Two people were killed and 31 others injured on Wednesday in a multiple vehicle crash involving four trucks, 12 cars, and a taxi on the N4 outside Pretoria, Tshwane emergency services said.

“Of the 31 people, three were critical, nine serious, and 19 were slightly injured,” spokesperson Johan Pieterse said.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Bloemfontein Celtic coach Clinton Larsen has reiterated that the standard of refereeing in the PSL remains poor. He’s adamant that they were let down by referee Daniel Volfgraaf who officiated during their 1-3 League defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday at the Free State Stadium.

Reports doing the rounds are that the PSL intends to charge both Larsen and his Free State Stars counterpart, Steve Komphela, for comments they made against match officials. Komphela lambasted current PSL referee of the season, Victor Gomes, during their 4-1 defeat to SuperSport United on Saturday night at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Alleged right-wingers, Johan Prinsloo and Mark Trollip, have entered their second day of a hunger strike at Bloemfontein’s Grootvlei Prison. They stopped eating in protest of their case dragging along.

The two are accused of planning to assassinate African National Congress (ANC) leaders at the party’s Mangaung conference last December. Prinsloo’s health is being monitored because he is a diabetic.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has addressed formal demands in terms of the PSL Rules to Free State Stars coach Steve Komphela and Bloemfontein Celtic coach Clinton Larsen regarding comments made by both coaches this past weekend on referees.

Both coaches have been given five days to explain their conduct. Free State Stars were thumped 4-1 by SuperSport United in a game that saw Soriola Gege from the Stars sent off.

A number of decisions went against Komphela’s team during match. This pushed Komphela to have some choice of words for referee Victor Gomes.

Similarly, Larsen’s Celtic were beaten 3-1 by Sundowns, with John Arwuah getting sent off in what appeared to have been a harsh decision by the referee and the normally calm mentor lost his cool.

The PSL says it views the comments as bringing the game and sponsors into disrepute.

Larsen on Monday reiterated that the standard of refereeing in the PSL remains poor. He is adamant that they were let down by referee Daniel Volfgraaf, who officiated during their 1-3 League defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday at the Free State Stadium.

Komphela lambasted current PSL referee of the season, Victor Gomes, during their 4-1 defeat to SuperSport United on Saturday night at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Kimberley – A Kimberley man is lucky to still have his hand intact after a freak accident left part of a large pair of pliers lodged in his hand, wrist and forearm.

Willem van den Heever was in his garage, holding a pair of blunt-nosed pliers in his left hand and a screwdriver in his right hand when the incident took place.

He accidentally tripped over a step and fell.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

The rape and killing of a 15-year-old girl from Ottosdal, North West was barbaric, the ANC Women’s League said on Wednesday.

“The ANCWL is taken aback by this barbaric act… We call upon all South Africans to fight against the perpetrators of these criminal acts against our kids, sisters and mothers,” ANCWL provincial secretary Meokgo Matuba said in a statement.

On Sunday, Mmanane Mainamo’s body was found inside a grave at a cemetery in Ottosdal, Matuba said.

She was last seen on Saturday when her parents sent her to fetch blankets in a nearby settlement.

The league said it would launch a campaign against women and child abuse on August 18.

The police could not immediately give details of the case. – Sapa

Johannesburg – The platinum-rich community of Bapo Ba Mogale has nothing to show for its wealth despite proof that mining companies have deposited millions of rand in royalties into its coffers.

Allegations are that millions of rand in royalties paid to mostly undeveloped communities could have been redirected to unintended hands, robbing the communities.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Potchefstroom- Since being unseated as Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle has been doing “ground work with the people”, he said on Wednesday.

“I’m busy with a job, I’m in close contact with the community,” Maphetle said outside the Boikhotso Secondary School in Ikageng, Potchefstroom, where a by-election was taking place.

“I’m doing ground work, much easier work and I have more time. This time I’m with the people.”

The former African National Congress mayor said he realised the councillor in ward six, where he lived, was not doing much.

Maphetle said he decided to step in and help the community. He was attending ward meetings and helping residents.

The North West city is currently being run by a Democratic Alliance mayor after councillors voted to unseat Maphetle. This followed a lengthy saga that took a turn in the High Court in Johannesburg.

This was the second time Maphetle had been unseated since November.

While the DA was in charge last year, it requested a forensic investigation into irregularities at the municipality.

The probe found that the council had irregularly bought Maphetle a R736 000 customised Mercedes-Benz. Maphetle allegedly abused the Disaster Management Fund and Poverty Relief Fund.

The report recommended that formal disciplinary action be taken against him and other officials.

In May, the DA laid criminal charges against Maphetle, and in June, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said she would investigate the claims of corruption involving Maphetle.

Eight by-elections were being held in the North West on Wednesday. All the wards were previously held by the ANC.

One of them, ward nine in Tlokwe, became vacant when the councillor resigned to focus on his job as a teacher.

Maphetle said he came to the by-election in ward nine to support the ANC’s candidate, Mary Segogonyane Mosieleng.

“I’m here to support the ward candidate. It’s a disciplined candidate.”

Sapa

Potchefstroom – Claims of voter intimidation forced the cordoning off on Wednesday of certain sections of Ward Nine, Tlokwe, North West, where by-elections were taking place.

“There have been complaints of (parties) interfering with voters,” presiding officer Modisaotsile Makodi said as he put up Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) tape outside the polling station at the Boikhotso Secondary School in Ikageng, Potchefstroom

“I’m going to go stand on the corner with the police to say they must not touch my voters.”

Makodi said he had a meeting with the provincial liaison committee, made up of members from each party, to discuss the issue.

Political parties were told to stand behind the tape and not interfere with voters.

Juanita Terblanche, Democratic Alliance constituency leader, said a scuffle started when the African National Congress allegedly forced voters to go to its table and not interact with other parties.

“That is intimidation of voters. We asked the presiding officer to come check the situation and make it fair for everyone else,” she said.

Congress of the People member Andrew Radebe claimed that the ANC was escorting voters from the bottom of the road to the gate and telling them to vote for the party.

“They are afraid that they are going to lose which is why they doing this,” he said.

“They also brought their NEC (national executive committee) members to gather more voters.”

The DA, Cope and the independent candidate sat on one side of the parking lot, while the ANC stood on the opposite side.

There was a heavy police presence outside the school gates.

ANC national election organiser Thembeni Nxangisa denied claims of intimidation.

He said the ANC had ferried the voters from their homes. Along the way, they had agreed that their names would be checked at the ANC table.

“We were not intimidating anyone. The only thing that arose was that we were close to the gate (of the school) and the IEC told us to move,” he said.

Emotions ran high as members from rival political parties shouted at each other.

Some ANC members said the DA was using “Tsvangirai tactics” and they would defeat them despite those tactics.

Another member shouted: “We will meet in the streets”.

Sapa

Johannesburg – A suspected hijacker was shot dead in a shoot-out with police in Hillcrest, near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Wednesday.

Police spokesperson Jay Naicker said police received a report about a hijacking around 19:30 on Tuesday.

They later saw a car fitting the description and tried to pull it over.

“When police attempted to pull over the vehicle the suspects sped off with police giving chase,” he said.

“As the suspects were fleeing they lost control of the vehicle and crashed. It is alleged that they then opened fire at the police and police returned fire.”

One of the men in the car was shot dead while two others escaped.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni welcomed the “swift reaction” by police.

“Had police not stopped these thugs in their tracks they would have caused further harm to innocent members of the community.”

– SAPA