Latest news with #ZeldaVenter
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Supreme Court upholds 20-year sentence for former Icasa chairperson Rubben Mohlaloga
Zelda Venter | Published 3 hours ago Convicted former Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) chairperson Rubben Mohlaloga will have to serve his 20-year jail sentence for his role in defrauding the Agri-Broad-Base Black Economic Empowerment Fund (AgriBBBEE), which was established to assist previously disadvantaged farmers. The Supreme Court of Appeal turned down his appeal against his conviction and sentence, and Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane, who wrote the judgment, had strong words regarding the conduct of Mohlaloga. Mohlaloga, formerly ANC Youth League deputy president, turned to the SCA after the high court rejected his appeal bid. He was earlier convicted in the regional court of fraud and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA). The regional court sentenced him to 15 years' imprisonment on each count and ordered that he serve an effective 20 years' imprisonment. Mohlaloga, a member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture at the time, colluded with others to secure a R6-million grant under false pretences. The AgriBBBEE was approved by Parliament to assist previously disadvantaged farmers financially. Its objective was to facilitate broad-based black economic empowerment in the agricultural sector. The fund was managed and administered by the Land Bank on behalf of the National Department of Agriculture (DoA). It received R100 million from the National Treasury. In February 2008, R6 million was transferred from the fund to the trust account of a law firm, and this payment was disbursed largely to Mohlaloga. Within three months, the grant money was depleted, and not a cent had been spent for the purpose for which it had been originally designated by the Land Bank. Among Mohlaloga's grounds for appeal was that his 20-year sentence was shockingly harsh. He also appealed against the high court's refusal to grant him leave to appeal his conviction. He argued that the high court had misapplied legal principles regarding several aspects of his trial, including the doctrine of common purpose. In rejecting his grounds for appeal, the SCA noted that he played a vital role in committing the crimes. It was also noted that at the time, he was an elected and trusted member of Parliament. In once again turning down his appeal, Judge Kathree-Setiloane remarked that he abused that trust by perpetrating the crime of fraud against the fund, which was funded by taxpayers' money. 'It is inconceivable that Mr Mohlaloga did not know what the purpose of the grant was, and that it was directed at empowering previously disadvantaged people. Despite being given an opportunity to repay the money by the regional court, Mr Mohlaloga failed to do so,' the judge added. The judge stated that corruption and white-collar crime in state-owned entities lead to economic decline, job losses, more poverty, and reduced public trust. 'Unless those convicted of such crimes receive appropriate sentences, public confidence and participation in government institutions would be completely eroded, leading to increased inefficiencies and possible collapse,' Kathree-Setiloane said in turning down his appeal. [email protected]
The Star
6 days ago
- The Star
Court orders mental evaluation for diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg after courtroom outburst
Zelda Venter | Published 49 minutes ago Following a verbal outburst in court this week by diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg, the 61-year-old will now have to undergo a 30-day mental evaluation at Pretoria's Weskoppies Hospital. The Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate's Court decided to refer Liebenberg in this way , although a doctor who had evaluated him on Thursday morning did not recommend that he be referred for psychiatric observation. The magistrate hearing his bail application on Wednesday ordered that he had to see a doctor so that the latter could determine whether Liebenberg understood the court procedures. This was after what was supposed to be his bail application, conducted by himself, ended in chaos. Instead of arguing for bail, Liebenberg heatedly accused the magistrate, the prosecution, and correctional services of bullying him. During Thursday's proceedings, the magistrate told Liebenberg that the doctor probably saw him for half an hour or so, and cleared him to conduct his trial . But, after the previous day's actions where Liebenberg 'disrespected' the court and used 'foul' language, the final decision is with the court on whether to send him for mental observation. The magistrate said she needed to be sure that Liebenberg fully understood the court proceedings; thus, it is necessary to send him for an evaluation. The court further ordered that Legal Aid South Africa had to appoint a lawyer, free of charge, to represent Liebenberg. This is after his lawyer withdrew his services due to non-payment. Liebenberg, in turn, told the magistrate that he wanted her removed from his matter, as he claimed she was biased towards him. The matter was meanwhile postponed to August 29 to ascertain when a bed will be available at Weskoppies for Liebenberg. Apart from using foul language in court on Wednesday and telling the magistrate that she sounded like his mother, Liebenberg also addressed the fact that he had to address her as 'your worship". 'The Bible says clearly that I cannot worship anyone apart from God… We got this thing (calling a magistrate your worship) from England. It does not mean I don't have respect, but I have a problem calling someone 'worship' . We are in Africa. We have potholes. We are falling apart. And we are worshipping one another…,' Liebenberg told the magistrate. The magistrate on Wednesday, time and again told Liebenberg to get on with his bail application. She eventually ordered that he be seen by a doctor as he simply vented on. [email protected]
IOL News
30-07-2025
- IOL News
Court hears shocking details of abuse against a four-month-old baby
A couple, who cannot be identified to safeguard their baby, and who are accused of attempting to murder the then infant, in the dock on Wednesday. Image: Zelda Venter The grandmother of a four-month-old baby who was allegedly abused by her daughter and the child's father told the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, that her daughter sounded very afraid when she called for help, as the baby struggled to breathe. According to the witness, who cannot be identified to safeguard the identity of the now nearly five-year-old, her daughter called her on October 25, 2020, when the baby was barely four months old, to urgently come and assist her with the child. It was later discovered that the baby, only identified as Baby M, had numerous fractures, some of which were very old. According to the prosecution, the couple - the biological parents of the boy - had abused him since birth. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The couple, however, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and child abuse. Apart from offering a bare denial, they did not offer an explanation of the plea and said the prosecution had to prove its case against them. The child was removed from the care of the parents shortly after landing in hospital for several weeks in 2020. The grandmother testified that her daughter was scared of her boyfriend, and she asked them to hurry. When they got to the flat in Sunnyside where the couple lived, they found the baby in his crib. He appeared to have broken ribs as well as bruises on his face. The court was told that they had rushed him to the Pretoria West Hospital, where he remained for several weeks. The couple was subsequently arrested. A doctor who saw the child stated to the police at the time that he recorded that Baby M had multiple bruises on his face and upper body, which were brown, indicative that they were older injuries. He also had a swollen and painful right leg, which was later confirmed as being broken. The baby also had three broken ribs. There was an older-looking laceration behind the baby's right ear, which was already forming scars on the edges. In general, the doctor noted, the baby seemed lethargic and in respiratory distress. While the grandmother of the baby claimed that her daughter was afraid of her boyfriend, the latter told another witness that she (the child's mother) always blamed him as being the aggressor, but this was not true. According to the boyfriend, she would hurt herself and then 'start shouting' that he had assaulted her. He also told the friend that before October 2020, when she phoned her family to come and help with the child, he had noted that the baby had some broken ribs. But, according to the father, he tried to take the child to three different hospitals, but no one was prepared to help them, as it was during Covid. Another witness, meanwhile, told the court that the couple was using drugs, especially crystal meth. Although the court was told that the woman feared the father of her child, the couple seemed very close in court on Wednesday, as they sat huddled together in the dock and whispered into each other's ears. Meanwhile, a doctor is expected to be called later this week to testify in detail about the baby's injuries and what could have caused them. Proceeding.
IOL News
29-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Gauteng High Court dismisses Labour Party's bid to halt National Dialogue
The Labour Party representatives packed the Pretoria High Court earlier with its urgent application opposing next month's proposed National Dialogue. Image: Zelda Venter The Labour Party of South Africa failed in its urgent legal bid for an interim interdict to halt the National Dialogue set to commence on August 15. The party turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to urgently halt the President's decision to convene a National Dialogue and two related conventions. At the heart of its objections were the costs associated with this. It argued that the National Dialogue is not a genuine democratic exercise, but a costly and dangerous duplication of the national legislature. It argued that the National Dialogue Preparatory Committee estimates that the initiative will cost over R700 million, according to an announcement dated June 12. Government, however, in its argument to court, denied this amount. According to the State respondents, a final budget will only be developed following engagements with the National Treasury and other potential partners. The Labour Party's approach to the court was motivated by constitutional concerns. It questioned what power the President has to establish a National Dialogue. It argued that if its ultimate aim is to ensure public participation, create policy and make binding decisions, this is a duplication of the functions of Parliament. It also questioned whether it would be lawful to attach a R 700 million price tag for a part of this endeavour. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ They ask the court to halt the National Dialogue, pending an opportunity to later review the President's decision. Acting Judge I de Vos said the Constitution mandates the President to promote national unity and the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court has repeatedly asserted this process is ongoing and that this duty falls to the President. 'The court is not, based on the text of the Constitution and the jurisprudence from the Constitutional Court, persuaded that the President is acting outside his powers,' she said. The judge added that the court is not persuaded that the applicant has made out a prima facie case on this basis or that it bears strong prospects of success in the review on this ground. 'The court is not empowered to determine if a National Dialogue is the best method for promoting national unity. Or if the same people that have been invited to the table to do the preparatory work are the ones the court would have chosen. Or even if it would rather spend money on a National Dialogue or on health care or some other issue.' Judge de Vos added that the goal of the National Dialogue, which consists of public participation and engagement, is to promote national unity. 'There is a rational link between the National Dialogue, particularly one premised on public participation, and the promotion of national unity,' she said. In turning down the application, she concluded that the Labour Party has failed to meet the threshold to show irrationality in the method employed in announcing the National Dialogue. 'The court is not convinced that the Labour Party has proven a prima facie right in this regard and is doubtful as to its prospects of success at the hearing of the final relief,' she said. As to the money involved, the judge said the court is not empowered to ask whether this is the best use of money. That is the domain of the executive.
IOL News
14-07-2025
- IOL News
Community Schemes Ombud Services overturns dog poo fine against tenant
Without proof that a specific dog was the culprit leaving a pile of poo behind, the owner cannot be fined, the Community Schemes Ombud found Image: Zelda Venter A pile of dog poo came at a cost for a tenant living in a complex in Sea Point when his landlord received a R250 fine for the messy heap - but the Community Schemes Ombud Services (CSOS) was clear that the fine cannot stand if there is no specific evidence that the dog in question was the culprit. You simply cannot fine someone without evidence, the adjudicator said in ordering the body corporate to remove the R250 fine from the levy account of the owner of the unit. Kobi Baribi, who owns a unit in a sectional title scheme property, told the CSOS that the offending poo is not from his tenant's dog. He said the tenant always picks up after his dog and he explained, after looking at the offending mess, that this is probably from another animal, possibly large birds. Baribi told the ombud service that neither he nor his tenant were even given a warning before they were simply slapped with the fine - this while there was no proof linking his tenant's dog to the incident. The tenant said the colouring and size of the poo, shown in a video recording, is totally inconsistent with his dog. He also mentioned that his dog never makes a poo on paving either (where this was found), only on grass. The body corporate, in defending the fine it had issued, claimed Baribi's tenant was the only one with a dog on the premises. It said when the faeces were noted, it was assumed that his dog is the culprit. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading According to the body corporate, there had been various complaints in the past from residents about urine on the steps as well as excrement found on the concrete in the shared area of the property. The body corporate also denied that the excrement comes from birds, as claimed by the tenant. In its defence, it attached a page showing pictures of excrement from the only two birds large enough and that are found in the area of Sea Point. These being the Egyptian Goose and Hadeda – which again based on photos they received did not 'match' the excrement as found at Victory Court. While the tenant said he had seen other dogs on the premises, the body corporate maintained that no excrement of any type had been noticed there prior to the tenant moving in with his dog. It was adamant not to remove the R250 fine, as it fully believed the offending heap was from this dog. It told the ombud that the building's stance is that it is a 'no pets allowed' building and that the tenant willingly brought a dog. Dr MA Chicktay, the adjudicator in this matter, remarked that having dog poo interferes with other owners' use and enjoyment of the common property. 'There is, however, no real evidence before me that proves that the poo for which the applicant was fined was from the Applicant's tenant's dog. It was merely an assumption made by the Respondents.' Without any significant evidence, one cannot hold the applicant liable for the dog poo in relation to this specific fine. Each allegation must be dealt with on its own merits and with evidence, the adjudicator said in ordering that the fine must be removed from the levy bill. Cape Times
