MORE HEIST ARRESTS ANOTHER three people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the weekend’s R18-million cash depot heist in Pretoria, bringing to six the number of people in custody, police said on Thursday. The three, family members of one of the three former Umkhonto we Sizwe cadres arrested earlier in connection with the military-style robbery, are not being considered as suspects in the robbery at this stage, but could be “possible accessories after the fact”, according to etective services representative Senior-Superintendent Sharon Schutte. Police retrieved R1,4-million in cash after arresting the three cadres in a swoop on three houses in Gauteng. The money was found in unopened boxes belonging to the SBV security company. About R250 000 was seized from a house in Alexandra on Wednesday evening and another R500 000 from a house in Daveyton on the East Rand, bringing the total amount recovered to R2,1-million.
FINAL EFFORT FOR DRC INQUIRY UNITED States envoy Bill Richardson, in a last-ditch effort to restart the stalled United Nations probe of alleged refugee massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is to make a whistle-stop tour of six African countries to garner support for the UN investigation. However, Richardson is not optimistic about his prospects: “The odds for succeeding in this trip are not very good. Nevertheless, we’ll make the effort.” In addition to Democratic Republic of Congo, Richardson is due to travel to Angola, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kenya before returning to New York next Wednesday via Geneva.
UNDIPLOMATIC INCIDENT A FRIENDLY soccer match between the Irish and South African embassies in London turned into an all-out brawl on Wednesday as all 22 players leapt into the fray. The violence erupted after a SA player was sent off, and allegedly spat at an opponent as he left the pitch. Police were called in to break up the fight, which left one Irish player unconscious and another with a broken jaw. The brawl has been labelled a diplomatic incident, although, as one representative of the Irish embassy put it: “At least no diplomats were involved on either side.”
COBBETT AT MOTHEO PROBE SACKED housing chief Billy Cobbett finally broke his silence on the Motheo project at an Mpumlanga inquiry yesterday, saying that although he had refused to authorise the project, Housing Minister Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele went ahead and launched it in April. Cobbett said he had initially backed the project until senior Nedcor officials told him they were not involved in the scheme. He also said that by early April the Mpumalanga housing board was overcomitted by R217m and had no money to spare for the Motheo project. When he discovered that the board had paid Motheo R9,2m, he threatened legal action.
JURISTS TO SA SOUTH Africa will host a triennial conference of lawyers and judges from nearly 40 Commonwealth countries and the United States, Ethiopia and Eritrea later this month, organisers said on Thursday. The conference, from October 26-31 in Cape Town, is being held to discuss the judiciary’s role in upholding human rights. Delegates will debate three broad subject areas — judicial activism, human rights and judicial independence, and codes of judicial ethics.
SA FARMERS FLEE CONGO FOUR South African farmers were flown from their land in Congo to the safety of neigbouring Kinshasa by helicopter on Wednesday. The farmers left Congo amid fears of looting and violence by armed locals in the wake of the country’s civil war. They are expected to leave Kinshasa, in the Democratic Repubic of Congo, on Saturday, bound for Johannesburg.
SWAZIS BAN ANC MAN THE Swazi government has banned Solomon Mapaila — a member of the African National Congress Youth League — from entry into the country as he is considered “a threat to national security”. The Swazi Home Affairs Minister signed the prohibitive declaration on Thursday, allegedly because of Mapaila’s links to the Swaziland Solidarity Network, an organisation aimed at enlisting international support for Swazi opposition movements.
DRINKING DRIVERS SPILL IT ALCOHOL plays a part in between 4,8% and 16% of fatal car accidents across the country, the Department of Transport said on Thursday. The department’s recent Drive Alive Campaign released figures of alcohol-related fatal accidents in the different provinces. The figures show that a substantial number of accidents happen to drunk pedestrians and drivers. A spokesman for the department warned motorists they could face fines of up to R120 000 and/or six years’ imprisonment if they are found in excess of the legal blood alcohol limit of 0,05g/100ml.