Johannesburg – The public has no need to panic about an administrative protest by Popcru-aligned police members planned for Wednesday, police said.

“We have contingency plans in place. There is no need for panic,” spokesperson Brigadier Phuti Setati said on Tuesday afternoon.

“As an essential service, we [the SA Police Service (SAPS)] understand our mandate,” he said.

In the case of legal strikes, the right of administrative staff to strike was respected, but this was regarded as an illegal strike, Setati said, adding that it would be closely monitored.

He said the no work, no pay principle would apply and that participants could face disciplinary action. He also warned against the intimidation of those who did not want to participate.

Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesperson Theto Mahlakoana said in a statement that its members working in police administration would march in all provinces except Mpumalanga on Wednesday.

They would demand that the police honour an agreement to change their salary grades, and separate career planning for operational and administration staff.

About 43 000 members were expected to participate, Popcru general secretary Nkosinathi Theledi said on Monday.

Setati said the police were still in talks with the union.

He said it was not clear how many hours the marchers would be away from work.

The Inkatha Freedom Party condemned the protest and said the public would “ultimately be the ones to suffer”.

IFP police spokesperson Velaphi Ndlovu said the protest was “reckless in the extreme”.

“Residents depend on being able to dial 10111 to report criminal activity, but if the operators are going to be part of the protest, who will answer the calls?”

He said police should protest in a constructive manner rather than by potentially compromising the services on which communities depended.

The party called on the police and Popcru to reach an amicable solution.

Earlier, the Democratic Alliance called on national police commissioner Riah Phiyega to intervene to prevent the protest.

“We absolutely cannot have the situation where the SAPS, an essential service, is not in full operation,” DA police spokesperson Dianne Kohler Barnard said in a statement.

“Every cog of the SAPS operation is crucial in the performance of its duty to maintain public order, protect the country from crime, and uphold and enforce the law.”

SAPA

A total of 17,290,552 working hours were lost to illegal or unprotected strikes last year, Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant said on Tuesday.

“In 2012, a total of 99 strikes were recorded in the department strike data system. Out of 99 strikes, 45 strikes were classified as unprotected or unprocedural strikes,” she said in a written reply to a question in Parliament.

Oliphant said according to the International Labour Organisation guidelines, the working hours lost were derived by multiplying the number of employees involved in each stoppage by the number of hours it lasted.

This was done with each industry and added together to get a national total.

Although community, social and personal services accounted for the most strikes, at 13, mining and quarrying had the most workers involved and working hours lost.

Of the total 118,215 workers involved in unprotected or unprocedural strikes, 100,847 were from the mining and quarrying sector.

Of the 17,290,552 hours lost last year, 16,503,206 were due to strikes in the same sector.

Oliphant said that besides the finance industry, all other industries were affected by unprotected/unprocedural strikes in 2012.

Unprocedural strikes were recorded in all provinces but the Free State.

She said the department searched and identified strikes statistics through daily newspapers, then followed up with companies to fill in Labour Relations Act forms.

The mining industry has been plagued by wildcat strikes over the last year.

The most significant of these was the strike at Lonmin’s Marikana mine outside Rustenburg last year, when 44 people died.

On August 16, police shot dead 34 miners. In the preceding week, 10 people, including two police officers and two security guards, were killed.

-Sapa

The Hawks arrested a commander in the Maake stock theft unit on Tuesday for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, Captain Paul Ramaloko said.

“He was arrested for possession of nine unlicensed firearms.”

He said the 50-year-old man was arrested at his house in Maake, near Polokwane, at 3pm. The Hawks confiscated six rifles and three handguns.

“We were following up on information we received that he was involved in illegal hunting.”

Ramaloko said the man would appear in the Phalaborwa Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on charges of possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

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South African Football Association (SAFA) President Kirsten Nematandani is leading a delegation to the FIFA Congress taking place in Mauritius from Wednesday, 29 May 2013.

The SAFA delegation left the country on Tuesday morning (28 May).

They are expected to brief FIFA on the progress around their efforts to combat corruption in the game as well as measures that have been taken to this effect.

SAFA has set up an anti-corruption hotline in a bid to combat corruption on activities related to football.

The efforts have of late yielded some outstanding positive results especially around match officials and the delegation will update the Congress on the fight against corruption into football.

“This is a very important meeting in which we will exchange issues with the rest of the world. We will share our experience and hear of programs other countries are undertaking. From our side, we will have an opportunity to update FIFA on a number of issues,” said Nematandani. 

The delegation is expected back in the country on Saturday, 1 June.

Durban – Rhino poachers should get the maximum sentence if found guilty, KwaZulu-Natal agriculture and environmental affairs MEC Meshack Radebe said on Tuesday.

“If the justice system does this, it will (send a) strong a message to poachers and would-be poachers that they (should) think twice before they act,” Radebe said.

His call came after the arrest of five men alleged to have killed five rhino in the Hluhluwe area, northern KwaZulu-Natal, this month.

The men, aged between 20 and 64, were arrested on Saturday after police received a tip-off, Captain Thulani Zwane said.

Agriculture and environmental affairs spokesman Jeffrey Zikhali said a total of 33 rhino had been killed in the province this year and police had made 24 arrests.

“The crisis in South Africa is driven by well organised and well funded criminal networks, who strike after careful planning,” Zikhali said. – Sapa

Durban – KwaZulu-Natal police asked the public on Tuesday to donate potential police dogs to the service.

“Patrol dogs in the K9 units across the province are an integral part of policing and crime prevention,” Colonel Jay Naicker said in a statement.

The SA Police Service (SAPS) needed German Shepherd Dogs or Rottweilers for training.

“A request is made to the public to consider donating dogs to the SAPS,” he said.

Dogs should be pure-bred and between the ages of one and three years.

They would be trained to track and apprehend fleeing dangerous armed suspects.

People who wanted to donate could contact Colonel Krisen Naidoo on 082-417-6168 or 031-325-4799. – Sapa

Cape Town – The ANC’s claim that the City of Cape Town does not care about the poor is baseless, the DA said on Tuesday.

“In fact, nothing could be further from the truth,” Democratic Alliance spokesman Mmusi Maimane said in a statement.

On Tuesday morning the Cape Times quoted the African National Congress saying that US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle should not accept Cape Town’s Freedom of the City award.

“To us this is nothing other than a diversion and I think it would be a pity if Obama accepted the award from a city that doesn’t care about the poorest of the poor,” ANC Western Cape secretary Songezo Mjongile told the newspaper.

Maimane said the award would be presented to Obama and his wife during their three-day visit to the African continent at the end of June and beginning of July.

“The facts show that the DA-led city of Cape Town delivers better quality services to more poor people than any other metro in South Africa. The city of Cape Town offers the most comprehensive and generous package of free basic services to indigent residents of any metro in the country. This is a fact.”

He said in the past financial year the city spent 57 percent of its R18 billion budget on service delivery to poor residents.

“The city has increased its targeted spending on the poor every year over the past six years. The metro has also built dozens of new social facilities, including sports grounds, youth and community centres, drug rehab centres, and libraries.”

Maimane said these facilities were aimed at helping the poor and providing employment opportunities for local residents.

He said the ANC’s statement would not deter the city’s leadership from making the award. – Sapa

Kaizer Chiefs defender Siboniso Gaxa has been ruled out of the Bafana Bafana squad to face Lesotho, Central African Republic (CAR) and Ethiopia in the upcoming international matches.

Gaxa is suffering from a hamstring injury which forced him to be taken off the field in the final of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday, 25 May 2013 where Chiefs defeated Supersport United one nil.

The right back will be replaced by Russia-based Siyanda Xulu.

Gaxa joins fellow defender Tsepo Masilela and midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi on the sidelines.

Bafana Bafana assemble for camp on Wednesday night (29 May) in Johannesburg.

The Department of Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison say that it has declared war on criminals especially in all areas where crime was identified to be on the high. Areas such as Rustenburg and Madibeng are some of the municipalities that the Department has planned to prioritize in implementing its crime combating strategies. The Department announced this during the recent launch of the Madibeng Local Municipality’s Community Safety Forum.
“According to the Chief Director in the Public Safety branch of the Department Mr Orabile Mocwaledi, fighting crime is one of the key priorities of government, as outlined on the National Development Plan’s Outcome 3” said Simon Mmope.
Oarabile Mocwaledi said that the South Africa Police Service should work together with other government departments and communities, Security and Criminal Justice clusters and other arms of government. He said that by being united in the fight against crime, more can be achieved.
Mocwaledi further urged all organizations, government Departments, communities and other stakeholders to be involved, not only in determining police priorities in their area, but also in identifying the crime prevention needs. He said that, crime levels are perpetuated by a range of economic, social and political factors, crime prevention needs would require a multi-disciplinary, integrated approach.
The passing of the 1995 Police Service Act required the formation of community police forums (CPFs) at all police stations.
“The final evaluation of the project highlighted the lack of formal interaction between CPFs and other criminal justice agencies (such as the courts and prisons) as well as government departments concerned with welfare, education and local government” he said.
Therefore the CSF concept tackles the deficiencies of community policing forums by approaching the security challenge from a developmental perspective.
This involves bringing together those role-players responsible for criminal justice and services that, correctly targeted, could assist in preventing crime.
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By Obakeng Maje
Wolmaransstad-A body of a man was found alongside the road at Rietfontein, near Wolmaransstad.
Police said the man aged between 50 and 60 was only known as Mokwara.
“He was found alongside the road and his body is currently in the state mortuary. Anybody who might be missing a family member or relative or can assist the SAPS with information is requested to contact Detective Constable Seboco at 018 596 9439 or 078 332 3546”.
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