Pretoria – A self-confessed drug addict admitted in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday that he had beaten a friend to death with a knobkerrie after losing his temper because of the man’s sexual advances.

Juda Joseph Plekenpol, 31, was convicted by Judge Tshifiwa Maumela on charges of murder and robbery after the State accepted his guilty plea.

Plekenpol admitted he had murdered 45-year-old Louis Eksteen in his house in Garsfontein, Pretoria, in April last year and that he had robbed his victim of his car, cash and other items.

Eksteen’s mother Adri discovered his bloodied body in the bathroom three days later. He had been bludgeoned to death, gagged and tied up.

A panel of experts who observed Plekenpol at the Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital found him fit to stand trial and not suffering any mental disorder that affected his ability to distinguish between right and wrong and act accordingly.

He was, however, diagnosed as suffering from substance dependence, an antisocial personality disorder and a borderline (emotionally unstable) disorder.

Plekenpol said in a statement he had met Eksteen through a mutual friend, Eddie Polland, in March last year.

He had accompanied Polland, who stayed with Eksteen, and spent a night there. He subsequently also befriended Eksteen.

Plekenpol had a sexual relationship with Polland, who he said offered to pay him to stay another night, but he decided to go home.

About a week later he again visited Eksteen at his home because he had previously lost his keys and cellphone.

Eksteen had meanwhile asked Polland to move out, but Plekenpol spent the night there and agreed to paint some rooms at Eksteen’s house.

On 9 April he again visited Eksteen and they spent the night together consuming vodka while Eksteen told him about his ex-wife and their marital problems, which she alleged was due to his (Eksteen’s) alcohol addiction.

He accompanied Eksteen, who had his own business selling wood, to Johannesburg the next day. They later used the drug CAT, had dinner together and consumed alcohol until the early hours of the morning.

Sexual advances

“At one stage during the evening and whilst we were just having a good time, the deceased made a sexual comment which upset me.

“I tried to ignore this and we continued to converse… The deceased grabbed me by my arm and said we should go to his room.

“In view of his earlier comment, this action shocked and humiliated me again, as I was convinced he wanted me to go with him for sexual purposes,” he said.

Plekenpol said he fell over the couch when he retreated from Eksteen, which angered him.

“I saw the deceased approaching me and I lost my temper and self-control.

“I picked up one of the canes or knobkierie… and struck the deceased.

“The deceased had fallen down at one stage and again stood up. In the emotional state that I was in, I again struck him with the knobkierie. I thought he still wanted me to go to his bedroom.

“Due to the fact that I had lost my temper, I cannot recall how many times I struck the deceased… it was multiple times all over his upper body and head,” he said.

When Plekenpol realised that he had seriously injured Eksteen and he might possibly die, he “impulsively” decided to steal some of Eksteen’s property so that he could sell it to feed his drug addiction.

He tied Eksteen’s hands with great force to subdue him, demanded the pin code for his bank card and then put a cloth around his mouth and dragged him to the bathroom.

He left the scene in Eksteen’s bakkie and later withdrew money from his bank account.

He also sold Eksteen’s golf clubs at a pawn shop, but was arrested four days later when he tried to sell his victim’s CDs.

Plekenpol said his drug and alcohol abuse, as well as depression and suicidal tendencies became worse after the incident.

The trial resumes on Wednesday.

SAPA

Pretoria – A self-confessed drug addict admitted in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday that he had beaten a friend to death with a knobkerrie after losing his temper because of the man’s sexual advances.

Juda Joseph Plekenpol, 31, was convicted by Judge Tshifiwa Maumela on charges of murder and robbery after the State accepted his guilty plea.

Plekenpol admitted he had murdered 45-year-old Louis Eksteen in his house in Garsfontein, Pretoria, in April last year and that he had robbed his victim of his car, cash and other items.

Eksteen’s mother Adri discovered his bloodied body in the bathroom three days later. He had been bludgeoned to death, gagged and tied up.

A panel of experts who observed Plekenpol at the Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital found him fit to stand trial and not suffering any mental disorder that affected his ability to distinguish between right and wrong and act accordingly.

He was, however, diagnosed as suffering from substance dependence, an antisocial personality disorder and a borderline (emotionally unstable) disorder.

Plekenpol said in a statement he had met Eksteen through a mutual friend, Eddie Polland, in March last year.

He had accompanied Polland, who stayed with Eksteen, and spent a night there. He subsequently also befriended Eksteen.

Plekenpol had a sexual relationship with Polland, who he said offered to pay him to stay another night, but he decided to go home.

About a week later he again visited Eksteen at his home because he had previously lost his keys and cellphone.

Eksteen had meanwhile asked Polland to move out, but Plekenpol spent the night there and agreed to paint some rooms at Eksteen’s house.

On 9 April he again visited Eksteen and they spent the night together consuming vodka while Eksteen told him about his ex-wife and their marital problems, which she alleged was due to his (Eksteen’s) alcohol addiction.

He accompanied Eksteen, who had his own business selling wood, to Johannesburg the next day. They later used the drug CAT, had dinner together and consumed alcohol until the early hours of the morning.

Sexual advances

“At one stage during the evening and whilst we were just having a good time, the deceased made a sexual comment which upset me.

“I tried to ignore this and we continued to converse… The deceased grabbed me by my arm and said we should go to his room.

“In view of his earlier comment, this action shocked and humiliated me again, as I was convinced he wanted me to go with him for sexual purposes,” he said.

Plekenpol said he fell over the couch when he retreated from Eksteen, which angered him.

“I saw the deceased approaching me and I lost my temper and self-control.

“I picked up one of the canes or knobkierie… and struck the deceased.

“The deceased had fallen down at one stage and again stood up. In the emotional state that I was in, I again struck him with the knobkierie. I thought he still wanted me to go to his bedroom.

“Due to the fact that I had lost my temper, I cannot recall how many times I struck the deceased… it was multiple times all over his upper body and head,” he said.

When Plekenpol realised that he had seriously injured Eksteen and he might possibly die, he “impulsively” decided to steal some of Eksteen’s property so that he could sell it to feed his drug addiction.

He tied Eksteen’s hands with great force to subdue him, demanded the pin code for his bank card and then put a cloth around his mouth and dragged him to the bathroom.

He left the scene in Eksteen’s bakkie and later withdrew money from his bank account.

He also sold Eksteen’s golf clubs at a pawn shop, but was arrested four days later when he tried to sell his victim’s CDs.

Plekenpol said his drug and alcohol abuse, as well as depression and suicidal tendencies became worse after the incident.

The trial resumes on Wednesday.

SAPA

By Obakeng Maje
Rosedale- Police are investigating a case of dealing in dagga after arresting two males aged 23 and 29 respectively, Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergio Kock said.

The operation comprised of members from Rosedale Police station, Upington K9 unit and Upington Public Order Policing unit.

“The police were busy with patrols when they spotted the two suspicious looking suspects at the Keimoes hiking spot near Upington. The men were carrying black and red bags and when searched by the police, it was found that the bags contained dagga. The two suspects are from Lesotho and it was also found that they do not have valid passports in their possession” Kock said.

The dagga weighs 28kg and has a street value of approximately R30 000,00.

The suspects will be appearing in the Upington Magistrates’ Court soon.

The investigation continues.-TDN
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North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management Gaoage Molapisi refutes allegations that the Head of the Department Mr Bailey Mahlakoleng has been suspended.

“There are allegations that HoD Mahlakoleng has been suspended and I would like to put it on record that there is no truth on those allegations. All staff members and senior management are hard at work under the leadership of Mr Mahlakoleng as the Head of our Department.”

“These are such malicious rumours which we really don’t know where they originate and aim at bringing instability and restlessness to my Department. We would like to warn all those who continue to spread this lies to refrain from doing that” he said.

MEC Molapisi said he would like to advise all our internal and external stakeholders to address their corresponses to Mahlakoleng as the HoD,” said MEC Molapisi.-TDN
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Durban – KwaZulu-Natal councillors have slashed their outstanding personal municipal debts by almost R1.3m, a KwaZulu-Natal co-operative governance and traditional affairs spokesperson said on Monday.

Lennox Mabaso said that in January councillors owed various municipalities R1.5m for rates and other services provided.

“That figure is now just below R200 000,” he told Sapa by phone.

In an earlier statement he said this drop in debt had come about as a result of efforts by the province’s co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

“Earlier this year, Dube-Ncube instructed municipal councils in all the province’s 61 municipalities to institute disciplinary action against any councillor found to have defaulted on his or her rates as this constitutes a violation of the councillors’ code of conduct,” he said.

SAPA

Pretoria – Lonmin security guards did not assist protesting Marikana miners attacked by National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) members on 11 August 2012, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard on Monday.

Julius Motlogelwa, of Lonmin’s tactical response unit, was questioned by Dali Mpofu, for the wounded and arrested miners, at the inquiry in Pretoria.

“What we can legitimately blame security for, is that you did nothing to stop the attack by the NUM people on the crowd,” said Mpofu.

Motlogelwa said the scuffle between about 30 NUM officials and thousands of protesting miners happened in a flash.

“It happened quickly,” he said.

Mpofu said even after the skirmishes at the NUM offices at Lonmin, the mine security did not reveal the attackers to police. NUM officials allegedly fired several shots at the strikers who had approached the union offices on 11 August 2012.

Several people were injured in the brawl.

“When we realised that people were injured, the police were not there. We deliberated on how the injured can get medical assistance,” said Motlogelwa.

Mpofu said after saving the injured, the mine security should have reported the individual attackers to police.

“You knew that Mr Setelele was there. The truth is that until today, even though those people have been identified, they haven’t been arrested,” said Mpofu.

“I am putting part of the blame on you, though most blame must go to the police. Mr Setelele went to the grave without having been charged for this.”

NUM branch chairperson William Setelele, 46, was shot eight times and killed in Nkaneng informal settlement in October last year.

Frans Mabelani and another senior security guard Hassan Fundi were killed during a confrontation with the strikers on 12 August 2012. They were trying to prevent protesters from getting to the NUM offices again.

The security had information that the protesters wanted to torch the NUM office. After the death of Fundi and Mabelani, the crowd proceeded to the NUM offices but did not set them alight.

Mpofu said the pair’s death was in vain.

“In terms of preventing the people from going to NUM offices, those people [guards] really died for nothing because the protesters did go to the NUM office but didn’t burn it,” said Mpofu.

“Those deaths were senseless because on the 11th [August 2012] you decided not to prevent the crowd from going to the NUM offices. Instead you preferred that the offices be vacated. The crowd marching on the 11th wasn’t armed but the crowd on 12 August was armed.”

Motlogelwa said a security leader had decided on a different approach on 12 August, unlike the one used on the previous day.

The commission is investigating the deaths of 44 people during strike-related violence at Lonmin’s mining operations at Marikana, near Rustenburg in the North West, in August 2012.

Thirty-four people, mostly striking mineworkers, were shot dead in a clash with police, over 70 were wounded, and another 250 arrested on 16 August 2012. Police were apparently trying to disarm and disperse them.

In the preceding week, 10 people, including two policemen and the two security guards, were killed.

SAPA

Johannesburg- The South African Football Association (SAFA) would like to inform members of the media that newly appointed Bafana Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba will only be available for interviews upon his return from West Africa.

The media is therefore kindly requested to be patient and not ask for any telephonic interviews at this stage and give Mashaba space to focus his attention on the tour of West Africa with the South African Men’s Under 20 National Team.

While the coach appreciates the support and well wishes, and also the immediacy of granting such interviews, he would also like to be given time to concentrate on the all-important preparations of the U/20 National Team.

Amajita are currently in Dakar, Senegal to face the hosts on Wednesday, 30 July. The next day they travel to Ivory Coast for a date with their counterparts in Abidjan on Monday, 4 August.

The South Africans are expected to land at the OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday, 6 August around 06h30.

Ends.

Johannesburg – A 28-year-old man was stabbed inside a KFC shop in central Johannesburg, and later died, Gauteng police said on Monday.

Three men allegedly tried to rob him, said Warrant Officer Xoli Mbele.

He then ran into a shop on the corner of Klein and Noord streets.

“[The] Victim ran inside the KFC where one of the suspects followed and stabbed him once in the upper body.”

He was taken to hospital but died on arrival.

A 31-year-old man was arrested on Sunday in connection with his murder, said Mbele.

He would appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court soon.
SAPA

Bloemfontein – The trial of two Free State University students accused of assault is due to begin in the Bloemfontein Regional Court on Monday.

Cobus Muller and Charl Blom allegedly tried to run over fellow-student Muzi Gwebu with their bakkie on the university’s Bloemfontein campus in February.

When Gwebu confronted them a short while later, he was allegedly assaulted.

The university said it regarded the matter in a serious light and was conducting its own investigation.

The university said the students, if found guilty in the criminal and institutional investigations, would be expelled.
SAPA