Category: News

The Border Management Authority (BMA) has successfully disrupted another human and child smuggling operation, demonstrating its capability to combat organised crime at ports of entry and border law enforcement areas.

On Monday afternoon, a South African taxi driver was apprehended at the Beitbridge border while attempting to smuggle 25 undocumented foreign nationals into the country.

Among them were 20 children between the ages of five and 14. The children were being unlawfully transported under dangerous and inhumane conditions.

The vehicle used in the operation was immediately impounded. The driver has been charged and is in police custody. A conveyance fine of R375 000 has been issued, in accordance with the Immigration Act.

Following standard protocols, the children were handed over to the Zimbabwean child welfare authorities to ensure their safety and care while investigations continue.

Acting Commissioner of the BMA, Jane Thupana, commended the swift action by the officers involved.

“This operation highlights the BMA’s resolve to disrupt criminal networks that exploit vulnerable individuals, particularly children.

“The trafficking and smuggling of people undermine human dignity and border security, and the BMA remains vigilant in its efforts to safeguard South Africa’s ports of entry, and protect those at risk,” she said.

The BMA continues to work closely with other law enforcement authorities to combat illegal activities.

The public is urged to report any suspicious activities related to human trafficking and smuggling to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice and victims are protected.

The BMA’s toll-free hotline number is 0801 229019.

The Gauteng Department of Health has appointed a service provider to repair the laundry equipment at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg.

This is after nurses raised their concern about infection control and cleanliness, as pictures of dirty linen surfaced on social media recently.

“The Gauteng Department of Health would like to reassure the public that several measures continue to be implemented to ensure the provision of clean linen to patients at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital,” a statement issued by the department said.

The department said the facility’s laundry has ageing infrastructure, which requires an overhaul. Three tunnel washers are currently out of service, with only five driers operational in tunnel washer number two.

One out of the four ironers have been successfully repaired, while the original equipment manufacturer is in the process of repairing two other ironers.

“In the interim, hospital linens are being laundered at Dunswart Provincial Laundry on a daily basis to ensure a consistent supply of clean linen to patients,” the department said.

Meanwhile, 106 staff members have been deployed in the laundry section to boost capacity during the day and night shifts.

“Additionally, external two laundry service providers have also been appointed to further support these efforts. Already, two five-ton trucks have delivered clean linen over the weekend,” the department said.

The in-house laundry at the hospital is not only responsible for providing the linen for its 2 888 beds, but also services facilities including Carletonville and Bheki Mlangeni Hospitals, 33 community health centres in Soweto, emergency medical services, and the forensic pathology service.

“However, the department has put a solid plan in place to ensure that soiled linen can be replaced quickly at a much faster turnaround time by the 13th of December 2024.

“The department assures the public all is being done to restore laundry to better functionality as speedily as possible, and the health and comfort of our patients remain our key priority,” the department said.

Police have in the past week rescued two kidnapped businessmen, arrested seven kidnappers and seized firearms, cell phones and vehicles used in the commission of the crimes.

On Saturday, a Chinese businessman was hijacked and kidnapped in Springs, Ekurhuleni.

Within 24 hours, a multi-disciplinary team operationalised intelligence, which led them to the location of the kidnappers.

The team intercepted the kidnappers’ vehicle, an Audi A3, at an intersection in Lenasia and arrested two suspects on Sunday.

The team then proceeded to an address in Meriting, where they arrested one more kidnapper and rescued the businessman.

In an unrelated incident, on 1 December 2024, another businessman was hijacked and kidnapped in Wierdabrug, Tshwane.

The victim’s vehicle was later recovered in the area of Heuweloord.

Intelligence led a multi-disciplinary team to recover the kidnappers’ vehicle, a Jeep, which was left abandoned in a garage in Nellmapius, Tshwane.

The team followed up on a lead, which led them to an address in Mamelodi, where they arrested four suspects and rescued two kidnapped victims. Firearms, cell phones, a Jeep SRT8 and a Hyundai Getz were seized.

Investigations in both these cases are still ongoing.

“These operations would not have been successful without the assistance of other law enforcement agencies including private security,” said the South African Police Service in a statement.

The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) has announced that work on several periodic maintenance and construction projects, which are currently underway on the N2 Garden Route, will cease at the end of the week to ensure that roads are open and traffic is free flowing during the festive season.

“Every effort will be made to ensure increased road safety and improved mobility during the holidays. The N2 Garden Route is a particularly busy route for holiday travellers and freight operators, and SANRAL will be working with all road traffic authorities to support and assist road users on their travels this holiday,” SANRAL’s Western Region Manager, Randall Cable, said.

Maintenance and construction projects will be put on hold on Friday, 13 December 2024.

In Plettenberg Bay, the traffic circle at the Beacon Way Intersection on the N2 is fully open to traffic in both directions. The remaining ancillary works, not impeding traffic flow, will be completed in the new year.

The work on the N2 between Kraaibosch and Touw River is well on track, and traffic will be free flowing both in Kaaimans Pass and on the N2. Road users travelling from George to Victoria Bay must take note of the change in lane configuration. The posted speed between Kraaibosch and Touw River will be 60 kilometres per hour (km/h).

“Periodic maintenance on the N2 between Mossel Bay and Dekriet is at an advanced stage and is earmarked for completion early in 2025. No stop/go closures will be in place during the holidays.

“Between Swellendam and Riversdale, traffic will be accommodated via stop/go operations. Waiting time will be kept to a minimum, taking into account the increased traffic volumes,” SANRAL said.

Three stop/go traffic accommodation points are currently in place on the N2 between Botrivier and Caledon, where periodic maintenance is being done. These will be removed on Friday, 13 December.

In Houwhoek Pass, the full road width will be open to two-way traffic during the year-end construction shutdown period. A 3km section of the R43 from the Kleinmond interchange on the N2 (Exit 90 to Kleinmond & Hermanus), will, however, remain closed during the festive break. Traffic will be accommodated via the Botrivier interchange on the N2 (Exit 92), which is a mere 2km away from the closure.

“The road is a shared space, and road safety is a shared responsibility. Working together, we can make the road safer for everyone, including pedestrians,” Cable said.

Spaza shop owners and food-handling facilities have until the end of the week to register their businesses for a traders’ permit, in a bid to address the recurring foodborne illnesses that have claimed the lives of people, including children, across the country.

Spaza shop owners and vendors have been given until Friday, 13 December 2024, to register with their respective municipalities. The registration period opened on 15 November 2024.

READ | Guide to register spaza shops

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa directed all spaza shops and food-handling facilities to register with their respective municipalities as part of decisive measures by government to address the recurring foodborne illnesses that have claimed the lives of people, including children, across the country.

The interventions, the President explained, are aimed at getting hazardous pesticides off the street, protecting children from exposure to these substances, and preventing future outbreaks.

More than 1 000 spaza shops, supermarkets and warehouses have been closed since the President announced a range of measures to prevent further incidents of foodborne illnesses.

“Since we announced a range of measures two weeks ago, multi-disciplinary teams have been conducting inspections of spaza shops across the country.

“Nearly 200 000 spaza shops have been visited. More than 1 000 spaza shops, supermarkets and warehouses have been closed down. Large quantities of goods have been confiscated and numerous fines have been issued for violations of by-laws,” the President said during his annual address to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament, on 28 November 2024.

Small business owners can follow these guidelines to ensure that they are compliant with government regulations:

1. Registration for trading permits for spaza shop owners and vendors is done in municipality offices or designated sites, as per communication by respective municipalities to residents.
2. All spaza shop owners and vendors must register with their respective municipalities from 15 November to 13 December 2024.
3. Application forms for registration or permits to conduct business can be accessed physically at the municipal offices or on the municipality website.
4. The completed application form is to be received only by the municipal manager or a delegated official within a municipality.
5. The completed permit application should contain the business owner’s full name, surname, gender, and disability status.
6. Other details that must be included in the application for a trading permit are:

• the identity number of the business owner;
• the physical and postal address of the business concerned;
• location where the business will be operated;
• the description of the goods or services that the business will be selling or providing to the community;
• the citizenship status of the applicants, and
• the passport number, section 22 asylum seeker permit, section 24 refugee permit, and a valid visa allowing foreign nationals to be in the Republic to work or conduct business.

7. The applicant must provide an affidavit stating that he/she is not engaged in the trade of illegal goods, as defined in this by-law and that his/her business will operate according to the applicable norms and standards.
8. The municipality may conduct background checks on applicants, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, to verify the legality of their business activities.
9. After the application has satisfied all the conditions stated by the municipality, the business owner will be issued a registration card or permit that must be always displayed and be available for inspection.

Cabinet has welcomed the release of the 2nd quarter crime statistics, which show that law enforcement agencies’ efforts to turn the tide in the fight against crime are starting to yield results, with a decrease in both murder and violent crimes.

Addressing the post-Cabinet media briefing held in Cape Town on Thursday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the murder rate in South Africa has decreased by 5.8%, while sexual offences decreased by 2.5%, and robbery with aggravating circumstances decreased by 8.8%.

“Additionally, rape decreased by 3.1%, while robbery at residential premises and non-residential premises decreased by 1.3% and 21.1% respectively,” Ntshavheni said.

Cabinet also welcomed the arrest of a 39-year-old Mexican national for dealing in and manufacturing drugs, as well as contravening the Immigration Act after a multi-disciplinary operation guided by police led to the discovery of a drug laboratory in Rietfontein, Johannesburg, valued at approximately R100 million.

“In addition, the South African Police Service (SAPS), through an intelligence-driven operation, confiscated a container carrying cocaine with an estimated street value of around R86.5 million, which came in from Brazil through the Durban Harbour.

“[Additionally], five suspected ATM bombers were killed in a shootout with police in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga. The suspects opened fire on the police after they were cornered at a safe house in Schoongezicht in Emalahleni,” Ntshavheni said.

Cabinet has called on all sectors of society to partner with the police to strengthen the fight against crime.

“By working together, we can create safer communities and public spaces, while ensuring criminals have no place to hide,” she said.

Cabinet has called on anyone who witnesses the sale of counterfeit foodstuffs and expired items in communities to report it to the National Consumer Commission.

Complaints can be reported free of charge at 012 065 1940.

This comes amid rising concerns about contaminated food linked to the deaths of several schoolchildren in some communities across South Africa.

Briefing the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on 4 December 2024, Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said since President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on 15 November 2024 where he announced interventions against foodborne illnesses, nearly 200 000 spaza shops have been visited while more than 1 000 spaza shops, supermarkets and warehouses have been closed down.

“Large quantities of goods have been confiscated and numerous fines have been issued for violations of by-laws. There will be added scrutiny of manufacturers of foodstuffs and pesticide Terbufos to ensure that proper controls are adhered to,” Ntshavheni said.

The Minister said the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) continues to coordinate government’s response to incidents of foodborne illness.

She said the Departments of Small Business Development and Trade, Industry and Competition were finalising the setting up of a R500 million fund to support South African-owned townships and rural businesses, as soon as they meet the compliance requirements.

Cabinet reminded all spaza shops and food handling businesses to register for permits at their respective municipalities within 21 days and to meet required health standards or face closure.

All spaza shop owners and vendors must register with their respective municipalities from 15 November to 13 December 2024.

Cabinet also called on all South Africans to remain vigilant when purchasing food items, especially items that have passed their expiry date.

“Let us make it our responsibility to educate our children about food safety, including teaching them to check the labelling themselves.

“Vendors and food producers are also urged to adhere to strict hygiene practices, including proper food storage, thorough cooking, and maintaining clean preparation areas,” Ntshavheni said.

As the country continues to observe the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has praised Captain Gail Cottee for her sterling work in putting perpetrators behind bars.

Captain Cottee, a forensic social worker, is attached to the Bishop Lavis Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigations Unit in the Western Cape.

She joined the police service 17 years ago and holds a bachelor’s degree in social work.

She later went on to obtain a master’s degree in child and family studies.

Forensic social work is a specialised field of social work practice within the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) environment, which is characterised by the social worker’s primary function of providing expert testimony in courts of law.

As a forensic social worker, Cottee’s core function is to conduct forensic interviews in the investigation of child abuse cases using age-appropriate techniques to obtain accurate information from child victims to assist a court to make just and fair decisions.

Often travelling vast distances, Cottee traces and assesses child victims within six policing areas that include Bishop Lavis, Bonteheuwel, Elsies Rivier, Langa, Ruyterwacht and Valhalla Park.

Among her many career highlights include the sentencing of a sexual predator to 30 years’ imprisonment by the Parow Regional Court in 2021.

The perpetrator (63) was a respected member of the Bishop Lavis community who befriended the victim’s grandmother while he also gained trust from the rest of the family. He sexually groomed and impregnated the 16-year-old victim twice over a period of four years.

Cottee was also assigned to compile a forensic assessment report and testified in court as an expert witness whereby two girl victims under the age of ten were repeatedly raped over a period by their stepfather.

In December 2023 the Parow Regional Court sentenced the 48-year-old stepfather to 25 years in prison.

“These sentences are the result of good teamwork and cooperation, each team member executing his or her duties to the best of their abilities,” said Cottee.

The community of Bishop Lavis is known for gangsterism and high volumes of serious and violent crimes.

Cottee understands the dynamics of the communities she serves which enables her to relate to child victims and compile quality assessment reports.

Cottee said parents, caregivers, teachers or any other adult should never doubt or dismiss a child when they are disclosing the possibility of sexual abuse.

She also urged adults to contact their nearest police station, open a case and act in the best interest of the child.

“In my profession I learnt that every small action counts. It gives me great joy knowing that my services as a forensic social worker give voiceless child victims a voice in court,” said Cottee.

Captain Cottee is one of countless members who remain relentless in their pursuit to fulfil the mandate of the SAPS in protecting women, children and vulnerable persons with pride.

The 16 Days campaign forms part of government’s comprehensive 365 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children.

This year’s campaign is being held under the theme: “30 Years of Advancing Collective Action to End Violence against Women and Children”.

The campaign is held from 25 November to 10 December every year.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has commended members of various law enforcement agencies in the province for intercepting pure cocaine worth R80 million, packed inside a shipping container at the Durban Harbour.

According to a police report, information was received by the police about a vessel which left Brazil at the beginning of November carrying pure cocaine that was disguised as kidney beans.

The vessel, which came to South Africa via another country, was monitored until Saturday when it docked at the Durban Harbour. The identified container was taken to a warehouse on South Coast Road in the Bluff area for a proper search.

During the search, eight bags of crushed pure cocaine were found and according to the documentation, the shipment was destined for Johannesburg.

Ntuli said increased police surveillance at targeted crime hot spot areas is yielding positive results, as law enforcement intelligence operations continue to thwart criminal activity in all the corners of the province.

“We commend the excellent work being done by members of various law enforcement agencies to ensure that we close ranks. We are sending a strong message to all criminal syndicates that we are on high alert, we have adopted a zero-tolerance stance against all criminal activity,” Ntuli said.

Ntuli also acknowledged the Border Management Authority (BMA) effort, who are working around the clock to tighten security measures at all ports of entry and borders of the province.

He said the provincial government and law enforcement agencies under the banner of the Justice Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) cluster has developed an integrated multi-disciplinary crime prevention plan during the festive season to ensure that the province remains the destination of choice for holiday makers and tourists to create a safe environment conducive for the growth of business, and to boost investor confidence.

The Premier has reassured the people of KwaZulu-Natal that targeted intelligence driven operations will be affected throughout the festive season and beyond.

“Our provincial government has called for augmented numbers of police deployed during this period especially at identified crime hot spots like the Durban harbour. We are going to clamp down on all crime elements in our province,” the Premier said.

Ntuli encouraged the community members to continue coming forward with critical information to assist law enforcement to crack down on criminal activity in our province.

The Presidency has addressed a misunderstanding regarding President Cyril Ramaphosa’s remarks at the SA-Nigeria Bi-National Commission on Tuesday, clarifying changes to the visa application process for Nigerian nationals.

South Africa has implemented modernised and streamlined visa application procedures as part of ongoing visa reforms to enhance economic activity, boost tourism and protect national security. These reforms aim to improve efficiency and convenience, without compromising the integrity of the visa system.

According to the Presidency, South African missions in Nigeria have introduced measures that simplify the process for prospective travellers. This forms part of the work underway to modernise and streamline visa application processes worldwide.

Applicants are no longer required to submit their physical passports at the time of application. Instead, they only need to provide certified copies of their passport biopage for initial processing. However, applicants must present their physical passports during the application process for verification and confirmation.

“Prospective travellers can apply for their visas without submitting their passports, along with their applications. At the time of application, they are only required to submit certified copies of the biopage of their passports, and their actual passports should also be availed during the application process for verification and confirmation.

“Once a visa has been approved, they are required to submit their passports for the process to be completed and for the visa to be affixed in the passport,” The Presidency explained.

The Presidency further explained that these changes have improved the customer experience, while ensuring the security and integrity of the overall visa application process.