Johannesburg –

City Power is working on new technologies to mitigate the effects of power cuts, it said on Friday.

These included installing smart meters, which would enable efficient management of electricity consumption, it said in a statement.

“Expanding the geyser control systems to more residential areas across the city, and the installation of solar water heaters will contribute to the reduction of the cost of heating water.”

Eskom has been battling to meet demand for electricity.

Meanwhile, the City of Tshwane said rain had affected cables supplying the Onderstepoort substation, causing power outages in Onderstepoort, Vastfontein and Haakdoornboom. Technicians estimated repairs would be completed and power restored by midnight. – Sapa

Johannesburg – South Africa lost a record number of rhinos in 2014 as big animals across Africa were relentlessly poached to meet rising demand for horn and ivory in newly affluent Asian countries or to provide meat to fighters in the bush.

From South Sudan, where conservationists say elephants are being slain by both government forces and rebels, to South Africa, where more than three rhinos are poached every day, there is an arc of illegal animal slaughter across the region.
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Klerksdorp- Two pedestrians were injured following an accident at the intersection of Voortrekker Street and Church Street in Klerksdorp this morning after 11h00.

Netcare 911 paramedics arrived at the scene and found that two pedestrians were in a serious condition after they were knocked over by a minibus that turned at the intersection.

The two seriously injured patients were treated on scene and transported to hospital for further medical care.

“Exact detail surrounding the cause of the accident and preceding events will remain the subject of a police investigation” Netcare 911 spokesperson Santi Steinmann said.
-TDN
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Two pedestrians were injured following an accident at the intersection of Voortrekker Street and Church Street in Klerksdorp this morning after 11h00.

Netcare 911 paramedics arrived at the scene and found that two pedestrians were in a serious condition after they were knocked over by a minibus that turned at the intersection.

The two seriously injured patients were treated on scene and transported to hospital for further medical care.

Exact detail surrounding the cause of the accident and preceding events will remain the subject of a police investigation.

Idaho – A two-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his mother on Tuesday at a Walmart store in Idaho after taking a gun from her purse.

Police identified the victim as Veronica Rutledge of Blackfoot, Idaho. The shooting took place in the store in Hayden, Idaho, where she was shopping with her children and other family members.

“Once on scene, deputies found a 29-year-old victim was deceased from an apparent gunshot wound,” Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said in a statement.

“Her son was seated in the shopping cart and accessed the victim’s concealed weapon from her purse and discharged it, striking the victim,” he added, noting that the shooting appeared to be accidental.

Rutledge, who was spending the holidays in the area, had a concealed weapons permit, the sheriff’s office confirmed.

Sheriff’s lieutenant Stu Miller told local television KHQ that in “instances like this, you know I’m a big proponent of a concealed weapon for your own safety. However, you have to be responsible. Unfortunately, in this case, that just wasn’t,” Miller told the station.

“A very sad incident occurred at our store today involving the death of a female customer,” the local Walmart said in a statement.

“We are fully cooperating with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies as they investigate this matter.”

KREM television reported that Rutledge was in the store with three other children, which police did not immediately confirm.

The fatal shooting took place in the electronics section of the store, KXLY television reported.

Authorities sent psychologists to help employees needing assistance, it added. The store, which was evacuated, will be closed on Wednesday.

AFP

Johannesburg – Three men were critically injured when they allegedly jumped from the seventh floor of a building in Johannesburg on Tuesday, emergency services said.

Spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said they suffered head and spinal injuries.

“It is alleged that they were running away from police, who were raiding the building.”

They were taken to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

The trio allegedly jumped from a building on the corner of Nugget and Jeppe streets in central Johannesburg.

Mulaudzi said this was the fifth incident in which people had jumped from high buildings in Johannesburg this year.

Last month a man died after he jumped from a building in Yeoville.

SAPA

Mahikeng – A man arrested for allegedly stabbing a teenager to death appeared in the Itsoseng Magistrate’s Court, North West police said on Tuesday.

Bojosi Mokaleng, 19, appeared in court on Monday and his case was postponed to 6 January for a formal bail application, Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said.

He allegedly stabbed Thapelo Mogale, 14, in the back with a knife in Deelpan village, near Lichtenburg, on 24 December.

He was arrested with his 23-year-old brother but charges against the brother were withdrawn.

SAPA

Johannesburg – A man was arrested and two stolen vehicles were recovered at Soweto’s Jabulani hostel on Tuesday, police said.

Police spokesperson Kay Makhubela said the vehicles were found during a raid at the hostel.

A Mazda 323 was reported stolen in Newlands, Johannesburg.

A minibus taxi was reported stolen in Parys in the Free State, he said.

Another minibus taxi suspected of being stolen was also found at the hostel and impounded.

A man, 31, was arrested and expected to appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court soon.

SAPA

Pretoria – Results will be withheld in 58 matric examination centres in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape following copying, monitoring body Umalusi said on Tuesday.

Evidence of “group copying” was found in these centres, Umalusi council chair Professor John Volmink told reporters in Pretoria.

“This is a new phenomenon… Umalusi is very concerned about this trend and takes the view that strong action be taken against those learners and supervisors who have made themselves guilty of these acts of dishonesty.

“Umalusi will therefore not approve the release of the results of these centres.”

He said an initial basic education department report identified 74 exam centres in KwaZulu-Natal and 43 in the Eastern Cape for auditing.

Following a probe, in KwaZulu-Natal 39 centres were implicated in cheating and 19 in the Eastern Cape.

Volmink said the irregularities did not affect the integrity and credibility of the exams as a whole. KwaZulu-Natal had 1 741 examination centres and the Eastern Cape had 924, so the irregularities occurred at two percent of the centres.

“So in the view of Umalusi this number does not compromise the integrity of the examination as a whole in these provinces, or indeed in the country.”

When asked how the irregularities were discovered, Umalusi CEO Mafu Rakometsi said pupils provided the same answers.

“These problems were detected at the marking centres… the students are providing the same answers, the same right answers, the same wrong answers.

“It is clear that there is sharing of notes, it is clear that there is dictation.”

Go ahead

Giving an example, he said whoever gave the dictation to pupils said “go ahead” and the pupils wrote “go ahead” on their answer sheets.

He said if pupils wanted to cheat it was the duty of teachers, principals, and supervisors to stop them.

“It means that the supervisors have allowed it and this situation cannot be tolerated,” he said.

The department had told Umalusi the investigation into these centres would be completed by the end of March and that “drastic measures” would be taken to deal with it once and for all, Rakometsi said.

Volmink said apart from these incidents the 2014 matric exams, although not perfect, were “fair and credible”.

Umalusi was satisfied the examinations were “fair and valid and credible” and it commended the department for “running a successful and credible examination process”.

Umalusi approved the release of the exam results, written by 550 127 full-time and 138 533 part-time candidates.

“Umalusi is satisfied that nothing has compromised the integrity or credibility of the exams as a whole.”

On 25 November, the education department said matric results would be published in newspapers with only pupils’ ID and exam numbers. The decision was made after a task team recommended that the practice of publishing pupils’ names be reviewed.

The results would be released next week.

SAPA