Daily Archives: May 9, 2012

Boy (5) drowns in pool

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A residential swimming pool. Picture: EWN

Ndrea van Wyk 

JOHANNESBURG – A five-year-old boy drowned on Wednesday after falling into a swimming pool in Vanderbijlpark, south of Johannesburg.

The child was found at a home where his grandmother is employed as a domestic worker.

The boy was apparently exploring in the garden at the time.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Jeff Wicks said the boy was found floating on the water.

“The grandmother ran to the scene and found that he was not breathing. Paramedics arrived and immediately tried to resuscitate him.”

The boy died on the scene.

(Edited by Zethu Zulu)

Sanral announces acting CEO

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SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) engineering executive Koos Smit will act as its CEO when Nazir Alli leaves in June, it said on Wednesday.

He would remain in the role while the board undertook the recruitment process, said board chairman Tembakazi Mnyaka.

“He is an engineer of great experience and is widely known in the industry for his contributions to the agency’s successful development and maintenance of South Africa’s national road network.

“The board has every confidence that Mr Smit will ensure that the daily operations of Sanral continue at the high level for which the agency is known.”

He said the board took note of speculation about Alli’s sudden resignation.

Media reports suggested he was the “fall guy” for problems encountered in getting the public to accept the introduction of toll roads in Gauteng.

These included a court interdict granted in favour of the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance to stop the start of electronic tolling.

Alli had not said why he was leaving in his resignation letter, and Sanral “did not believe it necessary in the circumstances to try to explore with him his personal deliberations and reflections”, said Mnyaka.

“We can be certain, however, that this was Mr Alli’s own choice. He was not asked to resign. In fact, in the recent performance assessment of the CEO, the board assessed him as well above average in his performance.

“It is widely acknowledged that Sanral’s record of delivery under Mr Alli has made it one of the best-performing state owned enterprises for a number of years.

“Further, the agency has been independently named an employer of choice for two consecutive years. We believe this decision of a chief executive with a long record of service and achievement should be respected rather than interrogated,” he said.

Impala crash driver banned, fine increased

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IOL mot pic may 9 Impala killed

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Kruger National Park officials have responded to the public outcry over a horrific accident in which seven impala were killed by banning the responsible driver and imposing a further fine of R21000.

Last Wednesday the delivery truck driver hit a herd of impala, killing seven.

Witnesses said the driver had killed the impala after he overtook a vehicle near Skukuza at high speed. The impala were standing in the road at the time.

The truck belonged to a contractor working in the park.

 

Laura Mukwevho, spokeswoman for the Kruger National Park, said the driver was fined R2 500 for the charge of reckless driving.

In a statement released late on Tuesday, the park’s management said that following public outcry over the accident and the R2 500 fine imposed on the driver, they had further considered the recommendations of a final report into the incident.

“Based on this, a further penalty amounting to R21 000 was imposed on the main contractor, Kgokole Mmakole Trading & Projects CC (whose sub-contractor is Shivers Contractors), for failure to comply with the Code of Conduct in respect of the death of seven (7) impala. In addition, a ban of five years was imposed on the driver of the vehicle involved, prohibiting him from entering the Park for whatever reason,” the statement said.

On Tuesday, the Beeld newspaper reported that the driver, who they named as Earnest Hickman, 51, claimed that it was a freak accident.

Beeld reported that he was apparently only driving at 52km/h but this was too fast, said a SANParks spokesperson.

According to SANParks, speeding was the cause of the incident.

The newspaper quoted Hickman as saying: “I feel awful, but I’m innocent.”

He claimed he and seven colleagues in two vehicles had exceeded the 50km/h speed limit slightly in order to make the Skukuza gates, which closed at 6pm.

He said the impala had come “out of nowhere” and run across the road.

He tried to brake, but the trailer was heavily loaded and he couldn’t stop in time.

“If I could have avoided the accident, I would have. I feel I am being unfairly crucified for something I could not control.”

In the statement on Tuesday Abe Sibiya, managing executive of the Kruger National Park, said: “I am completely saddened by this incident and would like to warn all contractors, suppliers, staff members and guests to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations of the Park. Otherwise, severe action shall be taken against any perpetrator without exception. People cannot be allowed to continue to disobey the rules and go unpunished.”

“We will up our ante and there will be more arrests and harsher penalties for transgressions in the Park,” Sibiya said.

– IOL

Man, 73, admits to 95 child porn charges

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A 73-year-old Cape Town man has been found guilty of 95 charges related to child pornography and sexual assault.

Johannes Kleinhans admitted to the Parow Regional Court he had befriended his three young victims and took naked photographs of them in various sexual poses.

He told the court he kept the pornographic material for his personal use.

And he admitted he paid his young victim’s off with money, clothes and cellphones.

On Tuesday the court heard in shocking detail how Kleinhans targeted girls aged 13 and 14 years old.

In his photo shoots, Kleinhans said he had his victims perform sexual acts on themselves.

 In some photos he made the girls pose naked, clutching vibrators.

In court on Tuesday, Kleinhans was neatly dressed in a dark suit, tie and white shirt.

He cut a lone figure in the dock as he sat hunched over, staring straight ahead.

Behind him the only people seated in the gallery were members of the media.

He listened attentively as State Prosecutor Herculine Swart took the court through the shocking details of each case.

The court heard how Kleinhans inappropriately touched his young victims, whose identities are known to the Daily Voice.

Swart also took the court through each of the 95 child pornography charges where she described in detail the photographs Kleinhans took of his victims.

When asked if he was aware and understood the charges, he answered in a firm, loud voice: “Ek verstaan dit… ek pleit skuldig.(I understand it….I plead guilty)”

Before addressing the court, Kleinhans’ lawyer Johan Grobbelaar asked if his client could be seated for the duration of his hearing because he had been complaining of a “heart problem”.

 

Kleinhans admitted that he had befriended one of his victims and her friend in 2009 and also supported her family financially and paid for her school fees among other things.

He says in 2010 he took naked photographs of the girl while they were alone at his then Bellville home.

“In the photos that I took, she was naked where the breasts, thighs, vagina and anus were exposed,” the court heard.

He told the court the pictures were for his personal use and said he had paid the girl for the photos.

Kleinhans admitted to paying another girl after taking naked photos of her at his request between 2005 and 2006.

He also told the court about the time he removed a string from the girl’s vagina after it broke from her tampon.

 Kleinhans also revealed that he showed the girls pornographic videos and gave them vibrators with the intention of teaching them sex acts.

Kleinhans admits he took and saved 85 photos of three teenage girls in various poses.

Two sexual assault charges relate to him touching two 13-year-olds during one of his photoshoots.

The court heard that Kleinhans exposed the girls to pornography and made various sex toys including vibrators available to them.

He also admitted to paying the girls for posing naked by buying them gifts, money and supporting their families.

Briefly interrupting the magistrate before the verdict, Kleinhans stood up and said he was remorseful for what he had done.

But he was quickly stopped in his tracks by the magistrate.

He was found guilty of all 95 charges and sent back into custody.

The case was postponed to July 7 for sentencing.

 *This article was published in the Daily Voice


Sundowns: We did not want to play in Soweto

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Mamelodi Sundowns have refuted the PSL’s claim that no clubs objected to the Nedbank Cup Final being played at Orlando Stadium. 

Fans objected to the League’s decision to take the Tshwane Derby to Soweto, while SuperSport coach Gavin Hunt said that although there were positives to playing at Orlando Stadium, he would prefer if the PSL had a regular cup final venue.

Yesterday, the League released a statement countering supporters’ objections. 

In the statement the League stated that the four semi-finalists had been consulted, and that all four clubs had no objection to the Final being taken to Orlando Stadium on May 26. 

However, Sundowns have released a statement insisting they did in fact object to the proposed venue. 

“The recent reports in the media that suggest we had agreed to Orlando Stadium are not true and misleading and put us in poor light with our supporters and other stakeholders,” Sundowns’ legal and commercial manager Yogesh Singh says.

Where do you think the Final should be played? Have your say on our Facebook page!

“Mamelodi Sundowns supporters have responded angrily to this claim as they felt that they were seriously prejudiced by the decision to stage a Tshwane Derby in Soweto, against city rivals SuperSport United,” Sundowns’ statement reads.

“Fans have questioned the wisdom of staging this match in Soweto as it would involve additional traveling for the supporters.”

Singh explains that when the four semi-finalists were asked if they had objections to playing at Orlando Stadium, Sundowns “immediately objected to this proposal and lodged their objection in writing”

Singh contends that Sundowns further proposed that a Tshwane Derby Final should be played at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, owing to Loftus Stadium being unavailable because of pitch maintenance. 

“We indicated to the PSL that we would prefer for the Final to be played in Atteridgeville if we were in the Final with Supersport. The club values the support of our loyal supporters and the people of the city of Tshwane and playing a Tshwane Derby Final is a very special occasion, especially since it’s the first Tshwane Cup Final since the inception of the PSL and it seemed like the logical choice,” Singh says. 

“The other consideration was that Sundowns together with SuperSport and the City of Tshwane have been working together to build the Tshwane Derby and hosting the first final in Tshwane would give our Derby a huge shot in the arm. 

Singh adds, however, that Sundowns will respect the PSL’s decision. 

“Sundowns will work with the PSL, Nedbank and SuperSport to make the Final a memorable event for all our supporters’ and all the people of Tshwane,” he says. 

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Jennifer Malec

We need a result against Chiefs’

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Last year’s League runners-up Ajax Cape Town find themselves fighting for a top-eight position ahead of their match against Kaizer Chiefs this evening. 

Urban Warriors’ coach Maarten Stekelenburg admits the team is in a difficult situation, saying they put themselves there by losing games they should have won.

“We made it difficult for ourselves, losing the games against Bloemfontein Celtic, and now they are four points clear from us,” he says.

At the beginning of the season Ajax set themselves the target of challenging for the title, but a string of poor results and the suspension of many key players mean they have failed to come close to the form they produced last season. 

Stekelenburg admits that with the system they have in place at Ikamva it is important for Ajax to be competing for the League each season.

“At the beginning of the season we set out to challenge for the title and a couple of weeks ago we spoke about a top four finish, and now looks like we have to fight for a top eight position.

“That of course is disappointing; this is not the campaign we planned and hoped for. Tonight we are playing a team with the same story as us, they didn’t have the campaign they planned and hoped for as well,” the coach says.

Ajax have three matches left to play, and Stekelenburg is hoping to get at least six points.

“I think we need to get six points from our three games to finish in the top eight. We need to come home with the results if we are to make the top eight, it’s important for us as a team.”

The team will welcome back Khama Billiat, who was serving a red card suspension, while Granwald Scott and Nazeer Allie are still in doubt.

Taung_DailyNews

Bafana move up Fifa rankings … at last!

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Bafana Bafana have moved up four places in the latest Fifa rankings, released today. 

Pitso Mosimane’s team has been on a downward spiral in the past few months, but they have now managed to arrest the downslide.

Bafana, with 500 points, have moved from position 71 to 67 in world rankings, but they are ranked a lowly 14th in Africa.
 
Meanwhile, the reigning world champions Spain, with 1 442 points, have retained their place as the top team in the world followed by Germany in second place.
 
Africa’s top side is Ivory Coast with 951 points, with the Elephants ranked 15th in the world.
 
World top 10
Spain, Germany, Uruguay, Netherlands, Portugal, Brazil, England, Croatia, Argentina and Denmark
 
Africa top 10
Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria, Mali, Zambia, Gabon, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco
  
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‘I daily recall my parents’ murder scene’

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van den bosch farm killing

‘Every day of my life, I recall even the smallest details of what I saw when I discovered my parents,” the son of an elderly couple who were murdered on their dairy farm outside Pretoria said on Tuesday.

Wim van den Bosch found his mother’s body in a pool of blood in the farmhouse.

His father’s corpse was in the shed where he kept his calves.

Johannes, 62, and Jacoba van den Bosch were murdered early on the morning of April 10, 2009, by a former labourer, Akona Innocent Gini, 30. They were bludgeoned and stabbed to death.

Judge Cynthia Pretorius on Tuesday convicted the man on two counts of murder as well as robbery.

There was no direct evidence to link Gini to the killings, but the circumstantial evidence was enough to point all fingers at him, she said.

Gini worked for the Dutch couple on their Boschkop farm, east of Pretoria. He was dismissed six months before thekillings when he was suspected of breaking into their house.

Wim van den Bosch, who also lived on the farm, testified earlier that his mother was cold when he discovered her body in the house.

When he discovered his father, he did not have to check whether he was dead. “When I saw all the blood, I knew he was dead,” he testified.

He noticed something was wrong when he returned after fetching some workers and found his parents’ dogs roaming around.

Van den Bosch said he found it odd that the door to the farmhouse was locked. He unlocked it and found his mother lying about a metre from the door, in a pool of blood.

He knew something was wrong with his father when he heard the calves bleating. “I just wanted to find my father. By then the world had come to a standstill.”

He first went to the dairy and could not find his father. His last option was to go to the shed where his father kept his hand-reared calves. “When I opened the door I saw him on the ground,” he said.

Denying any wrongdoing, Gini said he had a very good relationship with the couple, he was paid a good salary, lived on the property and he was given ample food for his family.

When he was arrested the police found the man’s cellphone in his pocket. His wife had the woman’s cellphone. Calls were made from the phones soon after the killings.

Gini later pointed out to the police where he had killed the couple and where he threw the house keys into a cement dam on the farm.

Judge Pretorius said Gini was an evasive, untruthful witness.

The Van den Bosch couple had 12 children, five of whom were at court on Tuesday. Wim van den Bosch said they were relieved that the trial was nearly over after three years.

Asked whether he would forgive Gini for killing his parents, he said his only feeling was one of powerlessness. “Shortly after my parents were killed I was asked whether I feel like going on a murder spree. I always thought I would do that, until it became a reality. I just feel powerless, because I know it will change nothing.”

Meanwhile, Gini is denying a string of previous convictions, after first saying he could not remember whether he had committed them.

The case was postponed to June 8 so that the police could testify about his criminal record.

Pretoria News

 

E-toll contracts to be investigated’

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Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has agreed to consider the DA’s request for a probe into the Gauteng e-tolling contracts, the party said on Wednesday.

“Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has responded to my request for an investigation into the Gauteng e-toll contracts, including a possible link with arms deal corruption,” DA Gauteng caucus leader Jack Bloom said.

He received an e-mail from her on Wednesday morning to say the matter would be assessed to establish jurisdiction and merit, among other things.

“Like the arms deal, questions about possible corruption in the e-toll contracts will not go away until there is a credible investigation,” he said.

“Speculation that something is being hidden has increased with the unexplained resignation of (SA National Roads Agency Limited) CEO Nazir Alli.

“The truth needs to come out.”

The protector’s spokeswoman Kgalalelo Msibi confirmed the communication with Bloom.

On Thursday, the DA said it had asked for an investigation on the grounds that suspicion was high that politically-connected people may have benefited from the plan to toll major highways around Johannesburg.

Bloom said there were reportedly allegations of links between Swedish companies involved in an arms deal and Austrian company Kapsch TrafficCom. He said there were also 35 sub-contracts with confidentiality clauses.

Alli resigned suddenly on Monday, just over a week after the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) was granted an urgent interdict to stop the launch of tolling on 185km of highways around Joburg.

The project has since been put on hold and it is not yet clear what Sanral’s next move will be.

Reasons were not given for Alli’s resignation. He will remain in office until June 3. – Sapa

 

Blood on murder accused

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IOL pic may4 justice scales gavel

A triple murder accused visited a Khayelitsha restaurant wearing bloodstained clothes soon after three suspected thieves were beaten to death in an alleged vigilante attack, the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court has heard.

This emerged when prosecutor Ndakhele Mlungwana cross-examined Lumnko Bambalaza, one of four people charged with the murder of three men.

It is the State’s case that Bambalaza, brothers Mziwabantu and Mzimasi Mngcwengi, and Mzimasi’s wife, Buyelwa, kidnapped and killed Luxolo Mpontshane, 25, Mabhuti Matinise, 20, and Sivuyile Rola, 28, on March 14 after they allegedly stole a television set.

Bambalaza testified during his bail application on Tuesday that he and Mziwabantu were in Khayelitsha when a man told them he knew who had burgled Mziwabantu’s house.

The alleged thieves were located and taken to Mziwabantu’s house so they could show him how they entered his property. An angry mob arrived and started assaulting the alleged thieves.

Bambalaza said he was sitting in a bakkie when he noticed the commotion and felt blood on his clothes.

He asked Mziwabantu to tell the mob to stop beating the men.

Bambalaza testified he and Mziwabantu then left to get something to eat.

 

The bail application continues on Wednesday.

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