R9m ‘smuggling’ student back in court in 2019
An SA student accused of trying to smuggle about R9m worth of US dollars in her luggage will only learn her fate in 2019. Fayrooz Saleh appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where her court case was postponed to January 14. Her lawyer, Ori Moloi, had just left the country on an international trip, leaving his stand-in to request a postponement. Prosecutor Hleli Mcosini also told the court investigations in the matter were now complete but the trial could not proceed this year because witnesses were “not available in December”. Saleh was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on September 11 as she was about to depart for Hong Kong. According to court documents‚ she was stopped by SARS officials who opened her luggage in her presence and found $630‚700 in cash (about R9m). When questioned‚ Saleh said she was heading to Hong Kong to buy goods. She has been granted bail of R20‚000.
Mashaba’s citizen’s arrest a publicity stunt?
Anyone can make a citizen’s arrest, but with great power comes great responsibility. This was the warning from University of Pretoria criminal law expert Llewellyn Curlewis after Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba made his first citizen’s arrest in the Johannesburg CBD on Monday. “You have to ask yourself if the arrest was the only way of getting that person into a court of law. Remember, an arrest is only a means of getting someone to court. There are other methods,” Curlewis said. Mashaba arrested a man who was pushing a trolley filled with severed cow heads in the city centre. “Did he have to arrest him? Did he want to make a point? Was it a political gimmick?” Curlewis asked. Joburg Metro Police chief David Tembe said the man was arrested on the corner of Harrison and Smit streets. The cow heads were a health hazard.
VBS Mutual Bank to be liquidated
VBS Mutual Bank will be liquidated after an application by the Reserve Bank’s Prudential Authority was unopposed at the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday. The bank was placed under curatorship in March after looting by executives led to a liquidity crisis. A damning Reserve Bank report by advocate Terry Motau and Werksmans Attorneys, released in October, detailed looting at VBS of nearly R2bn, and identified the role of political players from the ANC and EFF. In an affidavit to the high court in October, Prudential Authority CEO Kuben Naidoo said the bank was hopelessly insolvent. On Tuesday, a draft order was presented to the court that had been agreed to by all parties, and the ruling for the bank’s liquidation was handed down.
Pistorius released for granddad’s funeral
Convicted murderer and former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was released from prison to attend a memorial service for his grandfather in Centurion on Tuesday morning. Pistorius arrived in a correctional services Toyota Corolla, accompanied by two correctional officials. Seated in the back of the car, Pistorius covered his face with his jacket when he spotted photographers. The service was held at the Kleinkaap Boutique Hotel. His 101-year-old grandfather, Hendrik Pistorius, died in October. Hendrik is survived by seven children‚ 23 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. His wife‚ Gerti‚ died two years ago at 92.
Blood service uses celebs as carrot
Would you be willing to give your blood to watch Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Usher, Oprah and other celebrities who are headed to SA for the Global Citizen: Mandela 100 concert? The SA National Blood Service hopes so. To increase donations it has partnered with Global Citizen to allow young people who donate until November 22 to stand a chance of winning tickets to the December 2 concert. Donors stand to win two tickets each, flights to Johannesburg, accommodation, dinner and breakfast the following morning, and transfers to and from the concert. Blood service spokesperson Silungile Mlambo said there was an overall decline of 4% in donors under the age of 26 in 2018, but a 21% rise among people aged 31 to 40 and 25 to 30. While there was an overall 7% increase, reserves were still low with the high-demand festive season fast approaching.
Post Office still can’t clear backlog
The SA Post Office has again missed its self-imposed deadline to sort through its backlog from the two-week strike in July and still has about 7.8 million items to dispatch to catch up. CEO Mark Barnes has previously said the Post Office would get back to normal at the end of September and then again at the end of October. Barnes now says the end of November is the new deadline. During the strike and one-week go-slow before that, the Post Office accumulated a backlog of 38 million parcels and letters. About 1 million new items come in for processing every day. Barnes said it had taken longer than expected to clear the backlog because of the increased volumes towards the end of the year due to the festive season, and increased volumes owing to increased internet postage. Unpaid bills had also led to problems with availability of equipment, such as letter-sorting machines and vehicles.