Potchefstroom – North West police on Wednesday appealed for help in identifying the skeletal remains of a person found in 2012, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

“Police are requesting anyone who has a missing person reported in 2012 to contact… police,” said Captain Pelonomi Makau.

The bones and skull of a man were found in a forest at Matlwang village outside Potchefstroom in October 2012, and June 2013.

The remains were sent to the Forensic Anthropology Research Centre of the University of Pretoria for reconstruction.

“In February 2014, three dimensional craniofacial reconstruction was done of the skull for identification of the possible victim,” said Makau.

Sapa

Pretoria – South Africa needs to develop a universally accepted notion of what constitutes appropriate forms of public protest, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard on its final day of public hearings on Friday.

Such an understanding would be instrumental in ensuring there was never a repeat of the events at Lonmin’s platinum mining operations in Marikana, near Rustenburg in the North West, in August 2012, Ishmael Semenya SC, for the SA Police Service (SAPS), told the commission in Pretoria.

“The place to start is to accept a common understanding of what constitutes acceptable public order discourse for South Africans.”

Those who felt the need to hold protests needed to do so within the confines of the law and the Constitution.

“We must agree that the South Africa we do not want is one where public dissent… is expressed by groups BEARING weapons and bent on conflict and mayhem,” Semenya said.

“We don’t deserve a South Africa that looks on with complicit acquiescence at public displays of criminal conduct…. Where civil society does not express outrage when law and order is disregarded….”

Semenya called on all role players – the police, unions, strikers, and Lonmin – to take responsibility for their actions on the day of the shooting and in the events leading up to it.

The SAPS was the only institution tasked with maintaining law and order, and many police officers were killed each year in the line of duty “so that you and I can have our law and order intact”, he said.

The commission is investigating the deaths of 44 people during strike-related violence at Marikana in August 2012.

Thirty-four people, mostly striking mineworkers, were shot dead in a clash with police, more than 70 were wounded, and 250 were arrested on August 16, 2012. Police were apparently trying to disarm and disperse them.

In the preceding week, 10 people, including two policemen and two Lonmin security guards, were killed.

Commission spokesman Phuti Setati previously said the commission’s public hearings would wrap up on Friday, so the commissioners could focus on writing their final report, which is to be submitted to President Jacob Zuma next year.

Sapa

Johannesburg – The EFF will seek an urgent interdict against the riot police who entered the National Assembly during a heated session on Thursday, party leader Julius Malema said on Friday.

“It can never and will never be correct for the police to interfere with the proceedings of Parliament, because elected members of Parliament will always be in fear that whatever they say and do in Parliament will be subjected to the police,” he told reporters in Johannesburg.

“Like in Marikana, the police have once more engaged in an illegal activity, demonstrating their incompetence and that they act on political instructions.”

Malema said the Economic Freedom Fighters had approached its LAWYERS on Friday.

The party wants a court to declare it illegal for the police to enter the Chamber.

Malema: We are scared of police

A court order would be important because it would protect Members of Parliament, said Malema.

“We need this order so that such future occurrences don’t happen again.”

It was important that Parliament’s work continued, but it could not as things stood.

“We are scared we will be brutalised by police for expressing a different view,” Malema said.

“The next step to follow will be a loss of life.”

Tempers flared in the House on Thursday when African National Congress MPs retaliated by objecting to motions the opposition tried to bring to delay the tabling of a report on upgrades to
President Jacob Zuma’s homestead at Nkandla, in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Democratic Alliance and EFF tabled motion after motion with most questions relating to the Nkandla issue or to Zuma.

Veteran ANC MP Mathole Motshekga, who was pivotal in the ad hoc committee that drafted the report absolving Zuma from responsibility for the alleged ABUSE of funds at Nkandla, said the opposition was exaggerating Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s findings that he repay a portion not related to security upgrades.

EFF MP: Zuma thief

Members of the police public order policing unit entered the National Assembly Chamber during proceedings, and a scuffle ensued.

This was after EFF MP Ngwanamakwetle Mashabela refused to leave the podium when she was ordered to do so by acting Speaker Cedric Frolick.

Mashabela had called Zuma a “thief” during a debate on the Grand Inga Hydro Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo and refused to withdraw her remarks.

Mashabela would not be moved when Sergeant-at-Arms Regina Mohlomi tried to escort her from the podium.

Police arrived minutes later and tugged at Mashabela, who could be heard shouting: “I don’t want to be touched”.

MPs from opposition benches expressed outrage and jumped to Mashabela’s defence.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane Zuma on Thursday expressed his condolences to the family of a victim of an accident in which he was involved.

“He wanted to introduce himself to the family to share the pain and their grief,” said David Maree, for the family of accident victim Phumzile Dube, outside the Randburg Magistrate’s Court where in inquest into the crash was being held.

“We afforded him the opportunity to speak to the family and express his condolences to them.”

Zuma’s Porsche rear-ended Jabulani Vusi Dlamini’s minibus taxi on a rainy night in February. Dube, who was a minibus passenger, died and three others were injured.

The accident happened on the M1 south off-ramp to Grayston Drive in Sandton.

Zuma, Maree, and Dube’s family went into a separate courtroom following the conclusion of proceedings for the day.

They spoke for a few minutes, after which Zuma hugged the family members.

“The family is grateful for this gesture and would like to find closure after this and move on with their lives,” said Maree.

Earlier, Maree and Sabelo Nobangula, for Dlamini, argued that accident reconstruction expert Johannes Petrus Strydom’s evidence be rejected.

Maree said there were certain aspects Strydom had testified about even though he was not qualified to give an expert opinion on them.

It was submitted that Strydom’s testimony was tailored to help Zuma, instead of assisting the inquest to come to a conclusion regarding the accident.

Johan van Loggerenberg, of the Johannesburg metro police department, did not testify as planned, because it was concluded that his evidence and that of Strydom was the same.

The inquest decided it was not necessary to have his input.

Magistrate Lolita Chetty postponed the inquest to Monday, when the State and Zuma’s defence team are expected to present their closing arguments.

SAPA

By Reginald Kanyane
Taung Greater Local Municipality is mourning the death of its Chief Whip Lepodisi Tong who passed away this morning. Even though the details amid Tong’s death are sketchy, he was allegedly admitted at hospital some time ago.

Ward councillor at Baga-Maidi, Lekgotlha Menyatso said he is affected by Tong’s death. He said the ruling party has lost an icon in Tong and this is a bitter pill to swallow.

“We are really affected by Tong’s death. He played an integral part and left a big margin that will not be easy to fill” Menyatso said.

The messages of support continue to pour in as tribute to Tong’s family.
-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Cape Town – The family of Anni Hindocha will on Thursday mark the fourth anniversary of her death while she was on honeymoon in Cape Town.

Anni was shot dead when she and her husband, Shrien Dewani, were hijacked in Gugulethu on 13 November 2010. He is currently on trial in the Western Cape High Court for allegedly hiring hitmen to murder her.
For more http://www.news24.com

By Reginald Kanyane
Taung- A 13 year-old girl was allegedly raped by two unknown men at Lokgabeng village, near Taung on Tuesday.
North West police said two men entered a house and demanded undisclosed amount of money.

“Two suspects entered the tuck-shop at around 00:01 and found a woman with her two children. They allegedly threatened a woman with a knife and demanded money. A woman told them that a tuck-shop is no more functioning, so there is no money” colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said.

The suspects dragged a 13 year-old girl to the nearest bushes and raped her.

The woman screamed for help and the community members launched a manhunt, but their attempt was futile. A 13 year-old girl was found this morning at the house of one of her relatives.

North West police said a case of rape and armed robbery was launched and police investigations continues.
-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_