Day: September 8, 2022

National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, has directed the mobilisation of maximum resources after three police officers were shot and disarmed of their service pistols during an armed robbery at a filling station in Tembisa, Gauteng, on Thursday morning.

South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said according to reports from the scene, a group of armed suspects entered a filling station on Andrew Mapheto Drive and robbed the convenience store of an undisclosed amount of money and cigarettes.

"As the group was about to leave, they noticed a group of police officers entering the filling station. They immediately opened fire on three members attached to the Tembisa South Police Station and a security guard," she said.

The police officers and security guard sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were also disarmed of their service pistols. All three members and the security guard were taken to hospital for treatment where one of the members died.

She said: "A manhunt is underway for the group of at least 15 suspects who fled the scene in a Toyota Quantum and Toyota Corolla Prestige. Anyone who knows or may have seen what transpired is urged to contact the Crime Stop Hotline number on 0860010111. Callers are reminded that they may remain anonymous."

Meanwhile, SAPS management has expressed sadness and dismay at the passing of three members in a fatal motor vehicle accident in Vereeniging on Wednesday morning. Mathe said at the time of the accident, the three officers from the Vereeniging Police Station were conducting crime prevention patrols when a truck allegedly failed to stop at a four way crossing.

"The truck drove into the SAPS vehicle and dragged the said vehicle for at least 500 metres until it came to a standstill. The three SAPS members were certified dead at the scene," she said.

The three have been identified as Captain Shashape Theletsane (58), with 34 years of service, Warrant Officer Aaron Mfazwe (54), with 26 years of service, and Constable Timothy Mbele (45) who had been serving as a permanent employee for the past eight years. Prior to this, Mbele had served as a police reservist for nine years.

"The driver of the truck has since been arrested. A case of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving is being investigated. The death and attack of these members takes place a few days after the annual SAPS Commemoration Day. In the 2021/2022 financial year, 33 members lost their lives in the line of duty," said Mathe.

Commissioner Masemola has sent condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the four officers and wished the two members a speedy recovery.

“We are not going to allow criminals to run amok and do as they wish, we are coming for each one of them. We are closing the net on each person in this country who is found to be on the wrong side of the law,” said Masemola.

Source: South African Government News Agency

WESTERN CAPE - Efforts to ensure that perpetrators who are finding themselves on the wrong side of the law are brought to book landed five suspects between the ages of 21 and 47 behind bars earlier today following a business robbery at a camera retail store in De Villiers Road, Zonnebloem, Cape Town, where electronic equipment was stolen. The suspects fled the scene and a high speed chase ensued with police hot on the heels of the suspects. The stolen property comprising electronic equipment, two firearms and the vehicle used to commit the offence were recovered on the secondary scene in Mowbray.

The suspects face charges of business robbery, possession of presumed stolen property and the possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and are due in to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates court once they have been charged.

Source: South African Police Service

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), has invited eligible consultants to provide technical assistance and implementation management structure of two Agri Park projects.

This as the Ministry of the DALRRD has received financing from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to assist in the financing of the development of the South Africa Agri-Park Project: Tshiame AgriHub in the Free State and Springbokpan Agri-Hub in the North West.

Established in 2015, the approach of the South Africa Agri-Park Program (SA-APP) is to capitalise on the strengths of small towns and to revitalise their economies, through crowding-in of investments for agricultural and other value chains development.

The SA-APP ecosystem consists of a Farmer Production Support Unit (FPSU), an Agri Hub (AH) and a Rural Urban Market Centre (RUMC).

Project manager at the department, Nombuso Dlamini said the goal is to graduate the South Africa Agri-Park program to a Sustainable Infrastructure Development System (SIDS) methodology at the Infrastructure Investment Office in the Presidency for coordination.

It also aims to bring the projects to financial closure and provide an operations and management structure that will enable investors to provide investment funds for infrastructure development and attract private sector investment to the respective provinces.

The project activities fall under the following broad components namely:

• Provide Technical Assistance that will enable project preparation, packaging, and a phased infrastructure development for two of the South Africa Agri Parks,

• Review key available documents for the Agri-Parks program broadly and more specifically for the two pilot, Agri-Hubs of Tshiame and Springbokpan (these will include Due diligence reports, Feasibility reports, Master plans, Business Plans, Implementation Plans and other),

• Undertake full Feasibility studies and Master plans for the two Agro Parks including the associated Farmer Support Production Units and Rural Urban Market Centres and bring the projects to financial closure,

• Ensure that full feasibility studies and master plans for the Tshiame Agri-Hub and Springbokpan Agri-Hub are gazetted as Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPS) in South Africa,

• Promote the establishment of a suitable implementation management structure for private sector investments in the Agri Parks,

• Propose Value Chain Development and Analyses for the two sites in terms of key commodities and their backward – and forward linkages and market development opportunities (supply vs demand), and

• Provide technical assistance on project coordination, management, and implementation.

“Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc). Consultants may constitute joint ventures to enhance their chances of qualification.

“Eligibility criteria, establishment of the short-list and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with African Development Bank’s Procurement Framework for Bank Group-funded Operations, October 2015 edition, which is available on the Bank’s website at http://www.afdb.org,” Dlamini explained.

Interested consultants may obtain further information at Nombuso.Dlamini@dalrrd.gov.za during office hours between 08:00 – 16:30 South African Time.

Expressions of interest must also be sent via email to Nombuso.Dlamini@dalrrd.gov.za by 13 September 2022 before close of business.

“The email subject should state Feasibility Studies for Tshiame Agri-Hub and Springbokpan Agri-Hub – Consulting Services,” Dlamini said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

FICKSBURG - The Welkom Public Order Police have arrested four suspects at Zone 8, Meqheleng for possession of drugs and an attempt murder case.

On Wednesday, 07 September 2022 at about 20:30, members were off duty when they received information from community with regard to whereabouts of three wanted suspects. The team acted swiftly and arrested the suspects. Upon searching the residence where they were arrested, police found crystal meth and madrax tablets. The four are also wanted for attempted murder case which happened recently in Meqheleng.

The four suspects aged between 18 and 26 have been charged and expected to appear before the Ficksburg Magistrate court on Friday, 09 September 2022 facing charged of possession of drugs and attempted murder.

Source: South African Police Service

Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister, John Jeffery, says although the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill is not the sole answer to combatting racism, it goes a long way to penalise perpetrators.

He was speaking during a presentation on the bill at a meeting of the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services.

“This bill is not government’s attempt to the answer to racism in South Africa. Racism is a complex problem. We are not really going to resolve racism until we resolve the racial nature of poverty and power in South Africa.

“We did feel as government that it’s important to have penalties for racism and other intolerances. But it’s not meant to be the sole answer; it’s just one of the aspects,” he said.

The bill aims to provide for the offence of hate crime and the offence of hate speech, and the prosecution of persons who commit those offences and also aims to provide for appropriate sentences that may be imposed on persons who commit hate crime and hate speech offences.

Jeffery acknowledged that the bill has caused debate in the public sphere with some calling it a curtailment of freedom of speech.

“This is a controversial bill and its controversial particularly because of the hate speech provisions. I think the issue there is that it is a policy choice…should we have restrictions on speech or shouldn’t we?

“The Constitution already specifically…defines certain kinds of speech as not being part of freedom of expression. There is also the limitation clause which allows one to go further,” Jeffery said.

The Deputy Minister said public comments on the Bill had raised that there are already laws in place to deal with such matters and that these are “sufficient”.

“What we’ve got currently is PEPUDA [Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act] but PEPUDA is a civil remedy. It is dependent on the person aggrieved to go to the Equality Court to become a plaintiff and take the matter up themselves. Usually, the responsibility by the state in criminalising matters is that the state then takes responsibility for following up the crime that has been allegedly committed.

“We already have restrictions on speech as a crime which is crimen injuria. But crimen injuria is a common law crime.

“So what [this bill] is trying to do…it’s not trying to replace crimen injuria but it’s trying to set out a statutory crime of hate speech so that there’s greater clarity. There’s some confusion with crimen injuria… [on what would make] you guilty of crimen injuria. So the idea here was to have a new crime of hate speech,” he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

KIMBERLEY - The Upington K9 Unit together with members of Upington Highway Patrol confiscated dagga on Thursday, 08 September 2022 at approximately 13:45, when members searched a long distance travelling bus in Danielskuil.

Members found nineteen packets of dagga wrapped in a brown cellotape, weighing 16,10 kg. The bus was travelling from Durban,via Bloemfontein, Kimberley to Upington. An enquiry docket was opened, as no passenger could be linked with the cargo.

Police investigations continues.

Source: South African Police Service

The Special Tribunal has dismissed four separate applications for leave to appeal from COVID-19 tender corruption accused companies in the Digital Vibes matter, businessman Hamilton Ndlovu, Caledon River Properties and LNG Scientific.

In the Digital Vibes matter, companies All Out Trading, Tusokuhle Farming, Azwakele Trading and Projects, Cedar Falls, Sirela Trading and Sithokozile Khaliphile Mkhize, had asked the court to grant them leave to appeal to have their matters separated from the main review application of the controversial R150 million Digital Vibes communications tender.

An application was also brought by flamboyant businessman, Hamilton Ndlovu.

Ndlovu sought to have an appeal granted which would have allowed him to appeal the order made by the same court for him to repay at least R158 million from monies he received from 19 National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) PPE tenders.

In the original order, the tribunal was scathing in its judgement – calling Ndlovu a “mastermind” of a “fraudulent procurement scheme and [channelling] funds deriving from the impugned payments through these companies”.

Another company which scored tenders worth at least R113 million in PPE tenders, LNG Scientific, sought an application for leave to appeal the decision by the Gauteng Health Department to apply to the Tribunal to have the costly tenders reviewed and set aside.

Finally, the Special Tribunal dismissed an application by the two companies awarded the controversial R41 million border during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two companies, Caledon River Properties and ProfTeam CC, had been ordered to pay back any profits accrued from the project.

The court ruled that all four dismissed appeals could be appealed in the high court.

Source: South African Government News Agency