Bloemfontein – A man was killed when a tractor he was working on fell on top of him on a farm in Bethlehem, Free State, paramedics said on Wednesday.

The man, in his late 40s, had been working on the tractor late on Tuesday and when his wife woke up on Wednesday, found he had not come home, said ER24 spokesperson Vanessa Jackson.

“The farmer’s son went to look for him and was devastated to find his father trapped under the tractor,” she said.

Paramedics declared him dead on the scene.

– SAPA

Pretoria – Retired judge Ian Farlam expressed concern on Wednesday about murders linked to the Marikana Commission of Inquiry.

Farlam sent the commission’s condolences following the murder of National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) branch chairperson William Setelele.

He was gunned down near the Marikana koppie, close to Lonmin’s platinum mine in the North West, last Thursday.

“It is a matter of concern because a number of people connected to this commission have been assassinated. It is a matter which I am sure is receiving attention from the authorities,” he said.

“My colleagues and I wish to extend our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of our former witness (Setelele). I hope the perpetrators will be brought to book in due course.”

Shot eight times

Karel Tip, for the NUM at the commission, also expressed his condolences. Setelele testified at the commission in January and February.

North West police said the Setelele was shot eight times.

“The man was gunned down on Thursday night between 19:00 and 20:00. He was on his way to visit his girlfriend when four men came out of the bushes and shot at his car,” said Brigadier Thulani Ngubane.

He was hit once when he was driving. When he stopped and got out of the car the men fired another seven bullets at him. He died on the scene.

Another NUM official, Daluvuyo Bongo, was killed in October last year.

At the time, Tip said NUM believed Bongo’s murder was a “target killing”.

Key evidence

The NUM branch secretary was shot six times at his home at the Wonderkop hostel complex in Marikana on 5 October. He was scheduled to testify at the commission’s public hearings.

At the time of Bongo’s death, NUM said he was set to present key information to the commission.

The inquiry, chaired by Farlam, is investigating the deaths of 44 people during strike-related unrest at Lonmin platinum’s operations at Marikana, near Rustenburg, last year.

Evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson SC was cross-examining Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Scott on Wednesday.

Scott helped draft the police plan which was to be used to try and disperse and disarm the striking mineworkers. The plan was referred to as the “Scott plan”.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Lack of accountability and lapses in leadership are some of the causes of governance failure, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said on Wednesday.

“Whether we are talking about an organisation, or the state, it is a situation where the majority hand over power to the few, with the understanding that they are better off with a few managing their affairs,” Madonsela told delegates at the Black Management Forum conference in Midrand.

“It is a relationship of trust and it can only succeed if those, who are entrusted with power and resources, understand that they are stewards -that resources do not belong to them.”

She said it often did not work that way.

“At the level of government… we are getting a mentality [from communities] that says if we start a fire they will come,” Madonsela said.

“With a trust deficit [with regard to government], some communities are increasingly resorting to violence and are literally starting fires with the view to draw attention to themselves.”

She said this was happening in many disadvantaged areas.

“If those who exercise public power don’t… [follow the democratic values in the Constitution], the criminal elements have an easier task of promoting a [violent] reaction.”

Madonsela said her office was increasingly finding that leaders had problems understanding what it meant to do the right thing.

“Increasingly there is an issue of conflict of interest, where people place themselves in situations where really they have two masters,” she said.

“When you find yourself in a situation with two masters, something has to give and often it is your organisation that has to give, and other interests take [precedence].”

Failure of governance

Madonsela said a “loss of institutional memory” also led to the failure of governance.

“Even if you get highly competent people, it is difficult for them to know volumes and volumes of internal policies,” she said.

“Institutional memory loss leads to governance failures because increasingly people take action without going through the policies – because there are so many of them.”

She said the life cycle of directors general was too short, and a significant number did not finish their three-year terms.

“It is musical chairs. The same applies to municipal managers, but increasingly it’s applying to ministers, premiers, MECs, mayors and councillors,” Madonsela said.

“Increasingly that continuity is lost.”

Other causes of governance failure were a lack of skills, inconsistent enforcement, and power struggles, among others.

“Is it possible that good governance is the key that we lost in the transition from the society we inherited to the one we wanted to become when we signed the Constitution?” Madonsela asked.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Two people were arrested in Durban after being found in possession of drugs with an estimated street value of R6.5m, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Wednesday.

The couple aged between 28 and 29 were caught on Tuesday night at the King Shaka International Airport after they landed from India, said police spokesperson Jay Naicker.

Police confiscated 36kg of crystal methamphetamine in their luggage.

A 36-year-old woman was later arrested in the Point area in Durban waiting for the delivery of drugs from the couple, said Naicker.

The three would appear in court soon for dealing in drugs.

The arrests followed an instruction by provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, to identify people supplying drugs to dealers in the province.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A foreign shop owner was arrested in Bekkersdal, near Westonaria, on Wednesday for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, Gauteng police said.

Police spokesperson Elsie Tshonte said residents informed police that the man had a gun and had used it to shoot another man.

“Police officers searched the shop and found the gun,” said Tshonte.

“But we have not received any details surrounding the shooting.”

Tshonte said no case had been opened and “the shop owner has not been charged for that”.

Police continued to monitor the area following violent service delivery protests.

Protesters had earlier gathered near the local taxi rank and burnt tyres.

Last week, 35 protesters were arrested and charged with public violence after a petrol bomb and stones were thrown into the police station.

Three police vehicles and a disaster management vehicle were damaged.

Tshonte said no protesters had been arrested on Wednesday.

– SAPA

Pretoria – A senior police officer was questioned on Wednesday about the SA Police Service’s (SAPS)communication difficulties during the intervention to end the violent Marikana protest in Rustenburg last year.

Evidence leader Advocate Matthew Chaskalson was cross-examining Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Scott at the Marikana commission’s public hearings in Pretoria.

Chaskalson sought answers on the communication difficulties between senior officers at the security joint operations committee (JOC) and officers deployed on the ground.

“We know from the video evidence that the first deaths [of mineworkers] at scene two happened 10 minutes into the video. We can work out that between the report of ‘bodies down’ and the first death at scene two, there would have to be 14 minutes,” said Chaskalson.

“At the very least, between that [bodies down] communication and the first deaths there are quite possibly more than 14 minutes. Is that sufficient time for control to have been exercised from the JOC, to take stock and pause the operation?”

Scott said police procedure dictated that in such a scenario, confirmation would need to be sought first, regarding the information on the dead bodies.

“You still need to consult with your commanders on the ground because to simply tell them to stop, pause where they were would be nave of the JOC.

“Police lives and other lives would be in danger,” he said.

“That time period would be sufficient [for the consultations].”

Changing channels

The commission also heard on Wednesday that a civilian was communicating on a stolen police handset radio.

Chaskalson asked Scott why officers did not change to another channel, different from the protester.

“From the 14th [of August] the SAPS was aware that a radio had been stolen. Once a radio has been stolen, there is a risk of interference or interception with communication which is foreseeable.

“Was anything done to set up a protocol for shifting to a back-up channel if there was interference [from the stolen radio]?”

Scott said there was a back-up channel “which was supposed to be utilised if one channel went down”.

Chaskalson then asked why officers did not shift to that back-up channel when their communication went down for some minutes during the operation.

“It wasn’t briefed [to officers] that we were expecting an interception of that kind. I can’t recall it being pertinently briefed, I don’t think we expected them [protesters] to use the police radio to jam the frequency,” said Scott.

Back-up channel

The senior policeman faced several questions on why the officers did not migrate to a back-up channel, when their communication by police radios failed on 16 August.

The inquiry, chaired by retired Judge Ian Farlam, is investigating the deaths of 44 people during strike-related unrest at Lonmin platinum’s operations at Marikana, near Rustenburg, last year.

The police shot dead 34 people, mostly striking mineworkers, wounded 70, and arrested 250 on 16 August 2012. In the preceding week, 10 people including two policemen and two security guards were killed.

The hacked police officers were stripped of their handguns and radios.

Scott helped draft the police plan which was to be used to try and disperse and disarm the striking mineworkers.

The plan was referred to as the “Scott plan”.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Two men found guilty of murdering a Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport employee three years ago, were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Nelspruit circuit of the high court on Wednesday.

Justin Fanyana Malambe and Sibusiso Wander Phelembe were convicted of murdering Nonkululeko Thandi Khoza, a Sapa correspondent reported.

Khoza was killed at her home in Dwaleni Trust, outside White River, on 21 May 2010.

“Both accused showed no remorse,” Judge Daisy Molefe said in sentencing them.

“In the last minute, they still maintained their innocence. The court has found no reason why the deceased was raped, robbed and killed. The two acted with disregard for human life,” she said.

Malambe was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and to 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances. The sentences would run concurrently.

Phelembe was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for robbery and 20 years for rape. The sentences would run concurrently.

Sentencing

Molefe said it was high time courts sent a strong message against rape and murder.

“The rape charge against Phelembe is very serious, as he has a previous conviction for rape and was sentenced to two years, suspended for five years, on 17 July 2008.”

She said sentencing offenders was not an easy task.

“I have to do it as I represent the society. Due to the continuous brutal killings of women and children, the community wants to see justice being done.”

She said that in this case, the court had failed to establish which of them struck the fatal blow.

Malambe, who worked with Khoza at the airport, was found in possession of the hammer used in the murder, but he declined to take the stand to give the court a full picture of events the night of the murder.

Molefe said: “We can do whatever we can, but Khoza’s life will never be replaced. Khoza wanted to live longer and raise her children, like you two.”

She said Khoza’s daughter, Ruth, had been left to raise her four younger siblings after the murder.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A woman accused of allegedly cutting off her boyfriend’s penis appeared in the Meadowlands Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Evidence Nkuna, 21, stood quietly in the dock with a purple headscarf and her hands inside the pockets of her beige trench coat.

The case was transferred to the Protea Magistrate’s Court.

Nkuna would now be charged with attempted murder. Her previous charge was assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

According to police, Nkuna caught her boyfriend with another woman on 6 October and ordered them to strip naked.

“It is alleged that the woman took out the knife and cut off her boyfriend’s penis,” said Constable Sibusiso Chauke.

Chauke said 21-year-old Nkuna was arrested on the same day.

She is out on bail of R2 500 and will appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Electricity was restored in most areas of Centurion on Wednesday, after two days of power outage due to a lightning strike and cable theft, the City of Tshwane said.

The lightning strike on Monday damaged the Raslouw substation, spokesperson Selby Bokaba said.

The affected areas were Raslouw, Monavoni, Sunderland Ridge, Peach Tree and Stone Ridge.

He said the power restoration was delayed as thieves took advantage of the situation and vandalised cable feeders.

Some streets in Raslouw and Monavoni were still without power on Wednesday afternoon.

Bokaba said electricians were replacing the stolen cable to ensure that power was restored in Baralong, Mimosa, Kwambi, Sunbeam, and Thembu streets.

“The city apologises for the inconvenience residents suffered during this time and would also like to take this opportunity to thank residents for their patience and co-operation during this difficult period.”

He said the city’s metro police were working with other law enforcement agencies to ensure that the thieves were caught.

“We are after those who are creating the market for stolen cables.”

– SAPA

Cape Town – Media24 News announced that Sondag, the Afrikaans Sunday tabloid, will be closed, effective immediately.

The publication, which has been in circulation since 2008, will publish its last edition on Sunday, 20 October.

General manager for Northern Newspapers, Minette Ferreira, said: “Sondag has fought many battles, but unfortunately the current trading conditions have made it impossible for the company to continue publishing the title. The future outlook in terms of income growth remains weak.”

Sondag’s editor Peet Bothma said: “It is a sad day for all when a newspaper closes its doors.”
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