A police constable, who was found dead next to his car on the N2 near the Winkelspruit off-ramp, may have accidentally shot himself.

The officer, 33, who was alone and on his way to work at the Cato Manor police station on Monday morning, had been shot in the thigh.

It appears the officer, who was driving at the time of the incident, got out his vehicle and fell alongside his car where he bled to death.

Police are investigating the possibility that the officer’s state-issued firearm may have gone off accidentally and hit him in an artery.

The area around the body was cordoned off while crime scene investigating scoured for clues.

A relative, who works at a nearby school, arrived at the scene and was comforted by officers. She was too distraught to speak to the Daily News.

Daily News

Cape Town – An 18-year-old woman who has been charged with her mother’s murder was under a “love spell” cast by her boyfriend, family friends say.

Rosemary Theron worked as a professional clown and stilt-walker. She went missing in March and her body was found in September in a shallow grave in Strandfontein.

Phoenix Racing Cloud Theron, her boyfriend Kyle Maspero and Godfrey Scheepers appeared in the Simonstown Magistrate’s Court last week on a charge of murdering the 39-year-old mother.

A friend of the mother described how Maspero “went everywhere” with Phoenix and even answered questions for her, the Sunday Argus reported.

Another family friend said Maspero began taking control of the family after he and Phoenix moved to Cape Town from Knysna in February.

Phoenix and Maspero also apparently married while the search was still on for her mother’s body.

Maspero was described as troubled young man who was addicted to tik and whose mother committed suicide.

Phoenix’s father Ivan Claassen told the Sunday Times that he didn’t know how his daughter could have murdered her mother, but suspects that she and her boyfriend were mixed up with drugs.

Theron, Maspero and Scheepers are due to appear in court again on 10 October.
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Johannesburg – The country needs more traffic officers, standardised traffic norms, and faster eradication of potholes, a recent road traffic summit resolved.

“It was recommended that a common approach for the recruitment and selection of traffic law enforcement officers should be adopted and that more officers should be recruited…” transport department spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso said in a statement on Monday.

A recommendation was made that traffic law enforcement should be applied consistently across the country. Conditions of employment of traffic officers needed to be reviewed.

“There is a need for the standardisation of norms and standards and capacity building for both traffic law enforcement officers and road safety practitioners across the country.”

The statement followed the traffic summit held in Boksburg on Friday and Saturday, with the aim of making the country’s roads safer.

New legislation should be developed to introduce technology to help combat driver fatigue and distraction in goods and passenger vehicles.

Delegates agreed that a system was needed to ensure potholes were fixed quickly.

In her closing remarks to delegates, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said the plan being developed would inform the Road Safety Strategy 2014-2019.

“While the actual strategy is being finalised, we can put into action some of the recommendations. Issues such as potholes can be attended to right away without delay,” she said.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A man has been jailed for life by the KwaZulu-Natal High Court for rape, assault, and kidnapping, provincial police said on Monday.

Sphamandla Dlamini, 26, was sentenced on Friday for the rape and assault of two young girls, one of them 14-years-old, in Inchanga, Captain Thulani Zwane said.

The crimes occurred on 26 December 2011.

Dlamini was sentenced to two life terms, 10 years for a third count of rape, five years for kidnapping, and two years for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni said it was hoped the sentence would deter other would-be offenders.

“We will not tolerate these criminal activities and we will ensure that through the quality of investigation criminals and rapists are prosecuted and moved away from society.”

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Limpopo police have refused to confirm that the man killed in Uitkyk, Bochum, was a member of Agang SA.

“I can however confirm that there is a murder case in Uitkyk and a suspect has been arrested,” Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.

Agang SA claimed one of its members was assaulted and killed after attending the party’s branch launch at the village, which is the family home of party leader Mamphela Ramphele.

The party said Nyako Masenya, who was wearing an Agang SA T-shirt, had taken a break from the meeting to visit the local shop when the attack occurred.

Masenya was apparently hit with rocks and a plank found at the scene.

Mulaudzi refused to be drawn into commenting if the attack was politically motivated. He said the murder took place at a liquor store.

“There was an argument and the suspect, a 66-year-old man, hit the deceased who was 46-years-old with a bottle and a piece of wood until he collapsed.”

Masenya was declared dead at the scene. His attacker was arrested. He is expected to appear in the Matlala Periodical District Court.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Nearly 60 000 candidates will sit national senior certificate exams in the Western Cape, the provincial education department said on Monday.

“This year, we have a much larger cohort of candidates compared to that of 2012… Overall, 58 594 candidates will be writing this year,” MEC Donald Grant said in a statement. This was 4 613 more than last year.

Grant said the province was well-prepared for the exams, which would take place at 432 exam centres between 28 October and 29 November.

Subject markers had undergone competency tests in 10 fields of study before being appointed.

“To ensure that the mark calculations of our markers are correct, the [department] has appointed 520 mark checkers,” he said.

Counsellors would be made available to help pupils who needed support.

“Our school psychologists, social workers in every district and circuit are also on standby to provide counselling support, as required.

“Parents and candidates can speak to their school principal if the candidates concerned need special support.”

The results would be announced on 14 January.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The University of Pretoria (UP) appeared to be deliberately delaying providing information about its admissions policy for its veterinary sciences faculty, lobby group AfriForum Youth charged on Monday.

“AfriForum Youth requested 15 pieces of information in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act on 13 March,” national chairperson Charl Oberholzer said in a statement.

“This was the third time in two years these requests were submitted to the UP about top students, who were allegedly denied entry into the faculty as a result of racial profiling.”

Oberholzer said AfriForum Youth had been waiting since the beginning of 2013 for feedback about its third request, and still certain pieces of information were being withheld.

“The last letter was sent on 9 September to the UP in which they were given 21 days to respond after they had once again failed to supply the requested information,” said Oberholzer.

“The UP indicated that they would need more time. The more the UP prevaricates, the more top students have to leave the country because of discrimination.”

The request for information was submitted on behalf of a second and third year student at the university who approached AfriForum Youth for help, Oberholzer said.

“Various other students had to move abroad or give up on their dream profession.”

The documents requested by AfriForum Youth related to:

– the identity and the number of students admitted to the faculty since 2009;

– all information regarding funding obtained by the UP from the higher education department as remuneration for policies that “redress the past”;

– all documents pertaining to correspondence regarding the negative impact of the admission policy on individuals applying for admission;

– all documents leading to the approval of such policy;

– a copy of the university’s policy regarding unfair discrimination on the basis of race;

– all additional criteria taken into consideration to determine the possible admission of a student, and the weight accorded to such criteria; and

– the overall throughput rate for students admitted since 2006.

Last year, AfriForum Youth protested, with 10 students, about racial profiling. The students were later admitted to the faculty, Oberholzer said.

The UP was not immediately available for comment.

– SAPA

Malema addressing the masses

Malema addressed scores of his supporters at the headquarters of the Independent Electoral Commission in Centurion, shortly after receiving his party’s registration certificate to contest the 2014 elections.

“This certificate means we are now going to contest the elections. We are a legal organisation which must be respected and be given space to mobilise and organise in South Africa for support, including for the votes next year,” he said.

“On Sunday, we are in Marikana [North West] to say to the people: ‘Here is our certificate, we are a political party. A giant has been born, a giant that will give radical change to the politics of South Africa.'”

As Malema waved the certificate to his supporters, they chanted and sang songs denouncing President Jacob Zuma.

They sang: “Sibatshelile uJuju uyeza…” (we told them Malema is coming), while running around the parking lot. Some chanted: “Dubula Zuma” (shoot Zuma).

Support

Malema said the party was intensifying its campaign to galvanise support.

“We will talk about many things on Sunday [in Marikana]. I would like to thank [you for your] patience and discipline,” he told the supporters.

The EFF is scheduled to hold its national official public launch on Sunday at the hill in Marikana where 34 mainly mineworkers were shot by police on 16 August. The week before, 10 people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed in strike-related violence.

Zuma appointed a judicial commission of inquiry headed by retired judge Ian Farlam to probe the circumstances around the killings. Its public hearings are still under way.

Malema, who used to be an outspoken supporter of Zuma and president of the ANC Youth League, formed the EFF this year after being expelled from the ANC.

He would not grant interviews on Monday and was whisked off in a grey BMW 7 series driven by EFF spokesperson Floyd Shivambu.

– SAPA