Unchain Boeremag: Judge

Jun 13, 2011 

The High Court in Pretoria has ordered that four of the Boeremag treason trial accused may no longer be held in leg irons overnight. 

 

Judge Andre Louw granted the urgent court order on Monday following an application by the accused Mike du Toit, Herman van Rooyen, Tom Vorster and Rudi Gouws. 

He also ordered that Correctional Services must immediate return the four's laptop computers to them. 

The four complained that they were sleep deprived and unable to concentrate on legal argument by their counsel in court or to give proper instructions because they were forced to sleep in leg irons with the lights on at night.

They also complaint their laptops contained privileged instructions to their legal representatives.

They said Correctional Services had never given them any reasons for extending their period in isolation and shackles from seven to 30 days. 

Counsel for the four, Piet Pistorius, argued that the "draconian" measures were unnecessary, as the four were already being held in a high security section within the jail, where they were guarded 24 hours per day. 

"It is inhumane treatment to force an inmate to sleep in shackles at night," he said. 

Correctional Services opposed the application, saying the Correctional Services Act and regulations authorised them to restrain inmates who tried to escape in this manner. 

Solly Sithole SC argued on behalf of Correctional Services that the four were at the top of the list of high-risk inmates and were not the only ones who were kept in isolation and shackles.

"It's a question of branding of an inmate as a high risk inmate," he said. 

Louw said he had to accept if the four said they could not sleep properly at night. 

He said Correctional Services may have acted within the Act and regulations, but still had to justify the extension of the measures in terms of the Constitution, but gave no reasons for the extension. 

It also did not give any reasons why the accused's laptop computers should not be returned to them. 

Louw ordered that each party to pay its own costs. 

The four, together with the elderly Vis Visagie, staged a failed escape bid during a tea break at the High Court last month, but were all recaptured shortly thereafter. 

Visagie was rushed to hospital after collapsing at court the next day. He is still in hospital after undergoing heart surgery. 

Du Toit was also absent from court on Monday as he was being treated for injuries apparently sustained during the escape bid. 

Six of the other incarcerated accused have meanwhile also threatened to launch an urgent application as they had to appear in court in leg irons and lost all of their privileges along with the five who tried to escape. 

Van Rooyen and Gouws were previously on the run for eight months after escaping from the court cells in 2008. 

The State has asked for the conviction of all 20 accused on the main charge of high treason, arguing that a rightwing plot to violently overthrow the government was continuing to this day. 

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article1115293.ece/Unchain-Boeremag--Judge 

Cops lost their Mojo?

May 7 2011

Victor Baloyi , Alias: UnknownWanted in connection with Cash-in-Transit robbery and murder relating to an incident in August 2010 at a Sasol garage on the R511, outside Pretoria.

  

The police are following up various leads as they hunt down four of South Africa’s most dangerous criminals. 

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/help-catch-sa-s-most-wanted-1.1065236 

Soon after the names and photographs of the four men were released on Friday, the public started coming forward with information on their possible whereabouts. 

 WANTED: 

Bongani Mojo (Alias: Unknown), 29, wanted in connection with at least 34 bank robberies since 2006. He escaped from Boksburg prison on March 28, 2011. 

Khumbulani Sibanda (Alias: “KB”), 37, wanted in connection with at least 13 bank robberies across South Africa. He escaped from Boksburg prison on March 28, 2011. 

Name: Unknown (Alias: Referred to by some as “Ogies”). Suspect wanted in connection with bank robberies across South Africa. It is suspected that he is an accomplice of Mojo and Sibanda. 

Victor Baloyi (Alias: Unknown). Wanted in connection with cash-in-transit heists and murder relating to an incident at a Sasol garage on the R511, outside Pretoria, in August, 2010. His accomplice, Lazarus Sefala, was arrested and remains in custody.

The men, Bongani Mojo, Khumbulani “KB” Sibanda, an unknown male suspect nicknamed “Ogies” and Victor Baloyi are linked to a series of bank robberies, cash-in-transit heists and murders. 

Mojo and Sibanda escaped from the Boksburg prison on March 28. It is believed that both are Zimbabwean. 

It is believed that Mojo is the gang leader. Police sources have described him as “arrogant, daring and brazen. 

“He has no respect for life or property and pulls the trigger without any hestitation,” said a police source. 

Head of Crime Line Yusuf Abramjee confirmed “that a number of tips had come in to the anonymous 32211 SMS service as well as the Crime Stop 08600 10111 service. 

“The police have a special team of detectives tasked with tracking down the four suspects,” said Abramjee. 

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/have-cops-lost-their-mojo-1.1065596 

Correctional Services Vetting Warders

Correctional Services to spend R12m on vetting warders....

Apr 12, 2011

The Department of Correctional Services is to spend R12-million on conducting security checks on more than 41 000 prison warders in its employ. 

 

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Correctional Services Minister 

 

 

Briefing journalists ahead of the tabling of her departmental spending plans in the National Assembly this morning, Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said a “huge number” of those guarding inmates in prisons had not been vetted by the department. 

She said her department would this year improve its internal vetting unit, which currently has only eight members of staff and relies heavily on the assistance of the national intelligence agency to do security background checks on officials recruited by correctional services. 

“The department will continue with the process of establishing its own vetting field at a cost of R12-million this year. 

“The enhancement of our own internal capacity is necessary as we remain concerned that the bulk of our officials are still not vetted at the correct security clearance levels”, said Mapisa-Nqakula. 

Her department has often come under fire from parliament’s portfolio committee on correctional services for employing prison warders before conducting security background checks on them.

MPs have often claimed that the poor vetting capacity is one of the reasons corruption is endemic in the department. 

Mapisa-Nqakula said her department had adopted a “strong stance against corruption” and would this year clear a backlog of disciplinary cases against officials implicated in cases of corruption. She did not say how much such cases existed in the department. 

“We are going to be setting up a dedicated employee relations capacity to advise and process disciplinary cases relating to corruption within the department,” said Mapisa-Nqakula. 

http://www.timeslive.co.za/Politics/article1015219.ece/Correctional-Services-to-spend-R12m-on-vetting-warders