A credit-card payment unit in the Johannesburg metropolitan police department has been closed down following allegations that cashiers were using tourists’ credit cards to pay motorists’ fines fraudulently. The corrupt officials used information from the credit cards to pay fines on behalf of people who bribed them to do so.
A police officer who admitted taking marijuana from criminal suspects and baking it into brownies will avoid criminal charges. The police department’s decision not to pursue a case against former police officer Edward Sanchez left a bad taste in the mouth of at least one city official, who vowed to investigate.
There is still no clarity on when the National Lottery, suspended since the end of March, will be back up and running. At a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa declined to elaborate on the issue. He repeated an earlier statement that he would be able to give a more ”definitive indication” at the end of May.
Former South African soap-opera actress Lindiwe Chibi — best known for her role as ”Doobsie” in Muvhango — died on Wednesday night. The role of Doobsie that was created for her will be retired from Muvhango in her honour, said the show’s executive producer, Duma ka Ndlovu.
China has appointed a seasoned diplomat as its special Africa envoy, with a brief to focus on Darfur, the government said on Thursday, amid growing criticism of Beijing’s role in Sudan. ”The Chinese government has decided to name Ambassador Liu Guijin as a special representative for African affairs,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said.
A Zimbabwean court has turned down a request to allow two sister newspapers, which were shut down by the government four years ago, to resume publishing, media reports said on Thursday. High Court Judge Anne-Mary Gowora on Wednesday dismissed an application by the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe for its newspapers to be deemed registered.
French utility back Thomas Castaignede is to retire after the World Cup in October. Currently playing with London side Saracens in the English first division, the 32-year-old Castaignede said he had taken the decision to hang up his boots a year ago, but had held off making an announcement.
Shaun Pollock was named the Cricketer of the Year at the fourth Mutual & Federal South African Cricket Awards held in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The Proteas legendary fast bowler scooped the prestigious award ahead of Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini and Ashwell Prince, who were all strong contenders.
Media reports about chronic ambulance shortages in the Eastern Cape are a ”gross exaggeration”, the Eastern Cape health department said on Thursday. ”The situation is not out of hand,” said spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo. A national targeted norm of one ambulance for every 10Â 000 residents by 2010 had been set by the national committee on emergency services, he said.
Twenty-four members of various cable-theft syndicates have been sentenced to a total collective sentence of 420 years’ imprisonment by the Kroonstad Regional Court, Spoornet said on Thursday. The syndicate members were convicted on 76 charges and received individual sentences ranging from three to 80 years’ imprisonment.