Four men suffered serious burns when an explosive device was thrown into a fire in Mmakau near Brits, North West police said on Monday.

Lieutenant-Colonel Lesego Metsi said the incident happened on Sunday as three people were sitting around a fire.

Their neighbour allegedly tossed a detonator used in mine blasting into the flames and it exploded.

“All four of them survived with serious facial and bodily burns… and were taken to Brits hospital.”

The neighbour suffered third-degree burns and was transferred to George Mukhari Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa in a serious condition.

Metsi said the man apparently worked for a company that owned a nearby quarry.

“The device, believed to be used for crushing stones, is suspected to have been stolen from the suspect’s workplace,” said Metsi.

The man would face charges of attempted murder and possession of explosives when released from hospital. The motive for his action was not yet known.

– SAPA

Soweto residents severely assaulted two men who tried to rob a pedestrian at the weekend, police said on Monday.

A 37-year-old man was walking home from Inhlazane railway station in Jabulani on Sunday night, Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela said.

Three men held him at gunpoint before hitting him over the head.

“Before the man fell down he screamed. The screams were heard by people in the township who came to his rescue.”

The man with the gun fled as residents caught and attacked his accomplices. They were being treated under police guard at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

Makhubela urged people not to take the law into their own hands.

“We encourage citizen arrests, but strongly discourage mob justice. Once a suspect has been apprehended, they must be brought to us injury-free,” he said.

– SAPA

Cape Town – Fast and decisive action must be taken against criminal police officers at all levels of the police service, the DA said on Monday.

Its call follows reports at the weekend that national police commissioner Riah Phiyega had ordered “a purge of convicted criminals” from the SA Police Service (SAPS) after an in-depth audit of its ranks.

In a statement, DA MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard welcomed the news.

“The DA calls on SAPS management to take swift and decisive action against criminals within the service, including those within its higher echelons.”

She said her party would submit parliamentary questions to determine when the audit would be finalised, and what steps would be taken in future to “prevent criminals infiltrating the police service”.

The City Press reported on Sunday that Phiyega had – in a letter sent to the police ministry and the service’s top brass – ordered that police officers convicted of a crime be removed from the SAPS.

It quoted Phiyega, in the letter, dated 29 May this year, as saying: “The findings of the audit revealed an unpleasant picture of employees with criminal convictions and who have criminal cases pending against them.”

The audit was reportedly close to completion.

Kohler-Barnard said all members of the SAPS, including those within its leadership, should be professional police officers who protected South Africans from criminals.

“They should not be criminals themselves. We trust that the national police commissioner will take swift action in dealing with any criminality within the service.”

– SAPA

Mthatha – A legal spat between former president Nelson Mandela’s eldest grandson Mandla and members of the family over a grave site is set to resume in the Eastern Cape High Court in Mthatha on Monday.

Mandla Mandela, who is the official head of the Madiba clan and an ANC Member of Parliament, had the remains of three family members exhumed from Mandela’s home in Qunu and re-buried in his home village of Mvezo two years ago.

On Friday, 16 members of the Mandela family, led by Mandela’s eldest daughter Makaziwe, 60, were granted an order by the high court for Mandla Mandela to return the remains to Qunu.

The three exhumed graves are those of Mandela’s eldest son and Mandla’s father Makgato Mandela who died in 2005, Mandela’s first daughter Makaziwe who died as an infant in 1948, and Mandela’s second son Madiba Thembekile who died in a car accident in 1969.

Former president Mandela, who is in a critical condition in a Pretoria hospital, has said he wants to be buried in Qunu alongside his family.

Mandla Mandela, who was named the chief of Mvezo after the death of Makgatho Mandela in 2005, is due to respond to the order in court on Monday.

He claims that Mvezo, where he is building a multi-million rand hotel, is the birthplace of the Mandelas and holds historic significance.

‘Mandla stormed out of meeting’

A Mandela family member told Sapa that when the matter was raised at a family meeting in Qunu last week, Mandla Mandela refused to answer why he moved the graves without consulting the family and stormed out of the meeting.

“When Mandla was ordered to bring back the remains, he stormed out,” the family member said.

Mandla Mandela was taken to court by a community member last year for digging up community graves to build the hotel. The case is still to be heard in court.

A member of the Mandela family told the Dispatch newspaper on Monday that Mandla Mandela would be “on his way down and out of the family” when Nelson Mandela died.

“He stole the remains of Madiba’s children from Qunu to Mvezo in 2011 because he knew that he [Nelson Mandela] would want to be buried with [his] children, and that would be his diamond field,” the family member told the newspaper.

Mandla Mandela said in a statement on Sunday he was “regrettably compelled” to go to court and respond to the action.

“The way we are handling this matter is contrary to our customs and a deep disappointment to my grandfather and his ancestors,” he said.

The case had not yet resumed by Monday afternoon.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele has denied classifying the long-awaited findings of the probe into the R206m upgrade of President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead.

In a statement on Monday, Cwele appeared to pass responsibility for the matter to his public works counterpart Thulas Nxesi, who late last month dashed expectations that the report would be tabled in Parliament.

“It is factually incorrect that the minister of state security, Dr Siyabonga Cwele, has ‘classified the report top secret’ or issued an instruction to this effect, as claimed in some media reports,” his office said.

It said that in terms of the current classification regime – the minimum information security standards (MISS) policy – a document could only be classified by its author.

The report was written by a task team of justice and security officials commissioned by Nxesi, to investigate claims of irregularity in the use of public funds to improve Zuma’s private home in the KwaZulu-Natal hamlet.

“As the report is authored by the task team and owned by the commissioning minister of public works, the minister of state security cannot classify or de-classify it or issue instructions to this effect.”

The ministry added that Cabinet’s security cluster had intended the report to be handed to Parliament.

“From the JCPS [Justice Crime Prevention and Security] cluster, the intention and advice was for this report to be tabled to the relevant committee of Parliament.”

Cwele’s statement follows protest from the opposition over Nxesi’s failure to table the report in Parliament, where Speaker Max Sisulu has been expecting it for some months.

Nxesi said the report had been classified secret in terms of the MISS and would not be handed to Auditor General Terence Nombembe or Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, who was investigating the upgrade at Nkandla.

Cwele’s spokesperson, Brian Dube, could not say whether the report had in fact been classified by the task team.

Nxesi’s spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

The DA said classifying the report in terms of the MISS would be invalid because it was not a law, and would amount to a cover-up to shield Zuma from scrutiny.

The cost of the upgrade has made headlines for months and been termed “clearly outrageous” by Deputy Public Works Minister Jeremy Cronin, who said a preliminary report indicated over-charging by contractors.

– SAPA

The trial of the so-called “Modimolle Monster” Johan Kotze and his three co-accused is expected to continue in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday.

The trial was postponed to Friday because one of the lawyers in the case was ill.

Kotze is accused of mutilating and orchestrating the gang-rape of his ex-wife Ina Bonnette, and of murdering his stepson Conrad, 19, on January 3, 2012.

Andries Sithole, Pieta Mohlake, and Sello Mphaka are accused of kidnapping, assaulting, repeatedly raping, and attempting to murder Bonnette.

All four have pleaded not guilty.

Last week, Mphaka told the court that Sithole said they were lucky to sleep with a white woman.

“Andries [Sithole] said where will you ever see a white person giving his wife to black people? We’re lucky. Now we can experience how it feels [to have sex with a white woman],” said Mphaka.

He told the court that he did not rape Bonnette, but only pretended to do so.

“I went to lie on her. I pulled down my zip, but my penis was still in my underpants,” said Mphaka.

He testified that Mohlake had also not had sex with Bonnette. He said Mohlake lay on Bonnette but his pants were still on.

Bonnette earlier testified that Sithole, Mohlake and Mphaka had raped her.

-Sapa ( Picture: Gallo Images)

Confederations Cup finalists Brazil and Spain are gifting autographed commemorative shirts to ailing South African former president Nelson Mandela, FIFA president Sepp Blatter revealed ahead of Sunday’s match in Rio.

“To Mandela, a gift from Brazilian national team and wish you a good recover (sic)”, read the inscription on the Brazil shirt which Blatter, flanked by Brazilian Football Confederation president Jose Maria Marin and Spanish counterpart Angel Maria Villar Llona, held aloft.

Nobel peace laureate Mandela, who played a major role in the 2010 World Cup coming to South Africa – the first time the competition has been held on the African continent – is in critical condition in Pretoria where he was hospitalised on June 8 with a recurring lung infection.

Earlier, Blatter, who presented the shirts to Tokyo Sexwale, representing the Nelson Mandela Foundation, issued a short tribute to the ailing former leader.

“The strength of the world’s most popular game which you love so much, football, reaches out to you.

“With this gesture, the football world wants to tell you how much we are thinking about you.”

Sexwale will present the shirts to Mandela on his return from Brazil.

-AFP

By Obakeng Maje

Bloemhof-A motorcyclist died in an accident after he collided with a truck.

North West police spokesperson Lesego Metsi said.

“The police are investigating a culpable homicide case following the death of a 25 year-old motorcyclist” said Metsi. 

He said the deceased was allegedly trying to overtake another vehicle when he collided head-on with an oncoming truck. The accident occurred on N12 Christiana/Bloemhof road on Friday afternoon.  

“It is alleged that the deceased hit the front right wheel of the truck and subsequently the truck`s driver lost control of his vehicle that capsized due to broken front suspension” he said. The deceased allegedly crushed his forehead and was certified dead on the scene. 

The truck driver survived and police investigations continue.

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews

By Obakeng Maje

Lehurutshe-Police are investigating a case of murder after the death of Petrus Lefallo,21. 

“The deceased was found lying on the street with a stab wound underneath his chin on Saturday morning at about 06:00 at Ntsweletsoku village” colonel Lesego Metsi said. 

Police said the motive of his death is not yet known. No one has been arrested yet and the police are investigating.

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews

By Obakeng Maje

Rustenburg-A man was found lying in a pool of blood by a passerby at Mfidikwe, near Rustenburg on Friday.

“The deceased was only known as Zukile Mlotywa (age unknown) was found dead in a pool of blood on the street at Mfidikwe” colonel Lesego Metsi said. 

The deceased was allegedly discovered by a passerby on Friday at about 22:00. He sustained an open wound at the back of his head and the motive of the murder is not yet known. Metsi said no one has been arrested and the police are investigating.

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews