Johannesburg – A South African detective – pulled off the investigation of athletics star Oscar Pistorius after it emerged he faces attempted murder charges – has resigned from the force, police said on Thursday.

Warrant Officer Hilton Botha, the first officer on the scene after the Valentine’s Day shooting of Pistorius’s girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, was also criticised for mixing up key facts about the investigation at the Blade Runner’s bail hearing.

“He handed in his resignation yesterday and it was accepted with immediate effect,” police spokesperson Brigadier Neville Malila told Reuters. “We are not going into the details.”

Botha, a detective with 24 years experience, is accused of firing on a minibus taxi full of passengers in 2011 while pursuing a man accused of murdering a woman and disposing of her dismembered body down a drain, local media said.

The charges were withdrawn but reinstated on February 4 – 10 days before Steenkamp was shot.

The incident has embarrassed the South African police who regularly come under fire for failing to reduce one of the highest crimes rates in the world and dispel perceptions of a force that is poorly trained.

Last week, eight policemen were arrested for tying a Mozambican taxi driver to the back of a vehicle and dragging him to the station. The video-recorded treatment of the man who later died shocked audiences around the world. – Reuters

South Africa is not a violent country, but there are “elements” that conduct themselves in a shocking manner, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

Addressing the National House of Traditional Leaders at Parliament, he warned against those who would “rubbish our country without realising”.

Noting the recent outrage over incidents of violence, Zuma said in expressing their disgust, people should not paint all South Africans as violent and brutal.

“South Africa is not a violent country; it is certain people in our country who are violent. By and large, we are not; we are peace-loving people.”

Zuma’s remarks come after a spate of protests, crimes and police actions have drawn huge international attention to violence in South Africa.

These included the shooting of Andries Tatane by police in the Free State in 2011; the killing of 34 miners by police at Marikana in August last year; and the recent arrest of eight policeman implicated in the death of Mido Macia, a taxi driver dragged down a street behind a police vehicle.

The savage rape and murder of teenager Anene Booysen in Bredasdorp in the Western Cape last month, and the arrest of paralympian Oscar Pistorius, charged with the murder of his model girlfriend in Gauteng, have also contributed to the spotlight being turned on the country.

A report on the BBC’s website last week captured international sentiment in its first paragraph: “Few countries endure more violence than South Africa. It is not what South Africans like to hear, and some even deny it. But it is a fact.”

Zuma told traditional leaders that South Africans should “not lose faith in our own humanity and collective ability to correct the wrongs we see in our country”, and called on them to help seek solutions.

He said the police were dealing with the symptoms in relation to criminal activities. As far as general crime was concerned, the levels had decreased over the years.

However, crimes against women and children remained high, and of concern.

But, the police continued to make inroads. During the past financial year, over 363 life sentences had been secured, with a conviction rate of 73 percent for crimes against women above 18-years-old, and 70 percent for crimes against children under 18-years-old.

“With the support of the community, most suspects in the high profile rape and domestic violence cases have been arrested.

“I have also directed the justice, crime prevention, and security cluster to implement measures to nip violent protests in the bud. We are doing this to build a culture of responsibility, accountability, respect for authority and respect for one another,” Zuma said.

Turning to farming and agriculture, the president said increasing urbanisation could, in the long-term, pose a threat to South Africa’s food security.

The National Development Plan (NDP) indicated that 30 years from now South Africa would be mostly urban. Rural areas would be abandoned as the youth migrated to the cities in search of greener pastures.

Migration to the cities would leave the arable and fertile land lying fallow. Such a prospect would threaten South Africa’s food security.

“We are already witnesses to this phenomenon. Many fields lie untilled across the country. The NDP identifies agriculture as an economic activity that is still capable of pushing back the frontiers of poverty.

“This requires traditional leaders to work with government to promote farming to our youth and the rural population,” he said.

Years of land deprivation, reinforced by land dispossession laws, had deprived generations of people of the skills necessary to survive from agriculture.

“People who had been proud farmers were now forced to work [for others] after being dispossessed of their land, livestock and equipment. Working on the farms was thus turned into a form of slavery.”

The outcome of this state of affairs over generations was that the youth had developed a grim view of agriculture. Those living in rural areas aspired to move out of the villages as soon as they could.

“We need to change the situation. We need to make them appreciate the economic importance and centrality of agriculture. We must encourage them to study agricultural and food production sciences at school and universities.”

Zuma said both secondary and tertiary education institutions had to respond to this challenge and appropriately channel resources.

-Sapa

Human settlements, public safety and liaison MEC in the North West, Nono Maloyi, said compared to their counterparts across the country, his department has taken the lead in spending conditional grants intended to build low cost houses and urged developers in the province to build more quality houses.

Speaking during the recent departmental provincial developers forum in Mahikeng, Maloyi said to contractors: “You should keep up the good work. We are the number one province in the country, leading the province placed second by 10% and that says we are indeed spending well and are on target

“It is important for you (contractors) to stick to your delivery schedule and don’t just build shoddy houses targeting delivery schedule, we need quality houses,” he said.

Maloyi said the North West was commended for spending the grants during the meeting between human settlements MECs and Housing Minister Tokyo Sexwale.

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The extent to which police are resorting to violence and suicide to settle their personal affairs is worrisome, North West Premier Thandi Modise said in expressing shock that a warrant officer shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself near Orkney on Thursday.

“When the number of women who are becoming victims of uncontrolled rage associated with those in possession of guns is increasing, then a question need to be asked as to how many other people be they private individuals and or police officials who are mentally and psychologically unfit to be in possession of firearms still possess them and what is being done to disarm them,” stressed Premier Modise.

It is alleged that policenu  received   reNot rated yet. received a complaint of two bodies lying in an open field on Wednesday.According to Spokesperson of SAPS North West, Brigadier Thulane Ngubane who confirmed that police are investigating a case of murder and suicide,  the bodies have since been identified as that of  Warrant Officer Moeketsi Joseph, 40 who was stationed at Vierfontein in the Free State and that of  his 30 year-old  girlfriend Kedibone Kotola.Moeketsi was reportedly found lying with his service pistol in his left hand on his chest and a bullet wound in the left ear while his girlfriend was found with a bullet wound in the left eye

Johannesburg – The ANC has declined to comment on a National Union of Metalworkers’ claim that DA economic policies formed the basis of the ANC’s National Development Plan (NDP).

“We will take the matter with them offline as part of Cosatu, if  there is a need or request from (the Congress of SA Trade Unions),”  spokesman Keith Khoza said on Thursday.

“The DA does not have policies. The DA’s policies are a nuance of broader ANC policies.”

Earlier, Numsa, an affiliate of Cosatu, said its 311,000 members  rejected the NDP as a “right wing” document.

“After a thorough analysis, the (central committee) came to the extremely disturbing conclusion that significant and strategic parts of the NDP were directly lifted from DA policy documents,” said Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim.

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Pretoria – The chairman of the DA in Mkhondo, Mpumalanga, is claiming R250 000 in damages from a DA council member whom he claimed linked him to an incident where under-age prostitutes were allegedly solicited during a councillors’ workshop held in Durban.

Hein Sunkel is claiming for defamation in the Pretoria High Court following a letter written by Walter Masuku. The latter handed the letter to another local councillor, Rob Wilson.

Sunkel told the court that Masuku wrote the letter on October 13, 2011, and handed it to Wilson. 

In the letter, handed to court, Masuku stated that after finishing the workshop, he and Sunkel had a drink in a hotel bar. Sunkel, he said, “bought himself hot stuff”, while he had a tin of coke, as he is not a drinker. 

They then set off to look at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, together with some other councillors. It was late when they returned and en route they encountered “many young girls moving around the streets”.

Masuku said in the letter that while they were “chatting” to these girls, a police van stopped and asked what they were doing. 

Masuku said he at this point asked to be taken back to the hotel, as it was “unsafe for us to talk with these young girls”.

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Rustenburg – Alcohol worth about R80 000 was destroyed in Rustenburg on Thursday, North West police said.

“The liquor was seized from liquor outlets in Rustenburg policing areas during Safer Festive Operation Duty Calls,” Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said.

The alcohol was confiscated from tavern owners without licences. – Sapa

Klerksdorp – Nine prisoners have escaped from police custody in Klerksdorp, North West, police said on Thursday.

On Wednesday a policeman apparently opened the door of the holding cells to release a detainee who had paid bail, said Brigadier Thulani Ngubane.

“Several other detainees then attacked the police official and overpowered him.”

They took the keys from the official, opened the cell door and fled through the loading area, into the street.

One of them was caught by a policeman returning from his lunch-break.

The escaped men had been facing charges ranging from housebreaking and theft to robbery and car theft. – Sapa

BY Obakeng Maje

Orkney-North West police are investigating a murder and suicide case after a 40 year-old police officer allegedly shot girlfriend and self.

Police discovered their bodies at Goedgevonden Small Holidings lying 3m apart. 

Warrant Officer Joseph Moreki,40 was stationed at Vierfontein in Free State and he was found with his service pistol on his chest with a bullet wound in his ear.

“Police seized his service pistol for ballastic and residue test as the investigations continues” Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.

“Even though the cause of the death is not known, police identified the girlfriend as Kedibone Kotola,30” Ngubane said.

The continued spells of suicide by SAPS Members has caused serious concerns to the North West Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Zukizwa Mbombo, who yesterday during National Police Day celebration made the strong crowd of about 5000 police officers to commit not to kill themselves and take their lives.

Rustenburg – A miner wounded in the Marikana shooting does not object to having scars on his chest medically tested to determine when they were inflicted, the Farlam commission of inquiry heard on Wednesday.

Mzoxolo Magidiwana claimed the scars were from a ritual performed at his home in the Eastern Cape, in December 2011.

Police advocate Vuyani Ngalwana wanted the tests done to determine whether they dated from August last year.

This was because police believed that a ritual was performed on a group of protesters, known as the “Marakapa”, on the koppie in Marikana on or around August 14, two days before 34 Lonmin strikers were shot dead.

Ngalwana claimed the purpose of the ritual was to make the group “strong and invincible” to police.

Magidiwana denied he was a Marakapa and that he had the scarring ritual performed on him on the koppie.

At first he appeared hesitant to answer the question, and asked Ngalwana whether he, as a Xhosa man, had similar ritual scars. He said he would not object to the testing, provided his elders and lawyers were present.

Asked about his group’s apparent leader, Mgcineni “Mambush” Noki’s conversation with police prior to the August 16 shooting, Magidiwana said he did not know what was said.

Ngalwana alleged Noki told police that they, the police, would die on the koppie.

Magidiwana responded: “This thing you are always saying about Mambush… it hurts me because he did nothing wrong. We were killed there like flies.”

Noki was among those killed during the confrontation with police. Magidiwana became upset when asked whether, in Reuters footage shown to him, police could be seen retreating. He shouted and banged his fist on the desk. Commission chairman, retired judge  Ian Farlam, asked him to refrain from doing this and to answer the question.

Magidiwana then started crying. Farlam said it was not the commission’s intention to subject him to unnecessary pain.

Farlam said it was understandable that seeing the footage of a time when Magidiwana could have died, and some of his colleagues were killed, could be upsetting.

He adjourned the commission until 10am on Monday.

Earlier, Magidiwana claimed police encircled his group of protesters to shoot them.

“All endeavours were made to have us encircled so we could not get away.”

When the first police Nyala vehicle began to deploy barbed wire,  the group discussed its next move.

“Even as we were singing and moving, police started moving (to a gap in the police line). They knew we would go there and they would encircle us and shoot us.”

Magidiwana previously told the commission the police repeatedly shot and beat him on August 16. He was arrested for possession of a  firearm, but could not be detained because of the severity of his injuries. He has denied police claims that he carried a firearm and that he shot at a police Nyala vehicle.

The commission is holding hearings in Rustenburg, North West, as  part of its inquiry into the deaths of 44 people during an unprotected strike at Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana last year.

On August 16, 34 striking mineworkers were shot dead and 78 injured when the police opened fire while allegedly trying to disperse a group which had gathered on a hill near the mine.

Ten people, including two police officers and two security guards, were killed near the mine in the preceding week. – Sapa