly report. Simelane was notified of the meeting with

Parliament’s portfolio committee on justice on September 30, but cancelled
yesterday because he was going abroad, the committee heard. ANC MP John
Jeffery said it was unacceptable that not only had Simelane failed to attend

despite being given nearly a fortnight’s notice, but that the prosecuting
authority’s chief financial officer was also absent. “Twelve days isn’t
 bad,” he said. Committee chairperson Luwellyn Landers said he shared these
sentiments and allowed the meeting to continue only so as not to let the
travel costs of Simelane’s deputy Nomgcobo Jiba and the director general of
justice Nonkuleleko Sindane go to waste. “I must agree with Mr Jeffery.
Regrettably this is not the first time. Maybe this is shows an attitude of
‘well, there is no need for us to engage Parliament’,” Landers said. “If
this is the attitude taken, it is in their interest to dispel it as soon as
possible.” Simelane was said to be in Rwanda representing Justice Minister
Jeff Radebe at an international conference on the death penalty. Democratic
Alliance MP Dene Smuts said sending Sindane to stand in for him at the
committee briefing showed that Simelane did not see the NPA as an
independent body, but as part of the justice ministry. “This goes to the
heart of the matter. It goes back all the way to the Vusi Pikoli saga to
Simelane’s conceptualisation of his role as DG. The NPA is now back in the
hands of the department.” The Ginwala inquiry into former NPA boss Pikoli’s
fitness for office suggested that Simelane, then director general of
justice, possibly contravened the NPA Act by instructing Pikoli to abort the

imminent arrest of former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi.
Simelane’s absence meant MPs could not get answers to their questions on the

status of criminal investigations against Asset Forfeiture Unit head Willie
Hofmeyr. Jiba said she did not know. “We expected that this would happen,”
Landers remarked. It emerged in July that Simelane had referred to the
police corruption allegations against Hofmeyr, also the head of the Special
Investigating Unit, by billionaire tax evasion suspect Dave King. This
contributed to reports of tension between Simelane and Hofmeyr and prompted
Radebe to meet with them to assess the situation. Hofmeyr said today that it

seemed that Simelane’s controversial plans to restructure specialised units
within the NPA, including the AFU, to make them less autonomous appeared to
be largely on hold. The NPA received an unqualified audit for the first time

in four years, but MPs had a barrage of questions on its annual report.
These included the authority’s high vacancy rate, its increasing use of
informal mediation, and the moratorium on sexual offences statistics.
Jeffery questioned the “pretty large” figure of 81 000 cases that were
concluded through informal mediation, a practice Simelane promotes. He said
it should be regulated and such cases should not be reported as finalised,
but as removed from the court roll because they were distorting the NPA’s
statistics.  City Press

Skandaal gaan koppe laat rol by Poskantoor
2011-10-12 00:00 James-Brent Styan
Kaapstad
Die Poskantoor gaan straks vandag een van sy topbestuurslede skors en
soortgelyke stappe word glo teen nog twee ander hoës oorweeg. D?t volg op ’n

ondersoek van 16 maande wat gedoen is nadat die Poskantoor ’n onregmatige
uitgawe van R425miljoen aangegaan het vir ’n nuwe hoofkantoorgebou in
Centurion. Die Burger verneem van twee onafhanklike ingeligtes die drie
amptenare wat ondersoek word, is me. Motshwanesti Lefoka, die Poskantoor se
uitvoerende hoof, mnr. John Wentzel, die bedryfshoof, en me. Marikie
Lancester, die strategiese hoof. Die Poskantoor wou nie dié name bevestig of

ontken nie. Mnr. Shu’ayb Patel, ’n poskantoor-direksielid, wou ook nie
gistermiddag die bestuurslid teen wie nou opgetree word identifiseer nie,
maar het wel gesê dit is nie Lefoka nie. Mnr. Gallant Roberts,
sekretaris-generaal van die Communication Workers’ Union (CWU), het gesê dié

drie was ongetwyfeld by die omstrede transaksie betrokke. “Dit is mense op
hul posvlak wat dié bedrae goedkeur en afteken.” Mnr. Phuti Phukubje, ’n
senior ouditbestuurder in die kantoor van die ouditeur-generaal (OG), het
gister aan die parlementêre portefeuljekomitee oor kommunikasie gesê dié
onreëlmatigheid het verlede jaar in die OG se oudit aan die lig gekom. “Daar

was ernstige oortredings van prosedures. Die Poskantoor het byvoorbeeld nie
eens tenders uitgereik vir die nuwe kantoorgebou nie. “Vir sulke groot
bedrae is die Wet op Openbare Finansiële Bestuur (PFMA) baie streng oor die
prosedures wat gevolg moet word.” Phukubje het die komitee gevra om vas te
stel waarom niemand geskors is terwyl die ondersoek aan die gang is nie. Hy
het met Roberts saamgestem oor die topbestuur se verantwoordelikhede. Patel
het bevestig die ondersoek duur voort. Hy het gesê alle opsies word oorweeg
vir verdere stappe sou die individue skuldig bevind word. “Die PFMA maak dit

moontlik dat ons eise kan instel teen individue vir geld wat verkwis is. Dit

sal gedoen word indien dit tot daardie stadium vorder.” Roberts het gesê die

CWU het die openbare beskermer intussen gevra om die saak te ondersoek. “Ons

het ook maande lank gevra dat die mense geskors word, maar het nog geen
antwoord gekry waarom dit nie gebeur het nie.” Patel het gesê skorsings is
op regsadvies nie gedoen nie en dat al die nodige prosesse om soortgelyke
voorvalle te vermy in werking gestel is.”  Die Burger

Cop back home after Rosebank tragedy
October 12 2011 at 06:42pm
Rosebank police station commander Lt-Col Thandi Mkhize was back home from
hospital after being shot by a police clerk last August, Gauteng police said

on Wednesday. “Mkhize went back home early last month and she can now easily

walk on her own,” Lt-Col Tshisikhawe Ndou said. Mkhize was airlifted to
Milpark Hospital after being shot by clerk David Kekana on August 1. Kekana
entered the Rosebank police station in Johannesburg around 3pm. He went to
Mkhize's office and shot her and Captain Neelavathi Naidu. Both Naidu and
Kekana died on the scene after Kekana turned the gun onto himself. Ndou
could not immediately say whether Mkhize had resumed her duties at the
station.  www.iol.co.za

Bad guys on billboards new SAPS plan
October 12 2011 at 05:26pm
The faces of wanted criminals are to become a more common sight, Police
Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Wednesday. Responding to a written question
in the National Assembly by the Democratic Alliance's Kenneth Mubu, he said
the SA Police Service (SAPS) planned to put the faces of wanted people on
billboards, television, and newspapers. Asked how many billboards would be
contracted per city and which newspapers would be used, Mthethwa said that
at this stage the SAPS was not in a position to “break it down as required
by Parliament”. The breakdown would be available only after receipt of the
proposal for media bulk buying from the government communications and
information system. “The billboards will be updated as and when it is
necessary. Information that will be provided for each newspaper will be
updated as well when it becomes necessary,” he said.  www.iol.co.za

No info on police guns used in crime
2011-10-12 17:32
Cape Town - The SA Police Service does not currently have information on how

many lost or stolen police firearms have been used to commit crime, Police
Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Wednesday. He was responding to a written
parliamentary question by the DA's Dianne Kohler Barnard, who asked whether
any civilian or police officer had been shot with a firearm registered by
SAPS as lost by or stolen from SAPS. "Information is not available on how
many firearms registered as lost or stolen were then used to commit crime in

each province," Mthethwa said. The department kept a generic database of
firearms used in the commission of crimes, irrespective of whether the
victim was a civilian or a police member, he said. Kohler-Barnard also
wanted to know when the Integrated Ballistics Identification System started
marking SAPS firearms. Mthethwa said the marking of SAPS firearms was
managed through an integrated process between the firearm permit system,
which generated a unique barcode, and the provisioning administration
system, which was the master asset register. All firearms were identified
through a unique serial number allocated to the weapon at manufacture. The
additional markings attached to SAPS firearms were to further enhance
identification. A total number of 171 500 SAPS firearms had been marked as
at August 31, 2011. A total of 91 191 SAPS firearms still needed to be
marked. A plan to mark all police firearms by the end of the financial year
was in place, Mthethwa said.  www.news24.com

Govt corruption: R30bn could be lost - SIU
2011-10-12 22:46
Cape Town - The head of both the special investigating unit and the asset
forfeiture unit said on Wednesday the country could lose as much as 20% of
its total procurement budget to graft annually, in response to a question
about the extent of government corruption in South Africa. "I think that may

not be an unrealistic estimate," Willie Hofmeyr told Parliament's justice
committee, adding that it translated to between R25bn and R30bn. The SIU was

currently investigating 558 procurement contracts to the value of R1.9bn and

360 cases of conflict of interest where R3.4bn was involved. Hofmeyr said
the fight against corruption was hindered by a shortage of investigators and

the low rate of criminal convictions of officials found with their fingers
in the till. "We should have 7 000 people whose job it is to investigate
corruption and I think we have 700. "Our policies are pretty good but if
there are not consequences for breaching them... a culture of impunity
spreads pretty quickly." Hofmeyr welcomed the cancellation of the flawed
lease contracts with Roux Shabangu for new police headquarters but went on
to highlight further problems in the police and public works departments.
"From the kind of things we have found the SAPS leases are not an uncommon
practice elsewhere." SIU investigations have shown that public works paid at

least R35m to entities where staff held undeclared interests and were
investigating irregularities to the tune of R330mlinked to the building and
renovation of 33 police stations. However, he said, the worst leeching of
taxpayers' money was not happening at national level. "Local government is
where the problems are the worst and where oversight mechanisms are the
least." Asked about the implications of the Constitutional Court judgment in

the Glenister case, Hofmeyr said if a central anti-corruption agency were
created he would like the SIU to be part of it and believed the Hawks also
had a central role to play. "There isn't really a centre from which
government's anti-corruption efforts are driven. I think there is a bit of a

gap there. The Glennister judgment is an urgent issue that needs to be
resolved soon," he said. "If there is a new corruption unit set up we would
like very much to be part of it." The court found that the legislation that
created the Hawks did not give the unit enough independence and gave
Parliament 18 months to amend it. Funding trouble - The special
investigating unit ran into severe funding trouble this year when Eskom
established that legally it may not be paid by state entities that solicit
its help, MPs heard.  He told the justice committee the corruption-busting
entity had expected to earn R240m from such agreements but instead had to
turn to Treasury to tide it over. "We are getting an additional R97m from
Treasury this year," he told MPs. Hofmeyr said the SIU was alerted to the
problem by Eskom in June after the electricity utility had asked it to probe

"corporate governance issues", notably persistent problems surrounding its
coal supply contracts. He said the SIU obtained two legal opinions which
confirmed that provided by Eskom, upsetting a 7-year-old practice that had
seen it accepted remuneration from a range of state entities. "We got our
own legal opinion at the end of June and then a second opinion that
confirmed it and accepted we have got a problem," he said. "Basically, we
are not allowed to charge departments for our services. Everybody was a bit
blind-sided by this issue." Hofmeyr mentioned the matter in a briefing on
the SIU's annual report. He said the unit had not wanted to make it public
until it was confident of finding both long and short term solutions because

it did not want its staff to fear for their jobs, he said. An amendment to
the SIU Act that would make such payments legitimate is in the pipeline,
Hofmeyr said. At present, the legislation is silent on the issue.
www.news24.com

Duplicate ID battle continues
2011-10-12 21:57
Cape Town - Home Affairs eliminated more than 84 000 illegal "duplicate"
identity documents (IDs) over the past year, but a further 130 000 remain to

be tracked down, the department said on Wednesday. "The resolved duplicates
for the year in question [2010/11] were 84 500," deputy director-general of
civic services Vusumuzi Mkhize told journalists at Parliament. Responding to

questions on the department's 2010/11 annual report, he said people with
duplicate IDs fell into one of two categories: those who had two ID books;
and those who "shared" or had the same ID number. The 84 500 total included
both. On the scale of the outstanding problem, Mkhize said the department
had a problem tracing people. "We have a challenge tracing people who have
the same ID number. There are still 37 000 people we are trying to track."
There were many more with multiple IDs. "There are also 99 700 people with
multiple ID numbers," he said. According to the annual report, the duplicate

ID problem "will require more than one year to resolve". It found two main
causes of the problem: "reference book holders issued with ID numbers during

the apartheid regime without consultation and confirmation of their birth
registration details"; and the wrong classification of fingerprints in the
manual fingerprint system. On illegal foreigners in South Africa, director
general Mkuseli Apleni said 55 825 were deported during the past financial
year. Asked how many illegal foreigners the department estimated were still
in the country, he said South Africa's porous borders made it impossible to
determine the number undocumented foreigners. Earlier, the department
briefed members of Parliament's home affairs portfolio committee on its
2010/11 report, the first in 16 years to receive an unqualified audit
opinion. In a statement on Wednesday, committee chairperson Maggie Maunye
said MPs appreciated the "hard work and dedication" of the department in
managing a clean-up of its finances.  www.news24.com

Lab backlog delays insurance payouts
2011-10-12 22:46
Johannesburg - A significant backlog at a number of the state's forensic
laboratories has meant that some consumers are being forced to wait for as
long as two years before pathology results are finally made available. As a
result, any insurance claim that remains dependent on such test results
could potentially end up being considerably delayed. According to Justus van

Pletzen, chief executive officer at the Financial Intermediaries Association

of Southern Africa (FIA), pathology results can often be vital in the
finalisation of certain insurance claims. "Forensic test results are often
essential in serious cases such as those where someone has been killed or
seriously injured in an accident. This is particularly relevant if alcohol
or drugs are thought to be contributing factors." Van Pletzen says such
results can also be vital if an insurance company is investigating claims
for damage to property. "If someone has a car accident or damages property
whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol then an insurer can repudiate

a claim. "However, this may need to be proven through a forensic test which
can potentially delay any settlement. He says the FIA has been assured by a
number of insurance companies that they are aware of the situation and will
take every possible step not to delay decisions regarding the settlement of
such claims. "It is positive that insurance companies are choosing not to
simply wait for the official test results before deciding whether to settle
on a claim, even though this may often be a stipulation of the policy.
"Insurers can obtain relevant information in a number of other ways
including police reports, witnesses and family members, as well as examining

the particulars of the event and past history in order to reach a reasonable

conclusion." He says in some cases the outcome may be a partial interim
payment, while other insurers have agreed to meet a claim on condition that
an 'acknowledgement of liability' statement is signed, guaranteeing that the

amount will be paid back to the insurer should an eventual analysis find
traces of alcohol or drugs." Van Pletzen says that while insurance companies

are actively trying to work with clients to find solutions to the ongoing
delays, it is important for consumers to be aware of their rights in such a
situation. "Insurers should not repudiate a claim on the basis that the
insured [consumer] needs to provide satisfactory proof that they did not
have traces of drugs or alcohol in their system. "These delays are
frustrating for all parties involved and cases that require forensic
pathology tests are often by their nature traumatic. "However, by working
together, consumers and insurers can attempt to alleviate some of the stress

involved to ensure a speedy resolution, even if a test result is not
available," says Van Pletzen.  www.news24.com

Courts are turning unions into zombies, Cosatu warns
October 12 2011 at 08:14am
By Jabulani Sikhakhane
The right of workers to strike was being whittled down by the courts,
turning trade unions into “scarecrows” and “zombies”, Cosatu president
Sidumo Dlamini said yesterday. He was speaking at the national congress of
the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu), a Cosatu affiliate, at
Sun City. The use of the courts by employers to reverse workers’ hard-won
rights, Dlamini said, would turn “our unions into scarecrows who only have
an intimidating look, without the capacity to strike even a single blow.
“There is an attempt to change unions into walking zombies who only scare
employers without any capacity to force the issue. “Our right to strike is
being gradually and deliberately eroded and, unless we act now, we may wake
up without any rights”. Dlamini cited the Supreme Court of Appeal’s decision

last month to uphold a ruling by the Western Cape High Court, which found
Satawu liable for the damage to property caused by its members during a 2006

march in support of a strike. Another was the ruling in September last year
by the Durban High Court interdicting SA Commercial, Catering and Allied
Workers’ Union (Saccawu) members from making too much noise during their
picket against Dischem at La Lucia shopping mall. Growthpoint Properties,
owners of the centre, argued that the picket was so loud that other
businesses in the mall lost customers. Growthpoint, according to the
judgment, based its case on the common law of nuisance and its
constitutional rights to trade and a healthy environment. “This ruling
effectively rendered picketing as an instrument for putting pressure to the
employers useless, and the constitutional right to strike to be legally
enforceable only on paper,” Dlamini said. While workers were “being squeezed

to death and their armoury of defence systematically blunted”, employers
were maximising their benefits, even during an economic recession. Dlamini
pointed to retail group Shoprite CEO Whitey Basson’s 2010 pay packet of
R627.5 million (including salary, perks and share options). He also repeated

Cosatu’s call for multinational retailer Walmart’s purchase of Massmart to
be stopped. “We cannot allow Walmart on to our shores. Besides being
unpopular for not respecting worker rights, Walmart is known for its
aggressive tax-avoidance scheme,” he said. “The reality of the matter is
that in Walmart we are dealing with merciless economic serial killers for
whom it is profit by all means and at all costs,” said Dlamini. “We will
fight the Walmart take-over with everything we have,” he said.  Daily News

Cop hurt in Thembalethu riot
October 12 2011 at 03:14pm
Violence erupted in Thembalethu township, outside George, on Wednesday when
residents clashed with police in service delivery protests, Southern Cape
police said. “The situation is very tense. The people are throwing petrol
bombs at the police,” said Captain Bernadine Steyn. A policeman was hit by
an object thrown by the protesters. “One of our members has been rushed to
hospital after being hit above his eye,” she said. Three police vehicles
were damaged and the Thembalethu police station was pelted with stones. “We
are making arrests. I am not sure now how many people we have taken in but
we are arresting the violent protesters,” said Steyn. Police fired rubber
bullets and water cannons were used to disperse the crowd. Residents
protesting over poor service delivery had set up burning tyre barricades in
the streets. The community was reportedly enraged by water and sanitation
problems in the township. Police said around 4 000 people had gathered and
more were joining the protest.  www.iol.co.za

Police officers injured in S.Cape protest
Shamiela Fisher
13/10/2011
Four police officers were injured during a violent service delivery protest
in Thembalethu in the Southern Cape on Wednesday, police have said. About
3,000 people took to the streets, demanding better services. One police
officer was wounded above his eye and was rushed to hospital. The police's
Bernadine Steyn said three police vehicles and a traffic car were also
torched. “The sergeant sustained an open wound just above his eye and was
taken to hospital in an ambulance. An Opel Corsa bakkie was also set
alight," she said. Steyn added, "We arrested 16 people for public violence."

www.ewn.co.za

Users’ anger over BlackBerry crash
October 12 2011 at 09:00am
Sapa-AP and Staff Reporter
BlackBerry users across Europe, the Middle East and Africa were hit with
service disruptions to their smartphones for a second day after an
unexplained glitch cut off internet and messaging services for millions of
users around the world. Research in Motion Ltd, which makes BlackBerry
devices, said yesterday morning that services were operating normally and
the issue responsible for delays in subscriber services a day earlier had
been resolved. But BlackBerry’s popular messaging service was not fully
operational again yesterday afternoon, with users reporting trouble sending
and r