By Obakeng Maje

Pic: (Const Sereo and const Mokgoro with a suspect)

Kimberley-Police are investigating a fraud and forgery case after a 50-year-old female was arrested at a local Kimberley pharmacy on Friday approximately at 10:30am. 

“The vigilant Pharmacist noted something suspicious on the medical prescription and immediately started doing her own verification with regards to the authenticity of the document” Lieutenant Sergio Kock said.

The Pharmacist also noted the stamp of the local hospital on the prescription for medicine and decided to do enquiries. 

“This is when she found out that the specific Doctor that issued the prescription had already passed away during the year 2009” Kock said. 

The Pharmacist then invited the lady into her office after she had informed the police. 

Upon arrival the police immediately arrested the female suspect on charges of fraud and forgery. 

It was later detected that the woman allegedly committed a series of these medical offences since the year 2010, as she is employed as a nurse at a hospital in Kimberley.

The exact amount of the fraud committed by the female must still be confirmed and will form part of the police investigation.

 “The Kimberley Cluster Commander, Major General Jean Abrahams commended the Pharmacist for the spectacular assistance which led to the arrest of alleged fraudster” Kock said. “This truly portrays partnership policing at its best” said police. 

The police request that if there are any other medical institutions which has fallen victim to a similar type of crime they can call the Kimberley SAPS Detectives on 0538384100. The suspect should be appearing in Kimberley Court very soon. Investigation continues.

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By Obakeng Maje

MEC MASIKE OPENS HIGH VOLUME MALE CIRCUMCISION CLINIC AT TSHEPONG HOSPITAL

Klerksdorp-Three large clinical trails have convincingly shown that circumcision of young men prevents them from getting HIV.

In Klerksdorp, a partnership between the Perinatal HIV Research Unit and North West Department of Health has created a high volume circumcision clinic capable of doing over 200 circumcisions per week.

The clinic is called Gola Monna, which means “Grow Man” in seTswana, and is located at the Tshepong Hospital.

Dr. Limakatso Lebina, a founder of the clinic said “This clinic will circumcise men and will ensure that they have lifelong partial protection against HIV”.

“Removal of the foreskin clearly can’t stop all HIV infections but it certainly prevents most” She said.

“We tell all the men that we circumcise, that they must continue to condomise”.

The clinic has already done over 1000 circumcisions and is gearing to respond to a high winter demand in June and July when it plans to provide circumcision seven days a week.

Dr. Variava, a specialist physician and the Head of Medicine at the Tshepong Hospital added that “Working in the wards and treating patients with AIDS and complications of HIV makes me support any intervention that can stop people from getting HIV in the first place”.

Male circumcision is a scientifically proven method of reducing the risk of acquiring HIV.

“We encourage all young men to take this opportunity to protect themselves” Doctor said.

Gola Monna is having a Valentine’s month special promotion, targeting both men and women.

Asked why women should be included, Dr. Lebina explains: “Women should be involved in decisions about getting a safe circumcision”.

“As mothers of boys and partners of men, they must ensure that the males in their lives are protected from HIV”.

She adds, “There is some data to show that women prefer circumcised men”.

So take a Valentine’s day decision to get a LoveCut and come in for male circumcision at the clinic”.

The MEC for Health in the North West, Dr. Masike will be formally opening the clinic on the 11th of February 2013 at 10h00.

“Dr. Masike has provided invaluable support for getting as many young men in the North West Province circumcised” Tebogo Lekgethwane said.

He says, “This is a safe and quick operation, with very little pain”.

“Our communities must encourage all you men from 15 to 45 to come to this new clinic for circumcision” Masike said.

STATISTICS ABOUT MALE CIRCUMCISION

1.Three clinical trails done in Uganda, Kenya and Orange Farm in South Africa showed consistent results that male circumcision reduces the risk for a circumcised heterosexual man.2.    Risk of HIV is reduced by 60% if a man in South Africa is circumcised.3.    In North West Province 18.9% of the entire population is estimated to be HIV-infected and 30.2% of pregnant women are HIV-infected.4.    Men get infected with HIV at an older age than women.5.    The age of first sexual activity in South Africa is 16 years, which highlights the importance of early circumcision.6.    South African Government plans to circumcise over 4m men by 20167.    114000 young men need to be circumcised in the North West Province over the next two years at all their sites.8.    Gola Monna plans to contribute 19 000 circumcisions to this total. 

9.    Circumcision is a very safe procedure.  Only 1-2% of all circumcisions have a problem – in most instances it is minor and resolved within a few days.10. Men who are circumcised can go back to school or work the next day.11.   It takes about two hours at the clinic to be circumcised – this includes HIV testing, counceling about circumcision and the procedure itself.  The actual circumcision takes about 15 minutes.

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A second man linked to the gang-rape, murder and mutilation of Bredasdorp teenager Anene Booysen would only appear in court next week, the NPA said on Friday.

“His appearance is on Monday in the Bredasdorp Magistrate’s Court and not today (Friday),” National Prosecuting Authority Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said in response to media reports.

He said once the man, aged 21, had appeared, the case would be postponed to Tuesday to coincide with the appearance of a 22-year-old man who Booysen identified shortly before she died in hospital.

He made his first court appearance earlier in the week.

Booysen was left for dead at a construction site near her home after visiting a sports bar on Friday night. She had reportedly worked as a cleaner for Asla Construction.

Her aunt Wilma Brooks wept when describing Booysen’s injuries to the Cape Argus.

“Her throat had been slit, all her fingers and both legs were broken, a broken glass bottle had been lodged in her, her stomach had been cut open… That which was supposed to be inside her body lay strewn across the scene where they found her,” she said.

Booysen died in hospital on Saturday afternoon.

Her death provoked outrage from all sectors of society.

Cosatu was planning to deliver a memorandum to the Bredasdorp police station after Booysen’s memorial service on Sunday.

Provincial Cosatu secretary Tony Ehrenreich said they would picket outside the magistrate’s court on Tuesday to support Booysen’s family and “display our disgust at this cowardly act”.

The Young Communist League of SA described the crimes as “stomach churning”.

“We call, as an immediate measure, for a police officer in every police station nationwide to receive extra training around rape and sexual violence,” spokesperson Khaya Xaba said.

“It is abhorrent that women reporting rape are often met with incredulous smirks by police. Police must be seen to be taking rape very seriously.”

On Thursday, President Jacob Zuma described the crime as “shocking”, “cruel” and “inhumane”.

“Impose the harshest sentences on such crimes, as part of a concerted campaign to end this scourge in our society,” he said.

“It has no place in our country. We must never allow ourselves to get used to these acts of base criminality to our women and children.”

-Sapa

Johannesburg – South African media on Friday reacted with anger over the alleged gang rape, murder, and mutilation of Bredasdorp teenager Anene Booysen.

Primedia Broadcasting’s four radio stations – 94.5 KFM, 567 CapeTalk, 702 Talk Radio and 94.7 Highveld Stereo – will interrupt their broadcasts on Friday from 6am to 6pm with a beep every four minutes.

The frequency of the interruptions is designed to symbolise the rate at which rapes occur in South Africa and ensure that the problem is kept at the forefront of listeners’ minds.

It is part of a campaign for harsher sentences for rapists, better access to help and treatment for rape victims and public responsibility in blowing the whistle on rapists.

“We urge the public to stand up and do the right thing,” said CapeTalk’s station manager, Colleen Louw.

On the front page of The Star, editor Makhudu Sefara called for citizens to stand up against rape.

“We abhor all forms of sexual assault on any person, young or old, and we have consistently shone a light on this scourge where we have found it…”

Sefara said the only way to combat the crime was by providing prosecutors with evidence, so rapists could be removed from society.

“Today, together with our partners in LeadSA, we repeat that call. Stand up. Speak out. Help us turn this evil around once and for all.”

He said LeadSA, an initiative by Independent Newspapers and Primedia Broadcasting, decided to use its influence to mobilise society in the wake of Booysen’s ordeal.

The newspaper ran a feature on self-defence for women.

The Citizen published an editorial calling for South Africans to take collective responsibility in the fight against sexual crimes.

“Somehow, somewhere there must be a tipping point where society is so convulsed by a collective anger over rape that we begin to turn the tide against this terrible scourge.”

Given the ubiquity of rape in South Africa, the editorial argued, this tipping point should have come long ago. Rape would not cease if society ignored it.

“Each of us needs to ask what we can do to stop this awful trend. And then we must act accordingly. You can help.”

The New Age printed a full page poster on page 11, reading “Enough is enough!”.

The words “Stop sexual abuse” were arranged into a word cloud in the shape of the hand signal used by traffic police, meaning “stop”.

Beneath this was the slogan: “Respect women. Respect your nation”.

Booysen was allegedly raped, mutilated and left for dead at a construction site near her Bredasdorp home after visiting a sports bar on Friday night. She died in hospital from her injuries on Saturday afternoon.

Before she died, Booysen identified one of her attackers as her former boyfriend. According to the Argus, a 22-year-old man appeared in Bredasdorp Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of rape and murder.

A second suspect, 21, was expected to appear in the same court later on Friday.

To stay informed, follow @lead_sa on Twitter #stoprape or visit http://www.leadsa.co.za

Sapa

Pic: (Bogus doctor led away by police)

By Obakeng Maje

Hartswater-The Northern Cape SAPS Commercial Crime unit are investigation a case of fraud after a 37 year old male was arrested for allegedly trading illegally as a doctor in Hartswater police said.

The SAPS Commercial Crime unit, Organised Crime unit, Tactical Response unit, SAPS Local Criminal Records Centre and the SAPS Cyber Crime Unit pounced on the suspect while he was busy in a consultation with a patient.

“The police immediately confiscated the stethoscope from the suspect and other equipments the suspect was using during the examination of the female client” Lieutenant Sergio Kock said. 

“The police also managed to confiscate bottled medicine, tablets, X-rays, copies of issued sick certificates, copies of death certificates, a laptop and several patient files” Kock said. 

The suspect could not provide the police with any valid medical practice credentials, other than an herbalist certificate which will be tested for authenticity.  

All this will be utilised as evidence in the court of law. 

“The male suspect is currently detained at the Hartswater Police Station cells and should be appearing before the Hartswater Magistrate Court soon”.

The investigation continues.

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Bredasdorp – She knew immediately it was her daughter who had been badly injured when she saw the black Grasshopper shoes with the laces tied in a certain way protruding from the sheet covering her.

Corlia Olivier, 40, the softly-spoken foster mother of Anene Booysen, had been summoned to a cold and bleak construction site in Bredasdorp early on Saturday morning.

She was called out at 5am by neighbours who had been alerted to the fact that the girl who had been gang-raped and brutally injured might be Olivier’s foster child.

Anene, 17, was lying, critically injured, at the site where she was employed as a general worker, and where she had been found by security guards.

She was taken to hospital where she died on Saturday evening, after identifying her attackers.

Olivier took Anene – whose biological mother died when she was a baby – into her care when Anene was four.

On Friday night, Anene went to David’s Sport Bar & Pub, about six blocks from their home. Olivier warned her not to stay out late.

At about midnight, Olivier went to the bar and told her daughter to come home.

“She told me that she still wanted to stay. I left her and told her not to come back later than 1am.”

A few hours later, neighbours knocked on her door. Together they walked for seven blocks to the construction site. It was cold, Olivier said, and all the time she was thinking that it couldn’t be Anene who had been attacked.

But when she saw her she immediately realised that it was Anene. Lying next to her were hairpins and items of her clothing.

Olivier, who cried throughout her conversation with the Cape Times, said her daughter had been dumped between two houses at the construction site.

Police later told her that Anene’s body had been totally cut open. “She had a cut to her neck and private parts. Some of her body parts were open on the ground.”

Police also said Anene’s fingers and legs were broken.

Olivier said her daughter was a good, quiet girl who had helped out at home. She was taken out of school in Grade 7 to work to earn money for the family. She had also been a volunteer for Fynbos Wildfire Service.

“She was a hard worker and did her best to help me,” said Olivier.

“There were days when we only had a slice of bread and water in the house. She knows about suffering. Her death took her away from our suffering.”

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

A number of Limpopo schools have not received textbooks, the Democratic Alliance in the province said on Thursday.

The principal of Duiwelskloof Primary School sent parents a letter last Tuesday apologising for the non-delivery of textbooks in core subjects, the party’s spokesman on education Jacques Smalle said in a statement.

The principal added that neighbouring schools had also not received books.

Smalle said the education department denied this on Tuesday.

On January 8, the department said at least 98 percent of textbooks had been delivered to inland schools ahead of the first day of school.

Smalle said the DA found six other schools that still had not received textbooks for critical subjects.

He challenged Limpopo education MEC Namane Masemola to meet the DA at Duiwelskloof Primary “to see for himself what the truth is”.

If Masemola was not able to attend in person, another senior official should attend in his place, or the department could schedule another time for the meeting, he said.

Limpopo education department spokesman Pat Kgomo referred questions to the national department, which could not immediately be reached for comment.

Last year, schools in the province were without books for the first seven months of the school year.

A North West woman and her 14 neighbours have emerged victorious against a municipality that wanted to build a hostel on their property.

The Constitutional Court ruled yesterday that the Rustenburg municipality acted unlawfully when it approved and started construction work on the land without the consent of Pontsho Motswagae and the other occupants.

In the judgment by now retired Justice Zak Yacoob, he said: “The work authorised by the municipality did, in my view, interfere with the applicants’ peaceful and undisturbed occupation of their homes.

And what is more, the interference is by no means slight.

“I have already said that the applicants attach photos to their papers showing the extent of the works. The intrusion was plainly so significant a disturbance to the applicants’ occupation that it constituted a form of eviction. It is serious and, in our constitutional era, unacceptable.”

Motswagae and the municipality have been in dispute since 2009 when excavation of land by a bulldozer right next to the outer wall of her home, exposing the foundations of the building, suddenly began without her knowledge. The two parties have been to the high court and the Supreme Court of Appeal but have failed to reach an agreement.

The property in question is block of flats which is now dilapidated. The land was earmarked for development in 2004.

“The question before us is whether the municipality acted lawfully in authorising this work on the property without obtaining a court order for the eviction of the applicants,” Justice Yacoob said.

“The municipality knew that it was interfering with the rights of people to occupy their homes peacefully.

“This is demonstrated conclusively by the fact that the municipality has consistently (and even in the High Court) offered those people affected by the development, including the applicants, alternative accommodation.

“The municipality would not have offered alternative accommodation unless it had concluded that the offer was reasonably necessary in the circumstances.”

For more details go to http://www.thenewage.co.za

Training for the first phase of the Rustenburg Rapid Transport North West Corridor project.

The rapid transport project is a pioneering infrastructure project of the Rustenburg local municipality for the province that is also committed to local skills development across all phases of its implementation.

The first phase of construction commenced in July 2012 and included two trunk routes on the R104 Swartruggens road from the main Rustenburg taxi rank to the R565 turn-off to Phokeng.

Starting at the rank, the construction is moving north in three sections over a 15-month period.

Since the start of construction, 15 workers have been trained in trades such as brick manhole construction, storm water pipe laying, block paving and kerb laying.

In commending the workers, Rustenburg mayor Mpho Khunou said: “The Rustenburg Rapid Transport is one of the biggest projects to have hit Rustenburg and through this training we are contributing towards the reduction of unemployment in the city.

“We consider training important to the sustainability of the local economy and one of the most important aspects of anyone’s career advancement. Hence we hope that these learners will be afforded further training so that by the end of this project, they will be fully skilled.

“We are seven months into construction work and are delighted that the public will start to see this project in a more physical form,” said Rustenburg Rapid Transport project director, Marks Rapoo.

“It is important that the workforce is recognised for the effort that they are putting into the project.”

For more details go to http://www.iol.co.za

r finance Johannes Mohlala requested Premier Thandi Modise to suspend the ongoing disciplinary process against the official, until investigations into the irregular appointment of a legal firm representing the department were finalised.

This comes after the provincial selected committee on public accounts (Scopa) instituted a multi-skilled task team probe against acting head of department Geo Paul, former and current finance MECs Louisa Mabe and Paul Sebogoe.

The three were cited as central to the questionable appointment and continued payment of Morake Incoporated, a legal firm that has been paid more than R13m in the department’s case against Mohlala and two other senior managers.

In a letter seen by The New Age, Lebea and Associates Attorneys gave Modise until 1pm yesterday to respond, and pointed out that they would approach the Labour Court on Monday to interdict the process if the premier failed to act.

Among other things, the lawyers said Modise should halt the process because the outcome of the investigations of Mabe, Sebegoe and Paul would directly impact on the hearing.

The lawyers further said that the disciplinary hearing being conducted against their client was unlawful because it did comply with the Public Finance Management Act of 1999, treasury regulations, Public Service Act and the Senior Management handbook.

The letter also questioned why 13 of the initial 32 charges against Mohlala were withdrawn “without explanation” last week.

Provincial government spokesperson Lesiba Kgwele confirmed that Modise had received the letter requesting the disciplinary suspension.

“The premier received the letter and is applying her mind into the matter. We will not be drawn to comment further because the matter is sub judice,” he said.

For more details go to http://www.thenewage.co.za