Daily Archives: June 7, 2012

Two shot as robbers hit jewellery store

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jewellery robbery

Two men were injured in a shooting when a gang of armed men held up a jewellery store at The Boulders shopping centre in Midrand on Wednesday.

At about 10.25am, seven men entered the centre via its western, ground-level entrance, just in front of the Pick n Pay.

They headed for the NWJ Jewellery store, just a few shops to the left.

Once inside, they held up the two shop assistants, stealing an undisclosed amount of jewellery before departing. But running towards the entrance, the unmasked gang encountered two centre employees pushing rows of trolleys from the parking lot to the Pick n Pay.

The gang opened fire, hitting one of the men in the thigh and the other in the buttocks.

“We didn’t hear the shots, but we were alerted to the incident when we heard the screaming,” said Boulders marketing manager Melisandy Jeffries.

By the time the centre management made their way downstairs, police and paramedics were already on the scene, treating the injured men. But the robbers were gone.

“The suspects escaped on foot, running in different directions,” said police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Tshisikhawe Ndou.

“Their Ford Bantam bakkie was abandoned in the parking lot.”

No arrests have been made, though police are investigating a case of armed robbery and attempted murder.

The two injured employees were taken to hospital, where they are said to be in a stable condition.

The shopping centre is arranging for counselling for the shopkeepers. “The staff are traumatised,” said Jeffries.

 

Mark Madeisky, the general manager of NWJ, recounted the incident: “Three well-dressed men entered the store under the guise that they were looking at engagement rings.

“The men showed their firearms and told staff not to alert security.

“They then opened the gate for another two men carrying bags, demanded the keys to display cabinets, and packed the trays of jewellery into their bags.

“As the robbers were leaving, the store manager activated the smoke alarm, hoping it would alert security.

“The robbers then fired shots into the mall”, and two people were wounded.

“It has been confirmed that neither of the victims is in a critical condition,” Madeisky said.

 

Long trail of big robberies

OCTOBER 2010

* Captain Ananda Pedlar was shot and killed and her husband Patrick injured during a robbery at the NWJ branch at Carnival Mall in Brakpan.

* Three days later, Kevin McLoughlin, the owner of NWJ Jewellers in Northgate, was gunned down and killed at Northgate NWJ. Four others were injured.

DECEMBER 2010

* Four police officers were arrested for the alleged armed robbery of the Gold and Diamond Exchange in Harrison Street in the Joburg CBD.

2011

* A police officer was shot and killed, allegedly with an R5 rifle, after reacting to a robbery at a nearby jewellery shop at the Signet Terrace shopping complex in Lenasia.

* In December, a police sergeant was killed outside a mall in Germiston when six robbers opened fire on him during another jewellery store robbery. Five suspects were arrested within two days.

2012

* In April The Star reported on robbers wearing ADT uniforms targeting jewellery stores in Killarney, Bedfordview and Sandton.

The Star

Teen due in court for gay man’s murder

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The father of a gay man who was stabbed, set alight and left to die says his family want justice for his son’s murder.

Casper Daniels, 59, is a priest from Brooklyn whose son Neil, 36, was found in a field near their home on Monday night after he had been missing since Saturday.

Sitting in the Christian Mission Church of South Africa, which he runs from a wendy house on his property, Daniels said his son had gone to visit friends in Maitland and they became worried when he did not return home.

He said that on Monday night, Elize Saayman, who heads the local neighbourhood watch, came to tell him that his son had been found.

Daniels said that at first the police would not let him near the scene, but as his son’s body was being taken away on a stretcher, a wind lifted the plastic sheet covering him and he was able to see him. He had been burnt from the chest down to his legs and his body had stab wounds.

“As I saw my son’s face I couldn’t move. They could have killed him with the knife, but I do not understand why they had to burn his body as well.”

Daniels said there was speculation that the attack might have been homophobic. However, “only the family knew (he was gay)”.

Saayman, who has been running the Kings Road Weltevreden Block Watch for the past three months, said they managed to find the body during a search on Monday night.

“We saw a fire, and after walking through the reeds, I saw two legs. He was already dead when we got there, and later the police and firemen arrived at the scene.”

She said the bushes around the vlei were favoured by homeless people and by youngsters wanting to hide stolen goods and do drugs.

When she went to show the Cape Argus the scene, relatives of Daniels were gathered at the spot to nail down a cross and say a prayer.

 

Daniels said the funeral was going to be in two weeks’ time and that he wanted to be at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where one of the suspects was due to appear for his son’s murder.

“I want to be there and look him in the eye. Maybe it’s someone I have seen before, maybe not. My son didn’t deserve what happened to him,” Daniels said.

Police spokesman Captain Frederick van Wyk confirmed that an 18-year-old suspect was due to appear at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court in connection with the murder.

 

Cape Argus


Is this SA’s worst child rapist?

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By Botho Molosankwe

 

gavel_may 14

.Two siblings at a Durban private school were expelled last week because of the alleged aggressive actions of their father.

 In one of SA’s worst serial rape cases, a 35-year old Thokoza man stands accused of raping 64 children over six years.

He also faces 33 counts of attempted murder.

The suspect faces 97 charges in total. That number could increase as there is a likelihood that charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and the pointing of a firearm could be added.

His alleged rape spree started in January 2006 and came to an end when he was arrested in December last year.

The man, who cannot be named before he pleads to the charges, is only two rapes short of Mongezi Samuel Jingxela, who was named SA’s worst serial rapist in 2007. He committed 66 rapes within 10 years.

But while Jingxela raped women whom he lured under the pretext that he would employ them at a factory, all the Thokoza man’s alleged victims are children.

According to court documents, he preyed on children between the ages of nine and 13. He is alleged to have raped them in Thokoza, Brackendowns, Katlehong and Voslorus in a six-year period.

His reign of terror came to an end when one of his victims followed him to his house and the community helped the police arrest him.

Court documents also show that his young victims pointed him out during an identity parade and that his DNA matched that which was found on the rape survivors.

When arrested, he faced only 33 rape charges. However, the number escalated over the months when he was linked to more charges.

On Wednesday, the man, who appeared in the Alberton Magistrate’s Court, was met with hard stares from people in the gallery who included members of the ANC Women’s League and Women and Men Against Child Abuse.

People also picketed outside the court.

With a pink and black school bag on his back and holding a beanie in his hands, the accused looked around the packed courtroom as he emerged from the holding cells.

He stood awkwardly in the dock, glancing around the courtroom to where his mother and sister were seated.

They shielded their faces from the cameras as they left the court.

At the start of his case, he was represented by Golden Moloi, but the attorney has since withdrawn from the case.

The suspect was supposed to apply for bail on Wednesday but prosecutor Albert Dwera told the court that he had abandoned his application.

The matter was postponed to August when the man will get the formal indictment from the Director of Public Prosecutions about the charges he faces.

 

Other multiple rape trials in the Johannesburg High Court

* Serial rapist Jazzman Rikhotso was handed 17 life terms on May 17 for the rapes of 12 women between April 2008 and August 2010 at Avalon Cemetery in Soweto. He was dubbed the Avalon Serial Rapist.

* A 50-year-old Alexandra man and his 26-year-old son face 21 counts of rape. It is alleged that they drove a taxi through various areas in the north of Joburg, the CBD and Ekurhuleni, where they would offer their victims a lift to their destination before pouncing on them. In most cases, the father would drive the taxi while his son allegedly raped the victim. The victim would later be robbed and then abandoned in open veld.

* A 26-year-old man from Bramfischerville, Soweto, is alleged to have raped nine women in and around Westgate and Roodepoort during 2010. The man, alleged to be a taxi driver, is believed to have picked up women in his white Quantum minibus before assaulting them and forcing them to extort money from them from relatives.

* A 25-year-old Tembisa man is facing eight counts of rape. He allegedly lured the women by promising them jobs. The rapes are alleged to have occurred between April 2007 and May last year. Most of the victims were living in informal settlements in Honeydew, north-west of Joburg. Other victims were attacked in Fourways, Northgate, Cosmo City, Kya Sand and Douglasdale.

botho.molosankwe@inl.co.za

The Star Africa


Bheki Cele ‘likely to fight back’

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Witness Reporters

Durban – President Jacob Zuma has shown police chief Bheki Cele the door, nine months after suspending his one-time ally as the country’s top cop.

Cele is the second consecutive police commissioner to leave office under a cloud. He was appointed to succeed Jackie Selebi, who was later convicted of corruption and is currently serving a jail term.

The decision to fire Cele is in line with last month’s recommendations of the Moloi board of inquiry, which found that Cele was not fit to hold office and lacked capacity to execute his job.

The three-member board, headed by Judge Jake Moloi, was established by Zuma after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s investigation into two police headquarters lease deals, in which Cele’s involvement was found to be improper and amounting to maladministration.

Madonsela’s report also led to the sacking of then public works minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde.

Official announcement

While sources confirmed that Cele had been told to go, they declined to go on the record, saying it was the president’s prerogative to make the official announcement.

Presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj said on Wednesday night he had noted the rumours, but could not confirm or comment on them.

“It is safe to say that the president will make an announcement on this matter once he is ready.”

The Witness has reliably learnt that Cele was officially informed of his dismissal this week.

It appears the presidency decided to hold off making the announcement until after the court application by rights group Freedom Under Law for an interdict against suspended crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli.

The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday interdicted Mdluli from performing any official police duties pending FUL’s high court review of the decision to reinstate him as crime intelligence chief, despite allegations of murder and corruption levelled against him.

Meanwhile, the man tipped to take over from Cele, labour director-general Nathi Nhleko, was overseas and could not be reached for comment. 

Acting police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who appears to have burnt his bridges over his tough stance against Mdluli, declined to comment. 

In his reaction, Cele’s spokesperson Vuyo Mkhize would only say: “I’m certain if indeed the president has fired General Cele, he will be making an announcement to that effect pretty soon and therefore there can hardly be any need for me to entertain your speculation in this regard.”

Cele likely to fight back

Cele has previously indicated that he would seek a judicial review if he was fired, if only to clear his name, as he believed the board’s report was “fundamentally flawed”.

Mkhize told The Witness last month the report was “nothing but a crude hatchet job designed to dupe the president into believing that there is justifiable cause to rob South Africa of the services of the best police commissioner that the country has ever had”.

It was not clear whether any of the board’s other recommendations would be followed.

These included the suggestion that Cele’s relationship with property mogul Roux Shabangu, as well as with other members of the police service, should be the subject of a criminal investigation.

The fate of KZN police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni, and the police’s chief operations officer Bonang Mngwenya – who received a roasting in the Moloi report – was not clear.

The board took both women to task for trying to “mislead” it, although it subsequently transpired that the inquiry had erred in some observations about Ngobeni’s appointment. It could not be established whether the action against Cele meant that Ngobeni and Mngwenya were also in trouble.

Police ministry spokesperson Zweli Mnisi said the minister, Nathi Mthethwa, would not comment on police operational matters. Community Safety MEC Willies Mchunu would also not comment.

SA Police Service spokesperson Brigadier Lindela Mashigo said the police had not received the Moloi report and could therefore not comment on what likely action, if any, would be taken against Ngobeni.

“No one within Saps has the report. It is still with the presidency and once we have received it, we will study it and determine if any action needs to be taken.”

Mashigo said he was aware of the media speculation about Cele’s dismissal, but could not comment. He too referred The Witness to the presidency.

Charm offensive

The KZN ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) this week resolved that its top five officials should seek a meeting with Zuma, after allegations that non-ANC members were seen to have more protection than those who with struggle credentials.

Among those mentioned were former communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda, former sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile and Cele himself. An ANC regional secretary confirmed the issue was discussed, but would not be drawn into giving more details. Nor would he say whether there would be a move by some in the KZN ANC to secure a political position for Cele.

He would only say that the PEC had discussed matters of national and provincial importance, and that the Cele issue was still “very sensitive to talk about”.

Speaking to The Witness on condition of anonymity, ANC KZN sources said Cele was on a “charm offensive” and had met councillors and senior branch members to “win over hearts and minds”.

His supporters said that while they believed he might have to keep a low profile for now, he would make a political comeback.

Loss of flights a blow to CT – tourism head

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Cape Town’s tourism and business sectors fear SAA’s decision to halt its direct flights from Cape Town to London from August 15 will hurt the region’s economy.

Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold, Cape Town Tourism head, said the cancellation of the direct flights could have a negative effect on tourism arrivals from the UK and the rest of Europe.

“Airlines must make economic sense. When a flight is cancelled, this is the reason. Decreased business travel, as a result of troubled economies, continues to plague key source markets,” she said. The cancellation highlighted the need to market Cape Town as a business destination.

“The business traveller is a major contributor to covering flight expenses, which points to a need to work hard on forging stronger business ties in addition to the leisure market.”

 

Michael Bagraim, president of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, described the cancellation as a “sad indictment”.

“They’ve taken the decision at the worst possible time; in winter when fewer people travel to Cape Town and while Europe is going through a major economic slide. Those two factors combined means even fewer people are travelling.”

The chamber has asked SAA to revisit its decision but should the airline not buckle, said Bagraim, the only way the city could cope was if the tourism industry swallowed costs on behalf of customers.

“Tourism people will need to offer to fill seats up for SAA, and offer packages to their customers. They could buy up seats to offer them to those who want to stay in Cape Town as a free leg.

“We will need to follow the likes of Mauritius. They have very carefully put together package tours in which they have bought cheap seats, and the consumers use the majority of their money for the hotel.”

Fedhasa chairman Dirk Elzinga said SAA needed to be mindful of its national responsibility.

Elzinga said the hospitality industry needed to support SAA in its negotiations with the government in its bid for billions of rands in financial aid.

“The hospitality and tourism sector should play its role to demonstrate to the national departments of Tourism and Transport how important the tourism sector is to the national economy.”

Grant Pascoe, mayoral committee member for tourism events and marketing, described the news as a “huge blow” to the city.

“Our aim is to be the best destination for leisure and business. We need to revise our strategy to attract investment and how we will now promote ourselves. We need to start engaging with airlines that are still flying direct about offering more direct flights.” – Cape Argus

Cops warn of ‘Cloud Nine’ cannibal attacks

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Miami – Miami police have warned of a potent new mind-altering drug called “Cloud Nine”, after a snarling homeless man threatened to eat two officers a week after a grisly face-gnawing attack.

The ecstasy-like drug is part of a new line of over-the-counter “bath salts” implicated in an attack last week in which a growling naked man chewed off most of a homeless man’s face before being shot dead by police.

The police department is now warning officers to be extremely cautious around disorderly homeless men and telling the public to call police immediately if they see anyone showing signs of being on the new drug.

In the latest incident, police took Brandon De Leon into custody after he entered a restaurant shouting obscenities and initially resisted arrest.

On the way to the station he slammed his head against the plexiglass barrier in the patrol car, shouting to the officers: “I’m going to eat you!”

Later, the 21-year-old growled and grunted like an animal, and tried to bite an officer’s hand, police said, prompting them to fit him with a bite mask and leg restraints.

In addition to the Cloud Nine, police also believe De Leon finished off a bottle of rum and was working on a beverage called Four Loko, which combines alcohol and caffeine. He tested positive for marijuana, Xanax and alcohol.

The case “bears resemblance to an incident that occurred in the city of Miami last week, when a male ate another man’s face”, a police memo to officers warned.

“Please be careful when dealing with the homeless population during your patrols.”

Last week a nude assailant almost killed another man by trying to bite his face off, in what some media reports have dubbed the “zombie” attack. The aggressor, Rudy Eugene, 31, was shot dead by police.

The homeless victim, who also was naked during the attack, remains hospitalized and fighting for his life.

Television footage and news photos have shown the two men sprawled on the sidewalk side by side in broad daylight, with the victim barely conscious and covered in blood.

Police have suggested Eugene was under the influence of “bath salts”, a synthetic stimulant usually sold in shops selling drug paraphanelia which produces intense hallucinations and sparks erratic, violent behavior.

Cloud Nine is “addictive and dangerous,” the memo said, part of a “disturbing trend” in which new drugs are sold in the guise of household products.

The drug, sold as “Ivory Wave” or “Cloud Nine,” comes in harmless-looking packets, police said, adding that it is illegal in Britain and Australia.

Eugene’s girlfriend, who asked not to be identified, told The Miami Herald that the frenzied attacker bore no resemblance to the man she was dating, and said he might have unwittingly been under the influence of drugs.

“The only other explanation was supernatural – that someone put a voodoo curse on him,” the woman told the daily of Eugene, who is of Haitian descent. – Sapa-AFP

 

Outrage at ambulance no-show

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People across the country have reacted with outrage and disgust to the death of electrician Mlungisi Dlamini, 25, who died after waiting for almost 20 hours for an ambulance to take him to hospital.

The poor response time by the ambulance service in the province has been roundly condemned.

The story, broken by the Pretoria News, had many South Africans relive their own personal ordeals as they called the paper and radio stations.

Gauteng Health MEC Ntombi Mekgwe told Talk Radio 702 she would be in meetings on Wednesday to try to resolve poor emergency response times.

The City of Tshwane had promised to respond to the shocking incident but failed to give a proper explanation.

The Pretoria News was first told a statement had been prepared, and the language department was still checking it. But by 6.20pm the paper was informed: “This is a very serious matter that the city takes very seriously. It is being investigated. We can only get back to you once the facts have been established.”

 

As the nation was discussing the tragedy, the Dlamini family were preparing to have Mlungisi’s body transported to KwaZulu-Natal.

His brother Sandile said he had received a call from emergency services. “They said they needed more information for their investigations and would get back to me once they were done,” said Sandile.

The family said they had to make loans to transport Mlungisi’s body. “We didn’t get any help from any government office,” he said.

DA provincial health spokesman Jack Bloom said this tragic case warranted a full investigation. There may be many other unreported cases where people have died because ambulances arrived too late, Bloom said.

“Municipalities render ambulance services on behalf of the province. There must be a management shake-up to radically improve response times. Poor performers must be fired and replaced with competent people,” said Bloom.

It was a pity that the emergency services budget was cut by R90 million this year “but every effort must be made to ensure that we have a decent ambulance service to save lives in this province”, he added.

Pretoria News reader Jamela Nkanyane lambasted emergency services and said it was a total disgrace to the nation. She also had a harrowing experience in 2009.

“I had an asthma attack. My friends called an ambulance but were told I should go to the nearest clinic. If I were able to get there on my own I wouldn’t have bothered to call.”

Nkanyane said she was eventually put in a taxi and taken to a hospital. She also lost a friend in 2006 who had an asthma attack. They had called the ambulance and it arrived two hours later when she was already dead, she said.

“In Dlamini’s case, why tell the family an ambulance is on its way when it’s not? Even worse, lie about it. Since when do ambulances get stuck in traffic with their sirens on?

“I don’t know whether there’s a need for more resources in the public sector or if this is because employees are just incompetent.” Simon Singo, another Pretoria News reader, found it very sad that people still died waiting for ambulances and the lame excuses to cover laziness and idleness among public servants.

“An ambulance gets stuck in traffic to fetch a patient but it will never get stuck in traffic while rushing to McDonald’s for lunch.

“But when it’s time to work, they are stuck. Public service in this country is pathetic. Those public servants are selfish, lazy and have this ‘I don’t care’ attitude,” he said.

He shared Bloom’s view that a probe be launched and those responsible fired, including the call centre staff. “We pay them. They must serve us. I don’t know if it’s affirmative action or a culture of entitlement.”

Pretoria News


Acting top cop fingered in financial scandal

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Mdluli and Mkwanazisize

The SAPS has landed itself in another financial crisis – this time over R35 million spent on a fleet of luxury cars.

 

The Star can reveal exclusively on Wednesday that a secret report is to be handed to the joint standing committee on intelligence alleging that acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi authorised the taking of funds from the controversial Secret Services Account (SSA) for operational expenditure in direct contravention of the Secret Service Act 56 of 1978.

This was to ensure that budgeted funds were spent, even though not in the way they were intended.

According to the report, this was done after a decline in the operational spending patterns of crime intelligence due to infighting within the SAPS.

Crime intelligence had been allocated R98 million for expenditure and had spent about R60m over the first three quarters of the 2011/2012 financial year. Then, in the last quarter, about R35m was spent. “This is evident that they just wanted to spend the budget,” the report reads.

The money, the report indicates, was used to buy vehicles for other police units, including Mkhwanazi’s erstwhile command, the police’s notorious amaBarette or Tactical Response Team.

The fund, which was controlled by suspended crime intelligence chief Lieutenant-General Richard Mdluli, has been in the news recently after revelations that Mdluli allegedly plundered it to pay his wife, girlfriends and relatives’ salaries as police informants, give them cars and accommodate them in safe houses – to the tune of millions of rand.

On Wednesday, Mdluli lost his bid to have his suspension lifted, as President Jacob Zuma was poised to fire Mkhwanazi’s predecessor, General Bheki Cele, for his role in the Roux Shabangu lease scandal that cost the police R1.6 billion over the leasing of buildings.

 

The Star understands that the acting divisional commissioner of crime intelligence, Fannie Masemola, went on a spending spree, acquiring 140 luxury vehicles, among them BMW X3s, Audi Q5s, the latest Jeep SRTs and the latest BMW 320 models.

The Star has seen documentary proof of the transfer of at least five luxury vehicles from crime intelligence to Operational Response Services between January and February. The vehicles were a Mercedes-Benz ML 350 CDI, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mercedes-Benz C300 and a Lexus 350 RXI.

The top-secret document, which will be presented to the parliamentary committee, claims: “The allocations for capital expenditures and goods and services for the financial year were adjusted to ensure the Division: Crime Intelligence goes on a spending spree to show National Treasury, the Auditor-General and the joint standing committee on intelligence that they had proper budgetary measures in place. This is a farce, as it was actually (the) contrary.

“The operational budget for goods and services could not be utilised and the current acting management actually committed a serious financial misconduct by shifting vast sums of money to the capital expenditure.”

Last night, DA spokeswoman Dianne Kohler Barnard said the report presented a case of serious mismanagement. She said each division from the SAPS had its own budget, and the distribution of vehicles to other units out of the SSA budget was not just irregular, but wrong.

Kohler Barnard was taken aback when she learnt that 140 luxury vehicles had been bought out of the SSA’s budget.

“This massive multibillion-rand budget allocated to crime intelligence is mismanaged. We have stations without electricity and water, and people are wasting money on luxury vehicles.”

The report continues: “Out of this capital expenditure of R98 million, R81 million was blasted on vehicles. The sad part is that they spent R35 million in the last quarter. This is evident that they just wanted to spend the budget.”

When The Star sent enquiries to Mkhwanazi’s spokesman, Brigadier Lindela Mashigo, he acknowledged that he had received it but failed to respond, saying police management was in meetings.

Meanwhile, Parliament’s police oversight committee has called on Mkhwanazi to explain the Mdluli saga at a meeting next week.

 

The Star


Cele spokesman: Reports might be accurate

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The presidency declined to comment on Thursday on reports that suspended Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele has been fired.

“We have no comment on the matter at this stage,” presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said.

Cele’s spokesman Vuyo Mkhize and his lawyer Vincent Maleka were not immediately available to confirm or deny the reports.

The Star reported that Cele was informed of his axing on Wednesday. He was told to vacate his office, and that his replacement was due to report for duty on July 1.

The Times reported that Cele was told about the decision on Tuesday.

Both reports were based on unnamed sources.

The Times source said Cele would fight the dismissal “tooth and nail”.

“The general is not going to roll over and die. He is not that kind of man. He is strong. Stronger than this and [he] will fight all the way,” the source said.

Mkhize told SABC radio news on Thursday that he saw Cele at lunch on Wednesday and said no decision had been conveyed to Cele.

He said that when similar things had previously come out in the media, they often turned out to be correct, so the reports might be accurate.

On Wednesday night Maharaj said President Jacob Zuma would make his decision on Cele known when he was “ready”.

Last month, a board of inquiry appointed by Zuma found Cele unfit to hold office and recommended he be fired. He has been suspended since last year.

The inquiry followed a finding in July by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela that Cele’s involvement in deals to acquire police office space was “improper, unlawful and amounted to maladministration”.

Madonsela concluded that while Cele had not signed the final lease, he had initiated negotiations with property tycoon Roux Shabangu, and had seemed determined to secure the leases despite warnings against them.

The Democratic Alliance said on Wednesday that Zuma must announce whether he has fired Cele.

“President Zuma must tell the police and the public whether he has indeed sacked Cele,” said DA spokeswoman on police, Dianne Kohler-Barnard.

“The ongoing uncertainty about the situation in the top brass of the (SA Police Service) undermines police morale, public confidence in the police and the fight against crime,” she said. – Sapa

DJ Euphonik due in court for allegedly ‘assaulting’ ex-girlfriend

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5FM and club deejay Euphonik has handed himself over to the police following three criminal charges laid against him by his ex-girlfriend – YFM and SABC1 Live presenter Bonang Matheba

He is due to appear in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court today.

DJ Euphonik, real name Themba Nkosi, was released on bail of R3,000 when he presented himself to the police yesterday afternoon in the company of his lawyer at Bramley police station.

He is facing three charges – assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, domestic violence and malicious damage to property.

Whilst the other two charges belong to common law, the domestic violence charge falls under the Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998.

Sowetan’s sister newspaper, Sunday World, broke the story on Sunday that the former lovebirds engaged in a domestic tiff which led to Matheba laying criminal charges and obtaining a protection order against her former beau.

However, Euphonik has strongly contested the allegations that he had physically abused Matheba. On Sunday, he released a statement that condemned domestic violence against women.

“I was shocked to see the allegations of assault levelled against me in the tabloids. Those allegations are not true and I am seeking legal advice to clear my name,” Euphonik said in a statement

“I will take the matter to court if necessary. Women abuse is a serious crime and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

The police have confirmed that Euphonik has been released on bail after presenting himself to the police.

“He was not arrested as such for he handed himself over to the police in the presence of his lawyer. He was then taken to the prosecutor that handles such matters and was released on bail of R3,000 with instruction to appear in court tomorrow,” police spokesman Tshisikhawe Ndou said yesterday.

Asked for comment, Matheba’s spokesman Simphiwe Majola said: “We cannot comment on this matter anymore since it is pending before courts”.