Pretoria – Traffic is flowing freely again on the R55 in Pretoria West after protesters blocked the road earlier on Monday, Gauteng police said.

Residents of Mooiplaas informal settlement blocked the road with burning tyres and rocks, said Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale.

“Police are now monitoring the situation in the area. No arrests have been made yet,” said Mogale.

The protest was believed to have been related to service delivery grievances.

– SAPA

Kaizer Chiefs forward, Sakhile Hlongwa, will spend the 2013/14 season on loan with NFD outfit Thanda Royal Zulu, as confirmed by his representatives.

The 18-year-old joined the Amakhosi at the start of last season after impressing for Ethekwini Coastal FC in the 2011/12 campaign, scoring 20 goals in that season.
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Word coming out of the Orlando Pirates camp is that defender Patrick Phungwayo will undergo a scan later today to determine the extent of his injury.

Phungwayo suffered the injury during Pirates’ penalty shoot-out loss to Platinum Stars in the MTN8 this past Saturday.

The left back then posted a message on Twitter saying that his season was over. However, Pirates PRO Mickey Modisane told the Siya crew that it may not be the case, depending on what the test results reveal.

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Durban – A 17-year-old girl was shot and killed and another injured in a housing protest in Cato Manor in Durban on Monday, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

Colonel Jay Naicker said residents blocked Bellair Road at around 04:00 and a police vehicle was called to the scene to disperse the crowd.

The vehicle could not get through and used an alternative side road.

Police vehicle attacked

“About 500 people surrounded the vehicle. They started stoning the vehicle and broke all the windows. The suspects then tried to pull the police out of the vehicle,” Naicker said.

“They heard gunshots among the crowd. They fired shots into the crowd and the crowd dispersed… they used lived rounds. They definitely would have been killed by the crowd [otherwise].”

The vehicle left the area.

Police returned to the scene a while later and found a young woman had been shot. She died on the scene.

Mnikelo Ndabankulu, spokesperson for shackdweller movement Abahlali baseMjondolo, said the deceased was identified as Nqobile Nzuzua, 17, from Maphumulo.

Another woman was shot and injured. She was taken to hospital.

“Members of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate were called to the scene. They opened a docket of public violence and one of murder,” Naicker said.

Grievances

Ndabankulu said the protest was centred on the non-delivery of houses to the area.

They submitted their grievances to various ministers and municipalities on 16 June, and allegedly had yet to receive a response.

Ndabankulu said the lack of response had angered their branches and many members had decided that they were not being listened to if they protested peacefully.

He said he had no knowledge of the attack on the police vehicle.

He claimed their secretary, Bandile Mdlalose, was arrested on Monday morning.

Naicker said the crowd dispersed before any arrests could be made.

Ethekwini municipality spokesperson Thabo Mafokeng said he was aware of a meeting that took place with Abahlali baseMjondolo on Friday.

He could not provide further comment at this stage on the housing issue.

SAPA

Six awaiting trial prisoners who escaped from police custody in Secunda were still at large on Monday morning, Mpumalanga police said.

Seven prisoners escaped on Friday through a hole they made by digging out a toilet in their cell, Colonel Leonard Hlathi said.

“Police were told by two prisoners, who did not escape, that the escaped prisoners… used a steel pipe to dig a hole around the toilet.

“They removed the toilet and broke bricks from around the toilet then escaped through the hole.”

Four of the escapees, Eric Mokoena, 27, Freddy Mokoena, 21, Thomas Tsibiso, 27, and Mbongi Maseko, 26, were arrested on Wednesday at a taxi rank in Secunda after allegedly robbing a man at gunpoint.

Lucky Mnisi, 22, was arrested on 25 August, after he allegedly stole a laptop belonging to his father.

Siyanga Zungu, 26, was arrested for allegedly stealing a torch out of a car on 19 September.

A seventh man was arrested for shoplifting a memory stick on 21 September. He was rearrested on Saturday after he was caught shoplifting.

Police were still searching for the others on Monday morning.

Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant General Thulani Ntobela expressed his concern about how the prisoners escaped, Hlathi said.

“He has already instituted an internal investigation to probe this incident.

“… Departmental steps will be taken against the members on duty, if it’s found that they were negligent.”

Hlathi said the escaped prisoners would face an additional charge of escaping from lawful custody.

SAPA

A technical point, about how a complaint of misconduct against Cape Judge President John Hlophe was lodged, is likely to open proceedings at a tribunal starting in Kempton Park on Monday.

Hlophe’s lawyer Barnabus Xulu has said that since the complaint, dating from 2008, was never submitted under oath or in an affidavit, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) did not have the authority to hold the tribunal.

“The tribunal does not have jurisdiction to hear the matter because it lacks the complaint,” Xulu told reporters in Johannesburg this week.

JSC secretary Sello Chiloane confirmed this point was raised at a pre-hearing meeting last weekend and said technical points like these would be argued on the first day of the hearing.

The tribunal would begin at 10am at the Garden Court Hotel at Or Tambo International Airport.

According to the original complaint lodged in 2008, Constitutional Court justices Chris Jafta and Bess Nkabinde alleged Hlophe asked them to rule in favour of President Jacob Zuma in his corruption case involving the multi-billion rand arms deal. The justices regarded this as an improper attempt to influence the case.

Hlophe, affronted that the judges had sent a copy of the complaint to the media before he had had time to respond to it, laid a counter-complaint. A lengthy stop-start parallel process of JSC hearings and court challenges ensued.

The matter was ultimately heard in the Supreme Court of Appeal with rulings in favour of Western Cape premier Helen Zille and lobby group Freedom Under Law.

Last October Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said he would formally appoint tribunal members.

The Sunday Times reported that Hlophe had hired Jamaican-born lawyer Courtenay Griffiths as part of his defence team, alongside Xulu, and two advocates.

Griffiths, who was involved in the war crimes trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, told the newspaper he would love to defend Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe, whom he called “brother Bob”.

The newspaper reported that Hlophe would be the first judicial officer to face a tribunal under the amended law related to judicial services. Hlophe faces impeachment if found guilty.

The hearings are open to the public.

-Sapa

Johannesburg – A man found guilty of raping, assaulting, and causing the death of his 10-month-old baby girl is expected to be sentenced in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Adriaan Netto and his partner were found guilty of the culpable homicide, rape, and abuse of their baby on 18 September. 

The woman, who may not be named to protect the identities of their other children, cried while Judge Majeke Mabesele delivered his verdict.

A court judgement was supposed to be handed down on 12 September, but Netto went on the run. He was re-arrested in Krugersdorp four days later.

According to a post mortem the toddler had been significantly underweight and had numerous injuries. 

She had fractured ribs, abrasions on her vagina and face, bruising on her abdomen, and a lacerated lung filled with blood. Her liver was injured and her anus had been penetrated repeatedly. 

SAPA

Johannesburg – The national executive committee of NUM appealed to the union structures to end acts of ill-discipline and to respect the internal processes of the Congress of SA Trade Unions, the union said on Sunday.

“The NEC respects the internal processes of the federation. And as a disciplined affiliate of Cosatu it shall follow and implement all the decisions of the federation and will never be selective,” NUM said in a statement.

“The NEC appealed to the union structures to stamp out acts of ill-discipline wherever they emerge in relation to undermining decisions of higher structures.”

The NEC of the National Union of Mineworkers met over the weekend where a range of issues were discussed.

NUM general secretary Frans Baleni said the NEC also discussed the collective bargaining and commended the work done by negotiation teams during the wage negotiations.

“The NEC is of the view that our members’ conduct during the industrial action was exemplary and called on the general membership and other unions to emulate the gold miners,” he said.

The NEC expressed disappointment at the signing of the legislation paving the way for e-tolling.

“The NEC noted with disappointment the signing of the Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill by President Jacob Zuma which clears the path for the implementation of e-tolling,” the union said.

“The NUM remains opposed to the e-tolls and would beef up and mount the anti-tolls campaign across the country.”

Zuma enacted the Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill on 21 September. The presidency made the announcement on Wednesday, while Zuma was in New York for the 69th session of the United Nations general assembly.

The NEC also reiterated its support for the African National Congress in the 2014 elections.

SAPA