Two wardens at the Goodwood Correctional Facility in the Western Cape were allegedly stabbed by inmates on Sunday morning, the correctional services department said.

The incident happened at around 08:00 when the wardens were opening cells to feed the offenders, spokesperson Simphiwe Xako said.

“Two of them got seriously stabbed and had to be rushed to hospital but they were later discharged,” he said. 

Xako said it is believed that the attack was part of prison gang ritual. 

“It involved members of both the 28 and 26 gang. Fortunately we were assisted by police services and we searched all the cells and confiscated a number of self-made weapons such as knives.”

Xako said the search was ongoing and they were monitoring the situation closely.  

HONG KONG – The Springbok Sevens team maintained their HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series lead on Sunday as they claimed third place at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.

The Blitzboks, which fielded five debutants at the iconic event, won 26-7 over New Zealand to claim bronze, with Fiji securing their fourth title after beating Kenya.

Their win reduced the gap between the Blitzboks and Fiji in the World Series to three points, but Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell will be delighted with the effort delivered by the squad guided by stand-in coach, Marius Schoeman, at the tournament.

Your #HSBC7s standings after seven rounds. It’s tight at the top! pic.twitter.com/4bCemk3KRw

— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) April 8, 2018

Powell is in  Australia with 10 senior players preparing for the Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens next weekend.

“It was such a proud performance by this young group of players,” said Schoeman. “The guys showed so much courage, and South Africa can be very proud of their effort.

“The real credit must go to the Sevens system back home though. Our senior squad’s staff, the SA Rugby Sevens Academy and even our women’s group all work together. So credit should go to the players here and the system in general, where a lot of backroom staff also contributed immensely.”

UPDATE: Bltizboks lose to Fiji in Hong Sevens semi

The stand-in coach Schoeman applauded the third-place effort.

“We came so close in our semifinal against Fiji, and the guys responded in such brilliant fashion to bounce back against New Zealand to claim third place.”

Well done @Blitzboks !!! Hong Kong a truly special event!!! pic.twitter.com/S32r21JElQ

— John Smit (@JohnSmit123) April 8, 2018

Blitzboks captain in Hong Kong Dewald Human described his team’s effort as courageous.

“The guys showed what they are capable of out there,” said Human. “We managed five wins over teams that play in the World Series, and our young group showed they belong on that stage as well. It is nice to do it in Hong Kong, which is such an iconic event.”

One of the Blitzboks’ debutants Rhyno Smith said he felt honoured to be part of the set-up since joining the Academy in January.

“You are not only becoming a better player, but a better person. It was such an honour to be part of our effort this week,” Smith said.

The Blitzboks, without the services of injured forward Ryan Oosthuizen, tore into Fiji to take a 19-5 halftime lead.

Selvyn Davids – who was named Player of the Tournament at the conclusion of the event, and made the customary Dream Team – was in fine form, scoring three tries against the defending Hong Kong champions.

Congratulations to Selvyn Davids named in the @OfficialHK7s Dream Team, in addition to being named Player of the Tournament. May it be the first of many more ! @CastleLagerSA @FNBSA @ASICS_ZA pic.twitter.com/2A0UjtBOMB

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) April 8, 2018

Fiji, however, fought back strongly in the second half and took a 26-19 lead, but a final push from South Africa saw them score through Muller du Plessis. The final conversion went wide, which allowed the South-Sea side to celebrate.

In their opening match of the day, the Springbok Sevens team moved into the final four by beating Spain 38-5.

Du Plessis scored a hat-trick of tries against the Spanish, as he touched down in the 2nd, 7th and 9th minute of the match.

Davids and Human dotted down as well, as South Africa scored early before conceding a yellow card, which Spain capitalised on.

After that though, there was only one team keeping the scoresheet busy.

Scorers:
South Africa v New Zealand – Tries:  Stedman Gans (2), Dewald Human, Zain Davids, Muller du Plessis. Conversions: Selvyn Davids (2).

South Africa v Fiji – Tries: Selvyn Davids (3), Muller du Plessis. Conversions: Selvyn Davids (2).

South Africa v Spain – Tries: Muller du Plessis (3), Selvyn Davids, Dewald Human, Penalty Try. Conversions: Human, Davids, Rhyno Smith.

The World Series standings after seven of the 10 tournaments are:
1. South Africa 126
2. Fiji 123
3. New Zealand 107
4. Argentina 90
5. Australia 89  – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Herman Gibbs

African News Agency

“No one shot, no one injured, and no one has died”.

These were the words of Minister of Police Bheki Cele on Saturday night following reports that there was a dead body found near the home of the late Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Earlier in the day police said they were investigating an incident that apparently took place outside struggle stalwart Madikizela-Mandela’s home on Friday night.

There was a strong police presence outside the home on Saturday morning.

Cele said an ex-combatant of the ANC’s MKMVA fired shots about 2km from the home.

“MK members should not be doing this. We are dealing with this matter and dealing with the ex-combatants. In the morning I confirmed no body injured.”

He said police were in the area earlier in the day to pick up spent cartridges.

“A police investigation unit picked up some cartridges. They need to pick it to see the caliber of weapon and see if it is not linked to other crime scenes.”

‘Unacceptable’

Random discharging of weapons was unacceptable, Cele said.

“If you commit any form of crime including shooting in the air, [you] will be arrested and face [the]consequences of things [you are] not supposed to do.”

He said police had beefed up security in the area with Tactical Response Teams (TRT) patrolling.

“We have pushed up the deployments in the area. We have TRT here and on Vilikazi street, so people can enjoy life without interference.”

Cele said that he would personally meet with ex-combatants of the MKMVA. He said he had met with ex-combatant commanders earlier in the day.

Also read: Police probe ‘incident’ outside Madikizela-Mandela’s home

At least three people died Saturday when a vehicle ploughed into busy cafe and restaurant terraces in the German city of Munster before the driver shot himself dead.

Images on social media showed smashed and upturned tables and chairs strewn across the pavement outside an eaterie in the centre of the picturesque medieval city.

At least 20 people were injured, six of them seriously, according to police, while media reports said the driver had been behind the wheel of a delivery van.

A police spokeswoman in the western city, Vanessa Arlt, told AFP that the driver of the vehicle “shot himself”.

“The perpetrator drove into several cafe and restaurant terraces in a major square in the centre of Muenster,” Arlt added.

Police spokesman, Andreas Bode, said it was “too soon” to call the incident a deliberate attack.

According to the online edition of the Spiegel magazine, German authorities were “assuming” the incident was an attack, though there was no immediate official confirmation of a motive.

“Terrible news from Muenster,” German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said in a tweet, saying local police were providing regular updates.

“Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.”

Avoid the city centre

Images broadcast by German television showed police and firefighting vehicles clustered around a street in the centre of the city of 300 000 people.

Armed police were deployed and officers urged residents to avoid the city centre to allow investigators to get to work.

Germany had long warned of the threat of more violence ahead after several attacks claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group, the bloodiest of which was a truck rampage through a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016 that left 12 people dead.

The attacker, Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri, hijacked a truck and murdered its Polish driver before killing another 11 people and wounding dozens more by ploughing the heavy vehicle through the festive market in central Berlin.

He was shot dead by Italian police in Milan four days later while on the run.

Germany has since been targeted again in attacks with radical Islamist motives.

In July 2017, a 26-year-old Palestinian asylum seeker wielding a knife stormed into a supermarket in the northern port city of Hamburg, killing one person and wounding six others before being detained by passers-by.

German prosecutors said the man likely had a “radical Islamist” motive.

And at the end of October, German police arrested a 19-year-old Syrian identified only as Yamen A. suspected of planning a “serious bomb attack” using powerful explosives.

IS also claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in 2016, including the murder of a teenager in Hamburg, a suicide bombing in the southern city of Ansbach that wounded 15, and an axe attack on a train in Bavaria that left five injured.

Germany an ISIS target

Germany remains a target for jihadist groups, in particular because of its involvement in the coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and its deployment in Afghanistan since 2001.

German troops in the anti-ISIS coalition do not participate in combat operations but support it through reconnaissance, refuelling and training.

Germany’s security services estimate there are around 10 000 Islamic radicals in Germany, some 1 600 of whom are suspected of being capable of using violence.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has allowed in more than one million asylum seekers in the past two years – a decision that has driven the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which charges that the influx spells a heightened security risk.

IS also claimed several similar attacks in Europe, including a rampage along Barcelona’s Las Ramblas boulevard in August 2017 that killed 14 and left more than 100 injured.

The deadliest such incident in recent years was in the French resort city of Nice in 2016, where a man rammed a truck into a crowd on France’s national July 14 holiday, killing 86 people.

JOHANNESBURG – Slimming product producer Herbex says it stands by its testimonial advertising, despite the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) of South Africa having found its ads misleading. 

According to the ruling on the ASA’s website, Herbex told the authority it is “not a member of the ASA, will not submit to ASA’s jurisdiction and will not respond to the merits in the complaint”.

A consumer had complained that advertising by Herbex is misleading since “there is no objective evidence that the advertised product has any significant effect on weight loss, and even if such evidence existed, the testimonial is not representative for the majority of users of the advertised product”.

The ASA ruled on the matter purely for the guidance of its members since Herbex refused to submit any evidence.

It found that “the efficacy claims in the commercial are unsubstantiated”. 

Members of the ASA were instructed not to accept Herbex advertisements for publication.

READ: Linger over lunch to lose weight: study suggests

In a statement, Herbex subsequently said it stood by its testimonials. 

Eddie Bisset, managing director of Herbex holding company Newgroup Holdings, said the company’s many testimonials were “real and factual and supported by an affidavit signed by the featured customers”.

“The ASA has not been mandated by the former Medicines Control Council – now the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) – to assess the efficacy or safety of complementary medicines.

“Our products are carefully researched and formulated by industry professionals before going to market, and all manufacturers are GMP [Good Manufacturing Practice]  compliant and properly certificated,” Bisset said.

Herbex had submitted product information to the SAHPRA for registration as per a 2015 request, he said.

eNCA