By Obakeng Maje

Mmabatho-Police are investigating a case of rape after two grannies aged 74 and 84 were attacked on Sunday in Magogong village. 

“It is alleged that a unknown man in his early 50s entered a house where two grannies were sleeping at about 22:00” sergeant Kelebogile Moiloa.  

“The suspect allegedly proceeded to the bedroom where he found two gogos asleep and he allegedly fought with the 84 year-old granny as he insisted sleeping with them” Moiloa said.  

The granny (84) overpowered the suspect and grabbed the knife that he was wielding.  

“The victim allegedly managed to escape leaving behind the 74 year-old woman with the suspect as she rushed out, screaming for help” police said.

It is alleged that the suspect raped the 74-year-old victim as she was powerless and could not see due to blindness. 

“At the time the 84 year-old granny returned with community members and the police the suspect had fled the scene” police said.  

The victims were taken to the police station where the case was registered and the police proceeded to the hospital for their medical treatment.

“The police is making a plea to community members to check on the old grannies who are staying alone and also to immediately call the police if they see suspicious people walking around the neighbourhood” Moiloa said.  

A case of Rape and Attempted Rape is being investigated. Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of the suspect is requested to contact the police on 086 00 10111

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South African Football Association (SAFA) is mourning the passing away of former Free State Stars publicist Jabu Khumalo who was also chairman of National First Division (NFD) outfit African Warriors.

The Little Corporal, as Khumalo was known, passed away last night (Wednesday, 15 May 2013) after a long illness.

Khumalo worked as a PRO for Free State Stars before moving to Warriors. 

“He was one of the most passionate persons when it comes to football issues. His life literally revolved around football. We will forever remember him for his dedication to the game and football is poorer without Jabu. He contributed immensely in the building of football to where it is today,” said SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani.

“We as SAFA would like to join the Khumalo family, friends and relatives in this time of sorrow and grief and also extend our sympathies to the players and staff of African Warriors. 

“We trust that they will stay strong in the belief that he ran his race to the fullest. May his soul rest in peace.”

Plans for a strike over retrenchments at Anglo Platinum [JSE:AMS] (Amplats) have been suspended, the workers’ committee said on Thursday.

“We decided to wait until Friday to see how the company responds to the issue,” said spokesperson Evans Ramokga.

The committee, which led a strike in September, earlier said the strike would begin on Thursday night.

Ramokga said the company was not backing down on retrenchments, and workers had taken it upon themselves to fight.

“Unions have done their part and negotiated on our behalf. Now the workers have decided to lead their cause. No one is happy about the retrenchments.”

After mass meetings at different shafts, workers had decided to go on strike.

“Workers are saying if Amplats cannot run the mines they must leave and surrender the mines to another company that will save jobs.”

Amplats spokesperson Mpumi Sithole said management was aware of the issues which had been raised by employees through the media.

“We encourage our employees to utilise the existing channels in place to address any labour issues and advise against illegal work stoppages, as these may lead to disciplinary action,” she said.

Amplats has announced that it will cut 6 000 jobs instead of the 14 000 it predicted earlier.

Johannesburg-South African Football Association (SAFA) president Kirsten Nematandani has joined the rest of the South African football community in congratulating Kaizer Chiefs, who were crowned 2012-13 Absa Premiership champions on Wednesday (15 May 2013).

A 1-1 draw against Supersport United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium was enough to hand the title to Amakhosi – which ended an eight-year league wait for the club.

The SAFA president said Chiefs should be commended for the manner in which they went about their business in winning the league title.

“On behalf of the South African Football Association, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Kaizer Chiefs players, technical staff as well as their chairman Kaizer Motaung,” said Nematandani.

“You really worked hard for your victory while also keeping South African football fans entertained with your brand of football. Our national teams, especially Bafana Bafana will benefit immensely from some of the talent you discovered this season.”

Chiefs won the league after 29 matches, having lost just twice to Platinum Stars and Ajax Cape Town. They proved effective in the goal scoring department as they netted 48 times. The likes of goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, Bernard Parker, Lehlohonolo Majoro, Erick Mathoho, Siboniso Gaxa, Siphiwe Tshabalala and others have also been key members of the Senior Men’s National Team, Bafana Bafana. 

“We must also congratulate the other 15 teams who made this league as exciting and tough as it was. The supporters have also been amazing too and we want to commend them for this,” said Nematandani.

The league programme ends on Saturday (18 May) and the focus will turn to the Nedbank Cup final set for Saturday, 25 May.

“Finally we would like to wish Nedbank Cup finalists Kaizer Chiefs and Supersport United well in the final. May the best team win,” he said.

By Obakeng Maje

Mahikeng-The North West MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison, Hon Nono Maloyi will deliver departmental budget speech for 2013/14 financial year.

Maloyi is expected to reflect on the achievements attained during the past financial year and the challenges faced by the department.

“The MEC will further outline departmental plans on how to increase and speed-up service delivery to the marginalized communities in the province” Department spokesperson Simon Lesolamang Mmope said.

“MEC Maloyi will further hand over about 55 new branded highway patrol cars in Mahikeng stadium later on the day” Mmope said.

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Pretoria – South African Defence Force soldiers who are training for a United Nations military mission in Congo will be adequately prepared even though the army as a whole is overstretched and underfunded, the army chief said on Thursday.

Lieutenant General VR Masondo also told media at a briefing that the units bound for Congo are being helped in their training by troops who participated in a mission in Central African Republic, or CAR.

In March, rebels there killed 14 SANDF soldiers while seizing the capital, Bangui, and overthrowing president Francois Bozize.

“We have taken heed of the CAR incident and will incorporate the lessons learned from this in preparing for future operations,” Masondo said without elaborating.

Analysts said the SANDF lacked air cover and there were questions about why they deployed under a bilateral deal rather than under UN or regional auspices.

The UN Security Council has authorised a new “intervention brigade” for Congo with a mandate to take offensive military action against rebel groups to help bring peace to the eastern part of the vast, mineral-rich country, beset by fighting since the end of the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda.

The Congolese army said 32 people were killed in fighting between Congolese soldiers and militiamen who attacked a town north of Goma on Wednesday.

Masondo said the army’s budget of about More than R10bn is not enough to address its needs, which include the replacement of old equipment and dilapidated facilities, and tasks such as foreign missions, border patrols, securing hospitals during worker strikes, the documentation of immigrants and support for the police.

Funding challenges make it difficult “to do everything that we are required to do,” Masondo said.

But he acknowledged there is a “dire need” for the South African government to direct resources to social and economic programs in a country with high unemployment and a widening gulf between rich and poor.

He said the troops heading to Congo are “preparing sufficientl”, despite shortfalls in the military.

The UN said a contingent of about 100 Tanzanian troops arrived in eastern Congo on 11 May, a first step in assembling a new brigade.

The rest of the troops will arrive in stages, but no clear deadline has been given so far.

Malawi has also pledged troops, though some military experts question whether the envisioned force of several thousand is big enough to restore security.

– AP

Johannesburg – A total of 23 initiates have died in Mpumalanga, police said on Thursday.

All the deaths had taken place at legal initiation schools since last Wednesday, police spokesperson Leonard Hlathi said.

He said 23 murder cases had been opened, but that no arrests had been made yet.

The deaths were in the Nkangala district towns of Evander, Middelburg, Belfast, Kwaggafontein, Siyabuswa, Verena and KwaMhlanga.

In Evander, police were investigating an inquest docket after an initiate died after complaining of stomach pains, said Hlathi.

On Tuesday, Traditional Affairs MEC Simon Skhosana sent his condolences to the families of 10 of the initiates and said his department would investigate.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A man has been arrested near Durban for the murder of the sangoma believed to have masterminded rituals performed on Marikana mineworkers, police consultant Makhosini Nkosi said on Thursday.

The Hawks arrested the 28-year-old man from KwaMaphumulo, outside Pietermaritzburg, at KwaMashu Hostel on Tuesday night, he said.

He was linked to the murder of sangoma Alton Zikhuthele Joja, 69, also known as Ndzabe.

He would appear in the Bizana Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

“The SA Police Service had wanted [Joja] to testify at the Marikana Commission regarding his alleged role in the rituals, that made protesters believe they would be invisible and invincible in the face of gunfire,” said Nkosi.

In March, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard that Joja was believed to have sent his sons to perform rituals on protesting Lonmin mineworkers at Marikana.

Marikana deaths

The commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of 34 striking mineworkers by the police near Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana on 16 August, and the deaths the previous week of 10 people, including two policemen and two security guards, in strike-related unrest.

On 24 March, Joja was at his home in the Ludeke Holt village, in Mbizana, Eastern Cape, when five men armed with pistols and rifles entered his homestead.

They shot him when he approached their car, then fled.

The vehicle was later found abandoned and burnt out, with a rifle inside.

Joja died on arrival at a local hospital.

Last month, police sent the R5 rifle for ballistics tests to determine whether it had been stolen from one of the two slain policemen.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Mpumalanga police on Thursday denied a report that five people were killed during a protest in Amsterdam.

“The report in the media is incorrect. No one has been killed,” police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Hlathi told Sapa.

Enca reported that two policemen and three residents were killed in the protest over service delivery in Amsterdam.
Hlathi said 33 people were arrested for public violence.

“Municipal offices have been burnt, three police cars damaged and a policeman was slightly injured.”

The policeman was hit by a stone. Hlathi said protesters tried to burn down a library. The fire was extinguished.
“They stole computers from the library and five shops owned by foreigners were looted.”

He said eight of the arrested people were minors. They were released into the custody of their parents and expected to appear in the Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

“The situation is tense and police are there to keep it under control,” Hlathi said.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – About 272 995 bucket toilet systems are still being operated by municipalities, Co-operative Governance Minister Richard Baloyi said on Thursday.

“There was a time I thought the bucket system was gone… that it had exited our space, but this number came out when we were assessing the state of sanitation,” Baloyi said in Kempton Park.

He was speaking at a conference on municipal audit outcomes, attended by mayors, municipal managers, heads of provincial departments, and Auditor General Terence Nombembe.

Baloyi did not say which municipalities still operated the bucket system.

He said a breakdown of provinces showed that the system had even been formalised in some areas, and that there were areas where there was not even a record of a toilet in a community.

“That state of affairs indicates that people in those communities still use the nearest bushes to relieve themselves,” Baloyi said.

“This is the true state of the lack of sanitation in some parts of our country.”

Earlier, Baloyi said his department would soon release a report on the state of municipalities.

“It is imperative that the report indicates and shows what is being done to address sanitation issues, such as the bucket system,” he said.

– SAPA