Pretoria – The Seriti Commission of Inquiry into the 1999 arms deal was adjourned on Monday because of burst water pipes, the commission said.

“The hearings of the arms procurement commission have been adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, due to burst water pipes in the Sammy Marks Conference [Centre],” spokesperson William Baloyi said in a statement.

“We will await the city [of Pretoria] to advise on the progress.”

Last week, the commission heard that several government departments had played complementary roles in the strategic defence procurement package.

SA Air Force combat systems director Brigadier General John Bayne said the focus of the SAAF team involved in the project had been limited to ensuring the procurement of competent aircraft.
He said the final decision on procurement lay with the government.

Bayne said he did not take part in the procurement process at a decision-making level.

The government acquired, among other things, 26 Gripen fighter aircraft and 24 Hawk lead-in fighter trainer aircraft for the SAAF as part of the arms deal.

The defence and military veterans department, arms procurement parastatal Armscor, and the National Treasury are expected to make presentations to the commission on the rationale behind the armaments acquisition.

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

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A 4-year-old girl was found hanged in Katlehong, Johannesburg on Monday, police said.

The half-naked body was found by a passer-by hanging on a tree in an open veld, said police spokesperson Lungelo Dlamini.

“Police will determine whether she was raped before being killed,” he said.

Dlamini said the girl went missing on Monday afternoon, but was not reported missing by her parents.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A trial date has been set down for a policeman accused of trying to extort money from a diamond company director, Northern Cape police said on Monday.

Constable Denzel Engelbrecht, who faces fraud and corruption charges, appeared in the Springbok Magistrate’s Court on Monday, said Colonel Priscilla Naidu.

Trial was set down for 27 and 28 January.

The officer, from Port Nolloth, was accused of trying to extort at least R4 000 from a director in exchange for information.

“The constable produced false documents to the woman where it is alleged that some of her workers were implicated in a police investigation,” Naidu said at the time of his arrest in July.

Naidu said the allegation was that: “[He] falsely represented to the woman that he was going to make the case go away.”

He is out on bail.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A man fired several shots at security guards investigating screams in a car park on Monday, East London police said.

A man and a woman were in a car parked at the Colonnade, on the beachfront, in the early hours of the morning, said police spokesperson Stephen Marais.

“The guards allegedly heard a female screaming and ran towards the vehicle,” he said.

The man fired shots at the guards and the guards ran for cover.

The man sped off.

It was not known if the man left with the woman, but she was not on the scene when police arrived, said Marais.

He said police recovered a live round and a spent cartridge on the scene.

Police were investigating an attempted murder case.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – An acting national commissioner of correctional services has been appointed, Minister Sibusiso Ndebele said on Monday.

Ndebele appointed chief operating officer Nontsikelelo Jolingana to the position following the retirement of commissioner Thomas Moyane.

“On behalf of the correctional services family, we express our sincere gratitude to Mr Moyane for his tireless efforts and contribution to the correctional services fraternity,” Ndebele said in a statement.

“Under his leadership, South Africa has made tremendous strides towards inculcating a human rights culture in our correctional system and ensuring safe, secure and humane incarceration.”

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Suspended Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi expressed concern at a meeting with intelligence authorities on Monday, about state agencies allegedly being abused to smear individuals.

“Mr Vavi, whose name was featured in a fictitious telephone transcript purporting to be part of an intelligence report, is concerned that state agencies might be abused to smear individuals and further factionalist politics within the progressive forces including the working class,” Vavi family spokesperson John Dludlu said in a statement.

He said Vavi and Inspector General of Intelligence Faith Radebe met on Monday morning to discuss a complaint he had lodged.

Last month, after his suspension from Cosatu Vavi claimed at a media briefing that that the union’s president Sidumo Dlamini had circulated an “intelligence report”, which aimed to “destroy” him.

Dludlu said the meeting was called by Radebe, who was accompanied by oversight officer Mpho Nchabeleng, officials Carl Lebitso and Mandla Nene and legal adviser Jay Govender.

Vavi said he had not filed the complaint only because of himself or what had been done to Cosatu’s unity, but also for the other people whose names appeared in the document.

“I did so because our Constitution explicitly frowns upon such apparent abuse of authority,” he said in the statement.

Last month, Cosatu announced that Vavi had been put on special leave pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing relating to an affair he had with a junior employee.

In July, the employee accused him of rape.

He admitted to having a consensual affair with her.

The woman subsequently withdrew a sexual harassment complaint against him.

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), an ally of Vavi, said last week that it had served Cosatu with legal papers challenging his suspension.

The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu) and SA Football Players’ Union (SAPFU) were co-applicants.

Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said they wanted Cosatu to rescind and uplift the “unconstitutional and unprecedented” suspension of Vavi.

– SAPA

Durban – The truck driver who crashed into four taxis and a car, killing 22 people, appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Sanele Goodness May, 23, from Swaziland, cried when he was brought into Court F at the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.

The courtroom was packed with press photographers trying to take his picture.

May was arrested on Thursday on 22 counts of murder and one of reckless or negligent driving.

He was initially charged with culpable homicide, but National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson confirmed that the charges had been upgraded to murder.

The case was postponed until 16 September. May remains in custody at the Pinetown police station holding cells.

Magistrate Wendolynn Robinson said this appearance would be brief, and that a formal bail application would take place on 18 September.

The accident occurred when the articulated truck May was driving hit four fully-laden minibus taxis and a Volkswagen Golf on the corners of Field’s Hill (M13) and Richmond roads in Pinetown shortly before 19:00 on Thursday.

Defence attorney Theasen Pillay confirmed that he had been appointed by Sagekal Logistics, the company which owned the truck, to represent May.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – More than seven million school pupils will participate in the basic education department’s annual national assessments (ANA), it said on Monday.

“This is an important activity for the department… as these assessments are used to gauge the literacy and numeracy skills of learners at the foundation, intermediate, and senior phases of the education system,” the department said in a statement.

Pupils from Grade 1 to Grade 6, as well as those from Grade 9 would participate in the ANA.

The assessments would be conducted in public schools and independent schools qualifying for government subsidies.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said the ANA were administered since 2011 and were “extremely useful”.

“…There has been a steady improvement in learner performance, since the introduction of these tests.”

She said special attention was devoted to the development of the mathematics test for Grade 9.

“In 2012, the Grade 9 mathematics performance had been particularly low and this has raised some pertinent questions of mathematics teaching at this level,” Motshekga said.

“We are confident that relevant interventions have taken place and that we will see an improvement in this year’s results.”

The department said an “independent agent” was appointed to conduct the tests at more than 2 000 selected schools. The agent would also collect and mark the tests.

The ANA’s results would be used to monitor progress and guide planning and the distribution of resources to help improve pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills.

“This is a mammoth logistical undertaking by the department… and South Africa is the only country that administers such a test on an annual basis,” the department said.

The assessments would not be used to determine whether a pupil could be promoted to the next grade.

“It is purely to measure the pupils’ progress with the curriculum and to establish the level at which they are performing, and the areas of the curriculum that teachers should concentrate on.”

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The Right2Know Campaign held a protest on the street corner opposite the ANC’s Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg on Monday, over a lack of protection for whistle-blowers and the secrecy bill.

About 20 people gathered, with more than half wearing white skull Halloween masks and carrying posters as they formed a semicircle on the street corner.

The group had planned to protest outside the ANC’s headquarters, but Gauteng spokesperson Dale McKinley said police informed them the building was declared a national key point.

This was because President Jacob Zuma was meeting there on Monday and they were not allowed to protest outside the building.

“It’s ridiculous. It means they can declare anything a national key point when they want to. It just shows the latest abuse,” he said.

“We want to tell President Zuma to not sign the secrecy bill and to send it back to Parliament. If not we are going to take it to the Constitutional Court,” he said.

McKinley said they wanted whistle-blowers to be protected, were opposed to the protection of state information bill, dubbed the secrecy bill, and against the misuse of national key point legislation.

The group was also against the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Act, known as the spy bill.

“The spy bill gives state security intelligence the right to snoop on us and be unaccountable,” he said.

The group was chanting “down with the secrecy bill, down” and “away with the secrecy bill, away” and “down with Zuma, down”, before protesters started singing resistance songs.

Some of the posters read: “We demand good governance”, “Secrecy bill undermines democracy”, “President Zuma listen to the people! Stop the secrecy bill” and “Democracy grows best in the light”.

A few people took pictures from their cars while driving past.

– SAPA