Johannesburg – Five years after Gary Smith and his sister Karen Buchanan were bound with rags and their mouths duct-taped before they were brutally assaulted, the police have made a breakthrough.

The siblings were bound, gagged, beaten, had their teeth pulled, and darts were thrown at Smith while Buchanan was stripped naked. Their four dogs had apparently tried to protect them, and two were killed and the other two were kicked.

And when their torturers had had enough, the 44-year-old man and his sister, 46, were both shot in the head.

When the crime was discovered, police found that their cellphones were smashed, a TV was missing and the safe was broken open.

For the past five years, no arrests were made.

And the motive for the attack was unknown.

However, just when the families of the victims – both Smith and Buchanan had been married and were survived by children – were to give up on the killers ever being found, police made a breakthrough.

Two men were due to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday in connection with the murder in the upmarket suburb of Northcliff on March 14, 2008.

Unconfirmed information is that one of the men was arrested in Durban while a second was nabbed in Mbombela.

Provincial spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini wouldn’t confirm where the arrests had taken place, but confirmed that two men had been taken into custody and that the arrests had happened two weeks ago.

By Obakeng Maje

Rustenburg-The retrenchement issue that looms at Amplants and Lonmin has been brushed aside for now. This decision was taken after talks between a National Unions of Miners(NUM) and the Amplants management.

According to NUM spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka,the talks are at advance stage.

“Up to so far we are engaged in talks with the mines management regarding retrenchement issue” Lesiba Seshoka told sabc radio.

“The management promised us that their decision of retrenching 14 000 00 mineworkers will be reviewed” Seshoka said.

The Lonmin and Amplats announced two weeks ago that they will retrench 14 000 00 mineworkers. This never settled well with ruling party and other political parties alike where the government threatens to disarm the platinum mine owners their licencing rights.

“We have put a proposal on Anglo Platinum management’s table to come up with a solution reagarding the issue” Lesiba Seshoka said.

“We want to alleviate poverty,job losses. So,we still waiting for their respond” He concluded.

Brits – Three men accused of murdering former world heavyweight boxing champion Corrie Sanders appeared in the Brits Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Samuel Mabena, 27, Chris Moyo, 25, and Paida Fish, 19, faced charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances, said Sergeant Philani Nkwelase.

The case against the three Zimbabweans was postponed until March 15, he said. They would remain in custody.

They allegedly shot and wounded Sanders during a robbery at the Thatch Haven Country Lodge outside Brits, during an armed robbery on September 22, 2012. He died later in hospital.

The police arrested them five days later in Oukasie informal settlement, near Brits, after a tip-off.

Police also recovered a cellphone, car keys, a purse and cash believed to have been stolen during the robbery.

A handbag, also thought to have been stolen in the robbery, was recovered at a second address.

Sanders won the World Boxing Organisation’s heavyweight title in March 2003 by dropping Ukrainian Wladimir Klitsckho in the second round in Hanover, Germany. He retired five years later. – Sapa

By Staff Reporter

Premier Modise welcomes no bail for motorist who ran over pupil 

  North West Premier Thandi Modise has welcomed that a man who allegedly knocked down and killed a pupil while driving a security company vehicle in Mahikeng was denied bail.

In conveying condolences to the family of the girl who was ran over by the vehicle driven by 33- year-old Kabelo Mathikga, Premier Modise condemned irresponsible driver behaviour which accounts for most accidents and deaths on public roads .

 “The upsurge in road accidents and road deaths have reached unacceptable proportions and call for intensified traffic law enforcement and united action to support the decade of action for road safety campaign” stressed Modise. 

  According to police, Mathikga was arrested on Saturday following the accident that occurred near Montshiwa post office after he allegedly ran over a girl while trying to overtake another cat at a three-way junction on Friday afternoon. He appeared briefly in the Mmabatho Magistrates Court on Monday.

 The pupil who was declared dead at the scene was reportedly trying to cross the road near the post office on her way from school.

Mathikga was later attacked and his vehicle damaged by community members and other pupils who witnessed the accident.

Police came to his rescue after they were alerted to the incident by other residents.

The man will be back in court on 3 May to answer to charges of culpable homicide and drunken driving.

By Obakeng Maje

Bafana Bafana returned to serious training on Tuesday after being given a day off on Monday with the good news that striker Lehlohonolo Majoro is fit to return for the quarter-final match against Mali on Saturday. The match is scheduled for a sold out Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Majoro sustained a shin injury in South Africa’s 2-0 win over Angola and will train alone until Thursday.

Bad news however, is that defender Anele Ngcongca, who has featured in all three Bafana Bafana matches in the tournament, has been suspended for the Mali clash after receiving two yellow cards in the group stages.

“Everything happens for a reason. Anele is not available for our next match, Gaxa has been working hard at training and now his opportunity has arrived.  Maybe he is the right player for this match; even if Anele was available I think I would have used Gaxa. I think things were meant to happen this way,” said Bafana Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund.

“We are two games away from the final, the players understand where we are and we all know there is a huge challenge that lies ahead of us. We know what we have to do. When you get this far in any competition, you are self motivated but at the same time it gets tougher. Mali is a very talented team with very hard working players,” added Igesund.

“They play differently to most teams we have faced; they like to slow things down. They knock the ball around and are very comfortable on the ball, but then again there are no easy games in the quarter-finals.”

The head coach said he was happy his players were starting to warm up to the occasion after a slow start to the tournament.

“To be honest, we were under huge pressure, it would have been an absolute tragedy had we not qualified for the last eight. So the pressure is off as far as that issue is concerned.

“The expectations were so high because we hadn’t performed well in our friendly matches. But when you analyse those matches you will realise they were very tough and they are helping us now – Brazil, Poland, Kenya all away from home Zambia, Mozambique, Norway, Algeria – they have prepared us well for this tournament,” concluded the head coach

Premier Modise to address emerging farmers concerns over state leases farms 

 Concerns of emerging farmers regarding state leases farms are to be the focal point of an engagement between North West Premier Thandi Modise and farmers from the province affiliated to the African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA).The meeting is scheduled to be held as from 10:00am at the Office of the Premier, Ga-Rona Building in Mahikeng on Friday

Delegates expected to meet with Premier Modise include representatives from Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Ngaka Modiri Molema and Bojanala Platinum Districts.

The farmers allege that besides a moratorium on sale of state farms that was announced in 2010, they are being discriminated against as some farms are being sold to certain individuals within the farming sector.

According to AFSA President Gideon Morule, farmers affiliated to his organisation wish in the interest of transparency to be involved in the allocation and recapitalisation of farms they are leasing. They have expressed fear that they might be chucked out of the farms by government officials in favour of their preferred candidates.  

By Obakeng Maje

Pella-Police seized dagga over the weekend to the value of more than R3000. 

“This came after a Crime Prevention Operation was launched. Members of the Springbok K9 unit were called in to assist with the Operation and they brought along a dog named “Brandon” under the command of Capt Bernie Murray” Lieutenant Donald Mdhluli said. Several houses of suspected drug smugglers were searched. 

“Bags containing dagga were found at the outside parameters of the premises.The dagga recovered by a police dog” Mdhluli said.

“According to Constable Freddie Korten, Capt Murray did a good job guiding Brandon. Most of the dagga was found by the dog and was fresh and already packaged for sale” He said. 

Constable Korten says four inquiry dockets were opened and as soon as results are available from LCRC arrests will follow.

Capt Bernard Böck, who was also part of the Operation applauded Capt Murray and his own members for a job well done.

He said that through this integrated approach such great successes can be achieved. 

He said he was grateful to see the commitment his members shown throughout the Operation as they covered long distances behind Brandon. Böck further stated that he will be very grateful if any positive results can be obtained from LCRC as his station already has 3 dagga cases showing commitments in dealing with suspects of dagga.     

By Obakeng Maje

Mahikeng- A driver who allegedly killed a learner from Kebarileng High School on saturday at Montshiwa denied bail. 

The incident took place on saturday near Montshiwa post office when a driver of a white Ford, Kabelo Mathikga,33 knocked down Tsegofatso Phele,20 while trying to cross the road.

Kabelo Mathikga was attacked by community members and school children.

“Police were called to a scene where a 33 year old man was attacked. The driver allegedly was drunk and knocked down a Grade 12 learner at a post office” Sergeant Philani nkwalase said.

“The Tshegofatso Phele died on the scene. The driver appeared briefly at Mahikeng Court on charges of Drunken Driving and Culpable Homicide” Nkwalase said.

The case was postponed for further investigations and the suspect remains in jail.