Day: November 17, 2022

The combined efforts of Interpol South Africa and the South African Police Service (SAPS) have led to the arrest of an Israeli gang leader, who has been on Interpol’s Red Notice from 2015.

The 46-year-old Israeli gang leader – attached to a criminal organisation in Israel called the ‘Abergil Organisation’ – was arrested, together with seven others at a house in Bryanston, Johannesburg.

“The Israeli gang leader has been on Interpol’s Red Notice from 2015. He is a wanted suspect in Israel for conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder,” said the SAPS in a statement.

According to Israeli authorities, the suspect is part of a notorious gang dealing in drug trafficking, extortion and other criminal activities.

In 2003 and 2004, the wanted suspect allegedly placed an explosive bomb underneath a vehicle of a man in Israel in two separate incidents. As a result of the first explosion, five people sustained serious injuries but all miraculously survived.

In the second incident, the suspect also attempted to do the same with the same victim, where he placed a bomb on top of a vehicle. In this incident, three people also sustained serious injuries.

In the early morning raid, the team pounced on an identified address in Bryanston and found the suspect and seven others. Police seized five assault rifles, seven pistols, an amount of $40 000  and three suspected stolen motorcycles.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Police have arrested a 43-year-old suspect believed to be linked to detained suspected kidnapping kingpin, Faizal Charloos, following an integrated intelligence-driven operation, led by the National Counter Crime Intelligence unit.

The unit, working together with Gauteng Provincial Crime Intelligence, Gauteng Organised Crime Investigation unit, Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit in Gauteng, Tracker Connect and private security received information that Charloos had a cell phone smuggled into his cell, and that he was using it to communicate with his alleged accomplices on the outside.

Charloos, who is behind bars, was arrested in March 2022, for his alleged involvement in a string of kidnapping cases and for terrorising businessmen in Gauteng.

Police national spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said at the time of Charloos’s arrest, millions of rands, believed to be ransom payments from the families of kidnap victims; stolen and hijacked vehicles – some of them fitted with blue lights, police bullet proof vests and automatic rifles were some of the items seized from his residence.

“Intelligence information pointed the police to a residence in Lenasia where Charloos’s alleged accomplice was arrested on Tuesday, 15 November 2022.

“He was found in possession of a cell phone, which preliminary investigations revealed that he was using to send money to Charloos via e-wallet and also made other payments as ordered by Charloos,” Netshiunda said.

He said the suspect was also found in possession of a white Toyota Hilux affixed with false registration plates and further investigations confirmed that the vehicle was hijacked in Lyttelton in July 2016.

“Police are following several leads and more arrests cannot be ruled out. The 43-year-old suspect will appear in court soon,” he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Deputy Chairperson, Sylvia Lucas, has implored the three spheres of government — national, provincial and local government — to constantly engage community members on all ongoing programmes, including incomplete projects.

Lucas made the call during public hearings on housing, roads, transport and public infrastructure.

The hearings are part of the week-long ‘Taking Parliament to the People (TPTTP)’ oversight programme, which is underway at Ugu District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.

At the hearing, community members across the district raised concerns about poor road maintenance, including total lack of access roads in high-lying rural and farm areas, inadequate housing, poor water infrastructure and lack of electricity.

Lucas said although the issues raised were adequately responded to by the relevant MECs and Ministers, who attended the hearings and shared their service acceleration plans for the affected areas, further public engagements are required.

“Community members seem to appreciate the services that are provided to them, but they are frustrated when government officials are nowhere to explain delays when they occur,” Lucas said.

Lucas emphasised the importance of programmes, such as the ‘Taking Parliament to the People’, as instruments that create an interface amongst the three spheres of government and provincial legislatures to ensure that elected representatives of the people take time to hear what the people have to say and respond accordingly.

“We would like to actually ask government to come back to the people, even if they are not able to immediately respond to the issues that they have committed to, but they must at least come back to the people, because this kind of exercise is showing us that people are grateful for what is done for them. People also want us to constantly respond to issues,” she said. 

Held under the theme, ‘Working together to ensure faster improvement in the delivery of services to communities’, the TPTTP programme is a platform for the public to hold their leaders accountable on issues affecting them.

The programme enables the NCOP to exercise its constitutional obligation of overseeing government programmes and policies. The programme also gives ordinary citizens an opportunity to engage their elected public representatives face-to-face on issues affecting them.

The programme continues with more public hearings and further site visits to the identified key service delivery points, including water reticulation plants, farming projects, police stations, amongst others.

The programme will conclude on Friday with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s annual address to the NCOP sitting at the Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre in Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality. 

Source: South African Government News Agency

Deputy President David Mabuza will on Thursday appear before a sitting of the National Assembly to respond to questions on wide-ranging issues related to a capable and developmental state, HIV/AIDS and service delivery.

“In response, the Deputy President will update the house on government’s plans to build a capable and developmental state through the implementation of the National Framework for the Professionalisation of the Public Sector,” the statement read.

As the world prepares to commemorate World AIDS Day on 1 December, the Deputy President as Chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council, will appraise members on how the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and Sexually Transmitted Infections has positively affected the fight against the disease in the past five years.

“The Deputy President will also update Parliament on progress made by government regarding the delivery of socio-economic benefits for Military Veterans as well as the on the support by national and provincial government to municipalities, to assist them to fulfil their constitutional mandate.”

Mabuza is also expected to outline the support provided by South Africa in the negotiations to resolve conflicts on the continent in efforts towards building a better Africa and a better world.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Dikeledi Magadzi will on Saturday hand over girl-friendly toilets and sanitation units to schools and about 400 households in Vhembe District, as part of observing World Toilet Day.

World Toilet Day, which is held annually on 19 November since 2013, is an official United Nations international observation day to inform, engage, raise awareness, and stimulate people to take actions to tackle the global sanitation crisis towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6.2 target.

The initiative seeks to highlight the need to accelerate sanitation delivery, eradicate open defaecation and ensure access to adequate sanitation.

SDG Target 6.2 aims to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations, by 2030.

The department said the sanitation units were constructed in collaboration with WaterAid and the Department of Basic Education, to benefit previously disadvantaged individuals in rural communities, as part of the department’s Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG).

“Limpopo has been identified as the province with lowest access to sanitation services, thus its choice to kick-start the campaign, combining with the Global Handwash campaign that started on 15 October 2022,” the department said in a statement.

The event will be held at Rasivhetshele Senior Primary School in Ha-Mangilasi, Makhado Local Municipality.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address a sitting of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) during the Taking Parliament to the People programme (TPTTP) in KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday.

The programme is held under the theme, “Working together to ensure faster improvement in the delivery of services to communities”.

“This occasion will be the culmination of a week-long series of parliamentary activities in the area. The district comprises the Ray Nkonyeni, Umuziwabantu, Umzumbe and Umdoni local municipalities.

“During this week, Members of Parliament and of the Provincial Legislature, as well as office-bearers of local municipalities have visited various sites and conducted public meetings where residents were able to draw attention to challenges they experience with regards to service delivery,” the Presidency said in a statement.

Earlier this week, during the opening of the TPTTP programme, NCOP chairperson, Amos Masondo, said the visit to the area is aimed at addressing the service delivery challenges in the province which has been hampered by a number of significant incidents.

“Unfortunately, the July 2021 unrest and the damages caused by the floods earlier this year, have somewhat reversed some of the gains made by the province in respect of the areas we will be focusing on. But we must not tire … we should fight on to build back better.

“We therefore welcome everybody from any part of the province to come and raise issues during the week, guided by the broad agenda as reflected on the programme. We do expect the members of the Executive to be able to deal with relevant issues pertaining to the district, the province and indeed beyond.

“Our clarion call is that we must all work together, to ensure the faster improvement in the delivery of services to communities,” Masondo said.

Source: South African Government News Agency