North West – The possible involvement of police in the killing of a Marikana sangoma was raised in the Farlam commission’s public hearing in Rustenburg on Friday.

National police commissioner Riah Phiyega was asked whether she was aware of allegations that the sangoma was shot dead with a police-issued R-5 rifle.

Phiyega said she was.

Dali Mpofu, for miners involved in a shooting in Marikana on August 16 last year, commented: “Well, (the fact that a police rifle was used) raises a possibility that the sangoma was killed by police.”

Phiyega replied: “I don’t know of (that allegation) but what I know is that a man was killed with an R-5. A case number has been issued.

“If there’s a police officer involved in the killing of any person, the matter will be investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).”

Police spokesman Makhosini Nkosi said on Tuesday police were investigating claims that the rifle belonged to police.

The sangoma, Alton Joja, 69, was at his home in the Ludeke Holt village in Mbizana on March 24 when five men armed with pistols and rifles entered his homestead.

They shot him when he approached their car to ask what they were looking for.

They fled the scene and their car was later found abandoned and burnt out with the rifle inside. Joja died on arrival at a local hospital.

The Farlam commission heard last month that Joja was believed to have performed rituals on protesting Lonmin mineworkers before the shooting on August 16, during which 34 of them were killed.

Police had been trying to bring the sangoma to testify before the commission. – Sapa

Lives of CAR fallen heroes were not dedicated to conflict or death-Premier Modise

The lives of the thirteen members of the South African National Defence Force who fell in battle in the Central African Republic were not dedicated to conflict or death but to compassion and life, North West Premier Thandi Modise said at the memorial service held in honour of Private Karabo Edwin Matsheka and Vusumzi in Mmabatho on Thursday.

Premier Modise in paying tribute to the soldiers hailed them as heroes who were committed to something greater than themselves and had mustered the physical and moral courage to accomplish extraordinary feats in battle.

Modise said that they were ordinary men who rose to meet seemingly impossible odds and did extraordinary things for the nation.

“These brave men left the safety and comfort of our land in making sure that peace is attained in the Central African Republic (CAR).We join the nation in saluting and honouring them for the supreme sacrifice they have paid for the achievement of Peace in the continent,” the Premier emphasised.

Modise said as a country we must always remember them and pay tribute to the stories of the heroes.

“We cannot return those who have gone, however we can and we will cherish the virtue of their sacrifice in thought and deed to educate our nation and our children in their spirit;

 to love with all our might our beloved South Africa, to take pride in it and work ceaselessly towards progress,” she added.

The Speaker of the Provincial Legislature, Supra Mahumapelo and Victor Tsie who represented the South African Military Veterans Association also hailed the fallen heroes as role models and gallant fighters.

Keresepe Moncho representing the two families conveyed the appreciation that the families are receiving from the South African Defence Force and North West provincial government which is also supporting the Matsheka and Ngaleka families to meet costs towards the funerals of the two heroes.

In recognition of 28-year- old Private Matsheka’s gallantry, Kgosi Jeff Montshioa of the Barolong Boo-Ratshidi Traditional Council has allocated a burial site at Maphacwe Cemetery reserved for Barolong Boo-Ratshidi Chiefs and the honour that his funeral service to commence at 7:00 am tomorrow will be held at the Tribal Kgotla.Private Ngaleka is to be also buried tomorrow in Khayelisha in the Western Cape. 

Nwest extends municipal traffic boundaries and hours of operations

Traffic law enforcement and visibility are to be enhanced with the extension of municipal traffic boundaries and introduction of 24 hour shift operations in Mahikeng, Rustenburg, Tlokwe, Matlosana and Madibeng Local Municipalities. This follows the resolution adopted by the North West Provincial Executive Council (Exco) this week.

Premier Thandi Modise has expressed confidence that back to back law enforcement operations between municipal and provincial traffic should reduce road accidents and fatalities on public roads in line with the National Rolling Enforcement Plan and the Decade of Action on Action for Road Safety Campaign.

The changes endorsed by Exco on Wednesday were necessitated by the growth of traffic in the municipalities and the need to support provincial traffic on certain municipal roads.

Municipal traffic had been confined to working within an 8kilometers radius as approved in the Gazette in 2010 which limited their operation especially in attending to incidents on some of their municipal roads which stretch beyond the radius.

Most traffic departments in municipalities have been working a shift of up to 10:00pm therefore leaving roads not policed beyond that time.

Research has proven that about 65% of road accidents in the province occur as from Thursday from 3:00pm to Sundays 10:00pm.    

A meeting of Parliament’s joint Standing Committee on Defence on Thursday was an internationally embarrassing disgrace, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said.

DA MP David Maynier said in a statement: “The fact is that today the committee was a national and international embarrassment.”

He claimed committee chairperson Jerome Maake had tried to make sure difficult questions about the deployment of SA National Defence Force (SANDF) troops to the Central African Republic (CAR) were suppressed.

“This was clearly an attempt by the ANC’s chief whip, Mathole Motshekga, who was also ominously present at the meeting, to politically manage the ‘CAR situation’ in Parliament.”  Maynier said the committee did not have the capacity to properly investigate the SANDF deployment to CAR.

On March 23, 13 South African soldiers were killed and 27 wounded when Seleka rebel fighters attacked them near the CAR’s capital Bangui. Earlier, the Freedom Front Plus claimed an admission that South African troops were not prepared for attack in the CAR meant government had failed them.

“The acknowledgement by the Minister of Defence, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, that the national defence force had neither been prepared for or expected the rebels to attack them in the CAR, confirms that the government had failed the defence force,” FF Plus  MP Pieter Groenewald said in a statement.

“Through this, the Minister acknowledges that there was insufficient support and in particular insufficient information support for the troops in the CAR.” This was after Mapisa-Nqakula conceded South African troops were not prepared to deal with an attack in the CAR. She suggested there were questions about the military intelligence provided to soldiers on the front-line.

“We never deployed to the CAR to wage a battle. We never anticipated a battle.” Groenewald said there were serious questions to be asked about military intelligence’s capability.

“One of these is how the Minister and President Jacob Zuma were incorrectly advised before the decision was taken to send troops to the CAR. The information was clearly not accurate and military intelligence has to take the responsibility for this,” he said.