Johannesburg – A winter study camp for matric pupils in Arendsnes near Brits was shut down following a diarrhoea outbreak, the North West education department said on Monday.

“The department regrets to inform parents and learners about the immediate closing of the winter study camp due to unhealthy conditions,” said spokesperson Brian Setswammung.

“Pupils complained about diarrhoea and we called in health authorities to investigate.”

It was discovered that the food prepared for the pupils was below standard and unhygienic, he said.

At least 393 pupils were at the camp. Fifteen were admitted to hospital on Friday and had since been discharged.

A further investigation to determine how the food was procured and prepared was underway, Setswammung said.D
SAPA

Johannesburg – Six men have escaped from custody at the Hazyview police station, Mpumalanga police said on Monday.

The men escaped on Sunday afternoon after they took the cell keys from two police officers serving them food, police spokesperson Selvy Mohlala said.

“In the process they were manhandled by the fugitives… the thugs handcuffed and tied [up] both police officials with a rope which was cut from a cell blanket and robbed them of their personal belongings,” Mohlala said.

The men, who had been arrested for rape, murder, house robberies, and assault, also took a firearm which was in a safe.

Police were looking for the men.

SAPA

Cape Town – Thousands affected by heavy rains on the weekend are receiving much needed relief, the City of Cape Town said on Monday.
For more http://www.news24.com

Cape Town – Details of the official houses occupied by Cabinet members cannot be revealed, Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi said on Monday.

In a written reply to a parliamentary question, he said giving out the address, size and area of such housing might compromise the security of President Jacob Zuma’s 35 ministers.

“The department of public works is unable to provide names of Cabinet members, their addresses, descriptions of rooms, floor area, and the location of such property.

“It is the department’s considered view that revealing such information will compromise the security of the Cabinet members concerned,” Nxesi said.

The parliamentary question, posed by the DA, also sought details on the cost of any planned renovations or repairs to ministers’ official houses during the current (2014/15) financial year.

Later on Monday, the DA said Nxesi’s reply was nothing more than an excuse to limit proper oversight by MPs.

“Indeed, it is the same excuse the minister repeatedly used to prevent the DA from gaining the details of the nearly R250m expenditure on President Zuma’s private residence in Nkandla,” DA MP Kenneth Mubu said in a statement.

The DA would resubmit the question, and, should Nxesi again refuse to answer, the party would submit an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act to get the relevant documents.

SAPA

By Obakeng Maje
Vryburg-The ANC expressed its gratitude to voters on for keeping the party in power and they embarked on meeting their regional structures in North West.

The delegates led by minister Collins Chabane, visited Dr Ruth Mompati District in a close meeting.

Chabane told the masses that ANC thank all voters for making swiftly decision by voting for them and now they must hit the ground running.

“A humble thank you to all voters in Dr Ruth Mompati who came out in their large numbers to exercise their democratic right and responsibility to elect a government of their choice,” Minister Collins Chabane said.

MECs from North West departments, like MEC Desbo Mohono, Gaoage Molapisi and Collen Maine were there along with Mayors and Councillors.

“The ANC provincial leadership is pleased with the election results and appreciates the show of continued confidence and a clear mandate for ANC to govern North West. There are issues raised by masses before elections and we will give priorities to those issues” he said.

The win ensured that the ruling party remained in control of North West, which have Rustenburg that contributes ernomously to South African economy .

“The ANC does not take any vote for granted.”

Chabane said ANC always finds it hard to compete with its own former members who broke away from it.

“We always find it bizarre to come against our own members who break away from the ANC. Parties like UDM, Cope and EFF were formed by ANC former members. In Dr Ruth Mompati, ANC did not do so well except in Taung where we won by 80%” Chabane said.

According to Chabane, the ANC intended to tackle all the issues that were brought to its attention during the election campaign.

North West is faced by mammoth task to deal with, mining strike that just ended, Bloemhof issue which seems to be under control and R20m was put aside to deal with it too.

Premier Supra Mahumapelo said during his Sopa address that they will introduce performance-based contract to all public servants.

The President Jacob Zuma was suppose to join the members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) that was led by the Chairperson,Supra Mahumapelo who divided themselves to visit all regions as part of National Visits to Provinces to meet with ANC Councillors and members of the ANC on the Regional and Branch Structures.

Members of the NEC were deployed at the following regional areas:

Dr Kenneth Kaunda Region:@ Klerksdorp Recreation Centre Secretary General Cde Gwede Mantashe,Cde Malusi Gigaba and Cde Maite Nkoane – Mashabane Bojanala Region: @ Rustenburg Civic CentreANC Deputy Secretary General Cde Jessie Duarte

Cde Naledi Pandor and Cde Noma India Mfeketo

Ngaka Modiri Molema Region: @ Mmabatho Civic CentreANC President Cde President Jacob ZumaCde Susan Shabangu and Cde Aaron MotsoalediDr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati Region: @ Naledi Banquet hallANC Deputy President Cde Cyril Ramaphosa

Cde Nomvula Mokonyane and Cde Collins Chabane

-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Mahikeng – A North West filling station owner is expected to appear in the Ganyesa Magistrate’s Court on Monday for allegedly assaulting a nine-year-old boy he accused of stealing from his shop.

The boy was allegedly handcuffed and tortured in Disipi, about 48km from Ganyesa, on 28 May.

According to the boy’s sister, her brother did not go to school on the day claiming he felt ill.

“He asked me for coins to go buy sweets at the filling station at around 08:00. We were called later to find him handcuffed and crying as he was being tortured by the shop owner,” she told Sapa at the time.

She cannot be named to protect the child’s identity.

The police were called and spoke with the man in his office.

“They came out and told us to ask for money from the man to treat the child, and not lay a charge. We had to go to the police station the following day to open a case,” the sister said.

She said the police told the family a few days later that the alleged assailant was in Bloemfontein.

The Congress of SA Trade Unions’ North West secretary Solly Phetoe said they intended to protest at the court to demand that the man’s R1000 bail be withdrawn.
SAPA

Pietermaritzburg – A man accused of the murder of five children after his bakkie plunged into a dam is due to appear in the Greytown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Phelelani Mchunu, 24, lost control of his bakkie, carrying 29 schoolchildren, on the D532 road in the Rietvlei area of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, and plunged into a farm sludge dam on 12 May 2014.

Twenty-four children managed get out of the dam alive.

He faces charges of murder, attempted murder, and reckless or negligent driving.

SAPA

Sydney – An Australian television network on Monday defended its decision to air footage showing Oscar Pistorius in a shock re-enactment of the night he shot his girlfriend, insisting it was not obtained illegally.

The Seven Network broadcast the video on Sunday. Pistorius is currently on trial for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp.

The video was made by the Evidence Room, a US company that specialises in forensic animation, and lawyers for the athlete said it was commissioned by his defence team and obtained illegally by the TV station.

The broadcaster disputed this in a statement.

Not illegal

“This was a significant investigation… examining the critical 85 minutes on Valentine’s Night 2013 when Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead by Oscar Pistorius,” said Mark Llewellyn, executive producer of the Sunday Night programme.

“The material shown on Sunday Night goes to the heart of both the prosecution and defence cases, including the account provided by Oscar Pistorius.

“We would not have run the footage if we thought we had obtained it illegally.

“The story was run in Australia only and not made available to any other territory.”

It did not say how it obtained the footage, in which the double-amputee is seen crossing a room on his bare stumps, wearing a tank top and tight black shorts, his hand clenched in the air as if ready to fire a gun.

The 27-year-old is also seen screaming and crying for help, and carrying his younger sister Aimee down a flight of stairs, as he acts out his account of the minutes after he shot Steenkamp.

Legal observers say it is now unlikely that the prosecution will be able to introduce the video as evidence when the trial resumes on Monday.

Mistrial

Stephen Tuson, an associate law professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said the origin of the footage was important.

“If it was produced by the defence as part of their investigation and preparation for the trial, it’s strictly privileged, it’s confidential and it cannot be used,” said Tuson.

“Whatever you tell your attorney is strictly confidential and privileged, if there’s a breach of that, there can be a mistrial,” said Tuson.

“If there is a failure of justice, that’s the end of the trial.”

Pistorius, known as the “Blade Runner” for his prosthetic limbs, has been charged with murdering Steenkamp after a row early on the morning of 14 February 2013.

The sprinter claims he mistakenly shot the 29-year-old model and law graduate through a locked door, believing she was an intruder in his upmarket Pretoria home.

If found guilty of premeditated murder, he faces up to 25 years in jail and an abrupt end to his glittering sports career.

AFP

By Obakeng Maje
The South African Police Service in the North West noted with concern a number of escalating cases of car and truck hi-jacking especially in Rustenburg and Brits Clusters.

In some of the recently reported cases of truck hi-jacking along N4, the suspects allegedly pretended to be warning drivers by flashing cell phone lights and signalling that something is either hanging beneath or protruding from the truck.

“Upon stopping to investigate, the driver would then be approached, pointed with a firearm, threatened and ultimately hijacked” colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said. 

The drivers are therefore advised to take heed and apply the following safety tips:

➢  Do not stop if you are not sure about your safety.
➢  Avoid stopping in dark and deserted areas along the road.
➢  If you stop to rest, ensure that it is at a safe and visible place where people can notice easily when crime is committed.
➢  Always have or know Crime Stop number 08600 10111.
➢  Do not offer lifts to hitch-hikers.
➢  Report crime immediately to the police after commission as that enhances chances of tracking the suspect and recovery of goods involved.-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Pretoria – Oscar Pistorius is walking on his stumps and appearing to aim a pistol in footage broadcast Sunday that shows the Paralympic gold medallist at his most vulnerable in a shock reenactment of the night he shot his girlfriend.

Lawyers for the athlete said the video, which emerged the week his trial resumed for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp, was commissioned by his defence team and obtained illegally.

Stephen Tuson, an associate law professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said the origin of the footage is important.

“If it was produced by the defence as part of their investigation and preparation for the trial, it’s strictly privileged, it’s confidential and it can not be used,” said Tuson.

“Whatever you tell your attorney is strictly confidential and privileged, if there’s a breach of that, there can be a mistrial,” said Tuson.

“If there is a failure of justice, that’s the end of the trial.”

In the footage aired by Australia’s Channel 7 the double-amputee is seen crossing a room on his bare stumps, wearing a tank top and tight black shorts, his hand clenched in the air as if ready to fire a gun.

“I wasn’t sure if someone was going to come up and point a firearm at me,” says the star sprinter at one point.

The 27-year-old is seen screaming and crying for help, and carrying his younger sister Aimee down a flight of stairs, as he acts out his account of the minutes after he shot Steenkamp.

The video was made by the Evidence Room, a US company based in Cleveland, Ohio, that specialises in forensic animation.

The Evidence Room was hired by the defence team in October 2013 to digitally depict the sequence of events early on Valentine’s Day last year, when Pistorius shot his girlfriend four times through a locked toilet door.

The animation firm used the footage of Pistorius moving on his stumps in order to reimagine the crime scene in an animated format.

Brian Webber, a lawyer representing Pistorius, said in a statement the video was “obtained illegally and in breach of the non-disclosure agreement with The Evidence Room.”

“Channel 7 purchased this footage unlawfully,” said Burgess, adding that the broadcaster had agreed not to air the material until the end of the trial.

“Whilst we cannot imagine how any of the footage would not support Oscar’s version, we will only be in a position to comment further once we have had the opportunity to study what has been aired,” he said.

‘Vote’

Australia’s Channel 7, which did not say how it obtained the film, invited viewers to “vote” on the murder case in light of the new footage.

Fifty-three percent concluded that Pistorius was guilty, and 47 percent that he was innocent.

Legal observers say it is now unlikely that the prosecution will be able to introduce the video as evidence when the trial resumes on Monday.

Pistorius, known as the “Blade Runner” for his prosthetic limbs, has been charged with murdering Steenkamp after a row early on the morning of 14 February 2013.

The sprinter claims he mistakenly shot the 29-year-old model and law graduate through a locked door, believing she was an intruder in his upmarket Pretoria home.

During the five months of trial, the defence has sought to portray the double-amputee as obsessed with safety, a result of a difficult childhood and his disability, factors which they argue explain his reaction that day.

If found guilty of premeditated murder, Pistorius faces up to 25 years in jail.

AFP