Johannesburg – Two men have been arrested in Katlehong for the murder of an Ekurhuleni metro police volunteer, metro police said on Wednesday.

The men, aged 25 and 26, were arrested at 22:00 on Tuesday in the Mosiliki and Mopedi sections of Katlehong, said police spokesperson Wilfred Kgasago.

“Both suspects were handed over to the police at Katlehong North police station,” he said.

The men allegedly shot dead the metro police volunteer last Tuesday in Katlehong.

Police were looking for the weapon used in the shooting.

The men were expected to appear soon in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Heavy rain and snowfall is expected in Cape Town this week, the city said on Wednesday.

“Freezing conditions are expected on Friday morning, with predictions of -3°C… and possible snowfalls on Table Mountain,” said spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes.

“Heavy rainfall is likely over the Cape metro, Overberg, southern parts of the Cape Winelands, and the west coast districts on Thursday evening and Friday.”

A flash-flood warning was issued in some parts of the province, along with a fire warning for the Karoo.

“The city has accordingly upgraded the preparedness level of its disaster response teams in advance of the heavy rainfall predicted and the likelihood of localised urban flooding in Cape Town.”

Solomons-Johannes urged travellers and residents to take precautions and be wary of landslides and rockfalls.

“Those travelling in mountainous areas across the Western Cape are advised to expect delays and possible deviations as mountain passes may be closed to traffic.

“Members of the public should not hike along the mountainous areas as they may find themselves in distress.”

Solomons-Johannes said the intense cold front is expected to affect the Western Cape and the Northern Cape provinces from Wednesday until Saturday.

“Members of the public and small stock farmers are advised that very cold conditions, snowfalls on the highground, strong interior winds, rough seas and heavy rainfall in places could lead to localised flooding,” he said.

The city’s disaster response teams and engineering crews are currently inspecting various low-lying and floodplain areas to ensure that, where possible, preventative work is undertaken to mitigate against flood and storm damage.

The South African Weather Services have issued a fire warning for the Central Karoo and Little Karoo on Thursday.

Fire warning have also been issued in the North West Province and parts of the Free State.

Vryburg temperatures are set to soar to 35°C, with Kimberley reaching a maximum of 30°C.

– SAPA

Potchefstroom – The DA has questioned whether Tlokwe’s by-elections would be fair on Wednesday.

“The ANC’s brazen vote buying, abuse of power and political intimidation in Tlokwe calls into question the extent to which these critical by-elections can be considered free and fair,” DA leader Helen Zille said in a statement.

“Perhaps for the first time since 1994, the Democratic Alliance is seriously concerned that the 2014 national elections will be undermined by the ANC, whose conduct in Tlokwe reveals a party paranoid about its collapsing support and that will stop at nothing to retain power,” she said.

Zille said she would ask on Wednesday for a meeting with Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chair Pansy Tlakula to discuss how to ensure the elections were not undermined.

The DA has accused the ANC of buying votes with food parcels.

This was after Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini and ANC North West chairperson Supra Mahumapelo visited Tlokwe and handed out food parcels ahead of the by-elections.

ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said Zille’s accusations were insulting to people faced with poverty every day.

“We do understand, though, that her attitude is informed by her privileged upbringing and her lack of understanding of the real challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality facing our people,” he said in a statement.

Dlamini’s department and the government denied that the handing out of food parcels had anything to do with campaigning ahead of the by-elections.

Mthembu said the government could not stop its programmes because of by-elections.

“Poverty does not pause because there are by-elections. What the ANC finds particularly disturbing is the view by Helen Zille that black people are so cheap politically, that their votes can be bought with food.”

By-elections

By-elections were being held in three Tlokwe wards on Wednesday. In Ward 26, the biggest area, ANC supporters and residents supporting the independent candidate clashed over claims of voter intimidation. The DA was contesting only one of the wards.

The by-elections were being held because 14 councillors were expelled by the ANC in July, after its provincial disciplinary committee found them guilty of misconduct for participating in a motion of no confidence against Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle.

Maphetle was replaced as mayor by DA councillor Annette Combrink.

The ANC’s national disciplinary committee later overturned the expulsions. Despite this, eight of the councillors registered as independent candidates for the by-elections.

Zille said a crowd of people wearing ANC T-shirts beat up a DA member campaigning in Tlokwe on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday, DA members in Ward 6 showed reporters a photograph of a man in a blue DA T-shirt surrounded by people wearing yellow T-shirts. There was blood on the man’s face and T-shirt, which was being pulled at.

Zille said the party had reported the matter to the police.

Mthembu said the ANC heard about the attack only in Zille’s statement.

“This matter had not been reported to us or the party liaison committee of the Independent Electoral Commission at the time we were first made aware of it through her statement.

“We appreciate that the matter has been reported to the police and hope that the police will find and apprehend the culprits so that they may be dealt with within the ambit of our laws.”

He said the ANC did not condone violence or intimidation by its members and supporters.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The bodies of two elderly women were found in a house in Lenasia, extension 11, on Wednesday morning, Gauteng police said.

Police spokesperson Kay Makhubela said the women, aged 70 and 75, were found by a relative.

“One of the old ladies, who was full of blood, was found in the sitting room. The other was found dead in a bedroom,” he said.

“The motive of the killing is unknown.”

He said the weapon used to kill the women had not yet been identified. Both suffered head wounds, and one had strangulation bruises.

“We cannot rule out that there might have been rape, but that will be determined by the investigation,” Makhubela said.

– SAPA

North West Premier Thandi Modise has condemned in the strongest terms the brutal murder of a young woman who was reportedly hacked to death by her boyfriend in Sephai village near Brits.

It was earlier reported that Nthabiseng Sekgone was killed by her boyfriend using an axe after she got two protection orders against him.

“We wish to send our heartfelt condolences to the family and want them to know that we will keep them in our prayers.

The scourge of violence against women is very serious and that’s why we are gathering as women in the province at the Provincial Women’s Day of Prayer at the Mmabatho Convention Centre in Mahikeng tomorrow, Thursday, 19 September 2013, to pray against these social ills,” said Premier Modise.

She says it is regrettable that the boyfriend was determined to kill the victim even though she had taken a commendable and brave step by seeking protection orders against him.

Premier Modise says her administration is very serious about curbing the scourge of gender-based violence as it was evidenced by the Moral Regeneration Summit that the province recently hosted in Mahikeng.

“We appeal to all our citizens including community structures and faith based organisations to unite against these social ills that are ravaging our society,” cautioned Modise.

She repeated her calls to women not to stay in abusive relationships, irrespective of their circumstances.

The Premier also urged all men who may have anger problems to seek professional help.

The North West has been declared drought-stricken under the Disaster Management Act.

North West Premier Thandi Modise published the declaration in the provincial extraordinary gazette of September 5, spokesman Lesiba Kgwele said today.

A drought response task team had been established. It consisted of government departments, organised agriculture, and all municipalities in the province.

The departments on the task team were local government and traditional affairs, agriculture and rural development, water affairs, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and social development.

The declaration was preceded by an application for classification to the National Disaster Management Centre and the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries department, said Kgwele.

He said the department conducted drought verification between July 9 and August 12.

As part of a drought emergency relief assessment, it processed more than 19 000 applications for financial assistance from commercial and subsistence farmers.

It was hoped the assessment and consolidation would be finished by Friday.

“Urgent interventions are also being considered to alleviate water shortages in Mamusa and Greater Taung local municipalities, which have resorted to tankering drinking water to communities as the Mamusa Dam has virtually run dry,” said Kgwele.

He said Modise shared provincial disaster management authorities’ concern that fish killed by lack of water in the dam would create a health hazard during the rainy season.

“The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district municipality is reportedly tankering water to 50 000 households across villages within its jurisdiction,” said Kgwele.

– Sapa

Durban – The 2008 economic crash could be to blame for thousands of excess suicides worldwide.

This is according to a paper published in the British Medical Journal on Tuesday.

It found the rates were highest among males in countries where the most jobs were lost.
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Cape Town – Police have paid out more than R200 million to settle civil claims in the past financial year, Parliament heard yesterday.

National police commissioner General Riah Phiyega also conceded that the police’s image was in tatters and in need of fixing, following cases that made international headlines – like the Marikana massacre and the alleged murder of Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia by police last year.
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Durban – The skeletal remains of an iLembe District Municipality official have been found two months after the woman was reported missing.

The police search and rescue unit found the body at the bottom of a 300m cliff in dense bushes in Ndwedwe, on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.

A man known to the woman who lived in Morningside, Durban, handed himself over to police on Friday in connection with her disappearance.
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Pretoria – One of four men arrested and charged with the murder of Maj-Gen Tirhani Maswanganyi worked closely with the police, the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court heard on Wednesday.

Roger Godfrey Moseki, an employee of the SA National Defence Force, told the court he had helped in many police investigations and would frequently be paid for this.
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