Man arrested for rape of teen over months
A 38-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly raped a young girl from Klerksdorp, North West, over several months. Police spokesperson Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said the 15-year-old girl from Hartbeesfontein was allegedly raped between April and August 2019. Mokgwabone said the matter was only reported to police on April 30 2020. The man handed himself over to police on Monday. He was expected to appear in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Border fence damaged ‘almost immediately’
The R37m fence at the Beitbridge border separating SA and Zimbabwe was hardly up a day before trespassers cut through it to smuggle in contraband. And the presence of military personnel along the border has done little to repel desperate Zimbabweans and criminals from crossing over to this country. “The fence was hardly up for one day and the crooks came through with cases of cigarettes and smuggling food, and all of that,” an exasperated Patricia de Lille told MPs on Monday. “What must be condemned in the strongest possible terms is the criminality that is taking place in our borders. The crooks are always one [step] ahead of us and where we were asked to replace the fence was specifically where they call it the hot spots.” She had asked defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on April 4 to make the national defence force available to patrol the fence regularly, but “even that is not helping".
Cops save man after 19-hour kidnap ordeal
A Durban man, who heard his kidnappers discuss whether to release him or kill him for body parts, says he owes his life to Durban metro police. The eThekwini municipality said on Tuesday the 36-year-old praised officers for their "valiant efforts in a dramatic rescue" after he was kidnapped and held in Inanda, north of Durban, for 19 hours. The man was brutally beaten while kidnappers demanded a ransom from his family and friends. Working with the police, the man’s family arranged a ransom exchange where one man was arrested. The kidnapped man said he planned to hand over a cake with the police logo to those who saved his life. “It’s not much but I want to show the officers how grateful I am,” he said.
Comair into rescue, doesn’t expect to fly till October
Comair, which operates Kulula and British Airways, on Tuesday announced it would go into business rescue to “safeguard” the interests of the company and its stakeholders after the Covid-19 crisis disrupted the implementation of a turnaround plan. It does not expect to take to the skies again until October or November. Comair chief executive Wrenelle Stander said the company, which reported a half-year loss of R564m, faced an unprecedented situation following the lockdown. “We completely understand and support the government’s reasons for implementing the lockdown. However, as a result we have not been able to operate any flights. Now that the phased lockdown has been extended, the grounding is likely to endure until October or even November. These extraordinary circumstances have completely eroded our revenue base while we are still obliged to meet fixed overhead costs. The only responsible decision is to apply for business rescue,” Stander said.
What travel ban? China has gone outer space
Chinese state media reported the ‘successful’ launch of a new rocket, a major test of its ambitions to operate a permanent space station and send astronauts to the moon. The large carrier rocket Long March 5B took off from the Wenchang launch site in the southern island of Hainan, and a prototype spacecraft with no crew separated and entered its planned orbit, according to the official Xinhua news agency. – AFP
Painter takes Caravaggio to the streets
Londoners locked out of galleries can find an alternative art fix on a wall under under some railway arches after street artist Lionel Stanhope painted a Caravaggio classic, updated for the coronavirus age. The Italian master’s ‘Supper at Emmaus’ is usually available to view at the National Gallery in London, but with that shut, Stanhope’s giant interpretation is now on show in Ladywell. – Reuters
Wednesday, May 6 2020
THE BIG ISSUES
LEADING THE AGENDA
Fear and hunger: 7 million set to rush retailers for child grants
System glitches, rising food prices and delayed payments drive scramble for state money, say activists
Tax shock: Covid-19, fag and booze bans cost SA almost R300bn
Sars recently raided a cigarette plant, in production despite ban, but won’t divulge who it is linked to
No need to huff and puff, says Ramaphosa on cig U-turn
There is nothing wrong with changing one’s mind, the president says
‘This is military rule’: Zille slams ‘authoritarian’ lockdown laws
The DA federal chair says ‘insidious’ Disaster Management Act gives all power to the executive
SMART NEWS
IN ONE TAKE
Devoted duo ‘killed by lockdown home brew’
Engaged Port Nolloth pair said to have been inseparable, as the bottles they used are sent for tests
Empty promises for families of Centane bus crash victims
Sassa had vowed new caregivers would receive grants from May and food parcels for at least three months
Judge gives Sars a caning in stick fight with barrel maker
A South American firm has got nothing to whine about. It will be able to apply for a R1,4m tax refund
Kids, addicts keep poisons helpline, Sanca on their toes in lockdown
The helpline says children are ingesting hand sanitiser, with 90% of incidents from ‘accidental exposure’
IDEAS
FEEDING YOUR MIND
EDITORIAL | There’s too much at stake for Sassa to mess up yet again
It’s easy for Sassa to pass off Monday’s grants’ debacle as a ‘system glitch’. Its employees get regular salaries
Conspiracy theories are bad for us, but so is 5G
I don’t enjoy the 5G conspiracy theorists, but in at least one respect, I have something in common with them
We must shift from a charity economy to a rights economy to feed SA
Experts say radical but possible change and innovation are crucial, and Covid-19 has hastened the need
Humans love to give flight to their fight over squiggles and epidemics
A column to satisfy your inner grammar nerd
SNAPSHOT
Image: Esa Alexander
6 things you need to know
Man arrested for rape of teen over months
Border fence damaged ‘almost immediately’
Cops save man after 19-hour kidnap ordeal
Comair into rescue, doesn’t expect to fly till October
What travel ban? China has gone outer space
Painter takes Caravaggio to the streets
THE VISUAL SIDE
Thandi Thabethe, 53, was arrested in Dobsonville, Soweto, on April 23 for selling atchar without a permit during lockdown. Thabethe's arrest was recorded on video and circulated on social media. Despite being released from her holding cell, Thabethe still faces some backlash from her community after returning home.
WORLD
THE NEWS YOU DON'T NORMALLY GET TO HEAR
LIFE
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