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Executive mayor of Tshwane nominates new police chief

Executive mayor of Tshwane nominates new police chief

Executive mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga, has nominated a policewoman Johanna Nkomo for the position of chief of Tshwane Metro Police Department.

Msimanga announced the nomination at Tshwane House ahead of the council sitting on Thursday.

“I am glad to announce that the interview process has been concluded and we now have a nominee for the position of TMPD Police Chief.

Msimanga hailed Nkomo as “someone with vast experience” within the policing environment.

“The nominee is someone we strongly believe can fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the position of Tshwane’s top cop and assist in bringing the change to Tshwane which we desire and making the city a safer place to live in,” said Msimanga.

He said Nkomo would assist the City in keeping residents safe.

“We look forward to working with Nkomo in engaging some of the more challenging issues that are before us and some of the most exciting things that the City is working on to bring to the people of Tshwane to make our city safer and more efficient,” he said.

Nkomo would take over from Jenny Malan who has been acting in the position following the departure of the police chief Steven Ngobeni in April this year.

Nkomo’s qualifications include, a National Diploma in Police Administration from Technikon SA and Master of Law from the University of South Africa.

“She is clearly someone who has a multiplicity of skills and has worked across various fields within the country’s police services,” Msimanga said.


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Row over occupancy at Jean Crossing Shopping Centre in Centurion

Row over occupancy at Jean Crossing Shopping Centre in Centurion

TWO years after the upmarket Jean Crossing Shopping Centre in Centurion opened its doors, it is still battling to obtain a certificate of occupancy from the City.

The main dispute between the parties relates to the construction and completion of a main stormwater drainage system that the mall owners had agreed to erect on behalf of the City at an estimated cost of R22million.

The City accepted that the physical buildings and all services at the shopping centre had been completed, but it was not willing to issue the final certificate of occupancy as the stormwater drainage system had not been completed.

The City said the system – which will serve about 1000 households and numerous businesses around the shopping centre – constituted infrastructure “incidental to the building” (the mall) and it can thus not issue a final certificate.

This, while the Jean Crossing Shopping Centre had been occupied since 2015 and the City levying its full quota of rates and taxes, services charges, as well as water and electricity charges.

The mall is situated between the N14, Jean Avenue and Rabie Street, and lies directly below the Gautrain rail. It was established to meet the shopping needs of commuters and residents, providing everyday essentials from grocery shopping to restaurants and clothing retailers.

Centre co-owners – Egan Property Group, Jean Avenue Village, Rapfund Investments and Luvon Investments – turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to force the City to issue the certificate.

Judge Leicester Adams ordered the City to, within 14 days, decide whether or not to issue the certificate. If it decided to do so, the certificate had to be delivered within seven days. In the event of it declining to issue it, the City had to furnish the owners with full reasons for the refusal.

When the applicants issued the City in 2011 with their application for the development of a township on the properties where the shopping centre was subsequently built, it objected on the basis that “the existing stormwater system in Rabie Street is insufficient and must be upgraded”.

An integral part of the establishment of the township and the development of the mall, as approved by the City, was that the applicants had to construct a main stormwater drainage system to cater for the centre as well as for the surrounding area.

In terms of the agreement, the applicants had to construct the system and the City was to contribute about R20m towards the system. This huge project had not yet been completed and when the centre opened, a temporary occupancy certificate was issued.

But the City refused to issue the final certificate as it said it was under no legal obligation to do so, until the applicants had honoured its side of the bargain by building the stormwater drainage system.

The applicants said this was an extremely large undertaking, which was for the general benefit of the entire area, and it would take some time. The applicants said they never understood that this project would be linked to the building and the operation of the mall.

They said as they understood the agreement, the enlargement of the stormwater system was an additional service not linked to the development of the mall, but aimed at alleviating a severe stormwater problem in the larger area.

The court was told that following the construction of the mall, it was given the green light on all aspects of quality control and adhering to the building regulations. The only outstanding issue was the stormwater system.

The judge said the approach by the City was not sustainable as it was agreed that the completion of the drainage system had no impact on the shopping centre. “The property (the mall) had been occupied for more than a year by the time the applicants had filed this application and the City has been levying its full quota of charges the stormwater drainage system within the boundaries of the shopping centre has also been completed.”

The judge said the City could not withhold the certificate simply because of inadequacies in its drainage system for the area.

By: ZELDA VENTER: IOL News


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Pretoria man word nog ‘n statistiek van taxi geweld na aanval met baksteen

Pretoria man word nog 'n statistiek van taxi geweld na aanval met baksteen

Hulle het geslaan om dood te slaan. Carel Kruger (43) was oortuig daarvan toe die baksteen-houe vir die soveelste keer op hom neerreën.

Selfs toe hy bebloed na twee lede van die Tshwane-metropolisie gehardloop het, een aan die baadjie gegryp en gesmeek het: “Help!” het een van die aanvallers nog ’n hou ingekry.

“Die twee metropolisiemanne het net daar gestaan. Hulle was gewapen, maar het niks gedoen nie.”

Toe vlug Kruger maar tussen die voertuie in Lavenderweg in die noorde van Pretoria in en bel ’n vriend om hulp.
Ander lede van die Tshwane-metropolisie het wel later ingegryp en twee vermeende aanvallers gevang, maar Kruger sê hy gaan klagte indien teen die twee wat volgens hom net gestaan en kyk het hoe hy veg vir sy lewe.

“Ek is kwaad. Omdat ons so moet lewe, dat ek net nog ’n slagoffer is soos duisende ander,” sê hy.

Hy het Vrydagaand net na 19:00 in Lavenderweg gery toe ’n wit taxi bane verwissel en amper reg voor hom inry.

“Ek het getoet en ligte geflikker, toe druk die taxi my bakkie van die pad af. Ek het versnel om voor hom in te kom. Toe ek terug in die pad is, het ek bane verwissel om uit sy pad te kom.”

DIE BESTUURDER VAN DIE WIT TAXI HET MY KARSLEUTEL DEUR DIE VENSTER PROBEER UITTREK. TOE EK KEER, BEGIN HULLE MY DEUR DIE VENSTER TE SLAAN.

Die volgende oomblik het die wit taxi verbygejaag en ’n blou taxi, wat in daardie stadium agter die witte was, reg langs Kruger in.

“Die blou taxi het my ook na die skouer van die pad gedwing, ek het probeer wegkom, maar die blou taxi het my bakkie van agter gestamp.”

Die bakkie se elektronika, het Kruger verduidelik, sny outomaties uit as dit deur ’n sekere impak getref word.

“My bakkie het gestol, die wit taxi het dwarsoor die pad voor my ingetrek en die bloue het reg agter my gestop.

“Drie of vier mans het uit die taxi’s gespring.

“Die bestuurder van die wit taxi het my karsleutel deur die venster probeer uittrek. Toe ek keer, begin hulle my deur die venster te slaan.

“Ek het in die gestoei besef hulle gaan my net hier in my bakkie doodmaak, ek moet wegkom. Met die uitklim het die eerste baksteen my links teen my kop getref.

“Dit was toe asof hulle beurte gemaak het om met die bakstene los te trek. Ek het probeer keer, probeer staande bly.”

Tussen die houe deur het Kruger het twee metropolisielede op die middelmannetjie sien staan.

“Ek het soontoe gehardloop. Terwyl ek met die metropolisielede praat, het een aanvaller my sommer weer met ’n baksteen van agter geslaan. Ek het tussen die twee metrolede geval, besef ek gaan nie hulp kry nie, en tussen die karre ingehardloop”.

Die een aanvaller is agter hom aan, steeds slanende met die baksteen.

“Ek wou net wegkom. Ek het by van die voertuie in die pad probeer hulp kry, maar almal het hul deure gesluit”.
Kruger het verder gevlug, sy foon beetgekry en ’n vriend gebel om hulp.

Die vriend was in ’n rekordtyd daar.

’n Ent verder in die pad was ander metropolisielede.

Húlle het twee van die verdagtes gevang. Kruger weet nie of hulle toevallig daar was en of iemand hulle ontbied het nie.

Kruger wil, as lid van Solidariteit en AfriForum, hulle nader vir regsadvies oor optrede teen die twee metrolede wat nie gehelp het nie.

“Ek is nie wraaksugtig nie. Maar wat as dit met ’n vrou of ’n kleiner man gebeur het? Hulle sou dood gewees het. En dit was tog duidelik wié die slagoffer was!”

* Danny Mahlangu en Modiso Dooka het intussen in die hof verskyn en staan tereg op aanklag van aanranding met die opset om ernstig te beseer.

Hulle is op borgtog van R600 elk vrygelaat en moet weer op 23 Augustus in die hof wees.
** Die Tshwane-metropolisie kon nie vir kommentaar bereik word nie.

Deur: Netwerk 24


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Centurion-lisensiekantoor gesluit ná rooftog

Centurion-lisensiekantoor gesluit ná rooftog

Die lisensiekantore in Centurion is Woensdag gesluit ná ʼn rooftog Dinsdagaand.

Daar is verskeie rekenaars en kameras tydens die aanval gebuit.
Die Tshwane-metropolisie het in ʼn verklaring gesê die kantore is gesluit om die SAPDmtoe te laat om hul ondersoek ongehinderd uit te voer.

Volgens die metropolisie en die munisipaliteit sal die kantore Donderdag weer oopwees, maar sal daar slegs beperkte dienste aangebied word.

’n Voorlopige ondersoek dui daarop dat rekenaars, eNaTIS-skerms en ander rekenaartoerusting gesteel is.

Sr.supt. Isaac Mahamba, woordvoerder van die Tshwane-metropolisie, het gesê die dienste wat Donderdag beskikbaar sal wees, sluit leerlinglisensies, praktiese toeste vir bestuurslisensies en die afhaal van nuwe lisensiekaarte in.

“Daar sal tot verdere kennisgewing geen lisensiehernuwingsversoeke verwerk word nie. Mense kan in die tussentyd Akasia en
Bronkhorstspruit se lisensiekantore besoek vir dié diens,” het Mahamba gesê.