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

Pretoria – It was impossible for Lonmin mine security guards in Marikana to halt a crowd of protesting miners heading towards offices of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on 11 August 2012, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard on Monday.

Julius Motlogelwa, of Lonmin’s tactical response unit, was questioned by Karel Tip, for the NUM and Aisha Fundi, at the inquiry in Pretoria.

“Your colleague, Mr [Sello] Dibakwane, said after some discussion between the two of you, it was decided that you drive in front of the crowd to go and warn the NUM members of the danger [of approaching protesters],” said Tip.

“Did you and Mr Dibakwane at any time discuss whether you should not simply stop your vehicle in front of this crowd, get out and ask them to go back? Was that possible?”

Motlogelwa said stopping the approximately 3 000 protesters was impossible.

“The majority of the protesters were still coming to that gathering, where we were standing. We then decided to go and inform the people at the NUM offices of what was going to happen,” he said.

The guard said they had information that the huge crowd of protesters were planning to burn down a NUM office at Lonmin.

Tip said it was Motlogelwa and his colleagues’ duty to protect all lives and property at Lonmin.

Motlogelwa agreed.

“Are you telling us that when you knew of this intention to burn the NUM office, your response was to go and inform the NUM people to go away?” Tip asked.

“Why didn’t you decide to prevent the NUM office from being burnt? Instead of talking to people in the NUM office, why didn’t you talk to the crowd, telling it to go back?”

Motlogelwa said the option of confronting the crowd “skipped the security guards’ mind”.

“We felt that saving lives had to come first,” said Motlogelwa.

Tip was unconvinced: “It cannot be candid that it just didn’t occur to you that you should stop the crowd. It is apparent, from what we have heard, that it was not feasible for the two of you to stop that crowd because of the aggression of the crowd.”

Motlogelwa agreed, but said he could not testify about the attitude of the approaching crowd.

Shots were later fired during a clash between the striking mineworkers and NUM officials on 11 August 2012.

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 two security guards – Hassan Fundi, Aisha’s husband, and Frans Mabelani -were killed.

Fundi and Mabelani were killed on 12 August.
SAPA

Mthatha – Eastern Cape police were searching for a group of 10 people who allegedly killed three family members and burnt their homestead in Lugwijini Location, Mzamba, a spokesperson said on Monday.

Ayanda Nomaqhiza, 29, was allegedly stabbed to death at a tavern in the area on Saturday night, Colonel Sibongile Soci said.

“The father, 72-year-old Julius Nomaqhiza, came to the rescue of his son and was also assaulted and stabbed,” said Soci.

Both men were confirmed dead at the scene.

The group then went to the men’s homestead and set it alight before killing the mother, Patience Nombeko Nomaqhiza, 65.

The motive for the murders was believed to be linked to witchcraft.

“A police detective team has been dispatched to the village to investigate the murders and bring those responsible to book,” said Soci.

SAPA

By Obakeng Maje
Mahikeng- The police arrested an 18-year-old man in the early hours of the Sunday for murder of a 28-year-old man in Danville.

Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said it is alleged that the deceased was found dead in front of the house.  According to the allegation, the two were fighting when the suspect took out a sharp object and stabbed the victim in the chest . 

The suspect is expected to appear at Mmabatho Magistrate’ Court on Monday. 
-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Taung- The residents in High-crime neighborhoods, Itireleng, Rooiwal, Majaneng, Takapori and Mokassa villages often complain that the police aren’t doing enough to fight crime in their areas.

However the residents in Ward 8 decided to take it within themselves to help fight crime.

Ward committe, Joseph Mohlala said Community Safety Initiative(CSI) and a comprehensive community development, in other hand, can impact in fighting the epidemic.

“The community came up with a strategies to reduce crime in the area. The school kids attend school in Rooiwal and they have to pass through the river because we have no bridge” he noted.

The residents of Itireleng and rooiwal villages came together to cut trees and make it possible for anyone who travel from Itireleng to Rooiwal to walk with no fear.

The were trees that blurred the view and Mlungisi Moshoeu said the criminals use the veld as crime nest. “We decided to come and cut trees here because so many crimes took place here. People were allegedly raped and robbed here” he outlines.

The residents in partnership with CPW and EPWP, came together in what it takes to make public safety an intergrated and effective part of local comprehensive community initiative.

They said at first glance, community did not seem to have much in common with police, but things had gradually changed.

“We would like to send our request to the government to build a bridge for us and our kids as we are affected by heinous crimes taking place here” Puseletso Lesetedi said.

The municipality of Greater Taung works together with the affected communities and provided CWP and EPWP workers to help out.-TDN
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