Four People arrested for possession of stolen Goods,Unlicensed firearms

Four people have been arrested for the possession of unlicensed firearms and goods suspected to have been stolen during armed businesses robberies in Diepsloot and Cosmo City.

Police responded to a tip-off from community members on Tuesday night.

During the search of a shop and a house in both areas, a firearm suspected to have been stolen from a police officer in 2012 was retrieved.

The suspects are set to appear at the Randburg magistrates court this week.

The police’s Lungelo Dlamini says: “Three of the Somalians were arrested in Diepsloot and a Malawian national was arrested in Cosmo City. The suspects, especially these Somalians are using these firearms to protect themselves.”

Cash heists gangs are back with a vengeance

This is a 32% increase on the corresponding period last year, during which there were 74 heists on cash-in-transit vehicles, according to the SA Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric).

The cash-in-transit gangs scored an estimated R45-million between January and yesterday, much more than in the corresponding period last year, Sabric said.

Sabric CEO Kalyani Pillay said the criminals were increasingly using explosives in attacks.

"The blowing up of cash-in-transit vehicles has become a major problem.

"What alarms us particularly is the level of violence in the heists. Robbers now appear to be deliberately extreme in their violence."

Last month robbers used explosives to blow open the side of a cash-in-transit van after blocking off a section of the R24 highway near OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, causing motorists on the highway to run for cover.

Pillay said more R180-million was lost in heists last year.

Seven guards have been killed and 16 injured this year. No robbers have been injured or killed, and very few have been arrested.

Mpumalanga and Limpopo are the worst-hit provinces.

Police statistics show that in the 2014-2015 financial year there were 114 cash heists.

In the 2015-2016 financial year there were 137 heists.

The police met representatives of the banking and cash-in-transit industries in April to find ways of countering the onslaught.

There is great concern about the ease with which robbers obtain military and espionage equipment and technology.

The equipment includes specialised signal-jamming devices, radio channel, computer and vehicle monitoring technology and computer-hacking software.

Armed with these resources, robbers can track cash-in-transit vehicles, jam the guards' communication systems, interfere with vehicle CCTV monitoring equipment, render police radio systems useless and block cellphone coverage during attacks.

A police source said those behind the heists were increasingly becoming involved in bank and casino robberies.

Last month, 17 men, one of whom was killed, attacked Emerald Resort & Casino in Vanderbijlpark, blowing open a vault and making off with millions. Two security guards and a policewoman were shot.

It is suspected those involved had police or military expertise.

"You can see it in the type of firearms being used. Bullets fired from military weapons go straight through our armoured vehicles."

The source said a national police team of senior detectives had been asked to investigate.

Pillay said the crimes are committed by only a few gangs.

Acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane said police management met recently to plan a fight-back strategy.

"We have analysed heists and identified 20 policing clusters in which these and other violent crimes are increasing."

Danny Myburg of Cyanre, the Computer Forensic Lab, said the acquisition of the military equipment robbers used was strictly regulated internationally.

"You could get this equipment only on the black market, [sourced] from former eastern European Soviet bloc countries."

He said many of the devices were large and had to be built into vehicles.

Unisa criminologist Rudolph Zinn said research showed that the police's inability to gather adequate crime intelligence contributed to the increase in heists.

Nxesi plays down Jacob Zuma heckling at COSATU Rally

Sports Minister Thulas Nxesi has downplayed the heckling of President Jacob Zuma at Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu)’s main Workers’ Day rally in Bloemfontein, saying the matters will be dealt with swiftly.

Nxesi spoke to the media at the SA Rugby headquarters in Cape Town on Tuesday following his first meeting with sport’s bosses since his appointment to the position.

The minister said issues surrounding Zuma’s reception on Monday will be quickly resolved.

“No those are internal alliance issues, we’ll deal with them, nothing more.”

The events that took place on Monday were the first time that a sitting president has been booed by an alliance organisation.

Political analyst Ralph Matekga said it shows Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is no longer a unified organisation.

“It’s actually proved that President Jacob Zuma has divided the workers and workers are no longer going to take this lying down.”

While labour analyst Mamokgethi Malopyane said this shows Cosatu is about to change dramatically.

“It changes the structure of Cosatu. I wonder it would be seen as the strong Cosatu or it would now be perceived as a reborn Cosatu.”

These developments could also mean some unions will now try to force Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini out of his position for allowing Zuma to attend the event in the first place.

At the same time, this could be seen as a turning point both for Zuma and for Cosatu.

Malopyane added: “We’ve seen far deeper fractures now, it’s clear there’s no turning back. Inevitable change will happen within Cosatu.”

While Matekga said senior Cosatu leaders may have to carry the can for this.

“I think they would be blamed for leaving Cosatu in tatters, for actually mortgaging the future of Cosatu on Zuma’s troubled leadership.”

But with Zuma showing no signs of leaving office, the divisions in Cosatu could be just a taste of what could happen in the ANC ahead of its December leadership contest.

Dept to Provide Counselling after The death of a Teacher

The Gauteng Education Department says it expects operations at Clapham High School in Pretoria to return to normal on Wednesday following the death of a teacher.

It’s understood the teacher collapsed while invigilating an exam on Tuesday.

The department says it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi says: “When I arrived on scene the body was just collected by the mortuary.

“We’ll do all the necessary tests and we’ll provide the counselling support that they need because some of the learners witnessed this and we believe they need some support.”

Finance Minister Gigaba to set unpack his vision of radical economic Transformation

 Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba is expected to finally unpack his vision of radical economic transformation of the economy at the World Economic Forum’s Africa meeting in Durban on Wednesday.

The meeting starts this afternoon and will be attended by both President Jacob Zuma and deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.

On the official programme, the Finance Minister is due to discuss radical transformation of the economy under the heading, An insight, an idea with Malusi Gigaba.

The phrase "radical economic transformation" has been the hallmark of those supporting Zuma and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma but Gigaba has also used the phrase "inclusive growth".

Delegates here will also discuss leadership in an era of disruption.

President Zuma has formally welcomed all the delegates, saying he hopes this event will focus on education and infrastructure development.

ANC Vow not to Disrupt Mashaba during SOCA

Herman Mashaba Johannesburg Mayor prepares to deliver his first State of the City Address (Soca) on Wednesday, the African National Congress (ANC) says it has low expectations about improvements to the city.

Mashaba is expected to outline the gains made by his administration following the loss of the metro by the ANC in last year’s local government elections.

The last time Johannesburg councillors met under the same roof where Mashaba was expected to address them, it ended in a brawl.

While this wasn’t the first time tensions flared between the previous administration and the incumbents, Mashaba says he has proof that the meeting was disrupted by ANC councillors.

The case is under investigation.

At the same time, the ANC’s Jolidee Matongo says ANC members will not disrupt Mashaba today.

“We’re very much committed to participate constructively in the State of City Address.”

He also adds the party has low expectations of the address.

“All we know is that he has not done much in terms of delivering on the promises he has made. The only thing that he has been championing anti-corruption campaign, which has so far yielded nothing.”

Matongo says the ANC has accepted its role as the opposition

Cape Town Gang Boss killed

The Police are busy  investigating the murder of an alleged gang boss.

Mayon McKenna who is alleged to have been affiliated with the 26s gang was gunned down in Elsies River over the weekend.

Another man was also shot and killed.

No arrests have been made at this stage.

Cosatu Reiterates Support for Ramaohosa to be next ANC President

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has reiterated its support for deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as the next leader of the African National Congress (ANC).

The trade union federation and the South African Communist Party (SACP) marched to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on Monday to commemorate International Workers Day.

They handed over a memorandum, calling for an end to capitalism and the de-listing of companies that underpay and exploit workers.

They have given the JSE seven days to respond to their demands.

"As for us, we choose Cyril Ramaphosa, others will come last.”

The crowd cheered as Cosatu’s Bheki Ntshalintshali reiterated support of Ramaphosa.

“If he was good enough to be elected as deputy President of the African National Congress, what’s so wrong now to let him be the president?”

Ntshalintshali urged members to go back to their respective branches and lobby for Ramaphosa to become the next ANC president.

At the same time, ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa says Workers Day should not be used to discuss succession but should be a day about workers.

A man and a teenager died in a shooting on Monday night.

The shootout in Elsies River left two dead and at least 13 people injured some were at a critical condition.

A man and a teenager died in the shootings on Monday night. They were aged 50 and 17 respectively.

The other 11 shooting victims were taken to hospital for treatment to their injuries.

The motives for the shootings are unknown at this stage

Cosatu S'dumo Dlamini -Jacob Zuma heckling an embarrassment

(Cosatu) President S'dumo Dlamini says the heckling and Disruptions  at the main May Day rally in Bloemfontein was an embarrassment and a waste of an important day.

Some workers affiliated to the trade union and its unions refused to let President Jacob Zuma deliver the keynote address. This forced Cosatu to cancel all planned speeches.

It's understood the booing came from affiliates the South African Democratic Teachers Union and National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union.

There was a lot of resistance from unions last Friday when Cosatu announced it had decided that Zuma would address workers, with leaders saying this would send conflicting messages as the federation had already taken the decision that the president must step down.

Dlamini says what happened on Monday should have never happened.

“Indeed yesterday was an embarrassment not just for Cosatu only, but for all of us as alliance partners and leadership.”

Dlamini adds that Cosatu is faced with an uncomfortable situation.

“This is going to be an internal discussion because the leadership of Cosatu was faced with a situation. You know what happened yesterday reflected a divided Cosatu.”

Dlamini says it will take some time to reflect on the events.

“I’m still reflecting and I got to indicate that it will take some time to reflect. We have to go to our constitutional structure, do an analysis of what happened and find the way forward.”

WATCH: Anti-Zuma protest halts Cosatu’s May Day rally

COSATU DIVIDED

The events that took place on Monday were the first time a sitting president has been booed by an alliance organisation.

Political analyst Ralph Matekga says it shows Cosatu is no longer a unified organisation.

“It’s actually proved that President Jacob Zuma has divided the workers and workers are no longer going to take this lying down.”

Labour analyst Mamokgethi Malopyane says this shows Cosatu is about to change dramatically.

“It changes the structure of Cosatu. I wonder it would be seen as the strong Cosatu or it would now be perceived as a reborn Cosatu.”

These developments could also mean some unions will now try to force Dlamini out of his position for allowing Zuma to attend the event in the first place.

At the same time, this could be seen as a turning point both for Zuma and for Cosatu.

Malopyane added: “We’ve seen far deeper fractures now, it’s clear there’s no turning back. Inevitable change will happen within Cosatu.”

While Matekga says senior Cosatu leaders may have to carry the can for this.

“I think they would be blamed for leaving Cosatu in tatters, for actually mortgaging the future of Cosatu on Zuma’s troubled leadership.”

But with Zuma showing no signs of leaving office, the divisions in Cosatu could be just a taste of what could happen in the ANC ahead of its December leadership contest.