A Pretoria sex worker has accused two Tshwane Emergency Services personnel of raping her in the back of an official municipal vehicle and then dropping her off in veld near the N4 highway this past weekend.

The sex worker, whose name is known to the Pretoria News but who may not be identified as she fears for her life after reporting the incident to police, said she was threatened with death before being raped by the men.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Free State – One person died and seven people were injured when a bus crashed into a car and a hardware store in Botshabelo, in the Free State, on Wednesday morning, paramedics said.

One of the people in the car died at the scene, said Netcare 911 spokeswoman Santi Steinmann.

She said the injured were taken to nearby hospitals. – Sapa

Johannesburg – Internal processes against the Tshwane metro police who allegedly escorted guests to the Gupta wedding will continue, spokesman Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said on Wednesday.

“We are still pursuing internal disciplinary matters against the officers,” he said.

“However, we cannot comment on whether the criminal charges against them have been dropped as that is a SAPS (South African Police Service) matter.”

Brigadier Phuti Setati said the SAPS reserved comment on the matter and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s spokesman Zweli Mnisi said the ministry was not dealing with it.

On Wednesday, The Times quoted unnamed sources as saying that the prosecutors overseeing the cases of the Tshwane metro police officers had declined to prosecute because of a lack of evidence.

Justice ministry spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga could not be immediately reached for comment by Sapa.

The newspaper reported that South African Policing Union (Sapu) president Mpho Kwinika had confirmed that charges against the union’s members had been dropped. He too could not be immediately reached to confirm the report.

Kwinika told The Times that the charges had been dropped because the officers were acting under orders.

“The instruction given was lawful… they could not ignore it.”

According to the newspaper, he said Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Mzwandile Petros had ordered his deputy, Major-General Phumza Gela, to make the arrangements for the Guptas.

Gela was suspended with four other high-ranking officials and military personnel over the landing of a privately chartered plane at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria on April 29.

Sapu said last Wednesday that Gela had returned to work.

The plane, which was chartered by the Gupta family, was carrying 270 guests to the wedding of Vega Gupta, 23, and Indian-born Aakash Jahajgarhia at Sun City.

The other suspended officials were: chief of state protocol ambassador Bruce Koloane, the South African Air Force command post’s Brigadier-General L Lombard, the Air Force Base’s Brigadier-General TS Madumane, and movement control officer Lieutenant-Colonel C Anderson.

Tshwane metro police also suspended eight officers for allegedly escorting and providing unofficial security to the wedding guests.

Beeld reported on Tuesday that two of them were claiming damages of R100 000 each from Mthethwa for wrongful arrest.

According to the newspaper, Peter van Vliet and Lawrence Lee Thorpe’s claim was served on Monday.

They reportedly spent a night and a day behind bars after allegedly being arrested without a warrant in front of friends and colleagues.

Their lawyer Anton Smith told the newspaper they were not on duty when Thorpe escorted Indian guests from Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria to Sun City, in North West, and Van Vliet travelled in a vehicle used for the wedding.

He said that at Sun City, they declared their official firearms, and these were locked in a safe.

Beeld reported that Van Vliet and Thorpe were arrested by the Sun City police on May 2 on a charge of contravening firearms legislation.

The arresting officers reportedly claimed they had been in unlawful possession of their official firearms, and should not have carried these outside the Tshwane district.

According to Beeld, Van Vliet and Thorpe appeared in court on May 3, but the state refused to prosecute.

Smith told the newspaper that if the damages claim was not settled within 30 days, the men would sue the police.

Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, who heads the justice, crime prevention and security ministerial cluster, presented a report about the plane’s landing on Sunday.

He said President Jacob Zuma and his Cabinet had no involvement in the landing.

Radebe said one of the findings of the investigation was that the landing was the direct result of manipulation of processes. He said names had been “dropped”, including that of Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Transport Minister Ben Martins and Zuma.

He said the aircraft had been cleared for landing and that the correct clearance procedures were followed, but that this had been in response to false information and abuse of privilege by a group who acted in common purpose. – Sapa

Johanensburg – At least two people have been mugged inside the Edgars store in the Joburg city centre in recent weeks.

Pearl Govender says she was robbed of her handbag, containing her identity book, purse, house keys, cellphone and bank cards.

Her R16 000 wedding ring was also taken.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Two sisters from Dunoon were repeatedly raped at gunpoint during a two-hour ordeal on Sunday morning while their elder sister was forced to watch.

When the Cape Argus visited their one-roomed shack, the younger sisters – aged 25 and 29 – were too traumatised to talk.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Kaizer Chiefs defender Tsepo Masilela says that they are ready for the Nedbank Cup Final against SuperSport United in Durban on Saturday.

Masilela tells Chiefs’ official website about his feelings ahead of playing in his first domestic final: “I will be playing in my first domestic final and I am excited about it. It has always been my dream growing up to play in such games.

“It is a very important game for the Club and we want to give a good account of ourselves.

The defender feels that being crowned League Champions recently will take nothing away from them focussing on winning Saturday’s Cup Final.

“It will be a different ball game on Saturday. We are professionals and we just have to go out and do what is expected of us.

“It has been a wonderful experience for me winning a League title in my first season after coming back from Europe,” he says.

“I would like to thank the technical team, my team-mates, the supporters and everyone for the support. My family too has been very supportive.

“It is my wish to win more Cups with the Glamour Boys going forward,” Masilela adds.

For more http://www.kickoff.com

By Obakeng Maje

Mahikeng-North West Department of Education MEC Louisa Mabe announced that the department will build few schools for farm students.

“Mega Farm schools will help to reduce more challenges the department experience. Many pupils especially from rural and farm areas walk long distance before they reach their schools” Louisa Mabe said.

Mabe said this will make education and learning to be more conducive.

“We tabled our budget vote to the provincial government and we so adamant that our objectives will be reached. We know challenges encountered by teachers whereby a teacher expected to teach maybe five classes alone, so that denies other students in the maintime as they will be sitting around with nothing to do” said MEC.

According to Mabe, schools will consist of hostels where pupils will be in-house.

“Even though our budget is not that enough, we will try our level best to improve education in the province” she said.

However other political parties in the provinces does not share the same sentiment with MEC as the say education system in the province is rotten to the core.

Democratic Alliance Sello Motshwenyane said the department’s plan won’t work as that happened before.

“The department of Education strategic plan is not a solution. They did the same at a school between Vryburg and Delareyville,but that never help” Motshwenyane said.

The department will build boarding schools and said all temporary teachers who are teaching Mathematics and Physical Science will be employed in permanent basis.

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The quality of electricity, network expansions and roll out of electrification projects are to feature prominently in the meeting between North West Premier Thandi Modise and Eskom to be held in Mahikeng today.

Electrification is part of the Strategic Infrastructure Programme (SIP) 4 and one of the deliverables that Premier Modise wishes to see accelerated and visible delivery to unlock economic development in the province.

Premier Modise will later in the day also meet with Harmony Gold Mining to discuss among others its social contribution and its Kalgold D-Zone Pit option for Strategic Water Resource Management.

North West Premier Thandi Modise is to address the main service of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) mass prayer meeting to be held at the Huhudi Stadium in Vryburg on Sunday.

Thousands of congregants from around the North West Province, Northern Cape, Gauteng including other provinces from around the country are expected to be part of the weekend mass prayer meeting hosted by the North West Provincial Government as part of moral regeneration. The sermon at the main service is to be delivered by His Grace, The Right Reverend Bishop Dr Barnabas Lekganyane.

The provincial authorities are satisfied that joint safety operational and contingency plans that are in place will ensure that there is no opportunistic crime and that roads are safe for usage by all road users.

Motorists who will be driving vehicles to the event are advised to arrange co-drivers and to rest after every 200 kilometers and or two hours of driving to avoid fatigue.

Members of the public are advised that road closures will be maintained along Mosiapoa, Eli Mabusela, Segawana and Mokgosi streets around Huhudi

  Stadium as from Friday afternoon.

 Motorists are requested to cooperate with traffic officials and to obey signage that will direct them along alternative routes to demarcated parking reserved for the various types of motor vehicles.

 ZCC marshals will be deployed to guide motorists on how to park vehicles for swift movement in and out of the parking areas.

Premier Modise wishes congregants who will be travelling to the event safe travel and appeals to residents of Vryburg to extend their warmest welcome and hospitality to them.

Roads in the North West Province are a lot safer after 120 000 potholes and 800 kilometers of tarred road were repaired on the public roads network in the past six months.

Briefing provincial stakeholders on the Strategic Infrastructure Programme (SIP) 4 at the Special North West Premiers Coordinating Council(NWPCC) held in Mahikeng this week, South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) as the implementation agency highlighted that it had thus far spend 

 R73,1 million on routine road maintenance across the province.

 SANRAL projected that it would have spend a further R71,9 on rehabilitation of the road infrastructure by November this year.

Other projects for implementation under SIP-4 include the resuscitation of rural towns of Groot Marico, Mahikeng and Taung, rollout of 289 public works projects and 30 additional roads projects. 

 Minister of Transport, Ben Martin as the Minister responsible for SIP-4 urged provincial government departments and municipalities to continue to engage and mobilise other stakeholders such as traditional leaders, local businesses, youth and women organisations, individuals and communities to support and participate actively in all SIP-4 projects,“All stakeholders should exercise leadership within the remit of their responsibilities to avoid duplication and overlaps. Our responsibilities are indivisible. When one sphere fails to carry it mandates, it affects the others – and we all fail,” emphasised Martin in calling for cooperation.

 Martins said that emphasis should be placed on outputs that will contribute towards government’s efforts to address the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

 “Our people cannot eat our egos. We have to put them aside to accelerate service delivery. Development should not be skewed to an extent that other parts of our province feel neglected and unloved” emphasised Premier Thandi Modise in calling for unity of purpose.

“Projects at various stages of implementation in the province under SIP 4 are aimed at acceleration investments in road, rail, bulk water, water treatment and transmission infrastructure, enabling reliable supply and basic service delivery, facilitating development of mining, agricultural activities and tourism opportunities and opening up beneficiation opportunities,” highlighted Modise.

In responding to Kagiso-Molopo Mayor, Councillor Motshwari’s plea for investigation of shoddy work on the infamous Tlakameng road, Premier Modise said that province will not hesitate to take action against companies that do not complete projects including blacklisting those that deliver sub-standard work.