Johannesburg – An elderly couple were found dead in their home in Mkhuhlu, Mpumalanga, police said on Wednesday.

Police spokesperson Selvy Mohlala said Anna Honyeni, 75, and Petatsi Madlazi, 82, were found on Tuesday after a neighbour went to check on them because she had not seen them for several days.

The neighbour saw blood stains on their doorstep and alerted the police.

“Police found the two pensioners with multiple stab wounds,” said Mohlala.

Mpumalanga provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Thulani Ntobela described the killing as senseless and horrifying.

“Such acts make us realise that there are individuals who are heartless and have no respect for human life,” said Ntombela.

No arrests have been made.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A teenager stabbed his brother to death in Mahikeng, North West police said on Wednesday.

The brother was stabbed in the chest when he tried to intervene in a fight between the teenager and his cousin, said police spokesperson Kealeboga Molale

The 16-year-old was arrested and appeared in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

He was placed in his parents’ custody and the case was postponed to Thursday, said Molale.

– SAPA

Cape Town – A Parliamentary ad hoc committee has unanimously recommended that deputy Auditor General (AG) Kimi Makwetu take over from his boss Terrence Nombembe, ANC Chief Whip Stone Sizane said on Wednesday.

“As the ANC, we support his appointment to this crucial position in one of the critical organisations of our constitutional democracy,” Sizani said.

A total of 90 applications for the position were received, but only six qualified in terms of the job requirements.

Makwetu, who served as deputy AG for six years, was one of the six candidates interviewed for the job.

Among those who applied were people with only a matric qualification, labourers and welders.

The National Assembly was expected to endorse the committee’s recommendation on Wednesday afternoon.

Makwetu is expected to take up his new role at the end of November, when Nombembe’s term officially comes to an end.

“We are confident that under his leadership, the AG’s office will continue to excellently perform its statutory task of auditing the public sector to deliver on its mandate to taxpayers in a manner that is transparent, credible and independent,” Sizani said.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A coalition of partners is calling for drastic action to rebuild the collapsing Eastern Cape health care system, after a report revealed a woman miscarried while waiting to be seen to at a local clinic.

“Researchers have found infrastructure problems that need serious improvement to help service delivery,” Rural Health Advocacy Project spokesperson Kwazi Mbatha said on Wednesday.

A report compiled by, among others, Section 27 and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), detailed stories of patients not getting help at hospitals and clinics because of a lack of medications.

It also described hampered service delivery as a result of the poor state of health care facilities.

“The combination of a high vacancy rate and an out of date personnel salary system has catastrophic consequences for the delivery of health care services,” the organisations said in the report.

According to the report, a pregnant woman had to walk 10km to the Pilani clinic, and had to wait an entire day to be seen by the nurse running the clinic with an assistant.

Lindeka Gxala visited the clinic six times.

When the nurse could not see her on the seventh occasion, she decided to go to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital, in Mthatha, instead.

There she was told that her child was dead.

“The doctor assured me that there would be no pain when they removed her from me, and I was admitted and placed in a ward the following day,” she was quoted as saying.

However, she was forced to share a bed with a woman who was already in labour because of a shortage of beds.

She claimed that when there were complications with the removal of the foetus, she was told to walk around until she collapsed, rather than being given help.

Mismanagement

In the report, the organisations identified mismanagement of funds as an underlying problem.

In 2011/2012, the department overspent on its staffing budget by more than R1bn because of higher than inflation increase to salaries and poorly-managed employees benefits.

Mbatha said an explanation was needed of how the system would be turned around.

“We need to be given a plan of how and when they are going to address the problems. We are also asking what kind of help they require to turn things around,” he said.

He said the organisations had tried to meet the Health MEC Sicelo Gqobana, to no avail.

As a result, they would take to the streets on Friday to voice their anger and force action to be taken.

“He [the MEC] has not yet even agreed that he will be accepting our memorandum,” said Mbatha.

Eastern Cape health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo denied that the MEC was avoiding the issue and said someone would receive the organisations’ memorandum on Friday, but it might not be the MEC.

He said the concerns had been noted and the national health minister would respond in due course.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The Johannesburg and Westonaria municipalities have started talking about the transfer of land for housing development, Gauteng Human Settlements MEC Ntombi Mekgwe said on Wednesday.

“While we acknowledge the concern that residents have in Westonaria, particularly those from Waterworks and Bekkersdal… we cannot tolerate anarchy, and those who break the law will be dealt with by the law enforcement agencies,” Mekgwe said in a statement.

“Our democracy allows for meaningful and constructive engagement through platforms such as ward committees, community development workers, petitions, [and] imbizos where people can freely air their concerns.”

She was responding to demands made by residents who protested on Wednesday morning.

More than 100 protesters were arrested for public violence and malicious damage to property after Waterworks informal settlement dwellers clashed with the police, Soweto police said.

Mekgwe said the residents had been protesting about a delay, by the Westonaria municipality, in relocating them to Seyerfontein, and other service delivery issues.

Seyerfontein is vacant land which can accommodate 28 000 units and belongs to the City of Johannesburg, but is located within Westonaria’s boundaries.

Mekgwe condemned the use of violence during the protest and said people could not blockade roads and burn tyres every time they were unhappy about services.

She met the mayors of the West Rand district municipality, the Westonaria local municipality and the City of Johannesburg to try and resolve the problem.

– SAPA

COPS have arrested a man in connection with the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl.

The body of little Keabetswe Tshabalala of Mofokeng section in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni was found hanging from a rope at the Buhle Waste dumpsite on Monday.

Keabetswe’s sad and horrific story was published in the People’s Paper yesterday.

According to Captain Mega Ndobe of the Katlehong police, a 37-year-old man was arrested on Monday.

Ndobe said the suspect is a family friend and was last seen with Keabetswe.

“Our detectives interviewed several people in the area and managed to get information that led to the arrest of the suspect.”

Ndobe said the suspect has been charged and is expected to appear in court soon.

Keabetswe went missing on Sunday.

Keabetswe’s mum Keneilwe (25), told Daily Sun she’s glad that the suspect has been arrested.

“I want to face him and look him in the eye. He was pretending to be helping us to search for the child the whole time.

“He is the one who led us to the dumpsite,’’ said Keneilwe.

Keabetswe’s dad Diketso Radebe said the suspect was someone who used to come to their home almost every day.

“He used to sing in a choir group with my cousin. After spending the whole day searching for the child, this man spent the night at my house so that we could not suspect anything,” said Diketso.

For more http://www.dailynews.mobi

By Obakeng Maje

Jan Kempdorp-Two Northern Cape police constables and other two accused set to appear before Jan Kempdorp Magistrate Court for buglary.

Police said four suspects allegedly were arrested after they attempted to break into a shop.

“Police acted on a tip-off and set a trap. They went into the alleged shop and wait for suspects” lieutenant Donald Mdhluli said.

The suspects were arrested after they allegedly broke into the shop. The alarm wire was cut-off.

Two of the suspects were police officers who are stationed at Jan Kempdorp.

According to our investigations, one of the constables was arrested for the same offence previously.

“They will appear before court today for possession of a firearm and business robbery” Mdhluli said.-TDN

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Kimberley-Five men accused of shooting dead a shop owner and wounding another man appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

“Bail of R500 was granted to four of the five accused,” said police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu.

They were Tebogo Riet, 21, Sanele Modisenyane, 18, Khotso Mthunya, 19, and a minor.

The matter was postponed to 25 October.

Naidu said Jimmy Modisenyane, 24, was denied bail and remained in custody for a further bail hearing on 17 September.

The group face charges of murder and attempted murder concerning two shootings.

Police said a 28-year-old man and his fiancée were standing at a gate in Lerato when five men approached them, asking for the location of a tuck shop.

When the man told them no shops were open, one of group grabbed his cellphone.

The man was shot in the head during the ensuing struggle.

The group ran away.

Naidu said the wounded man was taken to hospital, where he remained in a coma.

Police believed the same group went to a tuck shop in Ivory Park, Roodepan, about 40 minutes later.

They approached shop owner Shamien Ahmed, 35, in his driveway, and tried to rob him while he was getting out of his car.

They shot him in his left cheek and he died later in hospital.

SAPA

Johannesburg – The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), which represents disgruntled petrol attendants and car repair workers, will meet employers in Randburg on Wednesday to continue wage negotiations.

“We are also going to meet with them tomorrow [Thursday],” Numsa spokesperson Castro Ngobese said.

While this was happening, workers would continue to picket outside petrol stations.

He said the Retail Motor Industry organisation (RMI) needed to understand the plight of their workers who lived in extreme poverty, and earned R700 a week.

Petrol attendants and car repair workers embarked on a nationwide strike on Monday.

The union marched to the RMI’s offices on Monday and handed over a memorandum of demands, including a double-digit percentage wage increase and the banning of labour brokers.

Among their demands was a R30 an hour increase.

The employers’ latest offer was 6% across the board.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Protests erupted in Zuurbekom, between Lenasia and Protea, in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning, said metro police.

Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said protesters were burning tyres and had obstructed Impala road and the N12.

“This will affect traffic going to and from Westonaria and the Protea area,” said Minnaar.

He advised motorists to use alternative routes.

It was unclear what the protests were about.

SAPA