Kakamas-Northern Cape are looking for a suspect by the name of Pieter Peens in connection of a Magdeline Esau’s death.

“She was reported missing days before her body was discovered. According to police, Magdeline visited her (boyfriend) Pieter Peens and never came back” Lieutenant Sergio Kock said. 

The gruesome incident took place on the 30th of October 2012 and p[olice are looking for Peens to help them on the mystery death of Magdeline Esau.

“The whereabouts of Peens are yet unknown. Esau’s body was strangled and police discovered a shoelace at the crime scene” Kock said.  

“We request any person with the information of Pieter’s whereabout to contact the Investigating officer Detective captain Maree 082 4484 439 or Kakamas police on 054 4316 800 / 08600 10 111” police said.

All information will be treated with firmest confidentiality, and informant can remain anonymous.

BY Staff Reporter

Challenges that impact on service delivery and interventions required to bring service delivery back to track during the 2013/2014 financial year or remainder of the 5 year term of government will be the focus of the North West Provincial Executive Council (Exco) Lekgotla to held as from 8:00 am at Cookes Lake in Mahikeng on Wednesday.

The main focus of the Exco Lekgotla will be on how Provincial departments, municipalities and state owned enterprises will link their Annual Performance Plans, Strategic Plans and other relevant programmes to the objectives of the National Development Plan.

The Lekgotla will also reflect on progress registered towards key priorities of government and implementation of recommendations of the October 2012 Lekgotla. It will also set targets to accelerate delivery for the remainder of the current term of government.

Members of the Executive Council, The Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders, Mayors, Heads of Departments, Chief Executive Officers of State Owned Enterprises, Municipal Mayors, Chief Financial Officers and representatives of the Provincial House of traditional leaders are among those that are expected to attend the session.

Thai authorities said Tuesday they would seek arrest warrants for three police officers allegedly involved in trafficking rhino horn through Bangkok’s main airport.

The horn was brought into Suvarnabhumi Airport in January by Vietnamese migrant workers paid $500 per trip, said Narasak Hemnithi, commander of the Natural Resources Environmental Crime Division.

“After arriving in Bangkok they were asked to put the rhino horn on a trolley and leave it somewhere nobody could see and then police would come and collect it,” he told AFP.

“We have evidence, especially closed circuit television footage,” he added.

In early January a Vietnamese man was arrested after leaving rhino horn worth more than half a million dollars in unattended luggage at Suvarnabhumi.

Illegal hunting of rhinos has risen in recent years to meet surging demand for their horns in parts of Asia, in particular Vietnam where they are highly prized for their supposed medicinal qualities.

A record 668 South African rhinos were slaughtered for their horns in 2012, an increase of nearly 50 percent compared with 2011, according to conservation group WWF.

Their plight is one of the issues topping the agenda at a major conference on endangered species in Bangkok this week, with wildlife groups urging Thailand to step up efforts to crack down on trade in ivory and rhino horn.- AFP

Pretoria – Murder accused Oscar Pistorius’ father has lashed out at the ANC government saying they are to blame for his son’s fall from grace.

Oscar’s dad Henke Pistorius reportedly told a British newspaper that the country’s lawlessness and high crime rate forced his son to arm himself.

The ANC has since told the Daily Voice they want nothing to do with the paralympic star or his family.

Henke Pistorius spoke to The Telegraph’s journalist about the guns he and his son own.

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

Limpopo – A Zion Christian Church (ZCC) prophet has been arrested for allegedly raping a 27-year-old woman at the church’s headquarters in Moria.

The woman alleges that the prophet put a knife to her throat as he raped her on Saturday morning during an all-night prayer session at the church premises, east of Polokwane.

The suspect is said to be a full-time prophet who lives at the church’s official residence.

But the church, known to be a beacon of morality, on Monday distanced itself from the incident. Official Ronnie Malahlela claimed the church was not aware of the rape.

“We don’t know anything about it. Ask the police. That’s all I can say to you,” he said.

Mankweng police spokesman Constable Moses Molepo confirmed that a suspect was arrested on Sunday morning at Moria.

“The victim was taken to Mankweng Hospital, and doctors confirmed the rape. The suspect is scheduled to appear before the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court (on Tuesday),” said Molepo.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was raped inside the prophet’s residence in Moria.

She told The Star on Monday that she had earlier that night asked the prophet to recharge her cellphone battery. She went to fetch her cellphone, which is when the attack occurred. She said it was dark in the house. “I fought with him for about two hours, but he ultimately overpowered me,” she said.

“Whenever I tried to shout, he strangled me so that people would not hear me.”

She said she became extremely tired and the man raped her.

“After raping me, he begged me not to report the matter, and I promised him I would not report it,” she said. But this was simply to secure her freedom.

“When he released me, I went straight to the church’s office to report the matter. The church elders phoned the police.”

She said the elders were sympathetic to her plight and remained supportive.

She said she did not know the prophet personally, except as “the man of God in church”.

“I feel weak. It’s hard to take the image out of my mind,” she said.

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

The DA has demanded answers from President Jacob Zuma about the “delay” to announce the appointment of the head of the Special Investigative Unit (SIU).

DA MP Debbie Schafer said Zuma failed to announce the appointment of a permanent SIU head and missed the February 28 deadline. She said Justice Minister Jeff Radebe had announced at the time of the state of the nation address that the announcement of an appointment would be made.

“Is the president undermining the minister by telling him that things will be done by a certain date, and then not doing them? It is hard to imagine that the minister would have made an announcement as significant as this one without the president having agreed to,” Schafer said.

“Repeated failures to provide answers leave us speculating that the president has not been able to find a suitable cadre who will do the ANC’s bidding. Secondly, he (Zuma) is deliberately trying to destabilise the unit by leaving someone in charge, and who is not able to dedicate sufficient time to it.”

Zuma spokesperson Mac Maharaj said the president would make the announcement of the appointment as soon as he had made his decision.

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

Durban – A KwaZulu-Natal man appeared in the Phoenix Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of bribery and possession of illegal substances, provincial police said.

Monogran Julian Chetty, 30, was released on R500 bail and the matter was postponed to May 27 for further investigation, Captain Thulani Zwane said.

Chetty was arrested on Sunday evening after police searched him and allegedly found cocaine in his possession.

“Whilst the suspect was being charged by the arresting officers he requested to speak to them. The suspect allegedly wanted the members to drop the charges against him and offered to pay cash to them.”

Zwane said Chetty offered the officers R200. The officers added a charge of bribery to the charge sheet and the money was seized as an exhibit.

KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Mmamonnye Ngobeni praised the members for being alert and vigilant.

“I am pleased with the high rate of drug-related arrests and urge the members in this province to continue with their excellent work and rid our streets of this scourge.” – Sapa

Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has brought relief to residents in five informal settlements in the Madibeng local municipality by reopening seven resuscitated boreholes at the weekend.

Until recently, residents in the areas were forced to wait for water deliveries, which were made once weekly by the municipality. The identified communities have a population of more than 7000 residents who have been relying on the unreliable service.

The municipality is notorious for its water woes, which have been pinned on an aging infrastructure that can no longer sustain the volumes required by the communities.

Last week the community of Latlhabile ran amok, barricading roads and throwing stones in protest over poor service delivery. Other communities have threatened to do the same.

However, Molewa could have well averted similar riots when she handed over the seven boreholes on Saturday.

By Obakeng Maje

Klerksdorp-A bail application by the eight men accused of murdering ANC North West official Obuti Chika was opposed by the state in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Prosecutor Riekie Krause submitted that if the men were released, local residents would be shocked and outraged.

Several of the men had also failed to disclose previous criminal convictions or pending cases, she told the court.

Chika, 33, was shot at point-blank range in the driveway of his Klerksdorp home on December 14 last year. 

The court heard how the suspects were allegedly planning to kill Chika.

According to information presented before court,eight suspects were conspiring to blow up Chika by using explosives.

“The suspects hired a hitman and demanded R50 000,but it couldn’t be raised and that’s where Sikhakhane was hired for R15 000” witness.

However Sikhakhane’s legal team argue that their client participated in a murder simply because he was tortured.

Chika was shot in a point-blank at his house in Alabama,near Klerksdorp. 

He was rushed to hospital,but died minutes after his arrival.

The case continues.