By Obakeng Maje

Hartswater-A man appeared briefly before Warrenton Magistrate Court for alleged rape.

Hartswater Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit are investigating a rape which allegedly took place two weeks ago. 

The accused, Johannes Maphelle(52), employed as a general worker at a primary school in Warrenton, allegedly raped a 7 year old school boy in the school toilets. 

“The victim’s mother noticed that something was wrong while bathing the boy and questioned him about his peculiar actions. The boy then revealed to his mother that he was raped by the general worker during the school interval, earlier that day” lieutenant Sergio Kock said.

The suspect was arrested and made his second appearance in the Warrenton Magistrates’ Court on Monday and the case was remanded for 10 September 2013. 

“The suspect will remain in custody. The investigation continues” he said.-TDN

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Pretoria – The Hawks and Gripen aircraft acquired through the 1999 arms deal have proven highly deployable and adaptable, the Seriti Commission of Inquiry heard on Monday.

The aircraft were flexible enough to meet requirements, said SA Air Force (SAAF) combat systems director Brigadier General John William Bayne.

“The Gripen we acquired was what was termed the export baseline. In other words, it was not the same aircraft that the Swedish air force flew originally… This aircraft was designed and adapted for worldwide climatic conditions,” he said.

“It was designed to operate in different environments and different equivalent areas… The Gripen is well-suited for the African battle-space for the future to support the country as strategic natural asset.”

He said people had questioned the SAAF buying aircraft from Sweden, where the climate and operating conditions were different.

The aircraft were thoroughly tested before they were acquired, and were flown in harsh conditions, including snow and rain.

The Gripen was the SAAF’s only full-fighter aircraft, while the Hawk was primarily a fighter-trainer aircraft.

Ownership

Bayne said the SAAF had taken over full ownership and delivery of the Hawks, and that ownership of the Gripen was expected to be concluded only in early 2015.

“There was adequate proof that the system [the Hawks] met the requirements.”

The Gripen had completed 85% of its tests and evaluation, but there were still steps which needed to be completed before the SAAF took full ownership.

On Monday morning, the commission heard that the SAAF had to adapt to all budget cuts to fit in with the realities.

Bayne said that after the 1994 elections, South Africa was seen as a highly successful and peaceful country, and that this had played a role in budgeting, particularly the budget cuts in 1997.

He said the risks of putting a young pilot into a high performance and high cost aircraft had been considered when it came to the costs of continuing the three-tier training system.

President Jacob Zuma appointed the commission, which is chaired by Judge Willie Seriti, in 2011 to investigate alleged corruption in the 1999 multi-billion rand arms deal.

The commission resumes on Tuesday morning, when Bayne will give evidence on the utilisation of the systems.

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By Obakeng Maje

Jan Kempdorp-Police are investigating an inquest into the death of Daniel Mokae(an adult male) who was found dead on a farm near Jan Kempdorp on Monday. 

The brother of the farm owner found the deceased(an employee on the farm) lying face down on the ground when he visited the farm at approximately 07:20am. “Daniel Mokae was employed to feed the livestock while the farm owner was out of town for the weekend. It is at this stage alleged that the three bull terriers might have mauled him to death” lieutenant Sergio Kock said.

Kock said the deceased was covered with blood, both his ears are missing and his clothes were in tatters when the police arrived on the scene. 

“Several paw prints were found surrounding the place where the deceased was discovered. An autopsy will be done to confirm the exact cause of death” Kock said. 

The three Bull Terriers have not been removed from the farm but are kept in locked kennels as the investigation continues.-TDN

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By Obakeng Maje

Groblershoop-Six men appeared in the Groblershoop Magistrates’ Court today on charges of dealing in dagga. 

“It is alleged that on Friday at about 16:00, police were engaged in special operations when they stopped at an accident  scene on the Upington/Groblershoop road” colonel Priscilla Naidu said.  

Naidu said the drivers of a Ford Sierra and a bakkie allegedly lost control of their vehicles causing both to overturn. 

“In total there were six men in the vehicles. No serious injuries were sustained. When police stopped to assist, the men informed police that they were fine and that they did not need any assistance however police officials at the scene insisted in helping” police said. 

When they inspected both vehicles, they discovered that the vehicles were packed with dagga. 

The vehicles were bound for Keimoes from Bloemfontein. 

All six men aged between 35 and 60 were arrested and charged for dealing in dagga. 

The dagga weighed in at 287 kg with a street value of R1,4 million.-TDN

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By Obakeng Maje

Mahikeng-Democratic Alliance in North West will visit the fire victims on Monday at Tshepong Hospital, DA said in a statement.

The Chinese shop-owner and two other employees were allegedly burnt by robbers at their fruit & vegetable shop in Mahikeng.

“I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy to the family of the 3 victims who was robbed and then set alight in Mahikeng on the 1st of September” DA Theologo said. 

“We will be visiting the family at Tshepong Hospital today” she said.

Police said three men stormed at the shop and allegedly ordered owner to hand over cash. 

“They were allegedly set three victims alight after they demanded more money” sergeant Kelebogile Moiloa said.

“The DA strongly condemns these heinous crimes against members of the public. I believe the SAPS should be put on full alert to combat crime in the Mahikeng area and to be on the lookout for possible xenophobic attacks” Theologo said. 

According bystanders, three men set the shop alight before fleeing the crime scene with a white Jeep.

 “I hope that the people responsible for this attack would be brought to justice and face the full might of the law. Crime not only damages the fibres of the community but also the economic confidence in Mahikeng and South Africa as a whole” said DA NW spokesperson Tiaan Kotze. 

The DA in Mahikeng urges any members of the public with information with regards to this heinous crime to contact the SAPS. 

No one has been arrested thus far and police investigations continue.-TDN

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Kimberley – The trial of a 17-year-old boy accused of murdering a Griekwastad farmer and his family was postponed in the Northern Cape High Court on Monday.

Northern Cape farmer Deon Steenkamp, 44, his wife Christel, 43, and daughter Marthella, 14, were killed on their farm Naauwhoek on 6 April 2012.

Northern Cape Judge President Frans Kgomo postponed the matter to 21 October without disclosing reasons.

The legal teams of the State and the youth met the judge in chambers before the hearing started.

In court the boy’s defence counsel Willem Coetzee asked for the postponement as agreed in chambers.

He told Kgomo that the court would be kept up to date with developments so that everything possible would be done for the case to continue in October.

Kgomo postponed the matter with additional dates set in November and December this year.

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Durban – President Jacob Zuma has offered his condolences after 10 people died in a bus crash, after the annual reed dance festival in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, at the weekend.

“We are shocked and saddened by this tragic and horrific loss of life in this manner following a successful cultural event that promotes self-confidence among young women,” Zuma said in a statement on Monday.

The ceremony had taken place at the Nyokeni Royal Palace.

Seven young women, who had participated at the reed dance, two women who had accompanied them as guardians, and the driver of the bus died on Sunday when it overturned on the R66 near Nkwalini between Melmoth and Eshowe.

“Our hearts go out to His Majesty King [Goodwill] Zwelithini, the families, relatives and the community as a whole,” he said.

According to Netcare 911 officials, 62 others had been injured when the bus overturned, slid down the road and smashed into steel barriers.

“Paramedics… arrived at the scene and found that the barriers had pierced through the front of the bus,” said Netcare spokesman Chris Botha.

KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Willies Mchunu would visit the accident scene on Monday to get an update on the investigations.

Spokesperson Kwanele Ncalane said he would also go to the Eshowe mortuary to meet with the families of the deceased to convey his condolences, and to begin a process of identifying how government could assist the families who had lost their children.

Probe welcomed

Provincial DA leader Sizwe Mchunu welcomed the announcement that the transport department was committed to a full investigation.

“This tragedy must be fully probed and the outcome made available to the family members of the deceased in a bid to help them find closure in the difficult weeks that lie ahead,” Mchunu said.

IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said his thoughts were with the families who had lost their loved ones.

“Our thoughts are with the young maidens, and with our faithful women who died while travelling as their companions and guardians.

“We think also of the bus driver, who lost his life, and of the many that were injured in this accident,” Buthelezi said.

United Democratic Movement (UDM) Secretary General Bongani Msomi conveyed the party’s condolences to King Zwelithini and the families of the deceased.

“Their deaths cannot be in vain since they were promoting moral values in this generation which faces many negative challenges.

“They also took pride in their culture and they will always be remembered,” he said.

National Freedom Party (NFP) Youth Movement Secretary General Maria Tshabalala said the young women who died were role models for the youth.

“They were a living proof that we as the nation can fight the high rate of teenage pregnancy and HIV/Aids,” Tshabalala said.

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Johannesburg – The growing media contingent outside former president Nelson Mandela’s Johannesburg home was instructed to keep well away from the house’s entry points on Monday.

“The media must stay 50m away from entrances, you have been confined to that corner,” said an official, who did not give his name, while pointing to an area opposite the house.

Mandela’s Houghton home was a national key point and was under constant surveillance, the official said, while manning the house’s smaller gate.

Entry to the house and parking within nine meters of its vicinity was restricted to vehicles and people with official clearance.

Johannesburg metro police officers patrolled the streets, ensuring the media and their equipment did not obstruct traffic.

On Sunday the presidency said Mandela had been discharged from hospital.

A large media contingent gathered outside to watch his return, and police were present.

Presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj said Mandela’s condition remained critical and “at times unstable”.

His home had been reconfigured to ensure he received the correct care. Some staff who had been at the hospital would care for him at home.

Mandela was admitted to the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria on 8 June this year with a recurring lung infection.

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Johannesburg – Union leaders warned on Monday, a day before a strike in the gold sector, that mine owners’ handling of pay talks could provoke violence, and bosses said wage hikes would force mine closures and cost thousands of jobs.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which represents about two-thirds of more than 120 000 unionised gold miners in South Africa, is set to strike from Tuesday.

With stoppages in the auto industry and the construction sector already sapping the struggling economy, shutting gold mines could cripple an industry that has produced a third of the world’s bullion but is now in rapid decline.

Labour and management are poles apart on the issue of wages, with the NUM seeking 60% pay hikes for entry-level miners and its more hardline rival, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) pushing for 150%t raises.

Companies say they cannot afford this in the face of soaring costs and depressed prices. The president of the Chamber of Mines warned unions against stoking workers’ hopes.

Mark Cutifani, who is also chief executive of mining giant Anglo American, said: “Promoting expectations above the capacity of the industry to pay is a dangerous road that may have tragic consequences for employees who do not understand how close we are to economic devastation in certain sectors.

“If we lose each other in the present discussions, we will count the costs in mines closed and tens of thousands of jobs lost,” he wrote in a commentary in the Business Day newspaper.

South Africa’s gold and platinum sectors are still recovering from a wave of violent, wildcat strikes last year. Stemming from a turf war between the NUM and Amcu, it cost billions of dollars in lost output and triggered damaging sovereign credit downgrades. More than 50 people were killed.

Business Day said gold producers are considering a pre-emptive lockout at the mines. The Chamber of Mines, which negotiates on behalf of firms, told Reuters a lockout was an option but it would be taken as a “last resort”.

Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa, whose union has not yet called a strike, said a mines lockout would provoke trouble.

“I have informed the minister of police that the manner in which the gold CEOs want to approach this wage negotiation, through an offensive lockout, will result in violence,” he said.

“A strike is not what we are after, we are being pushed into a corner,” Mathunjwa said.

Fallen gold giant

Critics say President Jacob Zuma and his  African National Congress have paid more attention to a small and wealthy business elite, including mine bosses, and ignored the needs of South Africa’s working class, poor and unemployed.

The government is anxious to keep a lid on labour unrest and potential job losses before elections next year.

A gold industry shutdown could cost South Africa more than $35m a day in lost output, according to calculations based on the spot gold price and a Chamber of Mines estimate that the sector would stop producing about 760 kg a day.

South Africa’s gold industry, which once accounted for almost 80% of global bullion output, now produces just 6% of the world total.

It has been laid low by a combination of geological and economic setbacks. After more than a century of mining, the remaining ore lies deep underground and is costly and dangerous to extract. Labour and power costs have also soared.

Monday brought some relief however from the strike pressure, when workers at petrol stations and car dealerships postponed for a week a stoppage which was scheduled to start on Monday.

But striking car manufacturing workers stayed away from work after rejecting a double-digit wage increase offer on Thursday. The auto industry strike is costing the economy an estimated $60m a day.

Labour worries pushed the rand to four-year lows last month.

Companies which will be hit by Tuesday’s strike include main gold producers AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony Gold and Sibanye Gold.

None

Durban – A man has been arrested for allegedly shooting dead another man in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Monday.

The body of Philani Mdlangathi, 22, was found lying on the floor inside a house in Caluza on Saturday night, Captain Thulani Zwane said.

Mdlangathi was drinking with two men at his house when he got into an argument with one of the men about where to sleep.

During the argument Mdlangathi was shot in the neck.

Mdlangathi’s friend called police and a 40-year-old man was arrested at the scene. He was found in possession of a firearm. 

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