Pretoria

The Waterkloof Four will know on January 30 if they will go to jail for the murder of an unknown man and the assault of another. On Friday magistrate Len Kotze heard final arguments from the defence and in the case of Christoff Becker, Frikkie du Preez, Gert van Schalkwyk and Reinach Tiedt.

South Africa defended on Wednesday its decision to vote against a United States-led United Nations Security Council resolution urging democratic reform in Burma, saying the measure went beyond the council’s mandate. Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said South Africa would continue to fight for democracy, human rights and freedom in Burma.

South Africa has again stressed that its defence force is over-stretched and is still considering troop contributions to an African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad told journalists in Pretoria on Wednesday that no decision has been made on possible troop contributions.

The Public Protector on Wednesday defended its decision not to investigate a matter that grew into South Africa’s first case in which a whistleblower received compensation for exposing corruption. The case involved the former deputy director general in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mike Tshishonga.

Four South Africans abducted in Iraq a month ago are still alive, Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad said on Wednesday. Pahad said the men’s captors had told negotiators they were safe and that negotiations to free them continue. ”Of course this is their word,” Pahad said, adding that there was no independent confirmation of the men’s health.

The Waterkloof Four court case is nearing its conclusion with only the defence team and state still to present final arguments before the magistrate passes sentence. Christoff Becker, Frikkie du Preez, Gert van Schalkwyk and Reinach Tiedt were found guilty by the Pretoria Regional Court in 2005 of murdering an unidentified black man and assaulting another.

The Rail Safety Regulator will investigate an apparent suicide on Monday in which a couple and a baby died in Ga-Rankuwa. A train crashed into their bakkie on a level-crossing at midday. ”We remain concerned at the growing number of accidents at level crossings and will continue to work closely with operators to find lasting solutions,” the regulator said in statement on Tuesday.

At least two of the Waterkloof Four should not be sentenced to long prison terms for killing a man and assaulting another, the Pretoria Regional Court heard on Monday. Christoff Becker’s and Frikkie du Preez’s court-appointed probation officials recommended prison sentences, but both said they should not be for an extended period.

A former Waterkloof schoolboy convicted of killing a homeless man would be ”utterly destroyed” should he be sent to prison, his advocate said in the Pretoria Regional Court on Monday. Jaap Celliers SC told the court that Christoff Bekker is ”good person material” and a lighter sentence than imprisonment should be considered.

Pretoria residents are considering taking legal action against the African National Congress-led metro council following a high number of criminal incidents in their neighbourhoods, the Freedom Front Plus said on Saturday. ”The ANC forbids them to secure their neighbourhoods by fencing off their residential areas,” a spokesperson said.

The last non-executive state president from the apartheid era, Marais Viljoen, was buried on Saturday with the full honours reserved for South African statesmen. At a funeral service in Pretoria preceding a private burial ceremony, his daughter Elna Meijers described him as a man for all seasons who lived his life with passion.

The country’s two biggest agricultural unions have condemned Minister of Land Affairs and Agriculture Lulu Xingwana over her criticism of farmers’ treatment of their workers. While the Transvaal Agricultural Union wants her sacked, AgriSA has lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission and has written to President Thabo Mbeki and Xingwana.

Police are investigating a case of arson after a fire raged through a four-storey block of flats in central Pretoria on Tuesday. Spokesperson Inspector Paul Ramaloko said the cause of the fire at Kinnoulle Mansions on Prinsloo Street was unknown and a case of arson would be investigated.

Pretoria High Court Judge Nkola Motata has taken leave of absence from duty, Judge President Bernard Ngoepe said in a statement on Tuesday. Ngoepe met with Motata on Tuesday following Motata’s arrest in Hurlingham, Johannesburg, on Friday, allegedly for drunk driving. ”The judge has, in the interests of justice, asked for a leave of absence from duty,” Ngoepe said.

President Thabo Mbeki has expressed his condolences to the family of former state president Marais Viljoen, who passed away on Thursday. Mbeki expressed his condolences to Viljoen’s daughter, Elna Meyers, and his grandson on behalf of the government and the people of South Africa, his office said.

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has urged 1 789 new police graduates to defend themselves in any way possible against police killers. ”There are elements that want to kill members of the police force, so I urge you to defend yourselves with whatever means [are] at your disposal,” he told them as they finished their basic training in Pretoria on Friday.

The January 1 implementation of reduced dispensing fees for pharmacists will be delayed after the Pharmacy Stakeholders Forum (PSF) and the Department of Health reached an agreement on the issue on Thursday. The PSF said the department agreed to suspend the implementation of the fees pending the outcome of a court challenge on the dispensing-fee regulations.

South Africans are witnessing the destruction of the country’s pharmaceutical services, the United South African Pharmacies (Usap) charged on Tuesday. The Health Department’s new medicine-pricing regulations are ”inherently flawed” and will have a ”disastrous” effect when they came into effect in January, claimed Usap chairperson Julia Solomon.

President Thabo Mbeki is ”satisfied” that the Pretoria High Court turned down an application to reinstate former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director general Billy Masetlha, his office said on Tuesday. As always, the president accepted the outcome of the judiciary, but was satisfied with the outcome of this particular case, said presidential spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga.

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has appointed a committee to probe costly flights by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka and other VIPs, he announced on Monday. The investigation will start in the first week of January and will be headed by former South African National Defence Force member Kgomotso Moroka SC and Reserve Force General Benno Smit, he said.

Kaizer Chiefs were merciless in hammering Maritzburg United 6-1 in a Premier Soccer League match played at Loftus Stadium on Sunday. Chiefs led 2-1 at half-time. In-form Kaizer Motaung Jnr stole the limelight with a hat-trick, but it was United striker Sandile Ndlovu who hushed the Amakhosi supporters when he opened the scoring.