Aisha Fundi did not return to the site where the body of her husband Hassan was found, after he was brutally killed by striking Lonmin mineworkers a year ago.

“It’s like living it all over again. It takes your breath away. I would rather not go back there.”

Instead Fundi chose to join the mine employees in prayer earlier in the week to remember her security guard husband who with his colleague Frans Mabelane was attacked and their vehicle torched five days before 34 mineworkers were shot dead by police.

“I have a young daughter who was like a princess to him and it hurts badly every day to see how much she misses her dad,” Fundi said. “Life has been nothing but difficult for us.”

She is not alone.

In Potchefstroom on Tuesday, Elizabeth Maubane joined the North West police in a day of prayer to honour her brother, Tsietsi Monene, and his colleague, Warrant Officer Sello Lepaaku, who were killed in Marikana last year.
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Johannesburg – The Economic Freedom Fighters is postponing its planned official launch in Marikana in the North West this weekend, it said on Monday.

“Economic Freedom Fighters have, after careful legal advice, decided to postpone the official launch that was planned for Marikana this weekend.”

Spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the process for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to certify the EFF as a political party had not been completed.

“Since this process has not completed, it means (the)…decision to launch EFF as a political party in Marikana will be premature till the IEC process has confirmed the EFF and certified it as a political party.”

The EFF, led by axed ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, decided to register as a political party at its national assembly in Soweto last month.

Last Thursday, the IEC confirmed that the EFF had submitted documents to register as a political party. The party intended to contest the elections next year.

At the launch in Marikana, the party would have demonstrated its certificate of registration as an official political party.

‘Fighters’, as members of the EFF call each other, would continue the formation of ground structures in building the organisational depth of the party as rigorously as it has been unfolding, including mass work, in the form of rallies, protests, agitations and lectures, Ndlozi said.

He said the announcement of the new date (for the launch) would be in consideration of the IEC’s timeline registration process and the (party’s) central command team meeting later this week.

Last Friday, during the first anniversary of the Marakana killings, Malema accused President Jacob Zuma of having the miners’s blood on his hands.

Sapa

Cape Town – The defence department could not say on Monday whether the sale two years ago of “obsolete” military field guns to a private contractor was properly and legally recorded for export.

“I can’t give you a yes or no; I’ll have to look at the annual report,” communications head Siphiwe Dlamini told Sapa on Monday.

He was responding to a question on whether the sale of 10 “88mm Howitzer GVI Guns” to African Union contractor Lefa Engineering and Security, in 2011/12, had been recorded in government’s reports to the UN, as required by international law.

Earlier on Monday, the Cape Times newspaper reported: “These guns are not listed in the National Conventional Arms Control Committee annual reports on weapons exports.”

Dlamini said he would have to check “how this process unfolded” before he could respond, insisting that the department’s “agent” when it came to the sale of obsolete and redundant military equipment was Armscor.

“From our side, we hand over [the equipment] to Armscor, [which] does all the processes,” he said.

Dlamini said he was “not saying it’s not our responsibility”, but suggested the question be put to Armscor.

Armscor was not immediately able to comment on the matter.

Communications head Barileng Dichabe asked that any questions on the matter be forwarded via e-mail to the state-owned corporation.

“We, hereby, confirm receipt of the correspondence. We will respond shortly,” she said in a return e-mail.

The sale of the guns was revealed in a recent written reply to a parliamentary question by Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.

The reply listed details of “excessive, obsolete, redundant and unserviceable” military equipment, including bombs, guns, planes and vehicles, “disposed of” over the period 2009 to end June this year.

Included were the 10 howitzers.

“The alienation of defence materiel is facilitated by Armscor,” Mapisa-Nqakula said.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is postponing its planned official launch in Marikana in the North West this weekend, it said on Monday.

“Economic Freedom Fighters have, after careful legal advice, decided to postpone the official launch that was planned for Marikana this weekend.”

Spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the process for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to certify the EFF as a political party had not been completed.

“Since this process has not completed, it means [the]… decision to launch EFF as a political party in Marikana will be premature till the IEC process has confirmed the EFF and certified it as a political party.”

The EFF, led by axed ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, decided to register as a political party at its national assembly in Soweto last month.

Last Thursday, the IEC confirmed that the EFF had submitted documents to register as a political party. The party intended to contest the elections next year.

At the launch in Marikana, the party would have demonstrated its certificate of registration as an official political party.

“Fighters”, as members of the EFF call each other, would continue the formation of ground structures in building the organisational depth of the party as rigorously as it has been unfolding, including mass work, in the form of rallies, protests, agitations and lectures, Ndlozi said.

He said the announcement of the new date (for the launch) would be in consideration of the IEC’s timeline registration process and the (party’s) central command team meeting later this week.

Last Friday, during the first anniversary of the Marakana killings, Malema accused President Jacob Zuma of having the miners’ blood on his hands.

– SAPA

Pretoria – A potential donor was still deciding whether to fund lawyers for miners wounded and arrested in Marikana last year, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard on Monday.

“The final decision of the possible donor will be made tomorrow [Tuesday],” commission chairperson retired Judge Ian Farlam said.

Earlier, the Constitutional Court dismissed the application for State funding by Dali Mpofu, who represents the miners.

Mpofu had applied for the State to pay the fees of his legal team.

Farlam said this was not the end of the road in terms of the funding issue.

The commission, sitting in Centurion, is investigating the circumstances that led to the deaths of 44 people during strike-related unrest at Lonmin’s platinum mining operations in Marikana, North West, last year.

Police shot dead 34 striking mineworkers on 16 August 2012. Ten other people, including two police officers, were killed in the preceding week.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A soldier has been killed during an operation in the Kruger National Park, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Monday.

Private Thabiso Zulu, of Regiment East Rand, was deployed on Sunday with 2 SA Infantry Battalion.

“[He] was allegedly involved in a fatal shooting incident while on duty during Operation Corona in the Kruger National Park,” said SANDF spokesperson Xolani Mabanga.

A board of inquiry had been convened to investigate the shooting incident, he said.

Mabanga declined to comment on circumstances surrounding Zulu’s death.

He said further information would be released once the investigation had been completed.

Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula expressed condolences to the soldier’s relatives.

– SAPA

Durban – A would-be hijacker was shot dead on Monday by the driver of the vehicle he was attempting to hijack in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

Police spokesperson Thulani Zwane confirmed the shooting.

He said four men attempted to hijack the car in Alberts Road.

The driver, a man believed to be in his 50s who was wounded in his stomach, returned fire, fatally wounding one of the four men.

He was driving with his wife when they were attacked.

Zwane said the three other hijackers fled in a getaway vehicle.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said the husband and wife had both been shot.

The husband was taken to hospital in a critical condition while the wife was in a serious condition.

A worker from a nearby workshop, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “I first heard three shots. Then there was a slight pause and then suddenly there were five shots in rapid succession.”

He said he ran out and saw the dead hijacker lying at the entrance to the complex of mini-factories and auto repair businesses.

“I came past the car to see what had happened and the woman said: ‘Please help us, we’ve been shot’. She was hit in the leg. She was amazingly calm, but he was in pain, real pain,” he said.

He and fellow workers secured the scene around the Toyota Camry, and called paramedics and the police.

Police and forensics experts could be seen working at the scene late on Monday afternoon.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The majority of young South Africans believe it is acceptable for parents to smack their children sometimes, according to a survey released on Monday.

The survey, conducted by Pondering Panda, found that 11% of respondents believed it was acceptable for parents to smack their children at all times, 63% believed it was sometimes so, and 25% believed it was never acceptable.

The respondents were asked their opinion of the social development department’s proposal to make it a criminal offence for parents to smack their children.

Younger respondents were less likely to agree that corporal punishment was sometimes or always justified.

“At least 65% of those aged between 13 and 14 held this opinion, compared to 79% of those aged between 25 and 34,” Pondering Panda spokesperson Shirley Wakefield said.

In terms of race groups, 85% of white youth believed physical discipline was acceptable, compared with 75% of blacks, and 55% of coloureds.

The survey also found that young people were against criminalising parents smacking their children.

“What this survey also shows is that young people are not against government intervention in family affairs completely, but conditionally support government intervention on certain issues,” Wakefield said.

At least 3 078 respondents, aged between 13 and 34, were interviewed in August.

Interviews were conducted through cellphones across South Africa, excluding deep rural areas.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Johannesburg police appealed for help on Monday in finding a man accused of killing a shop owner’s son.

The man allegedly shot the son of a shop owner at the corner of Troye and President streets in the city in May, Warrant Officer Xoli Mbele said.

He was with an accomplice at the time. They robbed the shop of money and cellphones before the 28-year-old was shot.

“He was rushed to the hospital but he passed on the following day,” said Mbele.

Anyone with information was asked to contact police.

Sapa

Durban – A motorist who allegedly drove a stolen Mini Cooper car against the traffic flow on the N2 to evade arrest, was eventually arrested by a determined policeman.

What began as an ordinary call on the police radio on Friday concerning two motor vehicles, turned into a movie-style car chase for two Mayville policemen.
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