The ANC reprimanded its North West executive on Friday for “callous” remarks it made about the Marikana commemoration.

“These remarks do not reflect the views of the African National Congress as a whole and are extremely unfortunate given the still very painful memory of the suffering of the victims, families, and community of Marikana,” said national spokesperson Jackson Mthembu.

“The ANC respects the right of anyone to organise and participate in any gathering that seeks to soothe and heal the wounds that were caused by the Marikana tragedy.”

North West ANC spokesperson Kenny Morolong said in a statement on Thursday night the provincial branch, would not attend Friday’s commemoration of the Marikana violence in which 44 people were killed.

“The commemoration is organised by an illegitimate team called ‘Marikana Support Group’ – a group which the African National Congress does not recognise,” he said.

Morolong said the ANC would only participate in a commemoration organised by government, as agreed with families, Lonmin Platinum, and labour unions.

“The ANC finds it immoral and totally unacceptable that such a traumatic incident could be turned into a political playground by some political parties, who seek to enhance their political ambitions and interests,” he said.

Marikana shooting

Friday marks the first anniversary of the shootings at Lonmin’s Marikana mine, near Rustenburg in the North West.

On 16 August last year, 34 striking mineworkers were killed when police fired on them while trying to disperse and disarm them.

Ten people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed in strike-related violence in the preceding week.

Mthembu said no person should ever seek to determine or direct how people mourned nor contest ownership of the right to mourn.

“The pain of the people of Marikana must never be turned into a popularity contest with all vying for attention and making a mockery of the real agony suffered by our people.”

He said the party would seek an urgent meeting with the North West provincial executive committee to “correct” them on their views.

Asked if any ANC leaders were at the commemoration, ANC communications head Keith Khoza said he did not know who had been assigned to attend.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Cope in Gauteng on Friday condemned the burning of an East Rand municipal ward councillor’s house following a housing scam in Duduza.

The use of violence to express the genuine concerns of law-abiding citizens could not be tolerated, Congress of the People MPL Ndzipho Kalipa said in a statement.

“The MEC must take precautionary measures to avoid actions that tend to provoke the community into taking matters into their own hands,” she said.

Ward 84 Councillor Silas Letsema’s house was set alight with his two young children inside on Thursday.

Nobody was hurt.

Gauteng Human Settlements MEC Ntombi Mekgwe said the house was one of two that were torched, allegedly by local residents whose illegally-built shacks were demolished in Tsakane Extension 17 on Thursday.

Mekgwe said the shacks were built on government-owned land used for one of two RDP housing projects in the area.

Those living on the land had paid R70 to individuals who had allegedly falsely promised them RDP houses. In venting their anger, people targeted Letsema.

Police spokesperson Johannes Ramaphora said a case of arson had been opened.

No arrests had been made and police were investigating.

– SAPA

Durban – Three security guards who allegedly colluded with a gang of robbers and a traditional healer to rob a pension payout point were due to appear in court on Friday with their co-accused.

Security guards Gelaphi Ndaba and Mbhasobhi Gumbi, both 41, and Patrick Ngema, 43, were arrested on Tuesday while they were at work in Mkhuze in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

On Friday they were expected to be joined in court by a traditional healer and another suspect, arrested last month.

A sixth suspect was killed in a shoot-out with police in Gauteng last month.
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Durban – A Verulam man may have to undergo plastic surgery, skin grafts and physiotherapy after he was mauled by his neighbour’s pitbulls early on Wednesday morning.

Speaking from his Osindisweni Hospital bed, Rishaan Singh, 23, said he had arrived home from a friend’s house when the attack happened.

“I parked my car at the bottom of the embankment of my apartment. Both the dogs were at the top, growling.
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Pietermaritzburg – A man was sentenced on Friday to 22 years in prison by the Pietermaritzburg High Court for stabbing his mother to death.

Thandaxolo Khumalo, from Maphumulo in Verulam in KwaZulu-Natal, admitted to killing his mother Thokozile Khumalo, 70, in July after coming home drunk.

He told the court on Wednesday he became angry when his mother scolded him for drinking and reneged on a promise to give him money.

Khumalo, 27, fetched a knife from the kitchen with which he stabbed her.

He then left his mother on the floor of her house, where she died, and fled when he realised what he had done. He tried to hide clues to his actions by burning his bloodied clothes.

According to the post mortem report she was stabbed in both lungs, her liver, face, and upper arm. She also had bruises on her face.

Khumalo’s mother was a retired nurse who supported him and his child as Khumalo had never worked.

Convicted on Wednesday, Khumalo’s defence said his guilty plea and the fact he was a first time offender were substantial and compelling circumstances justifying a 15-year sentence, the minimum for a first murder.

Acting judge Enthias Xolo, however, found that his acts deserved a more robust sentence.

He said the community demanded that violence against the elderly, women, and children be severely punished.

Sapa

Johannesburg – The Ekurhuleni metro has condemned the violence in Duduza on Thursday during which dozens of foreign-owned shops were looted and burned.

Ekurhuleni metro spokesman Sam Modiba on Friday said police and ward councillors were working closely to restore the situation to normal.

“Residents should refrain from taking the law into their own hands and allow police to carry out their duties,” said Modiba.

The rioting came after a 23-year-old man was shot by a Somali national after being sold a used mobile airtime voucher.

“The family of the shot victim has confirmed that he is recovering well in hospital,”.

Police were continuing to monitor the situation.

Sapa

Cape Town – An elderly man facing multiple counts of sexual offences involving young girls was refused bail by the Goodwood District Court, Cape Town, on Friday.

The man, 77, would remain in custody until October 11 for further investigation. Magistrate Sean Lea said the State had a strong case, with more charges likely to be added to the current 22.

He said the alleged victims, mostly from informal settlements near the man’s Richwood home, were all from destitute backgrounds, lacking proper parental and material support.

“They were extremely vulnerable to any form of material benefit,” said Lea.

He said the investigation began when one of the man’s neighbours reported seeing young girls entering the man’s home at all hours for years.

The man had made a bad impression during his testimony by trying to portray himself as a saviour to children, the magistrate said. The accused had made the “bold assertion” during proceedings that he would prove his innocence at his trial.

In the court room were several long transparent plastic bags filled with pornographic DVDs, magazines, and a video of bestiality. The man said the purpose of the video was to educate children, when asked about it by prosecutor Mario September,

“The ridiculousness of this statement speaks for itself,” Lea responded.

He said the pornography confiscated in the accused’s home included vibrators, which showed the State’s prima facie case against the accused to be strong. The magistrate said the man had failed to satisfy the court that there were compelling and substantial circumstances to justify his release on bail.

He had failed to prove that his release was in the interests of justice.

Lea referred to the testimony of the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Johan Kotze, who stated the man had recently tested HIV-positive, and that he had infected one of his alleged victims.

Despite the accused’s affliction, he had engaged in casual sex in the form of one-night stands, Kotze had told the court.

Being infected with HIV was not a compelling factor justifying the man’s release on bail, as suggested by legal aid attorney Vernon Ebbersohn.

Lea agreed with the prosecutor that the man’s release would not only undermine the criminal justice system, but also public safety and the safety of his alleged victims.

“If one considers how easy it would be for the accused to influence or intimidate the alleged victims, then there is not only a risk that he will do so if released on bail, but a reasonable probability,” he said.

Sapa

Durban – Two suspected robbers were arrested on Friday after a shootout with police in KwaMashu, Durban, on Friday, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

Police were following up information about house robbery when they spotted a VW Polo in KwaMashu in the morning, Colonel Vincent Mdunge said.

“When police officers tried to stop the vehicle, it sped off and the two occupants started shooting at the police,” Mdunge said.

The police returned fire and one of the men was hit in the head. His partner was caught when he tried to flee. The wounded man was taken to King Edward hospital

“During investigations it was discovered that the suspects were linked to a house robbery in Newlands, where they tied up the owner of the house and took a cellphone and money.”

The two men would appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of house robbery and attempted murder.

Sapa

An eight-month old stolen baby has been found on the Esperanza farm in Welkom, Free State police said on Friday.

The baby’s mother travelled with an unknown woman from Thabong village to Welkom, where she was promised a job, Captain Stephen Thakeng said.

“The mother was told to go back home and fetch her identity document. The unknown woman offered to stay with the baby,” said Thakeng.

When the mother returned the baby and the woman were nowhere to be found.

“Police followed up information about a stolen baby in a house in Esperanza farm, where they found a child hidden and wrapped in blanket”.

The baby was reunited with the mother, while the unkown woman was identified as a Lesotho national.

She will appear in Welkom Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of child theft.

Sapa

Marikana, Rustenburg – Political parties called for peace and reconciliation as Friday marked the first anniversary of the shooting of 34 people in Marikana, North West.

“Marikana was a startling and traumatic rupture in what had always been a healthy climate of our labour relations framework, bringing harshly to the fore more questions than answers,” African National Congress spokesman Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.

He called for peace in the area and for those responsible for the deaths to be prosecuted.

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said the killings should never be repeated.

“We must all work to ensure that a tragedy of this kind is never repeated, and that all South Africans can come to feel included in a national economy that creates jobs and shared prosperity for all.”

Reconciliation and peace should be encouraged, Agang SA leader Mamphele Ramphele said.

“As we honour all those who died at Marikana, we must encourage a spirit of reconciliation backed by practical steps so that all concerned parties can work together to finally bring peace to Marikana.”

Peace was important for the area’s economy because it depended on the surrounding mines, she said.

“Investing in peace involves promoting greater inclusion in the benefits of mining for all.”

Thirty-four miners were killed on August 16 last year when police fired on them while trying to disperse and disarm them at Lonmin’s operations in Marikana.

Another 10 people were killed in strike-related violence in the preceding week.

Sapa