Durban – A protester who was running from rubber bullet fire and a haze of teargas has died in a stream after he became entangled in a web of illegal electricity connections.

The man, who has yet to identified, is understood to have been part of a group of shack dwellers who embarked on a violent service delivery protest on Monday.

Police search and rescue unit officers braved the live wires to pull his body to the riverbank.

Police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker said that residents of the Quarry Road informal settlement in Asherville had taken to the streets in the early hours of Monday, blockading the roads.

“Two people were arrested for public violence,” he said.

For more http://www.news24.com

Port Elizabeth – Violent protests erupted in Booysen Park, Port Elizabeth, with an Algoa bus set alight shortly after 08:00 on Monday morning.

Port Elizabeth police spokesperson, Alwin Labans said the protests had started at 05:00 with just a few protesters.

For more http://www.news24.com

Johannesburg – The medical file of the alleged killer of Nkululeko “Flabba” Habedi has gone missing from the Alexandra Clinic, the High Court sitting in Randburg heard on Monday.

Investigating officer Constable Seila Shadrack Malaka said he had gone to the clinic searching for Sindisiwe Manqele’s file on two occasions, but it could not be located.

Malaka said he had wanted to see the file after he learnt that Manqele had received medical treatment at the facility.

For more http://www.news24.com

-TDN

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BY REGINALD KANYANE

THE Tlokwe municipality squashed the allegations brought forward by the Democratic Alliance that council speaker Barei Segotso has a total disregard for rules and breaks the law to suit her political ends.

The municipal spokesperson, William Maphosa said the municipality council meeting was called on 10 September 2015 was a follow-up from the last council session that on August 25. He said in that meeting there were issues that the MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements, Collen Maine had to clarify, however due to the MEC’s unforeseen other urgent engagements at the time, the meeting was to be re-convened to yesterday.

“Although the agenda was distributed yesterday the DA is aware of this arrangement and knew from the last meeting of the issues to be discussed. As for the said motion of no confidence against the speaker, they know the rules that govern the handling of such motions,” he said.

Even though the opposition party claim there was a motion, Maphosa said the office of the speaker have not received it yet. “The last time I checked with the Office of the Speaker, there had been no such motion. Yet the DA continues to submit and debate such motion in the media. We can only remind them to submit their motion through proper channels and debate it at the right platforms,” he said.

The DA representative, Hans Jurie Moolman said they brought a motion of no confidence against the speaker, but she continues to ignore rules and regulations that guide the constitution and the plight of people in Tlokwe.

“We were notified of a special council meeting that took place yesterday without an agenda or council items for discussion. There was no way to prepare for this meeting, to caucus before or to plan the business of serving the people of Tlokwe. Segotso has proved herself to be a stumbling block to not only the democratic process, but to the progress in the Tlokwe City Council,” Moolman said.

He said it has become a norm to have late notice of meetings issued, irregular postponement of meetings and council meetings, unlawful reconvening of meetings on almost no notice under Segotso’s leadership.

-TDN’Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

BY REGINALD KANYANE

THE ANC in Dr Kenneth Kaunda district in North West said they condemned the actions of unruly individuals who took advantage of a peaceful march organised by Tlokwe residents on Friday.

Dr Kenneth Kaunda district regional chairperson, Itumeleng Mosala said they watched the history repeated itself when a group of unruly individuals ran on the rampage, trashing the streets in throughout the city under the pretext of demonstrating against the merger with Ventersdorp municipality.
“We must remember that not so long ago when Tlokwe community desired the apartheid name Potchefstroom to be changed to Tlokwe, the Democratic Alliance at the time, rented a crowd of loitering juveniles and passed them on as the voice of the people of Tlokwe in an attempt to frustrate the realisation of the wishes of the people,” he said.

Mosala said the DA was doing exactly what is known for. “It has organized surrogates to do its dirty work. We are aware of a media statement that preceded this march issued by a Tlokwe DA councilor, Hans Jurie Moolman wherein he intimated that they support the demonstration even if they do not support the violence. This makes one to wonder why Moolman was prompted to mention violence even before the march had begun,” he said.
According to Masala, the DA lives with the illusion that it is capable of governing Tlokwe. He said it cannot do so when there is unity among the people of Tlokwe and it uses surrogates to create division among the people.
“DA should feel shameful of itself for encouraging and preventing the ordinary people who have nothing, but only depend on waking every morning to go and work so as to be able to put bread on the table.

“They neither care about the education of the black child. The grades 12’s are currently preparing for exams and yet unprincipled politicians will not care to sacrifice their education for their selfish interests,” Mosala said.

However the DA in the province refutes the claims from the ANC and said the protests were influenced by the decision of amalgamation which left people discontented.

“We condemn the looting of buildings and violence during protests that escalated over the weekend. The vandalism and arson of the Venterdorp local municipal buildings on Friday, was a horrible result of the ANC government’s neglect and contempt for resident’s views which are opposed to the merger of Tlokwe and Ventersdorp municipalities,” Juanita Terblanche said.

She said the ANC government and the Demarcation Board have long given up in listening to Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp residents who clearly fear the amalgamation, but have no say in this critical decision.

“Participatory democracy and the values of people-centred government have been destroyed by the ANC in the North West. We are concerned that the Tlokwe and Ventersdorp municipality merger shows signs of mimicking the Khutsong and Matateile cross-border protests, where the government only really listened to grievances after residents had to turn violent to stop it. Today the ANC forces communities to turn violent before government listens,” Terblanche said.

The DA is trying to fight the matter in court and their case will be heard before the High Court in Pretoria on September 29 this year.

North West police said no one has been arrested in protests in Ventersdorp on Friday.

Police spokesperson, col Sabata Mokgwabone said: “No one has been arrested so far, but police investigations continue.”

The community allegedly reduced the municipality offices to ashes in protest and in Potchefstroom; the car belonging to SABC was pelted with stones by unruly individuals.

-TDN

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