Alcohol a Key Driver of Crime, Latest Stats Reveal
Some of the country's most heinous crimes have been attributed to alcohol, reports EWN. The police found that alcohol was a factor in thousands of rapes and hundreds of murders committed by perpetrators. Police top brass released the latest crime statistics for July to September. There were 6,545 murders across the country between July and September. Norman Sekhukhune, the crime registrar general of the South African Police Service (SAPS), said alcohol was a major factor in more than 200 of these cases. He said of the more than 10,000 rape cases recorded during the same period, just over a thousand involved alcohol. Murder cases decreased by 400 and rape cases by 325 in comparison to the same period last year.
Eskom Offers Replacement Meters to Soweto Residents
Power utility Eskom will replace prepaid electricity meters in Soweto for residents who previously bought tokens from unregistered vendors, reports IOL. After November 24, meters will only accept tokens from Eskom-approved vendors, leaving many residents in queues to update their devices. Some missed the deadline due to damaged meters, illegal connections, or non-compliant tokens. Eskom warned that non-updated meters would stop working and imposed a R6,000 penalty for illegal connections.
Taxi Owners Demand Direct Talks with Joburg Mayor
IOL reports that the City of Johannesburg believes that external forces may be working to derail talks with taxi owners who have not received compensation for making way for the Rea Vaya system. Top Six, a taxi association, said that 317 taxis were removed from city streets nearly two decades ago with owners promised R830,000 per vehicle. A meeting in Soweto between Transport MMC Kenny Kunene and frustrated taxi owners ended in conflict, as they insisted Mayor Dada Morero address them directly. The dispute revolves around the recent introduction of 45 feeder buses, which owners and associations claim was done without consulting key stakeholders, including taxi drivers and bosses.
