Johannesburg – Prosecutor Louis Mashiane and a witness were threatened, allegedly by Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir and his three co-accused, the Palm Ridge Regional Court heard on Monday.

Investigating officer Mashudu Freddy Ramuhala read statements by the two individuals.

Mashiane said he received a call from a private number while driving from Limpopo to Gauteng two weeks ago, and was told not to oppose bail in the Krejcir matter.

“The caller said if I knew what was good for me I would not oppose bail.”

Mashiane did not answer another private line call later.

“I suspected that the person who called wanted to intimidate me so that I should not oppose bail for Krejcir,” read Mashiane’s statement.

Krejcir, Desai Luphondo and two members of the specialist police unit the Hawks – Warrant Officers Samuel Modise Maropeng and George Jeff Nthoroane – are applying for bail.

They were arrested last month and face charges of kidnapping, assault and attempted murder for an incident that allegedly happened in June.

Another statement read on Monday was that of an unidentified witness who was told at a meeting by a man, also unidentified, that Luphondo had called from prison and said he knew the witness was the one who had caused the arrest.

The witness was told “they were going to show” him.

At a follow-up meeting, he saw the accused were no longer cross with him because they realised he was the one who could save them.

The witness received a call from an unknown number in which he was instructed to “leave the white man alone”.

The four accused sat calmly in the dock and listened to proceedings, watched closely by armed police officers. Luphondo kept taking notes.

Their relatives arrived shortly before the case started.

Maropeng kept himself busy by reading a copy of Drum magazine during a short break.

Krejcir’s wife Katerina Krejcirova wore a white jacket and jeans and sat next to their son, Dennis.

The bail hearing continues. – Sapa

Former president Nelson Mandela was the father of the nation, the country’s leader and an icon, North West legislature speaker Supra Mahumapelo said on Saturday.

“Motivated by his love for humanity, president Mandela ensured that even though government was under the rule of the majority, it remained accountable to the people,” he said.

Mandela epitomised transformational leadership whose values transcended beyond his own need for the greater good of humanity.

“In his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 1993, Mandela urged the rest of the world to fight racism, wherever it found resonance,” said Mahumapelo.

“Under his presidency, we (saw) the enactment and the repeal of discriminatory laws which sought to divide the people of our country along racial lines.”

North West had benefited from Mandela’s commitment and contribution to South Africa’s liberation struggle and it was now a place for all South Africans, where everyone’s potential was realised.

“Equally, the fruits of democracy have restored our dignity as a people,” said Mahumapelo.

“As the North West provincial legislature, we have learned from Nelson Mandela’s leadership which is underpinned by generosity of spirit, authenticity and moral authority that transcends human divisiveness.” – Sapa

Johannesburg – Members of the EFF gathered at Maponya Mall in Soweto ahead of visiting Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to pay tribute to her ex-husband, former president Nelson Mandela, on Sunday.

The party’s Gauteng provincial command team wore their signature red T-shirts and berets. About 100 of them stood in small groups in the parking area, music playing from their cars. Some sat on camping chairs drinking soft drinks, while others ate.

Economic Freedom Fighters stickers adorned the cars and berets were on sale.

“From here we will have a convoy to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s house to pass our condolences and message of support,” provincial convenor Mgcini Tshwaku said.

He said Madikizela-Mandela lost her husband three times.

“First was when he went to prison, when they divorced, and now.”

She was banned and banished to Brandfort in the Free State for her opposition to apartheid and for lobbying for her then-husband to be released from prison.

The party’s members sang freedom songs about Mandela and Madikizela-Mandela as they prepare leave.

“Hake hopola Winnie le Mandela ke hlakana hlooho,” they sang in SeTswana, meaning “when I think of Winnie and Mandela I go crazy”.

Shoppers stood and watched.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday encouraged South Africans to emulate former president Nelson Mandela.

Speaking at interfaith prayers at the Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg, Ramaphosa said Mandela had left ANC members with a legacy of loyalty, discipline, tolerance and unity.

President Jacob Zuma had been scheduled to speak at the event, but was held up with Mandela’s memorial and burial plans, said Ramaphosa.

He said he was sure that Mandela would find members of the ANC waiting for him in heaven.

“Mandela will find a branch of the ANC,” said Ramaphosa.

“They will roll out a red carpet and say Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, welcome home.”

Mandela had once said that if he died and went to heaven, when he got there, he would search for a branch of the ANC.

ANC anti-apartheid stalwarts Oliver Tambo, Lilian Ngoyi, Joe Slovo, and Walter Sisulu would also be there, said Ramaphosa.

He hailed Madiba as the only leader who was able to bring change to the country and the world.

Ramaphosa encouraged people to celebrate Mandela’s life.

“We must celebrate with the knowledge that he is going home,” said Ramaphosa.

Besides freedom, Mandela had brought education, housing and electricity to the people of South Africa.

Speaking about Mandela’s passing, Ramaphosa said Madiba had prepared the nation for it.

“He had a plan to prepare us for him leaving us,” said Ramaphosa.

He said the nation was struck by sadness when Mandela was hospitalised earlier in the year but that was his way of letting the nation know that he was leaving soon.

The ailing former statesman died in his Houghton home on Thursday.

He was 95.

“He would have expected us to work diligently and continue to build this country,” said Ramaphosa.

Also at the event was the African National Congress Gauteng chairman Paul Mashatile.

He said he chose to remember Mandela in song and spoke very briefly.

He sang along and danced as hymns were sung by the religious organisations.

“Today we are a free people, united in our diversity by Nelson Mandela,” said Mashatile.

Hundreds of people, mostly ANC members attended the service.

Most were in their ANC T-shirts as well as the ANC Women’s League uniform.

Others were dressed in uniforms from their various churches.

The Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Baha’i and other African faiths were represented.

A large banner with a picture of a smiling Mandela hung from the arena’s roof. Large posters with some of Mandela’s quotes were placed at the front of the arena.

One read: “I am the captain of my soul”, and another: “Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.”

Religious speakers hailed Mandela as a good leader who had united the country.

“He believed religion was part of democracy,” said a Muslim man.

Mandela will be buried in the Eastern Cape on 15 December.
-SAPA

Havana – Cuban President Raul Castro will attend the funeral of South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, state media reported on Sunday.

It was unlikely, however, that Castro’s ailing older brother Fidel, the Cuban communist revolutionary leader, would make the long trip to pay final respects to his long-time friend.

Castro will be accompanied on his visit by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, according to the official statement read on television.

The Cuban authorities had decreed three days of national mourning in tribute to Mandela, a “close friend” of Cuba, where he paid one of his first foreign visits after he was released from 27 years in prison for anti-apartheid activities.

About 400 000 Cuban troops fought in Angola during the 1980s and defeated the South African Army in a battle that helped trigger the fall of the apartheid regime.

Castro’s arch-rival US President Barack Obama – and three other former leaders of the United States, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter – are set to attend services in honor of Mandela.

On Tuesday, around 80 000 people are expected to attend a memorial service for the anti-apartheid hero at the Soweto sports stadium that hosted the final of the 2010 World Cup.

Presidents, religious leaders and cultural figureheads from all corners of the world are expected for the funeral, which will see a cortege with Mandela’s coffin pass through the streets of Pretoria on three consecutive days.

The memorials and events will culminate in Mandela’s burial on December 15 in his boyhood home of Qunu.

It’s an emotional time for South Africans, and many around the world. Share your fondest memories of Madiba with us by either e-mailing or uploading.

– AFP

Jerusalem – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided not to attend a memorial service for Nelson Mandela this week because it is too expensive to travel to South Africa, Israeli media reported Sunday.

Netanyahu had notified the South African authorities that he would fly in but cancelled his plans at the last minute due to the costs involved – $2 million for his transport and security alone, public radio and the Haaretz daily reported.

“The decision was made in light of the high transportation costs resulting from the short notice of the trip and the security required for the prime minister in Johannesburg,” Haaretz reported.

The Israeli leader has been in the spotlight recently with revelations that taxpayers dished out almost $1 million last year to maintain his three residences.

The media highlighted a bill of $23 000 for water to fill a swimming pool at his villa in Caesarea in the country’s north.

More than 50 heads of state and government have confirmed their intentions to travel to South Africa to pay their respects to the anti-apartheid hero who died last Thursday, South Africa’s foreign ministry has said.

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will be among 80 000 people attending a vast memorial service Tuesday in the Soweto sports stadium that hosted the 2010 World Cup final.

The commemorations will culminate with Mandela’s burial on December 15 in Qunu – the rural village where he spent his early childhood.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has announced that he will attend Tuesday’s memorial service.

Israeli leaders have paid warm homage to the former South African president who died after a long illness at the aged of 95.

Netanyahu paid tribute to Mandela as “a man of vision and a freedom fighter who disavowed violence”.

But some commentators have noted that Israel maintained close relations with the apartheid-era regime until the United States said the ties could threaten Washington’s generous annual military aid to the Jewish state.

After his release from 27 years incarceration in 1990, Mandela, who first visited Israel and the Palestinian territories in 1999, was an ardent supporter of the Palestinian cause but also a firm believer that Israelis would ultimately take the path of peace.

“In my experience I have found Jews to be more broadminded than most whites on issues of race and politics, perhaps because they themselves have historically been victims of prejudice,” Mandela wrote in his 1994 autobiography.

South African Jews played a prominent role in the struggle against apartheid, among them late communist leader Joe Slovo, who headed the ANC’s military wing.

It’s an emotional time for South Africans, and many around the world. Share your fondest memories of Madiba with us by either e-mailing or uploading.

– AFP

Johannesburg – Two decades ago in Oslo, Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk stood side by side in Oslo and accepted the Nobel peace prize, a moment that epitomised the reconciliation of enemies.

But that powerful gesture of forgiveness on December 10, 1993 might never have happened.

When it became clear that Mandela would receive the prestigious award in tandem with a man who ensured he spent 27 years in prison, he came under fierce pressure to decline.

When the telephone rang on October 15, 1993 with the Nobel committee’s decision, “the reaction was quite strong and some of us were very hesitant about supporting the joint thing with De Klerk,” Tokyo Sexwale told AFP.

“We were, some of us, very concerned. We can’t have Nelson Mandela, such an icon, receiving this thing with his oppressor,” said Sexwale.

The situation was fraught.

Talks with De Klerk’s government were already at an advanced stage, and the two men often sparred bitterly.

All-race elections had been slated for April the following year.

Meanwhile supporters from the ANC and Zulu party Inkatha were killing each other in the streets, and die-hard apartheid supporters were thought to be fanning the violence.

“Remember, there was a lot of violence in South Africa,” said Sexwale.

Thousands died in clashes in the four years up to the 1994-polls.

At the same time there was a lot of bitterness toward the apartheid government, which had assassinated many ANC activists, said Sexwale.

“We suffered, we had family members killed, friends assassinated. We saw apartheid bombing our offices,” he recalled.

“So how do you reconcile with this people?”

ANC leaders pointed out that Albert Luthuli and Anglican bishop Desmond Tutu had won the prize earlier as individuals.

“So we were saying, Nelson Mandela doesn’t need it with another person, and above all with a man who has just jailed him,” said Sexwale.

“But it’s (Mandela) himself who convinced us about the correctness of what was happening.

“Reconciliation is not an easy thing. So we had to show that a De Klerk can be embraced.”

“It was used by Mandela as a tool to show the example of his dialogue and leadership,” Sexwale remembered.

Meanwhile the reaction at the then-president’s office was the opposite.

“I phoned to say I had good news from Oslo,” De Klerk’s former aide Dave Steward said.

“He was delighted,” despite boos from some Norwegians when De Klerk greeted the crowds with Mandela from a hotel balcony in Oslo on December 10, 1993.

“It was a very happy moment full of hope in a period that wasn’t easy,” Steward added.

Mandela’s friend Nadine Gordimer, a recent Nobel literature laureate, travelled to Oslo, along with Mandela’s lawyer George Bizos.

“It was a kind of betrayal to see he had to share and to see the apartheid president had something to share with Mandela,” the 90-year-old writer told AFP.

In his speech De Klerk emphasised the “change of heart” from both sides.

Mandela praised “the common humanity that bonds both black and white into one human race”.

He saluted his “compatriot and fellow laureate”, who “had the courage to admit that a terrible wrong had been done to our country and people through the imposition of the system of apartheid.”

Neither man had access to the other’s Nobel acceptance lecture beforehand.

It’s an emotional time for South Africans, and many around the world. Share your fondest memories of Madiba with us by either e-mailing or uploading.

– AFP

Johannesburg – Former president Thabo Mbeki on Sunday challenged South Africa’s leadership to ask if they are living up to Nelson Mandela’s standards, in an apparent public challenge to his ANC comrades.

Mbeki – who succeed Mandela as president in 1999 and was ultimately ousted by Jacob Zuma in a party coup – questioned whether current leaders were living up to Mandela’s values.

“I think to celebrate his life properly we need to ask ourselves a question about the quality of leadership,” Mbeki told a prayer gathering at the Oxford Shul synagogue in Johannesburg.

“To say: ‘to what extent are we measuring up to the standard they (Nelson Mandela and his generation) set in terms of the quality of leadership?'”

Nepotism, corruption

The leadership of the ruling African National Congress, previously headed by Mandela and Mbeki, has come under increasing fire over claims of nepotism and corruption.

The ANC under Zuma is preparing for national elections next year even as he faces accusations of using over R200m worth of taxpayer money on upgrading his private residence.

Mbeki said the remaining task of transforming South Africa into a truly free, fair and equal society was “in many respects more difficult than the struggle to end the system of apartheid”.

“Surely that must mean that therefore this challenge of leadership becomes much more important, much more complex in the context of what needs to be done,” he added.

Mandela values

Mbeki said South Africans must examine their loyalty to the values that Nelson Mandela and his generation had espoused.

“Are we in whatever echelon of our society, whatever we are doing in politics, in business, in unions, in civil society … do we have the quality of leadership such as was exemplified by Mandela and others, sufficient to respond to the challenges we face?” he said.

“As we celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela this becomes a central task, that we reflect on what needs to be done to sustain his legacy, to ensure that we do not betray what he and others sacrificed for, what he and others stood for.”

– Friends, colleagues, comrades and family of Nelson Mandela are invited to share their memories and tributes, and to light a candle for him, on his profile at Remembered.co.za.

– AFP

Johannesburg – At least 41 trains will be transporting mourners to the memorial service of former president Nelson Mandela, Metrorail said on Sunday night.

The trains, which have the capacity to transport between 60 000 and 80 000 people from all over Gauteng, will be free of charge, it said in a statement.

“Metrorail will provide a safe, reliable, efficient and hassle-free transport service to thousands of mourners expected to attend the official memorial service to reflect on Madiba’s life and his contribution to the world.

“Metrorail invites Gauteng residents to make use of the available trains to share in the sombre… occasion of the loss of the African jewel and rejoice in commemorating the legacy and life of our first democratically elected transformational leader.”

Mandela died at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, on Thursday night at the age of 95.

The memorial service will be held at the FNB stadium on Tuesday. The train service will run from 05:00.

Metrorail said it would also transport passengers to the overflow venues – Ellis Park Stadium, Orlando Stadium and the Dobsonville Stadium.

Autopax, a subsidiary of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA, has also made 300 buses available to transport dignitaries to the FNB stadium.

Friends, colleagues, comrades and family of Nelson Mandela are invited to share their memories and tributes, and to light a candle for him, on his profile at Remembered.co.za.

– Share your memories of Nelson Mandela with us.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – More than 70 heads of state and government are expected in South Africa this week to attend funeral events for former president Nelson Mandela, with most due to attend a huge memorial service in Johannesburg on Tuesday, officials said.

“The whole world is coming to South Africa,” foreign ministry spokesperson Clayson Monyela said.

After what has been billed as one of the largest gatherings of global leaders in recent history, only a handful of dignitaries would go to Sunday’s state burial in Mandela’s ancestral home of Qunu in the Eastern Cape, he added.

“We’re trying to keep that to the family,” Monyela told Talk Radio 702.

It’s an emotional time for South Africans, and many around the world. Share your fondest memories of Madiba with us by either e-mailing or uploading.

– Reuters