Johannesburg – The trial of Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir and five others was postponed in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, sitting in Palm Ridge, on Thursday.

The matter was postponed to Friday after the court heard that State witness Captain Mashudu Freddy Ramuhala was unwell.

Krejcir also needed to consult a doctor as he was suffering from bronchitis.

Judge Colin Lamont has indicated the case needs to be concluded within four weeks as he has other cases to hear next month.

The matter has undergone numerous delays and is currently in a trial-within-a-trial.

It is aimed at establishing whether one of the accused, Desai Luphondo, was pressured into a confession by the police.

Ramuhala began testifying on Wednesday.

He is the investigating officer behind the arrest of Krejcir and five others charged with kidnapping, attempted murder and dealing in drugs.

Luphondo’s lawyer has told the court her client was kicked, slapped and suffocated when he was arrested by Ramuhala and other police officers last November.

Ramuhala has dismissed the alleged assault.

Luphondo, Krejcir, Warrant Officers Samuel “Saddam” Maropeng and George Nthoroane, Jan Lefu Mofokeng and Siboniso Miya were charged following allegations that they recruited a man known as Doctor Nkosi to help smuggle 25kg of tik (methamphetamine) to Australia, allegedly for Krejcir.

He worked for a cargo company at OR Tambo International Airport, when he disappeared with the shipment.

Krejcir and his co-accused allegedly then kidnapped and tortured his brother, Bheki Lukhele, in a bid to have him reveal his sibling’s whereabouts.

Nkosi has also testified in the trial, where he confessed to stealing the drugs.

Johannesburg – Twenty people were injured when three taxis collided on the M4 in Durban on Thursday morning, paramedics said.

“Paramedics arrived on the scene to find that the three taxis [were involved]… in a rear end collision,” Rescue Care spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said.

The passengers from the three taxis sustained minor to moderate injuries.

They were stabilised on the scene of the accident, at the off-ramp just before Moore Road, and then taken to various hospitals for further medical care.

Johannesburg – The office of Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masuthaon Thursday confirmed that he had received an application to review the parole application of apartheid-era assassin Eugene de Kock.

Last month Masutha announced that De Kock would have to wait another year before his application was reconsidered – to allow the families of his victims to be consulted.

De Kock’s lawyers on Wednesday indicated that they would challenge Masutha’s ruling.

Decision ‘rational’

The minister’s office on Thursday said it stood by Masutha’s decision.

“We believe [the] minister’s decision was rational and taken after a proper assessment of facts before him and [we] will oppose their application in defence of his decision,” said spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga.

De Kock was in charge of a police “death squad” at Vlakplaas, outside Pretoria, and was arrested in mid-1994. He was convicted and sentenced in the High Court in Pretoria in 1996.

He was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment for six murders and to a further 212 years imprisonment on charges including conspiracy to commit murder, culpable homicide, kidnapping, assault, and fraud.

Now aged 65, De Kock has currently served 18 years in prison.

Johannesburg – Protesters in Kwanonqaba in Mossel Bay threw stones at motorists during a protest over electricity connections on Thursday morning, Western Cape police said.

“There were sporadic incidents of stone throwing, but we intervened and it has calmed down now,” said police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie.

“There is police visibility in the area to maintain order.”

No injuries were reported.

Hundreds of residents have been protesting since Sunday over the disconnection of electricity. Roads have been barricaded, tyres burnt, and shops looted.

Police said 34 people were arrested on Tuesday and Wednesday for public violence and looting.

A municipal building, situated next to the police station, was also set alight.

At the time, Pojie said protesters tried to burn down the station, but police prevented it.

Protesters threw petrol bombs at police, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

There were no reports of injuries.

Pojie told Sapa the 34 appeared in Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

“They were released on a warning and told to reappear on 14 September,” he said.

On Wednesday, Eyewitness News reported that the Mossel Bay municipality had agreed to reconnect illegal electricity in Kwanonqaba after three days of protests.