Faizel Patel – Cii News | 20 September 2012

South Africans will be waiting in anticipation on Thursday when judgment on the decision to stop the controversial e-tolls on Gauteng’s highways is expected to be handed down.

Earlier this year the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) gained a small victory when a high court judge ruled in its favour and screeched the e-tolls to a halt.

This did not deter government who is fighting to make sure that none of its policies are decided by the courts. Government argues that since e-tolls were suspended, R200m is lost every month and the national credit rating has also suffered.

South Africans are fiercely opposed to forking out money for e-tolls with the price of petrol already siphoning their cash.

However this did not deter South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) who insist that should the interdict be overturned it is ready to implement the system.

The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) won the right to halt the start of the e-toll system on April 28, just two days before it was due to start.

Sanral at the time did not appeal the verdict, but it is understood that the decision did put proessue on South Africa’s fiscus. This drove Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, on behalf of the national Treasury, to appeal the ruling resulting in the case going before the ConCourt on August 15.

Sunday Rapist get 5 life sentences

Johannes Jocobus Steyn, the man known as ‘The Sunday Rapist’ will now be spending the rest of his life behind bars. He was sentenced to 5 life sentences yesterday, which he won’t serve concurrently.

A psychologist who evaluated Steyn told the High court that he is a psychopath and a pathological liar.

In her sentencing Judge Sita Kolbe said that Steyn would probably never be rehabilitated and that he is a danger to society.

Steyn says he spent many hours in prison praying for his victims. He promised to write a book about what really happened and maintained the truth did not come out in court.

SA’s citizens killed in Afghanistan named

Eight South Africans were among the 12 victims that were killed in a human bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday .

The South African government traced the families of those killed and the names of the victims have been released. They include:

• Christian Johannes Justus Pretorius
• Fraser Angus Carey
• Brandon Quinn Booth
• Johan Abraham van Huyssteen
• Johan Frederick Bouchaud
• Johannes Judenis Humphries
• Steven Leong
• Jenny Margaret

The South African victims were employees of Johannesburg based air charter operator Balmoral Central Contracts and  was often contracted by the US embassy to transport American diplomats. ACS Balmoral was established as an on demand US licensed Air taxi. It has exclusively operated in remote and troubled areas in support of government, relief and development contracts.

Afghan resistance group Hezb-i-Islami has claimed responsibility for the blast.

SA crime stats expected today

South Africa’s crime statistics will be released in parliament this morning when police minister Nathi Mthethwa gives details of crimes committed between 2011 and 2012.

The murder rate is expected to drop again, which would make it the lowest in the decade. Analysts say the decline is inline with developing countries emerging from a democratic transition.