The South African cricket team’s unbeaten run of 15 test matches has come to an end. The Proteas suffered their first defeat in nearly two years when the world’s number sixth ranked team, Pakistan, beat them by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi in the first of two test matches.

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South Africa continued their stellar performances in the pool at the Moscow leg of the Fina World Cup on Sunday adding three more gold medals to the four from the previous day.
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Parliament’s Police committee has suggested that the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority( PSIRA) should close its doors, because of its continued financial issues. The authority appeared before the committee to discuss its annual report.

It has once again reported a deficit of almost R4 million, irregular expenditure of R7 million and fruitless and wasteful expenditure of more than R200 million.
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The Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein is back in the headlines for the same wrong reasons. This after another G4S employee was stabbed by an inmate at the prison.

The interim manager at the prison, Zecharia Modise, says they have decided to relax lock down and allow inmates to do some daily activities.

Modise says the employee has since received treatment and the inmate has been locked in a special cell. “I can confirm that yesterday, one offender attacked and stabbed an official with a piece of a toilet pot on his hand. Correctional Services officials intervened and took out the perpetrator and locked him up in a special care. What I can confirm is that Mangaung is most back to 100% normal. It’s only here and there where one offender or two are trying to be problematic.”

Last week, several employees including a top official from the Correctional Services Department got stabbed at the same prison. The department of Correctional Services then took over management of the prison after G4S had failed to meet some of its contractual obligations.

Acting National Commissioner, Nontsikelelo Jolingana said there had been serious contractual violations by G4S. She said the department had appointed a team of senior managers to take over the management of the prison until a final decision is taken.
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Four men will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate court on Friday in connection with the brutal rape and murder of two toddlers in Diepsloot, north west of Johannesburg.

They have been charged with kidnapping, rape and murder. Police are still looking for a fifth man – believed to be the main suspect.
Police have released an identikit of the suspect and they have also offered a reward of up to R100 000 for information that could lead to the arrest of the man.

He’s about 1.7 metres tall, and is believed to be in his early 30’s. He is light in complexion and has a distinctive scar on his lip. Some residents claim they know him and that he lived in a shack in the area.

The bodies of two-year-old Yonelisa Mali and her three-year-old cousin, Zandile Mali, were found by a passer-by in a public toilet. They were sexually violated and strangled.

Gauteng Police Spokesperson, Neville Malila says, “We are following up several leads that we received after we issued a R100 000 reward. Our investigators are currently busy following up leads but we haven’t arrested the suspect as yet.”
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Bloemfontein – The body of a 60-year-old woman was found by her son on Thursday in her townhouse in Pellessier, Bloemfontein, Free State police said.

“The body was in a prone position and surrounded by a dry pool of blood,” Captain Chaka Marope said.

“The motive for the killing is at this stage not known, but the police suspect that it might be robbery as the deceased’s handbag containing valuable documents was found missing.”

Marope said the woman was last seen on Sunday around 3pm.

No arrests had been made.

Sapa

Cape Town – The man wounded in a shootout in the Siqala informal settlement, Philippi, Cape Town, has died of his injuries, Western Cape police said on Thursday.

Lt-Col Andre Traut said the man, a suspected robber, died in hospital.

Constable Viwe Mpambane, 34, and Sergeant Mteteleli Damse, 39, were killed and another policeman was wounded during the shootout at 10pm on Wednesday. The wounded officer was in a stable condition.

Police had been searching residences for people wanted in connection with armed robberies in the area.

“Upon entering the dwelling the suspects opened fire at police officers. During a shootout with the robbers, one suspect was wounded and arrested and his 9mm firearm confiscated,” said Traut.

Police believed more people were involved in the shooting, but that they had evaded arrest. The people responsible could regard themselves as “extremely wanted”.

“The Western Cape police management would like to express their sincere condolences to the families of the slain members, as well as to their colleagues,” he said.

Sapa

Newscastle – Two passengers escaped unscathed after their vehicle crashed into an electrical substation in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday, paramedics said.

“The two youngsters escaped with minor injuries after the vehicle they were travelling in collided into an 11 000 volt power box,” said ER24 spokeswoman Vanessa Jackson.

Jackson said the three-ton power box was pushed out of its foundation, exposing the cables.

“One patient was taken to hospital for minor burns,” said Jackson.

She said it was unclear what caused the burns.

Sapa

Pretoria – Radio Pretoria lost its legal battle against the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) in the High Court in Pretoria on Thursday.

Judge Neil Tuchten dismissed the radio station’s application to be allowed to continue transmitting to its rural relay stations in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, and Mpumalanga on technical grounds.

Icasa granted a bouquet of three licences to Radio Pretoria in 2010 and 2011, prompting it to carry on broadcasting not only in Pretoria and its surrounding areas, but also to its rural relay stations in the mistaken belief that it was licensed to do so.

Icasa in October last year gave Radio Pretoria 14 days to stop operating the rural relay stations because it did not have a licence.

Their licences only permitted broadcasts for greater Pretoria and surrounds, and only on 102.4Mhz.

Radio Pretoria previously took the licensing authority to the Supreme Court of Appeal for the right to broadcast.

Tuchten said Radio Pretoria should have studied the texts of the licences to ensure it had been granted all it had asked for, but did not. It never applied for licences for its rural relay station operations, or for the court to set aside the three licences. There was no legal basis on which the court could grant the relief it sought.

He said Icasa’s requirement that all equipment and facilities necessary for the broadcasts must be within one municipal area, however, seemed irrational.

Tuchten concluded that Radio Pretoria’s application was misconceived.

“There will no doubt be a further effort by Radio Pretoria to obtain the necessary licences to enable it lawfully to continue serving members of its target community who receive their signals through the rural relay stations.

“At its heart, this case concerns the rights to freedom of expression and the right of all persons in this country to enjoy their culture, use their language and to form, join and maintain cultural associations and other organs of civil society,” Tuchten said.

Icasa as an organ of state is enjoined by section 7(2) of the Constitution to protect, promote and fulfil such rights.

“One hopes that Icasa will be able to use its expertise to help Radio Pretoria find ways to regularise its rural relay station operations,” Tuchten said.

Sapa

MALAMULELE – Action will be taken against any illegal gatherings in Malamulele, Limpopo police said on Thursday.

Police were aware of an illegal gathering planned for Friday, said Lt-Gen Fannie Masemola.

“Police will act against any gatherings 1/8which do not 3/8 follow due processes as provided by the Gatherings Act,” he said.

Police had been monitoring the situation and what they had observed was “pure criminality.

“Acts of violent destruction and intimidation of innocent people cannot be justified as public protests. That is why we shall act harshly against lawlessness,” Masemola said.

Almost 20 000 residents went on the rampage after the demarcation board did not grant them a meeting to demand their own municipality.

The residents burnt down a government building and shops during the protest.

On Thursday, 65 people appeared in the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court on charges of public violence.

They were refused bail and will appear again on October 24.

Sapa