Tag: Nathi Mthetwa

Minister stops meeting on South African farm murders

André Visagie, leader of the Geloftevolkrepublikeine

A meeting on rural crime between Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and rightwingers was abandoned shortly after it began in Pretoria on Thursday.

Mthethwa said afterwards he had taken exception to mention of the African National Congress at the beginning of deliberations.

“As we started, the delegation raised issues about the ANC. I can’t talk about ANC matters on a government platform,” he said.

“We were ready so that if there was anything that relates to crime matters we would attend it. We actually had to cancel the meeting.”

The parties held separate news briefings, starting with Mthethwa and national police chief General Riah Phiyega, followed by the rightwing movement, Gelofte Volk (People of the Covenant).

Gelofte Volk leader Andre Visagie said the “Boer leaders” of three organisations — Gelofte Volk, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) and the Commando Corps — had wanted to discuss farm murders with Mthethwa.

“We wanted to discuss the security situation in South Africa. I had submitted the agenda of the meeting to the PA (personal assistant) of the minister.

“It is a pity and I feel very much embarrassed and belittled because the minister was not informed by his people that we had taken the initiative to arrange the meeting,” said Visagie.

He said the minister became upset at the use of the word “ANC” instead of “government”.

“My perception is that it is the same thing because the ANC is the government. I said we are not sure whether the ANC supports the riots [at farm wage-related protests],” he said.

“He [Mthethwa] said ‘now you are making it a political thing’.”

Visagie said he was optimistic another meeting would be held.

“Today our meeting was arranged for 10am but he came in at 12pm. He found something to blame to cut the meeting short,” he said.

Visagie is former AWB general secretary.

In 2010, he resigned to start the Gelofte Volk Republikeine, and said he wanted to fulfil a promise he made to slain AWB leader Eugene Terre’Blanche.

Visagie said the government had put in place more interventions to protect the rhino population than it had to protect farmers.

“In the past years, 4000 white farmers were murdered but there is no special unit to protect them. It doesn’t make sense to us,” he said.

“We see that the rhino appears to be more important in South Africa than the lives of our white people. Killing of rhinos in South Africa is a priority crime, but the killing of white farmers isn’t,” he said.

Visagie threatened to intervene in farmworkers’ often violent protests in the Western Cape.

“My question is who is going to protect our people on their properties now? If those people [farmers] in the Western Cape ask us to come and help, we will help,” he said.

“I’m prepared to leave my business and go there. I will help them [farmers] to protect their property. That is what we wanted to discuss with the minister. We want to help our people.”

Asked what he and his associates would do in the Western Cape, Visagie said he would take his firearm to turbulent areas.

“I will take my legal firearm with me, I will go down to the Western Cape and book in at one of the farms being threatened.

“If it comes to [the] push, I am going to help that farmer to protect his property, because the police have failed to do it.” – Sapa

 

South African government claims crime is decreasing

South Africa’s murder rate has dropped by 3.1 percent in the past financial year, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa announced on Thursday.

Releasing the 2011/12 annual crime statistics at Parliament, Mthethwa said in 2004/5 more than 18,000 people were murdered — now down to less than 16,000.

There had been a 27.6 percent reduction over an eight year period –2004/5 to 2011/12, he said.

Sexual offences had dropped by 3.7 percent.

“We need to emphasise that, as government, we are, however, still concerned about the scourge of rape in our country.

“Rape decreased [by] 1.9 percent, but is [still] unacceptably high,” Mthethwa said.

On organised crime, Mthethwa said this category was showing a downward trend.

“The most highly organised forms of aggravated robberies — namely carjacking, cash-in-transit heists, and bank robbery — have experienced decreases,” he said.

Breaking down the figures, Mthethwa said carjacking decreased by 23.6 percent in 2010/11. A further decrease of 11.9 percent followed in 2011/12.

Cash-in-transit robberies were down by 37.5 percent, and bank robberies by 10.3 percent in 2011/12.

House robberies decrease by 1.9 percent, but business robberies continued to show an upward trend, jumping 7.5 percent.

Mthethwa noted an increase in small business robberies.

“We have now finalised a strategy to combat and reduce robberies at small business… we will be engaging relevant parties to ensure implementation of the strategy within next few weeks,” he said.

Riots in black area north of Johannesburg

by Meggan Saville and Jenni Evans

Tear gas was fired at protesting residents of Kya Sand, north of Johannesburg, on Monday afternoon, Gauteng police said.

Lt-Col Lungelo Dlamini said a small group of protesters started throwing stones at police escorting them back to the Inadan informal settlement.

Police retaliated by firing gas canisters at those who were being unruly, and restored calm, he said.

The protesters had dispersed around 1.30pm, but later regrouped and blocked Riverbend and Aghulas Roads, said Democratic Alliance ward councillor Matome Mafokwane.

He said police fired rubber bullets at the crowd, but Dlamini denied this.

Earlier, members of the mayoral committee (MMC) addressed the protesters.

Housing MMC, Dan Bovu, told the community he would engage with them to prioritise their needs for planned development in the area.

When he said he would check his diary to find a suitable time for this, the protesters jeered at him.

Public safety MMC Matshidiso Mfikoe said a meeting would be convened with the residents’ leadership next Tuesday.

She said a broad, integrated programme of development was needed, and she said she would ask the provincial government, before the meeting, about long-term solutions to problems facing the community.

“We need money for building roads, for sewers… this needs to be quantified,” Mfikoe said.

Mafokwane said that the possible relocation of residents from Inadan, an informal “mini-settlement”, to the greater Kya Sand informal settlement was the reason initially given for the protest.

A small group had turned out on Wednesday to protest against the relocation, but this had escalated into demands for housing and sanitation.

Bovu said about 2000 people living at the informal settlement needed to be moved because it was on a wetland and not conducive to development.

Possible solutions included moving families to Kya Sand or Cosmo City and speaking to local private land owners to find suitable land.

Around 500 protesters sang and waved sticks, watched by a large police contingent on Monday.

Police cordoned off Malibongwe road in the vicinity of the protest. A water cannon was on standby, but was not used.

Earlier, Mafokwane said the protest was not political.

“I don’t want to believe that this is political, I want to separate this from politics,” he said.

Mafokwane said it was unclear what had sparked the renewed protests.

“Obviously something must have happened… It started with one grievance, now it’s packing on top with others,” he said.

A spokesman for the informal settlement dwellers, Ephraim Lifuwas, said employers were likely to bear the brunt of the protest as workers were unable to get to work.

The intention was to pressurise the government into yielding to their demands.

“Build houses. That is what we need,” he said.

Regarding the relocation of residents, Mafokwane said normally a decision was made on an issue only after departments had given councillors a detailed brief, and feedback had been obtained from the community.

Even he, as a councillor, was not sure of the situation regarding the relocation, he said.

“I’m in the face of this protest. I need to give them answers, but even I don’t know what is going on.

“A meeting was secured for tonight, but now the situation has overtaken us, and we are talking about a big crowd wanting answers now.

“It’s no longer about the move, it’s now about water, housing, sanitation.”

Mafokwane said that although the DA controlled the ward politically, the African National Congress-run council controlled the resources.

“Leaving aside whether the protest is legal or illegal, their concerns are legitimate, they are valid, make no mistake,” he said.

The Kya Sand protest is the latest in a number of protests around the country in the past 10 days, including protests in Heidelberg in Gauteng and Hangberg in the Western Cape.

Apart from a protest at a church in Evaton, that appeared to be connected to allegations of Satanism, the other protests were intended to draw attention to housing, water, electricity and education complaints.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa visited the site of protests in the farming area of Heidelberg last week.

The ANC has urged people to be patient with the government’s pace of installing utilities and providing housing.

The Kya Sand informal settlement was established in the past two decades, on a tract of land originally surrounded by farms and agricultural holdings.

Since then it has changed into a light industrial and retail zone. – Sapa