Cape Town – Police officers with criminal records cannot be summarily dismissed, national police commissioner Riah Phiyega told the Western Cape legislature on Tuesday.

Mark Wiley, chairperson of the standing committee on community safety, had asked Phiyega about a recent audit up to January 2010, which found 1 448 officers had criminal records.

Parliament heard in August that most of the officers were convicted after joining the service, and that none of them had been dismissed yet.

“The non-disclosure of a criminal record in most organisations would result in a summary dismissal. Why is it not the case with the SA Police Service [SAPS]?” Wiley asked.

Phiyega said labour law had to be followed.

“You’ll agree with me that we are like most organisations. In terms of our agreement with labour and other people, we will use all the labour laws that are at hand to ensure we respect the rights of everybody.”

She said dismissing officers without following the correct procedure would result in many days spent in court defending those actions.

“Okay, I think you’re being very soft on them… The many organisations I know, it’s a straight walk,” Wiley replied.

Phiyega said the fact that the audit had been done showed the commitment there was to ensuring the police service was cleaned up.

Last month, SAPS acting deputy national commissioner for human resource development Nkrumah Mazibuko addressed MPs about the audit.

“These people are subjected to disciplinary process and then they take the matter up on appeal, and we get an order to reinstate the person,” Mazibuko said.

Police members convicted and jailed were automatically fired.

“If that person appeals the sentence… and he gets the sentence reduced, maybe to a suspended one, by a criminal court, then in terms of our own [police] act, such a person is entitled to apply for reinstatement.”

– SAPA

By Obakeng Maje
Letlhabile-A 28-year-old suspect was arrested by Letlhabile police for the murder of Marriam Seaposa (24) on Monday, at about20:00 in Letlhabile near Brits.
“It is alleged that the suspect and victim were an item and were staying together. It is further alleged that the couple had an argument and the suspect strangle the victim to death” sergeant Kelebogile Moiloam said.
The police were called to the scene and arrested the suspect.
“The suspect is expected to appear before Brits Magistrate Court tomorrow on charges of murder” Moiloa said.
Investigation Continues.-TDN
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By TDN
Lehurutshe-In recognition and honour of the women who led the women’s revolt in Lehurutse in 1957 against the Anti-pass laws, which later spread to other villages in Zeerust, such as Dinokana, Lekgopung, Motswedi, Moshana and Gopane, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture saw it fit to host a Women in Dialogue to be held on the 29th August 2013 at Gopane Village, Tribal Offices in Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality.
As August marks a significant and symbolic month to pay homage to the bravery of South African Women who played a vital role in the liberation of our country as a whole, of which these women from Lehurutshe also played a huge role in. It is therefore the main aim of the Department to honour and celebrate the mammoth task these women had to go through during those times.
“We salute all women for their resilience against pass laws, severe repression they endured during the oppressive regime”, said MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Mme Tebogo Modise.
“Wathinti abafazi, wathinti imbokodo (you strike a woman you strike a rock) this was a song that these women sang during the struggle and which these women have shown courage and determination the previous year” said MEC Modise.
She further said that it is for this reason that they will not cease in encouraging, and educating our young people about our history.
“This event will be a dialogue between the heroines and the young women of today with regards the events of the past and to also educate young women of today through this dialogue in order to pave a way for Women empowerment and gender equality”.
“It is our mission and vision of the Department to preserve the history of this province with regards the liberation of this country” she said.
The event will be celebrated under the theme of “A centenary of Working together towards sustainable Women empowerment and gender equality”

The dialogue will be held as follows:
Venue: Gopane Village Tribal Offices
Date: 29th August 2013
Time: 10h00
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By TDN
Mahikeng-North West Department of Social Development, Women, Children and People with Disabilities has invested R3 million in empowering rural young people with construction skills, through the implementation of National Youth Service Programme, MEC Collen Maine said on Tuesday.
“About fifty (50) unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 35, Maine said were trained on as brick-making, brick laying, enterprise development and end-user computing in 2012/2013 financial year. The youth were recruited from Koffiekraal, Brakkuil and Uitkyk villages in Moses Kotane Local Municipality” minister Maine said.
“Tomorrow we will host a certificate ceremony to honour these learners. We are doing this, so that they become future employers and be the change agents in the communities they come from,” he said.
Maine said that the skills the learners have acquired will increase their employability and encourage them to venture into the labour market.-TDN
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Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows shared the spoils in their league clash at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night.

After a goalless – and, frankly, boring – first half, the game sprung into life after the break, with two goals in four minutes setting the tone.

First Lerato Chabangu opened the scoring with a first-time finish from Dikgang Mabalane’s cross.

However, Chiefs were level on 60 minutes when Bernard Parker netted from the spot ater Knowledge Musona was brought down.

Chabangu also had two great efforts saved Itumeleng Khune, while Musona flashed a shot across the face of goal late on.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

Pietermaritzburg – Nineteen members of an alleged copper theft syndicate appeared in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Tuesday.

They could face charges of sabotage in addition to the charges they already faced, the court heard.

Prosecutor Annelie Harrison told the court her national directorate would be asked for authority to charge the accused of sabotage in terms of the Internal Security Act.

Harrison said the charges against the accused in more than 20 dockets dealing with copper and other thefts would be correlated.

Most of the 19 men were arrested in KwaZulu-Natal, but some also faced charges in other provinces, the court heard.

The group included Zimbabwean and Mozambican nationals.

During the multiple arrests across KwaZulu-Natal, police found stolen cables worth thousands of rands and five cars.

“Cable recovered during four arrests near Pietermaritzburg had cost Eskom R720 000 to replace. This cable would have fetched R72 000 as scrap,” Inspector Nico Smith of the Pietermaritzburg police told the court.

The matter was postponed to October 24.

Sapa

Durban – Two KwaZulu-Natal men have been arrested for conning people out of cash by promising to double their money, police said on Tuesday.

The men, who posed as traditional doctors, were arrested at Madadeni, near Newcastle, early on Tuesday by police acting on a tip-off, said Captain Thulani Zwane.

“They were found in possession of a briefcase full of counterfeit cash that is suspected to be used for defrauding people,” he said.

Police later established that the men were also wanted for robbery, fraud and dealing in drugs in Madadeni, Ladysmith, Pietermaritzburg, Point and Durban.

“Police appeal to anyone who might have been conned to contact Newcastle police station or any local police station,” Zwane said.

He said the men, aged 30 and 40, would appear in the Madadeni Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Sapa

Polokwane – Two men were sentenced to life in jail by the Polokwane Regional Court for raping a teenage girl in Limpopo in 2009, police said on Tuesday.

“The 18-year-old girl was on her way home when she was attacked and dragged to a nearby mountain where she was raped and assaulted by the two men,” said Colonel Ronel Otto.

The men left the girl unconscious and with injuries all over her body, she said.

“When she regained consciousness, she managed to go to a local clinic where she received treatment for her injuries.”

Otto said she was taken to the Mankweng hospital where it was confirmed that she had been raped.

Police arrested Elvis Modula, 26, a day after the rape and his accomplice Jackie Sekhwela in 2010.

“Modula was sentenced to life in prison in May this year, while Sekhwela was sentenced on Monday,” Otto said.

Sapa

Thohoyandou – Red tape is responsible for the dire state at Limpopo’s Tshilidzini Hospital, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela was told by hospital staff on Tuesday.

Communicating their needs annually to provincial health authorities had not borne fruit, doctors and nurses told Madonsela, during a surprise visit to the facility in Thohoyandou.

Madonsela was in Limpopo as part of her office’s national stakeholder dialogue.

“We regularly borrow equipment from other hospitals. Sometimes they take back their equipment and we have to beg,” she was told by a nurse, according to a statement released by the Protector’s office.

The hospital was in dire need of surgical items such as gloves and masks.

“Unlike other hospitals that the Public Protector has been to, Tshilidzini does not have sanitisers to disinfect visitors to its high care wards, something that ought to be a standard procedure,” said another staff member.

Madonsela was told the 55-year-old hospital was in short supply of anaesthetic machines, suction machines, patient monitors, diathermy machines, autoclaving machines and tourniquets.

Officials blamed bureaucracy for the non-renewal of procurement contracts which more than six months ago.

She was told that the hospital’s human resources were also overstretched, with only 24 doctors, few specialists and no resident paediatricians.

Staff said two paediatricians from Mankweng Hospital, in Polokwane, visited twice a month as part of their outreach.

They said a major impediment to the recruitment and retention of professionals was incentives; the hospital’s rural location was a major disincentive for doctors and other professionals as the rural allowance offered was the same as that provided to doctors who chose to work at semi-urban hospitals.

“There is a need for the different degrees of ‘rural areas’ to be reflected in these allowances,” the staff said.

Sapa

Durban – Seven people have died in accidents in KwaZulu-Natal in the past two days, the provincial community safety department said on Tuesday.

The driver of a pick-up truck lost control of the vehicle and knocked down five school children in Umsinga on Tuesday, said community safety spokesman Kwanele Ncalane.

“Two children died on the scene, while the third one died in hospital. The other two children were taken to Tugela Ferry hospital,” he said.

On Monday, two pupils died when one of their overloaded minibus’s tyres burst and it overturned between Jolivet and KwaDumisa. It was carrying 24 passengers at the time.

Two people died the same day in a three vehicle pile-up between Umhlanga and Umdloti.

Community safety MEC Willies Mchunu said it was regrettable that lives were being lost in avoidable accidents.

“I am extremely disturbed to observe such untold impertinence and lack of respect for people’s lives by those who disobey traffic laws,” he said.

Sapa