Man Accused of Multiple Rapes, Murders and Robbery Since Escape from Police Custody

 Zanele Ngwenyama

@zanelengwenyama

Douglas Mogakane is the man that has Acornhoek community members in Mpumalanga locking their doors at 18:00 and police just seem to be struggling to catch him. On Friday 23 March, Acornhoek Police Station was packed with fed-up residents of Acornhoek and surrounding areas in a bid to get the police to fast track their search for the alleged serial rapist, murderer and robber who is wanted for over 50 crimes.

Residents of the semi-rural area accuse the police of working with Mogakane and protecting him which results in their reluctance to arrest him. The community says, if arrested, he may expose the corruption that goes on in the police station station.

Malema Talks Press Freedom, Public Protector and Apologises Again

Expelled ANC Youth League President, Julius Malema says he supports a free media but wants a regulatory body that has teeth and bites.

Malema was speaking at the National Press Club in Johannesburg as South Africa News Maker of the Year. He says the ANC Youth League is not anti-media adding that they would fight for the protection and independence of the media without fear or favour but he feels that the self-regulation hasn’t worked.

Soweto Derby Brings Excitement to South Africans Even Days After the Final Whistle

Khuliso Nemarimela

@willeinstein

A group celebrating in Soshanguve after the match.

While Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs matches often pack stadiums, many who can’t make it there often fill public viewing areas in townships, university television halls, houses with the biggest television sets in rural villages and many other places. Township streets are often empty during these matches as was the case in Soshanguve, just outside Pretoria, on Saturday 17 March 2010 when the two met for a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match. What was even more thrilling this time is that there were four goals scored during the match – a first when South Africa’s biggest clubs meet.

In Pretoria there is another team that would fill viewing rooms in a similar fashion and that is the local team, Sundowns. The matches between the two Soweto giants though are often boring as the two would be careful when they play against each other – but despite this they leave a lot of talking points. The latest however was thrilling!

Township Residents Need Introspection to Stop Xenophobic Acts

Lerutla Mochaki

@mochakilm

I heard a story that recently, in Atteridgeville, a group of people were protesting for reasons unknown to me. During the protest march they ended up breaking into a shop owned by a Pakistani immigrant. They raided the man’s shop, stealing the food he sells and some of his profits. The Pakistani shop owner tried to stop them, but there wasn’t much he could do against the large group. The story I was told then proceeded to how the food was being sold for half price on the streets of the Pretoria township and locals were buying it too, without asking any questions.

As the narrative of the story was continuing in the township, it was clear that some were in total support of the act and were justifying it by saying the shop is owned by foreigners. It’s strange that black South Africans, some of whom lost their family members to apartheid, discriminate against others because they look and sound different. This is a country that saw a lot of bloodshed because of discrimination that made others lesser citizens because they looked different from the race considering itself more superior. Xenophobia is exactly that – it’s just that the race once considered inferior is claiming superiority over others. This time it’s not skin colour or skin tone being used, but nationality.

Holomisa, COPE: History Must be a Worrying Factor for Populist Malema

Gift Ngobeni

@nyikogifted

After much waiting on 29 February 2012 the African National Congress (ANC) finally announced in the evening that ANC Youth League leader, Julius Malema, has been expelled from South Africa’s ruling party. Malema has been found guilty of portraying the ANC government and its leadership, under President Jacob Zuma, in a negative light and for propagating racism. The youth leader called for the change of government in neighbouring Botswana despite President Ian Khama being elected through a democratic process. Malema has also been found guilty of propagating racism or political intolerance for his utterances, at an election rally in Gaeleshewe, Kimberley in May 2011 when he said white South Africans should be treated as criminals for stealing land from black people.

While many youths seem to think it’s unusual for the ANC to get rid of ill-disciplined popular members in this manner, some may remember that  on 30 September 1996, under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, Bantu Holomisa was expelled from the ANC by unanimous decision of the ANC National Executive Committee. Holomisa had been an ANC member for a very brief period, joining the organisation in 1994. Yet, in that year, he had emerged from the December National Conference as one of the most popular leaders of the organisation. On 24 September 1996, The Star newspaper reported that Holomisa did not understand political debate and South Africa’s broader political realities and thus could not function within a “progressive” organisation such as South Africa’s ruling party.