Lansdowne officers acted on information that a Nissan bakkie and Mazda bakkie were being loaded with cables in Wetton Road.
Image: City of Cape Town
Four suspects were arrested after they were found in possession of 303kg of railway cables in Cape Town, police said on Friday morning.

Police spokesperson Siyabulela Malo said Lansdowne officers acted on information that a Nissan bakkie and Mazda bakkie were being loaded with cables in Wetton Road.

The two vehicles were seized and the suspects aged between 24 and 34 were arrested before they could enter a local scrap metal yard.

Malo said the railway cables had an estimated value of R83,000.

The suspects are expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court soon.

In a separate incident in Durban, a 30-year-old man was arrested for stealing Telkom cables near railway tracks on Orient Drive.

Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said three men were allegedly stealing the cables and loading them into a truck when officers pounced.

Two of the men managed to flee the scene on foot.

The cables were valued at R400,000. Police confiscated the truck, a pickaxe, chainsaw and other tools.

Finance minister Tito Mboweni has joined Instagram.
Image: ESA ALEXANDER/SUNDAY TIMES
Finance minister Tito Mboweni has received a warm welcome on Instagram after creating his account on Thursday. The minister shared a link to his profile to ensure people did not get lost in the sea of fake social media accounts.

It isn’t yet clear what kind of content the minister will share on the platform as he has so far shared two selfies. Last year Mboweni announced his decision to quit Twitter, saying it was an abusive platform.

“After a long thought process, I have decided not to do any original tweets any more.

“I might, just might, retweet (not endorsement). I came to the conclusion that Twitter is no longer about its original purpose, that is to create a networked society. It is now an abusive platform.”

Mboweni had made a name for himself as a lighthearted politician who enjoys sharing his home cooked meals, including bunny chow and his famous canned fish stews.

The decomposed body of transgender activist Nare Mphela was found in her rented room in a village outside Mokopane, police said on Friday morning.

Community members raised the alarm after a strong smell permeated the Parkmore, Sekgakgapheng village.

Police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said the community was also worried that her boyfriend’s car had not been moved in a long time.

Mojapelo said her body was found with multiple stab wounds and was already in a “state of decomposition”.

The SA Human Rights Commission’s Limpopo head, Victor Mavhidula, said Mphela had approached them after she faced discrimination about her gender identity from her school principal.

“At the time of the incident, Nare left school and it was so touching,” Mavhidula told TimesLIVE on Friday morning.

Mavhidula said when they prepared for the court battle, Mphela was always present to add her contribution.

He said it was the first time his office had tackled a gender discrimination case.

In 2017 in a landmark ruling, the Seshego magistrate’s court ordered the Limpopo department of education to pay R60,000 in personal compensation to Mphela.

Mavhidula said the school’s principal was ordered to undergo gender-equality training.

He said this was a big victory for Mphela and LGBTQI+ rights in South Africa.

According to Mavhidula, Mphela had been active in the community and spoke out against gender discrimination.

“Working with Nare was very rewarding, even for my office. It is very big loss because Nare was a strong-willed person who was no pushover.

“Her contribution in the community was always visible.”

Police have taken her boyfriend in for questioning.

“We believe this might be a hate crime. We can’t rule out that possibility. We believe she might have been targeted because of her stand on LGBTI+ rights.”

A memorial service will be held at 3pm on Friday.

A flooded road in Emalahleni after a morning of heavy rains.
Image: Supplied/ SACCW
Heavy rains have battered Emalahleni (Witbank) in Mpumalanga, leaving certain areas flooded on Friday.

The SA Community Crime Watch Group operations co-ordinator, Maureen Scheepers, said they had received several reports about inaccessible roads.

In some incidents, vehicles had been swept away by floodwaters. We received about five calls this morning where vehicles were trapped. When we responded to those calls, we found the motorists had managed to get out of their vehicles so it was just vehicles that need to be towed out,” said Scheepers.

She urged motorists to be cautious.

“Be vigilant when approaching these pools of water. Avoid crossing the gathered water pools. Reduce your speed, switch on your headlights and keep a safe following distance,” Scheepers advised.

“For any water-based emergencies, please contact the NSRI Witbank direct on 060 962 2620,” she said.

In some areas, residents were trapped in their homes as flooded roads prevented them from leaving their properties.

that the 17-year-old suspect from Seshego, Polokwane, in Limpopo, was arrested last week for the murder of an 18-year-old pupil while on bail for rape.

On Wednesday, a video of him in his prison cell in Polokwane surfaced on social media in which he vowed to come out soon because he was “untouchable”.

In two separate video clips posted on Facebook, the teenager can be heard saying he will be back for the second time from prison.

“Round two, I have been arrested for the second time. You know what guys, [life] inside prison is tough. You thought life was easy. However, I am going to be fine, I’m coming back soon and I will show you sh*t,” he said with a smile.

In another (19-second) video clip, the suspect is seen filming his prison cell.

“I’m back again. This is my bed. I’m feeling comfortable and we do things other people fail to do here. Do you know this place? This is my home,” he said.

The suspect appeared on Tuesday in the Seshego magistrate’s court in connection with the brutal murder of Thoriso Kgomo.

Kgomo was a grade 12 pupil at Northern Academy School in Polokwane when he was attacked and stabbed, allegedly by the suspect, at Zone 3 Seshego on January 2. He was taken to hospital in a critical state and succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.Both the police and the juvenile centre where the suspect was held have passed the buck about where the video was filmed.

Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said the video wasn’t taken in police cells, but at a centre where the suspect is being held.

“We don’t allow inmates to enter our police cells with cellphones,” Mojapelo said.

Witness Tiva, Limpopo’s department of social development spokesperson, said the videos were not recorded on the premises of the Polokwane Secure Care Centre as the minor was not yet in their custody.

“The video started circulating on January 5, before the minor was brought into our custody. He was brought to us on January 7,” Tiva said.

“If you look at the clothes he is wearing in the video, those are casual clothes. We ensure that all minors in our care are in uniforms to distinguish them in case of an escape.

“We do not allow minors or employees in our facilities access to cellphones or any form of contraband and illegal substances.”

Mojapelo confirmed that Kgomo was attacked and brutally stabbed, allegedly by the suspect.

“The incident was then reported to the police and on arrival at the hospital, the victim was found with severe stab wounds and was unable to speak. The suspect was arrested on Sunday, hiding in Seshego Zone 3,” Mojapelo said.

“The charge has since been changed from assault with intent to cause grievously bodily harm to murder.

“The suspect, who is a school dropout, is facing a charge of rape and is scheduled to appear in the Seshego magistrate’s court next month. He was out on bail at the time this gruesome murder was committed.

“He also has another case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm that was committed in Lebowakgomo,” he said.

— Additional reporting by Tankiso Makhetha