Johannesburg – A 13-day-old baby boy was kidnapped during a house robbery in Kempton Park West, east of Johannesburg, police said on Tuesday.

“They tied the mother and her 16-year-old daughter up and then took the baby, its clothes and the mother’s cellphone,” Constable Sharon Mahamba said.

The father arrived home after 22:00 and untied his wife and daughter.

The robbers were identified as three men and two women.

“When police arrived there were no signs of forced entry; it seems as if they used a key to get in,” Mahamba said.

No arrests had been made.

A case of house robbery and kidnapping was being investigated.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A disciplinary hearing will be held on Tuesday for the 14-year-old Johannesburg schoolboy who allegedly punched his teacher at the Jim Fouche Primary School, Gauteng education department spokesperson Gershwin Chuenyane said.

The boy allegedly punched Zascia Hakkesteeg, 41, last week after she asked him to remove a jersey which was not part of the school uniform.

Police were called and the boy was taken to Brixton police station where an assault charge was laid.

The boy was later released into the custody of his parents and was suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary hearing.

The school has refused to comment on the incident.

– SAPA

Bloemfontein – The SA Human Rights Commission has recommended that a Bloemfontein teacher be registered as a person not suitable to work with children after he was found guilty of racism and hate speech.

Wilgehof Primary School’s Lenard Mac Kay was suspended in July following a complaint by a parent.

Craig Thiem said his children had repeatedly complained to him about a white teacher with a racist attitude towards black pupils.

In the complaint it was stated that Mac Kay displayed a full sized old South Africa flag in front of his classroom since May 2012, and had a poster in the class that depicted black people as having monkey-like noses and primate brains who could only make confusing noise.

The commission found that Mac Kay’s actions were a clear violation of both the right to equality and the right to human dignity of the pupils.

It also found that his administering of corporal punishment was clear violation of the South African Schools Act.

The SAHRC recommended that the Free State provincial department of education assess the prevalence of racism in public schools in the province and report back to the commission within 12 months.

– News24

Johannesburg – A Johannesburg man has been arrested for the rape of a 10-year-old girl in Zondi, Soweto, police said on Tuesday.

The 10-year-old girl was playing with other children in the street at around 18:00 when the man allegedly approached her and took her back to his shack, Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela said.

One of the children alerted their aunt, who went to the man’s shack with other people accompanying her.

The girl had been raped and the 35-year-old man was reported to the police.

He was arrested and was expected to appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court soon, Makhubela said.

– SAPA

Mbombela – The assault case against former Mpumalanga human settlements MEC Siphosezwe Masango and two of his bodyguards has been postponed to next year for trial.

The three were not asked to plead to charges of assault and intimidation when they appeared in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court on Monday, a Sapa correspondent reported.

They are accused of assaulting and intimidating motorist Gert van der Merwe, 39, at the Nkomazi toll plaza in July last year.

“The suspects appeared in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court today [Monday] and their case was postponed to January 13 next year for trial,” Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesperson Moses Dlamini said.

Van der Merwe opened the case at the Kaapmuiden police station and the case was transferred to the Ipid as the bodyguards work for the police.

In February, Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza sacked Masango as human settlements MEC after he found that the department had delivered only 3 900 houses throughout the province when the target was 10 980 for the 2012/2013 financial year.

African National Congress provincial secretary Lucky Ndinisa said the party would conduct an internal investigation.

“The ANC will launch an internal investigation regarding the case levelled against Masango, but for now we treat him as innocent until proven guilty by a court of law,” said Ndinisa.

Another assault case

In a separate matter, the ANC had still not dealt with its Ehlanzeni regional chairperson Ngrayi Ngwenya. He was found guilty of assault and fined R1 000 along with Nkomazi local municipality mayoral bodyguard Bheki Mhlongo after they assaulted a man in April.

Ngwenya, 49, and Mhlongo, 33, who is the bodyguard of Nkomazi mayor Thulisile Khoza, were found guilty of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm by the Barberton Magistrate’s Court last month.

They were found guilty of assaulting former ANC member Collen Sedibe, who is now a member of Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters.

Sedibe was still an ANC member during his assault, which happened at an ANC meeting in Malelane on 18 April. The assault allegedly took place after a difference of opinion between Ngwenya and Sedibe, who vocally campaigned for Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe prior to the ruling party’s elective conference in Mangaung, Free State, in December last year.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Former National Youth Development Agency head Andile Lungisa has asked to be relieved of his political duties while he deals with the criminal charges against him, the ANC said on Tuesday.

“We resolved to accept his request to be relieved of his political duties whilst he devotes his energy in clearing his good name from the damaging allegations that are now before our courts,” ANC Eastern Cape spokesperson Pindile Miza said in a statement.

Lungisa is one of the ANC Eastern Cape’s executive committee members.

On Friday, he appeared in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court on charges of fraud and money-laundering, with Thabo Shogolo, Xolisile Guquza, and Ursula Sali.

They allegedly accepted and shared among themselves R2.5m paid by the arts and culture department for the Nelson Mandela Sports Day concert.

They allegedly promised that US singer R Kelly would perform at the concert, but he did not.

The group was arrested after handing themselves to the Hawks on Friday.

Lungisa and Shogolo were granted bail of R10 000 each, Guquza was granted bail of R5 000, and Sali was released on a warning.

They were instructed to surrender their passports to the investigating officer, and not to make contact with State witnesses.

The case was postponed until 30 October.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Police and members of the public who helped arrest a gunman in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, are to be commended, the Gauteng provincial legislature said on Tuesday.

“We appreciate the work of members of the community in helping police to arrest the suspect,” community safety portfolio committee chairperson Jacob Khawe said in a statement.

Two community safety patrollers and two bystanders were wounded in Hillbrow on Sunday after they stopped a man to search him. He drew a weapon and shot them, Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale said on Monday.

Two members of the public were also wounded. Bystanders helped police arrest the man.

By Tuesday morning one of the patrollers was discharged from hospital and the other was not in a serious condition. It was not clear how badly the bystanders were wounded, Khawe said.

“We also commend the police for their swift response in arresting the suspect and hopefully that the detective work will secure a harsh sentence for the suspect,” Khawe said.

He would visit the wounded patroller in hospital later on Tuesday. He said the patrollers should keep working hard to fight crime.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Former police commissioner Jackie Selebi still owes the SA Police Service more than R17m in legal fees, according to a report.

Die Burger reported that Selebi has not paid the amount more than three years after his drawn-out court case ended.

However, the full amount he owes has not been officially tallied up. According to the report, finalising the amount is a complex process, as there were several complaints and costs involved in the case.

Eyewitness News reported on Tuesday that Selebi may be required to pay less than the full R17.4m because he was not convicted on all charges against him during his trial.

The justice department referred queries to the police, saying it only handled the legal team and not the costs involved in the case.

‘Living a life of luxury’

Selebi was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2010 for taking bribes from convicted drug dealer Glen Agliotti. He appealed the sentence and collapsed at home when he lost his appeal in the lengthy case. He was released on medical parole in July 2012, suffering from a variety of complaints including kidney failure, hypertension and diabetes.

He was spotted shopping in Pretoria over the weekend, being chauffeured in a luxury BMW.

Beeld reported on Tuesday that even if Selebi’s health improves, he will not have to return to prison, in terms of his medical parole conditions.

Meanwhile, Freedom Front Plus spokesperson Pieter Groenewald said Selebi was making a mockery of the country’s justice system, and was leading a life of luxury while owing the state millions in legal fees.

Groenewald added that Selebi’s debt is long overdue and must be paid back with interest. If Selebi cannot pay his debt, he must be declared insolvent and his assets must be seized, Groenewald said.

For more http://www.news24.com

By Obakeng Maje

North West-Police in the North West are warning the community on a new method that criminals could be using to target various households.

“Burglars are using coded chalk symbols to let other criminals know whether a property is worth targeting” colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said. 

Mokgwabone said the marks that are dubbed the “Da Pinci Code”, are made by would be thieves to indicate if the house is vulnerable. 

“These marks would reveal who is living in the house and whether there is anything worth stealing” Mokgwabone outlines.-TDN

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