Day: December 25, 2022

Situation Analysis

Across the region, millions of people are living in poverty and facing multiple daily threats to their food security. An estimated 146 million people are facing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. Climatic shocks, such as prolonged drought and recurrent flooding, conflict, desert locusts, and economic downturns, exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19, have combined to hit communities hard. The impact of global drivers is compounding the effect of pre-existing deep-rooted local drivers such as poverty and marginalisation.

The crisis has spread across all of Africa – from East Africa with the fourth consecutive failed rains in the Horn of Africa and extreme flooding for four successive years in South Sudan, to the Sahel region of West Africa plagued by insecurity and political instability, to Southern Africa where countries, such as Zimbabwe, are experiencing surging inflation. Unfortunately, this is not new and in 2010–2011, in spite of early warning signs that failed rains in East Africa would result in acute food insecurity and a loss of lives, the humanitarian response was too little and too late. History almost repeated itself in 2016–2017, but governments and humanitarian organisations mobilised a response sufficient enough to head off mass mortality.

Warnings of the current situation were given as early as 12 months ago when African Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies started to launch hunger crisis emergency appeals. So far, 17 African National Societies have responded to the hunger crisis across the region with the limited resources they have. However, to respond to the rapidly escalating humanitarian needs and scale up, for the National Society response, funding for the crisis needs to be urgently increased. The IFRC, in turn, must quickly and massively scale-up life-saving assistance to millions of people facing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity, of which hundreds of thousands are at immediate risk of or experiencing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, but also to decisively address the root causes of this crisis through longer-term commitments.

The report details how the African Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies plan to scale up life-saving assistance to millions of people and the response efforts since the launch of the emergency appeal. At the same time, through longer-term programming, African National Societies will address the root causes of food insecurity. IFRC will build on our previous successes and work in support of government plans and frameworks to improve the resilience of the most impoverished communities, including displaced populations.

Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies

The death toll from a fuel tanker explosion in a South African city east of Johannesburg has risen to 15, the health minister said Sunday.

"Yesterday [Saturday], the death toll was at 10 people and now we are sitting at 15 as of this morning," Joe Phaahla told reporters at Tambo Memorial Hospital.

The tanker, transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), was caught beneath a bridge close to the hospital and houses on Saturday morning in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.

The minister said three hospital employees, two nurses and a driver, died later from severe burn injuries.

Thirty-seven people were injured, including 24 patients and 13 staff members who were in the hospital's accident and emergency unit at the time of the blast.

They "sustained severe burns and have been diverted to neighboring hospitals", Phaahla said.

Others were hit by shattered glass, he added, while some were hurt as they were in the parking lot or in front of the hospital.

Videos on social media showed a huge fireball under the bridge, which the tanker appeared to have been too high to go under.

It was carrying 60,000 liters of LPG gas, which is used especially in cooking and gas stoves, and had come from the southeast of the country.

The health minister said the blast severely damaged the hospital's accident and emergency unit and X-ray departments, adding the roof was also damaged.

Source: Voice of America

WESTERN CAPE - Police members were busy with tracing operations on Saturday 24 December 2022 in Elsiesriver and Delft policing precinct when they arrested and detained suspects on charges related to the firearms control act and illegal possession of ammunition.

The members responded to information and searched a residence situated in Fabriek Street in Eureka. Hidden in the bedroom cupboard they found an automatic Norinco Pistol with ammunition. They arrested and detained a 25-year-old female on a charge of possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition. The members continued to search the wendy houses located on the same premises. They confiscated two stun grenades and arrested and detained a 47-year-old man on a charge of possession of explosives. The illicit firearms and ammunition were seized as evidence.

In an unrelated incident the members then followed up on information and searched a premises in Canterbury Street. Their persistence paid off in success when they confiscated drugs and an imitation firearm. They arrested and detained a 60-year-old man on charges of possession of an imitation firearm and possession of drugs.

Meanwhile police members of Operation Restore responded to information and proceeded to an address in Hardekool Street in Delft. They searched the premises and confiscated drugs, cash and a shotgun with ammunition. They arrested and detained a 42-year-old man on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition and dealing in drugs.

Once charged the suspects are expected to make their respective court appearances in the Goodwood and Bellville Magistrate court’s on the mentioned charges.

Source: South African Police Service

POLOKWANE - The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has strongly warned vigilante groups for taking the law into their own hands and killing people they suspect of crime. This after the partially burned and bound body of one of the mob justice victims was found by a Pastor in the Church at Tshikota location in Louis Trichardt this morning, 25 December 2022.

The incident follows a chain of events which commenced with the reporting of a case of burglary business at Makhado police station which allegedly took place at a school at Tshikota location on Tuesday 20 December 2022.

On Wednesday 21 December 2022, a vigilante group calling themselves "Tshikota Anti-crime Group" reportedly traced the suspects without knowledge of the police. They managed to locate three African males and accused them of being responsible for the burglary.

They were taken to the local graveyard and one of the victims managed to escape from the mob but the other two were severely assaulted and later doused with a flammable substance and set alight.

The group initially misrepresented the facts and allegedly told the family of one of the victims that they rescued him from unknown mob after they set alight and that the other victim ran into the bushes while burning.

The victim, identified as Tumelo Mamitja aged 22, was taken to the local hospital and was transferred to Mankweng hospital where he later succumbed to the burn wounds on Friday 23 December 2022.

"This incident is highly deplorable and the culprits have to face the full might of the law. People wanting to contribute to the fight against crime must do so within the existing legal structures such as the Community Policing Forums (CPFs), Community Safety Forums (CSFs), Community In Blue (CIBs) or street patrollers. Anything outside the recognized and legal structures is regarded as vigilante group and the police will be merciless in dealing with lawlessness." Concluded Lieutenant General Hadebe.

The Police have opened two counts of kidnapping and murder. Three suspects, aged between 40 and 50 are expected to appear in Louis Trichardt magistrate court on Wednesday 28 December 2022.

More arrests are expected. Anyone with information that can lead to the apprehension of the remaining suspects is urged to contact the Investigating Officer, Sergeant Silas Baloyi on 0610147327 or Crime Stop number 0860010111 or nearest police station or may send message via MySAPS App.

Source: South African Police Service

POLOKWANE - The Police in Limpopo have taken note of a video clip circulating on social media showing three men alighting from a white motor vehicle at a toll gate, approaching another vehicle that stopped behind and committing what looked like a robbery or hijack. The accompanying information stated that the incident took place at Nyl plaza.

Immediately after the clip started circulating on Social Media, the Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe ordered a probe to establish if any such incident took place as purported.

The incident did not take place at Nyl Plaza toll gate nor at any of the toll gates that are situated in Limpopo Province. Although the video clip seems authentic, it definitely did not take place in the Province. All police stations under whose precincts the four toll gates resort, did not receive any report of carjacking.

Even if the victim has assumeably not reported the incident, the structural set up shown on the video clip is definitely not Nyl Plaza.

"The N1 is one of the busiest roads that pass through the Province and we, together with other law enforcement agencies, have heightened our deployments along this road, especially during this Festive period. Officers deployed next to these toll gates could not have missed such a serious incident". Concluded Lieutenant General Hadebe.

Source: South African Police Service

PARKTOWN - On Saturday, 24 December 2022, in the evening following an explosion of a gas tanker in Boksburg, the police traced and arrested the driver of the tanker at a private hospital where he had been receiving medical treatment for minor injuries. The 32-year-old suspect has been charged with multiple counts of culpable homicide, negligent causing of an explosion resulting in death [Act 26 of 1956, Section 27 (2)] and malicious damage to property.

Earlier in the day at 06:15, the South African Police Service’s various specialised units as well as officials from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police, Gauteng Emergency Services (EMS), Ekurhuleni Emergency Management Services, Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’, Disaster Management, Response and Rescue personnel, and specialised equipment were dispatched to Boksburg’s Railway Bridge on the Hospital Road following an explosion.

Preliminary investigations found that the loaded gas tanker got stuck trying to drive through a low bridge and the impact resulted in an explosion. The gas tanker was allegedly driving from Richard's Bay en route to Botswana.

The driver as well as several people who sustained injuries including eight firefighters were taken to various hospitals for medical treatment. Thus far, 15 people are reported to have sustained fatal injuries including a 10-year-old boy.

The full damage to infrastructure as well as private property will be communicated in due course. The incident scene is still being cleared.

The suspect will appear before the Boksburg Magistrates Court on 28 December 2022.

Source: South African Police Service