Month: June 2024

Tinos Ndebele has been sentenced to 30 years of direct imprisonment after being convicted on charges of tampering with essential infrastructure as well as theft from essential infrastructure.

On 8 June 2023, an alarm was triggered at a Telkom cellphone tower in Roodewal. Telkom officials went to the scene and found fencing to the tower damaged and a container broken and the door forced open. Inside the container, 12 batteries amounting to R36 000 were stolen.

According to the Free State National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), a police forensic team was called to the scene and fingerprints were lifted from the crime scene.

‘The fingerprints lifted matched those of the accused. Through diligent police investigations, the accused was traced and arrested,’ said the NPA.

In his defence during the trial, the accused explained that he was a snake catcher and on the said date he was chasing a King Cobra and the snake went into the container. This explained why his fingerprints were found at the crime scene.

Regio
nal Court Prosecutor Petro van den Berg argued that the court should sentence the accused to the maximum sentence for this criminality, as tampering with essential infrastructure offences were on the increase and harming the economy, lives of the citizenry and affecting the running of the country

The Bloemfontein Regional Court found him guilty of tampering with essential infrastructure and theft from infrastructure.

He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on a charge of tampering with infrastructure and 15 years imprisonment on a charge of theft from infrastructure.

The court ordered that five years of count 2 (theft from infrastructure) to run concurrently with count 1 thus the accused was effectively sentenced to 30 years of direct imprisonment.

‘The National Prosecuting Authority will continue to prioritise the prosecution of crime and criminals that disproportionately undermine South Africans’ safety, the country’s socio-economic well-being, the functioning of the economy of the country, compromise
the well-being of the citizenry, and the rule of law,’ said the NPA. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in partnership with the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture, the Presidency and Limpopo Provincial Government are ready to host the commemoration of Youth Day on Sunday.

This year marks the 48th anniversary of the 16 June 1976 student uprising in Soweto, when young people protested against the Bantu Education Act, which enforced Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools and apartheid laws that oppressed black South Africans.

The 2024 Youth Day and Youth Month aim to promote the Sport for Youth Development (S4YD) agenda as a tool for social cohesion and solidarity in South Africa.

The 2024 commemoration of Youth Month, which will be held under the theme ‘Actively advancing socioeconomic gains of our democracy’, will have added significance as it coincides with the celebration of 30 years of freedom.

NYDA Executive Chairperson, Asanda Luwaca, said among other key areas, this year’s Youth Month focuses on sports for development of the youth and the nati
on.

Various developmental activities that will be held around the country in the lead up to Youth Day.

As this year’s Youth Month is anchored around the role of sport as a transformative tool to build an inclusive and socially cohesive society, Luwaca said the proposed intervention is for government across all spheres to identify various sporting codes that will feature in programmes and projects planned to commemorate the Youth Month.

Luwaca said the NYDA will be hosting the National Youth Day Careers and Opportunities Expo in Polokwane.

‘Over the last two years and post-COVID-19 pandemic there has been a reimagining of what the commemorative days ought to look like as previous Youth Day approaches were no longer relevant to young people.

‘The focus has instead been on having a large-scale career and opportunities expo for young people that offer as many live opportunities as possible. This is more relatable to young people, as this is what interests them – opportunities for study, volunteerism, service
, employment, and entrepreneurship,’ Luwaca said.

She said the expo will include ‘opportunity providers’ from the private sector, government departments, civil society, academia, and development partners.

‘It is important that young people are provided with platforms to access opportunities for their personal development, so that they can become active participants in the economy,’ Luwaca said.

The agency has confirmed over 110 opportunity providers to be joining the National Youth Day commemoration to be held at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane from 9am.

Other programmes taking place in Limpopo are anchored on the provision of access to opportunities as well as celebrating youth excellence.

Certification ceremony of young welders

Meanwhile, the NYDA, in collaboration with the Department of Correctional Services, and the Department of Labour and Employment will today host the certification ceremony of young welders who have completed their accredited welding courses.

This ceremony will take place at
Fhulufelo Secondary School, where young people will also be given their start up toolboxes for their personal enterprises and cooperatives.

The agency will also on 15 June support the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture at its annual Creative and Cultural Industries Youth Expo to be held at the University of Limpopo, Mankweng. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has welcomed the 10-year imprisonment sentence imposed on the driver who caused the collision that claimed the lives of her son, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren in 2022.

Speaking after the Ladysmith regional court imposed the sentence on Wednesday, Chikunga commended the court for the sentence and said justice has been done.

‘However, it is not going to bring back my children. It is six children, who had a bright future ahead of them,’ Chikunga said.

Handing down the sentence, Regional Court Magistrate, E L Louw, said she had considered the seriousness of the offence, the interest of the public and the accused’s personal circumstances in passing sentence.

Louw said the accused, Celumusa Ngwenya, was 35 years old, had three children and was an amputee.

Ngwenya had his right leg amputated following a road accident in 2018 and he bought a bakkie after obtaining R1.8 million in compensation from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) in 2022.

The magistrate imposed 10 yea
rs direct imprisonment and cancelled Ngwenya’s driving licence.

Four months before the tragic crash involving the Minister’s family, Ngwenya applied for a driving licence to drive heavy motor vehicles. The application was made at the Randburg driving licence testing centre, where he was issued a licence to drive a light motor vehicle.

Circumstance surrounding the issuing of the licence are deemed suspicious and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) will conduct a thorough investigation.

The magistrate found that Ngwenya was grossly negligent, noting he was driving at excessive speed and had ignored a barrier line before the collision occurred.

‘Evidence showed that he was driving at 153 kilometres per hour and operated the vehicle with his left leg because he had a prosthetic right leg. There was no reason, there was no emergency, and the accused said his children were at home,’ the magistrate said.

RTMC CEO Advocate, Makhosini Msibi, gave evidence in aggravation of sentence and pointed out that
road crashes were costing the economy R198 billion a year.

Msibi said the road on which the crash happened was notorious for deadly collisions and was classified as one of the national hazardous routes.

He said Ngwenya had not made any attempts to stop or reduce speed before the collision happened, and the mechanical investigation of the vehicle showed that the throttle was open, indicating that the vehicle was still in motion even after impact.

The CEO said the RTMC is investigating the circumstance in which Ngwenya was issued a licence, and that the officials who processed his application will be held accountable. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

Panyaza Lesufi has been re-elected as the Gauteng Premier for the seventh administration.

Lesufi was elected unopposed during a Special House Sitting on Friday at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature at the Selborne Hall in Marshalltown, Johannesburg.

The Gauteng Provincial Legislature held its first sitting since the General Elections last month.

Former Arts and Culture MEC in Gauteng, Marakane Mosupyoe, was elected Speaker of the Legislature unopposed.

Judge President of the Gauteng High Court Dunstan Mlambo presided over the swearing-in of new members of the Legislature.

‘The people of the province have spoken and we have heard them. We’ve been asked to work together… We’ve been asked to combine our ideas for a better Gauteng, to combine our ideas, we will do, together (sic),’ Lesufi vowed.

He told the Legislature that he accepted the Premiership with ‘deep humility’ before declaring that ‘no one will be left behind’ in this new administration.

‘Our task from today is to build a better Gauteng. Our
task from now on is to make Gauteng attractive for all families, all forms of investment, for workers, youth and students and attractive for sporting and cultural events.’

He also highlighted the importance of the safety of women and children in the province.

‘Our mandate is simple: crime and lawlessness, your time is up. Our mandate is simple: municipalities play your part, we will play our part.

‘Our mandate is simple: Johannesburg CBD, Alexandra township, Sethokga hostel, Makause informal settlement, we are ready to make you beautiful again.’

The Premier expressed his appreciation to all the political parties in the House and urged them to make the government of unity a reality.

‘My sincerest appreciation to the officials and staff of the Gauteng provincial government and former leaders and members of this legislature.

‘I am nothing without the ANC and our alliance partners. The movement of the people, by the people. Thank you so much for assigning me to be an instrument of change, an instrument of l
iberation.’

“Failure is not an option but success is compulsory. Less talk, more work. Let us grow Gauteng together,’ Lesufi said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government is working towards a permanent solution for the people affected by the recent storms.

‘We are working closely with the eThekwini Municipality and the Provincial Department of Human Settlements to find quick solutions for sheltering those affected. SASSA [South African Social Security Agency] continues to capture applications for Social Relief of Distress food vouchers in response to the devastating storm in uThongathi,’ KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said on Thursday.

Mop-up operations continue in eMagwaveni settlement, as residents rebuild their homes in uThongathi. The area was hit by a devastating tornado, resulting in the loss of lives, livelihoods, and properties.

Meanwhile, eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, said the temporary repairs of the Southern Aqueduct, in the south of Durban, will be completed in September this year.

Kaunda, accompanied by Deputy Mayor, Zandile Myeni and Human Settlements and Infrastructure Deputy Chairperson, Bh
eki Mngwengwe visited the aqueduct on Thursday to assess the progress on the replacement of the aqueduct.

In April this year, Kaunda introduced a contractor to commence with the replacement of the 30km bulk pipe, which supplies water to areas such as uMlazi, KwaMakhutha, Folweni, Chatsworth and Shallcross.

‘While the R1.2 billion project is underway, the contractor is also doing temporary repairs on the existing pipeline to ensure that there is reliable water supply in the southern areas.

‘The temporary repairs will be completed in September this year. The completion of the project will take 24 months,’ Kaunda said.

Once completely repaired, the pipeline will improve water supply to the south of Durban areas. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Chief Of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, has charged junior military officers to be decisive in handling any tasks or missions given to them .

Abubakar gave the charge at the regimental dinner night of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Junior Course 97 on Thursday in Jaji Kaduna State.

He said, ‘As junior commanders, you have to take vital decisions in the field.

Junior leaders must understand that indecision is not an option.

‘The dinner night is one of the major events lined up for the graduation of Junior Course 97 on June 15 .

‘As you are aware, the objective of the college is to develop the professional knowledge and understanding of selected officers of the Armed Forces to prepare them for increasing responsibilities in staff and command appointments.’

Abubakar said that the junior course cCurriculum has been restructured to lay a solid foundation for junior commanders.

‘The College has done commendably well by continually reviewing the Curriculum to keep in t
une with current developments in the world and to effectively align training objectives with emerging defence and security challenges locally and within the African Sub-Region, ‘he said.

The CAS said in the past 23 weeks, the officers have learnt vital concepts like counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, the estimate process, the manoeuverist’s approach to warfare and peace support operations, amongst others.

‘It is also gratifying that you learnt the rudiments of time management, perseverance, determination, team spirit, staff work, self confidence and most importantly, discipline while on this course,’ he charged.

Abubakar said the members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and some of their neighbours were already aware of the security challenges confronting the nation and the challenges they would face in the field.

He said these security challenges were complicated by non-state actors acquiring commercial off- the- shelf technologies such as drones and satellite communications, thereby prof
oundly impacting the operating environment they would face as junior commanders and leaders.

According to him, as junior leaders, they are the bridge between senior leadership, the men and women who execute the missions on the land, sea, in the air, and the cyber space operational environments.

‘Your leadership, dedication, and ability to inspire and guide your teams are essential to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and excellence.

‘As junior leaders, you must be able to inspire confidence in subordinates and not lead through intimidation or be overtly coercive.

‘As military leaders, you need to be firm and, in certain circumstances, authoritarian.

Cross section of students of junior course 97 of AFCSC .

‘ As junior military leaders, you would make critical decisions in combat environments and other high-pressure situations with consequential risks to your life and your subordinates.

‘You must understand that your Influence and actions extend beyond immediate tactical missions.

‘Yo
ur impact significantly contributes to the overall plan and objectives at the operational and strategic levels, ‘he said.

Abubakar charged them to lead with integrity, saying, ‘we often pay lip service to the word Integrity.

‘But it is indeed all-encompassing, Integrity to yourself, the Service and your subordinates.’

The Air Chief emphasized that it was vital to maintain open lines of communication with their superiors and subordinates.

He said clear and effective communication was crucial for operational coordination and fostering a cohesive team environment.

Abubakar congratulated the international officers from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo Republic, DR Congo, Eswatini, The Gambia, Mali, Togo and Zimbabwe.

‘ You have made your countries and families proud for completing the Course. I hope you will continue to nurture the relationships you have established while on this Course.

‘Such relationships will go a long way in fostering our bilateral and long-standing military cooperation, ‘Abubakar said.

He also congratulated the students of course 97 from Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that prizes here given to the students who distinguished themselves .

Source: News Agency of Nigeria