News snippets from around the world.

Almost 10,000 rapes occurred in July, August and September, quarterly crime stats show

Murder, rape and sexual offences were the contact crimes that showed the highest increase in the three months from July to September, according to the latest quarterly crime statistics published last Friday. In the three-month period 6,163 murders occurred, a 20.7 percent increase from the same period last year, and 9,556 rapes were reported, a rise of 7.1 percent. The number of sexual offences was 11,964 — up 4.7 percent. “The recent crime data is again demonstrating that South Africa is a violent country,” Police Minister Bheki Cele said when he presented the quarterly crime statistics.

https://mg.co.za/

Head of Joburg’s ‘potholes’ agency suspended

The IFP COO and Chairperson of the Johannesburg Roads Agency, Albert Mokoena, has been suspended after an investigation found that he and other board members had overreached into the agency’s executive work. The agency has a budget of about R1.5-billion a year and runs its asphalt plant, but the 12,300 km road network continues to decline. Read the report by Ferial Haffajee.

www.dailymaverick.co.za

Jeremy Vearey going after those who tried to ‘frame him’

Former Head of Detectives in the Western Cape, Major General Jeremy Vearey, has warned that he will take legal action against senior police officers following the release of a damning report into the assassination of Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) detective Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear. The report was done by police watchdog Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) after a request for an investigation by National Commissioner, Khehla Sitole and National Police Minister, Bheki Cele.

www.iol.co.za

How many security guards vs police officers there are in South Africa — and why things are changing

Data published by the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) shows that the country’s private security sector now dwarfs the official police force by a significant margin. PSIRA, which acts as the regulator for the private security sector in South Africa, indicates that there are over 2.4 million registered security officers across the country, with just under a million in Gauteng alone. The country is also home to over 11,370 registered security businesses. However, being a registered security officer does not equate to employment, and PSIRA’s data shows that far fewer security officers are actively employed (564,540) across the country.

https://businesstech.co.za/

South Africa: Report identifies role-players in wildlife crime ecosystem

Some game rangers, vets, casino staff, construction and transport industry workers, as well as customs and other government officials, have been identified as role-players in the ecosystem of illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products. The finding was made by the South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force (SAMLIT) in its profiling of role-players. In a statement last Tuesday, the SAMLIT said the various actors, and the methods they used for illegal wildlife trade (IWT), have been captured in a report compiled by an expert working group. The SAMLIT working group focused on the money flows related to this trade. It was established in 2019 by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) as a public-private partnership between the banking sector and sector regulatory authorities.

https://allafrica.com/

Is a Fifth wave of Covid-19 on the horizon?

After a brief lull, new cases of Covid-19 are starting to creep back up, both in the US and in Europe, leaving many to wonder whether we’re headed toward a fifth wave, just in time for winter there. The answer, experts say, isn’t as simple as a yes or no. And that’s because we’re in a much different place in the pandemic this year, compared to last. “It certainly does feel like a bit of déjà vu, but it’s not the same type of déjà vu,” said Syra Madad, an infectious disease epidemiologist and senior director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Program at New York City Health + Hospitals.“The world may never look like it did before the pandemic, and we may still be in for a winter surge in cases this year. But from a Covid-19 perspective, there are many reasons to believe that things will be much better in 2022 than they have been for us these past two years,” said David Dowdy, MD Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at a recent media briefing.

www.aarp.org

“We want to avoid severe lockdowns,” says Phaahla as Covid-19 fourth wave looms

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla says his department hopes to avoid a stricter lockdown level as a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections looms. This as the country continues to observe a steady rise in Covid-19 infections.

www.citizen.co.za

Policing the police: Fixing the SAPS crisis is of paramount national importance

South Africans are becoming more vulnerable while criminals are becoming more daring. The news of the Moti family having reportedly paid a hefty ransom of millions of rands to secure the release of their four children will only serve to embolden criminals. The unverified figure suggests that as much as R50-million was paid to the kidnappers. For the family to have paid a ransom means that they did not believe that a police investigation would secure the siblings’ return. Even criminals know that our police do not have the investigative capacity to crack such cases. And last week, another case of child kidnapping happened in Mayfair, Johannesburg, where an 11-year-old girl was abducted while being dropped off at school. This copycat behaviour points to a gap that criminals have identified — weak policing and the lucrative economic benefits it presents for them. Schools have become targets.

www.dailymaverick.co.za

Father and son get 14 years for rhino horn possession, corruption

The Middelburg Regional Court last Friday sentenced a father (48) and his son (27) to a total of 14 years in prison for National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA)-related charges. On 20 April 2019, two Mozambicans were travelling on the N4 in Nelspruit when they were stopped by the Middelburg Flying Squad members. Police searched their vehicle and recovered two rhino horns as well as shark fin. They were immediately arrested and they offered police officers R20,000 to turn a blind eye to the criminal act.

https://ewn.co.za/

Hijackings on the rise in South Africa — here are the hotspot areas

South Africa’s crime statistics for Q1 2021/2022 show another increase in hijackings across the country. The data, which was presented by national police commissioner Khehla Sitole and his officials in parliament on Friday 19 November, covers the period between July and September 2021. A total of 4,973 hijackings were reported across the country over the period — a 3.5 percent increase from the 4,803 hijackings reported over the same period last year.

https://businesstech.co.za/

André de Ruyter: Deliberate acts of sabotage are causing power cuts

For the first time, Eskom said last Friday, 19 November, that ‘deliberate acts of sabotage’ are causing rolling blackouts. When a pylon smashed into a backup line last Wednesday evening at Lethabo Power Station in the Free State, Eskom declared sabotage. Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said Lethabo had been a ‘close shave’ saved by the quick-thinking of officials in the generation section of Eskom. Lethabo had, until now, been one of the most reliable power stations in the Eskom fleet. Nothing was stolen around the area where the pylon went down, ruling out theft as a motive.

www.dailymaverick.co.za

July civil unrest probe: President, Cabinet must be held accountable’

OPINION: The SAHRC commissioners must consider when they conduct these hearings, how to acknowledge victims and the violence and harm suffered. At the same time, they have the responsibility to avoid causing further divisions in these bitterly divided communities, writes Yasmin Sooka. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC’s), public investigative hearings into the July civil unrest in KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng, began last Monday.

www.iol.co.za

Guns, explosives and blades: 68 dead after prison riot breaks out in Ecuador

Prison inmates from rival gangs in Ecuador fought each other with guns, explosives and blades in a bloodbath that left at least 68 dead in the same prison where a riot in September claimed 119 lives, officials said last Saturday. Authorities said late last Saturday they had regained control of the prison in Guayaquil for a second time in as many days after President Guillermo Lasso’s spokesman said fighting had again broken out earlier in the day between inmates from rival gangs tied to drug trafficking rings.

www.iol.co.za

Traffickers abusing online technology, UN crime prevention agency warns

Human traffickers who trick people with fake job offers and promises and then exploit them for profit, are taking advantage of online technologies for every step of their criminal activities. Research conducted by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows how victims are being targeted and recruited via social media and online dating platforms, where personal information and details of people’s locations are readily available. Sexual abuse and other forms of exploitation are taking place virtually and photos and videos sold further on different platforms to customers worldwide, resulting in even more money for the traffickers at no additional cost. Recently, experts from around 100 countries met online and in Vienna, Austria, to discuss strategies to combat this phenomenon and make the best use of technology to prevent human trafficking and investigate cases of this crime. The discussion formed part of the annual intergovernmental Working Group of Trafficking in Persons and centres around an in-depth background paper on this topic produced by UNODC’s Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section. “Traffickers are quick to adapt their business model to suit their needs and increase their profits, so of course they follow online trends,” explains Tiphanie Crittin, a UNODC Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer.

https://news.un.org/

SIU wants Khusela Diko to answer fresh allegations

South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has allegedly struggled to get former presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko to answer questions relating to fresh Digital Vibes allegations against her. The SIU, in a report that was initially sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa in July, had found that Digital Vibes, the controversial communications company that received an allegedly irregular R132-million contract from the National Health Department, had doled out about R90.4-million to politically connected people, including R1-million to Royal Bhaca.

https://mg.co.za/

Convicted child rapist as mayor a slap in voters’ faces — Gender Commission

The Commission for Gender Equality said that promoting a convicted child rapist to mayor is a slap in the face of voters and all gender-based violence survivors. This, after Icosa councillors teamed up with the ANC in the Western Cape’s Kannaland to vote convicted child rapist Jeffrey Donson back into power. Back in 2004 Donson, the then-Kannaland mayor and married father of three repeatedly raped a child. He was convicted of statutory rape and indecent assault of a 15-year-old while mayor in Kannaland in 2008.

https://ewn.co.za/

Crime stats: This is SA’s current murder capital

Africa, currently, is Inanda in KwaZuluNatal, as this is the station with the highest reported cases of murder. Between July and September 2021, 92 cases were reported to the Inanda Police Station. This is 34 more when compared to the same period in 2020 and is an increase of 58.6 percent. While Inanda is right at the top of the list, Verulam – in KwaZulu-Natal – showed the biggest increase — 225 percent.

www.citizen.co.za

New police offensive to hit global crime gangs in NSW

A new multi-agency taskforce in Sydney will face off against some of the world’s most feared criminal underworld organisations whose tentacles have sprawled into New South Wales and beyond. South American and Mexican drug cartels, Chinese triads, Italian mafia and international bikie gangs are top of the Operation Phobetor hit-list, a joint operation linking Australian Federal Police (AFP), NSW Police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC). Based in Sydney, the team of 20 will develop intelligence on underworld gangs, who are smuggling guns and huge consignments of illicit drugs into NSW, and laundering dirty cash in the billions.

www.9news.com.au

Astroworld: Criminal investigation into Texas festival crowd surge

Police in Houston, Texas, have opened a criminal investigation into the deaths of revellers at the Astroworld festival last Friday. At least eight people died and hundreds more were hurt after a crowd surge on the opening night of the music event. The victims were aged between 14 and 27. Police are also investigating reports that somebody in the audience was injecting people with drugs.

www.bbc.com

UN peacekeepers face greater threats from complex conflicts

The more than 87,000 personnel in UN peacekeeping missions are confronting greater threats today because conflicts have become more complex and are driven by an increasing number of factors, ranging from ethnic tensions and the impact of organised crime to illegal exploitation of resources and terrorism.

www.usnews.com