Brits – Three of the four people accused of setting a teenage girl alight in Letlhabile near Brits appeared briefly in the Brits Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Gugulethu Sharon Thwala, Koketso Moyo and Victor Pilane appeared before magistrate Moses Maswangwanyi who postponed their case to January 12, 2016.

A warrant of arrest was issued against accused number four, Cynthia Mosopi, who did not appear in court on Thursday. She had submitted a medical report indicating that she was ill.

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Marikana – The Bapo Ba Mogale Traditional Council in Bapong, near Marikana in North West, must treat all villagers equally or face the wrath of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the party said on Friday.

“The traditional council of Bapo must stop discriminating (against) people. We are told to be employed at Lonmin you need a letter from the council and the council refuse to give such letters to non-Setswana speaking people,” said Thulani Makhanye, the chairperson of the EFF in the Bojanala Region.

He was speaking to party supporters during a protest march at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana.

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Johannesburg – A man was shot dead at a taxi rank on the corner of Plein and De Villiers streets in Johannesburg at about midnight on Saturday, Gauteng paramedics said.

“When ER24 paramedics arrived on scene they found that the man (believed to be in his 20s) had sustained a gunshot wound to his abdominal area. There was unfortunately nothing paramedics could do for the man as he had already succumb to his injuries,” ER24 spokesman Pieter Rossouw said in a statement on Sunday.

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Pretoria – All academic activities will resume at the University of Pretoria (UP) on Monday on the normal Monday time-table, the university said on Sunday.

“The libraries and study centres will also be open. Tests will resume on Wednesday, 28 October 2015 and the revised test and examination schedule will be published early next week, vice chancellor and principal Cheryl de la Rey said in a letter to UP personnel, alumni, parents, neighbours, and friends on Sunday.

“All students are expected to resume their academic commitments on Monday and to complete their examinations. No tests or examinations will be written on 26 and 27 October 2105,” she said.

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The #FeesMustFall campaign broke the internet this week, with statistics showing that it was the most tweeted hashtag in South Africa, second after Nelson Mandela’s death.

On Friday morning there were more than 140 000 tweets over-night with the hashtag #FeesMustFall and #NationalShutDown.

As students prepared for their march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Friday, there were 300 tweets per minute being sent out.

Students used their social media platforms to mobilise support, as well as to discuss and report on the protests.

The campaign was so powerful that mobile networks offered a free data service to students so they could tweet and share their experiences live from the protest outside the Union Buildings.

For more http://www.iol.co.za

BY EGINALD KANYANE

MORE than 43 students from North West University were detained at Mmabatho police station after they were arrested and charged for public violence.

The incident took place at the periphery of the university on Wednesday.

The students were on the peaceful march in solidarity of other university students across South Africa. Most of students are on a protest against high tuition fees and said they demand 0% increase.

SRC president Linda Xavier Mabengwana, who spoke to TDN at Mmabatho police station condemned the police behaviour.

“We cannot tell why police resorted to excessive force because the students were not endangering anyone. We were in a peaceful march until the police shot at us.

“That was police brutality and they kicked, beaten students and fired rubber bullets and grenades at them. We want to condemn that behaviour and we demand those who have been arrested be released. We will never back-off and tomorrow we continue with our stay away until our demand are met,” Mabengwana said.

*Police were not available for response before publishing the article.

Most students said the university fees were expensive and that made life difficult for them.
-TDN
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Johannesburg – The ANC Youth League has confirmed that its president, Collen Maine, has been hospitalised after experiencing breathing problems on Wednesday morning.

“He was on a flight and before the flight could leave he had to go out,” ANCYL spokesperson, Mlondolozi Mkhize, told News24.

“He had problems with breathing, so he was advised to go to the hospital.”

Maine was meant to fly to Cape Town where he was expected to visit the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Cape Town, both of which are experiencing student protests over fee increases.

For more http://www.news24.com

BY REGINALD KANYANE

The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati Region on Tuesday called on the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to investigate allegations of police brutality.

This follows the alleged assault of SANCO Regional Executive Committee Member who was in police custody at the Ganyesa Police Station in the North West province.

“We are concerned that Kgosietsile Phillip was denied proper medical care after he was allegedly assaulted by the Public Order Policing Commander after his arrest on Monday together with six other people. Phillip was reportedly only taken to the local clinic on Tuesday after intervention by our Kagisano-Molopo zonal leadership,” Regional Secretary, Mika Moeti said.  

Moeti said that Phillip and the six were arrested after community protests demanding resumption of construction of a tarred road on the D327 Ganyesa-Mmadinonyane gravel covering 70 kilometers across 18 villages.

“Police brutality provokes communities to anger and violence which we are discouraging during service delivery protests,” Moeti highlighted.

He said that Sanco members and members of the public from affected communities will picket in support of Phillip and those arrested during their court appearance at the Ganyesa Magistrates Offices on Wednesday.

“We expect Murray & Roberts awarded the R265 million road construction project and paid R50 million in advance to immediately return to site, alternatively the provincial government should appoint another service provider to complete work that came to an abrupt halt after only 3 kilometers of gravel was compacted,” Moeti stressed.

The multi-million project was endorsed by communities including  the taxi industry as a priority project during Public Works,Roads and Transport MEC’s consultative road show in November 2012.

The taxi industry had during the engagements complained that the lifespan of their vehicles were short lived as a result of the rocky gravel road they traveled on a daily. 
-TDN
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Johannesburg – Exams scheduled to take place at the University of the Witwatersrand medical campus on Tuesday have been cancelled, amid continuing student protests against proposed tuition fee increases next year.

“Logistically it would have been a challenge to change venue,” university spokesperson Shirona Patel told News24.

The exams have been postponed to a later date.

For more http://www.news24.com

Cape Town – Protesters occupied Shoprite in Khayelitsha Mall on Tuesday morning, demanding a reduction in the price of bread, reported GroundUp.

The Shoprite store was closed during the occupation.

Private security guards in bulletproof vests and carrying rifles were patrolling the area.

The protesters came together under the social media hashtag #ThePriceOfBreadMustFall.

They have expressed solidarity with protesters demanding lower university fees who are using the hashtag #FeesMustFall.

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