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Ten suspects arrested for possession of unlicensed firearms, ammunition and drugs

WESTERN CAPE – Multiple successful SAPS operations within various hot spot areas to combat crime proved to be successful with numerous arrests.

On Friday, 05 August 2022 at about 21:25, Steenberg SAPS Crime Prevention Unit executed a search warrant on a premises in Flute Street, Steenberg. Members searched the premises and found 100 packets of tik and one 9mm round ammunition. A 26-year-old suspect was arrested on a charge of possession of drugs and illegal possession of ammunition. The suspect will appear in the Wynberg Magistrates court on Monday, 08 August 2022 on the mentioned charges.

In an unrelated matter, deployment within the Manenberg policing precinct has proven successful, as two females aged 26 and 57 were arrested for the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, as well as a 34-year-old male for possession of drugs and a 52-year-old male for the possession of two unlicensed firearms and ammunition in three different crime prevention operation.

Manenberg SAPS had an integrated deployment in the hot spot areas to combat gang violence through disruptive operations, stop and searches and following up information received from the community.

On Saturday, 06 August 2022 in the early hours of the morning, at 02:15, members of the Western Cape Emergency response unit intensified patrols in the vicinity of Corrie Court after random gang shootings. They saw a suspicious male standing at Corrie Court and as they approached him they saw him throwing something down. On closer investigation they found two 9mm pistols laying on the ground with serial numbers filed off. On searching the suspect they also found two 9mm rounds in his possession. The 52-year-old male was arrested.

In a separate and unrelated incident, two females aged 26 and 57, were arrested for the possession of a .38 Special revolver and six rounds of ammunition. This arrest was made after the Manenberg SAPS Crime Prevention Unit followed up information received of an illegal firearm at an address in Sutter Peak Road, Heideveld. The firearm was found hidden in the bedroom and both mother and daughter was arrested. It is alleged that the illegal firearm belongs to the boyfriend who is a member of a gang.

At 16:00 Manenberg SAPS Crime Prevention Unit followed up information leading them to an address in Longkloof Circle, Heideveld and arrested a 34-year-old male for 30 mandrax tables and seven half mandrax tablets valued at over R1000-00.

All the suspects are due to appear in the Athlone Magistrate court on their respective charges.

On Friday, 05 August 2022 at about 23:45 a member attached to the N7 Rural Flying Squad was on duty and busy with patrols on the Dwarskersbos Road in the direction of Elands Bay, when they saw a suspicious red Ford Bantam on its way to Dwarskersbos. The member pulled the vehicle over and searched it. A Norinco pistol and six rounds were found under the driver seat. The 43-year-old suspect could not provide a valid licence for the firearm and was arrested for failure by person carrying firearm to produce the licence or permit or authorisation, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Source: South African Police Service

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Gauteng police arrest 660 suspects during this Saturday’s operation O Kae Molao

PARKTOWN – The Gauteng Provincial Commissioner of Police, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela was joined by the Premier of Gauteng David Makhura and the Gauteng Community Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko, on Saturday night, 6 August 2022 during Operation O Kae Molao in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg District.

The Eldorado Park community has recently handed over a memorandum of their demands to the Provincial Commissioner where the high levels of crime in the precinct which include proliferation of unlicensed firearms and drugs were raised as some of their concerns. This and the past Saturday’s operations aimed to assist the police station to reduce crime levels and bring stability in the area by bringing in multi-disciplinary forces such as the specialised units in the SAPS that include Crime Intelligence, Provincial Investigation Unit, National Intervention Unit, Tactical Response Team as well as Johannesburg Metro Police, Gauteng Traffic, Community Policing Forum, BACSA’s Eyes and Ears Project partners, Tracker and Fidelity to augment the capacity of the station.

The operation has resulted in the arrest of 99 suspects. Sixty-seven of which were undocumented persons, six for drug related offences while 13 were apprehended for driving drunk among others. Hundreds of litres of alcohol was seized and six liquor outlets were closed for operating without a license. The police also seized a replica firearm.

While the operation was underway in Eldorado Park, the other four districts were also conducting simultaneous operations in their respective precincts. Tshwane was concentrating in Brooklyn and Villieria, Sedibeng operations were conducted in Evaton, West Rand on the other hand was operating in Westonaria and Bekkersdal while Ekurhuleni was working in Ivory Park and Benoni. The four districts together managed to arrest 561 suspects for crimes that include possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, possession of suspected stolen goods, possession of drugs, assaulting a police officer and driving drunk.

Some of the suspects were released after paying admission of guilt fines on the spot while others will appear before different courts in Gauteng on Monday, 8 August 2022.

Source: South African Police Service

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Members of Limpopo Highway patrol continue to make impact following the arrest of three suspects

POLOKWANE: Members of the Limpopo Highway Patrol Unit continue to intensify their crime fighting determination after they arrested three suspects in Motetema and Dennilton policing areas respectively. The suspects, aged between 25 and 28 were arrested on Friday 05 August 2022 for cases of burglary and fraud.

The members were on patrol duties in Motetema at about 11:45, when they operationalised information received from the Detectives about a wanted suspect of burglary in the area. The suspect was traced and was located at a certain car wash towards CS Barlow College. He was arrested on the spot.

Thirty minutes later at around 12:00, the members of Limpopo Highway Patrol (LHP) who were patrolling around Groblersdal, received information about a suspicious Toyota Corolla driving around the area. Members traced the said vehicle and it was spotted at Moteti village in Dennilton. The two suspects were approached and searched. Following preliminary investigations, the suspects were linked to two cases of fraud that occurred during August 2022 in Dennilton policing area.

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has commended the members for their dedication in ridding this Province of criminality.

The said vehicle will be subjected to further investigations to determine its ownership and if it is connected to any criminal activities. The suspects, aged between 25 and 28 will soon appear before the magistrate courts in Motetema and Dennilton respectively.

The Police investigations are still continuing.

Source: South African Police Service

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US Top Diplomat Blinken in South Africa on Africa Tour

JOHANNESBURG — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his three-nation tour of Africa Sunday by visiting a museum in South Africa commemorating how the country’s Black youths helped to end white racist rule.

Blinken’s visit to Africa is seen as part of a competition between Russia and Western powers for support from African countries over the war in Ukraine. His trip to Africa follows recent tours by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and French President Emmanuel Macron.

South Africa is one of many African countries that have maintained a neutral stance on the war and have not publicly criticized Russia.

After an early morning arrival, Blinken visited the Hector Pieterson memorial in Soweto township, on the outskirts of Johannesburg, which honors a student killed in 1976 when protesting South Africa’s regime of racial oppression, apartheid, which ended in 1994.

Blinken laid a wreath at the memorial accompanied by Pieterson’s sister, Antoinette Sithole. He also toured the museum, which contains artifacts, photographs and videos of South Africa’s struggle against apartheid.

“Hector’s story is one that really resonates because we have our own struggle for freedom and equality in the United States and South Africa’s story is unique but there are also so many common elements, and that resonates powerfully,” said Blinken.

Sithole, who also participated in the 1976 student protests, said the museum is a highlights the role played by South Africa’s youth in bringing an end to white minority rule in the country.

“The museum is a reminder for generations to come. We must know where we come from and where we are going, and don’t forget that the youth took a stand for us to be better today,” said Sithole.

On Monday, Blinken will hold talks with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor.

The U.S. top diplomat will also describe the United States’ strategies for sub-Saharan Africa in a major policy speech at the University of Pretoria. Africa has been hard-hit by the effect of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the rising food and oil prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Blinken and Pandor will hold a press conference Monday in which the two countries’ different positions on the Ukraine war are expected to be visible.

Blinken will go on to visit Congo and Rwanda this week to end his international tour which also took him to Cambodia and the Philippines.

Source: Voice of America

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Hisense South Africa fait don d’un échographe HD60 au Peninsular Maternity Trust pour la maternité de Mowbray

LE CAP, Afrique du Sud, le 6 août 2022 /PRNewswire/ — À l’occasion d’une cérémonie de donation le 28 juillet, Hisense, fabricant et fournisseur d’appareils électroniques et médicaux à haute performance, a offert un appareil d’échographie haute résolution de pointe, l’échographe Hisense HD60, au Peninsula Maternity Trust pour la maternité de Mowbray pour annoncer sa collaboration et sa contribution à la maternité de Mowbray et au département de la santé du Cap-Occidental.

La maternité de Mowbray, située au Cap, est la plus grande maternité d’Afrique du Sud spécialisée dans les soins aux femmes présentant des grossesses à haut risque. Le professeur Ntusi, qui est président et médecin-chef à l’université du Cap (UCT) et au Groote Schuur Hospital, a gravi le Kilimandjaro en décembre dernier pour recueillir des fonds afin d’acheter un nouvel échographe pour le service d’anesthésie de l’hôpital.

Hisense South Africa a fait don d’un échographe HD60 en réponse aux efforts du Professeur Ntusi.  La réception de cet appareil d’échographie de pointe doté de capacités de diagnostic améliorées fonctionnant grâce à l’IA intégrée relèvera le niveau de soins de la maternité de Mowbray et offrira de meilleures chances aux femmes à risque tout en stimulant le moral du personnel.

« Nous sommes très fiers de pouvoir faire don de cette machine à la maternité de Mowbray et au département de la santé du Cap-Occidental ; nous espérons et souhaitons que cela changera la vie des communautés environnantes en améliorant les capacités technologiques et médicales de l’hôpital tout en offrant aux professionnels de santé une innovation technologique de qualité et un soutien qui facilitera un peu leur vie professionnelle », a déclaré Ronele Prince,  responsable des ventes médicales chez Hisense.

Hisense a conçu l’échographe HD60 pour offrir aux médecins une imagerie plus claire et à plus haute résolution affichée sur son écran de diagnostic 21,4″.  L’appareil est livré avec une variété de sondes échographiques, ce qui le rend bien adapté pour répondre à plusieurs besoins de l’hôpital en matière d’anesthésie, d’obstétrique, de gynécologie et d’interventions cardiovasculaires.

L’échographe Hisense HD60 a été utilisé dans plus de 30 hôpitaux à travers la Chine, aidant à diagnostiquer plus de 50 000 cas. Pour son échographe HD60, Hisense a obtenu le marquage CE pour les dispositifs médicaux en décembre 2021 et la licence SAHPRA en Afrique du Sud en janvier 2022.  En avril de cette année, Hisense a obtenu sa première commande de six échographes HD60 en Afrique du Sud, une étape importante pour devenir une marque de renommée internationale dans l’industrie de l’équipement médical.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1872546/image_5020023_41497144.jpg

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Milk Use and Lactose Tolerance Didn’t Develop Hand in Hand in Europe

Early Europeans drank milk for thousands of years before they evolved the ability to fully digest it as adults, scientists say.

New results published in the journal Nature suggest that being able to digest the lactose in milk wasn’t usually much of an advantage for ancient people in Europe. Instead, the new study suggests that famine and disease made lactose intolerance deadly.

The new discovery challenges the long-standing assumption that dairy farming spread through ancient populations alongside the genetic quirks that prevent adults from losing the ability to digest lactose.

Like other young mammals, human children produce an enzyme called lactase that breaks down lactose. The gene for lactase usually turns off in adulthood because aside from humans, adult mammals don’t drink milk.

Without lactase, lactose from milk ends up feeding gut microbes that produce gas, which can cause uncomfortable digestive problems.

“You’ll get some cramps. You’ll get some diarrhea. Might fart a bit more. It might be unpleasant for you,” said geneticist Mark Thomas of University College London, who led the genetics work for the new study. “It might be embarrassing, but you’re not going to die.”

But when our ancient ancestors suffered through plagues or famines, getting diarrhea from drinking milk was probably more than just uncomfortable, the authors suggest.

“Then we’re talking about a life-threatening condition,” Thomas said.

About one-third of people alive today have a genetic variant that keeps their lactase gene from turning off. This trait has evolved independently multiple times in the ancestors of people now living in parts of Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Europe.

Scientists long assumed that lactase persistence evolved alongside the spread of dairy farming, which happened over a few thousand years beginning around 7000 BC.

However, earlier studies revealed that lactase persistence was vanishingly rare in Europe until about 3,000 years ago. But after that, it took only a few thousand years for the trait to become widespread — the blink of an eye in evolutionary time.

Why this trait would evolve so quickly was a mystery.

“Lactase persistence has been under enormous amounts of natural selection over the last eight to ten thousand years … more than any other part of the genome in Europeans,” said Thomas. “It was, for a very long period of time, the one trait upon which life and death pivoted more than any other. … It’s insane. It just defies explanation.”

Searching for an explanation, the authors sought to reconstruct the history of milk use in the region over the past 9,000 years. They examined fat residues left on more than 7,000 pottery shards collected at 550 archaeological sites across Europe.

“When people were cooking … fat liquefies and then penetrates into the pores of the pottery,” said organic geochemist and study co-author Mélanie Roffet-Salque of the University of Bristol. “It’s quite stunning, really. But thousands of years later when archaeologists excavate a piece of pottery that had been discarded and then we analyze the pottery, it’s still there.”

The pottery shards showed that milk consumption was widespread across most of Europe for thousands of years before most Europeans became lactose tolerant.

Studying health data on modern Britons, the researchers didn’t find any evidence that drinking milk hurts the health of modern adults who don’t produce lactase.

Surprisingly, using data on ancient population fluctuations to approximate when and where ancient Europeans dealt with famine and disease, the researchers found that sickness and hunger might explain the evolution of lactase persistence better than milk consumption.

Famine could have forced ancient people to drink more milk than usual as other food sources ran out. And both malnutrition and disease could have made lactose-induced diarrhea very dangerous. Severe diarrhea can kill — it is still the second leading cause of death for children under 5 worldwide.

Shevan Wilkin, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Zurich who reviewed the new paper, said the research was an important step forward but that she’s not necessarily convinced that famine and disease alone can explain the evolution of lactase persistence.

“The reason I don’t know if I think they’re right, I also don’t know if I think they’re wrong, is before 2,000 years ago, there were absolutely times of famine,” Wilkin said.

Thomas said he’d like to see similar studies done in Africa, where lactase persistence evolved independently three different times. Wilkin agreed, noting that Europe is over-studied, and that future research should focus on other regions, including central Asia, where people drink lots of milk despite lacking a genetic variant that keeps lactase from turning off in adults.

“I think it’d be really interesting to apply this [in] multiple places,” said Wilkin. “It’s just such a cool and ambitious undertaking, and I think it’s really going to spur a ton of new studies.”

Source: Voice of America