The Rep 23 June 2017.compressed

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THE REPRESENTATIVE 23 June 2017
LONGAMO GUMEDE
Police probe
student death
BHONGO JACOB
HITTLESEA police are
investigating a case of
Wmurder after a second-year
Walter Sisulu University student,
Longamo Gumede, was stabbed to
death in extension two in Sada on
Fr i d ay.
Gumede, 21, who was originally
from Mzimkhulu in KwaZulu-Natal,
was allegedly approached by two
men at about 8pm and stabbed to
death, police spokeswoman
Captain Namhla Mdleleni
confirmed this week.
Police are investigating a case of
murder but no arrests have been
made.
Mdleleni said the motive for the
killing was not known.
Gumede’s friend Innocent
Ngcambelo said he was stabbed
while walking with his girlfriend.
“He was going to town from the
township. When this happened, he
was being mugged and he told his
girlfriend to run. She came and told
us what had happened and we
rushed there.”
He said when they arrived on the
scene, Gumede was still alive.
“The ambulance came later and
the paramedics treated him
outside. I asked them to put him
inside the ambulance because it
was very cold and they told me to
keep quiet because they knew what
they were doing.”
He said Gumede was a dedicated
student who was studying towards
a Bachelor of Education degree.
WSU spokeswoman Yonela
Tukwayo confirmed the incident,
saying the student was stabbed
outside the campus.
“We received a report from our
student affairs section that the
incident happened outside the
university. We do not investigate
things that happen outside campus
because the student was not under
our care at the time of the
incident.”
A memorial service for Gumede
was held yesterday.
In a separate incident, police
arrested a 23-year-old man on a
charge of murder in Komani over
the weekend.
Mdleleni said, “It is alleged that
the victim, 21, was with the suspect
on their way home from a tavern
when they had a quarrel. The victim
was stabbed to death.”
The suspect appeared in the
Komani Magistrate’s Court on
Monday and was remanded in
custody to allow for a bail
a p p l i c at i o n .
Watchers recover system
ABONGILE SOLUNDWANA
THE despair of a Komani church
which found itself without a
sound system last week, was
short-lived due to the assistance
of the Isolomzi Neighbourhood
Wat c h .
The Christ the Rock Ministries
fell victim to burglars last
T h u r s d ay.
Church member Mfundo
Mdleleni said, “We open the
church every day during the
week, but on Thursday we
noticed the equipment was not
there. The thieves managed to
break in through a door.”
The missing mixer and
amplifier were found by the
Watch members on Saturday
and information was received
from a member of the public.
The police took three suspects
– men aged between 18 and 23
– into custody.
Thief demands return of his loot
A MAN who allegedly stole a tyre from an
Avanza in the Komani CBD tried to
demand the tyre back from Red Guard
response officers last week.
Operations manager Willie Reynecke
said response officers had seen the man
pushing the tyre. He allegedly ran away
when he saw the response officers, but
returned shortly afterwards, demanding
the return of the tyre. He was handed over
to the police.
The owner of a Komani shop was
assisted after he was robbed of his cell
phone and money. The response officers
accompanied him to the police station to
open a case.
CRIME BUSTERS: Isolomzi Neighbourhood Watch
members with the recovered sound system equipment,
back from left, Zukile Ngxabazi, Xolile Balangile, Ayanda
Mgxali, Olwetu Peter, Olwetu Ndatyana and Mpho Tose.
Front from left, Anele Nontombana, Bongani Dasi,
Sibongiseni Shumi and Luthando Ngculu
Mapaila lambasts corrupt MPs
ZOLILE MENZELWA and
SIVE GOSA
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has to help the
ANC and resign and so help to save the
party and assist the party’s alliance
partners, SACP and Cosatu, SACP second
deputy secretary-general Solly Mapaila
said at the Thobi Kula Indoor Sports
Complex on Sunday.
Mapaila was addressing the Elijah
Barayi Memorial Lecture. Barayi was a
deputy president of the National Union of
Mineworkers in 1982 and the first Cosatu
president in 1985.
Mapaila, a known Zuma critic, said
Barayi would wave a finger in the air to
make a point when he spoke of
wrongdoing.
“Today Barayi would wave that finger
and tell Zuma to resign. Any revolution
that takes itself seriously, addresses
poverty and inequality. Any government
that cannot deal with these two challenges
cannot live long,” he said to applause.
Mapaila said the current economic
system was not favouring poor people.
“The ANC is not a Zuma or a Gupta
par t y,” he said to cheers and loud
applause.
He said the aim of the ANC was not to
make individuals rich, but to get people
out of poverty, adding Barayi was a
selfless intellectual who had wanted to
serve the people. Selflessness had to be
restored in the ANC.
Mapaila said Barayi and Deputy
President Cyril Ramaphosa had changed
the face of unionism when they led unions.
Capitalists were stealing government
money and capitalism and corruption had
to be destroyed.
“Some people want the Guptas to run
this country. There are ministers who are
controlled by them,” he said to applause.
Fellow church member
Boocker Gusha said it would be
good for government to invest in
rehabilitating such people.
“We need to get to the root
cause of the problem. Isolomzi
is there to prevent crime, but we
need to go deeper because if
they do not get out of this type
of mindset, they will continue
committing criminal acts.”
Resident Dolly Caleni said the
neighbourhood watchers were
doing a great job by keeping an
eye on what was happening
around the community.
“If something is stolen, they
are the first to come to assist
the victim, that is why I
appreciate their work.”
Police spokeswoman Captain
Namhla Mdleleni confirmed the
recovery of the stolen items by
community members. A case of
housebreaking is under
i n v e st i g at i o n .
ďĚĞŶĞĞŽŵĂŶŝ
ĞůĂ
STRAIGHT TALK: At the Elijah Barayi
lecture, the SACP’s Solly Mapaila said
the time for corrupt leaders was
over
Picture: ZOLILE MENZELWA
Present were Barayi’s granddaughter
Lizeka Barayi Sitosha, social development
MEC Nancy Sihlwayi and ANC regional
chairwoman and CHDM mayor Kholiswa
V i m b ay o .
“The rot in the ANC is embarrassing and
there is chaos because of Zuma. Why
should the movement kill itself because of
one man?”
He said the acceptance of corruption
would destroy the country. ANC members
must build strong structures that would
hold its leadership accountable. The
alliance was not working correctly as Zuma
no longer respected alliance partners.
“We want ANC officials we can trust. We
told Zuma not to fire [former finance
minister Pravin] Gordhan and [his deputy
Mcebisi] Jonas. We do not want
government to become an ATM for
individuals. Do not be afraid to talk about
Zuma.”
The event was organised by the alliance
partners in the region, Cosatu regional
chairman Mongameli Mancam said.
NUM man opts
for Ramaphosa
SIVENATHI GOSA and
ZOLILE MENZELWA
THE Guptas had destroyed the mission and
vision of the ANC and people had to take a
stand to resurrect the party they know and
love.
So said National Union of Mineworkers’
(NUM) health and safety secretary Eric
Gcilitshana, who also called on President
Jacob Zuma to step down, in his message
at former Cosatu president Elijah Barayi’s
memorial lecture at Thobi Kula Indoor
Sports Complex.
Gcilitshana called on people to follow in
Barayi and Chris Hani’s footsteps to
promote a better South Africa.
“Let us strengthen the unity of the ANC,
Cosatu, NUM and SACP. We must make
sure we fight and unite against corruption
as we do not want to speak about this
leadership in the past tense in the near
future, but in the present.”
He said the country must remove itself
from the “Gupta dictatorship” by first
removing “the president of the ruling party”.
He said Cyril Ramaphosa was ready to be
the next president of the country and he
was capable and trustworthy.
“Some people may be against him,
saying he is a capitalist, but we believe
South Africa can progress under his
leadership.”
CHDM mayor Kholiswa Vimbayo said the
region was willing to work with the union to
ensure the political state of the country did
not worsen.
“We need to come up with solutions.”
A man who was allegedly seen stealing
iron bars from a local business was
apprehended last Thursday and handed
over to the Mlungisi police.
The owner of a container in town
declined to open a case after the container
was broken into and the incident reported
to him over the weekend. – Rep reporter
4 JULY 2017
ALL
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