South Africa P.I.G.: SA POLICE

Showing posts with label SA POLICE. Show all posts

Justice in South Africa? It's a sick joke

More than 20 000 firearms <strike>sold to criminals</strike> lost by SAPS since April 2004 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikln7qWciJdCXfkPhyphenhyphenTe6bmpeA8PW6iAs5KW-C1ZYXpQqCu4yBtKaSR6_8k4CvqS13rxAbi9Gra24IF0F3EJ6tbOjBORXT6o7FZcVX4wHXEAwKalXpdmU6bSG8tmGYp2qBsfJ_sdRfpzPc/s1600/cele-journalist.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582242645305933938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikln7qWciJdCXfkPhyphenhyphenTe6bmpeA8PW6iAs5KW-C1ZYXpQqCu4yBtKaSR6_8k4CvqS13rxAbi9Gra24IF0F3EJ6tbOjBORXT6o7FZcVX4wHXEAwKalXpdmU6bSG8tmGYp2qBsfJ_sdRfpzPc/s400/cele-journalist.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 278px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><a href="http://www.thestar.co.za/mps-warn-cele-and-top-brass-1.1038485?pageNumber=2">MPs GUN for SAPS top brass</a> Embattled national Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele and his top brass have been warned by MPs that lying to Parliament was a criminal offence as the department was grilled on its chaotic firearm controls. MPs came out guns blazing against police bigwigs for claiming, during previous committee meetings, that their management of firearms was under control. This followed a senior SAPS commissioner admission that there was really no system in place to monitor and safeguard firearms. Cele was not present during Tuesday’s meeting with the National Assembly committee on police. Chairwoman Sindi Chikunga said he had excused himself. Commissioner for visible policing at the SAPS, Joel Mothiba, said: “We really don’t have control of the environment (firearm controls) … we must point out that we do not have a system.” In response, angry MPs accused the police management of lying to them during previous meetings. ANC MP Annelize van Wyk said the committee’s patience with the department was wearing thin as it was not the first time information that had been provided was questioned and earlier statements disputed. “It’s a criminal offence to lie to Parliament. There will come a time when this committee has had enough of these half-truths.” DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard said: “The absolute top structure (of SAPS) had sworn to us on stacks of Bibles that a system was in place. Now you mean there’s no system? “Why have we been listening to top structure saying everything (was under control) … I don’t know how you even manage to apprehend criminals. I’m absolutely gob-smacked,” Kohler Barnard said. The SAPS on Tuesday presented its report on the safeguarding of firearms to the committee. Over the past seven years, 20 429 firearms were reported lost despite 12 control measures put in place. To date, the SAPS has recovered 4 810 of the guns and no steps have been taken against any officers. The department has 264 845 firearms. On the report, Chikunga said: “The report today, if you look at it and really think about it, it’s somewhat a fatal report.” Members expressed their concern about the statistics in the report because the national department had relied on the provinces to provide the numbers, with very few actual inspections of police stations. Van Wyk said, if the figures relied on information from the provinces, “I can say without a doubt that they are wrong”. Earlier, SAPS divisional commissioner of supply chain management Gary Kruser said he had only been notified of the meeting the day before the department was scheduled to appear before the committee. “So we had to put the presentation together in a rush.” Chikunga took issue with this, saying the SAPS had been handed the committee’s schedule in October. “It’s surprising that only yesterday people were told. I’m not sure what this means … I have a problem with the document being prepared one day before the meeting. Even if the national commissioner (Cele) could not come he should have prepared the people who came. (That it was) only prepared yesterday talks to the disorganisation on that level.” - Political BureauClick on link to see reader comments: <a href="http://www.thestar.co.za/mps-warn-cele-and-top-brass-1.1038485?pageNumber=2">http://www.thestar.co.za/mps-warn-cele-and-top-brass-1.1038485?pageNumber=2</a> 91,216 REPORTED MURDERS 2005-2010 - ONLY 27,648 IN PRISON FOR MURDER - 20 429 FIREARMS have been 'lost' in the police force since April 2004 and no steps have been taken against any police officers! Politicsweb note: The total number of reported crimes, according to the SAPS, between 2005 and 2010 for the following categories are: Murder, 91,216; Sexual crimes 335,941, Robbery 327,633, Robbery with Aggravating circumstances 599,743; residential burglary 1,253, 246. <a class="read_more" href="http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71656?oid=225314&sn=Detail&pid=71616">Read more</a> Source: <a href="http://www.politicsweb.co.za/">http://www.politicsweb.co.za/</a>

Justice in South Africa? It's a sick joke

More than 20 000 firearms sold to criminals lost by SAPS since April 2004 MPs GUN for SAPS top brass Embattled national Police Commissione...

3:50 PM

Armed gang of 'fake cops' torture farmer, family

Pretoria – Heavily-armed men in police uniforms tied up a Mokopane (Potgietersrus) farmer and his family and repeatedly shocked them with stun guns on a farm this week. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFH999y7qb-SwZoOSoaixKpKycX47M0USL3za1vu0_XNrF041K5mnSp7faT-WBmlCUJtuOS1YyybBp2A224NCy0JFL5e_XkFsshkAeDdRRRdZSW5haOqHyldGzC2xxpxJantpJhINohPr/s1600-h/ANC+VICTIMS.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432203634008494898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFH999y7qb-SwZoOSoaixKpKycX47M0USL3za1vu0_XNrF041K5mnSp7faT-WBmlCUJtuOS1YyybBp2A224NCy0JFL5e_XkFsshkAeDdRRRdZSW5haOqHyldGzC2xxpxJantpJhINohPr/s400/ANC+VICTIMS.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 296px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" /></a>The eight attackers also pulled plastic bags over the heads of Okkie Malherbe, 63, and his wife Emmerentia, 53, from the Olem agricultural concern on the farm Doelen. Malherbe's granddaughter, Kaycee, 5, was hysterical during the attack. Malherbe's son, WD, 34, said the attack lasted about two hours, "but it felt like forever. There was murder in their faces." WD said he had come for supper on Tuesday evening at his father and stepmother's. Shortly after 19:00, an Isuzu bakkie and a Toyota Corolla with a blue light on the roof, had stopped in front of the farmhouse. Three of the eight men were wearing police uniforms. The rest were "neatly clothed, like detectives". "We thought it was the police and then I opened the door. They pointed semi-automatic machine guns at me." WD said the attackers told them they were police officers from Gauteng and were investigating illegal firearms. His father asked to see identification and the men quickly waved about "a piece of paper and cards". "We could see these weren't police IDs and said we were going to call the police. They then pulled on their Balaclavas." They asked for money and keys to the safe. The attackers tied up WD, his father and stepmother and also tied the hands of his sister, Zia, and her daughter Kaycee. "They told me to lie on my face on the sofa. We weren't allowed to speak and every now and then felt a firearm against the head." WD said the attackers shocked them, but not Kaycee, several times with stun guns. The men took his father to a nearby building from where the family ran the Limpopo Meat Packers business. He gave them the keys to the safe. They took his shoes and pulled a plastic bag over his head. They took R120 000. The attackers forced him back to the house and took him and his wife to their bedroom. A plastic bag was also pulled over his wife's head. "They were choked. I felt like I was going crazy when I heard that but I couldn't do anything," said their son." Employees of the Malherbes who stayed in a flat near the main house, suspected something was wrong and activated an alarm. "They fled when the alarm went off. They took my bakkie, but later left it on a farm road. My father and stepmother's cellphones were also stolen. We feel vulnerable, what should you do if people with police uniforms and a blue light stop near you? How should you know who you can trust?" Provincial police spokesperson superintendent Ronel Otto said a special task team had been appointed to look for the attackers. - Beeld

Armed gang of 'fake cops' torture farmer, family

Pretoria – Heavily-armed men in police uniforms tied up a Mokopane (Potgietersrus) farmer and his family and repeatedly shocked them with st...

7:46 AM

Cops suspected of fiddling are now inspectors

Ten of 11 high-ranking officers accused of rigging crime statistics in KwaZulu-Natal are now allegedly part of an inspectorate team. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRePxaLswTPU5hH6DqN488MpySK4Q0TVmdGLyuOkajTzGQkQGYk2aGB-ExMsUgtmyUH-axL0Te_Lwt5NYvDfUtcBp9SmMfirJeiQ-hvDIFopiuagVCFY7Y9LnQfPVenD7-nXy62ZrDlc/s1600-h/saps-za-2.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403479712323394930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRePxaLswTPU5hH6DqN488MpySK4Q0TVmdGLyuOkajTzGQkQGYk2aGB-ExMsUgtmyUH-axL0Te_Lwt5NYvDfUtcBp9SmMfirJeiQ-hvDIFopiuagVCFY7Y9LnQfPVenD7-nXy62ZrDlc/s400/saps-za-2.JPG" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 211px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 206px" /></a>Police sources said Pietermaritzburg's Mountain Rise officers, who had been transferred last week to work with the former acting provincial commissioner pending the outcome of an investigation, were now inspecting stations in the city and in Durban. The provincial inspectorate is a component of the national inspectorate, previously called the evaluation services division. The inspectorate is responsible for operational and organisational evaluations and inspections of police stations and specialist units within the province. It has unrestricted access to dockets and other aspects of police stations. Members of the unit are there to ensure that rules and regulations are followed and are required to report any suspicion of misconduct or irregularities. A police source questioned how the officers could be part of this team. "How can they be checking important police documents when they have been implicated with interfering with dockets?" said the source, who added that this could be viewed as a promotion. The source also said the move could be seen as suggesting the officers were being protected. Johan Burger of the Institute for Security Studies said that if this was true, it made "an absolute mockery of the system of oversight that the inspectorate is supposed to provide". "Either those who appointed them to the positions were unaware of the allegations against them, or are absolutely irresponsible in terms of their use of the inspectorate," he said. He added that the newly appointed provincial commissioner, Mamunye Ngobeni, should immediately intervene. Ngobeni declined to comment on the issue, referring questions to her spokeswoman Phindile Radebe. Radebe denied the officers were tasked with inspecting other stations, saying they were not assigned to any specific task or team. She said they were now working under Assistant Commissioner Pat Brown, the head of detectives in KZN. "They are tasked to deal with any matter raised at any station in the province... to put it simply, they have no specific task," she said, adding she could not cite examples of what these tasks were. <a href="http://www.star.co.za/" target="_blank">The Star</a>

Cops suspected of fiddling are now inspectors

Ten of 11 high-ranking officers accused of rigging crime statistics in KwaZulu-Natal are now allegedly part of an inspectorate team. Police ...

11:55 AM

Be afraid of SA police force

Consider a scenario of a trigger-happy police force getting out of hand before crime does. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2H4b5JdivSjwBTfzicATh3zAtxHKPryQFtEBY-AsCDt4U1G4UOfqkpz10HttukE35KW6TuBKEGa3q8agtpbNWIvRZYZ7EWtzT0UUHX2975T11CVFxFSD5Q4VX7md8ihROy9bmtb6zp1E/s1600-h/SAPS-SHOOT-TO-KILL-01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402819360279984018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2H4b5JdivSjwBTfzicATh3zAtxHKPryQFtEBY-AsCDt4U1G4UOfqkpz10HttukE35KW6TuBKEGa3q8agtpbNWIvRZYZ7EWtzT0UUHX2975T11CVFxFSD5Q4VX7md8ihROy9bmtb6zp1E/s400/SAPS-SHOOT-TO-KILL-01.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 248px" /></a>Many a South African is somewhat scared of this happening, Johan Burger, of the Pretoria-based Institute of Security Studies, said this week. "One almost wants to ask the question: What will come first? Will crime get out of control first, or will the police get out of control first?" These options are "equally dangerous", said Burger. His observations came as the public reeled from the latest police shooting that claimed the life of a three-year-old boy, apparently after his uncle was mistaken for a criminal. The boy, Atlegang Phalane, died on the scene outside a relative's house in Klipfontein View Extension 2, northeast of Johannesburg. Commented senior researcher at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation David Bruce: "There is a crisis of control in the Saps (SA Police Service) relating to the use of lethal force." Sapa approached several experts in the past few days on sweeping changes envisaged in the way South Africa is policed. These include plans to turn the current SAPS into a single "super" military-ranked police force with orders not to hesitate to shoot, changes that led former minister Kader Asmal criticising the government for "militarising" the police. Burger said there was a clear movement from a more "defensive" position on crime, to a more "offensive" one. The police moved away from a "force-orientated" body in 1994, when it had to democratise and transform, to a more "service-orientated" organisation. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhGzFWsAgAsavkK7yeIqQqt8eCz0ybEevE3AtJlt6ki2D1wATCbV6tDKsr8fa-KSvkRGrTxov95dKJlMPA0z6kDMTPca-K0NegR-HHzmmd2X4uWY4BeYudM-AClfic6kegfIUVpIAof8/s1600-h/SAPS-shoot1004_468x325.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402824732132764850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhGzFWsAgAsavkK7yeIqQqt8eCz0ybEevE3AtJlt6ki2D1wATCbV6tDKsr8fa-KSvkRGrTxov95dKJlMPA0z6kDMTPca-K0NegR-HHzmmd2X4uWY4BeYudM-AClfic6kegfIUVpIAof8/s400/SAPS-shoot1004_468x325.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 278px" /></a>This was necessary at the time as the police's image was in tatters and it had to win back legitimacy from a violent past. But the changes impaired the police in effectively fighting crime. Community Police Forums were set up, where police consult the community in crime fighting to be more accountable to them, instead of the pre-1994 style of using force to keep the law. This resulted in the pendulum swinging to the side where the police were more focused on "service delivery" than "enforcing the law". But this was interpreted by criminals that the police's hands were tied, and they started to exploit the situation, leading to the high levels of crime today. "We have to now find a way to balance the two," says Burger. "While I understand that changes are needed, you have to warn policemen that the changes should not create the idea that you now can be -- or have to be -- the policeman that you were prior to 1994." One of the changes that fuels fears of excessive use of force by the police the most is a possible amendment of section 49 of the Criminal Procedures Act. This section gives police the right to use deadly force when arresting a criminal. Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos of the University of Cape Town said it was not clear how the government intended to change section 49 yet. "It (the current section 49) already gives a police officer all the protection that he needs, should he shoot a criminal," said De Vos. "I don't know what they want to change to make it easier for them to shoot someone." Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 states that in the event that a suspect resists arrest or flees, the arresting officer may, "in order to effect the arrest use such force as may in the circumstances be reasonably necessary to overcome the resistance or prevent the person concerned from fleeing". The Act goes further to state that if someone is being arrested for a serious or violent crime (schedule 1 offence), or if the arresting officer has reasonable ground to suspect that such an offence has been committed, and the arresting officer is unable to effect the arrest or prevent the suspect from fleeing by other means either than by killing him, "the killing shall be deemed to be justifiable homicide". <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePlnkJ7mrjrVUiUsismH8o69MONuGjZ9XBeYjJrFZHwmjANxyAVCdj36C7Ysn-FeQGC281Q-uyOzdjLqL8No50gpp8WQJF8hF8xRv8mePcOrlHfveSnRtIGB0oVITuC_v9wJWgZsco_I/s1600-h/SAPS_46562699_03_sa_diepsloot.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402819357022037458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePlnkJ7mrjrVUiUsismH8o69MONuGjZ9XBeYjJrFZHwmjANxyAVCdj36C7Ysn-FeQGC281Q-uyOzdjLqL8No50gpp8WQJF8hF8xRv8mePcOrlHfveSnRtIGB0oVITuC_v9wJWgZsco_I/s400/SAPS_46562699_03_sa_diepsloot.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" /></a>The proposed changes are hotly defended by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, saying that the changes will just make it easier for police to understand their in a situation. But while the changes are necessary, Bruce cautioned that care should be taken in applying them. "There is a serious problem of violent crime in South Africa and I believe that Saps members need to be provided with the appropriate support to enable them to deal professionally with situations of danger in which they confront violent, and in some cases heavily armed, criminals," said Bruce. "However, heated political rhetoric which encourages the reckless or unlawful use of lethal force does not serve to support police officers but rather feeds into confusing them and potentially placing them in legal jeopardy." Last week, a court heard a case of a civilian, Kgothatso Ndobe, who was shot dead by the police. He ran away from the police because he was smoking dagga, his family and friends said. In another incident, two patrons of a tavern in Matsulu outside Nelspruit were killed when police raided it. Patrons started throwing bottles at police when they were asked to be searched and police responded by shooting rubber bullets. Two died after being shot with sharp point ammunition. The Independent Complaints Directorate is investigating. Professor David Mashiloane, head of the department of Unisa's police studies, agreed that the problem was not the law itself, but the understanding of the law by police officers. There were no guarantees that the changing of the legislation would make police officers better understand it. "The previous one was changed because we thought the police were really going overboard and that was another dimension of understanding," said Mashiloane. André Beukes, deputy commissioner of police in the Nelson Mandela-era, said the decision for a police officer to draw his weapon and to shoot, was completely discretionary. "You cannot teach discretion. It is inborn," he said.--Sapa

Be afraid of SA police force

Consider a scenario of a trigger-happy police force getting out of hand before crime does. Many a South African is somewhat scared of this h...

3:13 AM

Cut the rot, Mr Cele!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc4V5UmO8MESlh1goDG8ImRNbhcCNuw7XYhjRZKl9pIRk3JZWWfZFMrJ8KDuiGC-AkRv8x_-MwbpxJ-Zmjptxrq2h9Rbfc5jnAefsFzG-GMYTt3wpkooA2yUC5zhcR1Cn073SxaQDbh8/s1600-h/Bheki%2520Cele_image_lowres.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367592597262443778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc4V5UmO8MESlh1goDG8ImRNbhcCNuw7XYhjRZKl9pIRk3JZWWfZFMrJ8KDuiGC-AkRv8x_-MwbpxJ-Zmjptxrq2h9Rbfc5jnAefsFzG-GMYTt3wpkooA2yUC5zhcR1Cn073SxaQDbh8/s400/Bheki%2520Cele_image_lowres.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 299px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" /></a> Dear Mr Cele, As an introduction, the final prod that spurred me to write this appeal to you was the unfortunate experience I had upon visiting a police station in Johannesburg. I was met by shabbily dressed, slouching officials who made it abundantly clear that they did not want to extract themselves from between the widely stretched arms of their chairs before shuffling their way they slowly towards the counter like jelly sliding across the floor, only then to show their complete lack of knowledge to help with what I expected to be the most basic of information. The young folk at the local MacDonald's make better attempts to look respectable in their sometimes ill-fitting uniforms. They are also more knowledgeable about their job and their company and conduct themselves in a more professional and friendly manner. Good for them, they have honest jobs. Mr Cele, true to your image you have been doing a lot of tough talk about bringing the criminals to book and creating a society where a rape, murder and violent crime is "shocking news". You have also spoken about getting the police force into better physical shape. All this is good news, but it's what is not being said that makes me worry about you being able to achieve your goals. Allow me to expand by using your own good analogy about not having to be a pilot to manage an airline. Let's assume you were responsible for an airline that was not enjoying customer support because it had come to the public's knowledge that the flight attendants were rude and dishonest and poorly performing pilots resulted in accidents. It would not take a business degree to realise that no matter how many new planes you bought, the public would not support the airline until they were confident that you had an accident free record and they could trust the pilots and attendants. You could only achieve this by either upgrading the skills and professionalism of your pilots and crew or replace them with more a professional and skilled team. You see Mr Cele, it's not the tools of the job that inspire public confidence, it's the manner in the job is executed, with or without tools, that determine the level of support you will get. Herein lie's my concern. What have you inherited? You have inherited a generally corrupt and ineffective police force. Stories of police abuse and incompetence emerge daily across all sectors of our society. While I have no doubt your intentions are good, equipping such a force with more power and new tools will do nothing to instil public confidence in your organisation. As individuals and as business entities we are constantly told that we have a duty to help the police fight crime; how can we do this when we have enough evidence to show the police to be either on the wrong side of the law themselves or too incompetent or lethargic to do anything about it? While few would disagree with your hard line approach to criminals, we've heard it all before. You will gain far greater support by acknowledging what your predecessors refused to see and that's the internal rot that is paralysing your organisation. Mr Cele, I appeal to you to display that character not found in your predecessors and purge your organisation those incompetent or criminal individuals instead of ignoring them or taking lame action like putting them on "extended leave" with full pay only to allow them to slip back into the system. Ridding yourself of these unsavoury individuals will not only encourage those officials who are trying to do a good job, but it may provide good solid respectable careers for many South Africans who would like to be part of an effective and appreciated law enforcement agency. I am prepared to bet that once you have cut out the rot from within your organisation the remainder of your task, albeit huge, will be a lot easier. You will have more competent individuals in your (new) team and will enjoy far greater support from every sector of our society. While you have significant challenges in your new role, you also have exceptional opportunities. The public support you will gain from all South Africans if you are brave enough to fight the fight from within will far outweigh any short term gain you may enjoy by maintaining the status quo. Sir, you are in a position to either to be fobbed off as just another puppet on a string, or you could go down in history as the man who delivered this country back to its citizens. Heaven knows, we could all do with a unifying hero right now. Do you have what it takes? I hope so. Quenton

Cut the rot, Mr Cele!

Dear Mr Cele, As an introduction, the final prod that spurred me to write this appeal to you was the unfortunate experience I had upon visit...

6:49 AM

Cops threaten mass action

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqIMFY2BT5uEw2a1i7aHtP79G2uhWs43Rpd0unxEDJEvqmWfjiP_b2GFF35IihDfIyDMEcrIqBY85htrr3ibPcVWWqFvEdqoU_mgpobVREn0lrzwCFfLYFLu2SWXLbkDOwfx7XhpH2953/s1600-h/SAPSFatButtFemale.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337168326149971282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqIMFY2BT5uEw2a1i7aHtP79G2uhWs43Rpd0unxEDJEvqmWfjiP_b2GFF35IihDfIyDMEcrIqBY85htrr3ibPcVWWqFvEdqoU_mgpobVREn0lrzwCFfLYFLu2SWXLbkDOwfx7XhpH2953/s400/SAPSFatButtFemale.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 208px" /></a>Police and prison officials were locked in discussions on Monday over possible strike action if salary negotiations failed in KwaZulu-Natal, Popcru said. Kwenza Nxele, spokesperson for the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, said negotiations were continuing, but with little progress. He warned if no agreement was reached by Friday, the union would embark on mass action. "The action will culminate in a national day of action..." Nxele said in a statement. "The leadership has started from today (Monday) to visit major prisons in KwaZulu-Natal where there will be a mass meeting relating to the programme of action," he said.

Cops threaten mass action

Police and prison officials were locked in discussions on Monday over possible strike action if salary negotiations failed in KwaZulu-Natal,...

5:07 AM

South African Governments 'publicity stunt convenience'

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaasFWEhW76rCvYy3vQjEo2duYzJu3gFBrPGDhU0Z6Qfbhi-Boa4hl2ARjcgejlNm64RWhoEAuUQ696eC25QQj5Pr60gELa1BjLThoP1e-X00z0Z_d1ZtUzC2YO3tE0dWxi8ZdWXzFgKm/s1600-h/aa-road-deaths-sa.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326125643763855842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaasFWEhW76rCvYy3vQjEo2duYzJu3gFBrPGDhU0Z6Qfbhi-Boa4hl2ARjcgejlNm64RWhoEAuUQ696eC25QQj5Pr60gELa1BjLThoP1e-X00z0Z_d1ZtUzC2YO3tE0dWxi8ZdWXzFgKm/s400/aa-road-deaths-sa.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 282px" /></a>Here you go... more fudging of statistics by this pathalogical lying Govt of ours. I also noticed the drop in the annual Easter road death toll. But I thought it was because there were fewer motorists travelling due to petrol pumps running dry at filling stations because of the truck driver's strike. Fortunately the Johannesburg Attorneys Association has spotted another cunning lying move by the ANC. The ANC is running around trying to pretend they're governing this country properly. This is no doubt the reason for pretending the road death toll dropped. The ANC are pathalogical liars who lie about EVERYTHING. So none of this comes as a surprise. More of the same. ANC LIES - Government's "disingenuous massaging of the facts". Attorneys question Easter road death toll The Johannesburg Attorneys Association on Friday called into question the Easter road death toll announced earlier this week by Transport Minister Jeff Radebe. It was "impossible" to calculate real fatality numbers so soon after the fact, said the association's Michael de Broglio. "Deaths resulting from serious injuries could not have been included yet," he said, adding that numbers always increased as some of the victims succumbed to their injuries. Radebe announced on Thursday that the 197 Easter road traffic deaths this year were 34 percent down on the 297 in 2008. He said 13 people died in two major accidents this year, while 45 people died in eight major crashes last year. However, the attorneys' association questioned the "publicity stunt convenience" of the announcement. "It makes for a great story at the end of every holiday period to compare total fatalities from the same period, the year before, to the quick-win positive-spin that the premature release of the number of fatalities so soon after the fact provides to Radebe," said De Broglio. The government had announced declines in road fatalities for several years now, but the reality, in retrospect, showed a "disingenuous massaging of the facts". In his announcement, Radebe said there had been a downward trend in road deaths over the past five years, explaining that: "Despite the apparent increase in the national death rate between 2004 to 2007, there may still have been an underlying long term downward trend." De Broglio said he failed to understand why - if fatalities, motor vehicle accidents and related injuries were down and there should naturally be fewer claims - the Road Accident Fund (RAF) needed legislative changes to reduce what it was paying out. "If the Minister's figures are correct, there should be a decrease in claims." Spin would not solve the long term problems increasingly making road safety a challenge in South Africa, he said. "Corruption in licensing departments, the failure of the RAF to adequately insure South Africans against third party claims and continued failure by the government to make a real difference in road fatalities spells disaster. "These days one can connect the dots across South Africa simply by marking the vast number of potholes on any map. It remains unacceptable." THE FACTS AA Road Accidents - Report Bad road maintenance and lack of law enforcement are the main causes of the high number of accidents on South African roads, the AA said on Wednesday. AA spokesperson, Gary Ronald, said about 5% of the accidents on South Africa's roads were caused by bad signage and road conditions. "The lack of road maintenance has led to a complete deterioration of the roads, pushing this number up significantly," he said. Law enforcement was one of the larger problems, he said, with taxis and motorists alike displaying a flagrant disregard of simple traffic laws. "In almost every case, a crash is preceded by a traffic violation," he said. In 2008, there were 9.2 million cars on South African roads and 900 000 accidents, Ronald said. "This accounts for a staggering 10% of vehicles on the road, with a cost to the economy equalling 3% of the national GDP (gross domestic product) and over 42 fatalities each day." 'As big a problem as Aids' Ronald said road accidents were as big a problem for the country as issues such as Aids and crime. "It is estimated that, by 2020, road accidents will be third in the leading cause of unnatural deaths, ahead of Aids," he said. Along with the state of the roads and law enforcement, Ronald said other areas of concern were public perceptions and awareness, corruption, community involvement, road user education and broad education and communication. <a href="http://www.wheels24.co.za/Content/News/General_News/5/c172d0fda9be4e4c9da34eb116fcdbe8//SA_road_deaths_unacceptable" id="ctl00_ctl00_MainBodyPlaceholder_Column2Placeholder_ArticleRelatedLinks1_repArticleRelatedLinks_ctl01_lnkArticle">SA road deaths 'unacceptable'</a> Road fatalities in South Africa are unacceptably high said the newly formed Retail Motor Industry Road Safety Foundation. "We are very concerned about the safety of road users on our roads," said Retail Motor Industry Organisation chief executive officer Jeff Osborne. "With an estimated 800 000+ road accidents, 15 000 fatalities and several hundred thousand injuries per year, the accident and fatality rates on our roads are unacceptably high." Related article:-<a class="articleheadline" href="http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=181&art_id=vn20090419103719976C110466">Holiday road toll higher than stats show</a> Holiday traffic death statistics are skewed, because the government's figures don't include the number of people who died of their injuries. <a class="storylink" href="http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=181&art_id=vn20090419103719976C110466">Full Story...</a>

South African Governments 'publicity stunt convenience'

Here you go... more fudging of statistics by this pathalogical lying Govt of ours. I also noticed the drop in the annual Easter road death t...

12:36 PM

ANC nepotism blamed for crisis

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkjxMb_D4RTPSn6j0XRKb2GuY3JdQpcQ80fMpte6RE__vCBpv9F1vrmP9RJXqqazxiPewxivb2aA_p9fHVIP-BYd0S-OfofLIlr3PKGviV6Zd_-a2Rlx9jrjlreJi0O6qlfp-pOT_5rSm/s1600-h/SAPS-01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320544186651603778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkjxMb_D4RTPSn6j0XRKb2GuY3JdQpcQ80fMpte6RE__vCBpv9F1vrmP9RJXqqazxiPewxivb2aA_p9fHVIP-BYd0S-OfofLIlr3PKGviV6Zd_-a2Rlx9jrjlreJi0O6qlfp-pOT_5rSm/s400/SAPS-01.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" /></a>Police are battling to fight crime in South Africa because the ANC had appointed its own people who had no policing skills to positions of authority, the Democratic Alliance said on Thursday. The party's safety and security spokesperson, Dianne Kohler- Barnard, said the ANC's policy of deploying cadres in key government jobs had seen skilled security experts replaced by political appointees. She claimed this lay at the heart of the problems in the police service. She told journalists at a briefing at Parliament the government needed to address the problems immediately before the police service collapsed. Kohler-Barnard said critical senior positions in the command chain needed to be filled, detective units beefed up and the backlog of samples at the forensic science laboratories tackled. "At the heart of these problems is the ANC's disastrous cadre deployment policy, which has seen skilled security experts replaced by political appointees. This has triggered a managerial crisis in the police service which has filtered down throughout the service to its junior ranks," said Kohler-Barnard. She said the police's command structure had been left in disarray with national police commissioner Jackie Selebi on special leave pending the finalisation of a corruption probe; two of five divisional commissioner posts vacant and another two divisional commissioners facing internal and criminal investigations. Head of police legal services Lindiwe Mtimkulu was on leave for unspecified reasons, while protection and security services chief Mzondeki Tshabalala was facing charges of negligent and reckless driving. Tshabalala's unit has been in the spotlight after a number of incidents involving VIPs' blue-light convoys and motorists. It was reported this week that a bodyguard of Umsunduzi mayor Zanele Hlatshwayo allegedly spat in the face of a motorist on the N3 highway near Umbumbulu, KwaZulu-Natal. Kohler-Barnard slammed suggestions by Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa that he would only release crime statistics annually. She said this would disadvantage citizens by leaving them in the dark about the extent of crime. "He justifies this on the basis that releasing the statistics before an election might politicise them," she said. "The minister's decision not to release half-year crime statistics means that the most recent available statistics are 13 months out of date." Another worrying factor, said Kohler-Barnard, was the growing number of firearms "lost" by police every year. More than 14 000 police service firearms have gone missing since 2001. Another critical area needing urgent attention was the increase in the number of missing dockets. Kohler-Barnard provided police figures that showed the number of dockets that go missing has risen steadily over the past six years. The government needed a back-up system of scanning dockets to guard against being lost or stolen. Backlogs at the country's forensic science laboratories contributed to the delay in the finalisation of criminal cases. Kohler-Barnard said the backlog of 20 000 samples had a severe impact on the conviction rate. "We have SAPS (members) blundering on crime scenes. I will use a phrase used by one private investigator that 'they (the police) rape crime scenes'," said the DA politician, suggesting that a solution for government would be to improve its retention policies to avoid experienced staff being poached by the private sector.

ANC nepotism blamed for crisis

Police are battling to fight crime in South Africa because the ANC had appointed its own people who had no policing skills to positions of a...

11:50 AM

Durban top cop faces corruption probe

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3czqyzDg93JFiiSi-HdL_Fp071DoRskkMpVXkgEKB0lotfHEHvtlm8PHPyIsOMwB6bMT5ku54fKCJq7jN6qMSoH8LqjPWKNhzOl9kS121kz_XFdfUOJ-Zck0u2BtMdtn5Q6DelQ0tR0g/s1600-h/Pub%2520Police.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317977924963526386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3czqyzDg93JFiiSi-HdL_Fp071DoRskkMpVXkgEKB0lotfHEHvtlm8PHPyIsOMwB6bMT5ku54fKCJq7jN6qMSoH8LqjPWKNhzOl9kS121kz_XFdfUOJ-Zck0u2BtMdtn5Q6DelQ0tR0g/s400/Pub%2520Police.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 350px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 233px" /></a>One of Durban's most senior Metro Police officers is to be investigated for a series of alleged transgressions, including nepotism and fraud. He is also being chauffeured across the city by two unofficial bodyguards. Part of the complaint against him is that Metro policemen are not allowed to be used as bodyguards. Allegations of procurement, car allowance fraud and the employment of several members of the policeman's family by Metro Police are to be being investigated by the city. The office of the Ombudsman has been asked to probe the policeman after the compilation of a 200-page dossier by "concerned people, both within and outside the force". The policeman involved told the Daily News that the allegations were false and said that people inside and outside the department had a vendetta against him. He confirmed that investigators from the office of the Ombudsman had contacted him regarding the allegations and he had submitted statements in his defence. With regards to allegations of nepotism, he said: "My daughter works in the control room which is a separate department. She was called for an interview and accepted after the normal interview process. I had no jurisdiction over that," he said. The bulky dossier, which the Daily News has a copy of, consists of more than 200 pages of procurement documents, car logs and phone calls, all part of the alleged evidence against the policeman. Among the documents are 18 pages of procurement information detailing dozens of repairs done to official police vehicles - by a tool hire company. Allegedly authorised by the policeman, the company ostensibly repaired ball joints, clutches, electronic equipment and gearboxes. Misfires, shock absorbers and oil leaks were also among the items repaired by the company, which has since closed its doors. Although the company had been issued an official municipal supplier number, authors of the dossier question why a tool hire company would be allowed to work on emergency vehicles often used in dangerous situations. The company had no Retail Motor Industry, or other automotive repair, accreditation, it is claimed. "The nature of duty performed by police officers is of high speed chases, rapid response and is also needed to get an officer away from danger very quickly," reads the covering letter by the dossier's compilers to the ombudsman. "How do we know that during that period all the department accidents were not as a result of the inferior workmanship?" A forensic audit into the use of a municipal vehicle by two Metro Police constables, who have acted as unofficial bodyguards and drivers to the senior policeman, has also been called for. Instead of being out on the beat in the crime prevention and warrants section, the constables have instead been chauffeuring him to and from work in an official vehicle, while he continues to claim a car allowance for his private vehicle. Details of his movements in the official Metro Police vehicle are extensively detailed in more than 100 pages of reports generated by C Track, which tracks all police vehicles across the city. On the issue of his personal drivers, the dossier said: "They are also always in civilian clothing and work exorbitant hours of overtime. They have also been given responsibility allowances illegally as the allowances were never advertised nor published in council circulars. Nobody knows what overtime has been or is being worked by these members as everything is authorised by the policeman himself."

Durban top cop faces corruption probe

One of Durban's most senior Metro Police officers is to be investigated for a series of alleged transgressions, including nepotism and f...

9:53 AM

South African Police Service in major crisis

<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313493048661071570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Xar2LR5ul2vB1FwVg3LECsaI0XGMvsRIvNwZXnLpxc_DbbVKmtYpnwTe4eZoWh_22zol0Cqp32w90Aq5DHMU4Yq2llz-f1jzPerSeLGbJIfnh-k_Eg08R8hvmBFU-hieVdQ3mHkB4RU/s400/SAPS-tape.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" /> Missing police dockets up 56% There has been a 56 percent increase in the number of missing police dockets over the past year, the Democratic Alliance said on Sunday. This statistic was extracted from a reply to a question in Parliament. The party believes this is evidence that the SA Police Service is in the grip of a major crisis. In 2005/6, 382 were lost or stolen, in 2007/8 427 and in 2008/9 668 dockets, used to record information that can be used for a prosecution, have gone missing. Only 41 of the 668 cases (6%), resulted in ’disciplinary procedures’ being taken against the members responsible. "This means that there is no effective deterrent in place, and, thus, that the situation is hardly likely to improve," said a statement from DA MP Diane Kohler-Barnard. "It goes without saying that missing dockets represent a severe impediment to any police investigation, and the Minister cannot stay silent any longer on what measures are being taken to address this crisis." Since June 2007, there was a 93.8 percent increase in backlogs at Forensic Science Laboratories countrywide - up from 6,068 to 11,758 backlogged samples in the most recent figures released. The strain on police investigations and delays in court cases constitutes "one of the most serious impediments to a properly functioning justice system", she said. Backlogs in chemistry samples (up 103 percent since June 2007), and scientific analysis (61 percent) were also a concern. The DA suggested urgent steps to eliminate vacancies in the laboratories and a "much better" performance-based salary scheme. "The war against crime can be won if we have a well managed and resourced police service, it is clear that the ANC is incapable making this a reality," Kohler-Barnard said. Last week the party said the police had lost, had stolen or otherwise misplaced 8,286 firearms. See - <a href="http://www.praag.co.uk/news/southern-africa/225-over-8000-saps-firearms-missing.html" title="Over 8000 SAPS Firearms Missing">Over 8000 SAPS Firearms Missing</a>

South African Police Service in major crisis

Missing police dockets up 56% There has been a 56 percent increase in the number of missing police dockets over the past year, the Democrat...

9:03 AM

R121-m spent on pvt security at South Africa's police stations

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXJkdBd5WJXwTJ1mWkWNAKTVxJIxZk_xa0mC1dzYvloRs_yo_fJdrNU3sy36WdfadLPs57Js2RxudQ8JrJHc9rq0SkbvwTlRFJWo8pPWIbhllT41VE3EI8qr9zqnIXW3bWnKX4jo6Dkw/s1600-h/fidelity+security.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313029174006444754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXJkdBd5WJXwTJ1mWkWNAKTVxJIxZk_xa0mC1dzYvloRs_yo_fJdrNU3sy36WdfadLPs57Js2RxudQ8JrJHc9rq0SkbvwTlRFJWo8pPWIbhllT41VE3EI8qr9zqnIXW3bWnKX4jo6Dkw/s400/fidelity+security.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 166px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" /></a>More than R121-million was spent on private security guards to keep the country's police stations safe in 2008, and these contracts are set to continue. This is because private guards are cheaper and the government does not have to worry about dealing with employment issues when contracting private firms, Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa said in answer to a parliamentary question by DA MP Ryno King. Fifteen firms are employed on a contractual basis to provide security at the country's 1 000-odd police stations. Protea Security Services, which costs the state more than R2-million a month, and Khulani Fidelity Group Services, at R1,9-million a month, were the two biggest security service providers to the police last year. Mthethwa said the use of private security guards offered many advantages. "A comparative analysis showed that it is more cost effective to outsource this type of service than to use trained police officials," he said. Using private security guards also freed up police officers to do their work. Private security guards were contractually obliged to replace their employees when they are sick or on holiday, so there were never any staff shortages, Mthethwa said. When any losses occurred, the private security company was held responsible, he noted. <a href="http://www.praag.co.uk/news/southern-africa/225-over-8000-saps-firearms-missing.html" title="Over 8000 SAPS Firearms Missing">Over 8000 SAPS Firearms Missing</a> Mthethwa also revealed that 8 295 police pistols, rifles, shotguns and revolvers were either lost or stolen in the past three years. Of these, only 892 were recovered. See related post on I Luv SA - Link: <a href="http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2484891,00.html">We are just so screwed!</a> KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of stolen police firearms, with more than 90 reported stolen, most of them from headquarters. Mthethwa also revealed that 15 311 firearms were owned by municipalities across the country and more than 1 300 of these were voluntarily handed in for destruction after the new firearms control legislation came into effect. Police inspections had also revealed that some municipalities were irresponsible with their firearms. In the King Sabata Dalindyebo (Mthatha) local municipality in the Eastern Cape, no inventory was kept for firearms and only two out of the 163 employees had the relevant qualifications to handle firearms. Managers in the Lesedi local municipality in Heidelberg, Gauteng, did not know that one of the municipality's guns was missing until a police inspection was done. Alarmingly, many municipal employees who handled firearms were not certified to do so. In an answer to another question by DA MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard, Mthethwa revealed that the backlogs at forensic science laboratories totalled more than 11 750 samples by the end of January. Most of the backlogs were in chemistry in the Western Cape, with 9 630 samples still waiting to be analysed. Chemistry analyses are normally done in drug and arson cases. The average waiting time for samples to be analysed was 68 days, with biology samples - involving bloodstains and DNA analysis - taking as long as 130 days, even though the total backlog was relatively small at 576 samples. There are 354 staff members currently trained to deal with the analyses. More than 1 000 documents were still waiting to be analysed. Forensics expert Dr David Klatzow on Friday questioned Mthethwa's statistics, saying the backlog of chemistry samples in the Western Cape was "in excess of 18 000". He said the province started falling behind with its samples two years ago at a rate of about 500 a month. "I am well aware that Mthethwa is wedded to the truth, but I would like to know how long they have been living apart," he said. Deputy Justice Minister Johnny de Lange in 2008 announced steps to deal with backlogs such as these which hold up court cases and affect the administration of justice.

R121-m spent on pvt security at South Africa's police stations

More than R121-million was spent on private security guards to keep the country's police stations safe in 2008, and these contracts are ...

5:51 AM

490 People Died in Police Action during 2007/2008

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVM6Sd10jSmzKuSw52Mz373ZDbRgeB1944JmLAijJFAxaty5Wgf1CyUP3GFZY2MaORXVBYgYXNxONwMw3bw_Tck1dSr3a_g2trimZBRELB5Is6s63nJB2G06ADEfWW48o4OzjHroGOJc4/s1600-h/police-crime.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307622273195846770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVM6Sd10jSmzKuSw52Mz373ZDbRgeB1944JmLAijJFAxaty5Wgf1CyUP3GFZY2MaORXVBYgYXNxONwMw3bw_Tck1dSr3a_g2trimZBRELB5Is6s63nJB2G06ADEfWW48o4OzjHroGOJc4/s400/police-crime.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" /></a>The South African Police Service has always endured harsh criticism for being ineffective, but lately, that seems to be changing. Have they had enough? We track the gory trail of dead perpetrators. According to Business Day, 108 police officers were killed during the 2007-2008 financial year. Many people questioned the competency of the police, while simultaneously decrying the cold-heartedness of the killers. Some are fortunate enough to escape, but many aren't so lucky, such as 38-year-old police officer Oupa Masilela, who was gunned down outside his home in December 2008. His 7-year-old daughter said he had instructed her to lie down in an attempt to shield her. Taking back the streets This year has seen a turnaround, however, with many suspects being blasted in a hail of gunfire. On 21 January 2009, five suspected robbers were killed and four arrested after they reportedly opened fire on police in KZN. The Western Cape was not exempt from these incidents. On 28 January 2009, two robbery suspects were killed and one wounded in Kraaifontein following a police chase. The most recent shooting to raise eyebrows was that of eight robbery suspects killed in a shoot-out with police in KwaZulu-Natal on 30 January 2009. This shoot-out also resulted in three bystanders being wounded. A tough question Reactions are strongly divided, with one group supporting the killing of criminals and the other condemning it. But one has to ask the question: is this justice? Is this gung-ho approach, as advocated by Deputy-Minister of Safety and Security Susan Shabangu in April 2008, worth it? In a country where 20 000 people are murdered each year, it's easy to see why this approach is being advocated. Criminals get away on technicalities and sentences are short, resulting in many criminals spilling into society once again. The ineffective justice system, high incidence of violent crime and poorly-resourced police force results in spiralling crime rates – so perhaps this really is the only solution to the problem. In the age of criminal lawsuits against the Saps, many police officers are asking, "Why should I follow the rules if criminals have more rights than what I do?" This raises the issue of criminal rights – why should police officers have to fire a warning shot when criminals can get away with shooting a cop in the head? Is a criminal's life really more important than an officer of the law? A complicated situation But it is not as clear-cut as you may think – Sure, you could "shoot the bastards" but doing so raises a number of not-easily-ignored ethical questions. One concern is that the police force could become judge, juror and executioner all rolled into one. While many people are desperate enough to rely on this strategy, questions will undoubtedly be raised when their children are killed whilst "resisting arrest" or are caught in the cross-fire. An incident in Mpumalanga where a pupil was killed by a policeman's ricocheting bullet on 30 January 2009 serves as an unfortunate example of this. The 30 January shooting in KwaZulu-Natal also serves as a stark reminder that not everyone is an enemy. In this particular instance, the eighth suspect is believed, by forensic experts, to have been an innocent worker. More eyebrows would be raised if would-be shoplifters were found riddled with bullets as a result of police abusing the declaration. Giving police carte blanche to kill opens society up to the potential of brutality reminiscent of the Apartheid security forces. This directive could also potentially create a more favourable breeding-ground for corruption and violence within the police force, with officers potentially silencing each other and civilians over money, drugs and information. Surely there are more viable solutions to this issue… Questions are often raised about the possibility of alternative solutions. Non-lethal weaponry is often no match for the high-powered assault rifles and pistols employed by these pseudo-paramilitary thugs. Perhaps police officers need to be better equipped and trained. Perhaps paying police officers and security guards more than what they're currently earning will reduce the need for them to seek cash elsewhere. After years of enduring their colleagues being killed, the South African Police Service has turned the tables on criminals. With 490 people dying in police action during the 2007/2008 financial year, according to the Sunday Tribune, it looks like the current solution simply leads to more bloodshed.

490 People Died in Police Action during 2007/2008

The South African Police Service has always endured harsh criticism for being ineffective, but lately, that seems to be changing. Have they ...

7:20 AM

War on crime turns deadly in South Africa

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQpFzxmbwWSdXbhevPLcdGvNLW8UtvM_UIUKifAWW_A6sPmPNxyiLnxHgkD_iOluceKwWu_8kSElDznR_TQOwXnrSON8EXthp6jpjRrLlhzrKSAYyN6APZ61ANGjP2zL9w7Y_5uPdB-Y/s1600-h/robber.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300804627914590610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQpFzxmbwWSdXbhevPLcdGvNLW8UtvM_UIUKifAWW_A6sPmPNxyiLnxHgkD_iOluceKwWu_8kSElDznR_TQOwXnrSON8EXthp6jpjRrLlhzrKSAYyN6APZ61ANGjP2zL9w7Y_5uPdB-Y/s400/robber.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 311px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" /></a>There is a new war on the streets. Deadly shootouts between police and organised crime gangs are now a defining feature of police work and life in South Africa. In the past two weeks in and around Durban, more than 16 criminal suspects, and an innocent bystander, it seems, have been killed in shootouts with police, bringing to the fore the use of deadly force in apprehending suspects. Do these incidents reflect a new, tougher, if not gung-ho approach to combating crime? Have some policemen interpreted too literally the recent shoot-to-kill utterances of some leading politicians? And how do we know that vital witnesses are not being deliberately taken out by cops on the take? These are just some of the questions various commentators, including violence monitor Mary de Haas, are asking in the wake of yet another suspect killed in Durban this week. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIB9DHuVdnil0lC2r3WSXrD6zNiyC4AkLLm_NmnB6odkK2QVRLN3jiFUGop2Lgtr7G9T7xLpeH-HG7nj-GgDUF92tgo4qMuBfSMvMpg5Or63ibxmvz5-5zyisZbZWgp9dS_0KExkAC_c/s1600-h/southafricacrime.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300521363769383282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIB9DHuVdnil0lC2r3WSXrD6zNiyC4AkLLm_NmnB6odkK2QVRLN3jiFUGop2Lgtr7G9T7xLpeH-HG7nj-GgDUF92tgo4qMuBfSMvMpg5Or63ibxmvz5-5zyisZbZWgp9dS_0KExkAC_c/s400/southafricacrime.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 235px" /></a>Police said former Maphumulo taxi boss Bongani Mkhize, 44, had been "positively linked" to the recent murder of inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi in Umlazi, and had opened fire when police tried to pull his car over. He was killed when police returned fire. The Mercury disclosed this week that Mkhize had applied to the Durban High Court in October last year for an interdict restraining police from "killing, injuring, threatening, harassing or in any way intimidating" him. In applying for this order, Mkhize claimed he was being sought by the organised crime unit in connection with the murder of Kranskop policeman Supt Zethembe Chonco. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrSi8CX_uD32YawEcAj29Ob9mOz6wi2Nl_HxUaouuYPsJ0gM8xoZEYGnIHwJxsmZE8e-dxbtYGJuk3xbbRG-sgrUKHqbhp2qKsTTEyQ9767yGhbyZQplfDQ3v5-s30sOonxLGI9APhmA/s1600-h/saps_xeno_escort.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300528360663208818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrSi8CX_uD32YawEcAj29Ob9mOz6wi2Nl_HxUaouuYPsJ0gM8xoZEYGnIHwJxsmZE8e-dxbtYGJuk3xbbRG-sgrUKHqbhp2qKsTTEyQ9767yGhbyZQplfDQ3v5-s30sOonxLGI9APhmA/s400/saps_xeno_escort.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 257px" /></a> At the time seven other suspects wanted for Chonco's murder had been killed in separate incidents, either allegedly resisting arrest or while accompanying police on investigations. Police consider the Chonco murder case closed, with all suspects killed, but could there be a link between the Chonco case and Zondi's murder? Head of the provincial organised crime unit, Johan Booysen, would not elaborate on this, but said two suspects in the Zondi murder were in custody, and one had made a full confession. The day before Zondi's murder, five alleged criminals died in a shootout on the N3 near Camperdown after police received a tip-off about nine men headed to Pietermaritzburg to commit a robbery. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJygWhSYPzglosrFHkKoLbrsBac2LpQukfTH6BqdMkYk0aHNs6iIz2wnqM7XJTZchRWa5UKKUx7evG73kxCNxxmXUVOOrseHCPIEVYmDDljnMfscUzJDd5RPmWQpNIsDcoo3f_V4JKaHo/s1600-h/southafrica_violence.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300525955712683506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJygWhSYPzglosrFHkKoLbrsBac2LpQukfTH6BqdMkYk0aHNs6iIz2wnqM7XJTZchRWa5UKKUx7evG73kxCNxxmXUVOOrseHCPIEVYmDDljnMfscUzJDd5RPmWQpNIsDcoo3f_V4JKaHo/s400/southafrica_violence.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" /></a>Ordered to pull over at a roadblock, the suspects opened fire on the police, who returned fire in self-defence, killing five men, said SAPS spokesperson Director Phindile Radebe. "This serves as a warning to everybody that the police are serious about fighting fire with fire," responded KwaZulu-Natal Safety and Security MEC Bheki Cele. Since then another 11 suspects have been gunned down in separate incidents in and around Durban, described as "Wild West-style" clashes. In reality, though, such shootouts bear little resemblance to the Wild West. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8nT6KSm_bsPk4vLh5rC_5ZGd_HQ5KyMm_dRDvWe4VHO_JBSDGRcI_ttkAe35SrOAc1WUfm4wMZ8wzxPlYh0a_IF-caRM9AifiSZbR8vEHdHCET1ZtBQ-96K313k9gX8j0RjKc8be72Y/s1600-h/saps-rioting.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300526951614413602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8nT6KSm_bsPk4vLh5rC_5ZGd_HQ5KyMm_dRDvWe4VHO_JBSDGRcI_ttkAe35SrOAc1WUfm4wMZ8wzxPlYh0a_IF-caRM9AifiSZbR8vEHdHCET1ZtBQ-96K313k9gX8j0RjKc8be72Y/s400/saps-rioting.bmp" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 296px" /></a> They are more violent, involving sub-machine guns, AK47s, R4 rifles, hijacked vehicles, criminal syndicates operating with military-style efficiency and elite police units often operating undercover. "Indeed, it is a war out there," said Institute for Security Studies (ISS) director Johan Burger. Burger said the number of suspects killed had risen significantly recently, as had the number of policemen killed. He said this was despite the actual number of attacks on police having decreased over the past few years. He said concerns that police had become "trigger happy" were understandable, but needed to be seen in the context of the dangers of combating organised crime, and legislation governing use of deadly force. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmSh8Lwrog0xLuLPOTtuI60ue9ZI1J5dVwDvpZ2xjGh3s7anKWmXyiKO8I6dZLg5Ix3aKwYhnNx8CXGUwHsTUtDBxsbD9YIB9o_vLLIr2-lJTqg0Hyg7u5RWsoW_9CBmZun8qatrLMWg/s1600-h/saps_dead_bodies_2205_aap.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1V3ZzGA8-NkvQa8M5gRCskkHpPfl-D_Y2dASMDPJprFrpNBWhYYWiaeTE4s1OhVOR5anpk7iK4Cq5uFvMkJ2rW7E9yRZSXA0j4pmCxrSvkx-kaZtJvj0vz9YIS4d5s1JT6uzW5RXuhGg/s1600-h/saps_dead_bodies_2205_aap.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300532072220875506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1V3ZzGA8-NkvQa8M5gRCskkHpPfl-D_Y2dASMDPJprFrpNBWhYYWiaeTE4s1OhVOR5anpk7iK4Cq5uFvMkJ2rW7E9yRZSXA0j4pmCxrSvkx-kaZtJvj0vz9YIS4d5s1JT6uzW5RXuhGg/s320/saps_dead_bodies_2205_aap.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" /></a>"The legislation is very clear. Police can shoot to kill to protect lives, but any incident where police do kill someone is independently investigated by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), irrespective of the circumstances." Burger said he shared editors' concerns that "shoot-to-kill" rhetoric from politicians might have led to a perception that police were "protected and entitled to use more force than they were legally entitled to". "If they are implying that the police must use deadly force when justified, that's fine, but when it is interpreted by police on the ground that they have wider authority to use more force than legally empowered, it becomes very dangerous." <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_WnpMLVsg_oZ0Xy7g93Z6E5S_lIGpXdsjFO-kznQKOT2dOjEHwfv5Imu9tZi22I7dEaK_q7EGn8rAXGRuMQOroDHoKfxhaY_3c2bB48HcnDpGkZ6Mf4ykOfdzr8Z84Dz0GM0sFve8L4/s1600-h/south-africa-violence.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300955043387529890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_WnpMLVsg_oZ0Xy7g93Z6E5S_lIGpXdsjFO-kznQKOT2dOjEHwfv5Imu9tZi22I7dEaK_q7EGn8rAXGRuMQOroDHoKfxhaY_3c2bB48HcnDpGkZ6Mf4ykOfdzr8Z84Dz0GM0sFve8L4/s400/south-africa-violence.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px" /></a>He said incidents where police did shoot to kill also needed to be balanced against the realities of crime in South Africa, particularly the fact that criminal gangs had becoming organised, dangerous, and prepared to kill. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGGmldNvrsW0l4Qy73glhFoYm5ApgQnZYizzDExHgSo9bjF4ctZVtoYBIigJjVbnbvWIymM2poOMZkfasGxgWekpGp9loe8QakGSWVQfZ6tK5orj_fxh9SoDUeCKB_ZIoEezh3rbf8H0/s1600-h/security-guards-strike-sa.jpg"></a>Burger said it was a fallacy that police had to wait until they were being shot at before resorting to deadly force. "The moment they judge that their lives are in danger, or members of public are threatened, they are entitled to shoot to kill," said Burger. And it's happening - a new era in the war on crime has begun. Who is winning remains to be seen.

War on crime turns deadly in South Africa

There is a new war on the streets. Deadly shootouts between police and organised crime gangs are now a defining feature of police work and l...

9:44 AM

Jo'burg Metro Police threaten woman with rape

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8Is4gyGERX3MKRxjUNmgWeOm4mjcIPHI72f_U1kvCSp_fQ6bIQxbkRFt7bUbIm94HFzLsDbr7WnRkaHW2xgY9TnnoAjiK4HosoV1ZRRjffRwjIrN2xXSxiKd-ufAwKCCJ6H_YTTa95w/s1600-h/JMPD02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298954879904226434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8Is4gyGERX3MKRxjUNmgWeOm4mjcIPHI72f_U1kvCSp_fQ6bIQxbkRFt7bUbIm94HFzLsDbr7WnRkaHW2xgY9TnnoAjiK4HosoV1ZRRjffRwjIrN2xXSxiKd-ufAwKCCJ6H_YTTa95w/s400/JMPD02.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" /></a>Johannesburg - An 18-year-old flight attendant from South African Airways has laid charges of harassment, intimidation and extortion after she was allegedly harassed by metro police officers who demanded R4 000 from her and threatened to throw her into jail, "where she would be raped by other inmates". Her father, ironically, is a senior official in the traffic department of the eThekweni municipality. Joburg metro police spokesperson Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said they were taking the matter seriously. "We are aware of the charges and are involved with our investigations. We view these charges as really serious and will make sure that everything possible is done to get to the bottom of this. We will keep the victim and her father informed." The flight attendant left her Fourways home at 3.40am on Wednesday for OR Tambo International Airport when two metro police cars and a van allegedly flagged her down. Her father related her terrifying ordeal in the dark and torrential rain because, he said, she was too traumatised to face people. "These police vehicles stopped alongside her and flagged her down. All the other officers were seated in their vehicles and one officer in a raincoat came towards her vehicle and shone a torch inside the car. "He said he was going to arrest her and lock her up. She asked what she had done, because she was driving normally and following the rules of the road. He got aggressive and told her to get out of the car and into the back of the van. He said that in prison, women get raped and beaten." When the victim refused to get into the van, the officer said she had to give him R4 000. "She took out her wallet and showed him she only had R200. He told her she should go to an ATM. "He said flight attendants get good salaries; much higher than police officers. She was contemplating giving him the money just to get away." The officer then asked about her family. "She said her father was a high-ranking Durban traffic official. He then took the R200 from her wallet and said she could go. "He said that before she goes, she should give him a hug and a kiss. She became hysterical, ran to her car and drove off. She drove straight to the airport, and one of the pilots called my wife." The father then rushed to Joburg and took her back to the family home in Durban, where she is recovering. "My daughter is such a shy and timid girl, and this incident has really terrified her. "When citizens see police officers, they are supposed to feel safe and protected, but these corrupt officers have instilled fear into her." He said he was conducting his own investigations and hoped that the guilty parties would soon be caught. "I have questioned the metro police chief and taken this to the minister's office. These vehicles have tracker devices, and they must work fast to catch these culprits."

Jo'burg Metro Police threaten woman with rape

Johannesburg - An 18-year-old flight attendant from South African Airways has laid charges of harassment, intimidation and extortion after s...

1:14 AM

Cape Town cop arrested for armed robbery, attempted rape and attempted murder

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGvAdqJ8PTUei_fxmyepSZ2_FPFCKYtPY2JpDdX56ZQYmj1XQ26iDoH1xk-TWkbpvAuUtfljLUKrWYmOEIqm47v_SZCWoMsbQovgESgDaK5QT3XqTJdUpWC4AgTVo_oZBqly170T6j-E/s1600-h/crime-murder-roberry.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292336328239372354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGvAdqJ8PTUei_fxmyepSZ2_FPFCKYtPY2JpDdX56ZQYmj1XQ26iDoH1xk-TWkbpvAuUtfljLUKrWYmOEIqm47v_SZCWoMsbQovgESgDaK5QT3XqTJdUpWC4AgTVo_oZBqly170T6j-E/s400/crime-murder-roberry.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px" /></a>A 27-year-old police constable was arrested in Parow on Friday for allegedly attacking three people at their house, Western Cape police said. Inspector Bernadine Steyn said the off-duty officer was arrested at a house in First Avenue minutes after he allegedly shot and injured one of the residents. "He went into the house and took R300 from the three residents at gun point. He then allegedly attempted to rape a woman among the two men before he fought and shot one of the men in the hip," said Steyn. The injured man was taken to a nearby hospital. During the arrest, police confiscated his service pistol. The man was facing charges of armed robbery, attempted rape and attempted murder. He was expected to appear before the Bellville Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Cape Town cop arrested for armed robbery, attempted rape and attempted murder

A 27-year-old police constable was arrested in Parow on Friday for allegedly attacking three people at their house, Western Cape police said...

10:29 AM

Another VIP cop charged with assaulting a motorist

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYw_fwG8P38jl1D1QC4P1GjHwMYlXY-AG5kIcOQLWYoFkKAuR4aG_eP2MYflYN0Zi4vYgkDinh7i4jfGtBhZUW-vWDqR4oPP1tNn0DbGBnFSIdkVh8qE3kw_PB6-8DzJcbO5LSBEGk3I/s1600-h/saps-hijacker.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271834465002521394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYw_fwG8P38jl1D1QC4P1GjHwMYlXY-AG5kIcOQLWYoFkKAuR4aG_eP2MYflYN0Zi4vYgkDinh7i4jfGtBhZUW-vWDqR4oPP1tNn0DbGBnFSIdkVh8qE3kw_PB6-8DzJcbO5LSBEGk3I/s400/saps-hijacker.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" /></a>A 27-year-old VIP unit police officer will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Monday after he attacked a motorist in a road rage incident on Friday around 6pm in Villieria, Pretoria. "The officer bumped the man's car off the road. He then proceeded to open the door of his victim's car, pulled him out and attacked him with his fists." Van der Kooi said the police officer was arrested shortly after eyewitnesses called the police. He was detained at the Villieria police station overnight. "The officer was released on a warning on Saturday morning. He will appear on charges of common assault and reckless or negligent driving in court on Monday." The victim was taken by an ambulance to a nearby hospital where he was still recovering, van der Kooi said. According to Sunday's Rapport newspaper, the victim, auditor and businessman Henk Griesel, 47, had three of his teeth knocked out when the policeman assaulted him with a piece of metal. The officer, a constable, worked for the VIP protection unit in Pretoria.

Another VIP cop charged with assaulting a motorist

A 27-year-old VIP unit police officer will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Monday after he attacked a motorist in a road ra...

2:07 AM

South African Airways air-miles fraud

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3BvlDqGhFH0YpMJmFOKAruAwmOmtuIEcAlO-ApD7GYoIjNBhECWm-35Abw_QRV3KOnbY5aQSPpPioAA2nlo7LfrlibNex9-2bEKLlarMitg3Gs20hCeDQQE7wJKtCSLn-i9bxkNJPms/s1600-h/Khaya_Ngqula_SAA.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270176663982051570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3BvlDqGhFH0YpMJmFOKAruAwmOmtuIEcAlO-ApD7GYoIjNBhECWm-35Abw_QRV3KOnbY5aQSPpPioAA2nlo7LfrlibNex9-2bEKLlarMitg3Gs20hCeDQQE7wJKtCSLn-i9bxkNJPms/s400/Khaya_Ngqula_SAA.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 331px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 220px" /></a>At least nine people have been arrested in connection with an alleged multi-million rand South African Airways air-miles fraud in a protracted investigation being carried out by the Scorpions and the South African Police Service. The investigation began in 2006 in a bid to curb the theft of air-miles from premium customers for what was understood to be use by non-paying travellers on the notorious South Africa-Brazil drug route. Although details of the three SAPS arrests are sketchy, Scorpions spokesperson Tlali Tlali confirmed that six arrests were made by the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) in Gauteng on April 28 and 29 this year. One of the women arrested, Thobeka Malinga, an SAA employee, died in police custody. SAA staff member Dongani Sithole and another woman, Sharon Zana, arrested along with Malinga, have appeared in court. Their case was postponed to January 22, 2009. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqu6TgJlB32-zJvk0akx172ryGN9fSbv1Mf2jgoIVDZUMC2x2oq115UGlVNToJVwqfxE2YuTs9he8WHUF3R3gfJLZdftkKCAIxD4iGvNF5P_br8QsXhZAQIUwVAHNWYJisUYOEAsd8r8/s1600-h/khaya-ngqula-sun-times.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270182338389995938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqu6TgJlB32-zJvk0akx172ryGN9fSbv1Mf2jgoIVDZUMC2x2oq115UGlVNToJVwqfxE2YuTs9he8WHUF3R3gfJLZdftkKCAIxD4iGvNF5P_br8QsXhZAQIUwVAHNWYJisUYOEAsd8r8/s400/khaya-ngqula-sun-times.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" /></a> Contrary to weekend media reports (see links below), acting National Prosecuting Authority head Mokotedi Mpshe has confirmed meanwhile that South African Airways CEO Khaya Ngqula "was not and is not under investigation". <a class="TopStoryHead" href="http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Article.aspx?id=885207">SAA boss in air-miles scandal</a>SAA boss Khaya Ngqula has been accused of dishing out free rides to a man he hired to spy on his staff.<a href="http://multimedia.thetimes.co.za/audio/2008/11/sunday-live-saa-boss-in-air-miles-scandal/">Sunday Times Editor Mondli Makhanya talks about SAA boss Khaya Ngqula</a> <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.za/Business/BusinessTimes/Article1.aspx?id=799723">SAA is the best African airline</a> <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.za/SpecialReports/TopBrands/Article.aspx?id=819227">Top-rated SAA puzzles experts</a>

South African Airways air-miles fraud

At least nine people have been arrested in connection with an alleged multi-million rand South African Airways air-miles fraud in a protrac...

10:30 AM

Blue lights scandal

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4TFyqVbMMBJle87T1MddZ7GZfIb7AJq3Gekuwvw60UClsEgkuv9sndOFZ8U-HDurbc_VyGUAOXUjpUQrB6e7UiOWt1b4X9eVknOOfJ9wpIVOtVIlVzGweiB0cvledy-kNI2zJc4iYA8/s1600-h/N3+Highway+KZN.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269638616840440066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4TFyqVbMMBJle87T1MddZ7GZfIb7AJq3Gekuwvw60UClsEgkuv9sndOFZ8U-HDurbc_VyGUAOXUjpUQrB6e7UiOWt1b4X9eVknOOfJ9wpIVOtVIlVzGweiB0cvledy-kNI2zJc4iYA8/s400/N3+Highway+KZN.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px" /></a>An incident, in which a VIP guard of KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC Meshack Radebe shot out the tyre of a motorist on a busy highway, has angered opposition parties, with the Democratic Alliance calling for him to be dismissed. PRIVATE PLAYGROUND FOR 'BLUE LIGHT' BANDITS The N3 highway in KZN - a gun-happy cop has shot out a tyre on a private bakkie, causing a crash that injured eight people, after its driver was slow to move out of the way of a "blue light" official car. The DA's transport spokesperson Radley Keys said the DA was calling for Radebe's "immediate dismissal" and that: "The horrific incident concerns a member of Radebe's staff and he needs to take responsibility for it." The Inkatha Freedom Party's provincial leader Lionel Mtshali said: "This attitude on the part of the MEC's staff clearly filters down from the top. The MEC's arrogance, not least in connection with the provincial government's security arrangements, is well known and well documented. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUVqDjj0z6kTi400IIDGONjzGAc-NUbksZviDRcnAd_WBPvu2ua1VvHJc0hUyZ65VrC1jKMdBwaaxStrDaH8D7RfxVx8-K9_d-NH3YuHULIF16alBPgNUETC_b4nv8aePx3J7v6Lplqg/s1600-h/Hlanganani+Nxumalo.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270553554537563234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUVqDjj0z6kTi400IIDGONjzGAc-NUbksZviDRcnAd_WBPvu2ua1VvHJc0hUyZ65VrC1jKMdBwaaxStrDaH8D7RfxVx8-K9_d-NH3YuHULIF16alBPgNUETC_b4nv8aePx3J7v6Lplqg/s400/Hlanganani+Nxumalo.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" /></a>Nevertheless this last incident is indicative that the ANC government and its staff have crossed the line of acceptable behaviour." Superintendent Henry Budhram said the policeman, (Constable Hlanganani Nxumalo, pictured left) who is part Radebe's VIP protection unit, is expected to appear in the Camperdown Magistrates Court on Monday, where he faces 12 charges of attempted murder. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUlRD7pKRE3z6MqfAWNEqh6fZyccHWRGwUPNArolHT0gq5O1aeDs2elEMRaX1sCVufK_EKuFk_r9MHE7tcvb7eRgBao26a0c8sWbUSc8yOWcCvDVN2aaNiH-UIJVlCghjEjAlD2Ihbv4/s1600-h/blue-light-shoot-tyre.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269644936728320514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUlRD7pKRE3z6MqfAWNEqh6fZyccHWRGwUPNArolHT0gq5O1aeDs2elEMRaX1sCVufK_EKuFk_r9MHE7tcvb7eRgBao26a0c8sWbUSc8yOWcCvDVN2aaNiH-UIJVlCghjEjAlD2Ihbv4/s400/blue-light-shoot-tyre.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" /></a>A law unto themselves <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oUTjTfpXKMOX0XdwIF1SEyIfGgREYe-Nt86VVlZ555RON0dwBXB1UZ5E2vAHP43bCy9VWaEZ9tQjBtuwbLmGQRoS82UHkpUYG52DNhC1o8DLmvVNZOyr0nOIIF7hTcfEDhVVx8Fn0xE/s1600-h/blue-light-shoot-tyre.jpg"></a> On Saturday Budhram said a black Mazda that was heading towards Durban on Saturday morning was being followed by a police collision unit vehicle, when a black Volkswagen Golf with flashing blue lights sped up behind them. The police vehicle pulled over to allow the Golf to pass, but "at that moment the driver of the Mazda could not pull over as he was passing a truck". Budhram said that it is alleged that when the Mazda had then passed the truck and pulled over, a passenger in the Golf, which had dark tinted windows, opened the window and shot the tyre of the Mazda. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsrXMmX8l11PIVSxmS6VeIHZlIg5Hy114saQDL1Gwxat13ri2cvKKHlPWlaWybvRT4jORA7FZnaUP-RfufSpxT_AwlXXe3TO7xeFzcYHgU3jP9jvJXnRMKllqUS_x1ZTTjW3aNpEqO8c/s1600-h/mazda.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269639012540164306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsrXMmX8l11PIVSxmS6VeIHZlIg5Hy114saQDL1Gwxat13ri2cvKKHlPWlaWybvRT4jORA7FZnaUP-RfufSpxT_AwlXXe3TO7xeFzcYHgU3jP9jvJXnRMKllqUS_x1ZTTjW3aNpEqO8c/s400/mazda.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 257px" /></a> "The driver of the Mazda lost control and his vehicle went into the oncoming traffic colliding with a bakkie in the north-bound lane." He said that the Golf sped off and the police's collision unit vehicle could not catch up with it and the officers decided to render assistance to the injured.There were six people in the Mazda and six in the bakkie, eight of whom were injured. The police's dog unit recovered a spent cartridge. Keys said the incident highlighted the "absolute arrogance" on the part of VIP members assigned to provide so-called protection to MECs in KZN. "This latest incident shows their scant disregard for all other people on the road and is the worst display to date of the attitude displayed by blue light bullies" he said. "They are a law unto themselves who treat citizens, their lives and property with absolute disregard. Clearly the ANC are not interested in providing a safe travel environment for South Africans." <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsRQrxxqp6TybEBR33dUOB4XEfkQGQ8jlj2kOIeDW3FrBpDTFe01rvejq-Ob5Qv_9aZUK0ixBEskOkLX1lL7sINjRlNDIl9LpONbmwGgaRPf50cUIgyCAPg0BbwXJzk4aR-CItN1RiWM/s1600-h/saps-anc.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269645265846261666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsRQrxxqp6TybEBR33dUOB4XEfkQGQ8jlj2kOIeDW3FrBpDTFe01rvejq-Ob5Qv_9aZUK0ixBEskOkLX1lL7sINjRlNDIl9LpONbmwGgaRPf50cUIgyCAPg0BbwXJzk4aR-CItN1RiWM/s400/saps-anc.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" /></a>The latest in a series of events Mtshali said: "The users of blue lights are law unto themselves. This last incident demonstrates that the obsession with trappings of power within the provincial government and its staff will stop at nothing." In May 2008, an angry motorcyclist punched a kwaZulu-Natal provincial VIP driver after the VIP driver crashed into the back of another car, seriously injuring its occupant, on the N3 near Camperdown. In April 2007 the Natal Witness newspaper's switchboard was flooded with calls from drivers who said they were pushed off the N3 by a blue-light convoy, later identified as being that of now ANC president Jacob Zuma. The paper also reported at the time that a rifle had been aimed Pietermaritzburg man Faizel Mooideen and his family by security officers who had tried to push them off a lane on the highway. Also in April 2007 a car driver used a cellphone to provide the newspaper with video of kwaZulu-Natal premier Sbu Ndebele's convoy doing 160km/h on the N3. <a class="lmhead" href="http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=886215" target="_parent">VIP protection services get big increases </a>

Blue lights scandal

An incident, in which a VIP guard of KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC Meshack Radebe shot out the tyre of a motorist on a busy highway, ...

6:15 AM

500 new Metro Police cars gathering dust since May

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_RyK2xaKNd6AA067G1g-R5_rraMNqDG3U-feeV-ADls7jUt3yU08Z1S6x8536Vc7PLHcdimGW_OD7Jywzq3JS41nQSxNdmaYV5cEgFxRpLv0JSuNmCkUCG5CkioxUjYyAzLGvzALd6g/s1600-h/metro-patrol-car.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269027966145141602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_RyK2xaKNd6AA067G1g-R5_rraMNqDG3U-feeV-ADls7jUt3yU08Z1S6x8536Vc7PLHcdimGW_OD7Jywzq3JS41nQSxNdmaYV5cEgFxRpLv0JSuNmCkUCG5CkioxUjYyAzLGvzALd6g/s400/metro-patrol-car.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 318px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 233px" /></a>With the festive season fast approaching, the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department's roll-out of a fleet of almost 500 patrol cars is not going as smoothly as planned. The vehicles cost taxpayers R88-million, and were bought to beef up a beleaguered department run by Robert McBride until he was placed on special leave and later fired. But instead of hitting the streets, they stood idle for more than four months - a delay described by one councillor as a "disgrace". For the cars to be put to use they had to be marked, registered and fitted with sirens and police lights. After The Star exposed the bungle, Ekurhuleni Municipality vowed "the majority" of the fleet would be operational by the first week of November, in time for the "hectic festive season". The Star returned to the Primrose parking lot - where the fleet had been parked since May - and found that while things looked different, there were still dozens of cars not being used. Metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini confirmed this, saying that of the 493 cars bought, 97 were "running on the streets". "We are expecting 100 more by the end of the week, branded and all," he said. "Then we hope to release 100 per week." At that rate, all cars should be out by early December. Dlamini said the municipality was not to blame for the new delay. "We were under the impression that the service provider would be able to deliver … the delay is external." At the end of last month, a new controversy hit the roll-out when community safety councillor Michele Clarke claimed the process had ground to a halt because of in-house bureaucratic fighting. She said the task team set up to speed the project along had been ordered to back off. This was a worrying development, as crime tended to spike in the build-up to the December holidays. Clarke said: "Residents' lives are at stake." The municipality denied these claims. In the wake of The Star's initial coverage, the political head of the EMPD, Aubrey Nxumalo, launched an investigation into what had caused the delays. He conceded that plans had been canned to hire cars - at a cost of R350 000 per month - while the cars the municipality had bought were readied. The cars are destined to the following units: highway patrol, speed law-enforcement, intervention unit and public order policing. Related Articles <a class="feedlink" href="http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081008060057731C720830">Plan was to hire cars while fleet stood idle</a> <a class="feedlink" href="http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081006055445399C777695">Metro patrol cars lie idle</a>

500 new Metro Police cars gathering dust since May

With the festive season fast approaching, the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department's roll-out of a fleet of almost 500 patrol cars is not ...

2:39 PM

MEC casts dragnet for Gauteng's most wanted criminals

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q7D6wQFLV_DEXqwjwVKyaY0Qe5xGQHwExO9o5F6TmLdn9KnzX7vB1PphrZQKETCGF3h74JdToJSJzc4ouHSnUSGy9TwScoT8guTgqUB3ImmgEYhrijgRmQDgDYPPvyqjSa_u9qEryMA/s1600-h/CRIMINALS%2520GONE%2520WILD.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267896194499171986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q7D6wQFLV_DEXqwjwVKyaY0Qe5xGQHwExO9o5F6TmLdn9KnzX7vB1PphrZQKETCGF3h74JdToJSJzc4ouHSnUSGy9TwScoT8guTgqUB3ImmgEYhrijgRmQDgDYPPvyqjSa_u9qEryMA/s320/CRIMINALS%2520GONE%2520WILD.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" /></a>Gauteng's 1 600 most wanted criminals have been identified and are now being sought. So says Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Firoz Cachalia in a reportback on his department's achievements. "This is the first time we have a comprehensive list. Three months ago I instructed officers to sift through some 4 000 fingerprints lifted from crime scenes and to identify repeat offenders. "We now have dockets open on all of them, and through the Gauteng Aggravated Robbery Strategy (GARS), combined teams of detectives and investigators will be hunting them with the support of special tracing teams," he said. GARS started three months ago and is a multifaceted strategy involving identifying, tracing, arresting and effectively prosecuting as many perpetrators as possible. And closing the gap for perpetrators to operate in Gauteng, Cachalia said. It consists of: <ul><li>A crime-management centre which focuses on profiling networks of suspects, identifying repeat offenders and providing operational and technical support to the detectives attached to the dedicated tracing and investigation task teams. </li><li>"Crack trio task teams" - all 130 police stations in the province have been grouped into 21 SAPS clusters. A dedicated crack trio task team has been established in each cluster to focus on gathering evidence on perpetrators of aggravated robberies to ensure they are traced, arrested and brought to justice. By the beginning of the month, 1 333 suspects had been arrested by these teams, and most have been linked to armed robberies. </li><li>Multi-agency partnerships with private security companies focus on promoting partnerships and ensure co-operation between the SAPS and private security companies. </li><li>Tackling stolen goods - this will be done through enhanced crime intelligence-gathering and analysis. The SAPS, Cachalia said, was endeavouring to identify the syndicates who buy and sell goods stolen from aggravated robberies. The objective, he said, was to arrest and prosecute those involved and to make it more difficult to sell stolen goods. </li><li>Improving police reaction times - the 10111 centre was in the process of recruiting more staff and improving the skills of those employed at the centre. </li><li> Deployment of strategic roadblocks using regular and daily analysis of emerging aggravated-robbery hotspots. </li></ul>Cachalia said the SAPS, in partnership with the Gauteng traffic police and metro police departments, was holding regular roadblocks. In July alone, 10 suspected gang members operating in the south of Joburg were arrested by Gauteng traffic police at one of their roadblocks. <ul><li>Co-ordination with the criminal justice system to ensure there are significant improvements in successful prosecutions. Deputy Justice Minister Johnny de Lange, Cachalia said, had adopted this strategy as part of the criminal justice review currently being undertaken to improve the system. </li></ul>Detectives were working closely with prosecutors and dockets would be scrutinised. The strategy had already been successful in reducing the number of ATM bombings, Cachalia said.

MEC casts dragnet for Gauteng's most wanted criminals

Gauteng's 1 600 most wanted criminals have been identified and are now being sought. So says Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Firoz Cach...