Gauteng

A new initiative to tackle crimes such as house robberies and hijackings was unveiled by police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi on Monday. He told an Interpol conference in Johannesburg the move included the deployment of hundreds more police officers in areas where these crimes were common.

The number of Gauteng schoolgirls who fell pregnant in 2006 was double that of the previous year, the Star newspaper reported on Monday. The newspaper said 2 336 schoolgirls were pregnant last year — up from 2004 when 1 373, and 2005 when 1 169 schoolgirls were reported pregnant.

The leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) in Khutsong denied claims on Friday by the Khutsong Anti-North West Forum that the party was divided about the incorporation of the town into the North West. ”As the ANC we are united in Merafong about the decision to support the government’s initiative,” said the party’s sub-regional secretary, Sanele Caiya.

A 12-year-old pupil brought a loaded gun to Kempton Park Primary School on Thursday, allegedly to settle a score over a cellphone, the Gauteng education department said. ”I remain baffled by the actions of this learner,” said provincial minister of education Angie Motshekga, who dispatched a senior team of officials to investigate the circumstances.

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) should publicly apologise to African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma, the Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust in Gauteng demanded on Tuesday. This follows reports that Sars served Zuma with a summons after he apparently failed to submit his tax return, information that Sars denied leaking to the media.

Gauteng provincial minister of community safety Firoz Cachalia and his wife, Nazira, were mugged while walking at Emmarentia Dam, media reports said on Monday. The two were enjoying an evening stroll when they were attacked by two knife-wielding men on Friday at about 6.45pm.

Dr Wouter Basson says he will defend his medical practice after it emerged that he would be charged for his alleged role in the army’s weapons programme, media reports said on Monday. Complaints were lodged with the Health Professions Council of South Africa about Basson’s alleged role in Project Coast.

One person was injured in an accident that left the N1 closed to traffic early on Sunday, Gauteng emergency workers said. ER24’s Werner Vermaak said a 30-year-old man sustained severe head injuries when his vehicle overturned several times along the N1 north near the Samrand offramp at about 2am

The ”overwhelming majority” of people arriving at Gauteng’s clinics and hospitals seek treatment related to unhealthy lifestyles, Gauteng’s provincial minister for health said on Thursday. ”If we can change this we will make a measurable impact on all facets of healthcare delivery,” Brian Hlongwa told a media briefing in Johannesburg.

Priority crimes are still too common, Gauteng provincial minister of community safety Firoz Cachalia said on Wednesday in announcing a second Operation Iron Fist. ”Specific types of violent crime remain at unacceptable levels, especially house robberies and business robberies,” Cachalia said in elaborating on Premier Mbhazima Shilowa’s state of the province address two days ago.

Gauteng provincial minister of transport Ignatius Jacobs has given his department six weeks to clear the backlog in driving-licence examinations. This would be followed by increasing automation at all centres, Jacobs told a media briefing on Tuesday to elaborate on Premier Mbhazima Shilowa’s state of the province address.

More than 297 000 people will benefit from housing projects in Gauteng in the next financial year, provincial minister of housing Nomvula Mokonyane said on Tuesday. The 58 552 houses to be built will include give-away, financed and rental houses, Mokonyane said in elaborating on Premier Mbhazima Shilowa’s state of the province address.

Jackie Maarohanye, the embattled principal of the Ithuteng Trust school in Kliptown, was taken to hospital after collapsing following her appearance in the Protea Magistrate’s Court in Soweto, media reports said on Monday. She was allegedly part of a group that held a reporter and driver from the Sowetan newspaper hostage at the weekend.

Gauteng has more jobs and is becoming a better place to live, Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said on Monday. ”A better Gauteng is in the making,” he told the opening of the provincial legislature. By March last year there were about 3,3-million jobs, an increase of 426 000 jobs in four years, said Shilowa, promising to make even more of an effort in this regard.

The embattled principal of the Ithuteng Trust School in Kliptown, Jackie Maarohanye, and 72 other people, have been arrested after a journalist was assaulted and held hostage. Reporter Vusi Ndlovu and driver Mabu Nkadimeng from the Sowetan newspaper were held hostage on Saturday for seven hours.

A reporter and driver from the Sowetan newspaper were on Saturday afternoon held hostage for six hours by a group of people at the school of the embattled Jackie Maarohanye — the principal of the Ithutheng Trust school in Kliptown. Maarohanye handed herself over to the police in October last year for cases including public violence and malicious damage to property.

A mob beat a man to death after he was caught allegedly stealing from a house in Etwatwa in Benoni on Monday. The three were caught ”red handed” by a homeowner, said Superintendent Eugene Opperman. A large group of residents began assaulting the three men with various weapons. They also threw boiling water over them.