By Obakeng Maje

Rustenburg-Police have arrested a man for allegedly stabbing his wife(27) with a knife on Wednesday morning.  

Police said that the couple was from Johannesburg at the time of the incident and had an argument in their vehicle which led to the suspect stabbing the victim several times on her body. “According to the information, the suspect(27) alerted the police of the incident who responded immediately to the call” captain Pelonomi Makau said.  

Both the suspect and the victim are alleged from Cashan, Rustenburg.   

The suspect was arrested and will appear before the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on charges of murder.

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Bafana Bafana striker Tokelo Rantie believes the players do not need any further motivation for their 2014 World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa on Sunday.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 16h00 in Ethiopia (and 15h00 South African time).

“We do not need anyone to remind us or push us to the limit with regards to the importance of this game. We know its massive significance,” said the stocky striker.

With South Africa and Ethiopia, only the two nations in Group A with a realistic chance of qualifying for the play-offs after Botswana and the Central African Republic (CAR) were eliminated in the last round of matches, Rantie said Sunday’s encounter was a do-or-die. The East Africans lead Group A with 10 points, two ahead of Bafana Bafana. It is therefore imperative that Gordon Igesund’s charges win this one on Sunday.

“It is not like there is a choice here – either we swim or sink – it is as simple as that.”

“As a player you do not need any further motivation than that. The permutations on their own are enough motivation for players because everyone knows what is at stake.

“This for us is like playing a cup final because we know anything less than victory will be irrelevant. The exciting thing is that both countries meet after they won their previous matches. Football is likely to be the biggest winner on Sunday,” smiled Rantie.

The player is positive that all said and done, Bafana Bafana should draw lots of positives from the Central African Republic (CAR) game they convincingly won despite trials and tribulations leading up to the game.

“On Tuesday we watched the video of their (Ethiopia) match against Botswana and we have noticed some areas where we can capitalise and win on Sunday. They are a strong side, no doubt about that, they will be playing at home and should be high on confidence – which of course, might be their biggest undoing.”

Rantie believes team effort combined with individual brilliance will see Bafana Bafana through against the Walia Antelopes.

“As strikers we need to score goals and we have been very hard at training working on that. The key to scoring goals is creating as many chances as possible and converting most of those chances. I am confident though that we are going to win on Sunday; I have that gut feeling,” added Rantie.

Bafana Bafana will have their last training session in Yaoundé, Cameroon on Wednesday, with Thursday set aside for travelling to Douala before flying out to Ethiopia on Friday.

In the nation’s capital, one sees an unhealthy dollop of caution mixed into the compassionate response to persistently bleak news about Nelson Mandela’s health.
Before asking for any details one might have on the condition of South Africa’s first democratically elected president, many people ask: what do you think will happen when he goes?
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Potchefstroom – A man died and another was critically injured when their vehicle’s tyre burst and it rolled on the N12 outside Potchefstroom on Tuesday, paramedics said.

“The man who was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle was killed and he was found still seated inside the wreckage,” said ER24 spokeswoman Vanessa Jackson.

The driver was thrown from the vehicle and sustained critical injuries. He was airlifted to hospital.

No other cars were involved in the crash. – Sapa

South African President Jacob Zuma vowed on Wednesday to take a hard line against labour unrest in the mining sector, which has been rocked by 18 months of killings and wildcat strikes that have threatened to destabilise Africa’s biggest economy.

“Our law enforcement agencies have been instructed not to tolerate those who commit crime in the name of labour relations. They will face the full might of the law,” he told parliament.

He also said his government would remain impartial in a turf war between the upstart Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and the National Union of Mineworkers, a long-standing ally of the ruling ANC.

“Government does not take sides and does not favour any labour union over others in the mining industry. Our interest is in finding solutions,” he said.

Zuma’s deputy, Kgalema Motlanthe, a former Secretary General of NUM who has been nominated as the government’s point man on the mining crisis, is due to meet unions, mining bosses and government departments on Friday to try and ease tensions.

The government was heavily criticised for its handling of last year’s mining unrest in which more than 50 people died.

The turbulence also cost billions of dollars in lost output and led to sovereign credit downgrades.

Platinum producer Lonmin was in last-ditch talks on Wednesday over a recognition agreement with AMCU to avert a strike at its mines, which are only found in South Africa.

In his speech, Zuma also reiterated the government’s desire shake up “black economic empowerment”, the affirmative action policies designed to redress the imbalances of decades of white-minority apartheid rule. – Reuters

Cape Town – Former president Nelson Mandela is responding well to the treatment he is receiving, President Jacob Zuma told MPs on Wednesday.

“Madiba is responding better to treatment from this morning,” he said, opening debate in the National Assembly on the presidency’s budget vote.

Mandela’s condition improved on Wednesday morning following “a difficult few days”, Zuma has said.

Zuma said government appreciated the messages of support for Mandela that were coming in from all over the world.

“It is a pleasure to share Madiba with the global community.”

He urged South Africans to continue to keep Mandela and his medical team in their thoughts and prayers.

Mandela has been receiving treatment for a recurring lung infection in a Pretoria hospital since Saturday.

– SAPA

BY Obakeng Maje
PARLIAMENT, CAPE TOWN – Police resources, including air wing helicopters and planes, continue to assist police in crime-reduction operations and from time to time, these resources would require maintenance in order to ensure continual utilization.
“There are 19 aircraft currently flying and these include helicopters as well as other planes. 30 aircrafts are currently being serviced or have been grounded. Only six of these planes were ground before December 2012,” stated Minister Nathi Mthethwa.
Minister Mthethwa was responding to a Parliamentary question on how many South African Police Service (SAPS) aircrafts are in sound operating condition per air wing unit, how much flying time remains on each aircraft and when was each aircraft last serviced and how many are currently grounded.
“Our air wing fleet should not be viewed in isolation of our broader crime-fighting initiatives, we work as a collective. That is why from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 a total number of 3880 planned crime prevention and combating actions were conducted to enhance this integrated approach” said Mthethwa.
He said during the same period police conducted nationally, 3 578 roadblocks, 68 633 vehicle patrols, 285 air patrols, 109 454 foot patrols, 910 borderline patrols, 2 620 vessel patrols.
Some of the SAPS fleet is not necessary new hence the Minister recognises the need to frequent upgrades and maintenance. He stressed that during such upgrade processes, there needs to be a clear operational plan so that the fight against crime is not compromised.
“We want to reiterate that whilst emphasis should be on cost effectiveness in the maintenance of these aircrafts, we shall also not risk the lives of our pilots and passengers. To this end, we emphasize safety first approach,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Minister Mthethwa revealed that 140 SAPS members were charged in disciplinary hearings as a result of loss of firearms during the 2012/1013 financial year. It needs to be noted that not all firearms were lost as a result of negligence and that in most instances, such losses occurred when police were responding to crime callouts or that they were attacked he said.
“Three years ago, SAPS introduced an Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) system aimed at ensuring greater accountability and responsibility over firearms in the hands of our police officers.”
“Whilst we welcome some of these interventions, we have now stressed to management to strengthen internal disciplinary and punishable measures against any police officer who loses his or her firearm as a result of negligence,” stated the Minister.
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By Obakeng Maje
Lehurutshe-Three accused Livhuwani Desmond Maanda (35), John Sphiwe Mtsweni (35), and Mutsi Lesedi Delfin (39) appeared before Lehurutshe Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for possession of suspected stolen motor vehicle.
They were each granted a bail of R3000.
“The case has been postponed to 30 July 2013 for further investigation” captain Pelonomi Makau said.

The trio were arrested by police at Kopfontein Port of Entry on Monday.

“Police were on duty at the border post when they searched a silver Volkswagen Polo which was allegedly from Johannesburg to Botswana. During the search, police noticed that the Vehicle Identification Number did not match with the vehicle’s registration numbers” said Makau.
They were subsequently arrested and appeared before Magistrate today.
Police investigations continue.
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Cape Town – A total of 93 charges of misconduct have been brought against members of South Africa’s peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the defence department said on Wednesday.

“There are 93 cases involving members of the SANDF serving under the Monusco [United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo] mission in the eastern DRC.”

It said in a statement that Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula had submitted a report to Parliament on misconduct among members of the SA National Defence Force.

“The report, listing each of the 93 cases, also details the nature of the alleged offence, the outcome of an investigation, the sanction meted out by the military justice system, and the status of the member of the SANDF against whom charges of infraction have been brought.

“To date, those whose cases have been finalised and a conviction secured in incidences of sexual misconduct, all four have been dismissed from the SANDF.”

In other cases where the offences were not of a sexual nature, but required disciplinary action, the harshest possible sanction was handed down.

Conduct unbecoming would be dealt with in the strictest compliance with the law, and there was “simply no room for criminality and ill-discipline in a highly professional force like the SANDF”.

According to reports, South Africa has deployed over 1 200 defence force members with Monusco in the DRC.

According to the statement, no members of the South African contingent within the UNAMID (the African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur) in Sudan were being investigated or charged for misconduct.

– SAPA

Pretoria – Security remained tight at the Pretoria hospital where former President Nelson Mandela spent the fifth day being visited by relatives.

Mandela’s grandchildren Ndaba, Zenani, Mandla, and wife Graça Machel arrived an hour apart to visit the ailing statesman.
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