Johannesburg – A man was shot dead and another injured shortly after midnight while setting off fireworks in Moletsane, Soweto, Gauteng police said on Wednesday.
A white VW Golf approached a group of people lighting fireworks and its occupants shot at them, Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela said.
It was not clear how many people were in the car. The car, without number plates, sped off.
Police opened a case of murder and attempted murder.
SAPA
A police officer has been found hanged from a tree next to the Midway railway station in Soweto, Gauteng police said on Thursday.
“He was a 51-year-old warrant office stationed at the Orlando police station,” Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela said.
“We are investigating an inquest docket as we don’t know what happened as yet.”
The police officer was found during Wednesday night.
His family asked that his name not be released to the public.
-Sapa
Johannesburg – Five Kaizer Chiefs players failed to pitch for the 23-man Bafana Bafana squad’s camp in Cape Town on Thursday, ahead of CAF’s African Champions tournament (CHAN), starting on 11 January.
“I’m waiting for the Chiefs’ contingent to make an appearance. Everything was sorted out. There is no reason why they should not be here,” said Bafana coach Gordon Igesund.
A simmering, potentially explosive controversy about whether the reigning Premier League champions would release Siphiwe Tshabalala, Itumeleng Khune, Bernard Parker, Tsepo Masilela and Tefo Mashamaite had apparently been settled.
“We are in discussions with Chiefs over the issue,” said Safa media director, Dominic Chimhavi.
“At this point there are no problems over the 18 other players who will be representing South Africa in the Caf tournament,” he said.
The PSL clubs are not obliged to release their players for CHAN, a 16-nation event limited to home-based players, which is not recognised as an official tournament by Fifa.
As a result of a backlog in fixtures, notably involving Orlando Pirates, The Buccaneers and their opponents in Premier League matches coinciding with CHAN were released from joining the Bafana squad under what SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan described as “a mutually acceptable and amicable settlement.”
Under the agreement between Safa and the PSL, the Premier League clash between Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns was switched from 18 January to 23 January.
Provocative stance
Players were temporarily released from the Bafana squad to participate in this top-of-the-log Premier League encounter.
However, putting a spoke in the conciliatory wheel, Chiefs’ general manager Bobby Motaung said The Amakhosi would release their players only after the match against Sundowns, and that they would not be allowed to play in the CHAN event.
His provocative stance emerged in spite of the fact that his father and legendary Chiefs’ chairman and founder Kaizer Motaung was party to the settlement.
“Of the six Chiefs players originally selected by coach Igesund for the CHAN tournament only Reneilwe Letsholonyane was withdrawn, and this because of a serious leg injury,” said Chimhavi.
He had no comment on Bobby Motaung’s statement.
“… The agreement was reached with Kaizer Motaung, and that speaks for itself,” he said.
SAPA
THIS is the final instalment of a three-part series.
The first of the previous two columns is The Low Inflation Trap, which describes the problem of instability in finance and savings which makes it almost impossible to recover an economy with very low interest rates back to a normal thriving and stable condition.
The second, Safe alternatives, offers solutions in the form of new mortgage and government debt models.
For more http://www.news24.com
Los Angeles –Â Tom Hardy is “driven by fear” that he could slip back into addiction and destroy his career.Â
The Inception star has been clean for 10 years after checking himself into rehab in 2003 to deal with his alcoholism and crack cocaine use.Â
The actor told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “If I had four pints of lager and half a bottle of vodka I could turn this room into an absolute fucking nightmare in about three minutes. I could destroy everything in my life I have worked so hard for.
“If I stop working they might take it away from me. People will say, ‘Tommy you’re doing well,’ and I say, ‘Am I?’ In my head I’m still the kid. Does that make sense?”
He continued: “I love what I do, but it’s driven by a fear of not being able to do it. It’s the same with drinking – if I stop then who am I? What have I got? I have to watch that drive.Â
“It doesn’t matter how well I am doing, I’m only that far away from fucking it all up.”
Tom, 36, who has a five-year-old son, Louis, with ex-girlfriend Rachael Speed and is now engaged to 32-year-old actress Charlotte Riley.
Tom – whose marriage to ex-wife Sarah Ward broke down in 2004 – admits he had to lose something he cared deeply about in his life to realise he did have a problem with alcohol and needed to quit drinking.Â
Tom said: “I did something particularly heinous that allowed me to wake up.Â
“I had to lose something. Sometimes you have to lose something that is worth more to you than your drinking.”
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The Guardian 