Day: July 26, 2022

University of Johannesburg’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, has been appointed as the seventh Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo, Japan.

The decision follows consultations with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay and with her concurrence, United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, said she does not doubt that he will do South Africa and the African continent proud by leading the UNU to greater heights.

“I wish Professor Marwala well as the incoming Rector of the United Nations University. I have the utmost confidence that through his leadership, the university will further contribute through collaborative research and education to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations, its peoples and the Member States,” Minister Pandor said.

The UNU is a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organisation headquartered in Japan.

The mission of the UNU is to contribute, through collaborative research and education, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the UN, its peoples and the Member States.

Marwala will succeed Professor David M Malone of Canada, who has served since 2013.

Previously, he was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation, a position he held since 2013. He has also served as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment from 2009 to 2013.

Between 2003 and 2008, the Professor was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, Wolfson College of the University of Cambridge and Nanjing Tech University.

He holds a doctorate specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Engineering from the University of Cambridge, a Master of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (magna cum laude) from Case Western Reserve University. He is a registered professional engineer, Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Science of South Africa, the African Academy of Sciences and the South African Academy of Engineering.

Marwala is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a distinguished member of the Association for Computing Machinery.

The Chair of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Council, Mr Mike Teke, has also wished Marwala well.

Congratulating Marwala on his appointment, Teke said: “On behalf of UJ, we are proud of Prof Marwala for taking the reins of leadership as the first African to assume the role. A university is predicated on the various components that come together to make it work and we have the right systems and staff in place to ensure that this is a seamless transition. We congratulate Prof Marwala on this outstanding achievement, and we are proud that one of our own has attained such an honour”.

Source: South African Government News Agency

MPUMALANGA - The two brothers, Carlos Bernardo Guambe (34) and Gabriel Bernardo Guambe (32) were found guilty and sentenced by the Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 22 July 2022 for contravention of the Immigration Act. They were sentenced to three months imprisonment or R5000-00 fine each. The accused who abandoned their bail application for trafficking in persons case are serving their sentence behind bars.

They will join their co-accused, Cornelis Johannes Uys (60) and Cornelis Johannes Albertus Uys (23) who appeared before the Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 25 July 2022, for bail application after they were arrested for contravening the Trafficking in Persons Act, participating or conspiring to trafficking in persons. The accused were remanded in custody and the case was postponed to 27 July 2022 for further bail hearing.

The two accused, Cornelis Johannes Uys (60) and Cornelis Johannes Albertus Uys (23), were arrested on 24 June 2022 for trafficking in persons case where 39 victims including seven women, nine children under the age of five and 23 males all over the age of 18 were rescued from a farm in Dullstrom during a multi-disciplinary operation by members of the Nelspruit based Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Flying Squad, Department of Labour and Home Affairs.

Further information gathered at the crime scene was that the modus operandi entails that the victims were recruited from Mozambique and brought into South Africa in a taxi for job opportunities. The victims were transported from Mozambique to the border whereby they had to get out of the taxi and cross the border illegally through the river into South Africa where they were taken by the taxi to Lydenburg. The son of the farm owner and one trafficker allegedly met with the taxi driver and paid him money in exchange of the victims who were taken into the farm for labour.

Source: South African Police Service

FICKSBURG - The police have arrested four suspects at a police roadblock on the R26 road after a taxi was stopped and searched. The suspects were found in possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

The police conducted a roadblock at the intersection of the R26 and R70 (Ficksburg and Rosendal) through stop and searches focusing on illegal goods. They stopped a 22 seater taxi and searched all passengers and their luggage. A bag was recovered and upon a search, police a firearm with a visible serial number and ammunition.

A total of four suspects were arrested and they are set to appear before the Ficksburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 27 July 2022 facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Source: South African Police Service

KIMBERLEY - The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape, Major General Kolisa Otola has condemned the tragic murder of a toddler in Petrusville.

A 23-year-old stepfather from Petrusville is behind bars, following the death of a three-year-old boy toddler. It is alleged that the body of the toddler was found with multiple stabbed wounds in the upper body, in the stepfather's house. It is suspected that the toddler could have been stabbed to death by stepfather.

The incident occurred at approximately 11:45 on Monday, 25 July 2022 at New Extension, Nastergal Street in Petrusville.

According to the allegations the stepfather had a quarrel with the toddler's mother, who was his ex-girlfriend. Apparently the toddler's mother came back to the suspect’s house, to collect her clothes and he refused her entry to the house.

The mother reportedly left leaving behind the toddler.

She was escorted back to the suspect’s house by the police and upon arrival the toddler's body was discovered with multiple stabbed wounds.

The suspect was found hiding under the bed. He was arrested and charged with murder.

Police collected evidence on the crime scene including the weapon used in the commission of crime.

The suspect is expected to appear in the Petrusville Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 26 July 2022 on a charge of murder and police investigations are continuing.

Source: South African Police Service

BLOEMFONTEIN – On Monday 25 July 2022, at about 18:30, Bloemfontein K9 Unit members received information about a truck destined for Cape Town reportedly transporting Khat.

Members swiftly operationalized the information and held observation posts. At 22:30, the truck fitting the description circulated, was spotted traveling South bound on the N1 outside Bloemfontein. Members stopped the truck and instructed the driver to open the cargo area for a search to be conducted.

In the trailer, members found boxes containing possible Khat plants and leaves worth an estimated street value of R300 000. The driver could not provide police with sufficient information and was arrested. Members also confiscated the truck.

The 44-year-old Male driver was arrested for dealing in drugs and will appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court soon

Source: South African Police Service

PARKTOWN – The Provincial Commissioner of police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela has lauded the detectives in the province for consistently achieving successes in court.

Over the past four weeks, detectives from various stations and provincial units comprising of Crime Investigation Services (CIS); Organised Crime Investigations (OCI); Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS); Serious and Violence Crimes (SVC) and Commercial Crimes Investigations (CCI), have collectively secured 15 life terms imprisonment with over 1100 more years in prison for 86 accused in 67 separate cases. The charges on these cases include murder; attempted murder; rape; sexual assault; aggravated robbery; kidnapping, possession of child pornography and various other charges.

On Thursday, 30 June 2022, the Delmas High court sitting in Benoni sentenced a 41-year-old father from Crystal Park to two life terms imprisonment and an additional 83 years on 426 charges for the rape and sexual abuse of his two stepsons. The accused pleaded guilty on multiple charges which include rape; sexual assault; attempted compelled rape; creation of child pornography; using a child for pornography; compelled sexual assault; exposing children to child pornography and causing a child to witness self-masturbation. The accused was also declared a paedophile and his name will be entered into both the Sexual Offender’s Register and National Child Protection Register.

In another case, a 30-year-old accused was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday, 20 July 2022, by the Booysens Magistrates’ Court. The accused was found guilty for raping an 11-year-old girl in 2020. The accused was arrested the following day after the young victim told her mother of the incident that took place in Mondeor during June 2020.

Earlier this month, the Pretoria High Court sentenced 38-year-old Lucas Fulufhedzo Motobvu to two life imprisonment terms and an additional eight years’ imprisonment for murder, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition. Motobvu was found guilty for a taxi violence related incident that took place in Mamelodi East during August 2015; two persons were murdered. Through the relentless efforts by detectives of the Provincial Taxi Violence Unit, the accused was traced to a location in Limpopo and arrested in January last year.

“The recent successes achieved in court are the result of quality investigations led by our detectives in the province. Our members remain resolute in fighting the scourge of serious and violent crime, while ensuring justice prevails. Quality work ethic and commitment by our members will restore the communities’ faith in the South African Police Service,” said Lt Gen Mawela.

Community members are urged not to share child abuse images, better known as child pornography that they receive via social media, to any person as this constitutes to a criminal charge, namely distribution of child pornography. Any criminal activity can be reported at the nearest police station, SAPS Crime Stop 08600 10111 or alternatively leave a tip-off on the MySAPS App.

Source: South African Police Service

NORTHERN CAPE – Thandeka Maseko (29), was convicted and sentenced by Kimberley Magistrate’s Court yesterday, 25 July 2022 for possession of drugs and illegal immigration.

Maseko was arrested during May 2022 by the Hawks Serious Organise Crime Investigation team after receiving information about a delivery of dagga from Johannesburg to Kimberley. The team responded swiftly and identified a minibus taxi whereby it was searched and dagga weighting 2.80kg was found in a travel bag of the accused. Upon interviewing the accused, it was established that the suspect is in the country illegally. She was further charged with contravention of Immigration Act.

Maseko was sentenced as follows:

Count 1; possession of drugs, the accused was sentenced to a fine of R20 000-00 or 20 months imprisonment of which half of the sentence is suspended for a period of five years on condition that the accused is not convicted of any offence relating to the contravention of Section 4 (possession) and 5 (dealing) of the Drugs and Drugs Trafficking Act 140 of 1992 during the period of suspension.

On count 2: illegal immigration, she was sentenced to R2 000-00 or three months imprisonment, half of the said sentence be suspended for a period of three years on condition that she is not convicted of the same offence during the period of suspension. Accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Source: South African Police Service