Potchefstroom – Residents of Tlokwe’s Ward 26 threw their weight behind independent candidate Butiki “Stone” Mahlabe on Wednesday and lambasted the lack of development in the area.

“I have been living here for 18 years and the ANC has only built me a toilet,” said resident Mary Setona.

She said she had voted in every election, but had nothing to show for it.

She did not have a house, but her neighbours did. The Tlokwe municipality had told her there was no money to build her a house.

“I went to the department of housing in Pretoria, where I was told that on the system it showed a house had been built in my yard,” she said.

Setona said that she had decided to vote for Mahlabe because of the “negligence and corruption” of the African National Congress.

She said Mahlabe understood the people’s needs and would respond to their calls at any time, which ANC candidate Oupa Mogoshane would not.

“Stone would risk his life just to be able to help us, and this is why we vote for Stone,” said Setona.

Mahlabe was one of 14 councillors 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 by Democratic Alliance 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.

Philemon Alwin, another resident, echoed Setona’s sentiments.

He said it appeared as if the government believed toilets were more important than shelter for the people.

“No one in the community is happy about that,” he said.

He said Mahlabe worked well with residents and had confidence in his abilities to lead and to bring change to the area.

Earlier, ANC spokesman, Jackson Mthembu said the party was not worried about Mahlabe and expected to win the by-elections.

He said the people of Tlokwe were aware of what the ANC had done for them and that the party had a track record of service delivery.

Sapa

Bloemfontein – A former Free State teacher, one of several men accused of being part of a child porn syndicate, appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

The case against the man was postponed for further investigation to 28 October.

In August, five other men, including another teacher and a retired school principal, appeared in various South African courts.

Police were following up a tip-off from Interpol on 15 August when it arrested the six men in four provinces for possession of child pornography. They were arrested in Lichtenburg, Potchefstroom, Bloemfontein, White River, Douglasdale, and Florida.

A lawyer, a dermatologist, and a businessman are among the six. All are suspected of involvement in an international child pornography syndicate, police said at the time.

Police were investigating whether the six were involved in distribution and manufacturing child pornography, and if they were linked to an international syndicate.

Investigators raided several homes in various provinces in August. Among the items seized were 672 dvds, 22 memory sticks, eight laptops, two computer tablets, 39 external hard drives, and 25 books containing explicit photos.

It was reported the case had links to Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, western Europe, and Australasia.

– SAPA

Pretoria – Two police officers accused of stealing from a crime intelligence fund appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

The matter was postponed to 12 November for the State to respond to the defence’s request for further particulars.

The two officers are crime intelligence unit chief financial officer Major General Solly Lazarus and the unit’s head of logistics Colonel Hein Barnard.

Both have been suspended and charged with theft, fraud, and corruption.

This was initially said to involve R1.1m, but on 17 July the amount they were accused of stealing was reduced to R370 000.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said on Wednesday an application by the defence for further particulars was received on Tuesday.

He said it was an attempt to get a postponement and to blame the State for not providing certain details.

‘Special account’

The defence said some of the requested information related to a “special account” used by the policemen.

It argued that the complete details of the account needed to be provided, including all transactions and creations.

Lazarus and Barnard were granted bail of R10 000 each in December.

In 2011, the unit’s former head Richard Mdluli was also charged with fraud and corruption following alleged misuse of the unit’s funds.

Mdluli allegedly used the money to purchase luxury vehicles.

The charges against him were later withdrawn.

– SAPA

Potchefstroom – Tensions were simmering on Wednesday in Tlokwe’s wards 26 and 18, where the ANC was facing off with two of its former councillors in by-elections.

“The tension is understandable,” African National Congress spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said outside a voting station at St Augustine’s Anglican Church in ward 26.

“We’re going for the same constituency. We going for the same people who voted for them in 2011 when they were ANC members,” he said.

A police Nyala and a police van were parked outside the voting station.

The ward is being contested by ANC candidate Oupa Mogoshane and independent candidate Butiki “Stone” Mahlabe, who was an ANC councillor in the area for 12 years.

Expulsions overturned

Mahlabe was one of 14 councillors expelled by the ANC in July after its provincial disciplinary committee found them guilty on four counts of misconduct for participating in a motion of no confidence in Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle.

Maphetle was replaced by Democratic Alliance 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.

Mthembu said the ANC was not threatened by Mahlabe and was confident residents would vote for the party.

“The people of Tlokwe know in their hearts what the ANC has done for them. We come with a track record of having improved their lives.”

He said the independent candidates wanted to “grab this electorate” for themselves, but they would not succeed.

Jesus on the donkey

Mthembu made reference to the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. The roads were beautifully decorated, but when the donkey returned alone the roads were not decorated and it was beaten.

“We hope the same will happen here,” he said.

Residents supporting Mahlabe walked around in red T-shirts with his photo printed on them.

Resident Philemon Alwin said the community had decided to group itself and elect Mahlabe as its leader to take its grievances to the Tlokwe council.

“We are taking him back because when he was councillor he would give us feedback and we were happy with the work he was doing,” Alwin said, speaking in Setswana.

“We were not happy when he was kicked out [of the ANC] because it was not what we wanted.”

‘ANC only does things when it is elections’

He said he would go back to the ANC only once it had sorted out issues affecting the party.

“The ANC only does things for people when it is elections,” said Alwin.

Ward 26 is the biggest area being contested, with 5 677 registered voters.

By-elections were meant to be held in nine Tlokwe wards, but the Electoral Court in Bloemfontein ordered on Tuesday night that five of the by-elections be postponed.

This was after the court heard an application by five independent candidates who were disqualified from taking part in the by-elections by the Independent Electoral Commission.

A sixth by-election, in ward 13, was earlier postponed after an out-of-court settlement.

– SAPA

Cape Town – A Namibian man, who killed two police constables in Cape Town, has shown no remorse and must be sentenced to life in prison, the Western Cape High Court heard on Wednesday.

Samantha Raphaels, for the State, said Fabianus Fillipus had not shown the court any reason to deviate from the minimum sentence of life prescribed for killing a police officer on or off duty.

“What makes this case unusual is that nothing was taken from the officers, no firearms or nothing,” she told the court in argument in aggravation of sentence.

“It is clear that the accused was purely there to shoot and kill. There was a direct intention to kill those officers.”

She asked the court to impose two life sentences for the murders, and five-year sentences for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Fillipus, 29, was convicted last week of murdering constables Pindiwe Nikani, 26, and Mandisi Nduku, 27.

The constables were shot dead while on duty at Imizamo Yethu, in Hout Bay, last October.

Nikani died on the scene and Nduku, who was seriously wounded, died later in hospital.

Raphaels said both officers were killed “execution style”, and submitted that this was an aggravating factor.

“From July [2013] ’til today, seven police officers have been killed in the Western Cape alone… it has become almost an epidemic where criminals seek to take out those who are meant to protect the community,” she said.

Accused was ‘emotionless’

Relatives of the policemen and off-duty police officers packed the courtroom.

Fillipus, sporting an ivory cross with a striped jersey and jeans, was emotionless and stared straight ahead of him.

Nikani’s husband Simon Mkwani testified in aggravation of sentence.

He told the court his mother was looking after their 2-year-old daughter, even though she was in poor health.

He thanked the police for securing a conviction, but said this would not bring back his old life.

“I’m left alone with no woman because of one man who took her life and her colleague’s life as well,” he said.

Fillipus’s lawyer Rael Kassel said the killings were not premeditated.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Residents of Bekkersdal, in the Westonaria municipality, have taken to the streets in demand of better service delivery, police said on Wednesday.

Eighteen people were arrested on Tuesday when some residents forced others to join in the protest, police spokesperson Evelyn Matabane said.

Eleven were arrested for public violence and seven for looting shops belonging to foreigners.

Protesters blockaded major roads within the township with rocks and burning tyres.

They called for the resignation of some councillors and employees of the municipality.

“People are still protesting today [Wednesday]; they want officials from the municipality to come address them and hand over their memorandum of grievances,” said Matabane.

Police would remain on high alert until the situation calmed down.

Those arrested were expected to appear in court soon.

– SAPA

Potchefstroom – The DA is confident it will win the Ward Six by-election in Tlokwe on Wednesday.

“Under the previous councillor, which was an ANC member, very little was done, little public meetings and public participation,” Democratic Alliance candidate for the ward Johann Coetzee said outside a voting station at the North West health department.

“We believe the people of this ward deserve better and we can give them that.”

Coetzee said the previous councillor, Lorraine Phakedi, had failed the community when it came to basic services such as road markings and addressing the people’s needs.

14 councillors expelled

The only time she had stood up and done something, by trying to fight corruption, she was fired, he said.

Phakedi was one of 14 councillors expelled by the ANC in July after its provincial disciplinary committee found them guilty on four counts of misconduct for participating in a motion of no confidence against the then Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle.

Maphetle was replaced by DA councillor Annette Combrink.

The ANC’s national disciplinary committee later overturned the expulsions.

Despite this, eight of the councillors have registered as independent candidates for the by-elections.

No independent candidate is contesting Ward Six.

The ward is being contested by Coetzee for the DA, Japhta Monaisa for the ANC and Lesego Malepe for the Azanian People’s Organisation.

Some by-elections postponed

Coetzee said the DA had worked hard campaigning and doing door-to-door visits in the area ahead of the elections.

“People on the ground want a government that can speak to them and we believe we are in the best position to do that.”

By-elections were to have been held in nine Tlokwe wards on Wednesday, however the Electoral Court in Bloemfontein ordered on Tuesday evening that five of them be postponed.

This followed an application by five independent candidates who were disqualified from taking part in the by-elections by the Independent Electoral Commission.

A sixth by-election, in Ward 13, was earlier postponed after an out-of-court settlement.

SAPA

Cape Town – The number of strikes last year in South Africa hit a five-year high, the labour department said on Wednesday.

A total of 99 strikes were recorded in 2012, close to half of them unprotected or illegal strikes, and many of them characterised by violence, labour director general Nkosinathi Nhleko told journalists in Cape Town.

Tabling the latest Industrial Action Report, which covers the 2012 calendar year, he said strikes over the period involved 241 391 workers, cost the economy 3.3 million working days, and resulted in workers losing R6.6bn in wages.

The trend was continuing into this year.

“From what we can all see, there is a continuation of the trend we experienced in 2012,” Nhleko said.

However, no figures were yet available for the current calendar year.

Asked why so many strikes involved violence, he suggested this had to do with leadership.

“The issue of how parties in the dispute have got to conduct themselves… hinges largely around the issue of exercise of leadership.

“And when we cite leadership as a factor… it is also informed by the mere fact that when these things begin to happen, it is something that wants to suggest that at a level of exercise of leadership, there is something that has not been handled properly and… accordingly.”

This, Nhleko said, was a “worrying point”.

He said “social partners” needed to tackle the issue of how to prevent violence during strikes.

According to the report, 99 “strike incidents” were recorded in 2012, compared to 67 in 2011; 74 in 2010; 51 in 2009; and, 57 in 2008.

“South Africa experienced violent, bloody and deadly industrial actions in the mining, transport and agricultural industries…. Out of 99 strikes processed within the department, 45 strikes were unprotected.”

The document finds most of the working days lost by industry were in the mining sector (82.4%).

“Wages, bonuses and other compensation issues still remain the main reasons for work stoppages in South Africa during 2012.”

Further, most workers involved in last year’s labour unrest were members of the National Union of Mineworkers.

Among the provinces, Gauteng – South Africa’s economic heartland – had the most work stoppages.

“Gauteng experienced 42 strikes in 2012, up from 33 in 2011, an increase of 27.3%.”

According to the report, workers still had confidence in the Labour Relations Act, the legislation governing bargaining processes and associated legislation, “[but] most of them believe that the cost of living is too high”.

Among its conclusions are that “government needs to take control of the situation and solidify practice and protocol with regard to wage negotiations before the nation’s mining sector becomes un-investable [sic] as a result of the strikes…”. 

Johannesburg – Lolly Jackson’s alleged killer George Louka has been granted 40 days to appeal against his extradition to South Africa, The Star reported on Wednesday.

Louka’s lawyer Loukis Loucaides would seek to invalidate Justice Minister Jeff Radebe’s application that compelled his client to be extradited, it reported.

According to the newspaper, the Supreme Court of Appeal in Cyprus ruled on Tuesday that Louka would be in mortal danger if he returned to South Africa. Loucaides reportedly argued that his client would be assassinated upon his return to the country.

The court believed South African authorities would not be able to protect Louka.

Loucaides reportedly said he would not hesitate to approach the European Court of Human Rights, should the extradition be ordered again.

Louka was implicated in the death of Jackson who was shot dead in May 2010. He fled to Cyprus soon after.

Louka had vowed to the Star that he would “never open his mouth” even if he were to be extradited. He had claimed “important people” would be brought down if he had to tell the full story of Jackson’s murder.

Only a witness

Eyewitness News reported on Wednesday that Louka claimed he was only a witness to Jackson’s murder, and had tried to report the crime, not confess to it.

He allegedly phoned former Gauteng crime intelligence head Joey Mabasa on the night that Jackson was shot dead, and then left the country.

Louka’s said his client believed the alleged murderer was in a corrupt relationship with a top policeman, and he feared for his life.

SAPA

Cape Town – The Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) will still be implemented this year, but the commencement date for e-tolling has yet to be determined, according to Transport Minister Dipuo Peters.

In written reply to a parliamentary question, she said the transport department was awaiting the promulgation of the Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill.

The bill was with President Jacob Zuma, who still had to sign it into law, she said.

On September 5, the presidency said Zuma was still considering the bill.

“Once he has made a decision, the president will inform Parliament and the public,” presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement at the time.

The e-tolls have been challenged by several political parties, the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu), and the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa).

In April this year, the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) said it would begin e-tolling on Gauteng’s roads within two months.

The previous April, the High Court in Pretoria granted Outa an interdict approving a full judicial review before electronic tolling could be put into effect.

The interdict prevented Sanral from levying or collecting e-tolls, pending the outcome of a review. Sanral and the National Treasury appealed the court order.

In September last year, the Constitutional Court set aside the interim order, and, in December, the High Court in Pretoria dismissed Outa’s application to scrap e-tolling.

The court granted Outa leave on January 25 this year to take the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. The appeal is expected to be heard this month.

– SAPA