The trial relating to ex-Johannesburg police Chief Robert McBride continues with testimony from a witness Patrick Johnson claiming he he signed a statement under oath in 2007, stating that McBride was sober when he crashed his car in December 2006. Johnson was giving evidence during the trial of Dr Joseph Moratioa, who is charged with fraud and defeating the ends of justice.
Moratioa, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is alleged to have given McBride - who attended yesterday's court proceedings - a false medical certificate after the crash.
Asked why he signed the statement stated that he was afraid of McBride who, he stated had made threats against himself and his family "He said he would rape our wives and kill our pets and our children," Johnson said, adding he had been forced to sign the statement.
Robert McBride is the former chief of the Metropolitan Police for Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. During the apartheid era he was a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress, and was convicted for, amongst others, of the 1986 bombing of Magoo's Bar / “Why Not” Restaurant in Durban, which killed 3 and injured 69. He applied for and was granted amnesty for this and other militant actions taken during that time by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
When he was appointed Chief of police by the ANC one journalist questioned the suitability of the convicted killer of innocent people being appointed chief of police - as a result The Citizen newspaper for whom the journalist worked was sued. The trial continues - report here
Murder 'makes mockery of police World Cup pledge'
Politicians expressed outrage over the killing of a Midrand man for a laptop and cellphones, saying the murder "scoffed" at attempts to crack down on criminals ahead of the World Cup.
"It is time that capital punishment is re-instated. It is the only real deterrent to murder and the only appropriate punishment that will rid our country of elements that infect society like a festering sore," Christian Democratic Party leader Theunis Botha said in a statement.
He was reacting to the "cold-blooded" murder of 42-year-old Kobus Snyman in his home during a robbery in which a laptop and cellphones were stolen.
The murder, he said, made a "mockery" of Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa's vow to track down two criminals who, during an interview with e.tv, threatened to rob foreigners during the soccer tournament
Full report here
Related Story:
ANC trying to silence media over World Cup threats
The ANC has been accused of a "full-scale assault" on eNews to force the channel to identify criminals interviewed on air was an attempt to muzzle the media.
The ruling party has urged e.tv to help the police arrest two masked men who told of plans to commit crimes during the 2010 Fifa World Cup in a recent programme
Continue reading here
Reports from Dina
Well connected killer walks free seven years into 20 year sentence
The High Court in Pretoria has ordered the immediate release of double killer Pieter Groenewald, seven years after he was jailed for 20 years for a roadside attack on three men.
He was convicted in 2003 of the May 1990 execution-style murders of Simon Koba and Prince Makena on the road between Cullinan and Mamelodi and was also convicted of attempted murder in the same incident
Groenewald is the son of retired SA Defence Force general Tienie Groenewald.
He was convicted in 2003 of the May 1990 execution-style murders of Simon Koba and Prince Makena on the road between Cullinan and Mamelodi and was also convicted of attempted murder in the same incident
Groenewald is the son of retired SA Defence Force general Tienie Groenewald.
Full report
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