Category: Key Issues

PHALABORWA: As part of ensuring safety to elderly people, the communication officer of Phalaborwa SAPS Sergeant Mongwe together with Sergeant Makhubele visited Bougnavilla old age home today, Friday 01 October 2021.

Some of the topics discussed during the visit includes:

• Fraud

• Burglaries

• Theft General

• Theft by false pretence

• Gender based violence

• Different forms of abuse

• Theft out of motor vehicle

They were warned to be vigilant when visiting ATM’s, banks and shops and were further encouraged to refuse any form of help from strangers who appears in the name of helping while the plan is to take advantage and steal from them.

Members reiterated the importance of physical inspection of the vehicle doors after locking with mobilizer, to avoid falling into traps of criminals who are targeting to steal from vehicles at parking areas.

Members concluded the campaign with an appeal to the elderly to report any form of criminal activities to the police and also to comply with the Covid-19 protocols.

Source: South African Police Service

Five suspects aged between 36 and 47 were arrested in the early hours of today in Rustenburg, North West province by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team based in Bethlehem for selling illegal pre-paid electricity.

Their arrests were effected during the third phase of the project driven investigation carried out by the Hawks in Free State in concert with Eskom Investigators. This project driven investigation began in May 2020 in Bloemfontein, Free State probing the illicit sale of electricity facilitated by illegal vendors who have in their possession illegal electricity vending machines. ‘Ghost vending’ involves the illegal sales and purchases of electricity.

The suspects are expected to appear before the Fochville Magistrates’ Court tomorrow, 01 October 2021.

Source: South African Police Service

The Special Investigating Unit says it will continue its investigation into the infamous R150 million Digital Vibes communications contract.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa released the unit’s report into the awarding of the contract by the National Department of Health.

The corruption busting unit found that the awarding of the National Health Insurance (NHI) and COVID-19 communications contracts to Digital Vibes was “fraudulent, irregular”.

SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the unit will be engaging more work regarding the contract.

“We can … say that the investigation is still continuing because we are now looking at further evidence that came to our attention after we have given the report to the president,” Kganyago said.

He added that the SIU has approached the Special Tribunal to have the contract set aside to ensure that any money acquired illegally is returned to state coffers.

“We … want to make sure that all the R150 million that was spent irregularly should be taken back to the department of health. Secondly, we have made referrals to the department and that has resulted, among others, with the suspension of [National Health Director General Dr Sandile Buthelezi] and we are having seven other people who need to be dealt with in terms of disciplinary hearings,” Kganyago said.

He said criminal prosecutions are also being considered by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

“We have also sent referrals to the [NPA] in terms of the criminality that we have found. We hope that all of this will be dealt with speedily,” Kganyago said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

As part government’s ongoing engagements and visits to provinces to assess the state of housing delivery, Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi will on Thursday and Friday visit the Pixley Ka Seme and Sol Plaatje Local Municipalities in the Northern Cape.

The Minister, together with the Premier of Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, will handover title deeds, do a sod turning for the construction of Hull Street Social Housing Project expected to yield 372 units upon completion and handover a house to 76-year-old Military Veteran, Daniel Mabe Sekgono of Ronaldsvlei.

“Minister Kubayi’ s visit also takes place in her capacity as the Champion of Pixley Ka Seme District Municipality and will provide a platform to engage with the executive leadership on the implementation of the District Development Model (DDM) in the province to improve service delivery,” the department said.

The DDM seeks to ensure maximum coordination and cooperation among all three spheres of government.

The delegation will include the MEC of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Bentley Vass, MEC of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Abraham Vosloo, MEC of Social Development, Nontobeko Vilakazi and Executive Mayor of Sol Plaatje Municipality, Cllr Patrick Mabilo.

Source: South African Government News Agency

A well-coordinated operation conducted by the Modimolle Detectives and Modimolle Crime Intelligence led to the arrest of a 39-year-old suspect on Tuesday, 28 September 2021, for a house robbery that was perpetrated at a farm outside Modimolle on Saturday, 18 September 2021.

The Police received information that the suspect, wanted for the said house robbery, will be appearing on another charge in Pretoria Magistrate’s Court this morning. The suspect indeed arrived driving the same vehicle, a Toyota Fortuner, reportedly used during the commission of the Modimolle farm attack.

The suspect, who was out on bail after he was arrested at Hercules for another charge of possession of copper cables after appearing in Pretoria Magistrate’s Court. He was then taken to one of his addresses in Hammanskraal where some of the property that were allegedly robbed during the farm attack such as laptops, mechanical equipment and tools were recovered.

On Saturday, 18 September 2021, at about 22h43, about four suspects all armed with firearms accosted the occupant of the farmhouse. They then allegedly assaulted him, and ransacked the house. At one stage, they allegedly threw him through a window, resulting in him sustaining lacerations. The suspects took his cellphone, TVs, a wallet, an oven, a generator and one rifle. They left in the early hours of Sunday morning with the victim’s Volkswagen Polo. The victim managed to walk to a neighbours’ house and was later transported to the hospital.

The VW Polo, that was taken during the house robbery, was recovered by the Hammanskraal SAPS, a day after the incident. This after the suspects were cornered by SAPS members following a chase when they abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has commended the members for the meticulous investigations that led to the apprehension of the suspect.

The suspect will appear in Modimolle Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 30 September 2021, on a charge of house robbery. The hunt for the remaining suspects continues. Anyone with information is requested to contact Warrant Officer Ross Rossouw on 072 118 9088 or the Crime Stop number 08600 10111, My SAPS App or the nearest police station.

Source: South African Police Service

The City’s Water and Sanitation Department is dredging a section of the Black River. The alien invasive plant removal and dredging operation, with excavators, will now run up to 24 hours a day, from Wednesday, 29 September to Monday, 4 October 2021 and may possibly be extended to Saturday, 30 October 2021. This is being done as part of ongoing river maintenance and inland water quality improvement programmes. The noise of this maintenance may affect the surrounding areas, and residents are being notified.

The City of Cape Town is taking action to dredge a section of the Black River running alongside the N2. This operation will be between the M52 Raapenberg Road bridge and where the M17 Jan Smuts Drive crosses the river. A section of the Black River upstream from Jan Smuts Drive has already been dredged.

There will be a few excavators on site running up to 24 hours a day to get this job done as quickly as possible. The required permit for noise exemption has been approved by the City’s Health Department (as required by the Environment Conservation Act 1989), and the management of the adjacent Rondebosch Golf Course and residents in surrounding areas are being notified.

Over time, this area has silted up and become concentrated with both pollution and alien invasive vegetation. The polluted top layer of sediment will be removed leaving cleaner sand underneath. Making the river deeper will reduce the local flooding risk going forward. Litter will be removed, as well as alien invasive vegetation like fast-growing water hyacinth, which clogs up the river in this section.

The City regrets any inconvenience caused, however this operation will also help to address waterway pollution.

Source: City Of Cape Town