Police rescue 90 kidnapped Ethiopians locked up in ‘inhumane conditions’ in Joburg

Johannesburg – Ninety kidnapped Ethiopians were rescued from a house in Johannesburg on Tuesday, police said.

The victims, aged between 18 and 35, were found locked up in “inhumane conditions” in a house in the Rosettenville area of the city, police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said.

The victims told police that they had been kidnapped in Ethiopia and had been held captive for between two and four months.

“They were kept in cramped and unsanitary conditions, and were not given adequate food or water,” Naidoo said.

Police arrested two suspects, a man and a woman, in connection with the kidnapping.

“The suspects are expected to appear in court soon on charges of kidnapping and human trafficking,” Naidoo said.

The victims were taken to a place of safety, where they are receiving medical attention and counselling.

MEC launches new racism probe at Pretoria High School for Girls after 12 pupils found not guilty

Johannesburg – The Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has launched a new racism probe at Pretoria High School for Girls after 12 pupils were found not guilty of racism.

The decision to launch a new probe comes after the school’s governing body (SGB) found the pupils not guilty of racism following an internal investigation.

The SGB’s investigation was sparked by a video that emerged on social media in May, which showed the pupils singing a song with racist lyrics.

The pupils were suspended from school, but were later reinstated after the SGB found them not guilty of racism.

Lesufi said he was “deeply concerned” by the SGB’s findings and had decided to launch a new probe into the matter.

“I have instructed the department to conduct a full and independent investigation into the matter,” Lesufi said.

“The investigation will be led by an independent advocate and will look into all aspects of the case, including the school’s handling of the matter.”

Lesufi said he wanted to assure the public that he was committed to rooting out racism in schools.

“Racism has no place in our schools and we will not tolerate it,” Lesufi said.

Rwanda shuts down 185 churches – so far

Kigali – Rwanda has shut down 185 churches so far this year, according to the country’s religious affairs minister.

The minister, Protais Musoni, said the churches were closed down for various reasons, including operating without a license, violating building codes, and preaching hate speech.

“We have closed down 185 churches so far this year,” Musoni said.

“These churches were operating illegally and were not following the rules and regulations set by the government.”

Musoni said the government was committed to protecting the rights of religious groups, but would not tolerate churches that violated the law.

“We want to ensure that churches operate in a safe and legal environment,” Musoni said.

“We will not tolerate churches that preach hate speech or that operate without a license.”

CAPTURE CHRONICLES | Controversial KZN accountant bagged almost R8m from Mhlathuze Water bonanza

Durban – A controversial KwaZulu-Natal accountant, who was at the centre of a R28 million tender scandal at the Umgeni Water Board, has bagged almost R8 million from the troubled Mhlathuze Water.

The accountant, Jay Singh, was paid close to R8 million by Mhlathuze Water for “consulting services” between 2017 and 2019.

Singh’s company, Jay Singh and Associates, was paid R7.9 million for providing “audit and risk management services” to the water utility.

The payments to Singh were made despite the fact that he was found guilty of misconduct by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) in 2019.

SAICA found that Singh had failed to comply with the institute’s code of ethics and had been dishonest in his dealings with Umgeni Water.

Despite this, Mhlathuze Water continued to do business with Singh.

In a statement, Mhlathuze Water said that it had appointed Singh because he had the “necessary skills and experience” to provide the required services.

The water utility also said that it had conducted a due diligence investigation on Singh and had found no evidence of any wrongdoing.

Death and dysfunction: Murdered corruption investigator kept death threat fears secret from bosses

Cape Town – The murdered corruption investigator Babita Deokaran had kept her fears for her life a secret from her bosses.

This was revealed in an explosive affidavit filed in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday by Deokaran’s family.

In the affidavit, Deokaran’s husband, Vishal, said that she had been living in fear for her life in the months leading up to her murder.

“She was receiving death threats and was being followed by unknown persons,” Vishal said.

“She did not report these threats to her superiors because she feared for her safety.”

Vishal said that Deokaran was “deeply committed” to her work and was determined to expose corruption at the Gauteng Health Department.

“She was a fearless and dedicated investigator who was not afraid to speak out against wrongdoing,” Vishal said.

“Her death is a huge loss to the fight against corruption in South Africa.”

Deokaran was gunned down outside her home in Mondeor, Johannesburg, on August 23, 2021.

She was working on a case involving the theft of millions of rands from the Gauteng Health Department at the time of her murder.

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with Deokaran’s murder, but no one has yet been convicted.