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| Greens tackle minister over mine leak risks |
A leading environmental activist has slammed a response by Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica on the toxic acid mine water crisis in the Witwatersrand, saying it was "grossly inaccurate".
In her reply this week to a question from Gareth Morgan, the DA's environment spoke... |
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| Mine destroying protected wetland |
The cash-strapped Grootvlei mine, which has been discharging millions of litres of untreated acid water into an internationally protected wetland on the East Rand, is waiting for a government subsidy so it can chemically treat its water.
Marius Keet, the regional director of the Department of Wa... |
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| Harassed student too scared to go to varsity after ordeal |
A Namibian student says he was victimised by a Joburg metro police officer who said he was driving down a one-way street.
He was told to pay a "spot fine" of R2 650 - but the officer offered to reduce the fine to R1 000 if Jaco van Blaauw went to the ATM and immediately paid it.
In an intimi... |
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| R7m to help mines treat acid water |
The Department of Water Affairs has announced it will spend almost R7 million as an emergency measure to halt the acid mine water disaster on the West Rand.
"We're spending R6.9 million over the next three years as an emergency measure by the department," said Marius Keet, the department's regio... |
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| We won't stop our work, says 'cult' leader |
Grace Gospel Church, the Hillcrest, Durban-based church labelled "a cult" by local community members and media, has been asked to leave three different venues in the past year.
Pinetown Boys' High School, the Assagay Hotel and the Westville Hotel have all terminated venue-hire agreements with GG... |
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| Hospital gives kidney girl a death sentence |
Marie Martins is a bright, articulate 16-year-old who should have her whole life ahead of her. Instead she has been given a death sentence by the very people who should be saving her because hospitals are overcrowded and under-equipped.
The teenager, who is suffering from kidney failure, yesterd... |
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| Pricey revamp for 11 old jails |
PRISON authorities are quietly planning to spend almost R2.2 billion to upgrade 11 old prisons, not much less than the R2.7bn that had been budgeted to build four brand new hi-tech prisons.
But compared to the new prisons, which will create space for 12 000 inmates at the cost of R328 833 per be... |
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| Tests for sister-killer who 'heard voices' |
A man who allegedly killed his sister with a panga, taking off chunks of her face and skull, at midnight last Saturday because "voices told him to do so" is to be admitted to a mental institution for observation.
Ravin Baruthwaj, 44, was charged with murder at the Verulam Court, north of Durban,... |
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| Outrage over gruesome murder |
THE butchering of 17-year-old Anika Smit, who was found dead in the bedroom of her Pretoria home with her lower arms chopped off, has sparked outrage, with many South Africans calling for the government to step up its fight against crime.
The calls, which saw the Freedom Front Plus yesterday cal... |
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| Hot-shot SA security outfit in IPL deal |
A SOUTH African sports security companies has landed a lucrative contract with the mega-rich Indian Premier League to provide security for the players of its eight teams in the sub-continent.
Nichols Steyn & Associates, a Johannesburg-based company that also provides security for athletes at the... |
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| End of the road for Jub Jub |
Monday was the day that the wheels came off for gospel rapper Molemo Maarohanye - literally.
Jub Jub, as he is popularly known, was behind the wheel of his Mini Cooper allegedly dicing with his friend Themba Tshabalala down Protea Glen's Mdlalose Street in Soweto at 2pm.
He was allegedly ove... |
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| The R2bn Saambou bond rip-off |
| EIGHT years after the collapse of Saambou Bank, thousands of former clients continue to be ripped off as FirstRand Bank - which stepped into the economic breach to take over the Saambou bond book in 2002 - fails to rectify the dubious accounting practices that led to Saambou bondholders being overch... |
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| Hospital bars surgeon on trial on rape charges |
A DURBANVILLE orthopaedic surgeon, on trial in the Bellville Regional Court for allegedly sexually assaulting and raping his female patients, has lost his privileges to operate at a Mpumalanga hospital after it emerged that he had been arrested in that province for similar offences.
The surgeon,... |
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| BRT standoff spurs tension |
POLICE officers will be out in full force on Monday to protect commuters when Joburg's Bus Rapid Transit feeder-bus initiative is rolled out in Naledi, Jabavu, Lakeview, Mofolo, Boomtown and Thokoza Park.
Fears of violence were heightened yesterday and the city took action when the United Taxi A... |
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| 31 pupils, teacher in 14-seater |
Parents must take responsibility for the safety of their children by checking on the transport they use to school, Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele urged yesterday after a driver was arrested for cramming 31 schoolchildren and a teacher into a 14-seater taxi.
KwaZulu Natal Road Traffic Inspectorat... |
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| Terrified pupils run gauntlet of 'haunted' road to school |
The horror of the fatal crash involving hip-hop star Jub Jub Maarohanye will never subside for Soweto's Protea residents.
Terrified pupils and local residents who walk on Mdlalose Street, between Protea South and Protea North, believe the stretch of road that claimed four school children and ser... |
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| Evictions leave residents in despair |
'I no longer have a home after paying for years'
For almost 10 years, Martha Sikrweqe and her children lived in a two-bedroom unit in Newtown, Joburg. They paid R940 a month in rent with the promise that one day she would be a part-owner tenant in a low-cost housing co-operative.
Sikrw... |
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| Bail for two hotel workers accused of theft |
TWO cleaners have been granted R1 500 bail each after allegedly stealing $40 000 (R297 000) from a safe in a room at a five-star Cape Town hotel.
Nokuphiwa Jamela, who is seven months pregnant, and Bongiswa Mashicelo, both 24, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court yesterday.
The case ha... |
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| Lyrics of song quoted out of context: ANC |
JOHANNESBURG - The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) yesterday broke its silence on what it described as “silly noise” about a controversial struggle song chanted by its leader Julius Malema.
ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu told The Citizen that those who felt offended by Malema’s dubula ibhunu (kill the b... |
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| Parents shattered by brutal killing of schoolgirl |
A FRIENDLY, outgoing and popular Pretoria schoolgirl has been found hacked to death in her bed, her body mutilated.
Anika "Tikkie" Smit, 17, was found half-naked on her bed by her father Johan when he got home from work on Wednesday night.
Anika, who returned to her father's Theresa Park hom... |
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| Ex-ANC official tried to stop Mthembu from being arrested |
Police officers did not want to open a case
MOMENTS after senior ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu was pulled over for driving in the N2 bus lane yesterday morning, the party's former Western Cape chairman, Mcebisi Skwatsha, apparently pulled up and stopped officers from handcuffing him.
T... |
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| Intruders terrorise robbery targets |
As Naomi* stumbled for the safe keys, a house robber held a gun to her daughter's head.
He told her they would shoot if she didn't get the safe open. Eventually the 73-year-old, who didn't want her real name used, was able to find the keys and open the safe. Inside were a few hundred rands and s... |
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| Lawyer zips his lip on date of Zuma's delinking from CC |
President still in Michigan Investments and hasn't paid for National Pride
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma is legally listed in one business while a second one is being closed down by the government for failure to comply with the law on annual returns for four years.
The Companies and Intellectua... |
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| Blaring sirens signal start of raid in city blitz |
Traders flee as cops disrupt business
The blaring of sirens echoed through Joburg as a speeding police convoy swooped on crime hot spots in a massive metro police and SAPS raid.
As dozens of police cars approached an open space behind the Bree Street taxi rank with sirens still wailing... |
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| Controversy has followed Jub Jub his entire life |
IT HAS been a rough road for Jub Jub. Born Molemo Maarohanye on June 29, 1980, he is the son of the controversial "Angel of Soweto", Jackey Maarohanye.
Jackey was praised the world over for rehabilitating and reviving tormented youths at her Ithuteng Trust School in Soweto, with its widely haile... |
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| Audience snooze as mayor promises |
Masondo sets out his agenda for people of Joburg
THE CITY of Joburg's mayor came out firing in his two-hour, 40-page State of the City address yesterday, but his many promises of action couldn't keep his audience awake.
Many of them fiddled with their cellphones, passed messages to eac... |
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| Jub Jub owes cash for 10 fines |
Pupils pledge to close schools when murder accused appear in court
HIP-HOP star and murder accused Molemo Jub Jub Maarohanye has 10 outstanding traffic fines and owes the Joburg traffic department R4 250.
And if he doesn't pay within 32 days after he has been served with the infringeme... |
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| Children testify about priest |
THE trial of Georg Kirkhoff, a Catholic priest from the St Bonifatius German church in Randburg, continued in the Brits Magistrate's Court yesterday.
Three of the children, now aged 11 and 12, involved in an alleged incident of indecent assault in February 2008 at a First Holy Communion camp in ... |
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| Crackdown on illegal muti shop hides, skins |
ELEPHANT feet, python, crocodile, puffadder skins and baboon skulls.
These were some of the items police confiscated during an international operation co-ordinated by Interpol which resulted in the seizure of illegal traditional medicines worth around R4 million.
Dubbed Operation Tram, the i... |
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| Crash pilot too busy to be scared |
PILOT Tony Robinson had no time to be afraid when a landing gear light on his Beechcraft Baron aircraft failed to come on, warning him something that was amiss.
Recalling the lucky escape for him, two crew members and two passengers when their plane crash-landed at Virginia Airport in Durban Nor... |
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| Mother guilty of sex abuse |
PRETORIA - A Pretoria North mother and her ex-boyfriend, who subjected her six-year-old daughter to horrifying sexual abuse, were yesterday convicted in the High Court in Pretoria on charges ranging from rape to indecent assault and assault.
The charges relate to a series of incidents at the moth... |
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| Heavyweights enter the fray |
JOHANNESBURG - The Citizen’s battle for freedom of expression in the Constitutional Court is gaining momentum as two heavyweight organisations have come on board in support of the newspaper’s challenge.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) and the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI... |
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| FXI takes issue with McBride judgment |
JOHANNESBURG - The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) disagrees fundamentally with the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling in the case of The Citizen v McBride.
The judgment has the effect of silencing legitimate and vital public comment on the human rights violations that took place during the a... |
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| Heavyweights enter the fray |
JOHANNESBURG - The Citizen’s battle for freedom of expression in the Constitutional Court is gaining momentum as two heavyweight organisations have come on board in support of the newspaper’s challenge.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) and the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI... |
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| Malema faces more hate speech claims |
ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema's "kill the boer" chant could land him in hot water after a barrage of criticism from political parties and complaints to the Human Rights Commission and the police.
The commission was apparently inundated with phone calls from irate members of the public af... |
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| Watchdog moots lifestyle audits to curb graft |
The Public Service Commission, a watchdog body, wants to conduct lifestyle audits on senior government officials to tackle corruption as top civil servants fail to declare their financial interests.
This was revealed by the commission's director-general, Mashwahle Diphofa, yesterday when briefin... |
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| 'He is selfish. They deserve to rot in jail' |
When Jub Jub was freed from his mangled Mini Cooper, the first thing he did was reach for his cellphone to make a call, showing no concern for the children killed and injured in the crash.
Muzi Nzuza was one of the first people to arrive on the scene of the crash on Protea Boulevard in Protea Gl... |
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| Talks to try to avert strike by paramedics |
THE THREAT of a strike by emergency services workers hangs over the World Cup.
Talks are under way between the Health Department and unions in a bid to avert the possibility of industrial action by ambulance operators, paramedics and other staff during the event.
Peter Fuhri, the department'... |
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| Zuma declares interests - eight months late |
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma's eight-month delay in declaring his financial interests, assets and liabilities ended yesterday - but a probe by the Public Protector into why he failed to comply with the law by disclosing on time could still go ahead.
Under the Executive Members' Ethics Code, Zuma was to ... |
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| Why Jub Jub faces murder rap |
An outraged community, stirred by the deaths of four teenage boys, beat a frantic path to the court gates in Protea, Soweto, yesterday.
Seething residents and pupils shouted as they pelted the armoured van that carried Molemo Maarohanye, popularly known as Jub Jub, and Themba Tshabalala - the tw... |
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| Residents of Oukasi forced to buy water |
Residents of North West's Oukasi township, outside Brits, say they have to buy water because their own water carries the risk of cholera.
They also complain of potholes, a lack of housing, and electricity cuts.
More than 1 000 residents protested earlier this week.
They have delivered a ... |
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| Mystery surrounds missing aircraft |
PUZZLED Ekurhuleni Emergency Services officials had to call off a search for a light aircraft that, according to witnesses, had crashed yesterday afternoon.
EMS spokesman Rogers Mamaila said they had received a call from a motorist around 4pm about a yellow aircraft that had crashed into a meali... |
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| Octogenarian's killers get lengthy jail term |
THREE illegal immigrants who murdered an 86-year-old woman have been accused of fuelling xenophobic attacks.
Johannesburg High Court Judge Kathy Satchwell expressed this opinion when she sentenced three Mozambicans to an effective 26-year jail term each for the November 2008 murder of the octoge... |
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| Thieves pick wrong car |
BRAZEN thieves almost got away with stealing a car belonging to a vehicle tracking and recovery company official.
Mix Telematics vehicle tracking and recovery chief information officer Quinton Pienaar was attending a conference in Rosebank, Joburg, on Tuesday afternoon when he received a call fr... |
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| ANC manager jailed for child's killing |
Abrahamse gets 10 months in prison and supervision
ANC general manager Uriel Abrahamse, who killed a child while chasing a suspect who stole his son's cellphone, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment.
"Was there any justification in firing a shot at that time? I cannot see any,... |
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| Bail denied for murder suspects hailed |
THE ARAB Association Union (AAU) has lauded the justice system after four men, including two policemen, accused of murdering Egyptian trader Nabil Hasaballa were denied bail.
Aniel Poolaraj, Mandla Nkambule, Ebrahim Janoo and Wesley Anderson appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court yesterd... |
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| Students go on rampage on campus |
Tshwane South College staff were locked inside the premises for more than three hours when students ran riot at the Atteridgeville campus yesterday.
Students threw rubbish across the campus, burnt tyres and vandalised furniture in protest over the lack of management and governance at the college... |
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| Jub Jub faces 4 murder charges |
Give him bail and we'll kill him, cry protesters
OUTSIDE the crowd bayed for their blood. And inside the courtoom the prosecution went for their jugulars this morning.
Hip-hop star Molemo Maarohanye, popularly known as Jub Jub, and his co-accused Themba Tshabalala are each to be charge... |
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| On a 'high of drugs and booze' |
Cops say Jub Jub and other speedster tested positive after death crash
Hip-Hop star Molemo Maarohanye, popularly known as Jub Jub, was apparently not only drunk but also high on drugs when he was involved in an accident in which four teenagers lost their lives.
Police sources have co... |
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| Mother admits to son’s murder |
JOHANNESBURG - A 26-year-old Tembisa mother was yesterday referred for psychiatric observation after admitting that she had stabbed her five-year-old son and then cut off his ear and private part to make it look like a muti murder.
Batseba Irene Lekgeu pleaded guilty to a charge of murdering her ... |
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| Mayor’s ‘tale of two Tshwanes’ |
TSHWANE - Tshwane’s Mayor Gwen Ramokgopa yesterday presented a glowing picture of the Metro council’s achievements while angry residents across the capital were burning tyres and barricading streets in protest against non-delivery of basic services.
On the eve of Ramokgopa’s state-of-city address... |
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| ‘Jub Jub’, Themba face murder |
JOHANNESBURG - When controversial hip-hop singer Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye and his friend Themba Tshabalala appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court today, they will face four counts of murder.
This comes after the four counts of culpable homicide were yesterday changed to murder.
Jub Jub and... |
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| ‘Sweatshop’ audit hailed |
| JOHANNESBURG - The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) yesterday welcomed the news that Global Brands Group, Fifa’s worldwide licensing company, has ordered the Chinese factory contracted to produce figurines of World Cup mascot Zakumi to stop work, in response to accusations that it was running a ... |
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| He was my only hope - now I feel so empty, says dad |
IAN Mthombeni can't describe his feelings.
His only child, Andile, 16, was killed along with three other boys in an accident involving two speeding cars while they were on their way home from school on Monday.
"My boy. My only child," he grunted intermittently, his coarse voice in obvious pa... |
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| Big Brother puts public servants under microscope |
SENIOR managers at Gauteng state hospitals, principals of nursing colleges and heads of forensic laboratories are to undergo scrutiny in a bid to curb corruption and make sure the right people are employed, the State Security Agency said yesterday.
The Gauteng Health Department confirmed it had ... |
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| New SAA boss no-show angers MPs |
NEW SA Airways CEO Siza Mzimela angered MPs after failing to appear before a scheduled committee meeting yesterday.
Mzimela and several other senior managers of the national airline were supposed to have briefed the National Assembly's public enterprises committee on allegations that it colluded... |
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| Dead boy was a big fan of Jub Jub |
Prince Mohube was so fanatical about hip-hop star Jub Jub he had his CDs and converted the copies his mother had bought him.
Yesterday, his favourite musician was being held in the holding cells of the Protea police station in Soweto, and is charged with causing Prince's death and those of three... |
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| 'I will not have a son like him ever again' |
Family mourn teen, one of four killed in Soweto dice with death
Edwin Masemola last saw his 16-year-old son Phomello at about 5am before he left for school on Monday.
"I gave him pocket money and he said 'thank you' with a sobbing voice. I think something could have been bothering him ... |
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| Relatives salvage belongings of speedster victims |
THE CELLPHONES rang unanswered from thick patches of grass. Nearby was a partly burnt school bag and clothes.
Around noon yesterday, the parents and relatives of three of the four teenagers who were killed when a speeding car mowed them down in Protea Glen, Soweto, had returned to the crash scen... |
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| Joy as Nigerians free SA hostage SA hostage freed in Nigeria |
I'M free! I'm free!" These were the words of South African Nick Greyling after being rescued from kidnappers in Nigeria.
He phoned his wife Lorna in Joburg on Monday night to give her the good news.
The last time they had spoken was the day after he was kidnapped by uniformed Nigerians on Ma... |
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| Girl leaps out of speeding Mini's way |
'The car hit him, he just fell to the ground'
NDZALAMA Makaringi managed to cheat death - just.
She leapt out of harm's way a split second before an out-of-control Mini Cooper S driven by hip-hop star Molemo "Jub Jub" Maarohanye ploughed into a group of her schoolmates.
The boys wa... |
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| Jub Jub, another driver nabbed after fatal race |
HIP-HOP star Molemo Maarohanye, known as Jub Jub, and another motorist were arrested yesterday after being involved in an accident that claimed the lives of four teenagers.
Police said late yesterday the two drivers appeared to have been racing each other in Protea Glen, Soweto.
Jub Jub and ... |
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| Sport federations to be audited |
JOHANNESBURG - South African sports federations are going to be audited and those who do not comply with the principles of corporate governance will be named and shamed.
“Do not see these two days as a witch-hunt, but leaders must take stock of what they are doing. Going back in time, we said we ... |
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| Don’t politicise crime: Mthethwa |
JOHANNESBURG - While Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said yesterday that farm and rural killings should not be politicised, the Limpopo provincial police said that no arrests have been made as yet in connection with the murder of 70-year-old Canadian national Ron Smith.
Smith was found lying on hi... |
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| JZ to accept anti-crime letters |
JOHANNESBURG - President Jacob Zuma will today finally accept thousands of anti-crime letters written by South Africans concerned about crime.
Solidarity will hand over 107 000 anti-crime letters at Tuynhuys in Cape Town.
South Africans were asked to send messages to the President asking for c... |
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| DA calls for inquiry as parties slam Zuma over failure to declare |
JOHANNESBURG - President Jacob Zuma’s woes are far from over as the Democratic Alliance (DA) now wants Public Protector Thulisile Madonsela to investigate him for failing to declare his financial interests.
Yesterday DA leader Helen Zille called on Madonsela to investigate whether Zuma had breach... |
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| Solidarity taking barrows of crime letters to Zuma |
| Three weeks after being prevented from delivering 23 000 e-mails and letters from South Africans fed up about crime to President Jacob Zuma at Parliament, trade union Solidarity was today due to have a formal meeting with him at Tuynhuys - and hand over the batch of correspondence that it now says n... |
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| Concerns that police shooting laws miss the mark |
Some say proposed legislation allows for a shoot-to-kill policy
Legal and crime experts have expressed concern over the wording of a draft amendment to the law that could potentially result in making it easier for the police to use lethal force against suspects perceived to be resisting ar... |
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| Accused says his evidence is a story |
One of the accused in the murder trial of Anglo Platinum accountant Avhatakali Netshisaulu has spent more than a week in the dock giving evidence that he still maintains is "a story".
Netshisaulu was the son of former City Press editor-in-chief Mathatha Tsedu.
At the Johannesburg High Court ... |
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| Randburg priest in court over sexual abuse of boys |
THREE children, who were allegedly sexually abused by a Randburg Catholic priest, have testified against him in the Brits Magistrate's Court.
Journalists weren't allowed in the court during the trial as the children's testimony was being held in camera.
The Randburg-based priest, charged wit... |
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| Murderer blames her lover |
CELIWE Mbokazi, who faces a life sentence for the murder of Franz Richter, her customary husband and the owner of the Heia Safari Ranch, has blamed her adulterous relationship for her troubles.
Mbokazi yesterday took a swipe at Ronnie Khumalo, the father of her two-year-old daughter, and accused... |
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| R115m is needed to dump motorsport deals |
Province to save R796m over three years
GAUTENG has finally put mechanisms in place to get rid of its massively expensive motorsport contracts and the company which ran them - and which has a director sought in Burundi on fraud charges.
Economic Development MEC Firoz Cachalia yesterday... |
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| Speedsters mow down four |
Ian Mthombeni was led to the four bodies lying in the tall grass. A silver space blanket was lifted and his knees buckled. The father stared into the dead face of his 16-year-old son and let out a wail.
Andile, a Grade 11 pupil at Altmont Technical High School, was one of four boys killed yester... |
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| Hunt for gunmen following medics' ordeal |
Police are still searching for three men after two women paramedics were attacked and one was raped while they attended to a two-year-old burn victim in Durban Deep, Roodepoort.
Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (JEMS) said the two women were recovering from trauma after the incident on... |
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| Metrorail to skimp on safety – DA |
JOHANNESBURG - Documents leaked to the Democratic Alliance (DA) show that Metrorail will on Friday cancel contracts with security companies that have been providing safety and security services to commuters at train stations.
The move to cancel the contracts follows the decision by supplier compa... |
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| Barbie, Prinsloo victim takes her own life |
A VICTIM of convicted sex offender Cézanne Visser and her ex-partner Dirk Prinsloo has committed suicide, nine years after the pair molested her on her 14th birthday.
Although details were unclear at the time of going to press, it is believed Janine du Plessis, 23, was found hanging from a tree ... |
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| What's Zuma hiding? |
President still hasn't declared his interests
Political parties and Cosatu are questioning President Jacob Zuma's motives after it emerged that he had failed to declare his financial interests, as required by law, within 60 days of becoming president.
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzim... |
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| Rape highlights dangers which paramedics face |
IF THERE'S a crisis in Roodepoort's Durban Deep, don't expect paramedics to turn up to help.
Paramedics are under siege, fearing whether a callout may be an ambush, following the weekend rape of an ambulance crew while tending to a child.
At Station 21, where the two paramedics are based, co... |
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| Obstacle to intelligence report |
DELAYS in the appointment of a new inspector-general of intelligence are behind the failure to deal with a crucial report on the secret tapes that led to corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma being withdrawn ahead of last year's elections.
The report, by former intelligence inspector-g... |
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| 'Zuma has disappointed us and set a bad example for others' |
THERE has been widespread condemnation of President Jacob Zuma following media reports that he has not declared all of his business interests.
Political analysts have come out strongly against the president of the ANC, with some expressing disappointment and disillusion at the example set by the... |
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| Consumer justice only for some |
Millions of South Africans continue to fall victim to shameful business practices every day.
I was thrilled to hear advocate Fati Manamela, chief director of Gauteng Consumer Affairs, slam those provincial governments which haven't got their act together to get consumer courts up and runni... |
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| Optimism over SA's safety, security |
SOUTH Africa's R1.3 billion security plan for the World Cup has been given the thumbs up by top policemen from England and Interpol who will be in the country in numbers never seen before.
After a two-day conference at Fifa headquarters in Zurich on Friday, where security chiefs from 29 of the q... |
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| Hawks seize R10m assets in drug lab |
THE Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, yesterday uncovered a drug lab in Randburg with goods worth about R10 million.
Hawks spokesman Musa Zondi said the Ferndale property appeared to have been used as an office and the drugs were found in a garage behind ... |
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| 'Hospital let my baby fall to its death' |
Couple deny child was stillborn, cite head injuries
WHEN Lorraine Ratshefola went into labour on February 26, she and her husband Ernest expected to return home with their baby boy.
Instead the couple, from Kagiso, west of Joburg, are pursuing legal action against the LenMed Clinic in ... |
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| Teen in dock over assault |
LAST year's deputy head boy from Parktown Boys' High has appeared in court on charges of assault after he allegedly beat up two boys at a party.
In June last year, Duane Groenewald was asked to be one of the bouncers at a private party in Randpark Ridge. The teenager, who was one of Parktown Boy... |
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| Mercedes parts worth R10m found in raid |
POLICE believe they have broken up a big hijacking syndicate after Mercedes-Benz vehicle parts worth more than R10 million were discovered at a plot in De Deur in the Vaal.
Although no one had been arrested when the discovery was made on Friday, police said the Crime Intelligence Unit was expect... |
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| Romanian stranded after suspected 419 scam goes awry |
A Romanian man was refused help by his own embassy and spent three nights in police stations after he was lured to South Africa in a suspected 419 scam this week.
"I came here for a foreign investment. Now I'm confused and I don't know what to do," said Fabiu Opris, 41, after he found that what ... |
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| Diplomatic row brews in hunt for assassins |
Cops leave airport empty-handed
Claims that OR Tambo International Airport was used as an escape route for Mossad assassins could reignite old tensions between the South African security establishment and Israeli airline El Al, which has close links to the Israeli government.
The airli... |
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| Opposition in uproar over plan to give municipal manager more power |
PROPOSALS to give eThekwini municipal manager Michael Sutcliffe more power over the affairs of the city council are "a threat to democracy", according to politicians and a political analyst.
And the DA in eThekwini is prepared to go to court to fight the amendment if it is adopted.
A report ... |
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| Child abuse suspect on bail as more parents speak out |
A 60-YEAR-OLD swimming instructor is floundering in the deep end as more parents come forward and Childline expresses concern about his being released on bail after being charged with raping three little girls.
"Besides the three cases that he has been charged for, we are now working with other ... |
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| Lady Justice not much help for stalkers' victims |
Silent calls have terrorised woman for 12 years
Every time the phone rings, a feeling of unease rushes over Cynthia Wallie.
It could be a relative or a friend. But chances are it's the same call that the 52-year-old marketing manager has received for the past 12 years - a silent call f... |
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| The Gauteng government spent nearly R3 million on a controversial rail project that never got off the ground. |
Monorail canned but consortium benefited
The Gauteng government spent nearly R3 million on a controversial rail project that never got off the ground.
The R12 billion Soweto monorail project was an-nounced in May 2007 by the Gauteng Economic Development Agency, but was later canned by ... |
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| Unlawful arrest costs |
PRETORIA - A man who works for a law firm in Pretoria has been awarded R50 000 for damages after being arrested for allegedly being drunk in public and kept in custody overnight before all charges were dropped against him.
Judge N Poswa, in the High Court in Pretoria, yesterday set aside the ruli... |
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| Water cannon used to disperse UJ students |
JOHANNESBURG - Law enforcement officers in Johannesburg had their hands full from as early as 6am yesterday, attempting to maintain law and order at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
A group of close to 200 disgruntled UJ students at the Bunting Road campus heeded student body Sasco’s call to ... |
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| Emergency services hit by debts |
EKURHULENI - Ekurhuleni’s Emergency services went back to the dark ages this week due to the non-payment of a service provider.
This left the Metro’s 11 million residents with a much less effective emergency service.
The metro’s state-of- the-art emergency call centre was made all but obsolete... |
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| Nice party, pity about the poor |
ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's R440 000 birthday bash continued until early yesterday at Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale's Mokete Lodge.
But the Pan Africanist Youth Congress of Azania (Payco) was not impressed.
It lambasted him for his "bourgeois and opportunistic tendencies".
... |
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| Battle to bring estate agent to book |
Couple are battling to get their money back
To afford their dream home, Joanne and Edwin Welkin cashed in their inheritance and put down a R1 million deposit on a house they were buying through one of South Africa's oldest estate agencies.
Now, almost two years later, they have forke... |
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| Tenant kicks old woman out of her house into a shack |
Tshinakano Khavhatondwi believes her tenant stole her house from under her nose.
At 87, she is frail, blind and has difficulty walking, but it didn't matter to the man she rented a shack to in her yard - he threw her out of her house and occupied it himself.
Now Khavhatondwi, from Chiawelo, ... |
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| Three denied bail in hired gun case |
THREE men, including an Ekurhuleni businessman and his prison warder brother, who allegedly offered undercover police R60 000 to kill one of their own, have been denied bail.
The charges of conspiracy to commit murder against the three - businessman Skhumbuzo Ngobese, his brother Khulekani Sydne... |
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| Richter's wife found guilty of murder and robbery |
Far from being a loving wife, Celiwe Mbokazi actively planned Franz Richter's murder.
This was the ruling of Judge Piet Meyer and his assessors when they ruled that the prosecutor, advocate Mahlubi Ntlakaza, had, on the totality of evidence, proved his case against Mbokazi beyond any reasonable ... |
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| Campaign aims to curb alcohol-fuelled violence |
SOUL City has launched a campaign aimed at preventing violence by reducing alcohol usage.
The Phuza Wize campaign, launched at the Sediba Pub and Restaurant in Meadowlands in Soweto, is set to make social drinking establishments such as taverns and clubs much safer and violence-free.
In Sout... |
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| MP audits not necessary, says Motlanthe |
The cabinet "had not considered" audits of politicians' lifestyles because of anti- corruption measures already in place, says Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.
Answering questions in the National Assembly yesterday, he detailed requirements for Cabinet members and MPs to declare their interes... |
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| Mbalula accused of ducking |
A heated row has broken out in Parliament over the treatment meted out to the Cape Town jogger arrested two weeks ago after allegedly showing President Jacob Zuma's convoy the middle finger.
Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula refused to reply to questions from opposition MPs yesterday about w... |
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| Selebi and gang money claim only gossip, says ex-spy |
Testifying behind closed doors, former spy boss Barry Gilder described allegations that ex-police chief Jackie Selebi had received money from the underworld as "gossip".
And he gave James Bond enthusiasts a small taste of how top-secret intelligence reports - such as the one that contained the c... |
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| Now for next chapter in Selebi saga |
Defence says it might need to recall Agliotti
The state has finally closed its case against Jackie Selebi - but its star witness, Glenn Agliotti, seems set for an encore.
Five months after the corruption trial of the former police commissioner began, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said yesterda... |
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| Taxman seizes R17m assets of high-flyers |
The SA Revenue Service has staked its claim on the multimillion-rand business empire of wealthy Durban couple Sbu and Shauwn Mpisane by pouncing on three of their luxury vehicles, worth around R17 million.
Yesterday, Sars took what S'bu Mpisane calls his "crown jewel", one of only two Rolls-Royc... |
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| Confessions convict Richter killers |
Wife of murdered Safari Ranch owner awaiting fate
A JOBURG judge has used the confessions of three men charged with the murder of Heia Safari Ranch owner Franz Richter to justify his decision to convict them.
Judge Piet Meyer was today expected to rule whether the men were hired by Ri... |
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| Meyerton residents battle for return of goods |
PETROL-BOMB flames licked at the bodywork of a police Nyala armoured vehicle as it manoeuvred through a barricaded street in Meyerton, south of Joburg.
Not even the presence of Vaal resident and Gauteng MEC for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Nelisiwe Mbatha-Mthimkhulu could calm the Vaal t... |
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| Parktown Boys teachers fingered over initiation |
Charges possible as mother pursues justice
Two teachers at Parktown Boys have been given 72 hours to respond to a complaint that could see them being charged over an initiation ceremony that took place at the school in February last year.
Pene Kimber, the mother of a boy who was the vi... |
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| Shock as Cassandre's killer gets off lightly |
Suspended sentence given due to his age
THE 17-year-old boy who "accidentally" shot and killed Cassandre van Rooyen - whose body was hidden under a bush with grass clippings - has received "another chance".
Judge Caroline Nicholls said in the Johannesburg High Court yesterday the minor... |
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| Wife of kidnapped SuperSport staffer 'hopeful' |
THE wife of kidnapped South African Nick Greyling was today still praying for his safe release.
Greyling, a sound engineer for SuperSport satellite channel, was taken hostage with colleagues Alexander Effiong, a Nigerian cameraman, and Bowie Attamah, a sports commentator from Nigeria, near the Ow... |
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| Farm attacks under the radar |
JOHANNESBURG - Crime researcher Johann Burger from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) says a “vacuum” has certainly developed in rural areas since the closure of commando structures.
This was in reaction to recent farm killings, two of which took place in Limpopo at the weekend.
Two peop... |
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| JMPD scares motorists into paying |
JOHANNESBURG - The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) has been accused of scare mongering in its attempts to rake in unpaid traffic fines.
Over the past few weeks thousands of motorists have received text messages and e-mails over unpaid traffic fines – some dating back years.
The JMP... |
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| Shaik doesn't look sick, say Durban residents |
A YEAR has passed since fraudster Schabir Shaik was controversially released on medical parole, yet during that time he has been seen out and about in public.
Shaik, who has applied for a presidential pardon, has been spotted at some of his favourite spots, including restaurants and golf courses... |
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| Nigerian hostage talks |
NEGOTIATIONS have started with the kidnappers of Nick Greyling, the only South African in the bus that was carrying 21 SuperSport crew when they were ambushed by heavily armed men in Nigeria.
Forty-six-year-old Greyling was part of a team covering Nigerian football.
Last night, MultiChoice spo... |
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| Payouts for wrongly arrested tourists |
TWO tourists from Britain, who were mistakenly arrested for being in possession of a stolen car and locked in a cell for a day under harrowing conditions, will each receive R90 000 in damages from the SA Police Service.
Ian Murrell and Siyananiso Mashava were travelling in a rented vehicle that w... |
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| Girl held after father fatally stabbed |
Squabble over lunch box said to have led to 'long-suffering' teen's action
'I AM HAPPY because I have suffered enough." These were the words of a 17-year-old shortly after she had allegedly stabbed her father to death in a shack in Diepsloot, north of Joburg.
She is alleged to have s... |
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| New confusion over Malema's deregistration of firms |
ANCYL leader 'has no idea how he came to be a director'
ALLEGATIONS of forgery, arguments with journalists and mixed-up documentation were all given as reasons why Julius Malema is named as a director of companies that receive government tenders.
At a press conference yesterday Malema'... |
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| 'Probe Eskom deal' |
The ANC has come under fresh attack over its stake in a company that has a lucrative contract from Eskom, with the Independent Democrats saying it was "morally wrong" for the ruling party to benefit financially from fixing "an energy disaster" it had helped to create.
The ANC, through its invest... |
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| State closes case, but Selebi wants it dismissed |
IT HAS taken five months, but Jackie Selebi's prosecutors have closed their corruption case against the former police commissioner.
Now, the trial is set to come to a temporary halt once again as Selebi applies for the case against him to be dismissed.
His defence advocate, Jaap Cilliers SC,... |
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| Orange Farm protest disrupts schooling |
"NOW we have started to fail," an Orange Farm pupil said as another day of schooling was disrupted amid violent service delivery protests.
"There were people stoning teachers as they were on their way to school," Joseph Mbete, 15, told The Star yesterday.
"It's bad because we were supposed to ... |
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| Cops too late to find evidence |
THE MIDRAND police have taken so long to respond to a theft in a restaurant that the only evidence of the crime has disappeared.
"The CCTV footage only lasts for four days, so all the evidence is now gone," said Riaan Meyer, a Midrand News Cafe manager said.
Another manager, Tony Ngwenya, said... |
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| SA crew in Nigeria kidnap drama |
Wife gets desperate call to initiate ransom talks
THE South African journalist kidnapped in Nigeria pleaded for help in a phone call to his wife today from his captors' den.
Nick Greyling, a 46-year-old sound engineer for M-Net's SuperSport channel, was part of a team covering the Nige... |
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| Gem dealer digs in heels over R45m fraud plea |
MOUSSA Sylla, charged with defrauding Absa of R45 million, has vowed to defy a court order instructing him to plead today to multiple charges.
The 41-year-old licensed diamond dealer of Sandown, Sandton - originally from Guinea and now a permanent South African resident - allegedly stole the amo... |
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| Newspaper to decide on McBride case appeal |
JOHANNESBURG - The Citizen has yet to decide whether to appeal to the Constitutional Court against the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) decision in the Robert McBride defamation case.
The SCA ruled on Friday that because former Ekurhuleni police chief McBride had been granted amnesty, The Citizen wa... |
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| City ‘should take responsibility’ |
TSHWANE - If the City of Tshwane took its responsibilities seriously, it could find solutions for the plight of squatters who have settled illegally on private land next to the Itireleng informal settlement near Laudium, a High Court judge said in Pretoria yesterday.
Judge Pierre Rabie granted a ... |
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| Lesser and violent crime link shown |
JOHANNESBURG - Tracker has launched a thought- provoking video to show the very real link between the so-called ‘lesser crimes’ in South Africa and violent crime syndicates.
The two-minute video illustrates, to graphic effect, how by supporting piracy and other counterfeit crimes, South Africans ... |
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| State wins ex-spook testimony battle |
crucial transcript in selebi trial to be heard
Once former spy boss Barry Gilder finished testifying, his advocate, Marumo Moerane, asked to be excused from the Jackie Selebi corruption trial.
Judge Meyer Joffe raised his arms, smiled and said: "After the disruption you caused ..."
... |
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| Malema, youth league yield to growing pressure |
A week after declaring the debate on ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema's business dealings closed, the league has now called a media conference for Malema's lawyer Tumi Mokwena to "clarify" issues.
This comes as a legal battle looms, with both Malema and City Press contemplating legal action... |
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| Warrant of arrest was fraudulent |
Magistrate releases Jackson on bail after finding anomalies
SIX POLICE officers attached to the Joburg organised crime unit used a fraudulent warrant of arrest to place Teazers strip club owner Lolly Jackson behind bars.
The warrant of arrest submitted to the Johannesburg Magistrate's ... |
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| Police hunt for killer in Soweto shootings |
A MAN who shot five people, killing two of them, is still on the run.
Yesterday, Soweto police released a man they had initially arrested in connection with the shooting in Emndeni on Sunday after it was revealed that he had apparently not fired the shots.
The man was arrested after a motori... |
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| 60 held in Lenasia electricity protest |
THE CUTTING off of illegal power connections sparked violent protests in the Thembalihle informal settlement in Lenasia, south of Joburg, yesterday's .
About 60 people were arrested for public violence after police clashed with residents, who were throwing stones at vehicles.
Two police cars... |
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| Forensic lab backlog delays death probe |
GRAINY CCTV footage shows a man leaving Tana-Leigh Critchfield's Joburg flat, apparently a few hours after she died.
Not long after he walked out of the flat, a friend found the 40-year-old's body. Critchfield died 16 months ago, and her family still don't know whether she was murdered.
Sand... |
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| Jail for mother will trouble children, court hears |
| Nicole Romy de Villiers, 29, convicted of stealing about R1.3 million from the company she worked for, is a changed woman who should not be jailed because she has small children and did not benefit from her crimes other than by way of an "elevated lifestyle", the magistrate's court heard yesterday. ... |
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| Spy boss takes stand in secret at Selebi trial |
FORMER spy boss Barry Gilder began testifying behind closed doors in the corruption trial of former police commissioner Jackie Selebi this morning.
His testimony restarted a trial that was on hold for three months as his former bosses fought an unsuccessful legal battle to keep him out of the wi... |
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| Malema claims name forged |
Peter Mokaba defended
ANC Youth League president Julius Malema has accused a journalist of forging his signature in a bid to discredit him, although it is not clear whether he plans to press charges.
The controversial Malema also defended his hero and former youth league leader, the lat... |
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| Julius treading water |
AS THE heat mounts over Julius Malema's listing as director of four companies, he lashed out yesterday at the media, saying his signature had been forged.
This comes after City Press disclosed that Malema had signed as a director of SGL Engineering Projects and was a 70 percent shareholder in th... |
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| Motorist held over revenge-shooting bloodbath |
A man has been arrested after he allegedly opened fire on residents who attacked him after he had knocked over a child.
One person was killed and four others are still in hospital following the attack.
The attack happened after a man knocked over a boy.
"You women do not look after your ... |
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| Attempt to tighten up rules on MPs |
Broader declaration of interests sought
PARLIAMENT'S joint committee on ethics and members' interests wants to rewrite the rules regarding MPs' declaration of interests because it believes they are inadequate.
The committee's chairman, ANC MP Luwellyn Landers, said the current system r... |
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| Driver in revenge shooting after running down boy |
THE COMMUNITY was angry because, after knocking over seven-year-old Mthoko Sithole, the man had shown no remorse.
"You women do not look after your children. What was the child doing in the road?" the man shouted at the crowd in Emndeni, Soweto, who then attacked him.
After the attack, the m... |
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| Cops grab Lolly at strip club |
FLAMBOYANT strip club boss Lolly Jackson is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on charges of attempted extortion and intimidation of one of his former clients.
Jackson was nabbed at one of his upmarket strip clubs, Teazers Rivonia, on Saturday night.
His arrest was pre... |
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| Woman's friend held for raping 11-month-old |
A 42-year-old man was arrested after an 11-month-old baby was raped in Southfield, Cape Town.
Police spokesman Keith Chandler said the incident happened on Saturday after the girl's mother had left her in the family friend's care.
"When she returned, she noticed the child was in some discomf... |
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| Police shooting raises questions and doubt |
Stunned family say cops opened fire first
JOBURG metro police shot a man dead at his house in Lenasia on Saturday night after he allegedly opened fire on the two officers who had been pursuing him.
According to Senior Superintendent Wayne Minnaar, Mahindra Pehari, 36, had been driving ... |
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| Police raid may have put a stop to syndicate |
Stunned family say cops opened fire first
AN ESTATE agent and his client were robbed of their luxury cars, wallets, cellphones, laptop and jewellery at gunpoint while assessing a house.
In another incident a woman was robbed of her car, cellphone and handbag containing her credit cards... |
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| SA's spectre of harmful e-waste mountains |
'Recycling industry must urgently expand'
South Africa's electronic waste recycling industry urgently needs to expand to cope with rocketing sales of computers, cellphones and other gadgets that threaten human health and the environment if not properly disposed of.
This is according to... |
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| 'Barbie' is just as guilty as Prinsloo, say young victims |
"ADVOCATE Barbie" claims she was the victim, a powerless sex slave to the deviant demands of her "god"- bank robber Dirk Coetzee.
But, as the former advocate prepared herself for seven years in a jail cell this week, two of her victims began their own painful healing.
The orphans, who were i... |
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| Zuma-linked women in spotlight |
OPPOSITION parties have called for further investigation into the lucrative catering contract awarded to Nonkululeko Mhlongo, who has two children with President Jacob Zuma.
This was the second woman in the president's life to appear in the spotlight this week.
It was also reported that the ... |
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| Girl, 13, dies after brother torches house |
The youngest daughter of Eldorado Park's Trollip family, whose son petrol-bombed their house last week, has died.
Samantha Trollip, 13, succumbed in hospital to her burns this week while Mark-ham Trollip was appearing in court on charges of attempted murder and arson.
Police said one of the ... |
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| 102 schoolkids crammed in 18-seater bus |
The driver and owner of an 18-seater bus faces criminal charges after the bus was found to have 102 schoolchildren crammed inside.
Children between the ages of five and 13, most of them from Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, were packed on the seats, on the floor and sitting on each other's laps.
... |
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| Gated paradise rocked by mysterious death of 'replica of Marilyn Monro' |
ReSIDENTS at the multibillion-rand gated Mount Edgecombe Estate in KwaZulu-Natal have been rocked by the mysterious death of a prominent socialite - referred to as Durban's own Marilyn Monroe - whose naked body was found in the swimming pool of her luxury home.
Since the apparent drowning death ... |
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| Woman cop wins race case |
Court says white officer can't be denied SAPS promotion
THE SAPS has been ordered to promote a white female police captain who was denied promotion twice because it would not advance racial representation in the police.
Captain Renate Barnard was all smiles outside the Labour Court in Br... |
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| Rights groups attack DStv's porn proposal |
CHILD rights activists and faith organisations have condemned MultiChoice's announcement that it is researching the viability of a pornography channel, saying porn turns women into sex objects to "serve the whims of depraved men" and contributed to sexual abuse perpetrated by children.
Jackie Ra... |
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| Nine accused due in court in wake of crime spree |
NINE men who allegedly attacked a bottlestore owner in Soweto and later targeted cash-in-transit van security guards are to answer allegations against them in the Johannesburg High Court.
The accused - Thomas Nzimande Simango, 40, Tholinhlanhla Nene, 31, Mthokozisi Sithole, 26, Bongani Melose, 3... |
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| Arrests for speed barrier trench |
A group of people were arrested in Soweto after they were caught digging a trench in the road, creating what is believed to be their own speed-calming measure.
The Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) confirmed that 12 people were found digging the road in Orlando West in an attempt to stop motorists from ... |
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| Man arrested for asking cops to move |
'He told me to pay the lawyer R1 500'
NKOSINATHI Shezi spent two nights in jail for asking police officers to give him the right of way on a visit to his brother at the Diepkloof hostel in Soweto.
Not only did he spend the time in jail, but police allegedly asked him to pay a bribe of ... |
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| Court registers ruling on Zim |
JOHANNESBURG - The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria yesterday registered and confirmed two Southern African Development Community (Sadec) Tribunal rulings against Zimbabwe’s controversial land reform programme.
Judge Charl Rabie granted an order to civil rights movement AfriForum, which assis... |
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| Mom murder suspect defiant |
JOHANNESBURG - He wanted to protect his mother during a violent robbery at their home, but it was not possible, the son of murdered nursery school principal Rinda Abraham yesterday told the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
Christoffel Abraham testified in the trial of his mother’s alleged ki... |
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| Cops in firing line over guns |
JOHANNESBURG - Police officers losing their firearms will be held accountable and punished.
This is according to newly- implemented measures by the ministry of police aimed at curbing the loss of firearms at the hands of the police.
“The number of firearms lost and stolen at various police sta... |
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| Dalton murder-bid case resurrected |
TWO years after a case of attempting to murder his wife was struck from the court roll, former rugby hooker James Dalton was back in the Pretoria Regional Court yesterday facing the charge.
It is alleged that he tried to kill Andrea, to whom he was still married at that stage, on November 16, 20... |
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| Mandoza quizzed on friends' alleged fraud scheme |
KWAITO star Mandoza has been quizzed by the Hawks following the Valentine's Day crash in which he was found injured in a car that has since been linked to asset fraud.
Hawks spokesman Musa Zondi said the specialised crime investigation unit was "happy with Mandoza's answers".
"Mandoza was ne... |
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| Amnesty report on SA links to Guinea rejected |
A DURBAN businessman claims a report released by Amnesty International, linking a private security company to the training of Guinea's military junta, is false.
The report, released this week, claims the company, Global Maritime Security Solutions LLC, was operating out of a Pinetown, KZN, car r... |
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| 'Pupils evicted for being lesbians' |
THE boarding house at a KZN South Coast high school has been closed and 300 female pupils removed from the facility, allegedly because some of them are involved in lesbian relationships.
The KZN Education Department has appointed a task team to investigate the matter. It was due to deliver a rep... |
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| Bail granted in kidnap case |
KENNETH McLeod, a Scottish immigrant charged with kidnapping, housebreaking, robbery and car theft, has been granted bail of R10 000 in the Johannesburg Magistrates Court.
McLeod was arrested on February 5 for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of a former friend, Graham Nicholls. The Sta... |
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| Four in court after Sun City manager slain |
FOUR men have appeared in the Mogwase Magistrate's Court after they were found in possession of a cellphone belonging to a murdered gaming marketing manager at the Sun City resort near Rustenburg.
Police said the men, aged between 19 and 25, were arrested on Wednesday night at Ledig, a village a... |
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| Elderly man 'did not deserve to die like this' |
Victim found with bullet wound to the shoulder
AT 75, Donovan Smith lived an active life. He woke up at the crack of dawn for gym. He swam 30 laps in the pool each day. He played golf. He loved to bet on the horses. And he always picked up the bill.
But all that came to an end when Smi... |
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| Emergency services fingered over faults |
But officials dismiss fears relating to soccer showpiece
Joburg's Emergency Management Services (EMS) has come under fire for shortfalls in key areas - including World Cup readiness - in a recent report tabled before the council.
When it comes to setting up a disaster management centre... |
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| Judge refuses to grant Nigerian drug accused bail |
Suspect will go on trial with minister's wife
A NIGERIAN man who faces drug dealing charges - along with Sheryl Cwele, the wife of the Minister of State Security, was yesterday denied bail in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, which considered him a flight risk.
Clad in a grey suit, Fran... |
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| Business, cops, community, unite against criminals |
Policemen on horses parading outside Montecasino, a drug bust demonstration by dogs - this was the scene at the launch of the new-look Douglasdale Community Police Forum(CPF).
The launch was held at the lavish La Toscana Restaurant in Montecasino this week, and was aimed at informing and updatin... |
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| Police raid medical waste firm |
JOHANNESBURG - Police have raided the Durban offices of a medical waste disposal company as part of a major investigation into fraud, corruption and conduct among rival companies which may have caused several recent medical waste scandals.
The raid followed information received from the KwaZulu-N... |
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| Hijackers chased in vain by convoy |
Policing forum members back off after being shot at
It was a car chase involving about 20 vehicles speeding through the streets of Germiston, with shots being fired.
The good guys, members of the Verwoerdpark Community Police Forum, were chasing robbers who had just netted three vehicl... |
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| Prudent council won't suspend Cwele |
The Hibiscus Coast municipality announced yesterday that it would not suspend Sheryl Cwele, its health and community services director.
The municipality said that if Cwele was suspended it would have been with full pay for a period likely to exceed 10 months before her trial on drug-smuggling ch... |
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| Mom shocked - but some wanted 70 years |
Her daughter's seven-year sentence had come as a shock to her family, Cezanne Visser's mother said.
Susan Lemmer said both she and Visser had been given sedatives after the day in court.
"We are very shocked. The fact that she got bail was an answer to our prayers. We prayed continuously for... |
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| Justice for 7 years of hell |
But Visser's victims still face a tough time
IT HAS been seven years of hell for two of Cezanne Visser's victims, and while she faces seven years in jail for her part in the sexual abuse of children and young women, the two will continue to be haunted for the rest of their lives by grim me... |
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| SACP dubs Malema 'the new Hitler' |
THE ANC Youth League said yesterday it had "closed the debate" on its leader Julius Malema allegedly making millions off the government, while the SACP in the Western Cape likened him to a modern-day Hitler and a demagogue who looted state resources.
Youth league spokesman Floyd Shivambu said th... |
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| Scopa puts Simelane on the spot over 'sinking ship' |
Suitability of new prosecutions chief for the job questioned
NEW national prosecutions chief Menzi Simelane's management of the Department of Justice was called into question yesterday when top officials received a drubbing in Parliament and the department was described as "a sinking ship"... |
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| Outrage over loitering arrests |
Four claim they were simply chatting outside their homes or workplaces
SEVERAL residents of Blairgowrie, Randburg, have accused the police of wrongful arrest after they were picked up for loitering during a swoop in the Pinegowrie post office area.
Among them were four men chatting in ... |
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| No appeal for doctor's killer |
WELILE Nyaleka - the man who shot and killed prominent Soweto doctor Kgomotso Masebelanga, has been denied leave to appeal against his jail sentence.
Nyaleka, 34, lodged an application in the Johannesburg High Court earlier this month asking Acting Judge Naren Pandya, who sentenced him to life, ... |
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| More held over violent protests |
A supermarket was burgled and looted, and a house and a vehicle were burnt overnight as service delivery protests continued in Sharpeville.
The number of people arrested for public violence had reached 22 yesterday, while five others had been arrested for business burglary and looting after Boxe... |
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| SMS cited as reason to keep man in jail |
WHILE the police fought to keep Kenneth McLeod behind bars on kidnapping, housebreaking, robbery and car theft charges - calling him a danger to society - his advocate called the State's case "preposterous".
Yesterday marked day two of McLeod's bail application, with investigating officer Inspec... |
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| Hawks shift focus from corruption to syndicates |
Drugs are the biggest threat to South Africa's security because some of the crimes committed in the country emanate from the need to feed a habit.
So if you take away the drugs, much of the crime will also go.
This is the view of advocate Seswantsho Godfrey Lebeya, the newly appointed Divisi... |
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| Barbie gets 7 years for sex crimes |
Advocate Barbie is going to jail. The Pretoria High Court today sentenced Cezanne Visser, 32, to a total of seven years in prison.
Visser stared ahead as the judge started reading the sentence and kept her pose throughout, even when she was led down in handcuffs.
Acting Judge Chris Eksteen tol... |
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| Speeding cop dodges prison time |
Two-year sentence, suspended for five years, is the final verdict
Constable Johannes Ramalope may have dodged prison for now, but his day of reckoning is yet to come.
This was Michelle Harris's reaction to the sentence handed down to the man responsible for killing her 20-year-old son ... |
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| Charges against alleged building hijacker dropped |
ALL FIFTEEN charges against alleged Joburg building hijacker James O'Shea have been provisionally withdrawn.
O'Shea gained notoriety by allegedly purchasing mainly residential properties on auction in the inner city and southern suburbs of Jeppe, Troyeville, Bertrams, Rosettenville and Turffonte... |
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| Fight traffic laws abuse |
JOHANNESBURG - Joe Public now has a cheap, easy way to strike back at traffic authorities and municipalities over illegal fines, unlawful detention, refusal to issue licence discs and the unjustified imposition of criminal records.
The Justice Project SA (JPSA) has launched its Class Action initi... |
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| Real Barbie story ‘yet to come out’ |
JOHANNESBURG - “Anything can happen. The real story will come out sooner or later... this is not the end of the road.”
These are the ominous words of Professor Johan Lemmer, the stepfather of Cezanne Visser, better known as “Advocate Barbie”, ahead of her sentencing today.
Visser, convicted on... |
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| NIA reporting to Malema? |
JOHANNESBURG - The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is in the firing line for once again involving itself in the ruling party’s factional battles.
This time around the NIA allegedly provided ANC Youth League president Julius Malema with a list of people who are apparently seeking the destructio... |
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| Vavi belittled on audits |
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has put Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi in his place over his call for lifestyle audits of politicians and public servants.
Addressing the Parliamentary Press Gallery Association yesterday, Zuma also manoeuvred carefully on the storm raging over ANC Youth League pre... |
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| Malema and the spy papers |
Document from ex-Sars official to be given to Zuma
Julius Malema's "intelligence document" was compiled by a former Sars employee - who is facing criminal charges but insists he was part of a sting operation.
In an interview with the media following revelations of his business interest... |
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| Tangled web may be a court's nightmare |
Bizarre tale of kidnappings, hitmen, drugs and cars
It's going to take an astute judge to untangle the sensational web of allegations spun by two former friends and millionaire businessmen now doing court battle and accusing each other of being kidnappers or drug addicts.
And should th... |
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| Zuma unable to grant pardons |
Subheddy goes here and here and here pse
Former president Thabo Mbeki has effectively prevented President Jacob Zuma from unilaterally pardoning a number of racist, religious and political killers.
At least, not without consulting their victims.
This was the unanimous decision of t... |
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| Ndebele seeks to increase registration fees and fines |
MOTORISTS may have to pay higher vehicle registration fees and increased traffic fines while a surcharge may also be imposed on sales of alcohol under Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele's proposals to bring the Road Accident Fund back to financial health. The fund is currently R31 billion in the red.
... |
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| Cops fire on Sharpeville, Orange Farm protesters |
Angry residents are sick and tired of being understanding
ABRAM Mokoena has seen it all before. He was 14 at the time of the Sharpeville massacre, but yesterday, 50 years later, he was caught again between flying bullets and the violence that protest can trigger.
"I don't know what hit... |
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| Court hears gory details during trial of former Pirates star |
"I AM STRESSED and I have had enough of you taking photographs of me."
This was the reaction yesterday of former Orlando Pirates striker Mandla "Metroblitz" Sithole after the Roodepoort Regional Court heard gory details of his alleged involvement in the murder of a 31-year-old man.
Sithole i... |
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| Toyota is geared for recall in SA |
Proactive move to attend to accelerator pedal defect
Toyota's recall of just more than 52 000 cars is up and running, with dealers now in the process of taking in the affected cars for repairs.
Earlier this month, the company announced it would be recalling the vehicles as a proactive ... |
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| SANDF back on border welcomed by FF-Plus |
JOHANNESBURG - The decision to once again make use of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for border control was welcomed by the Freedom Front Plus (FF-Plus) yesterday.
“It was a mistake of the government to withdraw the defence force, but the mistake is now being rectified.
“The ... |
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| Blood safety centre improves supply |
JOHANNESBURG - “The issue of blood safety in our country is an important component of our fight to defeat the scourge of HIV/Aids in our communities,” said Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi yesterday.
Motsoaledi was speaking at the launch of the South African Transfusion Medicine Training Centr... |
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| Taxman, protector urged to start probe |
JOHANNESBURG - The revelations over Julius Malema’s luxury lifestyle have prompted a furious backlash from trade unions and opposition parties and yesterday AfriForum referred the matter to the Public Protector and the taxman.
South African Revenue Service (SARS) spokesman Adrian Lackay decli... |
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| Malema fears kidnapping |
ANCYL leader says allegations a threat to family
Julius Malema has blamed the government companies register, a smear campaign run by leftist ANC officials and "unethical" journalists for "unfounded" media reports that he says have placed his life and that of his family in danger.
Addre... |
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| Visser set to learn her fate tomorrow |
AFTER nearly five years in court defending sex charges against her, Cezanne Visser - nicknamed Advocate Barbie - is to be sentenced in the Pretoria High Court tomorrow.
Yesterday, the blonde 32-year-old former advocate seemed much better than 11 days ago, when the case against her was postponed,... |
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| Presidency defends busy hotline |
The Presidency has defended President Jacob Zuma's hotline after it emerged that 87 percent of all the calls made to the service go answered.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said yesterday they were aware of the capacity problems experienced by the hotline and were working to address the... |
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| Prisons commissioner gets chop |
Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has terminated the contract of prisons boss Xoliswa Sibeko.
Sibeko's contract - which was due to expire only in August - was ended yesterday, the day after advertisements for her position were published.
Ministry spokesman Sonwabo Mbanan... |
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| Mass ID book destruction denied |
ID documents applied for, but not collected, are kept for a year and then destroyed to prevent them falling into the hands of fraudsters, according to the Department of Home Affairs.
Spokeswoman Siobhan McCarthy said it was not true, however, that up to half a million IDs were to be scrapped.
... |
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| Police finally bust housebreaking gang |
latest victim speaks of terrifying ordeal
POLICE believe they have bust a gang who have been terrorising northern Joburg residents, pouncing in the early hours of the morning while their victims were asleep.
The gang's favourite times are alleged to have been between 1am and 3.30am.
... |
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| Mandoza's friend held for fraud |
The owner of the car that kwaito star Mandoza allegedly crashed in Roodepoort last week has been arrested for asset fraud and identity theft.
A group of eight men, including Mandoza's friend Bobo Mncube, were arrested by the Hawks in the early hours of Friday morning.
The men were found in p... |
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| Now taxi washbays blamed for potholes |
FIRST it was residents discharging their swimming pool water into Joburg streets that was causing potholes across the city. Now it is taxi drivers washing their vehicles.
This is the latest explanation offered by the Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) in response to questions about the deteriorating stat... |
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| Secret probe exposes abortion racket |
Ugandan claimed he had 'contacts' in hospital, offered pills that were for ulcer
A conman - who has allegedly extorted money from women by claiming links to an alleged illegal abortion racket - has been nabbed following an undercover investigation by Eyewitness News.
The man, who ide... |
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| Teens used to sell drugs, says State |
A DRUG syndicate used children barely in their teens to sell their contraband to customers in Lenasia, south of Joburg.
This is a claim that prosecution authorities make in an indictment of six people charged with racketeering and illegal dealing in drugs.
The State has singled out Ishmail M... |
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| We are going to do things differently, says premier |
Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane has promised spending of billions on infrastructure, a little hope for the jobless - and a lot of hard work for public servants.
In her second State of the Province address, she reiterated that her government was doing things differently when she outlined her pl... |
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| Fighter jets will be ready for any eventuality |
Fighter jets and attack helicopters will be on standby during World Cup games in South Africa, ready to be flown at a moment's notice, to react to any potential terrorist attacks launched from the air, according to the officer in overall command.
"Fighter planes will be scrambled to intercept an... |
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| COPE leader in ‘blue-light’ row |
JOHANNESBURG - In the latest road rage incident to involve a member of the Police VIP Protection Unit, the provincial leader of the Congress of the People (COPE) Youth Wing, Mthokozisi Myende, has laid charges against a police bodyguard who allegedly threatened to murder him after a car crash.
My... |
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| Malema blames Mbeki |
He claims that leaks about assets is an old tactic
ANC Youth League president Julius Malema has accused those who leaked stories about his houses, cars and enrichment through government tenders of employing strategies used by former president Thabo Mbeki.
Details of Malema's cushy life... |
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| Suspect admits rape, denies killings |
A man has denied killing an elderly couple but has allegedly admitted to raping the woman.
Alice Botha, 71, was raped and died in her home in Northmead, Benoni, during the attack on the night of February 12. Her husband Jack, 75, died in hospital in Alberton on Wednesday.
A 46-year-old man w... |
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| Zuma hotline is unable to cope |
Shocking stats reveal it's 'only for show'
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma's hotline is overwhelmed and cannot cope with the volume of calls from aggrieved South Africans, with only 13 percent of 445 000 calls received between September and October having been answered.
Minister in the Presidency... |
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| Hawks pounce on some of the most wanted suspects |
A LUCKY break has helped the Hawks cross off three big names on their "most wanted" list.
The three suspects arrested at the weekend have been linked to a spate of cash-in-transit heists, including a bloody one in Limpopo in which four guards burnt to death in 2006, and a massive robbery at a Wi... |
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| House sale turns into nightmare for granny |
Olive Potgieter sold her home so that she would have money for her mentally handicapped daughter, but seven months on she is penniless and her child's place in an institution is in jeopardy.
The man who took possession of 86-year-old Potgieter's Sandton townhouse is Mark Abramowitz, who 16 years... |
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| Cosatu boss sheds light on his expenses |
Zwelinzima Vavi, the man who called on president President Jacob Zuma to introduce a lifestyle audit, says his own life is available for audit.
"I want to lead by example. I have nothing to hide," Vavi told The Star yesterday.
Vavi earns R42 000 a month and takes home about R27 000.
He p... |
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| Police roadblocks force drivers to rethink drinking one too many |
THE man in the baby blue slippers exhales into the breathalyser for the 18th time.
He's pretending he can't blow hard enough. The metro police officers gathered around him know the game and are convinced he is going to turn out to be an "18" - the code for a confirmed drunk driver.
As he has... |
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| Zille on warpath as she extinguishes blue-light convoys in W Cape |
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has fired the first shots in the war against blue-light convoys. She has banned the use of blue lights in her province - unless it's an emergency.
And Chumani Maxwele, the 25-year-old University of Cape Town student whose arrest by VIP protection officers sparked... |
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| Drug-addict son's 'fiery revenge' |
Five family members end up seriously burnt in hospital after their house was allegedly fire-bombed
The soot-covered rooms showed no evidence of ever having been painted. The explosion and red-hot flames had been so intense that they cracked the walls and lifted the roof off the house.
... |
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| All's not rosy with Hibiscus hierarchy in municipal probe |
THE DA in the Hibiscus Coast Municipality has opened a can of worms in the top echelons of the local authority:
• Three years ago, former Sharks loose forward Warren Britz apparently got his learner's licence and driving licence on the same day from the municipality's director of security, Vict... |
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| Man guilty of culpable homicide after beating, kicking wife to death |
A CENTURION businessman who beat his wife to death after an argument was yesterday found guilty of culpable homicide in the Pretoria High Court.
Acting Judge Chris Eksteen said it was clear Isaac Mokoena did not plan to kill his estranged wife Thabiso.
He said an argument broke out between t... |
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| Lolly furious as strip club stripped bare |
Teazers boss could sue his rival for millions as war over Cresta joint takes another nasty turn
Mark Andrews, the protégé of stripper king Lolly Jackson, could face a multimillion-rand lawsuit after the premises he was ordered to vacate were maliciously damaged and fixed furnishings stolen... |
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| Student: cops terrorised me after I was mugged |
A Cape Town student mugged in Long Street has accused police of pepper-spraying him in the eyes before taking him on a hell ride in the back of a police van.
Alex MacPhail, 21, a second year BCom student at Varsity College, said on the way to the police station one of the officers told him "we'r... |
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| Double tragedy sparks feud and court appeal |
Religious differences cleave tight-knit families
Pretoria has been stunned by the Romeo and Juliet-type tragedy of two sweethearts.
It began with the gunning down of a young husband in a botched hijacking, was followed by the devastated widow's suicide, and yesterday ended up just shy ... |
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| Agency hopes to get back R300m from the dead |
The dead and foreigners are milking South Africa's social welfare grants.
The South African Social Security Agency - which manages the country's social welfare grants - wants to recover R300 million this year from what it described as "dormant accounts".
"These are accounts of deceased benef... |
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| Bather reeled to safety after ordeal in the sea |
THE catch of the day turned out to be a really big one for an off-duty prison warder on Thursday when he hauled in a distressed woman from the sea.
The bather in question, Canadian Sunyata Choyce, did not mind being "hooked" as she desperately needed to be rescued from the strong rip current she... |
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| Stabbing, 'bomb' in KZN schools |
ONE pupil has died and six were injured in two separate incidents of violence in KwaZulu-Natal schools this week.
A 21-year-old died after being stabbed during an argument with another pupil at Hlonono High school in the Maphumulo area on Thursday, and an apparent experiment with a home-made wea... |
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| MXit called on to help over sea rescue deception |
The National Sea Rescue Institute is contacting the creators of cellphone social network MXit for help in tracking down a man who made false claims on MXit, saying he was adrift at sea on his yacht, seriously injured and in dire straits.
National NSRI spokesman Craig Lambinon said the man from A... |
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| Kensington drug lab bust by suspicious job seeker |
The Hawks have discovered drugs worth more than R2 million at a house in Kensington this morning.
Police scaled the 2.5m wall and steel gate at 10pm last night and this morning the Highlands Street home was a hive of activity as the police's heavily armed tactical response team and drug crime sc... |
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| Taxi strike ‘to achieve nothing’ |
JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng MEC for transport, Bheki Nkosi, says threats by the United Taxi Association Forum (Utaf) spokesman Ralf Jones to embark on a prolonged strike against the implementation of the last phase of the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT), is “regrettable”.
“While we are the fi... |
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| Grieving widow kills herself with shotgun |
FOR FARZAANA Naidoo, the death of her high school sweetheart and husband, Kushalen - who was murdered in Pretoria this week - proved too much to cope with.
Farzaana, 24, shot and killed herself yesterday, less than 48 hours after the death of her 28-year-old husband, who was gunned down in an ap... |
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| 3 pupils hurt in shotgun blast |
Calls for school metal detectors in wake of shootings and stabbings
EDUCATION authorities have reacted with outrage after six children were injured, three critically, when a shotgun being carried in a bag at a school went off yesterday.
More was to follow when another pupil was stabb... |
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| Radebe defends appointing Mpshe |
JUSTICE Minister Jeff Radebe admitted yesterday that he had secured former deputy prosecutions boss Mokotedi Mpshe a position as an acting judge after Mpshe had approached him.
"It was his preference that he (Mpshe) wanted to have an acting appointment," Radebe told journalists at Parliament yes... |
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| Tip-off spoils cops' 'surprise' raid |
IT WAS meant to have been one of the biggest raids in the Joburg CBD targeting traders selling illegal merchandise, especially the new Bafana Bafana jerseys and World Cup goods.
About 100 police officers, mostly plainclothed, were waiting for the final orders on how to execute the operation. Doz... |
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| Cup liquor bill's validity doubted |
THE GOVERNMENT faces being hauled before the courts if it adopts draconian legislation aimed at controlling the sale and distribution of liquor during the World Cup.
Establishments showing matches will have to fork out R50 000 for a special liquor licence and hand over 2 percent of their turnove... |
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| City Parks manager, wife cleared of allegations |
After extensive reports and counter-reports, the board of City Parks decided it will not be taking any action against the couple. The decision was already taken in October year after months of investigations.
Attorney Sean Sim, representing City Parks, said the report issued by Edward, Nathan So... |
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| Sigh of relief for former wife-killer suspect |
Rudi Venter doesn't touch raw meat. He can smell blood from across a room, even the tiniest cut. And he doesn't answer phone calls from unknown numbers, fearing an angry anonymous voice calling him a murderer.
But for a man who has been to hell and back, Venter is surprisingly upbeat about rebui... |
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| Violence common in our schools |
IN THE video clip, pupils from Glenvista High School can be seen circling the two teenage fighters and recording the brawl on their cellphones.
Fists fly, a shirt is torn and bloodied.
Only when one of the boys is flat on his back, while the other continues throwing the punches, do the spect... |
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| Two on bail in safari ranch owner trial |
Two of the six people on trial for the murder of Joburg businessman Franz Richter were granted bail yesterday.
The Johannesburg High Court released Vincent Dlamini and Ronnie Khumalo, who have been in prison for more than two years after being charged with the murder of Richter, the owner of Hei... |
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| Delegation sent by Zuma fails to win over embattled township |
A high-powered delegation dispatched by President Jacob Zuma to embattled Siyathemba in Mpumalanga faced a disbelieving crowd who vowed to continue their protests.
Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo Shiceka spent yesterday morning in meetings with Dipaleseng counc... |
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| Dog unit rounds up crooks |
PRETORIA - The Pretoria Dog Unit assisted three city police stations to arrest 12 suspects in three different incidences in one day, police said yesterday.
Police Captain Colette Weilbach said the unit reeled in their first catch when they spotted a suspicious red Ford Ranger while on patrol arou... |
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| Mines seek gag order over claims |
JOHANNESBURG - Counsel for six of the largest platinum mines in the country yesterday urged a High Court judge in Pretoria not to allow Nelspruit human rights lawyer Richard Spoor to wage a “trial by ambush”.
Counsel for the mines, Andrew Rowan, urged Judge Joseph Raulinga to force Spoor to provi... |
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| JZ snub grabs attention |
JOHANNESBURG - An anti-crime campaign where ordinary people wrote to President Jacob Zuma to express their concerns about the country’s crime situation has grabbed the attention of the international media.
Trade union Solidarity’s deputy secretary-general Dirk Hermann said foreign journalists had... |
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| 'Crime should never take a back seat' |
The silence on crime in yesterday's Budget speech filled Bronwyn Paterson with despair.
"I feel terribly sad," she said. "It's so important. It's the backbone of our society and should never be let out of our sight for a moment."
Few have experienced the horror of crime in South Africa like ... |
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| Zille sees jogger's arrest as serious abuse of power |
DA LEADER and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille visited the Mowbray police station yesterday to investigate the circumstances of the arrest of a University of Cape Town student.
Chumani Maxwele, 25, who was charged with crimen injuria for gesturing at President Jacob Zuma's convoy while jogging a... |
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| Sun City murder triggers fear, anxiety |
THE BRUTAL death of a manager at Sun City has left neighbours shocked and wondering how Colleen van Eyk's assailants managed to flee unnoticed amid tight security.
Van Eyk's neighbours at the South Village staff flats said her death had caused a lot of anxiety among the residents, who had always... |
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| Robber fled when woman threw lamp at him |
WHEN an armed man entered her bedroom, Hester Kok, then aged 68, shouted and threw her bedside lamp at the intruder.
The man quickly retreated.
However, seconds later her son-in-law was shot nine times as he fought off the attackers in the family's Pretorius Park home.
The robbers fired ... |
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| Widow grieves after hijack tragedy |
"I JUST want to tell him that I love him. I want him to know that he will be mine forever."
These were the heart-wrenching words of a Pretoria psychology student whose husband of two years was gunned down in an apparent botched hijacking.
Farzaana Naidoo, 24, was widowed on Tuesday night whe... |
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| Minister and police get tough on fraud |
As the government prepares to review and "fraud proof" tender processes, it is already investigating major corruption cases totalling more than R2 billion, with a number of arrests in the past 10 days.
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan yesterday said anti-fraud agencies, including the Treasury and... |
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| Mandoza crash car 'had faulty brakes' |
Vehicle's owner says it's up to star to tell police who he was with
The owner of the Mini Cooper S which kwaito star Mandoza apparently wrote off in an accident will not lay charges against "my friend", and says the brakes were faulty.
Bobo Mncube's car was reduced to half its original... |
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| Burning issue is fitted with a silencer |
Pravin Gordhan's maiden Budget speech has alarmed analysts with his failure to make any mention of the country's crime problem or policing issues.
Researcher and analyst Dr Johan Burger, of the Institute for Security Studies, said while he had not expected much in the way of changes - particular... |
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| Toyota SA ready for next week's huge recall |
Toyota South Africa is all set for next week's giant recall as the process of repairing over 52 000 cars starts on Tuesday.
The recall has been described as a responsible measure by the local company, while this week Toyota in the US has been ordered to hand over documents relating to a safety d... |
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| Accused refuses to give evidence in murder trial |
Vincent Dlamini, one of the five men charged with the murder and robbery of Heia Safari Ranch owner Franz Richter, refused to take the stand in his own defence in the Johannesburg High Court yesterday.
He did not give any explanation for his refusal.
Dlamini, Dumisani Xulu and Johnson Chirwa... |
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| Parking at 'secure' facility can be a risky business |
A couple learnt the hard way that paying for parking at OR Tambo International Airport does not guarantee the safety of your car or its contents.
When Hannelie and Coenie Buys from Boksburg tried to claim for compensation from the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) after their car was broken i... |
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| It's tickets for OR Tambo's vehicle thieves |
THE LICENCE plate recognition system at OR Tambo International Airport has ensured that not a single vehicle has been stolen from the parking lots in five years.
"Some guy tried to steal a car here by trying to bypass the gripper system, but he was caught," said airport security head Jason Tshab... |
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| Cops jump student for 'giving Zuma the middle finger' |
A University of Cape Town student has been arrested, had his house searched and been questioned about his political affiliations after allegedly gesturing at President Jacob Zuma's convoy of vehicles.
Police officers have claimed he pointed his middle finger at the vehicles and also tried to res... |
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| He always said he was innocent |
| A GRAPHIC artist from Douglasdale, north of Joburg, was arrested for his wife's gruesome murder following the interpretation of the opinion of a police "expert" based on the pattern of the blood splatters at the crime scene. Two-and-a-half years later, a different interpretation led to his freedom. ... |
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| Green light for former spy boss to take the stand in Selebi trial |
Ministry loses Constitutional Court bid to muzzle Gilder
Three months, three courts and three judgments. The long legal battle over whether a retired spy boss can testify in Jackie Selebi's corruption trial is finally over, and the case against the former police chief is set to resume on M... |
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| Alex counterfeit operation goes belly-up |
Kempton Park raid nets fake goods worth R42m
TWO POLICE operations yesterday netted R1.1 mil- lion in counterfeit money and uncovered goods worth R42m in a Kempton Park warehouse. The operations were not related.
In the first operation, the Alexandra Robbery Task Team arrested three me... |
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| Blank lottery paper found on sidewalk |
Lottery operator Gidani is investigating how rolls of unused lottery paper ended up on the pavement of a Leondale, Ekurhuleni, premises.
Dr Peter Velter said he found long rolls of unused lottery paper on the street, in the garden and outside his office premises on Monday morning.
Thembi Thu... |
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| Teacher released over attack on 6-year-old |
POLICE have arrested the teacher who allegedly punched a six-year-old Grade R pupil at a Joburg primary school, but later released her, saying a senior public prosecutor would decide today whether she should be charged.
The brief arrest came a day after the Gauteng Department of Education releas... |
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| Teachers can halt suicides |
JOHANNESBURG - Suicide accounts for 9,5% of teenage deaths in South Africa.
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) have said that only 25% of teens will seek help from an adult, while most prefer to confide in friends.
“If we are going to help decrease SA’s rate of teen suicide... |
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| ‘ANC profit from hike’ slammed |
JOHANNESBURG - The ruling party has been accused of being unethical and of perpetuating corrupt practices by standing to benefit substantially from Eskom’s proposed 35% tariff increase over the next three years.
In a parliamentary debate on President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address yeste... |
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| Casino thieves thought they had committed perfect crime |
Cashiers and two suspects due in court after relentless investigation
AT 3.15 on a regular Friday afternoon, two men walked out of the Emperors Palace casino with a leather bag containing R800 000 in cash.
They drove a flashy red BMW and were dressed in designer gear - a white suit and... |
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| Business Express train stoned |
Passengers using the Pretoria to Joburg Business Express train scurried for cover yesterday as stones hurled by disgruntled commuters pelted their coaches.
The Business Express, which was unveiled in 2008 to lure young professionals and businesspeople from the road and alleviate traffic congesti... |
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| Cops a danger to themselves, each other |
POLICE officers in Pretoria are dying at a greater rate by their own hand and those of their colleagues' than in the line of duty.
In a space of 24 hours, three police officers are dead and another is recovering in an intensive care unit following an attempted suicide. She will be charged with m... |
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| School sports-day horror |
Chaos at athletics event after gangsters mow down teen
HUNDREDS of schoolchildren at an inter-schools athletics competition watched in terror yesterday as a gang of four gunned down a teenager as he played with his infant daughter.
Abdul Abrahams, 19, was shot dead yesterday as he sat ... |
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| MPs will grill minister regarding Mpshe |
JUSTICE Minister Jeff Radebe, under pressure to withdraw the appointment of deputy prosecutions chief Mokotedi Mpshe as an acting judge, will also face questions in Parliament.
The DA has tabled questions asking Radebe whether reports that he approached a number of senior judges with a view to f... |
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| Mystery over Mandoza's car crash |
KWAITO star Mandoza's car crash in Roodepoort on Sunday has generated more questions than answers.
Mandoza was driving in the fast lane on the busy JG Strijdom Road in Weltevreden Park when he lost control of a Mini Cooper S. He mounted the kerb before smashing into a palm tree alongside the roa... |
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| Department says pupil, not teacher, punched boy |
THE Gauteng Department of Education says the six-year-old who was allegedly punched by his Grade R teacher at a Joburg primary school was injured fighting with a classmate.
The department said an investigation into the incident had concluded that no teacher was involved in the punch-up.
The ... |
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| CBD Home Affairs shuts its doors |
HIGH levels of corruption detected at the Market Street Home Affairs office in the Joburg CBD have forced the department permanently to close its doors to clients.
Home Affairs spokeswoman Siobhan McCarthy said the office's closure on Friday had been pushed forward after a departmental probe fou... |
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| Vavi calls for corruption audit |
'New culture threatens to kill SA's moral fibre'
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has called for a wealth audit of the country's political leaders, a move likely to rattle the alliance cage.
He said he was disappointed that President Jacob Zuma did not introduce measures to dea... |
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| Britain jails South African paedophile for spate of crimes |
South African paedophile Stephen Wooding has been convicted by a court in Britain and will spend a minimum of six-and-a-half years behind bars for his crimes.
After he has served his sentence, Wooding, 36, is due to return to his home country, British authorities have said.
He did not challe... |
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| Municipality loses plea over sewage in Vaal River |
The Johannesburg High Court yesterday dismissed an application by the Emfuleni municipality for leave to appeal against an earlier court ruling that ordered it to stop dumping raw sewage into the Vaal River.
Save the Vaal Environment (Save) chairman Lotter Wepener said the application was dismis... |
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| Truant schoolboy stabbed on busy road, body dumped |
A schoolboy who threw a stone on to the windscreen of a truck was chased down by one of the truck's passengers and stabbed to death in the road.
Keenan Drial, 14, of Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, was stabbed in the heart on Thursday and bundled into the truck, which then drove off. ... |
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| Trauma aid to Haiti delayed |
A team of psychosocial experts seeking to relieve trauma in Haiti remain grounded in South Africa due to a lack of funding.
"The slow release of funds by the government is delaying the team's departure and has increased the need for private sector giving," said Global Relief SA CEO Murray Louw. ... |
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| Fire destroys resort company's head office |
Water damage adds to woes after early morning blaze
A FIRE has gutted the head office of Rani Resorts in Jukskei Park, Randburg, causing millions of rands' damage.
The group is the owner of a number of resorts and hotels, including the Stanley and Livingstone Hotel in Zimbabwe and Para... |
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| Schoolgirl being victimised again after rape, says dad |
A teenage girl who was allegedly raped in the toilets of a well-known school in Sandton is sitting at home, three weeks after the incident.
The foster father of the 17-year-old protested outside the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) last week because he believed the school had not handled th... |
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| Mandoza car-crash trouble |
Owner claims music star didn't have his permission
KWAITO star Mandoza has been released from hospital after crashing a car - which he allegedly didn't have permission to drive - following a reported tiff with his wife.
Mandoza, whose real name is Mduduzi Tshabalala, was discharged fro... |
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| Teacher 'punched six-year-old in face' |
WHEN Thabani* returned home from school with a swollen and bleeding right cheek, his uncle, Shoba, thought he had hurt himself while playing with friends.
He was dismayed when the six-year-old told him that his Grade R teacher, from a Joburg primary school, had punched him.
The preschooler w... |
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| Red Ants evict 1 000 from derelict block |
Piles of wrecked boxes, crumpled beds with dirty foam mattresses and ripped plastic bags tossed onto the street.
This is all that remained of possessions thrown out of a derelict building in Doornfontein, where more than 1 000 people, mostly Zimbabweans, were evicted yesterday.
The Red Ants ... |
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| Murdered teacher’s sister speaks |
JOHANNESBURG - The sister of a 61-year-old Johannesburg schoolteacher, John Scrooby, whose body was found in a manhole at his house in Orchards, Norwood, on Wednesday night, described him yesterday as a wonderful man who did not deserve to die the way he did.
“He was a good man; not only to his f... |
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| Child welfare cases double |
JOHANNESBURG - A massive spike in work is swamping the Joburg Child Welfare.
Statistics from January 2009 show that cases of children orphaned by HIV/Aids have doubled from 21 in January 2009 to 48 in January this year with increases also seen in abandoned children, suspected physical and emotion... |
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| Cops arrest colleagues in response to strike over drugs |
POLICE were called in yesterday to arrest 83 of their colleagues from the Pretoria Forensic Science Laboratory who had embarked on an illegal protest outside their divisional headquarters.
The forensic analysts, both ranked and civilian, were protesting against alleged inaction by SAPS Criminal ... |
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| Barbie trial finally reaching conclusion |
THE end is in sight for the marathon trial of Cezanne Visser, with the State and the defence expected to deliver their final arguments regarding sentencing to the Pretoria High Court today.
Acting Judge Chris Eksteen yesterday indicated that he might not be ready to sentence Visser today.
It... |
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| Gauteng rejects medical waste from Welkom |
Biohazardous material including body parts now being sent to KZN
THOUSANDS of tons of rotting medical waste - including amputated body parts, bloodstained bandages and used syringes - could end up being dumped in a Durban landfill site after Gauteng environmental officials refused to handl... |
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| Woman shot and killed, allegedly by former boyfriend |
In June last year, Nomalanga Nkosi, 37, laid a charge of pointing a firearm against her former boyfriend. This week, he allegedly used that gun to kill her.
Nkosi was gunned down in the backyard of her Phiri, Soweto, home on Monday morning.
For years, her family said, she had applied for pro... |
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| Surgeon trapped in middle of shootout |
For more than a minute, a surgeon sat helplessly in his car as a fierce gunbattle raged in front of him.
People ducked under cars and dropped to the floor, but amid the turmoil, the Chris-Hani-Baragwanath Hospital's breast cancer unit head knew he had to make a split-second decision - whether to... |
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| Accused 'used her phones to call alleged killer' |
DID CELIWE Mbokazi hire hitmen to kill Franz Richter, her common-law husband and owner of Heia Safari Ranch?
Yesterday, the State had hoped that Mbokazi's co-accused and the father of her two-year-old daughter, Ronnie Khumalo, would positively shed light on Richter's murder on November 28, 2007.... |
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| Netshisaulu evidence anomalies |
MURDER accused Ntambudzeni Matsenene was grilled hard yesterday on apparent contradictions in his evidence in court and that contained in a statement given under oath.
Matsenene said in the Johannesburg High Court he didn't know the address of Avhatakali Netshisaulu, who was found burnt in the b... |
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| Teacher's murder devastates school |
Man known to him held after body found in manhole
THE BRUTAL murder of a Joburg teacher has left his pupils and colleagues in need of trauma counselling.
Sixty-one-year-old John Scrooby's friends and the people he has been helping have shed tears over the loss, while his devastated fia... |
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| Metro cops say speed trap forewarning is forearming |
GPS devices capable of detecting speed traps are not only legal, but are helping in the battle against speeding.
"The more assistance we can get, the better," says Joburg metro police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar.
He explains that the JMPD places speed traps in high accident ... |
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| ‘Conservative Visser controlled by Prinsloo’ |
JOHANNESBURG - Cezanne Visser was an introverted and extremely submissive person who was a “sitting duck” for a “sexual sadist” like Dirk Prinsloo, a psychologist told the North Gauteng High Court yesterday.
Visser was last year convicted on 11 counts relating to the sexual molestation of three y... |
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| ‘Sex crime’ priest’s plea thrown out |
JOHANNESBURG - A Roman Catholic priest’s attempt to gain access to the Teddy Bear Clinic and a social worker’s confidential notes used to assess his five alleged child victims was yesterday turned down by a High Court judge in Pretoria.
Judge Brian Southwood turned down the application by the pri... |
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| Siyathemba ‘calm for the moment’ |
JOHANNESBURG - The situation in Siyathemba reached an uneasy equilibrium yesterday, with police keeping a watchful eye as groups of residents went about their business among piles of smouldering tyres.
“Now, things are very cool,” said police Sergeant Sam Tshabalala in the afternoon.
Police ... |
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| Toyota recall will affect thousands in SA |
IF you drive a Toyota Corolla, Verso or Auris, stand by for a call from your car dealer.
Yesterday, Toyota SA announced that it would be recalling 52 546 cars in South Africa as part of a global special service campaign.
But owners of the affected models will know only later this week whethe... |
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| Two heroes tell of desperate effort and heartbreak |
"MIMMIE! Mimmie!"
Over and over Sissie repeated the one of two names she could utter. The other name is "Auntie" - but Auntie is dead.
Sissie is partially mute and Mimmie is one of the older girls who made it out alive from the Hope in Christ foster home.
She battles to speak, and can on... |
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| Mpshe's appointment upsets advocates |
The bar council and legal rights body have questioned the appointment of Mokotedi Mpshe as acting judge, cautioning that this will undermine the independence of the judiciary.
The General Council of the Bar of South Africa's chairman Advocate Patrick Mtshaulana, SC (CORR) said they had written t... |
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| 'Alarming' state of roads in two cities |
DA identifies potholes and poor surfaces in Joburg and Durban
ROADS in Joburg and Durban are in an "alarming state" as a result of years of neglect and poor planning, while giant potholes are left unattended - including one just 100m from President Jacob Zuma's private residence and anothe... |
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| Couple in court over shocking abuse of Baby Z |
Police say infant is doing well now
The parents of eight-month-old "Baby Z" made a brief court appearance yesterday and will return next month to hear when they will stand trial.
The couple - accused of assaulting their son - kept a low profile as they came in and out of court, and wer... |
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