Johannesburg – The DA on Friday urged KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Willies Mchunu to ban heavy vehicles from using Field’s Hill.

“The ongoing use of Field’s Hill as a route for heavy vehicles travelling to and from Durban has been a concern for many years,” DA MPL Radley Keys said in a statement.

“The DA has consistently campaigned – within the provincial legislature and at council level – for a ban on ‘heavies’ on this stretch of road.”

This comes after 22 people were killed when a truck crashed into four minibus taxis and a car on the M13 on Thursday night.

Traffic officials said it appeared the brakes on the truck had failed.

Acting president Jeff Radebe said in Durban on Friday that the Pinetown accident had claimed 22 lives.

Radebe was visiting the accident scene on the corner of Field’s Hill (M13) and Richmond roads, and would also visit various hospitals.

On Thursday, the presidency and police put the death toll at 27.

Traffic officials said on Thursday the M13 would be closed until Friday.

A Sapa reporter on scene said the road was reopened on Friday morning, the wreckage had been removed, and traffic was flowing as normal.

Homeless people were scavenging the site and going
through what was left behind.
Traffic lights at the intersection had malfunctioned, and no traffic police were on scene to direct traffic.

National Freedom Party (NFP) leader Zanele KaMagwaza-Msibi said she was shocked and saddened by the incident.

She called on the transport department to carry out an intensive investigation.

“Road accidents in the country costs our economy almost R30bn and something must be done to reduce road accidents in our country,” she said in a statement.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The police plan to address strike-related unrest at Marikana last year did not include the use of live ammunition, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard in Centurion on Thursday.

“At no stage did the plan envisage the use of [live] ammunition. The plan had the backing of the skilled members to deal with any high risk situation,” said Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Scott.

Scott was presenting his 149-page statement to the commission, and detailed the police’s role in stopping the unrest last year.

He played an important role in drafting the police plan to disperse and disarm the striking mineworkers. The plan was referred to as the “Scott plan”.

The events at Marikana did not go as he had initially planned, Scott said.

The commission, chaired by retired Judge Ian Farlam, is investigating the killing of 44 people during strike-related unrest near Lonmin’s Marikana operations in North West.

Police shot dead 34 people – almost all of them striking mineworkers – while trying to disperse them on 16 August 2012.

Ten other people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed in the preceding week.

The commission will hear argument on Friday in an application to postpone the hearings.

Dali Mpofu, for the arrested and wounded miners, has submitted an application for the postponement of the commission until the issue of funding for the miners’ legal team is resolved.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A total of 40 shacks were gutted by fire on Friday morning at the Rugby Club informal settlement in Roodepoort, Johannesburg emergency services said.

The fire was believed to have been started by either a faulty electrical appliance or a candle around 05:00, said spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi.

About 50 people have been displaced.

Mulaudzi said this was the second fire in the Johannesburg area in the last 24 hours. 17 shacks were destroyed and 25 families displaced in Diepsloot on Thursday.

Community members needed to look after their heating, lighting and cooking appliances as these often were the cause of such fire, he said.

“They must refrain from buying these products on the street as they are unregulated.

“We’ve started a campaign to educate people to look after their equipment and to identity non-regulated products,” said Mulaudzi.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The urgent court application by the suspended head of Limpopo’s human settlements department was dismissed with costs in a labour court, The Star reported on Friday.

Nnana Manamela filed the application to challenge Premier Stanley Mathabatha’s decision to suspend her with pay for alleged financial misconduct and irregularities.

According to the newspaper, the allegations related to the awarding of R900m worth of contracts to business partners of former premier Cassel Mathale and Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema.

“I am concerned with the plethora of cases that come before the labour court brought by senior employees in the public sector to challenge their suspensions on an urgent basis,” acting Judge AJ Snyman was quoted as saying.

Manamela told The Star that investigations into the awarding of contracts were politically motivated, and subsequently her suspension. Snyman dismissed the claims.

“The applicant’s seniority also creates a risk that she could possibly tamper with evidence or influence subordinates, being a case pertinently made out by the respondents,” Snyman said.

Manamela’s disciplinary hearing was due to begin on 14 October.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Awaiting trial prisoners will in future be expected to wear uniforms to reduce the number of escapes, Beeld reported on Friday.

Correctional services department acting deputy chief commissioner of awaiting trial prisoners Willem Damons, said prisoners sometimes escaped unnoticed from custody because they wore ordinary clothes and it was not easy to distinguish between them and ordinary visitors.

He said the uniforms, which would be introduced in October, would be yellow.

The announcement on the introduction of yellow uniforms was contained in the White Paper on awaiting trial prisoners, which was approved on Wednesday by Cabinet.

Most of the provisions it contained had been included in a series of amendments to the Correctional Matters Amendment Act adopted by Parliament in May 2011.

Damons explained that the decision on the uniforms could not be applied earlier because they had experienced initial problems with the supply of materials for the uniforms.

He pointed out that the uniforms would not be worn during court appearances because of the principle that defendants were considered innocent until the court ruled otherwise.

– SAPA

Johnnesburg – South Africa’s petrol station and car retail and dealership workers will go on strike next week, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said on Thursday.

The strike for higher wages and better working conditions would start on Monday, Numsa said. The union had previously postponed an earlier start date for the stoppage of September 2, saying it wanted to give talks with employers a chance.
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By TDN
Mahikeng-On Thursday, 29 August 2013, the North West Provincial
Legislature’s Standing Committee on Provincial Public Accounts
(SCOPA) welcomed the report they received from the Public
Protector, Adv. Thuli Madonsela on the irregular payments of
legal fees by the Department of Finance.
The report will now be tabled in the Legislature.
SCOPA had requested the Auditor General’s Office, the Public
Service Commissioner, Provincial Public Protector’s office and the
Hawks to do the investigation after former MEC for Finance,
Louisa Mabe, the current MEC, Paul Sebegoe, and the Acting Head of the Department of Finance, Geo Paul, failed to give the
Committee a clear account of procurement processes followed in appointing Morake Attorneys, a company that has been paid over R15 million for a disciplinary hearing of the Department of
Finance head.
In her report the Public Protector made amongst others, the
following findings;
The procurement process followed by the department in
securing the services of Morake Inc, was flawed, unlawful
The rewording and appointment letter for Morake Inc by
Chris Molefe, the former director in the office of the MEC
former MEC amounts to improper conduct,
maladministration and abuse of power;
The manner in which invoices and statements of accounts
submitted by Morake Inc were checked and assessed by
officials before payment was approved amounts to gross
negligence, maladministration and ultimate irregular
expenditure.
Evidence, especially travelling costs claimed by
Morake Inc, indicates that there are discrepancies and
double billing in the invoices submitted, resulting in
overpayment by the department.
Adv. Madonsela made the following recommendations;
A remedial action to be taken by the Head of Department for
the Supply chain unit of the department
Audit amounts claimed by Morake Inc should be audited and
overpayments should be recovered with interest.
The Premier of the province should initiate an investigation
into the conduct of the former Acting Head of Department
and the Chief Director in the former MEC’s office.
The commercial Crime Unit and the Hawks is to conduct a
further investigation into whether or not a corrupt
relationship existed between the former MEC for Finance,
Loiusa Mabe, and Morake Inc and any other role players
involved in the procurements of the services to Morake Inc.
Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Hlomane Chauke said the
Committee is happy with the report.
“It is based on the mandate we had given to the Chapter 9 institutions to help investigate the claims”.
“This matter will not end here, things that need to be referred to
police will be. Both the Speaker and the Premier will receive a
copy of the report and it will be tabled in the Provincial
Legislature” he said.
“All recommendations made by the Public Protector will be
implemented to the latter,” said Hon Chauke.-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Marikana – The North West Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Zukiswa Mbombo will host the Annual SAPS Commemoration Day Service on the 10th of September 2013.
“During the service, employees of the South African Police Service who died in the execution of their duties between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013 will be honoured and remembered by the SAPS management, their loved ones and colleagues” captain Pelonomi Makau said.
“It is expected that the event will be attended by the National Commissioner, General MV Phiyega and the North West MEC of Human Settlement, Public Safety & Liaison Nono Maloyi together with the deceased next of kin, friends and colleagues of our fallen heroes to lay wreaths to commemorate them” she said.
The event will take place as follows:
Venue: Marikana Police Station
Marikana
Rustenburg
Time: 10h00
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By Obakeng Maje
The Kimberley Cluster SAPS, Kimberley Visible Policing unit and Public Order Policing unit, K9 unit and the Department of Education members raided three high schools during a surprise operation in Kimberley on Thursday.
“The police managed to search more than 1100 scholars and suspicious looking persons roaming outside schools. Scholars, classrooms, toilets and storerooms on the school premises were searched and the police managed to confiscate several screw drivers, sharp scissors, broken mirrors and other dangerous weapons” lieutenant Sergio Kock said.
The scholars which were found in possession of dangerous weapons were taken to the school principals where they will be dealt with internally according to the disciplinary processes of the Education Department.
“The surprise operations are on-going and forms part of Safer Schools Project and the No Knife Campaign. Police also does regular patrols in and around schools to ensure that all scholars and the community are safe and secure” he adds.-TDN
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