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R/£ News Flashes - November 24, 2009
November 24, 2009 Edition 1
Planetarium seeks meteor footage
The Johannesburg Planetarium has requested footage captured by members of the public of a meteor that sped over Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Botswana on Saturday. "The planetarium and the impact cratering research group at Wits University would be keen to obtain copies of any video recordings of the meteor," astronomer Claire Flanagan said yesterday. "It could possibly be used to work out where the meteor came from, how fast it was travelling, how high it was and where it ended up." Flanagan confirmed that many people saw a bright "greenish-bluish" light heading towards Pretoria around 11pm on Saturday. She said the meteor moved over Gauteng towards Limpopo, travelling at upwards of 90km/h. The meteor was a hot topic of discussion in the forum on mybroadband.co.za. "I looked out and the sky was lit. It looked how it normally does at 5am," wrote one user. Others claimed to have heard and seen a bright explosion. Flanagan said that if a bang was heard, the meteor had disintegrated in the sky. She can be phoned on 011 717 1390. - Sapa
Cops sound warning over 'bundu' courts
Western Cape police yesterday cautioned Khayelitsha residents against vigilantism, saying "bundu" courts were not the answer. The warning was issued after three men suspected of theft and housebreaking were stoned to death in the area at the weekend. Police urged people to come forward with information on the whereabouts of the killers. Residents should not fight crime with crime. "These incidents will not assist the police in the solving of crimes in any way, but rather assist in generating additional problems. We need to rid our area of vigilante groups and make our streets safe for our children again," a spokesman said. - Sapa
Warburton murder case postponed
The case against three men accused of murdering a psychology student was postponed in the Alexandra Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mpuhumazi Gumede, 29, Ntembiso Msalaku, 25 and Moffat Mthoti, 27, are accused of shooting dead 24-year-old Bianca Warburton near the Alexandra Clinic on October 14. The intern social worker had yielded at a stop street when the trio, one of them armed, confronted her. They allegedly attempted to hijack the vehicle when a shot went off, hitting Warburton in the chest. The men fled empty-handed. The case was postponed to next Monday. - Sapa
Increase in pupils going to private schools
More pupils are attending private schools than before, according to the results of a survey released yesterday. The number of children attending independent schools increased from 256 283 in 2000 to 366 201 in 2008. This is an increase of 4.2 percent compared to a 1.9 increase in public school attendance, according to the survey conducted by the SA Institute of Race Relations. Gauteng recorded the highest number of pupils in private schools in 2008, showing more parents are opting out of state education. - Sapa
Father held over rape of daughter
A 52-year-old man will appear in the Thabamoopo Magistrate's Court for allegedly raping his own daughter, Limpopo police said yesterday. "It is alleged that the man, from Mamaolo village outside Lebowakgomo, raped his daughter, aged 11, from 2007 to September 2009," Lebowakgomo police spokesman Captain Mamphaswa Seabi said. A schoolteacher noticed the child acting strangely. She alerted the authorities after the girl told her what had happened. - Sapa
Joburg anti-crime blitz nets scores
Police arrested 133 people during crime-combating operations in Joburg over the weekend, a spokesman said yesterday. Eleven of them were arrested in connection with serious assaults, six for alleged possession of suspected stolen property, one for rape, four on common robbery charges and two for allegedly impersonating police, Johannesburg Central police spokesman Inspector Xoli Mbele said. The operations took place around the Bree and Noord street taxi ranks, the Carlton Centre and in Fordsburg. Other charges ranged from loitering to attempted murder. - Sapa
Company issues baby formula alert
Nestle South Africa can no longer guarantee the quality and safety of its infant formula following the theft of a batch of these products from its factory in Harrismith, a spokesman said yesterday. "Due to the fact that these products have left Nestlé's strict control, the company can no longer guarantee their quality and safety, and is recommending they should not be consumed," spokesman Ravi Pillay said. He said Nestlé was working closely with the police in order to recover the Nan, Pelargon and Lactogen products. - Sapa
Zuma hosts Norwegian royalty
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma was due tomeet King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway for a state visit in Pretoria today. The Presidency said the visit camewithin the context of North-South dialogue and further maintaining “the already strong bilateral relationship” between South Africa and Norway. “Conflict prevention, the search for peaceful resolution of conflicts, and sustainable use of natural resources, as well as alleviating poverty and combating global climate change, are all areas of common concern,” the Presidency added. – Sapa
Armed robbers blow up ATM
A GROUP of armed robbers blasted an ATM in Duduza early yesterdaymorning, taking an undisclosed amount of money, Springs police said. Inspector Yakub Rasool said the First National Bank ATM in the Ndudula shopping centre was blasted open around 2.50am after a group of eight heavily armed men was seen entering the complex in two cars. “According to statements from witnesses, eight men armed with rifles and handguns drove into
the complex in a maroon Audi and a blue Jetta. After the blast, they fled with an undisclosed amount of money,” he said. No one was injured. – Sapa
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