Bloemfontein – A minibus taxi transporting more than a ton of dagga was seized near Cornelia on Monday, said Free State police.

Police spokesperson Mmako Mophiring said police arrested the 41-year-old taxi driver, from KwaZulu-Natal, on the R103 near Cornelia in a routine crime exercise around 10:45.

“When searching the vehicle, they found bags of dagga with a combined weight of 1 025.55kg,” said Mophiring.

It was believed that the seized dagga, worth about R1.2m on the street, was being taken to Gauteng.

Most of the seats in the Toyota Quantum taxi vehicle had been removed to accommodate the load of 81 bags.

The driver would appear soon in the Frankfort Magistrate’s Court.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A man has been arrested for killing his father and grandmother in Malamulele, Limpopo police said on Monday.

The 37-year-old hacked his father with a panga and beat his 81-year-old grandmother to death with a piece of wood, said police spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi.

The bodies were found on Monday morning.

“The motive for the attacks is still unknown,” he said.

The man would appear soon in the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court.

– SAPA

Durban – The driver of an articulated truck that killed 23 people when its brakes allegedly failed has a new lawyer.

Sanele Goodness May’s lawyer Theasen Pillay withdrew from the case when he appeared in the Pinetown Regional Court on Monday.

Pillay was appointed by May’s employers Sagekal Logistics.

The case against May was postponed to 8 October, after his new lawyer Professor Mdletshe told the court that new evidence had been given to the prosecution, and it had been agreed that the case would need to be postponed while this evidence was investigated by police.

It was not revealed in court what this information was and the matter was postponed for a formal bail application.

The application had previously been set down for Wednesday.

Earlier Pillay said three other attorneys had arrived at court to defend May.

The accident occurred when the truck May was driving hit four fully-laden minibus taxis and two cars on the corner of Field’s Hill (M13) and Richmond Road in Pinetown shortly before 19:00 on 6 September.

He was initially charged with 22 counts of culpable homicide, but this was subsequently upgraded to 22 counts of murder and a charge of reckless or negligent driving.

A 23rd person injured in the crash died on Saturday.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has refused to make public reports about the state of animal health in South Africa, the DA claimed on Monday.

DA MP Annette Steyn said the party submitted an application earlier this year to the department for the reports, one of them by the World Health Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on foot and mouth disease. The request was denied.

“On 26 July… the DA submitted another… application, to which we have received a response today, where the department states that the OIE report was not provided by the organisation,” Steyn said.

“This is in contradiction to a letter from the OIE clearly stating that a detailed assessment has in fact been made available to… [the department].”

She said the department’s denial of the existence of the report was “clearly intended to mislead the public about the true status of animal health in South Africa”.

Joemat-Pettersson said Steyn was “creating a storm in a teacup”.

“There have never been any secrets nor denials about the existence of the OIE report and, in fact, Ms Steyn has been informed of this personally,” she said in a statement.

“A parliamentary answer to the question on the OIE made it clear that the department was in discussion with the OIE and that the report would be made after evaluations had been completed.”

Joemat-Pettersson said the DA was using the OIE as a red-herring, when it should be focusing on ensuring the Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA) was passed.

“The purpose of the… bill is to provide a legal framework for the implementation of the small scale fisheries policy.” she said.

“To date, the DA has not given any backing to the amendment despite the fact one of the hardest hit communities is located within the West Coast of the Western Cape [which is led by the DA].”

Joemat-Pettersson said “Steyn and her DA counterparts” had to explain why they were so focused on the OIE report, instead of investing their energy on the MLRA.

Steyn said the OIE report contained information about steps the department needed to implement for the ban on South Africa’s meat and poultry exports to the EU to be lifted.

“The ban will not be lifted until the issues identified by the OIE are rectified by… [the department],” she said.

“If the department once again fails to meet the requirements of the OIE, the economy could lose at least R4bn in export revenue and thousands of jobs in the coming year.”

Steyn said the DA would request the report directly from the OIE.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Seven men have been arrested for looting and burning Somali-owned shops in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape police said on Monday.

“We can confirm that seven suspects have since been arrested and charged with public violence. All the suspects are in their late 20s,” said police spokesperson Sibongile Soci.

They were expected to appear in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Soci said no new incidents had been reported and the police were closely monitoring the situation.

At least 10 shops in KwaZakhele and New Brighton were attacked.

Spokesperson Miranda Mills said two shops were looted and burnt in Ntintili Street, and a car parked outside was also set alight at the weekend.

Several other shops were targeted on Sunday following the arrest of a Somali man accused of shooting dead a man outside a shop on Saturday evening.

“According to a witness there was an argument between the suspect and the victim. The [police] arrested the suspect and the firearm used… was recovered,” said Mills.

Police had since moved some foreigners out of the area.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The ANC was in mourning on Monday after the death of former KwaZulu-Natal provincial deputy secretary Mbuso Kubheka, it said.

Kubheka died in a car crash on Saturday, the ANC said in a statement.

“Mbuso Kubheka, a well-trained and seasoned cadre, was one of our comrades who rose rapidly through the ranks of the ANC Youth League.”

He served in the ANCYL in the Midlands region before becoming part of the first ANCYL KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committee in 1995.

In 2004, Kubheka’s “outstanding leadership” resulted in his election as the regional chairperson of the eMalahleni region.

Later in the same year, he was elected as the ANC’s deputy provincial secretary in KwaZulu-Natal, a position he held until 2008.

Kubheka also served in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, where he displayed “remarkable leadership skills and made great contributions in legislative processes”, the ANC said.

He was a founding member of the Newcastle Youth Organisation and was a former member of the ANC’s armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which later led to his arrested by the apartheid government.

“Mbuso… played a very instrumental role in building structures of the movement in eMalahleni region and the surrounding areas,” said ANC provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala.

“He was an astute political educator who loved dedicating time in teaching young people about the ANC and the revolution in general.”

The ANC sent its condolences to his family, relatives and to party members, especially those in the eMalahleni region.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The ANC is scared of imminent change in its support, DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko told students on Monday.

“Across the country, the ANC is in retreat. They know that change is coming and they are desperate. This is why they lash out at the leaders of the DA,” she said in a statement.

Mazibuko was speaking to students at the Mangosuthu University of Technology in Umlazi on the outskirts of Durban.

Quoting extracts from Dr Martin Luther King jnr’s “I have a dream” speech, Mazibuko attacked the ANC and urged students to make a change.

She said the ANC had made personal attacks on DA leaders was because they could not go head-to-head with them on issues and because their support was diminishing.

“The truth is that the ANC can’t even compete on the issues that affect millions of South Africans every day. So, when you hear the ANC insulting the DA or its people, remember that they do so because they have nothing else left to say,” she said.

Mazibuko said recent actions throughout the country were signs that people were fed up with the ANC and had seen the future in places like Tlokwe, in North West.

Tlokwe leadership

ANC councillors in the Tlokwe municipality twice ousted their mayor Maphetle Maphetle with a vote of no confidence, and replaced him with a DA mayor.

“And so I say to the ANC, keep attacking us. The DA will keep delivering. We let our actions do the talking for us.

“The people of this country are not fools. They see through your words and they know which party delivers,” she said.

Tackling student issues, she said the DA was aware of the challenges facing students. It was aware of the struggle to get a meal on campus.

She said the library was not functional because of a shortage of books and late arrivals.

The DA Students’ Organisation (Daso) understood what the problems were, she told the students.

“Daso knows how to fix these problems. Daso will give students vouchers for those expensive books that cost over R1 000 to make them cheaper so that you can access the best materials for your studies,” she said.

She told students the DA was the party of the future, and the one which would give them a chance.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The City of Cape Town has spent nearly R16m since August to help people affected by storms and floods, it said on Monday.

“Since August, 204 206 residents have been affected by flooding caused by the severe weather,” city spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said in a statement.

“The number of flood victims, who have been helped by the city since August, is nearing 160 000.”

He said more people were helped during bad weather conditions at the weekend.

“The city provided flood relief to more than 400 residents over the weekend, restored electricity connections, and cleared roads affected by the inclement weather.”

He said 60 houses were affected by floods in the low-lying area of Khayelitsha.

Hot meals and blankets were provided to the displaced.

The Lotus Park informal settlement was waterlogged and the city provided sand to the area, Solomons-Johannes said.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Three men accused of assaulting a policeman appeared in the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court on Monday, Limpopo police said.

Police spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi said Donald Albreent, 21, Edwin Albreent, 24, and Herdus Jaarsveld, 27, were granted bail of R500 each.

The matter was postponed to 23 October for investigation.

The three were arrested on Saturday after allegedly assaulted a policeman in Mankweng.

Mulaudzi said the policeman, who was stationed in Groblersdal, was driving towards Mankweng when a car behind him flicked its lights.

He let it pass, but it slowed down next to him and one of the occupants hurled an empty bottle at him.

“The police officer, who was in full uniform, sensing a potential threat sped off. A car chase ensued until it culminated in a severe beating at the filling station,” said Mulaudzi.

On arrival at the filling station, the three men who were allegedly intoxicated, got out of their car and charged towards the policeman’s car.

“Without provocation [they] started to smash his car windows and out [of] fear the police officer removed his service pistol [and] ran into the filling station shop.”

The men attacked the policeman and a passer-by alerted the Mankweng police.

The three were arrested and charged with malicious damage to property, attempted car hijacking and common assault.

The injured policeman was taken to hospital for observation and was later discharged.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Western Cape Premier Helen Zille launched a violence prevention policy framework for the province on Monday.

“The policy brings together a range of proposals focused on reducing and preventing violence in the Western Cape, which are all in line with our government’s ‘whole-of-society’ approach,” Zille said in a statement.

The provincial government recognised that the criminal justice system had a critical role to play when it came to reducing violence in communities, and it was crucial that wrong-doers were brought to book.

“Only the South African Police Service [SAPS], the public prosecutor, the courts and correctional services, working together in a seamless pipeline, have the power to ensure this happens.”

She encouraged residents to be active in the fight against violence and said their involvement was what underpinned the violence prevention policy.

“Effective partnerships and combined efforts between all three spheres of government, civil society and communities are the only way we will address the underlying factors that give rise to acts of violence in our society,” Zille said.

The policy had been developed in response to a long-standing need for a coherent and integrated framework for understanding, and effectively tackling the very high injury and mortality rates resulting from violence.

“The effect of this violence is enormous. It creates trauma for families [and particularly children] and weakens communities where the social fabric is often already severely strained,” she said.

Alcohol abuse

Alcohol was an underlying contributor to the violence.

Part of the plan to curb the problem was to reduce the availability of alcohol and alcohol abuse.

“Critical to the success of this intervention is the closing down of illegal shebeens in communities.”

Zille said while the provincial government was committed to creating safe communities and had introduced a range of socio-economic interventions to reduce violent behaviour, it could not achieve this alone.

“The successful implementation of the policy would require the co-operation of all role-players in the health and criminal justice sectors, as well as the active participation and partnership of citizens and civil society,” she said.

– SAPA