Gauteng

Community and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) voiced anger on Tuesday over the disbanding of several Gauteng police protection units. ”We have worked so hard and for so long to establish an environment where victims of abuse feel safe enough to report, and this disbandment reverses what we’ve done,” said Miranda Friedmann, director of Women and Men against Child Abuse.

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) vice-president Lucia Matibenga and a colleague, who suffered police beatings last week, have been admitted to the trauma unit of a Gauteng clinic, the Congress of South African Trade Unions said on Thursday.

Gauteng police will be reinforced by 3 011 additional members, the provincial minister for community safety said on Thursday. ”This will increase Gauteng’s capacity [to fight crime in the province] by 15% in terms of additional detectives and 8% in terms of visible policing,” said Firoz Cachalia. Cachalia was briefing media in Johannesburg on the province’s safety plan.

Crime in Gauteng is unacceptably high, a recent provincial lekgotla (meeting) attended by premier Mbhazima Shilowa agreed. It impacted negatively on quality of life and was a threat to development, Shilowa told reporters in Johannesburg on Monday. ”The retreat agreed that government and all law-enforcement agencies must adopt a zero-tolerance approach to crime.”

Gauteng detectives have confiscated R2-million-worth of perlemoen (abalone) in sting operations around the province, police said on Friday. ”The abalone was seized at Mondeor, Crystal Park and Lyttelton,” said Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini of the national police commissioner’s office.

The South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) has accused the police of trying to murder one of its Gauteng officials by shooting him — possibly with rubber bullets — at close range in Johannesburg on Tuesday. Oupa Mbhele was wounded four times in his knees and lower legs and underwent surgery at the Garden City Clinic, where he was in a serious condition.

Tree felling in Rosebank and Sandton will begin this week to make way for the Gautrain, the company said on Monday. Golden trumpet trees will be removed along Sturdee Avenue in Rosebank and one lane of the road will be closed to traffic during off-peak times, said Barbara Jensen, spokesperson for Gautrain Rapid Rail Link.

The vice-chancellor of the Tshwane University of Technology, Professor Errol Tyobeka, was attacked with stones after he addressed a mass meeting of students on Wednesday afternoon, the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (Pasma) said. Pasma’s president, Mametlwe Sebei, said Tyobeka did not make a concrete commitment on the issues raised at the open-air meeting.

The Gauteng provincial government has welcomed the ruling of the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday in favour of the Gautrain rapid-rail link. Construction is due to begin in September. The urgent application by the Muckleneuk/Lukasrand Property Owners and Residents Association was dismissed with costs being awarded to the applicant.

Business against Crime South Africa on Wednesday announced the appointment of Siphiwe Nzimande to replace Kenny Fihla as the organisation’s CEO. Fihla has stepped down as CEO at the conclusion of his three-year contract. Nzimande held the post of commercial director at Murray and Roberts Construction before joining Business against Crime.