#Durban Robber tries to burn house in revenge attack

A robber who had gained entry into a house in Redcliffe, north of Durban, allegedly threatened a woman and also tried to burn down the house on Thursday morning, private security company, Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) said.

Prem Balram, Rusa spokesperson, said it is alleged that when the robber gained entrance onto the premises, the 22-year-old woman ran into the bedroom to call for assistance but the robber broke the door and forced his way into the room. The woman told officers that she did not know how the robber gained entrance into the home but he produced a 9mm pistol and assaulted her with it before threatening to kill her.

“The suspect then attempted to set the bed alight and informed the female that he intends burning down the house in a revenge attack. He further informed the victim that his reason behind his actions was that her father was a complainant in a housebreaking case on May 22, 2017 and his brother was arrested and in jail for the crime,” Balram said.

“He then stole several electronic items from the home and placed it in a bag. The suspect fled when he noticed a neighbor approaching the home. He dropped the bag which was later recovered outside the home,” he continued.

He said Verulam police and the Umhlali Dog Unit responded quickly and alongside Rusa officers, searched the bush in the area but no arrest was made.

He also said the robber has dreadlocks and was wearing a black jacket and carrying a 9mm pistol.

#Oriental Plaza Fatal M1 Shooting Linked to money Exchange Scheme

 EyeNews247 reveals that a fatal shooting on the M1 north highway is linked to a Hawala money exchange scheme operating out of the Oriental Plaza.

A man was shot eight times near the Glenhove offramp on Wednesday just after 5pm.

A second person is believed to be in ICU in a hospital.

Eyewitnesses say that three men walked through rush-hour traffic, specifically looking for the white Audi A4, shot out the tyres and then opened fire on the occupants several times.

“Three men came out of nowhere… walked straight to the A4, smashed the car’s window and shot inside a couple of times before walking towards the opposite side of the freeway.”

The victim, whose name is known to Eyenew247, was of Indian or Pakistani descent.

Sources say that he was a runner for the Hawala money exchange scheme operating at the Oriental Plaza, and that the shooting may have been to silence him.

It’s also believed the hit may have been linked to a recent spate of kidnappings associated with Hawala networks.

#Sipho Shezi sue social department for R1.1 million

 Former Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini’s former advisor has approached the High Court to sue the department for R1.1 million.

Sipho Shezi was fired in 2017 at the height of the Social Security Agency debacle involving Cash Paymaster Services.

The agency has twice approached the Constitutional Court because of its failure to manage the payment of social grants.

Dlamini fired Shezi in April 2017 but did not provide any reasons for doing so.

Shezi was among officials who were opposed to Cash Paymaster Services being used to dispense social grants.

The former advisor has now turned to the High Court in Pretoria to sue the department for R1.1 million.

Shezi argues that he was fired for advising Dlamini to adhere to the Constitutional Court judgment, instead, he says the minister chose a route which undermined the court order.

Robbers make off with cash and man's pants

The adage that money will burn a hole in your pocket probably rings true for a Verulam man whose pants were stolen in a mugging in Canelands‚ north of Durban‚ on Wednesday.

It is understood that R600 in cash had been stashed in the pockets of the pants‚ which had been stripped off by two men brandishing knobkerries.

Reaction Unit South Africa spokesman Prem Balram said that their emergency call centre had received word of the incident when a husband and wife had driven into a horse-riding school and begged those there to raise the alarm.

“Officers found a 45-year-old man with injuries to his right arm. The man was found without his pants. His 34-year-old wife was seated next to him in the front passenger seat‚” he said.

Balram said that the woman reported that she and her husband had come from collecting donations at a mosque and were travelling towards their home in Stanger when they’d taken a shortcut in Canelands and their car had stalled.

“They were then approached by two men who attacked them with knobkerries. They removed R500 in cash from the woman and assaulted her husband.

“The woman alleged that the men then removed her husband pants which contained R600 in cash and fled.”Balram said that while medics attended to the injured man‚ his staff purchased a pair of pants to restore his dignity.

Drunk driving and mother nature got real for insurance ombud

Driving under the influence is a major factor in the insurance industry‚ as is dishonesty. This emerged on Wednesday from the latest report from the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance.

The extreme weather conditions experienced in 2017 also resulted in a flood of complaints to the ombud. South Africans got pummelled with uncharacteristic tornadoes in the Vaal area‚ flash floods in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal‚ fires fuelled by storm winds which dramatically ripped through and destroyed much of Knysna‚ and an extreme drought in the Western Cape.

Of the 9‚962 complaints finalised by the office of the ombud under Deanne Wood during 2017‚ the highest category of claim-type was motor vehicle claims at 49% followed by home owners claims at 20%‚ the ombud’s Annual Report on Operations for 2017 stated. Commercial claims contributed 7.9% to the total and household content claims‚ 6.2%.

The complaints were resolved in an average turn-around time of 131 days with an amount of R87‚101‚354 recovered for consumers.

A majority of motor vehicle claims comprised claims rejected on the grounds that the insured was driving under the influence of alcohol.“Some insurance companies have introduced measures such as the ‘take me home’ service to manage the risk associated with drunken driving. However‚ it is clear from this year’s statistics that DUI remains a very real problem for the South African insurance industry‚” said the ombud.

The second highest cause for complaints was rejections based on a policyholder’s alleged misrepresentation of underwriting details at sales stage. Examples include misrepresentations about regular driver details‚ previous insurance and claims history‚ credit history‚ security devices and whether the vehicle would be used for personal or business use.

“The Ombudsman has always highlighted the importance of truthful and accurate information being provided to the insurer during underwriting‚” the report said.

“A significant number of complaints related to rejections based on the policyholder’s obligation to exercise due care and to prevent loss. When the ombudsman assesses disputes of this nature it requires that there be a causal connection between the insured’s conduct and the accident.”

A high number of complaints related to disputes over the settlement calculation when the vehicle has been stolen or written off‚ “as the calculation may result in a shortfall where the vehicle is financed”.

As many as 13% of all complaints submitted to the ombud during 2017 concerned claims relating to acts of nature. “Indeed‚ 2017 was not a year that can be described as climatically dreary or boring‚” the ombud noted.

A majority (61%) of complaints under homeowners insurance related to storm damage and other acts of nature‚ with 11% related to bursting of water apparatus.

Ayanda Mazwi‚ senior assistant ombudsman‚ remarked: “The primary cause for complaint was the dissatisfaction with the rejection of claims on the grounds of damage arising from gradual deterioration‚ maintenance‚ wear and tear‚ which is not the responsibility of the insurer to remedy.

“In general‚ the Ombudsman will assess these matters by asking whether the loss or damage would have occurred if the property had been properly maintained. If it clearly would have occurred even if the property had been adequately maintained‚ the Ombudsman will usually uphold the claim.

“The secondary cause for a complaint under homeowner’s claims related to quantum disputes - the most prevalent being the settlement calculation in circumstances where the policyholder was underinsured. There were also a significant number of complaints relating to rejections on the basis that no insured event occurred. The Ombudsman will consider the policy and the facts and circumstances of the loss in determining whether an insured event occurred.”

Theft and burglary claims amounted to 73% of the claims under household content insurance.

Under commercial insurance‚ 28% of complaints related to building claims and 25% to motor vehicle claims.

Significant in the statistics was the ombud’s low overturn rate - meaning the percentage of matters where some portion of the insurer’s decision was overturned. It decreased substantially in 2017 when compared with that of previous years.

“An initial assessment of this decrease might seem to suggest that in 2017 insurers were more correct in their claims assessments than in previous years. Or‚ more worryingly‚ that OSTI was less willing to challenge insurer’s decisions and more susceptible to industry bias‚” said the Ombudsman‚ Deanne Wood.

However‚ neither of these assessments are accurate‚ she said‚ attributing the reduction in the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance overturn rate to “the material shift in some insurers’ approach to this measure and to what it represents for their organisations”.

The entity’s chairman‚ Haroon Laher‚ said the best outcome is a resolution that suits both parties. “If the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance is able to assist consumers and insurers in identifying and focusing on the real underlying issues‚ and it can get these issues resolved quickly and informally‚ and without recourse to the application of stringent legal principles‚ everyone wins.”

According to Wood‚ in March 2017 OSTI launched a new manual for insurers‚ detailing its complaints handling procedures. This was operating only as a guide during 2017 but is due to be fully effective as from June 1‚ 2018.

“The introduction of this manual was met with co-operation from insurers - even in relation to potentially punitive additions to the process which will‚ as from the effective date‚ see insurers penalised for failing to provide sufficient information to the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance overturn rate to “the material shift in some insurers’ approach to this measure and at the inception of a complaint.

“Going forward‚ we continue our support for the insurer and the insured by providing an alternative dispute resolution forum and endeavour to play an important role in the sustainability of the insurance industry.”

Windblown jumping castle crashed into tree before crushing girl, 7

London - A father screamed ‘my daughter’s in there’ when a bouncy castle was swept 50ft (15 metres) in the air by a gust of wind.

Summer Grant, seven, died after the inflatable cartwheeled down a hill and smashed into a tree, a court heard on Tuesday.

She was visiting the Easter fair in Harlow, Essex, with her sister Lily, then five.

The owners of the bouncy castle – William Thurston, 29, and his wife Shelby, 26 – are accused of manslaughter by gross negligence in failing to ensure the bouncy castle was properly anchored.

Tracy Ayling, prosecuting, told Chelmsford Crown Court they had also failed to monitor weather conditions to ensure it was safe to use.

Giving evidence, Summer’s father Lee said his mother screamed ‘No’ when the inflatable started to take off.

‘Within seconds, it had blown away and I remember shouting “my daughter is on that bouncy castle”,’ he said. ‘I just saw some sort of cable flying in the air and it just blew away.

‘I remember it blowing over some sort of caravan and kept on going over the field. I started running after the bouncy castle down the field.

‘It was 30 to 50ft in the air and just rolling down the field, just rolling and rolling. I think it hit a tree. At the end of the field, it came to a halt when it hit the fence. I couldn’t find her.

‘I couldn’t find the entrance to the bouncy castle as it had deflated by the time it reached the end.’

The court heard that someone else managed to get into the ‘circus superdome’ to bring Summer out.

William Thurston was among the first at the scene and said the child appeared ‘very badly injured and struggling to breathe’.

Health and safety guidelines state inflatables should not be used when wind speeds are over 19mph. But there was a yellow weather warning in place on March 26, 2016, the day of the fair at Harlow Town Park.

Winds brought by Storm Katie were 35-40mph according to a meteorologist’s report.

Shelby Thurston claimed a strong gust hit ‘like a tornado freak wind’ as she was preparing to close the fun fair because of the conditions. In a police interview she claimed she was addicted to the Met Office’s weather warning app because her business relied on it. But a meteorologist confirmed that wind speeds and gusts had increased as the day had gone on, adding: ‘If the app was working, with signal, the warning would have been displayed.’

Prosecutors also claim that Thurston’s Fun Fair had operated before in adverse weather.

A document recovered from the defendants read: ‘Rain, sleet, snow, horrible – £300.’

The castle, which cost £3 a child for ten minutes, did not conform to safety standards because it had ‘an insufficient number of ground anchorage points’. An inspection of the dome after the tragedy found problems with the exit signage and the location of the pump.

‘Its annual examination had failed to identify its shortfall in the anchorage points and had failed to show the faults in the electrical wiring,’ said Miss Ayling.

Describing the incident, the QC told the court: ‘The weather was cold and windy. Summer was playing in a bouncy castle which was one of the fair’s attractions.

‘It blew away from its mooring, bounced 300 metres down a hill and, having hit a tree, it came to rest. Summer was rescued from within the bouncy castle. She was badly injured, she was taken to hospital where she died from her injuries.’

Summer’s mother, Cara Blackie, who lives in Norwich, sat in the public gallery yesterday.

Kevin Smith, who was at the fair with his daughter Lola, told the court: ‘She wanted to go on a slide but it was wet. I saw them starting to deflate it and I said “No”.

‘It really started to get windy. There were railings in front of one of the rides that just blew over.

‘We started to go to another dome one, we didn’t get to it. There was a gust of wind, the dome just started to move and it just went down a hill.’

As well as the manslaughter charge, Shelby Thurston denies a count under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 for failing to anchor the inflatable and monitor the weather conditions.

Her husband is charged with failure to discharge his duties under the same act.

The couple, from Wilburton in Cambridgeshire, own three bouncy castles and a water ride. The trial continues.

Momberg, 49 refused leave to appeal sentence and conviction

Convicted racist Vicki Momberg's application for leave to appeal her sentence and conviction was refused by the court on Wednesday-Johannesburg .

Former real estate agent Momberg was sentenced to three years imprisonment with one year suspended by the Randburg Magistrate's Court last month.

Momberg, 49 was found guilty of four counts of crimen injuria in November last year after she was seen shouting racial slurs at a black police officer who was trying to assist her after she was involved in an alleged smash-and-grab incident.

She was caught on video in 2016 using the k-word 48 times.

Last week State prosecutor Yusuf Baba read evidence that was provided during the trial to the court which he said were not grounds for the defence to apply for leave to appeal the sentence and conviction.

In June 2017, the Equality Court awarded damages of R100 000 to Constable Clement Mkhondo after he was verbally assaulted by Momberg.

African News Agency/ANA

Mafikizolo must stop using Tebogo's name

The family of the late Mafikizolo member, Tebogo Madingoane, wants the popular band to stop using his name.

It has accused the group of neglecting it while going around pretending that the band is contact with the family.

Family spokesman and Madingoane's uncle Pepe Dire said the group has neglected the late singer's aging mother but continue to make empty promises through the media.

"Every time they go to media, whether it's television or newspapers, they talk about them helping his family and they say they are working hard to help Tebogo's mother but they never do," Dire said.

"They are talking as if they are doing things in good faith. Last time they promised his mother to come and visit and have something for her but they never came."

"They must not go around using his name. To the public it looks like they are doing something for the family but they are not," Dire said.

Dire said he has been trying to get hold of group members Nhlanhla Nciza and Theo Kgosinkwe through their manager Modise Kgomo since December.

"He [Kgomo] promised to speak to Theo and Nhlanhla and tell them that there is an outcry from the Madingoane family and I said it was okay. December passed and he has said that they will meet with us and till today we have not seen them," he said.

Dire said the family was angered by the group which has been using his nephew's name for publicity.

Notorious hostel claims yet another life

Durban police are investigating the murder of a 29-year-old man at the notorious Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Community activist Vanessa Burger said that Lwando Gladine‚ a resident of Block 53‚ had visited Chief’s Tavern at nearby Reunion with a friend.

“After leaving the tavern‚ instead of returning home‚ he went to Block 55‚ where he was stabbed to death at around 3am‚” she said.

“This is the fifth murder at the hostel since the beginning of the year‚ bringing the total of those who have lost their lives in Glebelands-related murders – both at the hostel and elsewhere – to 107 since 2014.”

Video footage from murder accused Sandile Mantsoe's apartment building in Sandton

A Video footage from murder accused Sandile Mantsoe's apartment building in Sandton, Joburg, as well as blood stains under his carpet, could be crucial in proving that he murdered Karabo Mokoena.

This emerged at the High Court in Joburg on Monday when the prosecution's first witness, Stephanie Leong, told the court of when she was shown CCTV footage from the building's control room where Mokoena was last seen alive.

Leong's footage testimony comes in the wake of gruesome pictures she showed the court of a battered and bruised Mokoena, which was allegedly caused by Mantsoe.

Leong said that she along with Diepkloof, Soweto, police, Mokoena's mother, sister and aunt, as well as a mutual friend, arrived at Mantsoe's building to look for Mokoena in May last year.

This was roughly 12 days after Mokoena had gone missing in late April.

Leong said the building manager took her and the police into the control room, where she was to be shown footage. 

"On the footage, I saw Karabo and the accused going into the lift.

"I never saw Karabo on the footage again, but I saw the accused coming in and out of the building," Leong said, adding that the footage was from the early hours of April 28 last year.

Leong said she then saw Mantsoe coming in with refuse bags with contents in them and existing with them.

"He came back with a big Pikitup dustbin. He then went with the dustbin to his car. There were two other people at his car, but it was unclear what was happening," Leong testified.

She added that the dustbin was put into the car, which drove off and returned again.

After viewing the footage, Leong added, she called Mantsoe to come to his building.

The accused arrived, where Mokoena's mother allegedly asked him whether he had killed her daughter.

"No Mamzo, I did not kill Karabo," was Manstoe's alleged response, according to Leong.

The police, Mokoena's family and friends then went up to his apartment, where Leong noticed something different about his apartment carpet.

"It was wet. He said he had cleaned the carpet because he was moving, but could not say where to," Leong said.

Blood stains were found under another carpet in his kitchen, Leong added.

She had earlier testified that she and Mokoena had been friends since December 2013.

Mantsoe is facing three charges; namely assault with the intention to do grievous body harm, murder and defeating the ends of justice.

He pleaded not guilty to all three charges, saying Mokoena had committed suicide.

The trial continues

'Not guilty' Karabo committed suicide, says Sandile Mantsoe

Johannesburg - Not guilty; this was the plea which Sandile Mantsoe entered into on Monday for the murder of Karabo Mokoena and shocked the court by saying the deceased had committed suicide.

Dressed in a suave golden-brown chequered suit with a silk scarf as a tie, Mantsoe startled the High Court in Joburg, saying he had not grievously assault the 22-year-old Mokoena, kill her and then brutally dispose of her body by burning and ditching it in a Sandton veld.

Instead, the accused, through his lawyer, said he will prove that Mokoena had committed suicide.

Mantsoe is facing three charges; assault with the intention to do grievous body harm, murder and defeating the ends of justice.

In April last year, Mokoena made headlines after a frantic, social-media led search for her was launched after she had disappeared.

The State said in court on Monday that Mantsoe was the last person to have seen Mokoena at his Sandton apartment, where he assaulted her, killed her and ditched her body.

The State called its first witness, Stephanie Leong, who said she had been Mokoena's friend since December 2013.

Leong told the court of an incident the, day before Mokoena's birthday in March last year, where the accused allegedly assualted the deceased on their way back from a drinking establishment in Soweto.

When the three of them arrived back at Manstoe's Sandton home, the accused and Mokoena allegedly got involved in a heated and physical altercation. 

"In the (basement) parking lot, the accused and Karabo started arguing. At one point, the accused pushed Karabo who fell to the ground on the concrete. The accused then fell on Karabo," Leong said, to loud gasps from the gallery.

khaya.koko@inl.co.za 

Justin Bieber punched a man and threw him against a wall after the guy grabbed a woman by the throat

LOS ANGELES – Justin Bieber reportedly punched a man and threw him against a wall after the guy allegedly grabbed a woman by the throat and refused to release his grip.

The Never Say Never hitmaker is said to have struck the man in the face at a Coachella party after the guy had reportedly grabbed a woman and wouldn't let go of her, despite the 24-year-old singer and his pal screaming at him to release his grip, according to TMZ.

He is said to have replied: "Go f**k yourself."

Sources told the gossip website Justin then hit the guy, enabling the woman to break free.

The mystery man was later chucked out of the party - which was also attended by Patrick Schwarzenegger - and arrested, but not before he started chasing a car while shouting the singer's name and hitting the vehicle, apparently believing the pop star was inside.

This comes after Justin was spotted posting for selfies with 11-year-old viral sensation Mason Ramsey, who is known as "Yodel Boy", due to his incredible pitch-changing singing ability.

In 2016, Justin punched a fan in Barcelona after he reached through the window of the Love Yourself hitmaker's moving car to grab him, but his actions were defended by several stars.

Rita Ora insisted Justin was probably "uncomfortable and scared" and just trying to defend himself.

She said: "I'm not speaking for anybody, but knowing him and his incredible background, I know how it feels to be uncomfortable and scared.

"I feel like anyone who had a hand in their face is going to protect themselves."

The overenthusiastic supporter was said to have been left with a bloodied lip after Justin struck him at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.

'Winnie Madikizela-Mandela'documentary, Mufamadi has denied allegations made in the film

 Former safety and security minister Sydney Mufamadi has questioned the motive behind a documentary on the life of the late struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

, urging South Africans to ask themselves why only the operators of “StratCom” were interviewed in the film.

Mufamadi held a briefing in Parktown on Monday morning.

He has denied allegations made in the film.

The documentary alleges that Mufamadi told former police commissioner George Fivaz to reopen the investigation into Madikizela-Mandel a so she can be tried for the Stompie Seipei's murder.

Seipei was killed at the age of 14, after being accused of being a police informer. His body was found near the struggle stalwart's Soweto home in 1989.

Mufamadi accuses the producer of the documentary of never giving him an opportunity to respond.

“I’ve absolutely no right to censor a documentary. I know that even though I was denied the right or I was presumed deaf because there’s a lot of misinformation in the public domain. There are other ways by which I’ll be able to communicate.”

Mufamadi says some of the claims made in the film are wrong.

He says out of respect for Madikizela-Mandela, he didn't want to respond to the claims during the national mourning period.

Jacob Zuma former SA president says Madikizele-Mandela never sold out

DURBAN –  Jacob Zuma former SA president says that Winnie Madikizela-Mandela remained committed to the struggle and never sold out.

Zuma addressed thousands at the KwaZulu-Natal African National Congress (ANC)’s memorial of the struggle icon.

He says that his attendance was as an ordinary branch member, despite his presence seemingly having led to deputy president David Mabuza no longer coming to the province as planned.

ANC deputy secretary-general Jesse Duarte replaced Mabuza as the keynote speaker at the event.

Despite the gathering having meant to be about Madikizela-Mandela, speaker after speaker made it a point to give a special mention to Zuma, his current court case and how he is being persecuted.

ANC NEC member Edna Molewa took it a step further by drawing parallels between the late veteran’s life and that of Zuma.

Molewa says that the recent documentary on Madikizela-Mandela’s life is disturbing because it shows how lies were spread which caused great suffering while her own comrades turned their backs on her.

Without mentioning his name, Molewa suggested that Zuma is facing the same level of persecution and the documentary should serve as a wake-up call for the current comrades.

I PAID FOR TRIP TO MEMORIAL SERVICE#De Lille

CAPE TOWN - Mayor Patricia de Lille says that she personally paid for her trip to the Free State this week to attend an Economic Freedom Fighters-organised memorial for Winnie Madikizlea-Mandela.

"I just want to assure everyone that I've not used anything from the City of Cape Town [for the trip]. I paid for myself. The city will only pay for me when I go on official business... I went there in my personal capacity."

Eyebrows were raised when she appeared at the service held in Brandfort. De Lille says that she was asked by the late African National Congress (ANC) stalwart's family to speak.

She's bemoaned the fact the issue has been raised.

"It is my culture to attend a memorial service. If people want to make it a side issue, I think it is very disrespectul to Mama Winnie Mandela to now make an issue of me attending a memorial service... I can attend a memorial service anywhere or of any person that has fallen." 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says that she should have informed the party first, as a courtesy.

In a tweet posted on Thursday, De Lille said she went to honour her friend for whom she has great respect and regards as a sister.

Patricia de Lille

✔@PatriciaDeLille

I will not succumb to making my attendance at an EFF event a side issue. I went to honour Mama Winnie. I have great respect for Mama Winnie, she was a close friend and I regarded her as a sister. She was a former special colleague of mine. https://twitter.com/PatriciaDeLille/status/984063444256280578 …

10:50 AM - Apr 12, 2018

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Patricia de Lille

✔@PatriciaDeLille

I visited Mama Winnie’s old home in Brandfort. This place holds so many sad memories. It’s a great pity that it wasn’t turned into a museum while she was alive so that she could give a first hand account of what happened here at the hands of the apartheid government.

5:14 PM - Apr 11, 2018

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A former MP herself, De Lille says Madikizela-Mandela was a special colleague of hers.