Category: News

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has passed his condolences to the families of those affected by a gas cylinder leak which killed at least 17 people in Boksburg on Wednesday evening.

A further 11 people have been hospitalised with some of them in a critical condition.

The incident comes just six months after a gas tanker exploded – killing at least 40 people in the same area.

Addressing the media at the site of the incident, Lesufi said support will be given to families of those affected and the surrounding community where the incident took place.

“We want as national government, provincial government and local government to extend our sincere condolences to all the families that have been affected. It’s a tragic event.

“We have learnt from the previous incident and our systems…this time, were on par and they responded the way we advised them and the lessons we learnt from the previous explosion. We are strongly monitoring the situation and we keep our eye on it. We have asked our experts to remain here,” he said.

It is believed that the gas cylinder was cut by illegal miners in the area – causing the leakage.

Lesufi condemned the alleged criminality and said a specialised unit needs to be formed in the SA Police Service to combat the scourge.

“We are under siege. We are using outdated law enforcement mechanisms in a new era that needs new forms of law enforcement. We have to overhaul our law enforcement response.

“This thing of illegal mining is completely out of control. I am of the view that we need a specialised way of training our law enforcement. They try…[but] the fire power of the illegal miners and the resources that [police] have are not…at the level that they confront these things.

“I am calling for a completely new strategy in confronting this thing. A strategy that is well resourced and the capability of our law enforcement agencies that are at a higher level and they need to respond as if we are in a war zone,” he said.

The premier said police are doing what they can to combat illegal mining but, he said, the service needs to be further capacitated.

“The police are doing their best…[however] we are exposing them because they are confronted with a situation that is well resourced, well connected and that has the firepower to create problems for all of us. We just have to capacitate the police with the necessary firepower to respond.

“We need firepower… from technology and from the air. If people get out of those illegal mines and come out, we need to be able to pick them up and we need to know where these activities are taking place. We can’t do that with the naked eye or the resources that we have,” he said.

The Premier is expected to meet with community leaders in the area.

The Deputy President has spoken out on Tuesday after a video of his VIP protection officers, allegedly assaulting three civilians on the Gauteng highway, went viral on social media.

“The Deputy President has become aware of an unfortunate incident involving members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), who are attached to his protection detail, and civilians, which occurred in Johannesburg over the weekend,” the Deputy President’s Office said in a brief statement.

The second-in-command, according to the statement, abhors any unnecessary use of force, particularly against unarmed civilians.

“Members of the SAPS are meant to uphold and protect the fundamental rights of every person and exercise the powers conferred upon them in a responsible and controlled manner,” said the Deputy President.

According to the Deputy President’s Office, SAPS National Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, has promised a thorough investigation of the incident.

“The Deputy President appeals to the public to allow the SAPS the necessary space to complete its investigation into the incident and take whatever corrective action is deemed necessary.

“The Deputy President has full confidence in the SAPS, under the leadership of Minister Bheki Cele and the command of General Masemola, to do the right thing in this regard.”

Meanwhile, the police said they have since successfully traced the victims of this incident.

“The process to obtain their statements continues as part of the probe,” the SAPS statement read, adding that the police officers involved have also been identified and will be subjected to internal processes.

“Management of the SAPS views this as serious and will get to the bottom of this incident.”

The SAPS has since distanced itself from the conduct and behaviour and said it does not align with the values and code of conduct of the SAPS needs to uphold. These include integrity, professionalism, accountability, and respect for human rights.

“Members of the SAPS are meant to uphold and protect the fundamental rights of every person and exercise the powers conferred upon them in a responsible and controlled manner. Such action cannot be condoned regardless of the circumstance,” Masemola explained.

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane is today visiting Hoërskool Garsfontein in Pretoria  following the discovery of a deceased learner on Tuesday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Chiloane said this follows the discovery of a Grade 10 girl learner’s body this morning.

According to information at the department’s disposal, the discovery was made by the school’s security, who found a corpse on the school’s rugby field on Tuesday morning, which has been identified as a Grade 10 girl learner from the school.

Police have been called and they are currently at the scene conducting investigations.

According to the department, the learner’s family is also at the school and they will receive necessary support from the department’s psycho-social support team.

“What is unclear at this stage is how the dead body of the girl learner ended up at the school, especially as schools are on recess and there are no learners at school. We call upon police to urgently apprehend the perpetrators.

“We also extend our sincerest condolences to the family and the school community at large,” Chiloane said.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) continues to record success in its fight against corruption with the arrest of an examiner of motor vehicles licences and a driving school instructor in Vrede, in the Free State.

In a statement on Tuesday, the RTMC said the two face charges of fraud relating to the issuing of learner driving licenses.

“For the past eight months, members of the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit and the Hawks have been investigating operations at the Vrede driving and learner licensing centre.

“Their investigations revealed that a specific driving school instructor was colluding with an examiner employed at the licensing centre for his clients to be fraudulently assisted to obtain learner licences.

“The instructor allegedly recruited and introduced learner licence applicants to the examiner who then assisted applicants by surreptitiously indicating the correct answers to the questions while in the process of writing the test,” RTMC said.

Unsuspecting applicants were made to pay a bribe of R1 500 for the fraudulent service.

The suspects are scheduled to appear in the local magistrate’s court soon.

Last week, four individuals were arrested at the Temba licensing centre in Tshwane while trying fraudulently attempting to take learner licences tests on behalf of absent applicants.

Twelve examiners of motor vehicles were also arrested in Polokwane last month for issuing vehicle roadworthy certificates for vehicles that were never presented to testing.

A Bloemfontein pastor has paid back some R1.9 million in funding fraudulently received from the Agricultural Sector Education Training Authority (AgriSeta).

According to a joint statement by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Lerato Mokoteli and accomplice Anthony Dywili applied for funding at AgriSeta under the guise of providing training and mentoring in food garden operations in Kimberley.

The corruption busting unit said the two claimed that the application was a joint venture between Business Against Crime and another AgriSeta-accredited service provider, Dipalemo – a joint venture which did not exist.

“Upon receiving the R1.9 million funding, Mokoteli and Dywili concluded a Memorandum of Understanding between Business Against Crime and Northern Cape Empowerment Academy led by Dipalemo, knowing very well that the academy exists only on paper.

“Mokotedi submitted to AgriSeta a close-up report on behalf of Dipalemo knowing very well that Dipalemo did not render any training. 50 learners were trained and received certificate of competency in food operation. They were paid a stipend of R219 000…

“R381 564.86 was claimed to have been used for the administration of training. Dywili did not disclose to AgriSeta that R600 000 of the funding was unspent, in violation of the terms of the agreement,” the statement read.

In July 2016, some R317 000 of the funding was then paid to a non-profit organisation chaired by Dywili.

The SIU has referred evidence of criminality to the National Prosecuting Authority for criminal prosecution.

“The duo, together with Jeremia Madiba, AgriSeta CEO between 2008 and 2017, were charged with various counts of fraud and money laundering. Madiba allegedly awarded the tender without the required decision by the Board of Directors of AgriSeta, therefore, in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). He will be appearing in court on a PFMA charge on 28 August 2023.

“On 26 May 2023, Mokoteli entered into a guilty plea agreement with the State. In terms of the agreement, Mokoteli pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and two counts of money laundering and agreed to pay back R1.9 million to AgriSeta,” the statement read.

Mokoteli was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for fraud and a further five years for money laundering, wholly suspended for five years.

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJCD) has been fined R5 million by the Information Regulator for failing to comply with an enforcement notice issued in May.

The regulator issued the notice after the department contravened various sections of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) following its failure to renew anti-virus and IT security solutions licenses.

“The Enforcement Notice had required the DOJCD to submit proof to the regulator within 31 days of receipt of the notice that the Trend Anti-Virus licence, the SIEM [security information and event management] licence and the Intrusion Detection System Licence have been renewed.

“It also required the department to institute disciplinary proceedings against the official/s who failed to renew the licences, which is necessary to safeguard the department against security compromises.

“The regulator indicated that should the DOJCD fail to abide by the Enforcement Notice within the stipulated timeframe, it will be guilty of an offence, in terms of which the regulator may impose an administrative fine in the amount not exceeding R10 million, or liable upon conviction to a fine or to imprisonment of the responsible officials,” the regulator said.

According to the independent body, the deadline for submitting proof that the licences had been renewed was 3 June – a deadline the department missed.

“To date, the department has not provided the regulator with a report on the implementation of the actions required in the enforcement notice or any other communication in that regard. The department had the right to appeal the Enforcement Notice in terms of section 97(1) of POPIA, and they have failed to exercise that right.

“Given this lack of compliance with the enforcement notice, the regulator has made a determination that the department has failed to comply with the Enforcement Notice served to it in terms of POPIA. Accordingly, the regulator has issued an administrative fine of R5 million to the department for failure to comply with the enforcement notice.

“The department has 30 days, from 3 July 2023, to pay the administrative fine or make arrangements with the regulator to pay the administrative fine in instalments or elect to be tried in court on a charge of having committed the alleged offence referred in terms of POPIA,” the regulator said.

The National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, has condemned the behaviour of the police officers, who are seen on a video assaulting motorists on the N1 highway in Johannesburg.

“Members of the SAPS [South African Police Service] are meant to uphold and protect the fundamental rights of every person and exercise the powers conferred upon them in a responsible and controlled manner. Such action cannot be condoned, regardless of the circumstance,” said Masemola.

The police have successfully traced the victims and the process to obtain statements from the them continues as part of the probe.

According to the police, the police officers involved have been identified and will be subjected to internal processes.

“Management of the SAPS views this as serious and will get to the bottom of this incident.

“While the internal departmental investigation into the conduct of the members is underway, the SAPS distances itself from the conduct and behaviour depicted in the video. [It] does not align with the values and code of conduct of the SAPS, which outlines the values and principles that all SAPS members are expected to uphold, including integrity, professionalism, accountability and respect for human rights,” the police said in a statement.

The police have opened an investigation after a video of SAPS officers, armed to the teeth, showed them beating up a Gauteng motorist and two others in an incident believed to have arisen from an on-road driving dispute.

The police said they have established that the two black BMW X5s captured in the viral video were indeed owned by the SA Police Service.

After allegedly assaulting the victims, the VIP officers got back into three black BMW SUVs and sped off.

To avoid paying an administration fees to renew a vehicle licence disc online, motorists can make use of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) online service.

The only fee charged is the R99 courier fee, which other online service providers also charge.

“The R72 transaction fee, which has been referred to, is a legislated fee, which is not limited only to services offered by the RTMC. This fee is payable whether you use other online platforms, or as a walk in at the licensing office or post office,” RTMC said on Tuesday.

With more than 50 000 transactions conducted monthly, the RTMC said the online service for the renewal of vehicle licence discs is growing in popularity, as it is quick, easy, convenient and affordable.

The RTMC online platform is available nationally – not limited to major centres – and is the only official online service where vehicle owners are able to transact directly on the electronic National Administration Traffic Information System (NaTIS).

This means when a vehicle owner receives confirmation that the transaction is successful, NaTIS is updated immediately without the use of expensive third parties. The licence disc is delivered anywhere in the country within three to five working days.

The added benefit of using the RTMC system is that motor vehicle owners can view the status of all vehicles registered under their name. Information on the status for vehicles that are due for renewal or have expired licence discs is also available.

The system can warn the owner of any adverse indicators, such as an existing enforcement order, an administration mark, other unlicensed vehicles, roadworthy requirements, or police clearance, which may result in the owner receiving a licence receipt with no disc (MVLX certificate).

The platform also includes a dashboard where motorists can check the status of their driving licence application, as updated by the driving licence testing centre where they applied.

Motor vehicles crashes, which do not involve an injury or fatality, can also be reported on the platform for insurance purposes. This information is available for all provinces.

Other services available on the portal include online booking for renewal of driving licence cards, booking for learner’s licence and driving licence tests, and application for professional driving permits.

These services are currently limited to Gauteng, Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.

All the services are available at online.natis.gov.za and motorists who wish to conduct financial transactions on the platform are advised to contact their banks to activate ‘3D-Secure’ on their bank cards.

3D-Secure is a requirement and it protects both the owner and the State from fraudulent transactions.

Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga has emphasised that road safety remains the collective responsibility of road users and every road user must play their part in ensuring the country’s roads are safe.

This comes after the tragic crash that claimed the lives of 15 people on the N10 at Middelburg in the Eastern Cape on Sunday night, 2 June 2023.

A minibus taxi with 15 occupants was travelling from Cradock entering Middelburg, when it collided with an articulated truck head-on.

All the occupants of the taxi including the driver, nine women, four men and two children, succumbed to their fatal wounds and the truck driver was admitted to hospital.

“We are deeply saddened that so many people lost their lives in this horrific crash and we send our heartfelt condolences to the families and the loved ones of those who perished and wish the person in hospital a speedy recovery.

“Our commitment to making our roads safer has never been greater.  We are seized with the implementation of measures to arrest the carnage on our roads.  These include classifying traffic policing as a 24-hour, seven-day job to maximise visibility, while tightening measures to change reckless behaviour by motorists,” the Minister said on Monday.

Chikunga called upon all road users to be vigilant on the road at all times and motorists to observe the rules of the road and ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy at all times.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation will investigate the crash and establish the root cause of this tragic incident.