Pretoria – Some families of deceased Marikana mineworkers were prejudiced at the Farlam Commission of Inquiry as they did not understand Afrikaans, a lawyer said on Friday.

Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza, for the families, brought the complaint shortly after the inquiry resumed its public hearings on Friday.

It was prompted by the fact that police Brigadier Adriaan Calitz testified exclusively in Afrikaans.

“I did not have a problem with translation… I have been approached by the families from Lesotho, who are saying ‘because the brigadier is insisting on speaking in Afrikaans, which apparently is his Constitutional right, Sesotho has been eliminated completely,” Ntsebeza said.

“There are three channels [of translation used at the commission] and the brigadier is speaking in Afrikaans, then there is a translation to English and another translation from English to IsiXhosa.”

Some of the families had been prejudiced, contended Ntsebeza, saying five families had raised the complaint.

Commission chair, retired Judge Ian Farlam, then translated Calitz’s brief testimony.

“He was telling us about the experience he has had, which he referred to yesterday about a riotous incident. He particularly told us about an incident in May last year when there was a strike and there was disorder,” Farlam said.

“Police ran out of bullets in the incident.”

Farlam said perhaps arrangements would be made to cater for the Sotho-speaking families next week.

“We will see what we can do, if it’s possible to do something. [We may] provide for a third translation service just for those five people, I am not sure whether we can do that,” he said.

“We may have to resort to translating the transcript to them when it becomes available.”

Translators

Head of the evidence leaders, Geoff Budlender, said translators at the commission had complained that Calitz, apart from answering quickly to the questions, also spoke too quickly.

On Friday, some people in the auditorium were dressed in Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters party regalia.

In May, the commission heard that Calitz gave the order for police to “engage” the striking Marikana miners in August last year.

A video clip taken from a helicopter that Calitz was in during the police’s dispersal operation at Marikana was played for the commission.

“Get out there and engage,” Calitz is heard saying on the clip.

Calitz was one of the commanders assigned to the Marikana operation.

Another police officer, Major General Charl Annandale, who was under cross-examination at the time, confirmed Calitz’s voice was audible in the clip.

“That was Papa one, Brigadier Calitz,” said Annandale.

Response team

Annandale headed the police tactical response team during the wage-related unrest at Lonmin’s platinum mining operations at Marikana, near Rustenburg in North West last year.

He said he was at the joint operations centre listening to the police radio when the instruction was given.

The three-member commission is holding public hearings in Centurion.

The other commissioners are senior advocates Bantubonke Tokota and Pingla Hemraj.

Thirty-four people, mostly striking miners, were shot dead on 16 August 2012 and 78 were wounded when police fired on them while trying to disperse and disarm a group which had gathered on a hill near the mine.

In the preceding week, 10 people, including two policeman and two security guards, were hacked to death near the mine.

President Jacob Zuma appointed the commission in August last year.

SAPA

A woman has been arrested following the death of her prematurely born baby in Mount Moriah, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Friday.

Police spokesperson Thulani Zwane said the 32-year-old woman was taken into custody on Wednesday.

She gave birth three months prematurely. Zwane said people heard the baby crying in a plastic bag on the road near the woman’s house.

“Police went to the scene and found the baby boy wrapped in a grey blanket. He was still alive and was taken to hospital.”

He died later in hospital.

The woman was expected to appear in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Czech businessman Radovan Krejcir was arrested on charges of attempted murder and kidnapping on Friday, Eyewitness News reported.

According to the report, the details were sketchy.

Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramaloko told Sapa he was not aware of the arrest, but would try and find out about it.

Gauteng police referred all questions to the Hawks.

SAPS tweeted that they will host a press conference on Krejcir’s arrest at noon on Saturday, 23 November.

Last Tuesday, two people died and five were injured in an explosion at Krejcir’s business, Money Point, in Befordview, on the East Rand.

In July, Krejcir was the target of an apparent assassination attempt outside Money Point.

Moments after he got out of his car, a remote-controlled gun installed behind the number plate of a car parked near his fired at him.

Krejcir escaped unharmed.

The SA Revenue Service said last Friday that all Krejcir’s assets had been placed under the control of a curator.

SAPA

Johannesburg-South African U17 Women’s National team (Bantwana) head coach Sheryl Botes has warned the players against complacency if they are to book their seats to the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup final in Costa Rica next year.

The South Africans play host to Zambia in a crucial qualifier on Sunday at the BidVest Stadium, kick-off at 15h00.

The Bantwana squad knows what to expect following their 3-3 draw against Zambia in the first leg clash played two weeks ago and they remain confident ahead of the do-or-die clash.

The coach was impressed with the overall performance of her team in their practice match against the Diambars U16 boys.

“We have one more training session and with each day we have realized the importance of the upcoming qualifier. With the practice match they played I could see that they applied the techniques we covered during our training sessions and we will need to carry that into the match on Sunday.

“Now that all the players are done with exams, we have a full complement of players in camp and are fully focused on the mission ahead. Like I’ve said before, we can’t bank on the results of the previous match, we need to score goals as early as the opening minutes of the game to unsettle the Zambians and have a better command of the game. We also hope for a huge attendance to boost the girls’ confidence as we look to qualify for the World Cup,” said the Bantwana mentor.

Bantwana will have their final training session at the match venue on Saturday (23 November) afternoon.-TDN

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Johannesburg – Probing upgrades to President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla home formed part of the checks and balances of a constitutional democracy, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said on Friday.

“I have noted that many are still stuck in ‘pre-Constitution thinking’, where unique institutions, such as my office, that are neither courts nor tribunals, are not fully understood,” she said at the University of Stellenbosch School of Public Leadership, according to notes supplied by her office.

Misunderstanding the checks and balances offered by constitutional institutions, such as the public protector’s office, limited the extent to which they could help improve governance.

She was speaking at a conference about ways to make national development planning work.

Madonsela cited the recent debate about her provisional report on the R206m security upgrade of Zuma’s private Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal.

She agreed that the power to decide on security matters belonged to Cabinet and Parliament.

“But the power to determine whether or not that power has been exercised in accordance with the law belongs to my office, other competent bodies, and ultimately the courts,” she said.

“That is the impact of the additional checks and balances that the framers of our Constitution added in order to reinforce our fledgling constitutional democracy.”

Investigation

Madonsela told a media briefing on Wednesday that government had tried to obstruct her investigation into the improvements at Nkandla in many ways, including accusing her of conducting parallel investigations.

Last Friday, she received a 28-page submission from Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa on behalf of the ministers in the security cluster stating their concerns on potential security risks posed by her provisional report.

Madonsela said she would amend the provisional report where she saw fit. If she needed to consult on the ministerial objections, she would not talk to the ministers, but to security experts nominated by the state.

This was after the security cluster ministers took her to court to secure more time to study her report than the five days she had allowed.

On Thursday, State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele said it had not been Cabinet’s intention to politicise the report.

“All that we are doing, we are exercising our constitutional mandate in terms of section 198 of the Constitution, which says national executive and Parliament have got the responsibility to uphold national security, including that of the head of state, the president,” he said.

“It is not optional, we are constitutionality obliged.”

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A man was shot and robbed of R400 000 after withdrawing the cash from a bank at Fourways mall, north of Johannesburg, police said on Friday.

“He was accosted by suspects as he walked towards his car. They shot at him and got away with the cash,” said police spokesperson Warrant Officer Balan Muthan.

The man was taken to hospital for treatment.

Muthan said it was not clear how many people were involved in the robbery.

Investigations continued.

– SAPA

Pretoria – Textbooks have been delivered to all provinces, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Friday.

“We are at 90%, there have been slight delays in Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, we are monitoring the situation,” she said.

“We are confident that by the start of the school year all learners will have a textbook in their hand.”

She said the department aimed to have one textbook per child per subject by 2014.

She said more than 50 million workbooks were distributed every year.

“We have made huge inroads into the distribution of learning and teaching support material.”

Motshekga said her department spent R70m to distribute workbooks this year.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Two men were arrested for being in possession of dagga in Aliwal North on Friday, Eastern Cape police said.

Police officer Cynthia Handile said police pulled over a bakkie in the Hilton area and found 12 bags of dagga with an estimated street value of R273 000.

The men, aged between 35 and 38, were expected to appear in the Aliwal North Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Two people accused of fraud and money laundering along with a manager at Czech businessman Radovan Krejcir’s business Money Point were granted bail on Friday.

Absa bank employees Naledi Clifford None, 26, and Dimakatso Surprise Kunupi, 32, were released on R3 000 bail each by the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court.

Magistrate Brian Nemavhidi instructed them to be back in court on 4 February.

Kunupi was fired following an internal disciplinary hearing. None was suspended. They were arrested on 20 November.

Savov in court

Proceedings to deal with Krejcir’s manager, Ivan Savov, and a fourth accused, Absa bank employee, Voyolwethu Vuyo Koboka, were expected to continue later in the day.

Earlier, Savov, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, walked down the corridor taking small steps because of the shackles around his ankles. He was flanked by his co-accused who tried to shy away from the cameras. The four sat in a corner of the courtroom as they waited for proceedings to start.

Johan Schaefer, for Kunupi, said she had done nothing wrong, but was negligent by giving Koboka her access card and passwords to authorise certain transactions.

“My client blew the whistle on Vuyo [Koboka]. We have evidence available that he is a liar,” said Schaefer.

In their affidavits submitted to court as part of their bail applications, both None and Kunupi denied knowing Savov.

Victor Mashele, for None, said his client was Koboka’s manager in a bank at one stage.

R12m

Prosecutor Richard Tshabalala said the charges against the four involved more than R12m.

Savov and Koboka are accused of fraud and money laundering. They were arrested on 14 November.

During his last court appearance on Tuesday, the State asked the home affairs department how Savov had secured a South African identity document.

Piet du Plessis, for Savov, said the matter had been under investigation since February, and the State should therefore be aware of Savov’s status in the country.

According to the draft charge sheet, Koboka allegedly made unauthorised transfers amounting to R12m between 26 January and 2 February from an account held by Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts.

The money was allegedly transferred to an attorney’s account before being moved into Savov’s bank account.

On 12 November, two people died and five were injured in an explosion at Money Point, in Bedfordview, on the East Rand. The charges against Savov and Koboka are not related to the blast.

After None and Kunupi were granted bail court was briefly adjourned before the bail applications of Savov and Koboka.

It was unclear when proceedings would continue.

– SAPA

Durban – At least 14 people are feared to have been killed when a minibus taxi crashed into a stationary truck, near Umkomaas, on Friday, KwaZulu-Natal traffic officials said.

Provincial Road Traffic Inspectorate spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu said it was believed that 14 people were killed in the accident on the R102.

“There are about 14 bodies, but they are mangled with the wreckage. That is why we are not sure.”

She said the driver of the taxi had been arrested for driving under the influence.

– SAPA