Table of contents for 2022-04-14 in DFA News

THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison will intensify road safety campaigns through a “robust action plan” for the Easter long weekend and over the period April 14 to May 2. The MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Nomandla Bloem, made the announcement during the launch of the Easter Road Safety Campaign in Kimberley earlier this week. Bloem was joined by Sol Plaatje executive mayor Kagisho Sonyoni, SAPS senior management and representatives of other law enforcement entities. The campaign aims to improve the mobilisation of law enforcement officers for deployment on the Province’s roads in order to promote safety and the prevention of injury or loss of life. Bloem pointed out that the campaign also aims to accommodate homeward-bound journeys after the Easter festivities. Operations are expected to…

THE SAPS has welcomed the 15-year prison sentence that was handed down to murder accused Aubrey Nel, 35, by the Philipstown Regional Court on Tuesday. The incident dates back to April 23 last year, when Nel and his stepson, Duwayne Snyers, 15, had an altercation that resulted in the fatal stabbing of Snyers in Riemvasmaak, Philipstown. Nel was immediately arrested and remained in custody until his sentencing on April 12, 2022. The Pixley ka Seme cluster commander, Brigadier Nomana Adonis, lauded the investigating officer in the matter, Detective Constable Herald Saunders, for his “meticulous investigation that led to the incarceration of the accused”.…

DURBAN - Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife are searching for five crocodiles which were washed away during the recent floods from the Crocodile Creek Farm in Tongaat. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesperson Musa Mntambo said Ezemvelo was informed of 12 crocodiles that washed away from the Crocodile Creek Farm due to the flooding. He said seven crocodiles have been recaptured and that they are currently looking for the other five. “We suspect that they might have travelled towards the Tongaat River which is less than a kilometre from the farm,” said Mntambo. In a Facebook post, Alpha Alarms warned the public that some crocodile ponds were washed away from the crocodile farm near Tongaat. “Be on the lookout for crocs in the Tongaat River towards the beach. Crocs have been spotted on the…

THE PETROLEUM Agency of South Africa (Pasa) has responded to claims by small-scale fishing communities and concerned environmental groups that there was a lack of meaningful consultation regarding Tosaco Energy’s endeavour to explore offshore oil and gas on the West Coast in the Northern Cape. Despite the call by coastal communities and environmental groups for improved public consultation regarding projects of this nature, Tosaco Energy received Environmental Authorisation (EA) from the Department of Mineral Resources and Environment to proceed with seismic blasting in Block 1 from Alexander Bay to Hondeklipbaai, off the West Coast of South Africa. This comes just a few months after two high courts granted interim urgent interdicts against seismic surveys off the East and West Coasts – largely as a result of insufficient consultation with affected…

SEVERAL houses close to the Rietrivier were flooded yesterday due to increased water levels caused by the opening of the Bloemhof Dam flood gates. Many more households are now gripped by fear that the rising water will wreak more destruction … and they can't do anything about it. Sol Plaatje Municipality said the flood gates were opened due to the overflow at Bloemhof Dam following the heavy rains over the past few weeks. Municipal spokesperson Thoko Riet said the flood gates had to be opened in order to release the overflow of water to various rivers, including the Rietrivier “The municipality assisted five families with transport to move their belongings to nearby storage in Ritchie. The houses affected are closer to the river. The Sol Plaatje Municipality has also offered…

The Lions will field their strongest pack of forwards thus far in the Currie Cup when they host Griquas at Wits University on Thursday (2pm). While the Lions are continuing with their policy of having two distinctive squads for the domestic competition and the United Rugby Championship, they are allowing some of their star players to get game time after injury/illness breaks, and that means they have a powerful front row in Carlu Sadie, Jaco Visagie and JP Smith. Sadie is arguably the strongest tighthead in the URC and was a late withdrawal from his team’s match against the Sharks last week. Visagie and Burger Odendaal were withdrawn from the Lions team that played Edinburgh because of Covid protocols but while Odendaal is not yet back, Visagie is. The latter…

THE Blitzboks used their 14-hour flight to this weekend’s Vancouver Sevens to review what went wrong in Singapore last weekend. After losing three matches in a row, the series leaders and defending champions are looking to bounce back in Canada this Easter weekend. JC Pretorius explains: “The long flight turned out to be very productive as it gave us time to have a very good look at ourselves. “The reviews made it clear that we did not execute well enough in Singapore and the implementation of our roles and responsibilities were not looked after.” He adds of the disappointment: “It was a reminder of what we play for and what the badge stands for. We have massive respect for the badge, but our performances did not reflect that.” He remembers…

THE ROODEPAN police are investigating a murder case after a 51-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by two security guards. Police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said both the security guards are facing a charge of murder. “Preliminary investigations indicate that the deceased was allegedly assaulted by security guards working in one of the retail outlets in Roodepan. The deceased allegedly stabbed one of the security guards before being assaulted. The two suspects appeared in the Galeshewe Magistrate’s Court on April 13, 2022. Police investigations are continuing,” said Sam.…

THE SAPS has welcomed the life sentences for rape that were handed down to Orapeleng Thompson, 22, and Letlhogonolo Motshabi, 26, by the Warrenton Regional Court on Tuesday. The incident happened on October 1, 2018, at around midnight, when the 43-year-old female victim was on her way home to Ikhutseng, Warrenton. She was accosted by the two accused and they dragged her into the bushes, raped her at knife-point and robbed her of cash and a cellphone before fleeing the scene. Sergeant Andrew Nhlathi from the Hartswater SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit followed up on information and arrested both men on October 12, 2018. The accused were both found guilty and each received a life sentence for rape and 15 years’ imprisonment for aggravated robbery.…

FOR THE record, I neither get too excited nor too dejected when I read or hear about shuffles in the political arena. Whether it’s promotions or demotions, appointments or dismissals, I could not give a hoot any more. Recently I read that our country’s dear No.1, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s CR22 camp is facing massive pressure from the more radical economic transformation (RET) group, which could dash all of the current leader’s hopes for his re-election bid at the December national conference. Also recently, I casually scanned over an article in which it was reported that the Sol Plaatje executive mayor, Kagisho Sonyoni, was elected as the ANC Youth League chairperson in the Frances Baard region during a regional conference. Seriously, I cannot dress in black and go around mourning what…

LVIV, Ukraine – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday defended the war in Ukraine as a "noble" mission that would achieve its goals as his troops massed for a new offensive amid allegations of rape, brutality against civilians and possible use of chemical weapons. Ukrainian officials urged civilians to flee eastern areas ahead of the anticipated offensive, while the battle for the southern port city of Mariupol was reaching a decisive phase, with Ukrainian marines holed up in the Azovstal industrial district. Should the Russians seize Azovstal, they would be in full control of Mariupol, the lynchpin between Russian-held areas to the west and east. The city has already been laid waste by weeks of Russian bombardments and officials say about 20,000 people or more may have been killed. Putin,…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa pledged yesterday to help flood victims after heavy rains killed at least 45 people, displaced dozens, swept away roads and disrupted shipping in one of Africa's busiest ports. Ramaphosa spoke while visiting families who had lost loved ones in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, including a family with four children, after floods and mudslides ravaged homes on Tuesday. "You're not alone . . . we'll do everything in our power to see how we can help," Ramaphosa said. "Even though your hearts are in pain, we're here for you." Mozambique has suffered a series of devastating floods over the past decade, including one last month that killed more than 50 people and injured 80. "You're battling one of the biggest incidents we've seen and we thought this only happens in…

KAIZER Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter says clubs need balanced squads to ensure that they churn out positive results week in and week out. This week, SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo became the latest casualty of the season – he was released by the club following a string of poor results. However, some feel that Tembo was sabotaged by the management after senior players left the club – including former captains Dean Furman and Clayton Daniels – and were not replaced by equally experienced campaigners. That forced Tembo to use youngsters. Some, such as Jamie Webber, Luke Fleurs and Jesse Donn, took the responsibility. However, others such as Thalente Mbatha, Gapo Moralo and Keagan Johannes blew hot and cold. SuperSport, who are eighth on the log standings with 31 points –…

THE KIMBERLEY police are investigating a case of concealment of birth following the discovery of the body of a newborn baby inside a plastic refuse bag in a residential area. Police spokesperson Captain Tessa Jansen said the discovery was made by vagrants who were looking for food. “On Wednesday, April 13, 2020, at about 9.30am, the Kimberley police attended a scene in Caledon Street in Hadison Park. It is alleged that vagrants were scavenging for food in the refuse bags on the pavement when they discovered a black plastic bag containing bloody tissue. The paramedics were alerted and confirmed that it was the body of a newborn baby and it was declared dead on the scene,” said Jansen She urged anyone with information about the matter to contact the investigating…

24-YEAR-old accused Itumeleng Machabe, who was charged with the rape and murder of 11-year-old Relebogile Segami, has decided to abandon his bail application. The case against Machabe was postponed to April 25 following his appearance in the Galeshewe Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The court said that a separate rape case against Machabe will be joined to the current rape and murder case. Machabe is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl. He was out on bail for that matter when Relebogile was raped and murdered. The court added that it is awaiting the post-mortem as well as DNA results that are currently outstanding. Outside the Galeshewe Magistrate’s Court yesterday, community members celebrated when they were informed by EFF Member of Parliament Mathepola Siwisa that the accused will remain in custody. A large…

PORTFOLIO-based induction for councillors serving on Municipal Finance and Public Accounts Committees (MPAC) in Northern Cape municipalities took place in Upington this week. The general induction for newly elected councillors was concluded in January 2022 and, according to the South African Local Government Association (Salga), it was a successful exercise. “A programme has been developed to extend the induction to portfolio-specific inductions. An induction programme focussing on the Municipal Finance and Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) took place in Upington over two days and came to an end yesterday,” Salga said in a statement. The programme focused on all portfolio councillors that serve on Municipal Finance Committees. Led by Salga, the induction also included the Department of Cooperative Governance (nationally and provincially) as well as national and provincial Treasury. “The objective…

Given where they were a year ago, South Africa’s Testteam has surprised even itself by being second in the ICC World Test Championship. Fresh off a series win against Bangladesh, the Proteas sit behind Australia on the table, having won five out of seven matches in the current Test Championship cycle. “ From where we were a year ago when we sat to plot the way forward, we wouldn’t have thought we’d be second at this stage,” said left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. “We wanted to keep planning, but it shows that if we keep doing the right things from a culture point of view and from the perspective of (improving our) skill, the rewards will come.” That they have. South Africa stunned India to win that three-match series earlier this…

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis believes that her side’s haphazard defending let them down in their 5-1 hammering at the hands of Netherlands at the Cars Jeans Stadion in The Hague on Tuesday night. The one positive that Banyana can take from the game is that they were very competitive against the fifth ranked Dutch until the end of the first half, though they thereafter fell apart. “I felt that our defending at times let us down. We also created chances. At crucial times when it looked like we would come back, we conceded. “After half-time, we had an opportunity to change the score line and didn’t take chances like the penalty miss. At times I felt that we did not put the ball on the ground as well as…

FERRARI fans know all about false dawns and dashed hopes, but the first three races of the Formula One season have brought the good times back to Maranello and sent expectations soaring. Charles Leclerc, seeking to become the Italian team’s first world champion since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, has taken 71 of 78 points available from the opening races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia. The Monegasque’s closest rival, Britain’s George Russell with Mercedes, is 34 points adrift while Red Bull’s reigning world champion Max Verstappen is 46 behind after two retirements. “Obviously we only had the third race, so it’s difficult to think about the championship, but to be honest, we’ve got a very strong car, a very reliable car too,” Leclerc told reporters in Melbourne at the weekend.…