Day: January 29, 2024

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa has congratulated South African boxer Jackson Chauke for winning the vacant International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight title.

Chauke defeated British boxer Quaise Khademi to become the latest world titleholder.

‘I congratulate Chauke for his excellent and inspirational achievement. He has raised the country’s flag sky high. Chauke is an inspiration not only to South African boxers but to all athletes for his dedication and commitment to the sport. These qualities have driven Chauke to the IBO flyweight title at 38 years of age,’ Kodwa said.

The Minister said he was an experienced fighter who won a silver medal in the men’s flyweight boxing event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Chauke has had a stellar career which has culminated in his IBO flyweight title victory.

‘I once again express my desire to see South African boxing being revived and to return to the heights it has scaled before. May Chauke’s success and recent presence
of South African boxers competing on the sport’s global stages further invigorate South African boxing,’ he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

RUNDU: An official in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, 40-year-old Johannes Haufiku, made his first appearance in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Haufiku was arrested on Thursday after he was reportedly found transporting 39 private animal feed bags without an official permit.

He appeared before Magistrate Sonia Samupofu, who granted him bail of N.dollars 3000.

His case was postponed to 25 April 2024 to allow for a decision by the Prosecutor General’s office.

Haufiku chose to conduct his own defense.

It is alleged that Haufiku was transporting the 39 bags from a dwelling in Sauyemwa informal settlement to his house in Tuhingireni informal settlement and intended to drop the bags off at his farm at Karukuhwisa village at a later stage before he was intercepted by an undercover police officer.

The 39 bags of animal feed were also seized.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

REHOBOTH: Ronald Windswaai, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Rehoboth Town Council (RTC), has said that the council has reached the end of term for its strategic plan for 2019-2024.

He stated that even though the council was unable to meet all of the targets outlined in the strategic plan, it intends to deliver on the remaining objectives. The council will meet to assess the strategic plan at the end of January 2024.

Windswaai succeeded Simeon Kanime, who resigned from office in February 2023.

In an interview with Nampa, Windswaai stated that the majority of the issues the council faced over the term of the strategic plan were related to basic service delivery under Section 31 of the Local Authorities Act.

He stated that these services are constantly in demand due to the town’s expansion.

‘The previous census in 2011 showed that the population of Rehoboth was more than 40 000, and I believe we have surpassed that amount,’ he said.

He stated that when the new council took office in 2020, the e
xisting strategic plan was in place with the aim of achieving some of the objectives. However, as with any new council, there were challenges.

Windswaai said the council was able to tackle the majority of its development projects with ‘enthusiasm and determination’ to meet the town’s development goals by 2023.

He said the first project was the long-awaited bitumen upgrading of Luketz Swartbooi Road, for which a local company, Sebke Civil Contractor, was contracted by the RTC Technical Department and supervised and managed by Helios Engineering Consultants.

He further stated that the second project execution step is to appoint and hand over the land to HosDax Investment CC, a local entrepreneur, for the fencing of the soon-to-be built Sports Complex in Block E.

Windswaai also stated that RTC was able to enlarge the town’s current cemeteries because they had reached capacity, as well as upgrade and create a new cemetery site, which will be supplied as soon as the contractors are nearly finished.

He went on
to say that the council’s most notable success, among others, was the construction of the first fire station, which cost N.dollars 4.1 million and was inaugurated in November 2023.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, together with the management of the police service, has noted the report released on The National Investigative Hearing into the July Unrest by the South African Human Rights Commisson (SAHRC) and Cultural, Religious and Linguistic (CRL) Commission.

The report is a detailed look into the July 2021 unrest that unfolded in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), during which some 350 people lost their lives. The full report can be found on https://www.sahrc.org.za/home/21/files/JULY%20UNREST%20REPORT%20FINAL_29%20JAN%202024.pdf.

The report contains various recommendations and findings on the events that took place in July 2021, including the policing of the unrest, the gathering of intelligence and the response of the SAPS.

SAPS said in a statement on Monday that while it will study the report in detail, “it is important to highlight notable progress made where key milestones were achieved to ensure the SAPS is better pr
epared to respond to such incidents”.

READ | SAHRC releases July 2021 unrest report

Crime intelligence

SAPS said the filling of critical and key vacancies within the crime intelligence environment has been addressed, such as the appointment of a permanent Divisional Commissioner and a Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection.

All structures within the Crime Intelligence environment are being reviewed to enhance service delivery in all provinces.

“It is also important to note that the Crime Intelligence environment has greatly improved its mandate of detecting and collecting of information on crime, which informs and assists in the coordination and planning of joint multidisciplinary operations with other key role players in the fight against crime,” the statement read.

Human and physical resources

Through Project 10 000, the SAPS trained and deployed 20 000 police officers in the last two years to capacitate frontline policing services, as well as specialised units with a key focus on the Publi
c Order Police (POP) unit.

Seventy-nine police officers have been trained and deployed as drone pilots to assist in crime prevention and policing operations.

Public Order Police

In the past year, 5 000 police officers have been trained in crowd management and deployed to serve in the POP unit.

R150 million was also allocated to procure resources to bolster crowd management equipment for the unit.

Training has also been enhanced for members and now includes crowd psychology to improve the management and policing of crowds and gatherings.

The SAPS has also benchmarked and compared with other police organisations, in terms of use of the minimum force to disperse large crowds and found that its current equipment and techniques, such as the use of water canons, rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse violent crowd situations, is in line with international standards.

However, the SAPS is continuously researching and updating training material in respect of techniques and equipment in use during crowd managem
ent to minimise the risk of human rights violation and prevent the excessive use of force.

Rebuilding trust between SAPS and communities

The Ministry of Police is continuously taking part in community participation programmes through community engagements during izimbizo, walkabouts and policing operations such as roadblocks.

Various community policing concepts are being implemented by the SAPS.

“Through the Community Police Forum (CPF) and sector crime forums, SAPS is able to forge and promote a shared responsibility on crime prevention and community safety.

“All 1 163 police stations currently have fully functional CPF forums. R70million was allocated in this financial year to resource and capacitate these CPF structures,” SAPS said.

Case management

SAPS arrested 5 341 suspects, with 505 of those arrested being found guilty of various charges ranging from murder, attempted murder, arson, possession of stolen property, and malicious damage to property.

A total of 394 cases are still in court

Incitem
ent to commit violence cases

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) is currently investigating eight cases of incitement to commit violence.

The DPCI has arrested 68 suspects, 65 of them were charged for contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act 33 of 2004 (POCDATARA).

One accused has already been sentenced to 12 years direct imprisonment for incitement to commit public violence and conspiracy to commit public violence.

“The SAPS respects the work done by the two Commissions, especially as they are Chapter 9 institutions and will respond accordingly in terms of the timeframes reflected in the report,” said SAPS.

Source: South African Government News Agency

OSHAKATI: The death toll in the road crash which occurred between Ondangwa and Uukwiyuushona on Friday has risen to eight after one of the victims who was hospitalised, died on Monday.

This was confirmed by the Head of the Oshana Community Policing Sub-division, Inspector Thomas Aiyambo on Monday, who said the accident occurred at Okashandja village.

According to Aiyambo, it is alleged that the driver of a white Toyota pick-up with Ondangwa registration lost control of the vehicle before colliding head-on with a white Toyota Rush with Oshakati registration coming from the opposite direction.

‘Four people died on the spot, while seven others were initially rushed to the hospital, where four succumbed to their injuries,’ he said.

He added that the driver of the Toyota pickup, 66-year-old David Tomas, a resident of the Ekwatambwa village, died on the spot. The driver of the Toyota Rush, 46-year-old Aina Angaleni Iita, a resident of Oshakati, was seriously injured and admitted to the Onandjokwe hospital.

She
was later transferred to Ongwediva Medipark, where she passed away on Monday.

Among the seven passengers in the Toyota pickup, Jacob Petrus (73) and Teodor Akwaake (67) died on the spot, while Lea Lukas (63), Immanuel Johannes (35), and Festus Kondjeni (36) succumbed to their injuries later in the hospital.

Two other passengers, Sakaria Nafuka (39) and Tomas Sakaria (20), are admitted to the hospital with serious injuries.

Of the two passengers in the Toyota Rush, Nehale Toivo Nadhipite Amupolo (21) died on the spot, while Daniel Kateta (41) sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the hospital.

Police investigations into the matter continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has appealed to members of the public to report acts of vandalism following a surge in vandalism and theft targeting traffic signals within the province.

‘The department is faced with an enormous battle of maintaining and protecting the province’s road traffic signals from the rampant theft and vandalism. This battle has jumped to over R30 million in the past year (2023) alone, with over 400 of signalised traffic intersections having been vandalised,’ the department said on Monday.

In certain areas, the department said it had taken the interim measure of converting signalised intersections into four-way stops to enhance safety, while actively seeking alternative and sustainable methods for maintaining traffic signals.

‘The criminal activities surrounding these incidents are inflicting economic losses on the province, with replacement and repair costs reaching millions. Rebuilding an intersection, on average, can range between R900 000 and R1 500 000.

‘Notably
, high-profile intersections such as Hendrik Potgieter and Christiaan De Wet are repeatedly vandalised shortly after repairs, incurring costs exceeding R500 000 per repair.

‘These acts of vandalism and theft do not only disrupt the functioning of essential traffic signal services but also pose a threat to public safety,’ the department said.

These incidents contribute to increased downtime for traffic signals, resulting in an unfavourable user experience, road crashes, and substantial costs for the department in rebuilding and replacing stolen equipment.

As part of its strategy to combat theft and vandalism, the department is actively engaging in partnerships to create awareness of the hazards associated with these persistent unlawful activities.

The department acknowledges the impact of these incidents and urges the public to exercise caution and understanding, as collaborative efforts with law enforcement agencies are underway to address these issues.

Road users should adhere to treating non-functional
traffic signals as four-way stops.

Source: South African Government News Agency