Daily Archives: May 14, 2014

Oscar: Judge Masipa set to rule on mental evaluation


Pretoria – State prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria if Oscar Pistorius did not receive a proper mental evaluation, his defence team could later appeal on the basis of a disturbed mental condition.

Nel asked on Tuesday for Pistorius to be sent for a mental evaluation after a psychiatrist told the Paralympian’s murder trial he had an anxiety disorder.

He argued he wanted to prevent the 27-year-old sprinter, who faces life in prison if convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, from later appealing on the basis of a disturbed mental condition.

Nel told the court there was a “reasonable possibility” that Pistorius suffers from a mental illness, adding that without a proper evaluation the case could later be appealed over Pistorius’s mental health.

If granted, the evaluation would likely further delay a trial now in its 31st day. Defence lawyer Barry Roux has argued against the motion, saying it was “premature” to have the evaluation done now, as he planned to call other witnesses.

Judge Thokozile Masipa adjourned the court early on Tuesday to consider the prosecutor’s request and is expected to rule on it on Wednesday.

Defence witness and forensic psychiatrist Dr Merryll Vorster testified that Pistorius suffers from Generalised Anxiety Disorder after having his legs amputated at 11 months.

A long-term condition

The anxiety disorder, a long-term condition that causes feelings of worry or fear in a wide range of situations, has worsened as Pistorius has got older, Vorster said.

She has said his parents’ divorce when he was a child would have added to his general feelings of anxiety and insecurity.

After the divorce, Pistorius was brought up by his mother, who died of cancer when he was aged 15. He has frequently spoken of the difficulty her death caused him.

The state has sought to portray the track star as a gun-obsessed hothead who killed model and law graduate Steenkamp in a fit of rage.

The defence has argued that Pistorius had a heightened sense of fear and vulnerability because he was on his stumps when he thought he heard an intruder in his bathroom.

Pistorius has denied he killed Steenkamp in cold blood, saying he shot four times at the toilet door of his luxury Pretoria home to protect himself from what he thought was an intruder.

Reuters

100s remain trapped in mine blast, 201 dead


Soma – At least 201 people were killed and hundreds more remained trapped underground after an explosion at a coal mine in western Turkey, the government said on Wednesday, warning that rescue efforts faced a race against time.

The toll has risen rapidly since Tuesday’s disaster in the province of Manisa, when a total of 787 mineworkers became trapped inside the mine.

Rescue operations continued overnight for the hundreds of people still underground. Of those rescued alive, 80 were injured, four of them seriously, said Energy Minister Taner Yildiz.

“We fear the number could rise even further because those who came to help out may be among the injured and affected by the smoke,” he told reporters.

“As the time passes, we are very quickly heading to an unfavourable outcome,” he added.

Earlier a security source told AFP that there were pockets in the mine, one of which was open so rescuers were able to reach the workers, but the second was blocked with workers trapped inside.

The explosion was believed to have been triggered by a faulty electrical transformer at around 12:30 GMT on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people gathered around the explosion site as rescuers brought out injured workers, who were coughing and struggling to breathe due to the dust.

Sena Isbiler, a mother of one of the miners, stood on top of piles of wood, craning her neck to see who was being led out of the mine.

“I have been waiting for my son since early afternoon,” she told AFP.

“I haven’t heard anything about him yet.”

Arum Unzar, a colleague of the missing miners said he had lost a friend previously “but this is enormous.”

“All the victims are our friends,” he said as he wept.

“We are a family and today that family is devastated. We have had very little news and when it does come it’s very bad,” he added.

Fire officials were trying to pump clean air into the mine shaft for those who remained trapped some two kilometres (one mile) below the surface and four kilometres from the entrance.

Late on Tuesday evening injured people were still emerging from the collapsed mine — some walking, others being carried by rescue workers while being given oxygen.

Nearby, security officers tried to keep ambulance routes clear to ensure help could reach the victims.

The mining company Soma Komur issued a statement saying the mine had maximum safety measures.

“Unfortunately, some of our workers have lost their lives in this tragic accident,” the statement said.

“The accident happened despite maximum safety measures and inspections, but we have been able to take prompt action,” it added.

Energy Minister Yildiz promised that if it was discovered that any negligence was to blame for the disaster “we will not turn a blind eye to it. We will do whatever necessary including all administrative and legal steps.”

– ‘Time isn’t in our favour’ –
Turkey’s ministry of labour and social security said the mine was last inspected on March 17 and was found to be compliant with safety regulations.

But Oktay Berrin, a miner, said workers were not protected underground.

“There is no security in this mine,” he told AFP.

“The unions are just puppets and our management only cares about money.”

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office said he would arrive in Soma on Wednesday after cancelling a trip to Albania.

Speaking in Ankara, the leader expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of those who died.

“Some of the workers have been rescued and I hope we will be able to rescue the others,” Erdogan said.

Energy Minister Yildiz told journalists in Soma that a team of 400 people were involved in the rescue effort and that the main cause of the deaths was carbon monoxide and dioxide poisoning.

“Time isn’t working in our favour. We need to get them out. We could be in a troubled situation,” he said.

The miners are all thought to have gas masks, but it was not clear how long they would last.

Vedat Didari, a professor of mining, told AFP that the biggest risk was the lack of oxygen.

“If the ceiling fans are not working, the workers could die within an hour,” said Didari, from the Bulent Ecevit University in the city of Zonguldak.

Explosions and cave-ins are common in Turkey, particularly in private mines where safety regulations are often flouted.

Turkey’s worst mining accident happened in 1992 when 263 workers were killed in a gas explosion in a mine in Zonguldak.

Soma is one of the key centres for lignite coal mining in Turkey, a district with a population of around 100 000 where the mines and a lignite-fired thermal power plant are the main economic activity.

AFP

16 people arrested over sporadic protests in Marikana


By Obakeng Maje
Rustenburg- Police arrested at least 16 people on Tuesday at approximately 13:30 for public violence at Mmaditlokwe Informal Settlement in Marikana.

The community members blockaded roads with burning tyres and rubble in protest against apparent and recent blasts at the nearby Tharisa mine.

They further alleged that the blasts at the mine are damaging their homes and also affecting health of their children. 

“Police first engaged the community and appealed to them to disperse and not to block the road. However, they became violent and threw stones at the police” brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.

In order to bring calm, the police were forced to use rubber bullets to disperse the unruly crowd. The arrested suspects include 14 females and two males with ages not yet confirmed.

“They are expected to appear at the Marikana Magistrates’ Court soon facing charges of public violence. There were no reports of injuries received during the incident” Ngubane said.-TDN
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Exercise rights to protest within framework of the law-Premier Modise


North West Premier Thandi Modise has called on communities to exercise their right to protest within the framework of the law to avoid violent confrontation with police.

Premier Modise’s appeal follows illegal protests that resulted in police firing rubber bullets to disperse a protest in Mmaditlokwe informal settlement near Marikana on Tuesday.

“Communities that might have genuine concerns should not allow themselves be misled to participate in illegal marches as these always result in dire consequences for those involved,” Modise said.

She called on Madibeng Local Municipality to urgently investigate the allegations raised by the community.  
According to police, the community members blockaded roads with burning tyres and rubble in protest against apparent and recent blasts at the nearby Tharisa mine.Brigadier Thulane Ngubane said that the protest did not appear to be related to the on-going platinum strike, but was related to complaints against a nearby chrome mine.

“The community claimed that blasting at the mine damaged their homes and affected their children’s health,” Ngubane said.

Ngubane said that police tried to reason with the protesters, but they ignored appeals to disperse.

“In order to bring calm, police were forced to use rubber bullets to disperse the unruly crowd,” he said.

Ngubane said that the fourteen women and two men who were arrested would appear in the Marikana Magistrate’s Court soon to face charges of public violence.

He said that no injuries were reported and police would continue to monitor the situation.-TDN
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