Metrorail working to clear rubble following train crash in EKURHULENI

 Metrorail says it’s working to clear the rubble of a train crash in Ekurhuleni to ensure a number services are restored

The wreckage had still not yet been removed by on Friday only a single line remains operational and bus services are being used to transport commuters.

Two trains collided near the Elandsfontein station on Thursday.

The cause of the collision is not yet clear.

Metrorail’s Tony Games says two of the 102 people injured have been readmitted to the hospital.

“It’s been the coach that collided with the other train that was going to Johannesburg has closed all four lines, so we need to remove all the coaches, put them one-by-one, put them on top of the wheels so that we can be able to move them because right now it’s a mission.”R

#Durban Mentally disabled man suspected of girl's murder

A mentally disabled man has been linked to the murder of a 12-year-old girl from Amaoti in Durban.

The girl’s body was found dumped in the bush near her grandparents’ home on Wednesday soon after her mother sent her on an errand.

Thobeka Ndlovu, a Grade 7 pupil of Zwakele Primary School, was sent to fetch her aunt’s lunch box from her grandparents’ home, a stone’s throw away from her home, but never returned.

According to her family, she was allegedly strangled and the lunch box, still containing food, was found next to her body.

Her family said they were puzzled that the container full of food was next to her, which convinced them that she was killed elsewhere and her body placed at the scene later.

According to the shocked and angry neighbours, who spoke to the Daily News on Thursday, Thobeka was last seen being chased by a local mentally-disabled man before her body was found.

The community are now calling for the man to be removed from the area.

They claimed the man habitually chased children whenever they passed his home.

Thobeka’s distraught mother, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, said her daughter was one of the children in the area who feared this man.

She said whenever she sent Thobeka on an errand, she would watch until her daughter passed the man’s house, to make sure that she was safe.

“She was terrified of him. On the day of the incident she asked me to watch her until she walked past the man’s home, and I did as usual. I then went back into the house,” she said.

“When I realised that she was gone for about 30 minutes, I went to look for her, but she was nowhere to be found,” said the mother.

Ndlovu searched the area for her daughter and alerted the neighbours.

“We looked everywhere including the bush behind my parents’ house, at the spot where the body was found, and she was not there,” she said.

“The neighbours found her lifeless body on the same spot where I had looked several times, and there was nothing there,” she said.

Neighbours, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they now feared for their own children if the man was not removed from the community.

Thobeka was the eldest of Ndlovu’s four children.

She was still in shock.

“She was a sweet girl. Always with a smile and loved school very much,” Ndlovu said.

“She was always on high alert and was afraid of strangers because she walked a long distance to school.”

Thulani Zwane, provincial police spokesperson, said live electric wires were found near the body.

It was not yet known what caused Thobeka’s death.

“Police, for now, are investigating an inquest and would wait for the post-mortem results,” he said.

At least 34 dead in Manila casino attack

Manila - At least 34 people are dead after a gunman burst into a Manila casino, firing shots and setting gaming tables alight, Philippine media reported on Friday, in what officials said was a botched robbery attempt.

Police said the unidentified gunman had killed himself after firing at armed officers searching the still-smoking Resorts World Manila entertainment complex hours after the drama that began shortly after midnight.

Many of the dead suffocated in the chaos as guests and staff tried to flee choking smoke at the complex, according to a report by ANC News channel, quoting Bureau of Fire Protection sources.

Resort owner Travellers International Hotel Group Inc said authorities were still seeking details.

"We have been informed of several casualties, the number and identities of whom have yet to be determined," it said in a statement. Its shares were down 7 percent.

Around dawn, the body of the suspected gunman was found in a hotel room in the complex, which is close to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and an air force base, police said.

"He burned himself inside the hotel room 510," national police chief Ronald dela Rosa told a media conference. "He lay down on the bed, covered himself in a thick blanket and apparently doused himself in gasoline."

The bodies of two of the victims had been taken to the Veronica funeral parlour, staff member Leni Domingo told Reuters.

Officials said at least 54 people were hurt, some seriously, as they rushed to escape what at first had been feared as a militant attack.

Dela Rosa told DZMM radio the lone gunman had not aimed his assault rifle at people and may have been trying to steal casino chips.

"Don't panic, this is not a cause for alarm. We cannot attribute this to terrorism," dela Rosa said.

"We are looking into a robbery angle because he did not hurt any people and went straight to the casino chips storage room. He parked at the second floor and barged into the casino, shooting large TV screens and poured gasoline on a table setting it on fire," he said.

Police said the gunman was tall with a pale complexion and spoke English.

Videos posted earlier on social media showed people fleeing as several loud bangs were heard.

"Even the security personnel panicked. Maybe because of the heavy firearm, they can't put up a fight so they prioritised life and safety," Jeff Santos, a high roller at Resorts World Manila, told a Philippine radio station. "Definitely us patrons we did not expect that, everyone ran away."

Jeri Ann Santiago, who works in the emergency room at the San Juan de Dios hospital, said patients were suffering the effects of smoke inhalation and some had injuries such as fractures. None had gunshot wounds, she said.

Kimberly Molitas, a spokeswoman for the capital's police office, said 113 million Philippine pesos ($2.27 million) worth of casino chips stolen during the raid had been recovered.

"Please help pray for the injured and the loss of lives due to suffocation," she said in a message to reporters.

The Philippines has been on heightened alert amid a crisis in the south of the country, where troops have been battling Islamist rebels since May 23.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao last week and has warned it could become a haven for supporters fleeing Iraq and Syria.

Dela Rosa said there had been no specific, credible terror threat in Manila so far.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington was closely monitoring what he described as a "terrorist" attack unfolding in Manila.

The U.S. embassy in Manila told Americans there to exercise caution and to review their personal security.

Dozens of police trucks and a handful of huge Special Action Force vans and armoured personnel carriers lined side streets near the hotel, casino and shopping mall complex as the drama unfolded.

Gil Yonco, 54, stood weeping in the street at around 5 a.m. His daughter had been on the second floor inside Resorts World and called her father for help because she was being suffocated by smoke.

He tried calling back but there was no answer. "I am very worried as a parent, I need to find her," he said.

A casino worker named Julio from the third floor of the complex told DZMM radio he heard many gunshots and saw people running up the stairs from the second floor.

Ronald Romualdo, a maintenance worker at Resorts World, told the station he saw a woman fall from an upper floor while trying to escape. "Several people were injured," he said.

I don't hate whites, but they can't have everything, says Zuma

President Jacob Zuma on Thursday said he does not hate whites, but said he would speak the truth – that white people still benefit from the country's wealth, especially when it pertains to land ownership.

"You cannot have a situation where there are people who have land of which they don't know what to do with [it]. Others don't have a single hectare," said Zuma.

"There are those who robs those of their possession and left them poor." Zuma denied that land redistribution would be done via Zimbabwe-style land grabs, saying government would be correcting the injustices of the past "within the Constitution and the law".

The President did however leave the door open for law changes, saying if needs be amendments would be brought to the Constitution.

"What do I want the whites to do? Let us sit down and find a solution...so there's no South Africans who have nothing while some have everything," said Zuma. "We want all South Africans to benefit from the wealth of the country, irrespective of colour or history."

The man who brought up the question of what Zuma had against whites, Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald, then responded to Zuma, saying: "Can I say to the honourable President I accept your invitation. We can talk."

Zuma said he does not hate whites and insisted his government and the ruling party believed in non-racialism.

"I have been in the trenches with them. I have been commanded by the whites in the war for freedom," he said. Zuma said if people wanted to kill whites, he would be among the first to fight and defend them.

Franziska Blochliger's killer asks family for forgiveness

 Franziska Blochliger's killer has asked her family to forgive him for what he calls the "biggest mistake of his life".

Howard Oliver has admitted to raping and murdering the 16-year-old while she was jogging in Tokai Forest in March last year.

Oliver's letter to the Blochliger family was read out in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday.

In the letter, Oliver apologises to the Blochliger family and asks for their forgiveness.

He says the killing of their teenage daughter was the biggest mistake of his life.

Oliver states he only wanted to rob her and still does not know what evil spirit came over him to commit the rape and murder.

The National Prosecuting Authority's Eric Ntabazalila says he will be sentenced next week.

"We're creating an opportunity that Howard Oliver does get sentenced to a long term imprisonment of three life terms and possibly 15 years, to ensure that he does not hurt any other women, person or child."

Oliver has asked the court to show mercy, so that he may have a chance to get parole and be part of the lives of his two daughters.

#presidencybudget: Zuma gets a rough ride in Parliament

Parliament - President Jacob Zuma received a hostile reception in Parliament on Wednesday, with insults directed at him across the benches of the House as opposition parties accused him of driving state capture.

During the heated debate on the Presidency’s budget vote, mudslinging, insults and personal attacks dominated the session, forcing Speaker Baleka Mbete to interject and to call on some of the MPs to withdraw what she termed unparliamentary remarks.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane irked the ANC when he spoke. ANC whip Bheki Hadebe objected strongly to some of Maimane’s remarks. It resulted in Mbete forcing him to withdraw what he said, despite protests from DA chief whip John Steenhuisen of unfair treatment.

Maimane had called Zuma “President Gupta”, following a string of emails implicating him and the Guptas in state capture. After heated exchanges with Mbete, Maimane withdrew the remark.

Zuma opened the debate in Parliament, with the EFF, the party that has given him the most problems in Parliament in the past, conspicuous by its absence. It had decided to boycott Zuma.

It also boycotted Zuma’s speech last year.

Zuma once again made a commitment to establish a commission of inquiry into state capture after court processes had been concluded.

“Let me place it on record that there is no opposition from either the government or the Presidency to the calls for a commission of inquiry into the said state capture,” he said.

“We fully support an inquiry, as it will help to uncover the facts and dispel rumours about the extent of capture.”

He said he was not happy with the report of former public protector Thuli Madonsela. She had encroached on his powers to direct him to set up an inquiry, he said.

Maimane did not hold back when it was his turn to speak. He accused Zuma of selling the country to the Guptas.

He said Zuma had destroyed the ANC and he now wanted to take the country down with him. But, he said, the DA would not allow it.

During the tail-end of Zuma’s speech, when he was speaking about regional matters, DA MPs kept referring to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates each time he mentioned another country.

This was in reference to revelations in emails that he planned to go and live in Dubai.

Chairperson of the portfolio committee on human settlements Nocawe Mafu accused Maimane of having his speech written by “two analysts”.

She also said the people of the country were tired of the opposition’s insults directed at Zuma each time he was in Parliament.

Mafu said the ANC did not have a problem with parties who opposed it. But they should not attack an individual and rather stick to the ANC.

Courtney's family spokesperson slams Zuma's 'blatant lying' at imbizo

Roegshanda Pascoe, spokesperson for the family of murdered three-year-old Courtney Pieters, has lashed out at President Jacob Zuma for blatantly lying during a crime imbizo in Elsies River on Tuesday.

A fuming Pascoe said Zuma's comments, who told residents in a packed hall the Pieters family had received "great service", is a slap in the face of the family.

"How can he go and say that when we told him exactly what the challenges were. My colleague made video recordings of the visits to the station with Juanita."

Complaints by the Mitchells Plain Crisis Forum and the Manenberg Crisis Forum, who led and assisted neighbourhood watches during the search for the missing girl, included the request for sniffer dogs to search the home where Juanita lives with 14 other people, on two occasions. This was not granted.

Juanita previously told the Cape Times: "Police don't share an information with me. They come to ask me if I don't have any information. I am just as in the dark as everybody else."

Courtney's body was found nine days after she was reported missing in Bofors Circle, Epping Industria.

Mortimer Saunders, who is accused of murdering and raping the girl, was a tenant where Courtney lived and is a childhood friend of her father, Aaaron Fourie.

He will make his third court appearance in the Goodwood Magistrate's Court on August 24.

Zuma, during his address in the Adriaanse Community Centre, said he "believed there was a lot of exaggeration" over Courtney's case.

"I spoke to the family and Juanita told me she was happy with the service of the police. The police are doing their best, but they need the support of the community."

He acknowledged the complaints received "ïn the manner the police conducted the investigation of Courtney".

"It is difficult to police crime that happens in the streets and it is even harder to police crime committed in homes."

Zuma urged communities to assist police to curb crime.

Juanita did not want to comment following the statements made by Zuma.

"Pascoe was appointed our spokesperson. People are humiliating me because of incorrect reporting."

Franziska's parents share pain as killer cries

Franziska Blochliger's parents shared their "indescribable" pain in a letter read out in court, while accused Howard Oliver had tears streaming down his face when Judge Kate Savage found him guilty on all four charges on Wednesday.

Silence in the Western Cape High Court courtroom was broken each time the 24-year-old sniffed and wiped the tears from his face. His family in the gallery was also crying during the judgment.

Oliver had pleaded guilty to two charges of rape, a charge of robbery and the murder of the 16-year-old girl.

Beforehand, a letter (watch full letter in video) from Shireen and Andreas Blochliger was read out in aggravation of sentence.

"The loss of a child is almost indescribable," the letter read. "There’s pain, there’s sadness, there’s anguish but acceptance is the hardest.

"To know that our child suffered and needed us, that is the most devastating. The loss of a child is a traumatic experience; you lose a piece of yourself that can never be regained."

The parents wrote that they had moved homes and schools and were receiving counselling. The death of their daughter had impacted on their marriage due to "feelings of blame and guilt".

"There can never be any justification for taking her life. We only hope that the person responsible for this brutal act of violence against an innocent child is NOT ALLOWED to walk free to hurt another person," the parents wrote.

Franziska was murdered and raped on March 7, 2016, after separating from her family on a run in Tokai Forest. Apart from double rape, she was also robbed of a cellphone, diamond ring and earphones.

The judge ruled: "The brutal attack perpetrated by the accused toon Franziska Blochliger, a teenager deeply loved by those around her, was shocking, unprovoked and senseless. The accused senselessly robbed the deceased of her constitutional right to life, her right to bodily integrity and her right as a child to be protected from maltreatment, abuse and degradation."

She said fact that the accused had indicated to his boss his intent to rob someone for money and roam around the area showed his "clear election to carry out his plan".

"He robbed the family and society of a young vibrant life full of possibility. Through his conduct he again made plain to this court the urgency to which our society needs to act to protect women and children across all communities," Judge Savage said.

State prosecutor Lenro Badenhorst said Oliver had 10 previous convictions including assault, robbery and possession of drugs. He said he had shown no remorse.

"The accused wrote a letter in April 2016 where he expressed remorse. Although he did express remorse then, the bottom line is that in May 2017 he still pleaded not guilty and denied that he was involved in the rape and murder of the girl. He took a chance pointing fingers at other people.

"I want to submit that through the thorough investigation of the police, they managed to arrest the correct perpetrator. We know he walked away from the scene with the cellphone of the deceased," Badenhorst said.

He said Oliver had pointed fingers at others, but not himself.

"There are no substantial and compelling circumstances for this court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentences.

"Both parents of this girl attended counselling and the sister of the deceased also attended counselling. This is an addition to the loss for the parents."

In confessing to his crimes, Oliver had said: “When I grabbed the deceased from behind, I went for her neck so as to prevent her from making any noise and to demobilise her immediately.

"My legal representative explained to me that the post-mortem indicates that the hyoid bone in the deceased’s neck was fractured and I confirm that I used enough force that I could have fractured same.”

He continued to say that he dragged her body into the fynbos nearby as this explains the abrasions on her body as described in the post-mortem.

Oliver also admitted to going through the process of removing the deceased's cellphone, earphones and ring, and tying a shoelace around her hands and mouth before raping her.

“I positioned her body by placing her chest and head into the sand with her buttocks in the air. As I was doing this, I removed all her clothing. I pulled my pants down and proceeded to place my penis in her private parts.

'As I pushed my penis into her private part, I found it difficult to penetrate her but continued. As I found it difficult to rape her, I pulled my penis out and discovered that I had penetrated her anally.

"I then placed my penis into her vagina and raped her. After raping her I got dressed.”

He said that he discovered she wasn’t breathing after he wanted to leave her and go.

“I confirm that I throttled her when I grabbed her from behind and that whilst I raped her, I pushed her face into the sand which probably caused her death.”

Regional National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the NPA welcomed Oliver's conviction.

"The conviction is one major step towards ensuring that Howard Oliver is sentenced to a long prison term that will ensure that he does not get an opportunity to hurt any other woman, person or child again.

"We hope this sends a very clear message that the NPA will do whatever is in its power within the confines of the law to ensure that crimes against women and children continue being prioritised," he said.

Sentencing continues on Thursday.

A mother died after been set alight by her ex-boyfriend

A 30-year-old Johannesburg mother has died in hospital two weeks after she was set alight, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend.

This is the latest report of femicide in recent weeks, with several other women found dead around Johannesburg and other parts of the country.

Masingita Caroline Ngobeni was being treated for severe burns in the intensive care unit of Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

Her alleged kidnapper remains under police guard in another hospital, also being treated for burns.

Lydia Rikhotso-Sarila says the day before Ngobeni was kidnapped and set alight, her ex-boyfriend had called, looking for her new address.

When Rikhotso-Sarila refused to give him any details, he allegedly pretended to have been admitted to hospital to lure his ex-girlfriend to the Morningside area.

He waited for her there and when he spotted her car, he allegedly abducted her.

Rikhotso-Sarila says that Ngobeni managed to send her a text message asking for help.

"I started to call the family. I said 'Did you see Caro? Caro sent me a message saying that she's been kidnapped.'"

Hours later, the family found her in hospital, severely burnt and fighting for her life.

The police have confirmed they are investigating a murder case in the wake of her death on Tuesday, as well as a charge of kidnapping.

Police found naked body with visible injuries

The police discovered the body of a man on Chapman's Peak.

Police officials say a park cleaner made the discovery on Wednesday.

The victim was found naked and his hands were tied.

Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk says the man also had visible injuries.

"We've opened a murder case for investigation. Anyone with any information about this fatal incident is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or Hout Bay SAPS."

The discovery of this body comes two days after the remains of a female were retrieved on Table Mountain.

Authorities are conducting an autopsy examination to determine the identity of the deceased female.