Cape Town – Police officers and social workers should treat abuse and rape cases with more seriousness, a ministerial committee said on Wednesday.

“We cannot continue having social workers, police officers and health workers who treat issues of domestic violence as a private matter,” the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Violence against Women and Children said in a statement.

“There is evidence that victims reported cases of domestic violence to police or social workers, but their pleas for help fell  on deaf ears or they were told to resolve the matter with their partners.”

The IMC is led by Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini and comprises the ministers of women, justice, health, home affairs, police, and basic education.

At a meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday, the committee noted. there were tougher laws to protect women and children, but police and social workers did not treat cases of rape and abuse seriously.

This also resulted in secondary victimisation of those who reported such crimes.

The committee said it would push for prevention and early intervention to protect women and children against the scourge.

“It (IMC) noted that while government has enacted various pieces  of legislation to provide better protection for women and children,  there was a need to move from policy to action…”

Several reserach reports, including a study done by the Medical Research Council (MRC), on gaps in government response to the problem came under discussion.

“It (MRC report) noted that there was a myriad of research around men and what causes them to behave violently but strong focus was required to educate the girl child of her responsibilities to protect herself,” the statement said.

Several cases of the rape and murder of young women dominated newspaper headlines earlier this month.

On February 1, 17-year old Anene Booysen was gang raped and disembowelled.

She died in hospital shortly afterwards.

The case has sparked a wave of public protest. – Sapa

Pretoria – Prosecutor Gerrie Nel was caught unawares when reports surfaced that the investigator in the Oscar Pistorius case was himself charged with attempted murder, the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court heard on Thursday.

“We didn’t know,” said Nel.

He continued: “We have heard that he will appear in May.”

Magistrate Desmond Nair then asked that Hilton Botha be fetched, and he called for an adjournment for this purpose.

This followed reports that Botha faces attempted murder charges for allegedly shooting at a taxi.

Nair asked about the incident.

Nel said it happened in December 2011 and that the matter was on the court roll until March 2012. It was then withdrawn, but was later reinstated.

Nel said Botha was in the building and would be fetched.

Pistorius is charged with murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, which he has denied in an affidavit. – Sapa

A woman’s surprise request to address the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on athlete Oscar Pistorius’ “mental state” was quickly turned down on Thursday.

The woman, who said she was an attorney, described herself in her application as: “Annamarie, last name uncertain, previously Riethmiller… ex-wife of Oscar Pistorius’ orthopaedic surgeon Dr Gerald Versfeld.”

She said it was a Constitutional matter, but Magistrate Desmond Nair quickly dismissed the application.

She said she would appeal, which Nair said she could do if she wanted to.

Pistorius is charged with murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, which he has denied in an affidavit.

According to the document “Annamarie” handed to lawyers for the State and defence, the “urgent” motion: “is to have accused, Oscar Pistorius, examined for 60 days under observation by a panel of independent psychiatrist, for such psychiatrist to determine Pistorius’ sanity at the time of (by own admission) causing the death of Reeva Steenkamp, and for such panel of independent psychiatrists to provide this court with their reports and opinions as to whether or not Oscar Pistorius [has] the mental capacity to understand his conduct in respect to the victim herein, Reeva Steenkamp, instruct attorneys and advocates, and to be a reliable witness.”

She also wanted Nair removed.

She was of the opinion Pistorius was “acting outside his natural character” and was “mentally insane” when Steenkamp entered his home on February 13, the night before the shooting.

The court had to consider a motion for the case to be heard in camera, and for the media to stop making “a circus” of the judicial system, she said in the document. – Sapa

Rustenburg – A two-year-old boy died in hospital in Rustenburg after his father allegedly gave him poison, North West police said on Thursday.

Colonel Emelda Setlhako said the father allegedly locked himself and the boy in a toilet at their home in Sunrise near Rustenburg and drank the poison on Tuesday.

“The mother found them vomiting and rushed them to the hospital. The boy died on arrival,” she said.

She said the man was under police guard in hospital and would be charged with murder once he was discharged. – Sapa

Johannesburg – They were just a few kilometres from their school when they were killed.

Hours later, a sponsor would pledge to fund their school fees so they could continue to receive an education that their family could not afford, unaware that the two girls had been killed in a horrific crash.

Cousins Celiwe and Lerato Msimango died in a pile-up in the south of Joburg on Tuesday afternoon when a truck ploughed into the car they were in, as well as three other vehicles, about 3.5km from their school.

They were being driven home by their grandmother, who also died in the crash.

Meanwhile, the driver of the truck has been arrested and charged with five counts of culpable homicide and reckless driving, according to Joburg metro police department (JMPD) spokesman Wayne Minnaar.

The cousins, as well as a third girl, had been in Grade 8 at Covenant College since the beginning of the year with the help of a sponsor. The sponsorship was organised by their former teacher as their families could not afford the school fees. But their place there had been cast in doubt after the funding was recently withdrawn.

A teacher from the girls’ school had managed to find another sponsor to keep the girls at their current school by appealing to listeners of a Talk Radio 702 show on Tuesday night.

She was unaware that the girls had been killed at that point and was informed of the crash only at 1am on Wednesday.

“At last, when we think there is light at the end of the tunnel (for them), and now this happens,” said their former headmaster at Spectrum Primary School, Sam Nenngwekhulu.

He said the girls were from a “really remote area that is poverty stricken”, near Ennerdale. 

The crash happened in Kibler Park, at the corner of Main and Peggy Vera roads, when an 18-wheeler truck ploughed into four cars.

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Johannesburg – The lead detective investigating murder charges against Oscar Pistorius has been dropped from the case after it emerged he himself faces seven attempted murder charges, local media reported.

Hilton Botha “cannot continue with this case,” a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority told Eyewitness News.

On Thursday morning police confirmed Botha has seven charges of attempted murder against him.

“Yes. It is one case with seven charges of attempted murder,” said Gauteng police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila.

He said Botha was first charged back in 2009 but the charges were then provisionally withdrawn. The matter was then referred to the director of public prosecutions (DPP).

“It was only yesterday [Wednesday] that we were informed by the DPP that he is being charged,” he said.

“If we have an (investigating officer) that’s facing such serious charges it cannot happen that he continues with this case, the NPA was quoted as saying.

Police have yet to confirm whether or not Botha has been dropped from the case.

According to Eyewitness News, the charges are related to a shooting incident which occurred while Botha was allegedly drunk.

It is alleged that three policemen, including Botha, were drunk while driving a state vehicle when they opened fire on a minibus taxi loaded with passengers.

The EWN report quoted Malila as saying: “There was a decision taken by the DPP’s office to charge the members, each one of them with seven counts of attempted murder. That was the number of people that were in the taxi.”

The detective and two other officers are due to appear in court in May, EWN said. – Sapa, IOL, AFP

Potchefstroom – Two women distracted a Potchefstroom supermarket guard with conversation and possibly a drugged soft drink, before they robbed the shop with the help of two men, Beeld reported on Thursday.

North West police spokeswoman Captain Adele Myburgh said the robbery, at the Spar in Baillie Park, happened on Tuesday night after closing time.

“The two women initially asked the guard if they could use the toilet. They then chatted him up, and offered him a soft drink.”

The guard reportedly started feeling drowsy a short while later, and told police that two men had joined the women.

They tied up the guard and knocked him over the head, after which he lost consciousness.

“The robbers gained access to the shop through the ceiling and took an undisclosed amount of money from the safe. The owners still have to assess their stock to see if anything else was stolen,” Myburgh said.

The incapacitated guard was discovered by a colleague who arrived to relieve him the next morning.

No arrests have been made.

Sapa

The provincial ANC leadership has indicated that all those arrested in connection with party regional secretary, Obuti Chika’s murder should face the full might of the law regardless of their standing in the organisation.

This came after three of the six arrested suspects being confirmed as ANC leaders with positions of influence in communities.

One of them, Papiki Baboile, 27, is provincial chairperson of one of the ANCYL factions. The other two are party ward secretary in Klerksdorp, Paul Molomonyane, 33, and councillor Itumeleng Nolabatsi, 50.

Together with other suspects, the three face a charge of premeditated murder and speculation is rife that some more senior party members would be arrested in connection with the case.

They would appear for bail application February 27.

Meanwhile, the Hawks continue to dangle a R200000 reward for anyone who would come up with information that would lead to the successful arrest and prosecution of the suspect(s).

Provincial ANC spokesperson, Kenny Morolong, said that no one was above the law and the party would want to see justice done on the matter.

“Chika was a devoted activist and a distinguished leader of our movement whose passion for justice was inspiring. Those who assassinated him have robbed this country of great potential and his loss is still deeply felt within structures of our movement,” Morolong said.

He indicated that while due space should be given to those investigating the case, the party remained disturbed by the murder of Chika.

“While we believe in the principle of presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, we are equally of a view that no one is above the law, and whoever is responsible for death of our comrade must face the full might of the law, regardless of the social standing or even position in the ANC,” Morolong said.

“Chika’s family needs to see justice prevailing for they have lost someone who meant everything to them, a child, brother, husband and father.”

Chika, 33, died on December 14 last year after he was shot at point-blank range in the driveway of his home in Alabama, Klerksdorp.

For more details go to http://www.thenewage.co.za

Human settlements MEC Nono Maloyi expressed satisfaction that housing backlogs could soon be a thing of the past if his department performed like it did during this financial year.

This comes after 11500 housing units were built against the 10900 mark that had been set for the 2012-13 financial year.

Maloyi said that if this pace of delivery was maintained, the department would be able to eradicate informal settlements and clear backlogs.

Addressing a departmental management meeting, Maloyi said the performance meant that the conditional grant, often rolled back to treasury had been well spent in the North West.

“I am pleased by the manner in which we have performed in this ending financial year. We should however continue to deliver habitable quality houses to all deserving legible beneficiaries,” he said.

The MEC further emphasised that human settlement was not just about building houses as it used to be in the past.

“Our role is about transforming cities and towns and building cohesive, sustainable and caring communities with closer access to work and social amenities, including sports and recreation facilities. Through this affirmation, it has become increasingly important for us to ensure that the paradigm shift from the provision of housing to the creation of sustainable human settlements is attained.

“The concept ensures that there should be a serious integration within deferent spheres of government,” he said.

Maloyi said his department was further excited by the progress made on the eradication of informal settlements in the province, despite what he called pockets of “continuous mushrooming of such settlements”.

He said that the department would work together with various mining houses in the province to make sure that informal settlements were completely eradicated.

He added that it was important that entities like municipalities monitored and strengthened their by-laws to curb the ever recurring problem of informal settlements.

For more details go to http://www.thenewage.co.za