Potchefstroom- Three adults and a 3-year-old girl were transported to various hospitals after being attacked by a swarm of bees in Potchefstroom this morning.
A man was traveling along Mooibank road when he noticed a pedestrian stumbling on the road ahead. The pedestrian was struggling to swat swarm bees off his face.
“When the driver of the vehicle stopped to assist the pedestrian, the bees attacked him and his 3-year-old daughter who was sitting in the car” Er24 spokesperson Chris Venter said.
The driver ran into the dam of a nearby farm to rid him of the bees. A third adult who was working on the farm fell into bees’ path was also stung.
“When paramedics arrived on scene they resorted to using a fire extinguisher to keep the bees from the patients and themselves while they ensued with treatment” He said.
The first victim and the 3-year-old suffered serious injuries and were rushed along with the other patients to nearby hospitals for further treatment.-TDN
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JOHANNESBURG – Kwaito star ‘Brickz’ is believed to have lost an estimated R3 million in income since he was arrested for rape.

Brickz, whose real name is Sipho Ndlovu, is accused of raping his 16-year-old niece in March, but the rape was only reported last month.

He’s been in custody for three weeks and his advocate, Isaac Mokgobi, says the artist has lost a substantial amount of money due to missing corporate gigs and other performances because of his arrest.

Mokgobi says his client is pleading with the Roodepoort Magistrates Court to grant him bail of R2,000 because he’s been cash-strapped since his arrest.

“He’s been losing money and he doesn’t have money to pay anything.”

Mokgobi says Ndlovu lost a large amount of money after corporate gigs and other performers he was billed for were cancelled.

The City Press online reported that Ndlovu lost R500,000 after shows he’d been booked for by the education department and Nando’s were cancelled.

The artist will know on Monday morning whether or not he’ll get bail when he appears in court.
For more http://www.ewn.co.za

Pretoria – A former police officer has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a nine-year-old Lyttelton Manor schoolboy.

The former officer was arrested on Thursday in Johannesburg after the boy went missing from his primary school on Tuesday.
Source: http://www.iol.co.za

Amanzimtoti, KZN – Amanzimtoti has been rocked by the killing of a grandmother while her handicapped husband tried to call for help.

Although neighbours responded quickly, a call to the police hotline on 10111 was never radioed to police patrols.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

KwaZulu-Natal – A KwaZulu-Natal businessman was subjected to 22 days of terror at the hands of men who kidnapped him, repeatedly beat him and threatened to kill him while they kept him chained to a bedpost.

He was released after a ransom of a million rupees (R161 000) had been paid.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Durban – A Durban teacher, who had gained the trust of one of his pupils, lured her to a hotel with the promise of access to her maths paper and then raped her.

This was alleged by the girl, who says she fell pregnant. She claims further the man forced her to have an abortion which was only successful after three attempts, two at an illegal clinic.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

The arms deal commission’s hearing was halted because cross-examination transcripts were not available owing to a staff shortage. The commission announced this week that it would cut its staff complement.

The commission has also been dogged by allegations that some of its evidence leaders are yet to be paid for their work.

However, the unavailability of a document manager, whose contract was not renewed this week, has already affected the work of the commission. It is unclear whether the commission will employ another document manager before the public hearings continue next week.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

The cost of investigating and prosecuting 30 police officers accused of running the “Cato Manor death squad” is expected to rise to nearly R30 million as a protracted legal battle wears on.

The officers, who have been suspended indefinitely since their arrest more than a year ago, will appear in the Durban High Court on Monday.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Cape Town – Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko has spoken out about the infighting in the party and said she is disappointed that those jostling for positions were trying to drive a wedge between her and Gauteng Premier candidate Mmusi Maimane.

According to the Sunday Times, several MPs including John Steenhuisen and former parliamentary leader Athol Trollip are said to be campaigning for Maimane to oust Mazibuko as parliamentary leader in the hope that Maimane will succeed DA leader Helen Zille should she step down.

Mazibuko told the newspaper that she was disappointed that those jostling for positions were trying to use her and Maimane to climb the political ladder.

This comes after weeks of speculation of internal feuds. Last month, The DA dismissed as rumours claims about an internal battle over the use of party resources by its parliamentary leader and its Gauteng premier candidate. At the time, DA MP Geordin Hill-Lewis, a senior aide to Zille, said it was nothing but internal rumour mongering before an election.

For more http://www.news24.com

Johannesburg – The presidency denied a report on Sunday that President Jacob Zuma had a hand in the withdrawal of an academic honour for Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.

“The reports are baseless and ridiculous,” presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement.

“Neither the president nor his private office had any knowledge of this honour that was apparently turned down until enquiries came from Media24 or Naspers newspapers.”

On Friday, Beeld reported that Motlanthe was on his way to China to receive an academic honour when it was unexpectedly withdrawn and that fingers had been pointed at Zuma.

The newspaper reported that, according to three sources, Motlanthe was “furious” officials at the South African embassy in Beijing told him the international relations department had instructed that his invitation from the University of International Business and Economics be turned down.

His spokesperson Thabo Masebe reportedly confirmed to the newspaper that Motlanthe was told only days before he was meant to leave.

According to Beeld, it was told by source at the Union Buildings that there was no direct evidence Zuma was involved, but merely a strong suspicion in government circles.

Maharaj said Zuma and Motlanthe continued to work well together and shared responsibilities.

“It would thus assist greatly if the media probed deeper before believing and publishing spurious allegations of this nature so as not to peddle falsehoods,” he said.

– SAPA