Johannesburg – A new political party reportedly started by businessman Kenny Kunene has been registered with the IEC.

The Patriotic Alliance’s details were available on the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) website on Wednesday.

The contact person was Thapelo Kenny Kunene.

The Citizen reported that Kunene wanted to start his own party, the Patriotic Alliance. It would be officially launched in Cape Town at the weekend, according to the paper.

“We will tell everything on Saturday at a media briefing. We want everyone at the same time. We don’t want to do separate interviews,” Kunene told The Citizen when asked for comment.

Kunene, a political butterfly, has gone from being an ANC member, to head of campaigns, mobilisation, and special projects for Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), to starting his own party.

In August, the EFF announced Kunene had resigned from the party.

Spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said at the time that Kunene had not left the party but asked to be “relieved of his leadership responsibilities”.

In July, Kunene said he was going into politics full-time as a member of the EFF.

Before joining the EFF he wrote an open letter to President Jacob Zuma criticising his leadership.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – T’is the season to be jolly — jolly critical, that is — in the City of Cape Town.

Mayor Patricia de Lille has been criticised by political opponents for encouraging people to mark the holiday season by writing personal messages to former president Nelson Mandela.

The city is collecting the messages at a civic centre exhibition honouring 95-year-old Mandela, who is critically ill, and plans to deliver them to him in three weeks.

Cosatu said De Lille is trying to gain support by associating the DA with Madiba.

The trade union accused de Lille of engaging in “ridiculous gimmicks” and said she had neglected the needy in Cape Town.

“Instead of trying to get standing through linking herself with Mandela, she should actually try doing good for the poor for once,” read a statement released by Cosatu in the Western Cape.

Solly Malatsi, De Lille’s spokesperson, pushed back, saying the criticism is “in stark contrast to the values of reconciliation and nation-building that Madiba taught us through his leadership”.

It is not the first quarrel over the legacy of Mandela.

Earlier this year, video footage showed a smiling President Jacob Zuma sitting with an unresponsive Mandela during a visit to the former leader’s home that some viewers thought was a stunt to promote the ANC.

In another incident, ANC supporters said the DA was capitalising on the Mandela name when it published a pamphlet showing an old photograph of Mandela embracing Helen Suzman.

In a statement this week, retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other prominent Cape Town residents warned of efforts to make the Western Cape “‘ungovernable’ simply because certain elements disagree with the democratic choice of the majority in that province”.

Demonstrators from poor areas of Cape Town plan to march on Friday to protest what they say are inadequate municipal services.

Violence broke out during a city march by several thousand protesters in October.

– AP

Johannesburg – The City of Cape Town applied for a court interdict on Wednesday to stop a protest by the city’s Informal Settlements Group.

The protest, which was scheduled to take place on Friday, was not approved, Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille said in a statement.

“A golden triangle meeting, which incorporates the SA Police Service, did not approve their application due to credible evidence received under oath, indicating that such a gathering could result in a serious disruption to vehicular and pedestrian traffic; injury to persons; and possible damage to property,” she said.

“Law enforcement authorities have also established there are serious threats of unprecedented levels of violence erupting in the event that the march takes place.”

The city claimed protesters had vowed to continue with the demonstration despite being denied a permit.

De Lille said it pursued the interdict as a last resort to avoid a repeat of the violence during a protest organised by the same group a few weeks ago.

She was referring to a group of about 3 500 people which took part in what was believed to be a service delivery protest in October.

Some protesters looted shops and vendors’ stalls, and damaged property in central Cape Town.

De Lille said that while everyone had the right to protest, they also had to abide by the law.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A man was arrested for robbery and housebreaking in Nemago, Port Alfred, on Wednesday, Eastern Cape police said.

A Somalian saw the man with stolen groceries and clothing in a block of shacks in the informal settlement, said police spokesperson Luvuyo Mjekula.

He alerted the police, and police dog Misha found the man in one of the shacks.

The 32-year-old man was also wanted for stealing money during a housebreaking in the area last month, said Mjekula.

He was expected to appear in the Port Alfred Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – In the biggest drugs bust so far this year, drugs with a street value of about R75m were seized in Kempton Park, on the East Rand, on Wednesday, the Hawks said.

A Nigerian and a Tanzanian man were found with 20kg of heroin, 15kg of cocaine, and 15kg of tik during a police operation on Wednesday.

“This is the biggest drug raid we have netted so far this year in terms of value. The men were closely monitored by crime intelligence officers for the past few months,” said Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramaloko.

They were expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court soon.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said he was pleased with the work done by the Hawks.

“We congratulate the Hawks. This latest drug bust is consistent with our resolve as government to crumble drug syndicates,” he said in a statement.

“That is why, during the last two years, 669 arrests were effected and about 298 804 847kg of drugs confiscated, with a monetary value of R95m.”

He said the Hawks shut down 41 laboratories during the year.

“The use of drugs has become an international challenge. The distribution and sale of drugs are also major contributory factors to gang wars.”

Mthethwa said his department had already launched a campaign to target the drug problem.

“From a policing perspective, our focus has shifted from targeting and arresting the sniffers towards crippling the drug syndicates,” he said.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) distanced itself on Wednesday from comments made by a member on Facebook.

“We want to place on record that comments or status updates made by individuals on social media, despite their affiliation to Popcru, do not represent the organisation’s stance,” the union said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) showed media a posting on Facebook by a person it claimed was a Popcru office bearer in Gauteng.

Numsa deputy general secretary Karl Cloete said the post contained a public threat to kill general secretary Irvin Jim.

The post read: “All of u can write what u like and say all manner of things, it will never deter us from our strategic alliance with the ANC, I’m saying it now that Irvin Jim is the most vitriolic political amoeba and must be expelled within our ranks.

“Thugs and criminals must be out rooted from society even if it means it’s yourselves who are chatting here we must deal with u to the extent of killing you if u pose threat to life, no apology.”

On Tuesday, Cloete said Numsa and its attorneys would lay a complaint with the Hawks.

“[The Hawks must] investigate the call for the killing of the Numsa general secretary,” he told reporters.

On Wednesday, Popcru said it did not approve of the statement on Facebook.

“We have no ill-intentions or wishes towards the Numsa general secretary,” the police union said.

– SAPA

By Obakeng Maje
Lichtenburg- Police are investigating a case of Culpable Homicide after a vehicle collided with a truck on Wednesday at about 12:00 on the R503 road between Lichtenburg and Coligny.

“It is alleged that a male (63) driver of a grey Nissan single cab lost control of the vehicle and collided head on with the truck of cements. The driver of the vehicle died on scene and the truck driver suffered minor injuries and was transported to Delareyville Hospital” sergeant Kealeboga Molale.
Investigations continues.-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Kimberley Police arrested four men on Tuesday, 26 November for allegedly stealing a laptop out of a Ford Fiesta which was parked in the Kimberley Central Business District (CBD).
The Kimberley Visible Policing Unit was busy with routine patrols at approximately 17:15 when they were stopped and informed about four men who broke into a Ford Fiesta. The men fled in a taxi.

Kock said the police stopped and searched the vehicle near the Big Hole and found the laptop wrapped in a t-shirt.

The four men were arrested and the laptop was handed back to the rightful owner.
“The police request that vehicle owner should be wary and not leave any valuables such as cellular phones, laptops, digital cameras and handbags inside their motor vehicles” lieutenant Sergio Kock said.

The four men aged between 20 and 30 will be appear in the Kimberley Magistrates’ Court soon.
The investigation continues.

North West Premier Thandi Modise has expressed optimism that North West residents in the affected wards would vote in their numbers in today’s by-elections.

“We hope that the bi-elections will be hassle free and that our people will vote in their numbers. We call on everybody residing in the wards involved to vote in order to determine representatives of their choice. This is what democracy is about!” said Premier Modise.

Two by-elections are taking place in the North West.

Ward one in Koster is uncontested, with Canney Thabo Jacobs of the ANC being the only candidate.

Ward six in Lichtenburg is contested by three political parties, namely the ANC, the DA, and the FF Plus.

The polling stations opened this morning and will close at 9pm.

Premier Modise said those who neglect to exercise their democratic rights would regret when they realise that they had the right to choose whoever they want but did not exercise it.

According to the Spokesperson for the Independent Electoral Commission Kate Bapela, they are expecting to announce the results at midnight, after counting and verification.-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Kimberley- The National Commissioner, General Riah Phiyega will be visiting the Northern Cape on Thursday in commemoration of 16 Days of Activism of No Crime Against Women and Children.

 
“National Commissioner will visits the families of an 87 year-old woman who was brutally raped and murdered in her house in Galeshewe on Sunday, 24 November 2013 and the family of a six year-old child who was also allegedly raped on Tuesday, 26 November 2013 by a known person” colonel Priscilla Naidu said.
Naidu said a church service will be held at 11:00 at the Assemblies of God at the cnr of Philipmphiya and Malebo Streets in Galeshewe.-TDN
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