Monthly Archives: August 2012

A 16 year old teenager arrested after raping a 5 year old minor

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By Obakeng Maje

Mahikeng- A 16 year old boy arrested after allegedly raped his 5 year old neighbour in several account.

It is alleged that a 16 year old suspect raped his neighbour and threaten to kill her if she could tell a soul about the ordeal.

According to Police information, a 5 year old victim finally broke the silence by telling her Pre-school teacher on Thursday.

This took place at Motlhabeng village,near Mahikeng. The teacher immediately informed the minor’s mother and the Police were called. 

“The Police has arrested a 16 year old suspect after a rape case was opened against him by a victim’s mother” Captain Amanda Funani said.

The suspect was taken to Bosasa Centre in Mafikeng.

The suspect will appear at Mmabatho High Court on Monday for rape charge.

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A 20 year old female arrested after stabbing another to death

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By Obakeng Maje

Rustenburg- Police arrested a 20 year old female suspect at Lethabong Township near Rustenburg and charged her for murder charge after allegedly stabbed a 22 year-old girl to death.

According to reports, the two were drinking alcohol at the nearest tarven. It is alleged that the two bumped into each other in the toilet and the quarrel erupted between two.

“It is alleged that the two female stepped on each other at the toilet and this caused a conflict between the two. They were engaged in an argument that precipitated to a fight” said Police spokesperson Amanda Funani.

According to bystanders, the two were engaged in a fight, however the suspect saw that she cannot stand any chance,she grabbed a bottle of beer and pounced on the victim.

She stabbed her on a neck and left her sprawling on the ground.

The suspect handed herself over at Lethabong Police Station.

A 20 year-old will appear before Rustenburg Magistrate Court on Monday with charge of murder. 

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Cato Manor squad killed to enrich themselves

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Durban – Thirty police officers, who appeared in the Durban Regional Court on Friday, were an organised crime enterprise that enriched itself by killing, according to the indictment against them.

It described the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit (the original name for the Cato Manor branch of the Durban Organised Crime Unit) as an “enterprise”, headed by KwaZulu-Natal Hawks’ boss Johan Booysen.

 

“The unlawful activities of the enterprise began to manifest themselves from May 2008 to September 2011 through a pattern of racketeering activities,” the State claimed in the indictment.

 

“… In some of their killings, the unlawful activities were motivated by the desire to enrich themselves through state monetary awards and/or certificates of excellent performance…,” it continued.

 

The policemen have been accused of obtaining financial benefits from associations, businesses and individuals which were in conflict with the people they allegedly killed.

 

The indictment did not provide details of how the officers enriched themselves, or of the benefits they were said to have received.

 

According to the State, the officers acted with “common purpose”, but it conceded it does not know “when and where the common purpose was formed”.

 

The case against the officers – 28 KwaZulu-Natal organised crime unit members and two National Intervention Unit (NIU) members – has been postponed until 29 October to allow the prosecution time to provide the men’s legal team with documentation about the case.

 

According to the indictment, the policemen face two charges of racketeering, 19 of murder, one of attempted murder, nine of housebreaking, three of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and 25 of unlawful possession of a firearm.

 

They also face, 24 counts of unlawful possession of ammunition, six of theft, three of unlawfully pointing a firearm, one of malicious damage to property, and 23 of defeating the ends of justice.

 

On Friday morning, family and friends of the officers gathered outside the court building. The courtroom was packed to capacity and security guards had to refuse entry to some people.

 

The Mercury newspaper reported on Friday that charges against another two NIU members were withdrawn earlier this year.

 

Griekwastad murder “over emphasised”

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Kimberley – The bail application of a 16-year-old boy in the Griekwastad Children’s Court was postponed on Friday.

 

Magistrate OS Maswi said he would make his ruling on 3 September.

 

Willem Coetzee, for the boy, told the court the State had no direct evidence to link the boy to a Griekwastad farm murder.

 

The teenager was arrested for the murder of Northern Cape farmer Deon Steenkamp, 44, his wife Christelle, 43, and daughter Marthella, 14, who were shot on the family farm Naauwhoek on 6 April.

 

“Nothing shows he committed the crimes. It’s all circumstantial, even the DNA is circumstantial,” Coetzee contended.

 

He was cross-examining case investigator Colonel Dirk de Waal, who maintained the evidence was solid.

 

Coetzee said the State and De Waal had over-emphasised the brutality of the murders. He submitted that the investigator’s approach to the bail application had no foundation and that he was making assumptions “without grounds”.

 

He contended the boy was at least, as a child, entitled to bail. Coetzee said the investigator was biased, but that it was expected of a policeman to believe in his investigation.

 

However, the assumptions he had made before the court were unfounded.

 

Prosecutor Hannes Cloete described the defence’s witnesses in support of bail as subjective. The witnesses included the family supporting the boy, and his social worker.

 

Cloete submitted the State would go to trial with a strong case.

 

“Yes, it’s circumstantial evidence, but sometimes circumstantial evidence is stronger than witnesses,” he said.

 

He submitted that a bail application was not about determining guilt or innocence, but whether the State had a prima facie case.

 

Cloete said the investigation was nearly completed and that an indictment and a trial date in the matter could be finalised with a month.

 

The boy would be kept at a facility in Kimberley until the bail ruling.

 

SAPA

 

Brazil announce squad that will face Bafana

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By Obakeng Maje

Brazil coach Mano Menezes has announced a 22-man squad to face South Africa in an international friendly match on Friday, 7 September 2012. The clash will take place at the Estadio do Morumbi in Sao Paolo.

 

Brazil will use the same squad to face China three days later in Recife.

 

Bafana Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund will announce his squad on Thursday, 30 August.

 

Here is the full Brazil squad:

 

Goalkeepers:

 

Jefferson (Botafogo), Diego Alves (Valencia/ESP), Cassio (Corinthians)

 

Defenders:

 

Alex Sandro (Porto/POR), Marcelo (Real Madrid/ESP), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/ESP), Adriano (Barcelona/ESP), Thiago Silva (PSG/FRA), David Luiz (Chelsea/ENG), Rever (Atletico Mineiro), Dede (Vasco)

 

Midfielders:

 

Sandro (Tottenham, ENG), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Romulo (Spartak Moscow/RUS), Ramires (Chelsea/ENG), Paulinho (Corinthians), Oscar (Chelsea/ENG), Arouca (Santos)

 

Strikers:

 

Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Neymar (Santos), Jonas (Valencia/ESP), Hulk (Porto/POR)

 

 

Python-A girl’s best friend

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Most girls of 16 have dogs or cats as pets. For Chloe Rice, it’s a 17ft (about 5.18m) python.

 

Lilly, believed to be Britain’s longest family pet, lives with Chloe and her parents Pete, 49, and Kim, 45, at their three-bedroom home in Guyhirn, Cambridgeshire.

 

The seven-year-old albino python, which may one day reach 20ft, was bought as a baby. She sleeps in a heated tank and her diet is one rabbit every three weeks.

 

Chloe, who has enrolled at a college to study reptile keeping, said: “Lilly is fun to play around with and is very gentle.” – Daily Newsj

Labour minister to meet platinum unions

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Mildred Oliphant

Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant would meet with unions in the platinum belt on Friday, her spokesman said.

Musa Zondi said the meeting would take place in Rustenburg, but would not give details of what would be discussed at the meeting.

He said a press release would be distributed later on Friday about the outcomes of the meeting.

On Thursday, Oliphant met the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) to work on defusing tensions in the wake of protests at Lonmin’s Marikana mine, in which 44 people were killed over a week.

In a statement, she described that meeting as cordial.

“Amcu briefed us on their side of the story and what… issues they are confronted with in the mines.”

Oliphant said the parties agreed to continue talking to find a solution, which she was optimistic about.

Last Thursday, 34 people were killed and over 70 injured at Lonmin’s platinum mine when police opened fire on them.

Amcu is one of several unions, including the National Union of Mineworkers and Solidarity, with representation at the mine.

The protests at the mine were believed to be linked to rivalry between Num and Amcu over recognition agreements at the mine. Workers also wanted higher pay.

On Friday morning, around 100 employees at Anglo American Platinum’s Thembelani mine in Rustenburg refused to start work, saying the company had not responded to a memorandum of demands delivered earlier. – Sapa

Vet too late to save Solly

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solly the hippo

The young hippo bull Solly, who was being removed from a swimming pool at Monate Game Lodge near Modimolle, Limpopo, and who attracted a huge media following, died. Photo: Chris Collingridge

Limpopo – Solly the hippo is dead. After spending the past four days in the 10x5m pool in the Monate Game Lodge, the 1-ton hippo died because “the vet took too long to arrive and this animal was stressed to death”, says the lodge manager.

The rescue mission was always going to be dangerous. He had a one-in-three chance of succumbing to the tranquillising dart. If too little water was pumped out and he was darted he could have drowned.

And if the operation took too long he could have become too distressed or overheated in the shallow pool.

In the end a diversion by the vet to a nearby farm to deal with the difficult birth of a sable antelope meant that the rescue operation which was due to start at 8am only got under way after 10am.

The plan, according to Simon Prinsloo, of Nylsvlei Game Dealers, was that once the vet arrived on the scene, the water from the pool in which Solly was trapped would be drained and he would be darted. The animal would need to be moved within an hour as “every animal, from an impala to an elephant, reacts differently, you just don’t know what to expect”.

But as the water was pumped out of the swimming pool in preparation for his removal, Solly became more stressed with the huge animal lying on his side.

For more details go to http://www.iol.co.za/

‘Death squad’ cops linked to 28 murders

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iol news pic Cato Manor Cops bailed aug 22

File poto: Some of the Cato Manor organised crime unit members, as they were leaving a police station after being arrested earlier this year. Picture:Sandile Ndlovu

Durban – Thirty Durban policemen, mostly former members of the disbanded Organised Crime Unit – Cato Manor, were confronted in court on Friday with 116 charges involving 28 murders and a host of other alleged crimes.

Several of the murder charges involved alleged house break-ins, and the allegation is that police planted firearms next to the bodies of some victims, staging the killings as shoot-outs.

Fifty of the charges involve illegally possessing firearms or ammunition, or illegally pointing weapons.

There are 23 indictments involving defeating the course of justice, six of theft, nine of housebreaking/murder, an attempted murder, three involving assault with intent to to grievous bodily harm, one for malicious damage to property, and two involving racketeering.

According to an 88-page indictment presented in a Durban Regional Court this morning the policemen’s illegal acts “constitute a pattern of racketeering activities”.

The indictment alleged that “unlawful activities of the enterprise” began from May 2008 to September 2011 through a “pattern of racketeering activities.”

“They killed members of the KwaMaphumulo Taxi Association which was in conflict with the Stanger Taxi Association, ordinary civilians and/or suspects and criminal gangs suspected of ATM bombings,” according to the indictment.

For more details go to http://www.iol.co.za

ANCYL declares ‘holiday’ for march

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ancyl march ancyl

Pic: The Voice

Cape Town – Plans are in place for the ANC Youth League’s Economic Freedom march on Monday.

The league had declared Monday a public holiday for Western Cape residents so that no one would miss out on the opportunity to march, the league’s provincial chairman, Khaya Yozi, said at a press briefing on Thursday.

The briefing was attended by members of several trade unions, and political and community organisations backing the march.

”We are officially declaring Monday a holiday for Western Cape’s citizens. No work as we make this city ungovernable. No taxis will be in operation; those who will be on the road will be transporting people to the march… for free,” said Yozi.

Premier Helen Zille slammed this as unconstitutional and criminal intimidation.

“This is clearly a thinly veiled threat against public transport and commuters, and is part of the ANCYL’s ungovernability campaign which will gravely harm the very people they claim to speak for,” she said.

The ANCYL plans to march to the provincial legislature from Salt River station at 7.30am to hand a memorandum to Zille. It said it was expecting thousands of people.

Zille said she had received a letter from the league asking her to meet it on Monday, but she would accept the memorandum only if the league publicly withdrew threats to make the city and the province ungovernable.

 

But according to a Cape Times report, Yozi, defiantly said at the press briefing: “We will not apologise, we are going to hand over the memorandum and that is it. Who must we apologise to? We don’t owe anyone an apology.

“The ANCYL will make the economic hub of the city ungovernable. Zille is still diverting issues and bringing unfounded and baseless allegations towards the ANCYL associating us with violence, destroying public property, killing of people and anarchy which has nothing to do with the ANCYL. We believe that it is the government of the Western Cape that failed these people which has led to their subsequent deaths through these violent protests,” Yozi said.

In a letter to the ANCYL this week, Zille reminded them that she and Mayor Patricia de Lille had lodged a complaint with the police about the youth league’s threats.

“Accepting your memorandum on Monday, would be tantamount to condoning these threats and the violent protests that have followed during the last four weeks,” Zille wrote.

For more details go to http://www.iol.co.za