Johannesburg – Three men suspected of attacking an elderly Brits couple have been arrested, North West police said on Wednesday.

“Two South Africans, aged 26 and 31, and a Mozambican, 21, were arrested yesterday [ on Tuesday] between 6am and 9am at Mmakau location,” Sergeant Kelebogile Moleko said.

The men would appear in the Garankuwa Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on charges of possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.

Police were able to link one of the firearms to the scene of the attack.

Moleko said the three were not the same men who were arrested and then later released due to a lack of evidence after the attack.

Hannes, 77, and Annetjie, 74, van der Merwe were badly injured after they were attacked on their plot in De Wildt, near Brits, in January.

Three men tied the couple up, assaulted them and burnt them with a steam iron.

Sapa

Mahikeng – A man has been sentenced to 251 years for several crimes and a further three life terms for two murders and two rapes by the Mahikeng High Court, North West police said on Thursday.

Itumeleng Daniel Selekanyo, 40, murdered SA National Defence Force members Kealeboga Letebele in 2008 and Gabriel Sekete in 2009 before robbing them of their cars at gunpoint, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.

The two rapes were committed in Mmabatho, where Selekanyo raped and robbed the victim at gunpoint.

Selekanyo was jailed on Wednesday to 251 years for other crimes, including house burglary, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, kidnapping, attempted robbery, and escape from police custody.

He was declared unfit to possess a firearm.

The value of the property involved during the crimes was R692 330.

Selekanyo and his accomplices also robbed a nursing college in Mahikeng of about R83 000, Mulaudzi said.

Sapa

BY LESEDI SETLHODI

TAUNG- LIVESTOCK-theft is very prevalent in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati area and this paralysed the livestock owners as they end up left with nothing. Livestock-owners and other stakeholders gathered at Ntswanahatshe village, near Taung at Thusong Centre on Thursday to discuss a way forward how to fight stock-theft within their region.

According to Pudimoe Station Commander Matshidiso Moriting, the livestock owners wrote a letter to Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant Zukiswa Mbombo for her intervention. Most stock owners say they do not receive help from Pudimoe police station and that make them lose trust in men and women in blue.

Most livestock owners who lost their livestock say most of the time when they go to the police station, police are reluctant to help them.

“Livestock theft is a burning issue here as most of the time we arrest the suspects, but at the end of the day police let them free with no apparent reasons. We would like our police to communicate with us. We cannot live like this because the minute you take the law into your own hands, the police will come running to arrest you” Keowagile Modukanele said.

Another stock owner, Sam Mankuroane said the community need to come together and fight this scourge together.

“We need to come with a strategic plan of how to fight this criminality without getting ourselves in danger. My sheep were poisoned and it seems we fighting a losing battle, but lets come with a strategic plan of how to fight criminals who fend themselves from our hardwork” Mankuroane said.

Pudimoe police station cluster spokesperson, Tebogo Thebe said those who are not happy regarding the help they receive from the police station they can feel free to visit station commander’s office.

“I would like to advice our own people to know their rights. If they come to the police station and encounter problems  with any officer on duty at that time, they can always feel free to see station commander and lay a complain” Thebe said.

The situation turned sour as emotions sky-rocketed after one of the livestock owners accused another stock owner of theft.

Alpheus Bobo Bernard was up in arms after accusing another man of stealing his cow. Police were forced to calm him down as the situation got out of hands.

“It is very painful when one work hard and his hard work being taken away just like that. I laid a charge with the police against this man but my case does not have any developments. I submitted valid evidence against him showing the police that he was directly involved in stealing my cow, but what I gets are excuses on top of excuses” Bernard said.

Some of the livestock owners said Pudimoe police aren’t working hard to curb livestock-theft in the area and suggested to the station commander to rope in white cops as they suspect their own brothers and sisters might be part of the syndicates operating in the area.

“Maybe this is the right time to mix white cops with black ones because with this cops, we lost trust in them. We stuck with case numbers with no developments in those cases, but we have police around. Our livestock is our life…..unemployment has reached its highest point, now we relying on this to make ends meet” Goitseone Koee said.

Warrant Officer Kgosietsile Maisela advised livestock owners to brand-mark their livestock and make sure they herd them because criminals had upped their game. H e said they using all methods to steal.

“Please great people lets make sure you brand-mark your livestock and form an anti-crime forum to help each other to fight this. Criminals are wiser, they will monitor your moves and struck when least expected, so always be alert and take care of your live-stock” Maisela said.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews

BY LESEDI SETLHODI

TAUNG- A tragedy struck at Lokaleng village, near Taung on Saturday when two people died and the other one is lying critically at hospital. Three people were knocked down by a speeding car along Cokonyane road next to Makehilweng’s tavern.

According t information, three men who one of them was blind were walking along the road when they met their untimely death.

“The three men were from Makehilweng’s tavern and walking along the street. A speeding bakkie came from the eastern side heading to the west and another car was from the tavern, so the driver of the bakkie tried to avoid the collision by swerving off the road and unfortunately he crashed on three men” our mole said.

A case of culpable homicide was opened and investigations continue.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews

Bloemfontein- A boy of nine got his arm stuck in a pool’s sucksion pipe at a school in Bloemfontein on Friday.

ER24 paramedics along with other services struggled for more than three hours to extricate the boy’s arm.

They managed to cut off a part of the pipe and ER24 paramedics then transported the boy to Mediclinic Bloemfontein for urgent assessment.  Part of the pipe was still attached to the boy’s arm.

“Emergency staff assisted by ER24 paramedics sedated the patient and used various tools including a grinder to remove the pipe from the boy’s arm. The procedure took approximately two hours” ER24 spokesperson Pieter Rossouw said.

The boy as well as his arm is now in a stable condition. The cause of the incident remains unknown.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Pretoria- A man has tragically lost his life following a pedestrian accident on the R55 in Olievenhoutbos, Centurion just after 18h00 this evening.

Netcare 911 paramedics and other services arrived at the scene and found the lifeless body of a fifty-two-year-old man lying in the middle of the roadway after he was knocked over by a motor vehicle while crossing the road. Upon assessment they found that the man had tragically lost his life prior to their arrival and the man was declared dead at the scene.

“Upon assessment of the occupant of the motor vehicle they found that the man had sustained minor to moderate injuries during the accident and after receiving treatment at the scene, the injured man was transported to hospital for further medical care” Netcare 911 spokesperson Santi Steinmann said.

Exact detail surrounding the cause of the pedestrian accident and preceding events will remain the subject of a police investigation.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@TAUNG_DailyNews or @IceT_

BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

KIMBERLEY- FOUR suspects including a cop appeared in the Kenhardt Magistrates’ court on Friday (20/02) on a charge of stock theft.

Northern Cape police spokeswoman colonel Priscilla Naidu said police received information about a possible stock theft between Kenhardt and Keimoes on Tuesday(17/02/2015).

Kenhardt station commander captain Johannes Van Wyk followed up on the information and found two suspects loading six sheep in the bakkie. A VW Polo was also at the scene, but the driver drove off after seeing the police.

“The vehicle was stopped in Kakamas and further alleged that two sheep those were loaded in the VW Polo were dropped off at the side of the road. The sheep were found along the road” Naidu said.

Constable Lourens Klip from Noenieput Police Station, was amongst suspects  and their next court appearance will be on the 25^th February 2015.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews