Category Archives: NEWS

‘Plus-minus 97 charges laid against the accused’

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gavel_may 14

By Maryke Vermaak

A man facing as many as 33 charges of rape and 33 of attempted murder will appear in the Alberton Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

He is accused of raping 33 girls between the ages of 10 and 14. He also faces 33 counts of attempted murder.

Outside court, banners of the rights group Women and Men Against Child Abuse read: “Speed up justice for child victims” and “No bail for child abusers” were posted against walls.

Women and Men Against Child Abuse spokeswoman Tania Otto said a new magistrate, prosecutor and defence attorney had been assigned to the trial as the others were elsewhere engaged.

When the matter was initially placed on the court roll during the man’s last appearance in May, his DNA could be linked to 33 cases, prosecutor Joyce Xakaza told the court.

She said forensic evidence gathered since then connected him to dozens of other crimes.

Asked how many, she told the magistrate: “In a nutshell, in the high court there will be plus-minus 97 charges laid against the accused.”

At the moment, the accused had been linked by DNA to 40 other cases, but this number could rise.

“Other charges include attempted murder and other sexual offences,” Xakaza said.

The man cannot be named at this stage as he has not pleaded yet to the charges against him.

Xakaza said investigations would continue and the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) asked for three months in order to draft the indictment.

“Give us enough time to investigate the matter… It’s a huge and big case that needs to be investigated properly,” she said.

“I must indicate that the matter is still under investigation, taking into consideration that we have more than 33 dockets to go through,” Xakaza said.

Earlier, the defence said it could not continue with the bail application unless it had details of the charges against the 40-year-old man.

“The defence can’t proceed with the bail application, and wishes to request a copy of the contents of the case docket or the indictment,” Legal Aid Board attorney Londiwe Shange told the court.

“The defence can’t be rushed into a bail application without knowing the complexity of the charges.”

The State objected, saying the indictment and contents of the docket could only be made available for the purposes of a plea or trial.

However, Saulse ruled that copies of the documents be made available to the defence.

“The applicant should be granted access to parts of the State’s documents… The court will order that the State has the right to deny access (only) to parts of the docket that will interfere with investigations or State witnesses,” said Saulse.

The man wore a red t-shirt and torn blue jeans at Wednesday’s appearance. He stood passively as court proceedings ran their course.

The man was arrested in Eden Park at the end of January after one of his alleged victims followed him home and alerted the police.

The girls, from Katlehong, Thokoza, and Vosloorus, on the East Rand, were apparently lured into the veld and raped between 2007

and 2011.

Xakaza confirmed that a bed was booked for the man at the Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital after the DPP asked that he be sent for observation. – Sapa

Post office strike ends

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Post office workers protest outside the Communication Workers' Union offices in the Johannesburg CBD. Picture: Taurai Maduna/Eyewitness News

BY Jacob Moshokoa

JOHANNESBURG – The South African Post Office strike ended on Wednesday. 

Management from the service confirmed the end of the four-month long strike by casual employees who were demanding permanent employment.

The delivery of mail was severely affected in the Gauteng region.

Spokesperson for the mail service Janras Kotsi said negotiators accepted a proposed interim solution on Tuesday evening.

He said details of the negotiated solution could not be revealed until legal documents were signed.

Striking workers returned to work on Wednesday.

(Edited by Thato Motaung)

Mosimane to get R5m payout

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The South African Football Association (Safa) will give former Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane a R5 million golden handshake, according to a report today.

Safa officially terminated Mosimane’s four-year contract worth a reported R1 million a month on Monday night.

Mosimane was left with two years on his contract worth a balance of about R24 million, but after a marathon meeting at Safa House to which he was not invited, the mother body’s management committee put the matter to rest and chief executive Robin Peterson was dispatched to the team’s camp in Rustenburg to inform Mosimane.

“He will not be paid the outstanding balance he would have received had he served the rest of his contract,” a source close to the developments revealed, The New Age website reported. 

“There is no obligation in terms of the contract signed with Safa to do so and Mosimane would be wasting his time if he even tried to argue that one.

“He will not get more than five months of salary.”

Interim Bafana Bafana coach Steve Komphela has asked for patience and support for the team as they resume their 2014 Fifa Soccer World Cup qualifying campaign.

Komphela, the Free State Stars mentor and former Bafana captain, will guide South Africa in their next two matches. 

–Sport24

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Serial rape accused: I’m a Casanova

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serial rapist casanova

By ZELDA VENTER

The man alleged to have raped 10 women in the Pretoria central business district over a couple of months before he was arrested, has portrayed himself as a Casanova.

He told the Pretoria High Court onTuesday that he had slept with so many women in his life that he cannot recall whether the women who claimed he had raped them were among his girlfriends.

Reginald Alexandra Temana, 20, denied that he had raped any of the women who claimed he at first approached them in a friendly manner before turning into a brutal rapist. Nine of these women also claimed he had robbed them.

“I don’t know any of these women accusing me of rape. But I had a lot of girlfriends and a lot of sex with different women. I cannot recall any of these women, but I never had sex with anyone on the mountain. It was mostly in my flat.”

Temana said he lived in a flat in the CBD and often walked the streets at night and brought women back to his flat. He denied ever being up the mountain next to Langenhoven High School, as claimed by the women.

Asked by his counsel why eight of the alleged victims had identified him during an ID parade as being the rapist, Temana said he had no idea. They might have seen a picture of him which the police took after his arrest, which also depicted the scar on his chest, he said.

Nearly all the victims described their attacker as having a scar on his chest.

Temana insisted on taking off his shirt and bared his chest to the court. He told Judge Cynthia Pretorius he did have a scar, but it was not located where the women said it was. But the scar shown to the court was on his chest.

Temane said the scar was the result of robbers attacking him.

Temane is also facing a charge of murder, following the death of an unknown woman whose body was recovered at Schubart Park flats. His DNA was found on the woman’s body. It is not known how she died, but a pathologist said it seemed she had fallen several metres to the ground.

Temane said he did not know the woman, but she could have been a prostitute, as he often went to Schubart Park to “buy”.

Asked by his counsel about the fact that a police forensic expert testified that his DNA (semen) was found in nearly all the alleged victims, Temane at first said they must have been his lovers at some time. But he later said: “I don’t have an explanation. I know nothing.”

Temane claimed that the last woman who pointed him out to police as her rapist was his girlfriend.

She had accused him because they had an argument and she had been upset with him, he said.

But she, like the many others who took the stand, cried bitterly when she told of how she was brutally raped by Temane.

He was grilled by the State on why all these women would frame him. Prosecutor Cornelia Harmse said the first alleged victim had made her statement months before his arrest, describing the scar on his chest. But Temane said a lot of people knew about his scar.

“Did you or did you not have sex with these women? “ Harmse asked. Temane said he could not say, as he could not recall the number of girlfriends he had, nor their faces.

Asked about the murdered woman at Schubart Park, Temane said he did not know her at all. Harmse insisted he take a good look at her face on the pictures handed to court of her body. Temane at first refused to look at the pictures.

He repeatedly said: “It scares me. I don’t want to see the pictures.”

After taking a look, he said he did not know whether he had sex with her, but if she was a prostitute, he probably did. He, however, said he has never killed anyone in his life.

(Proceeding)

Pretoria News

Porn star may have eaten victim

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Copy of iol news pic Luka Magnotta

By JAMEY KEATEN

Montreal – The Canadian porn actor suspected of dismembering and eating his former lover partied in Paris and evaded police for days before he was caught in Berlin, authorities said on Tuesday. The suspect told German authorities he would not fight extradition to Canada.

Authorities said Luka Magnotta, 29, could be returned to Canada as early as this week. He is wanted by Canadian authorities on suspicion of killing Jun Lin, a 33-year-old Chinese student he dated.

Video footage of what authorities believe to be the killing seems to show the suspect eating the body, Canadian police said Tuesday – the latest gruesome detail in a case that emerged when a package containing a severed foot was opened at Canada’s ruling Conservative Party Headquarters on May 29.

Shortly after the killing, authorities say, Magnotta flew from Montreal to Paris. Scores of French police hunting for him were inundated with hundreds of tips and alleged sightings of the suspect, whose photo was splashed in newspaper papers, TV screens and websites worldwide, thanks to an Interpol alert. The suspect monitored news reports about what police knew and took steps to evade authorities.

Witnesses contacted French police with claims of having seen Magnotta partying in the Bastille area of east Paris, said Christophe Crepin, a police union official who shared details about the manhunt in a phone interview with The Associated Press. One tipster said Magnotta drank a late-night Coca-Cola at a bar in the northwestern Batignolles quarter, which police collected for fingerprints. Pornography magazines and an air-sickness bag from the plane he had taken from Montreal to Paris were found in a dingy hotel room where he stayed in Bagnolet, northeast of Paris.

“He needed to be seen, and to party,” said Crepin, who relayed information he received from agents in the judicial police unit that tracks fugitives. “Naturally some of the people who saw him broke out into a cold sweat when they recognised him.”

Magnotta’s refusal to stay low eventually got him caught. He was arrested on Monday while reading about himself at an Internet cafe in Berlin after an employee recognized him from a newspaper photo and flagged down a police car.

Magnotta appeared before a German judge in the afternoon and was ordered held pending extradition, police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf said. He was then transferred to a Berlin prison from a police detention center.

He will have to go before a German court for an extradition hearing once Canada formally requests that he be returned for trial, Neuendorf said.

“I assume there will be no problems,” he said. “According to his statements to prosecutors he will not fight his extradition.”

That means Magnotta could be returned to Canada as early as this week, according to authorities. The Canadian Embassy in Berlin declined to comment on when Ottawa may file the official papers seeking extradition.

Cmdr. Denis Mainville, the head investigator of the Montreal police major crimes unit, said investigators will review hundreds of homicide cases over the last 30 years in Montreal and throughout Quebec for any possible links to Magnotta. Mainville said such a review is routine in such cases.

Montreal Police Cmdr. Ian Lafreniere said that although police have not been able to conclusively confirm it, they suspect Magnotta ate parts of the victim’s body.

“As gross and as graphic as it could be, yes, it was seen on the video,” Lafreniere said.

Authorities allege Magnotta filmed the slaying in his Montreal studio apartment and posted it online.

A copy of what police believe is the video of the killing, viewed online by AP, shows a man with an ice pick stabbing another naked, bound male. He also dismembers the corpse and performs sexual acts with it.

It did not show anyone eating the body but did show a man using a fork and knife on it. Police suggested on Tuesday that they have access to more extensive video of the killing, possibly an unedited version.

“We’re keeping some details for ourselves,” Lafreniere said.

Magnotta arrived in Berlin on Saturday on a bus Paris, said Martin Steltner, a spokesman for Berlin prosecutors.

Crepin said Magnotta had contacts in Paris from a previous visit in 2010.

“He didn’t come to Paris by chance. He knew he could get along in Paris, he knew people,” he said. Police, for example, trailed a large-framed man who had been in contact with Magnotta, he said. Police questioned another man with whom Magnotta spent two nights. The man didn’t immediately realize who his companion was, Crepin said.

At times, French investigators grew frustrated with leaks in the media -notably a French TV report indicating police had used technology to track Magnotta’s mobile phone. As a result, Magnotta turned it off, Crepin said.

“He had closely monitored what we police were doing to concoct his strategy,” he said.

Crepin said surveillance camera footage showed Magnotta boarding a bus to Berlin on Friday evening. He said German officials were alerted that Magnotta might be in Berlin at some point before the arrest, but he did not specify when.

The case’s full horror emerged on May 29 when a package containing the severed foot was opened at Canada’s ruling Conservative Party headquarters and a hand was discovered at a postal facility, addressed to the Liberal Party of Canada. A torso, meanwhile, was found in a suitcase on a garbage dump in Montreal, outside Magnotta’s apartment building.

As they unraveled his background, police discovered that Magnotta changed his name from Eric Clinton Newman in 2006 and that he was born in Scarborough, Ontario. He is also known as Vladimir Romanov. Police said he has 70 Facebook accounts under different names.

Montreal police on Tuesday said DNA tests have confirmed that the body parts mailed to the political parties were Lin’s remains, and that they have footage of Magnotta mailing the two parcels that were sent to Ottawa.

“The head is still missing,” Lafreniere said. “And one hand and one foot is still missing.”

He said they had no indication those parts had been shipped anywhere, however.

Zheng Xu, a press spokesman at the Chinese consulate in Montreal, said Lin’s family has been contacted and wants to travel to Canada as soon as possible. He said he was not able to give any further details without the family’s approval.

In Germany, surveillance camera footage of the cafe, obtained by The Associated Press, showed Magnotta casually entering the shop at noon local time wearing jeans, a green hoodie sweater and sunglasses. He briefly spoke to the counter clerk, then walked to his assigned computer where he was later spotted reading news about his case.

About two hours later, seven German police officers walk into the shop, without any haste. The footage shows three police officers accompanying the handcuffed Magnotta a couple of minutes after they first entered the cafe. Magnotta calmly walks alongside them.

Police say he at first tried giving fake names but then conceded: “You got me.” – Sapa-AP

‘Woman racing to dying dad assaulted by cop’

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cuffs_jan 16

A Klerksdorp woman trying to reach her dying father to say goodbye was allegedly assaulted by a traffic officer on route to the hospital, according to a report in Beeld newspaper on Wednesday.

Hestia Kotze’s father Koot de Beer died as she pleaded on her knees, in handcuffs, while a traffic officer allegedly manhandled her, swore at her and sprayed pepper spray in her face.

Kotze said she had received a call from staff at the Potchefstroom Mediclinic on Saturday afternoon to say that she should come immediately, because her father was dying.

According to Kotze, a traffic officer attempted to pull her over near the Ikageng offramp.

“I was doing no more than 120km. I moved into the other lane, and gestured to him, saying it was an emergency and I needed his help. My headlights and emergency lights were flashing,” she said.

The officer followed Kotze to the hospital, allegedly apprehended her outside the entrance and threw her onto the ground.

Witnesses said he allegedly shoved Kotze against a fence, swore at her, pushed his knee into her back and squirted pepper spray in her face.

Kotze was taken to the local police station, where she was granted bail.

Charges against her were dropped by the Potchefstroom Magistrate’s Court, but she said she would pursue a civil claim against the officer. – Sapa

VOLUNTARY RESIGNATION BY A SANGOMA COP

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BY Obakeng Maje

In the media on 05 June 2010, a false report and serious allegations were made against the South African Police Service in the North West. A former policeman by the name of Itumeleng Tladi who is a Sangoma alleged that he was victimised and pushed to resign because he is a Sangoma.

As the North West Police, we have conducted our investigation regarding Itumeleng Tladi and his resignation.

 

We would like to categorically deny all allegations made against  the Police.

We see them as malicious, and causing serious harm to the image of the South African Police in general. Mr Tladi was never forced to resign.

The Police are in possession of his resignation letter. Mr Tladi left work and went to Sangoma School for a period of six months, without reporting to his commander nor the employer. His salary was then suspended for six months in June 2011 as leave without pay.

 

Mr Tladi was warned not to commit a similar offence. On his return an internal hearing for misconduct was held on the 17 January 2012 concerning Tladi’s behaviour and to deal with him for absconding work.

He was found guilty and fined a five year suspended sentence.

“The disciplinary committee instructed Mr Tladi to report for duty on the 18th January 2012.He did not have any resource for his actions as he started developing strange behaviour of leaving work to go and attend to his patients and he was warned. Mr Tladi later left for a week after applying for leave and before his commander could approve, Mr Tladi was gone for a week.

The division of SAPS Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) contacted Mr Tladi to engage with him if he as any personal problems. The former policeman confirmed that his Sangoma calling will make him enough money to sustain himself. He further informed EHW that he was on the verge of opening a business and that would be enough for him to sustain his socio-economic needs. Attempts by EHW fell on deaf ears when they tried to persuade Mr Tladi not to leave the Service. He was contented with his move even when a question of his children was raised. His words were that he did not need SAPS money because Amakhosi will look after him and his family financially” Brigadier Ngubane said.

 

Since the 12 April until 7 May 2012 Tladi’s commander went on leave when she came back she was told that Tladi has never reported on duty ever since she (his commander) went on leave.

Tladi was questioned by his commander about this but he never gave a written report about this. Instead, Tladi went to Mmakau Cluster to hand over his resignation letter.

He never approached his station concerning the resignation letter.Tladi’s firearm was never taken away from him because he never owned one, he never applied for a firearm because he did not own a safe at his house.

He was using a state firearm he had to leave it in the Station when he was knocking of duty.

 

It is our understanding that Mr Tladi may be regretting his decision to leave work, and Amakhosi and the undisclosed business venture could not take off well and could no longer provide for his wife who has since left him.

Tladi challenges cannot be twisted and made the problems of the SAPS. The South African Police Service is a caring organisation with a track record on this front. As Mr Tladi puts it we have many religious people as employees of the service from our estimated workforce of 200 000, who practice different norms and cultural beliefs.

These employees are never isolated nor victimised, they are urged to conform to the SAPS, policies and standards.

They are free to do their  private work and cultural practices outside of work. Mr Tladi seems to be keen on taking the opportunity that as announced by the Minister that he is on the drive to skill and upgrade FCS units in the Police.

 

Mr Tladi as a former member of the South African Police Service is more than welcome to re-apply for re-admission into the Service.

He should be familiar with our application processes, and if he is successful he would be expected to perform his duties in line with the labour laws and within the confines of SAPS policies.

 We could not get Mr TladI’s respond before going to press.

Bafana Bafana caretaker coach appeals for support

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BY Obakeng Maje

Bafana Bafana caretaker coach Steve Komphela has appealed for support all round for the national team ahead of their crucial 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil qualifier against Botswana.
The match will be played on Saturday, 9 June 2012 at the University of Botswana in the capital Gaborone.

Kickoff is at 15h00.

Komphela takes over temporarily after former coach Pitso Mosimane and the South African Football Association (SAFA) agreed to part ways amicably last night (Monday, 4 June).

The former Bafana Bafana captain addressed the media at the team’s training camp at the Royal Marang Sports Complex in Phokeng near Rustenburg on Tuesday morning.

He outlined the following points:

             1. We request support for the players as this is all our team. We quickly need to forget the past       errors, we need to release the burden of the past so we can travel lighter to the future. Let’s try to travel faster forward there is not time to waste
             2. Trust our resilience – we need to be more resilient and try to see the tough times through because it’s not only tough for the players, but even for us the technical team and the nation. We need to go through that period and it is only normal to try to overcome it
            3. As the technical team the only way we will get stronger is when we get your support – support not only from the players but also from the Association, media and public
            4. We need to stay current, be realistic and understand that we have a huge task and responsibility to qualify the country for 2014 in Brazil

Komphela will be assisted by Jairo Leal.

“The biggest challenge this morning was to get everybody in the right frame of mind. It is a huge task but we are getting there. We have to confess we have professionals, people who understand that even though some things change, they still need to perform. We are happy and pleased to say we will give the best of preparations and get the best of results in pursuit of qualification in Brazil,” said Komphela.

The caretaker coach also showered Mosimane with praises.

“Pitso did a lot of good work, and we appreciate what we have here. With your support and a bit of positive attitude that is prompt, we shall get a result. We cannot become a bad team overnight. We have played some of the best football just that we don’t take our chances. We will release our energies and be more positive, get the attitude right and try to win the match (against Botswana). There is very little you can do in terms of being better than you were yesterday but I am optimistic we will get a result,” he added.

Captain Steven Pienaar was also positive after the team got off to a slow start in the qualifiers.
 “The players are feeling down, and it’s normal after losing your coach but we are all professionals and it happens in football. We are all looking forward to the next few games and we have to lift ourselves up again mentally and physically more so because the results in the last game were not good enough. I just want to wish the coach (Mosimane) all the best in future,” said Pienaar.

“As  a team it is behind us now, we have to support the new coach one hundred percent and respect him as a person. He has been with Bafana Bafana for a few good years.

“The players know the importance of the match on Saturday so we have to stay focussed. We let our families down, the supporters and the whole country so it’s time for us to start winning games and make everyone happy again.  There’s a lot of pride to play for because you don’t want to lose to your neighbours. Also, there’s still a lot to play for,” added the midfielder.

Meanwhile Katlego Mphela suffered a bruise on the right thigh in Sunday’s clash against Ethiopia but was able to train with his teammates. He will be under medical observation.

Tsepo Masilela has been withdrawn from the camp after sustaining a knee injury in the match on Sunday, and will have to undergo an operation. No replacement will be called up.

Thulani Serero is back in the squad after a family bereavement.

WIFE ARRESTED F0R COP MURDER TLABANE

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BY Obakeng Maje

The cold body of a 53-year-old warrant officer was found at the back of his house in the early hours of Saturday 02 June 2012 at about 5:00 in Tlhabane.

According to the information that was received from the wife at the time was that the police officer left his house on the evening of Friday 01 June 2012. She claimed that he told her he was going to pay someone that he owed money. 

 

The deceased Warrant officer, Patric Lesele, who worked at Tlhabane court never, returned home, she informed the police.

 

 “The deceased police’s wife alleged that she made an attempt to call him but his phone rang inside the house.   According to her she woke up the following day to go and hang her laundry in the wee hours of Saturday morning, only to find the body of deceased husband lying on the ground at the back door of their house with a wound next to his right eye” Brigadier Ngubane said. 

The woman informed her son to call the ambulance and when the ambulance arrived at the scene the police officer was certified dead. 

 

 The police were called to the scene for investigations and the police crime scene expects, suspected foul-play and also found loose ends on the information given to the police.  This led to the arrest of the deceased police’s wife along with her boyfriend this morning.

They will appear before the Magistrate’s Court in Rustenburg on 6 June 2012 on the count of murder. 

 

 

 

GIRL (8) RAPED

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BY Obakeng Maje

 

Zeerust:- Police are investigating a rape case of an eight year old of Mokgola village.  It is alleged that on the 31 May 2012 at 09:00 the toddler’s aunt, noticed that there was something wrong with her daughter and informed her mother, in Rustenburg.

 The child’s mother returned home on the 1 June 2012 and queried the minor as to what had happened to her but the daughter would not respond.

 

On the 3 June 2012 the mother took her to her grandmother, in seeking for answers to the change of the child’s condition. 

“The conversation with the grandmother helped the minor to confess to the alleged rape incident. According to the child an unknown man entered their house on Tuesday night, 29 May 2012. The aunt left her alone when the suspect came in and alleged raped her” Sergant Philani Nkwalase said.

 

During this time the mother was in Rustenburg, left the child with her aunt, who admitted to leaving the house for that night.  

The victim was taken to the clinic and later referred to the Hospital.

The medical report confirmed sexual abuse, however it also stated that evidences shows that it is not a flesh incident, it could have been few days to a week before the examination.

At this stage there is no arrest, as the child was frighten and the it was dark in the house, more over the suspect closed her mouth while he was raping her.

However investigation are continuing.