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A community in Harrismith, Free State, now sleeps easier after a serial rapist and murderer was handed a sentence that will see him languish in a jail cell for a long time after an eight-year reign of terror.

Muzi Wiseman Sithebe Twala, 34, was on Tuesday found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Bloemfontein High Court sitting at the Thabo Mofutsanyane Secure Justice Centre.

In a statement, Free State SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said Twala was convicted of committing a series of rapes, murder and thefts between 2011 and 2018.

“Twala was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment each for four counts of rapes, 12 years for murder and three years each on seven counts of theft. Therefore, he will spend life term imprisonment sentence, as count 2 to 14 runs concurrently,” said Makhele.

During the trial, it was discovered that between the period of August 2011 and February 2018, Twala threatened complainants when fetching cattle from grazing field, armed with a panga and knobkerrie, in Intabazwe near Harrismith.

“He finally raped two boys and took their cell phones,” Makhele said in the statement.

In a separate incident, Twala encountered two friends in Tshiame. He appeared from behind and offered to carry their bags. He demanded money from them and took their property, and raped the woman while holding a knife.

It was further discovered that in January 2018, a minor was en route from school near the Tshiame graveyard. Twala again appeared from behind, grabbed and threatened the girl with a firearm. He raped her and took her cell phone.

In February of the same year, a victim was with a companion (who was killed in the incident) in a car parked in an open space in Intabazwe, near the N3 in Harrismith. The woman told the court that while sitting in the car, they heard a gunshot and they ran in different directions. While running, the woman heard another gunshot. She was later grabbed by Twala, who took her back to the car where he raped her before taking her cellphone.

The victim ran home and called the police and an ambulance.

Twala was positively linked through DNA in all of the above cases.

Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) Deputy Minister, Nomalungelo Gina, has urged retailer Clicks to use the fallout from its recent controversial hair product advert for the good of the country by accelerating transformation in its business and value chain.

“The advert was racist and offensive, and we acknowledge the corrective action that Clicks has since taken, but we have to ensure that something good comes out of it and use this opportunity to facilitate entry of local black players into the hair and beauty product market,” Gina said.

Gina made the remarks following a recent engagement with the management of Clicks.

The advert in question is of hair product TRESemme and originated from the supplier, Unilever.

Clicks has since withdrawn the advert and the product. It apologised and took responsibility for the publication of the advertisement on its digital platform.

The department is interested in localisation and transformation and has developed a cosmetics sector strategy, which retailers like Clicks can help advance, the Deputy Minister said.

Clicks currently has an Enterprise Development Programme. At the end of February this year, it had already invested R65 million.

The programme covers parts of the business outside of the hair and beauty products, including the distribution side for both Clicks and United Pharmaceutical Distributors, which is also owned by the Clicks Group.

Gina urged Clicks to invest more in the South African ethnic hair product market and to provide ongoing training for staff and suppliers and raise awareness on racism.

The department said it would not like to see any job losses in the Clicks value chain as a result of the withdrawal of TRESemme from its shelves.

Clicks CEO Vikesh Ramsunder welcomed the engagement with the department, saying they would like to treat this as a journey to address short- and long-term issues relating to transformation.

Ramsunder noted the importance of a clear definition of roles and commitment of resources by both government and Clicks in order to help develop suppliers.

He reiterated Clicks’s commitment to the local hair market, noting that Clicks has grown the local hair market by 4 000% since 2005.

Clicks will now work with an inter-ministerial team comprising the DTIC, Small Business Development, Labour, as well as the Department of Women Children and Persons with Disabilities in the Presidency to implement and monitor the agreement.

The Hawks on Tuesday conducted a simultaneous search and seizure operation at 15 Durban premises belonging to various officials from the eThekwini Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Unit, as their fraud, corruption and money laundering investigation advances.

Some of the properties searched belong to service providers implicated in the probe.

This comes after the National Clean Audit Task Team of the Hawks in June 2020 discovered that R200 million was allegedly siphoned from the municipality. It has now also been determined that a further R500 million has been embezzled from the department.

“It is alleged that R700 million is proceeds of crime derived from service providers who were supposed to be rendering services for the Water and Sanitation Unit and claimed to have provided such services while they were not carried out,” the Hawks said in a statement.

It is alleged that misrepresentations were made to the municipality and in some instances, no authorised signatures, as per the requirements for approval, were endorsed on the invoices.

Despite the alleged falsification of documents, said the Hawks, payments were approved and significant amounts of monies were allegedly channelled to officials for their own benefit.

During the operation – which also included the Hawks Digital Forensic Laboratory, Priority Crime Specialised Investigation, SAPS Crime Scene Management and the National Intervention Unit – various items, including a number of laptops, desktops, hard drives, cell phones, bank cards from different banks, company details, invoices and company registration documents, were seized for analysis.

No arrests have been made as yet, as investigations are still continuing.

Eskom has announced the temporary road closure of the N3 so that a decommissioned, high-voltage transmission overhead power line can be dismantled and removed.

“Eskom would like to inform road users and stakeholders that SANRAL [South African National Roads Agency] has granted it permission for the temporary road closure of the N3 Freeway (North and Southbound), just after the N3 De Hoek Toll Plaza,” said the power utility on Tuesday.

Thursday’s road closure will start at 10am and conclude at 1pm.

All three-phase conductors will be removed sequentially.

A 15-minute period is required to remove each phase conductor across the road. During the removal of each phase, traffic will have to be stopped completely to ensure the safe removal of a phase conductor.

“Traffic will be allowed to flow after each phase conductor removal for approximately 30 minutes, while the removal equipment is set up for the next phase conductor.”

The power utility has apologised for any inconvenience caused during the dismantling process. It appealed for restraint, co-operation and patience during the removal.

The Limpopo government has welcomed the ruling against Ntiyiso Xilumani, who killed his girlfriend, Dr Shongile Pretty Nkhwashu, in January this year.

Xilumani, 26, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday.

Limpopo High Court Judge President, Ephraim Mokgoba, meted out the sentence after a two-day trial.

The perpetrator told the court that an argument ensued over the interference of Nkhwashu’s father in their relationship, IOL reported.

“She bit me on my finger,” Xilumani said.

He then told the court that he grabbed Nkhwashu, 25, by the throat, threw her on the bed and strangled her until she stopped moving. Xilumani used Nkwashu’s stethoscope — which the deceased at some stage had shown him how it works — and found that she had stopped breathing.

It was also heard that Xilumani had a history of abusing Nkhwashu, who was also the mother of his child.

Limpopo Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, said she was pleased with the sentence handed down by the high court.

“This will send a clear message to all the men out there, who still think they can continue to abuse, kill and rape our women and children, and walk free.

“Dr Nkwashu was also our daughter as the department, whom together with her family, we were still expecting a lot from her.

“We are happy that justice has prevailed and the fight against gender-based violence has received a boost after this judgment,” said Ramathuba.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described GBV as a pandemic, as cases of women and children dying at the hands of men continue to rise exponentially during the COVID-19 crisis.

The President has been calling on the men of South Africa to do and be better.

“Patriarchy is practised and exercised by men, and men think that they’re superior to women. Some men believe that they own women and therefore, they can order them around, beat them up, rape them and kill them. It is this patriarchy that prevails in men that we need to break down,” said the President earlier this year.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 has been included to the Notifiable Medical Conditions (NMCs) in South Africa.

NMCs are diseases that are of public health importance because they pose significant public health risks, which can result in disease outbreaks or epidemics with high case fatality rates both nationally and internationally.

“Although MIS-C is a rare syndrome, there are reports of MIS-C associated with COVID-19 globally and more recently in South Africa,” the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) explained.

The NICD said it is expecting to see more MIS-C cases over the next few months throughout the country as Coronavirus continues to spread.

“Widespread awareness and early recognition are crucial,” the NICD stressed.

According to the institution, healthcare workers responsible for patients between the ages of zero and 19 should notify authorities immediately of a probable or confirmed case through the Notifiable Medical Conditions Surveillance System (NMCSS).

MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes and gastrointestinal organs.

“We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, we know that many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19.”

Parents or guardians should contact their doctor or nearest clinic if they notice symptoms like fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes and feeling extra tired.

The condition is said to be serious, even deadly, the institution warned.

However, most children who were diagnosed with MIS-C have become better with medical care, the NICD said.

A group of paediatricians and other experts have since been roped in to collate and analyse data on MIS-C cases reported through the NMCSS.

This data is expected to shed light on the true burden of MIS-C in the country and to inform decisions on the clinical and epidemiological management of this condition.

The NICD has also noted limited data that suggest clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are generally milder in children than adults.

“However, reports from Europe and North America describe clusters of children and adolescents requiring admission to intensive care with an MIS-C,” said the NICD.

It encouraged all clinicians to notify these cases to the NMCSS.

“Every doctor, nurse or health care provider in both the public and private health sector, who diagnoses a patient with any one of the NMCs, must report the case. Failure to report an NMC is a criminal offence,” NICD said.

South Africa has recorded 772 new COVID-19 cases, which pushes the overall number to 651 521.

Meanwhile, 142 more COVID-19 related deaths were reported on Tuesday.

Of the additional fatalities, 67 are from Limpopo, 19 from Mpumalanga, 16 from KwaZulu-Natal, 13 from the Western Cape, 12 from Gauteng, 11 from the Northern Cape and four from the Eastern Cape.

This brings the death toll to 15 641 since the outbreak.

“We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased patients,” said Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.

The recovery rate stands at 89.5% after 583 126 patients recovered.

Gauteng now has 215 481 cases since the outbreak, KwaZulu-Natal 116 674, Western Cape 108 537 and Eastern Cape 87 514.

The Free State has 42 255 cases, North West 27 321, Mpumalanga 25 860, Limpopo 14 263 and Northern Cape 13 616.

The information is based on the almost four million tests conducted, 11 603 of which were performed in the last 24 hours.

Globally, the World Health Organisation has reported 29 155 581 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 926 544 deaths.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture says applicants for the second wave of the COVID-19 Relief Fund must be registered as taxpayers.

“Despite the opening of the second wave, the department has observed the challenges experienced by potential applicants in terms of their tax registration status, however, this is a mandatory requirement, which the department cannot eliminate,” the department said on Tuesday.

The department has consulted with the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

“SARS has indicated that potential applicants can register as taxpayers in order to secure the documents required to submit their application.

“Furthermore, the turn-around time to process these applications is 24 hours and upon registering, applicants are then able to provide proof of tax registration, enabling them to submit their applications,” the department said.

The department said it can only disburse funds to arts practitioners who make a living from the arts industry and therefore, a certified bank letter is an acceptable recommendation.

The department has agreed to a recommendation by sector organisations to accept referrals.

All arts practitioners are eligible, except those already receiving government funding, including grants, or pensioners between the ages of 60 and 69.

The department’s Living Legends Legacy Programme (LLLP) caters to those who have contributed to the sector and are 70-years-old and above.

With regards to relief for theatres and arts organisations, the Stimulus Package “ObjectiveTwo” will be made available to all formations, NPO’s, NGO’s, theatres, independent and semi-independent theatres, theatre makers and community theatre organisations, to ensure the sustained visibility of the arts industry.

The arts sector will be informed through public calls in due course.

“In light of the two extensions for applications in the second wave of relief funding, the department continues to interact with those who have applied but whose applications have been stalled due to missing or incomplete documents,” the department said.

Safe re-opening of the arts sector

The department has presented the sector’s proposals on reopening to government.

“Government is favourably looking at the reopening of the economy, including the creative economy. In due course, government is going to pronounce on this matter. The safe re-opening of the arts sector, including theatres and arts venues, has always been at the top of the agenda,” the department said.

With the recent published Directions, the department reopened venues, under strict health protocols, and further created live streaming opportunities

“The emphasis on adherence to strict health and safety protocols remains a critical priority while opening up the economy; and ensuring that the country does not get second wave COVID-19 resurgence; as has happened in other countries.

“The department remains committed to creating an enabling environment and developing sustainable livelihoods for sector practitioners, whilst ensuring that we safe guard against the spread of the Coronavirus.”

Public Service Commission (PSC) Commissioner Michael Seloane says during the Commission’s service delivery inspections conducted in June at selected schools, they found that information about COVID-19 was well disseminated at school level and there was a high level of awareness about the pandemic.

“COVID-19 and its manifestation has created uncertainty, especially for families with school-going children, who also live with vulnerable persons,” Seloane said.

Addressing a media briefing in Pretoria virtually, Seloane said they found a few instances where learners were not wearing masks, but the schools were able to provide for them.

“However, the PSC noted with serious concern that generally, the supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs) was not sufficient, which required urgent attention. Equally, some of the equipment, such as thermometers, were dysfunctional, as they provided inaccurate readings,” Seloane said.

Seloane said to observe social distancing, the Department of Basic Education ensured that an average of 20 learners were accommodated per class.

“This is indicative of the historical infrastructure challenge. Provision for isolation rooms was also not made in the majority of schools.”

Seloane said the Commission observed with great concern the use of pit-latrines in some schools, which is a grave health and safety risk that requires urgent attention.

“COVID-19 has created an environment where government has to work together. In this instance, the Department of Basic Education is reliant on the local municipalities, as well as the National Departments of Water and Sanitation and Public Works and Infrastructure to provide a conducive environment for learning, in line with general health standards and COVID-19 requirements,” Seloane said.

In the contemporary context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commissioner said the partial transition to home and online learning has exposed the depth of the digital divide in the education system.

“It has had social and pedagogical implications, while raising important political debates about government’s response.

“It has also thrown into stark [view] the pervasive inequalities in South Africa’s education system, and the differentiation of public and private schools,” Seloane said.

The Commission has provided feedback to the Department of Basic Education on the improvement of conditions, in anticipation of the other grades returning to school as the COVID-19 regulations are eased.

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies is making progress in meeting its commitment to provide training opportunities for young people in fields such as robotics, data science and artificial intelligence.

A total of 135 learners have completed a 12-month Data Science course, which is a partnership between the department and the Media Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICTSETA).

“The current partnership with MICTSETA emanates from a budget vote commitment we made in 2019/20 to train 1 000 unemployed youth in different Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) related skills as the country enters the digital era, amongst these being the success of the Data Science skills development programme we are celebrating today,” said the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.

Addressing the handover ceremony for the certificates on Tuesday in Pretoria, the Minister said the country needs Data Science skills to harness the power of data and come up with predictive models that will enable departments to mitigate risks, reduce costs, increase revenue, and optimise limited resources.

“The Presidential Commission on 4IR recently made its recommendations to the President on the adoption of 4IR technologies to improve the upward trajectory of our economy and country.

“Critical among those recommendations is to build human capacity in the areas of 4IR, including Data Science. This is exactly what we aimed to do with this pilot Data Science programme and other 4IR programmes,” the Minister said.

She encouraged the graduates to look at the impact that data has on people and societal problems.

“…Always ensure that whatever you create is for the benefit of all and not just a select few. Beyond the data science skills that you have acquired, it is essential that you become well-versed in the business operations and processes of the industry that you will work in,” the Minister said.