By Obakeng Maje
Rustenburg-The province is currently experiencing escalating cases of Arson since the beginning of the winter season. It is apparent some of these cases occur as a result of negligence by individuals, be it children or adults due to failure to take proper care when heaters, paraffin stoves, illegal connection of electricity and open fires that are left unattended.
“It is unfortunate these cases result in deaths as well as severe and costly damages to properties such as houses, clothes, furniture and many others” colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said.
It has emerged that most arson cases reported were from informal settlements of Rustenburg in Boitekong and Nkaneng.
“In one incident that occurred in Nkaneng informal settlement, was of a man who got home drunk from a tavern and tried to prepare food. After he lit a paraffin stove he felt asleep. The wind which came inside the open shack blew the paraffin stove and the curtains caught fire”.
“It also came to the attention of police that residents of informal settlements connect illegal connections of electricity” Mokgwabone said.
Police also appeal to the communities at these informal settlements to allow Emergency Services entry to assist during fires reported.
The community is therefore advised to take precautionary measures and apply the following safety hints.
• Not to use papers and boxes to extinguish fire.
• Avoid throwing cigarettes butts on the floor without checking first if it is safe to do that.
• Not to leave stoves unattended when under the influence of liquor.
• Not to leave heaters burning when sleeping, during the day or at night.-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Hartswater-Northern Cape police arrested a man after he allegedly sexually-molested a seven year-old boy.
The boy was allegedly raped at school by one of school employees at Hartwater, Northern Cape.
“The victim’s mother noticed that there is something is wrong with the boy during bath-time in the evening. When his mother questioned him, he told his mother that one of school employees raped him during the school intervals, at the toilets” Lieutenant Olebogeng Tawana said.
A 52 year-old man was arrested and appeared before Warrenton Magistrate Court for rape charge.
Johannes Maphalle, 52 was reprimanded in custody and police investigation continues. He will appear again on the 29th of August 2013 for formal bail application.
Tawana said police cannot divulge the identity of the victim for investigation purpose. -TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Mahikeng-The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has unconditionally withdrawn all charges against four senior managers accused of misconduct yesterday.
“The senior managers were suspended in 2011 and have since been called to resume work in the Department” Acting Head of Department Kgotso Khumalo said.
The senior managers who were suspended are:
Dr Victor Mogjane – Chief Director Sport and Recreation
Dr Kenneth Lesedi – Director Strategic Management
Ms Tinyiko Sempe – Director Library, Information and Archives Services, and Ms Shirley Montsho – Director Communication and Marketing.
All senior managers were suspended after they were charged for misconduct in different occasions.
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Minister of Rural Development & Land Reform and North West Premier Thandi Modise are to lead a preview tour of the massive exhibition which tells the story of the history of land dispossession in South Africa.

The opening of the North West Leg of the 1913 Native’s Land Act Exhibition to be led by Minister Nkwinti and Premier Modise is scheduled to start at the Mmabatho Convention Centre at 9:00 am this morning.

The free exhibition which will run until next week Saturday forms part of the activities to mark 100 years since the introduction of the 1913 Natives’ Land Act in South Africa.

Meanwhile, Premier Modise is to handover land to the Barolong Boo Mariba at Dalyspan Farm in Ratlou Local Municipality tomorrow, Saturday 24 August 2014 in an effort to redress past atrocities of land dispossession and accelerate the restitution process.

The event to commence at 10:00am at the farm situated about 150 kilometers from Mahikeng along Mahikeng Airport Road, Disaneng, Tshidilamolomo, Mabule/Masamane road involves the Provincial Government and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform .

Johanensburg – Dogs were called in on Thursday afternoon when four suspects resisted arrest and ran away from the police in Nellmapius near Mamelodi.

On receiving a tip-off, the Bronkhorstspruit K9 unit let the dogs out when the suspects refused to surrender. One got away but three other male suspects, aged between 27 and 36, were nabbed by the dogs and arrested.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

The minister of police, in his official capacity, has been ordered to pay R10.1 million to a North West company which prospects for diamonds, after its equipment was vandalised by residents while police merely looked on.

Exploration Omega Company Ltd (the plaintiff) said in papers before the Pretoria High Court that it had asked at least 12 times for the police’s help. The company either received empty promises or in some instances SAPS members merely looked on while the thugs destroyed equipment and threatened the management.

The company gave the SAPS notice of the damages claim and served papers on the minister.

The SAPS did not bother to respond and on Thursday the company eventually obtained default judgment against the police – which the taxpayer will have to pay.

Taung Giant Diamond Miners, the holder of a prospecting right for diamonds, entered into an agreement with the applicant in 2009 to prospect for diamonds in Manthestad in North West.

After consulting community leaders, especially the chief of the Taung area, the mining company brought in its equipment.

First, its Volvo front loader was parked at the offices of the tribal council to indicate to the community that the chief had agreed to the prospecting activities.

The plaintiff started establishing the site in March 2011, by parking a caravan on the site. This was burnt down a few days later by some residents. The company laid a charge with the police.

A week later, a pick-up truck used by the head of security on-site was burnt to ashes by some residents.

Another criminal charge was laid at the Taung police station.

The plaintiff then obtained the services of a security company to patrol and guard the site.

The mine manager again consulted the community leaders and moved the rest of the equipment to the site. Soon after that the windows of the Volvo front loader were smashed. That incident was also reported to police.

On April 14, 2011, six officers from the Taung police station arrived at the site after they had been called by the plaintiff’s employees, asking for protection from the vandals.

It was stated that the policemen did nothing other than witnessing the vandalism.

That night, a crowd marched to the site office, where they damaged another front loader, while police looked on.

The front loader was found the next day, 15km from the site.

Criminal charges were once again laid with the police.

During April to June 2011, the on-site head of security phoned the police on various occasions, asking for protection against the criminal elements in the community.

The police refused to assist.

Eventually three suspects were caught and they appeared in the local magistrate’s court, where they were released on bail, with one of the conditions being that they could not enter the site.

They ignored this and, on their release, returned to the site, with other residents, where they intimidated the site manager.

They threatened to kill him and to burn the rest of the equipment.

The court was told that this was done in the presence of the SAPS, who did nothing.

Residents, including the three accused, planned a march to the site to vandalise it, and the mine management again called the police. The SAPS promised to protect the mine and it its staff and in fact said they had everything under control.

The protesters meanwhile arrived at the site and hurled rocks and petrol bombs at the equipment.

The mine workers fled for their lives, but an elderly woman could not get away and she was severely assaulted by the crowd.

When the police eventually arrived and saw the crowd, they immediately drove off to escape the community’s wrath.

The court papers say the mine suffered R56.8m in damages, as it could not proceed with its operations. This amount included loss of income and the equipment that had been destroyed.

The company is, however, only claiming for the loss of equipment, as the SAPS did not lift a finger to assist in protecting the mine.

Pretoria News

Welkom – The case against a local soapie actress and an accomplice who allegedly defrauded a businessman in Welkom, in the Free State, was postponed in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court, police said on Friday.

Nomathemba Mokeretla, who plays the role of a doctor in Muvhango, was granted R5 000 bail on Thursday, Captain Stephen Thakeng said.

Mokeretla, 34, would appear, along with Liteboho Sithole, 33, on September 18 on fraud charges.

“(Mokeretla) handed herself over to the Welkom police and appeared in court on Thursday,” Thakeng said.

In September 2011, the two women allegedly used a Welkom doctor’s trucks for their transport business and failed to pay him R300 000 he claimed they owed him, Thakeng said.

Sithole was arrested on November 29, 2011.

In July this year, the doctor saw Mokeretla on television while watching the soapie on SABC and alerted police. – Sapa

Pretoria – An HIV-positive mother who killed her four-year-old son by giving him Rattex mixed with yoghurt as she was down and out and without anyone to take care of her children has been given a lifeline with her 25-year jail sentence being drastically reduced.

Elizabeth Mazibuko was sentenced in the Nigel Regional Court in 2011, but she turned to the Pretoria High Court to appeal against the 25-year sentence.

Acting Judge Nicolene Janse van Nieuwenhuizen said the circumstances that gave rise to Mazibuko’s conviction were “extremely tragic”.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – A foetus has been found at the Koedoeskloof rubbish dump in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape police said on Friday.

The foetus was found by a community member around 11.20am on Thursday, said Warrant Officer Gerda Swart.

“The community member made the discovery when she opened a plastic bag.”

A case of concealment of birth was being investigated.

Members of the public were urged to assist police with any information they might have.

Sapa

Johannesburg – The Pretoria High Court has granted an urgent interdict preventing the ANC in Lesedi, Gauteng, from marching to Hoër Volkskool Heidelberg on Friday, lobby group AfriForum said.

“It is unacceptable that the ANC is willing to exploit children to promote its own political agenda,” AfriForum deputy CEO Alana Bailey said in a statement.

“It is high time that the ruling party serves the interests of the new generation of South Africans instead of their own political agendas.”

Bailey said the urgent application, lodged by the school governing body, was heard by the court on Thursday. AfriForum supported the application.

Bailey said the African National Congress planned to march to the school while matriculants were writing preliminary examinations.

ANC Lesedi zonal chairman Ernest Dlamini said the party respected the court order.

“The reason we wanted to march was because the school expelled one African child and suspended 16 others. It was alleged that there was a fight between the black and white pupils,” he said.

In terms of the court order no protest action could take place until after September 23. Dlamini said the ANC would march after that date.

Sapa