Cape Town – Around 80 foreigners, including an Australian tourist, were detained on Wednesday for not having their documents on them.

Michael Camacho, an Australian tourist, was arrested while shopping for curios in Hout Bay, the Cape Argus reported.

“I was really flabbergasted, I didn’t know that carrying your passport was a requirement,” his brother-in-law, Oliver Potgieter, told John Maytham on Cape Talk.

Camacho was held at Caledon Square for around two hours.

Around 20 friends and relatives from across Africa waited outside the Cape Town police station for their loved ones.

They told the Argus that police arrested people without asylum-seeker papers during a raid.

Gesel Mpeta said she waited for almost four hours for her husband after being detained for two hours herself. She told the Argus she didn’t know they needed their papers on them at all times.

The raid was a joint operation between the police, department of home affairs and law enforcement, Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut told the Argus.

“Some of the people are still there, there were about 80 arrests. It was carried out throughout the city and we have these operations on a regular basis.”
For more http://www.news24.com

Rustenburg – Families of miners shot dead by police in Marikana last year walked out of the Farlam Commission of Inquiry, in Rustenburg, on Wednesday when a senior police officer conveyed his condolences to them.

Major General Charl Annandale, who headed the police’s tactical response team during the unrest, was testifying about the events at Marikana.

Speaking about the role of the police in the violent unrest, he asked if he could address the relatives of the deceased.

Annandale told the commission he was not sure if he would ever get a chance to address them again.
“My heart goes out to each and every family of anyone who lost their lives… I’m aware of the gap that this leaves in everyday lives,” he said.

Broke down, left

Some of the family members broke down while Annandale was speaking. Almost all of them left the auditorium.

Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) members also got up and left the proceedings.

“My wife always refers to this as a ripple effect… I know that this is so much broader than a lover missing a loved one,” Annandale said.

“I know there were breadwinners, fathers, sons, brothers and also husbands.”

He told the commission the lives of police officials were also deeply affected by the incident.

Dali Mpofu, for the injured and arrested miners, and Dumisa Ntsebeza, for the families of the deceased, noted the families’ grief.

Similar reaction

They agreed that the commission was not the appropriate platform for Annandale to have delivered his condolences, and suggested that this should have happened in a private meeting.

They said the commission saw a similar reaction when national police commissioner Riah Phiyega delivered her condolences to the families.

The commission, chaired by retired judge Ian Farlam, is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 44 people during the wage-related unrest in Marikana last year.

Police shot dead 34 striking mineworkers in Marikana on 16 August. Ten people, including two police officers, were killed in the preceding week.

– SAPA

Mahikeng-In restoring ‘the human dignity’ of people of the North West Province, the Department of Human Settlements Branch has increased the pace of service delivery and exceeded the 2012/13 financial target of housing units.
“During his budget vote for the financial year 2013/14 at the North West Provincial Legislature yesterday, MEC for the Department, Nono Maloyi reminded the august house that last financial year he committed to build 11666 housing units” said Department spokesperson Simon Mmope.
However, during the closure of the financial year, the department has recorded a success of 14424 housing units delivered which was 2758 more from the initial target.
“These houses have clean running water and sanitation. This is an extraordinary achievement with evidence of our indelible commitment to restore the dignity of our people,” said MEC Maloyi.
He said that over achievement is attributed to Human Settlements Development Grand (HSDG) that was allocated to the department. According to the MEC, this included the disaster funding that was rolled over in the previous year and money that was recovered from Thubelisha homes after the parastatal was closed down.
With the new allocation of R1.4 billion for this 2013/14 financial year, the department committed to deliver about 5053 sites and constructing 15 000 new housing units with access to clean water and descent sanitation.
Following the last financial year commitment to assist those who earn too much to qualify for low cost housing and earn too little to qualify for bond stock, the department committed to market and effectively implement the Financially Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) during this financial year as outline by President Jacob Zuma during the state of the nation address, with special focus on Seraleng project in Rustenburg.
“The Department has set aside an amount of R27 million for the implementation of the programme in Rustenburg” Maloyi said.
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(Edited by Obakeng Maje)

North West Premier Thandi Modise is to table the 2013/14 Departmental Policy and Budget Vote Speech for the Office of the Premier in the Provincial Legislature at 9:00 am tomorrow.

Premier Modise’s speech to commence at 9:00 am is expected to highlight achievements, challenges, programmes and interventions to eradicate poverty, create employment reduce inequalities, fight the scourge of rape, corruption and building partnerships towards moral regeneration.

It would also reflect on human resource development, implementation of the National Development Plan, Strategic Infrastructure Plan (SIP) 4 to facilitate further economic growth in the province through the acceleration of the roll out of water, road, and rail and electricity infrastructure.
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A Pretoria sex worker has accused two Tshwane Emergency Services personnel of raping her in the back of an official municipal vehicle and then dropping her off in veld near the N4 highway this past weekend.

The sex worker, whose name is known to the Pretoria News but who may not be identified as she fears for her life after reporting the incident to police, said she was threatened with death before being raped by the men.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Free State – One person died and seven people were injured when a bus crashed into a car and a hardware store in Botshabelo, in the Free State, on Wednesday morning, paramedics said.

One of the people in the car died at the scene, said Netcare 911 spokeswoman Santi Steinmann.

She said the injured were taken to nearby hospitals. – Sapa

Johannesburg – Internal processes against the Tshwane metro police who allegedly escorted guests to the Gupta wedding will continue, spokesman Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said on Wednesday.

“We are still pursuing internal disciplinary matters against the officers,” he said.

“However, we cannot comment on whether the criminal charges against them have been dropped as that is a SAPS (South African Police Service) matter.”

Brigadier Phuti Setati said the SAPS reserved comment on the matter and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s spokesman Zweli Mnisi said the ministry was not dealing with it.

On Wednesday, The Times quoted unnamed sources as saying that the prosecutors overseeing the cases of the Tshwane metro police officers had declined to prosecute because of a lack of evidence.

Justice ministry spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga could not be immediately reached for comment by Sapa.

The newspaper reported that South African Policing Union (Sapu) president Mpho Kwinika had confirmed that charges against the union’s members had been dropped. He too could not be immediately reached to confirm the report.

Kwinika told The Times that the charges had been dropped because the officers were acting under orders.

“The instruction given was lawful… they could not ignore it.”

According to the newspaper, he said Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Mzwandile Petros had ordered his deputy, Major-General Phumza Gela, to make the arrangements for the Guptas.

Gela was suspended with four other high-ranking officials and military personnel over the landing of a privately chartered plane at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria on April 29.

Sapu said last Wednesday that Gela had returned to work.

The plane, which was chartered by the Gupta family, was carrying 270 guests to the wedding of Vega Gupta, 23, and Indian-born Aakash Jahajgarhia at Sun City.

The other suspended officials were: chief of state protocol ambassador Bruce Koloane, the South African Air Force command post’s Brigadier-General L Lombard, the Air Force Base’s Brigadier-General TS Madumane, and movement control officer Lieutenant-Colonel C Anderson.

Tshwane metro police also suspended eight officers for allegedly escorting and providing unofficial security to the wedding guests.

Beeld reported on Tuesday that two of them were claiming damages of R100 000 each from Mthethwa for wrongful arrest.

According to the newspaper, Peter van Vliet and Lawrence Lee Thorpe’s claim was served on Monday.

They reportedly spent a night and a day behind bars after allegedly being arrested without a warrant in front of friends and colleagues.

Their lawyer Anton Smith told the newspaper they were not on duty when Thorpe escorted Indian guests from Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria to Sun City, in North West, and Van Vliet travelled in a vehicle used for the wedding.

He said that at Sun City, they declared their official firearms, and these were locked in a safe.

Beeld reported that Van Vliet and Thorpe were arrested by the Sun City police on May 2 on a charge of contravening firearms legislation.

The arresting officers reportedly claimed they had been in unlawful possession of their official firearms, and should not have carried these outside the Tshwane district.

According to Beeld, Van Vliet and Thorpe appeared in court on May 3, but the state refused to prosecute.

Smith told the newspaper that if the damages claim was not settled within 30 days, the men would sue the police.

Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, who heads the justice, crime prevention and security ministerial cluster, presented a report about the plane’s landing on Sunday.

He said President Jacob Zuma and his Cabinet had no involvement in the landing.

Radebe said one of the findings of the investigation was that the landing was the direct result of manipulation of processes. He said names had been “dropped”, including that of Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Transport Minister Ben Martins and Zuma.

He said the aircraft had been cleared for landing and that the correct clearance procedures were followed, but that this had been in response to false information and abuse of privilege by a group who acted in common purpose. – Sapa