logo
R60k reward offer for third suspect in murder of IFP deputy chief whip

R60k reward offer for third suspect in murder of IFP deputy chief whip

The Heralda day ago

Gauteng police are offering a R60,000 reward for anyone who can provide information that can lead to the arrest of the remaining suspect in the murder of IFP MP and deputy chief whip Khethamabala Sithole.
They are searching for Zamani Ngila Ximba for the shooting of Sithole and the attempted murder of two other party members at Buyafuthi Hostel in Katlehong in Gauteng on May 31.
'Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect is urged to call Maj-Gen Mbuso Khumalo on 082-556-8642 or Capt Abe Montoedi at 082-461-4794, Crime Stop at 08600-10111 or by using the MySAPS App. All received information will be treated as confidential,' said police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo.
Two other suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack on the IFP members. The investigation continues.
TimesLIVE

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

National Prosecuting Authority preparing to reinstate charges against Nulane accused
National Prosecuting Authority preparing to reinstate charges against Nulane accused

Mail & Guardian

time4 hours ago

  • Mail & Guardian

National Prosecuting Authority preparing to reinstate charges against Nulane accused

State capture: Ajay Gupta, Atul and Rajesh. (Adrian de Kock/Netwerk24) The 'We are tirelessly working towards that,' said NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga . On Thursday, the NPA prevailed in the supreme court of appeal (SCA), which found that Judge It said what transpired in the high court could only be summed up as a 'failure of justice'. The SCA ruling came almost two years after Gusha That decision meant that none of them had to take the stand to answer the case put forth by the state. Gusha found that the prosecution had 'regrettably failed to pass even the barest of thresholds' in proving that the accused colluded to defraud the Free State government and ensure some R24 million was funnelled to a United Arab Emirates (UAE) Standard Chartered Bank account linked to the Gupta family. Gupta associate Iqbal Sharma was arrested in 2021, nearly a decade after Free State officials deviated from public finance rules to awarded a contract worth R24.9 million for a feasibility study to his newly-founded Nulane Investments. It pinpointed Paras, an Indian firm linked to the Guptas, as the preferred entity to a dairy project in Vrede in the Free State. This would later become the Estina dairy farm scam in which more than R280 million allegedly flowed to the Gupta family. But Gusha, an acting judge, found that the prosecution was unable to prove that provincial officials broke the law when they gave the contract to Nulane. It meant that the case collapsed at the first hurdle, because without proof that the money was stolen, the state could not sustain the charge of money-laundering in relation to the rapid-fire transfers that followed to companies in the Gupta stable. The SCA agreed with the state that Gusha made a litany of errors in law and fact, resulting in a failure of justice. She had been obliged to consider the totality of evidence, and had failed to do so. 'The inference is inescapable — and the judgment itself shows — that the judge had closed her mind to the evidence adduced by the state. 'This is unfortunate, particularly in a case such as this, where it was prima facie established that scarce public funds were unlawfully extracted from the department and channelled to the UAE, by fraud and the misuse of power.' Hence, the appellate court said, the acquittal of the accused was unfair to the prosecution. The prosecution had relied on the doctrine of common purpose to prove that all accused were part of a conspiracy to defraud the government, as were Atul and Rajesh Gupta. It had planned to add them to the list of accused if they were surrendered to South Africa. The SCA said there was evidence that three Free State officials worked together to ensure Nulane was appointed and paid and, further, that fraud and money-laudering was committed with the cooperation of the rest of the accused, among them Ronica Ragavan, the director of the Gupta family's Islandsite Investment. That was one of the companies in the family's business empire through which the state allegedly the money extracted from the Free State was laundered with 'bewildering rapidity'. There was a real likelihood, the SCA said, that the accused would have incriminated each other, had they been put on the stand. 'The high court misapplied s174 of the CPA [Criminal Prosecution Act]: a court should not discharge an accused who might be incriminated by a co-accused. This was unfair to the state,' the court said. 'The trial in the high court can be summed up in a single sentence: This was a failure of justice.' It added that regrettably this undermined public confidence in the criminal justice system. The SCA ruling provided some comfort for the NPA a week after the Bloemfontein high court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to try Ace Magashule's former assistant, Moroadi Cholota, for her role in the R225 million Free State asbestos scam case. The court found that her extradition from the United States was unlawful as the NPA had failed to challenge an SCA ruling that only the minister of justice, and not the prosecuting authority, had the power to apply for extradition, in due time. The NPA is seeking to overturn this ruling as well.

Another delay in bail proceedings for man linked to ‘heinous' knife attack
Another delay in bail proceedings for man linked to ‘heinous' knife attack

The Herald

time8 hours ago

  • The Herald

Another delay in bail proceedings for man linked to ‘heinous' knife attack

Bail proceedings for a man charged with killing a 'pro-Palestine' Durban woman, Hoosen Preston, at her Glenmore home in June 2024, were delayed in the Durban magistrate's court on Friday. The woman died and her husband and son, who were stabbed more than a dozen times, were seriously wounded. A fourth member of the family, a teenager, was unharmed. Grayson Beare, 44, adopted son of businessman Julian Beare, was arrested moments after the murder. A month after the arrest, bail proceedings stood down after the defence requested a mental health assessment. On Friday senior prosecutor Calvin Govender said no bail was fixed for the accused. He said the medical report from the Fort Napier hospital was pending. 'I have discussed the issue with the defence. The medical report is pending. I have taken the e-mail address of the defence and as soon as I get more information from the director of public prosecutions I will forward it to the defence,' said Govender.

Uncle sentenced to life in prison for rape he committed 13 years ago
Uncle sentenced to life in prison for rape he committed 13 years ago

The Herald

time8 hours ago

  • The Herald

Uncle sentenced to life in prison for rape he committed 13 years ago

The Bloemfontein regional court this week sentenced a 51-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his 10-year-old niece in January 2012. The now 21-year-old woman disclosed the abuse to a social worker during a counselling session in August 2024. 'She reported that the accused was a trusted family member who began sexually abusing her when she was just 10-years-old, escalating from digital penetration to rape at a residence in Rocklands, Bloemfontein,' Free State police spokesperson Capt Loraine Earle said on Friday. It was revealed during sentencing that the accused was on parole for an earlier rape conviction at the time of the offence, 'an aggravating factor that underscored the court's decision to impose life imprisonment'. Free State police commissioner Lt-Gen Baile Motswenyane praised the team responsible for securing his conviction. 'Your dedication to a case which took place more than a decade ago is testament to an investigating officer who takes pride in bringing justice to a victim who was crippled with fear for years.' TimesLIVE

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store