Horrific child abuse: baby Arnella is doing fine

In Kampala, Uganda an 18-month toddler who was brutally tortured by her helper has received medical attention and is doing well.

The nanny Jolly Tumuhirwe was caught on camera slapping the child,Arnella Kamanzi  and throwing her to the floor and using a blunt object to forcefully beat her while she continuously stepped on the toddler’s body.

Despite the ordeal, her mother says little Arnella is recovering at home quite well.

According to Africanspotlight.com, the toddler’s father, Erick Kamanzi noticed bruises on his daughter’s body. He then reviewed the security tapes as he had installed cameras in his home and saw the footage of Tumuhirwe assaulting the child.

A video of a Uganda child minder allegedly beating a child in her care has gone viral.

Uganda police amend charges against abusive nanny

Reports from Ugandan say that a charge of torture against an abusive nanny has been amended to attempted murder.

A security camera planted in the house shows the woman, Jolly Tumuhirwe (22), slapping, kicking and hitting the baby and thereafter stomping on the two-year old's spine.

Many Ugandans who have watched the video say they have been traumatised.

Shaabab suspects ambush bus near Mandera, kill 28.

28 people have reportedly been killed Saturday morning near Kenyan border town of Mandera after gunmen believed to be Somalia’s Shabaab fighters attacked a bus heading to Nairobi, according to the police.

The bus was reportedly ambushed around 5am near Arabia village and driven to Mandera, near Somalia border.

7 of the victims are said to be women.

Nanny caught on camera abusing a child in Uganda

The two-year-old Aneela is seen terribly tortured by Jolly Tumuhiirwe, 22.

The video captured by interior security camera early last week at Erick Kamanzi,’s home, reveals a breath-taking story where Tumuhiirwe is trying to feed the baby.

The nanny identified as Jolly Tumuhiirwe, 22, is now reportedly confined to a wheelchair and feeding through tubes due to the severe beating she received from the baby’s father.

According to family sources, Kamanzi last week came home and found some bruises on the baby. He did not ask what happened but he hastily went to review the cameras which, he had taken long to monitor. This was last Saturday November 15th 2014.

What he saw is what is seen in the video below. Raged to the marrow, Kamanzi bounced on Tumuhiirwe and clobbered her to pulp. Done with it, he turned to tend to the baby as Tumuhiirwe ran to police where, she reported an assault case against her Master Kamanzi.

The Kiwatule police swung into action, raided Kamanzi’s home and arrested him. He promptly confessed to the charge before he was dragged to cells. After cooling down, Kamanzi asked the cops to look at what made him clobber the maid. A mere look at the video changed the cops’ stance and released Kamanzi.

Speaking to the investigator today, police chief spokesman CP Fred Enanga confirmed that Tumuhiirwe’s case had been taken over by the events.

Reading the file number as CRB 1346/14 of Kiira Road, Enanga said the nanny was yesterday charged under Anti-torture Act at Nakawa Court.

But Enanga hastily adds that police are contemplating on revising the charge and upgrade it to attempted murder. He said the Tumuhiirwe will re-appear in court on December 8th 2014. Efforts to get hints on the baby’s mother were futile as family sources maintained silence on the question.

(NB: I beg you to just look for that video because i tried to send it in vain, most of you are going to cry. )

Tanzania: Sitti Surrenders Miss Tanzania 2014 Crown

THIS year's Miss Redd's Tanzania declared winner, Sitti Mtemvu, has finally thrown in the towel and surrendered the title she was crowned on October 11, 2014 following a spirited saga about her age claims.

From day one of her reign the social media went viral, accusing her of having lied about her age.

Those who claimed to know her said her true age disqualified her from taking part in the pageant, whose minimum and maximum ages are 18 and 24, respectively.

Nor did Miss Mtemvu's statements help matters. On the day the pageant was held she said when introducing herself on stage that she was 18 years old. Since the event was being televised live, there is no question of people of ill will putting words in her mouth.

In fact, it is this claim of hers which kicked off her age debate. As the debate raged it came to light that the birth certificate she submitted to the pageant organisers to prove her qualification to take part in the contest was in fact issued by the Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA) on Sept 9, this year, just a few weeks before the contest was to be held, which showed that she was born on May 31, 1991.

When confronted by the media, Miss Mtemvu retorted that, being a frequent traveller, she had lost the original birth certificate. However, she circumspectly said she could not remember whether she reported the loss to any police station! And then irrefutable evidence started emerging.

The Immigration Department said without mincing words that Miss Mtemvu's photocopy of her birth certificate which she used to secure a Tanzanian passport showed that she was born on May 31, 1989 (which brings her age to 25 this year). And this is the year of birth which appears on her current passport.

Her driving licence issued in the US state of Texas also shows that she was born on May 31, 1989. It should be borne in mind that both the passport and the driving licence were issued on the strength of supporting documents supplied by the applicant herself - and both are consistent about her birth date: May 31, 1989.

One would have thought that, after this new evidence, the fate of Miss Mtemvu's reign would have been cast and hence subsequently dethrothed. But it wasn't the case.

To begin with, the director of Lino International Agency, organisers of the beauty pageant in Tanzania, Mr Hashim Lundenga, persistently challenged people to produce evidence proving that Miss Mtemvu was not indeed born on May 31, 1991, when in fact it was Lino which had the onus to investigate the whole matter because its integrity was on the chopping block.

Up to the end, Lundenga has stood by Miss Mtemvu because, instead of dethroning her, which was the right and logical decision to take, Lino has let her "voluntarily surrender the crown," thereby according her a semblance of respect which she does not deserve at all.

If there is any loser in this whole saga it must be Lundenga and his firm, Lino. But RITA has really shown the rot in our record keeping systems. That it could take almost a month to trace the birth records of a single individual in this computer age beats imagination!

One would have thought that an agency whose responsibility is to keep the birth and death records of the nation would have an elaborate and modern database to facilitate information retrieval. The Miss Mtemvu scandal should spur RITA and other public organisations to start putting their houses in order.

Now, what happens next following her resignation? This question is pertinent considering that both perjury and fraud may have been committed in this particular case. I stand to be corrected, but in order to secure the new birth certificate Miss Mtemvu most probably submitted to RITA an affidavit sworn before a commissioner of oaths.

In view of her passport and driving licence evidence, which she has not contradicted nor refuted, perjury comes into play here. Now, if the above is correct fraud logically follows.

If she knew that she didn't qualify to take part in the beauty pageant but still went ahead and concocted a birth certificate purporting to show that she did, that is fraud - pure and simple.

Tanzania's Kikwete Discharged From U.S. Hospital

Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete underwent successful prostate surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States over the weekend, the president's office said.

The operation was performed on Saturday, his office said on Sunday, without giving details on the nature of the surgery.

"The surgery... which lasted for one and a half hours, was highly successful. The president's condition is improving, but he is still in a hospital ward under medical supervision and receiving treatment," the presidency said in a statement.

The president's office said in a previous statement on Nov. 6 Kikwete would spend 10 days in the U.S. for a medical check up.

Kuwaiti woman arrested for driving in Saudi Arabia

 A Kuwaiti woman was arrested in Saudi Arabia for trying to drive her father to hospital, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Sunday, a week after Saudi women protested against a ban on female drivers.

Kuwaiti women are free to drive in their country and enjoy far more rights than those in Saudi Arabia, who are not allowed to travel abroad, open a bank account or work without permission from a male relative.

The English language Kuwait Times said the woman was driving in an area just over the border, with her father in the passenger seat, when she was stopped by police. Kuwaitis and Saudi locals regularly cross the border and communities living along the frontier are often a mix of people from both countries.

The woman, who said her diabetic father could not drive and needed to be taken to hospital for treatment, is being held in custody pending an investigation, the paper said, citing police.

The paper did not suggest that the woman was protesting Saudi Arabia's ban on female drivers.

Saudi police in the border town al-Khafji referred calls to the local traffic police, who could not be reached for comment. Officials in the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry said they could not comment on reports of incidents outside Kuwait.

Kuwaiti women gained the right to vote and stand for political office in 2005 after years of campaigning and a push by senior ruling family members.

Conservative members of the Kuwaiti parliament, including some who draw on Saudi Arabia's austere interpretation of Islam, had previously blocked the reforms, saying that Islamic law prevented women from leadership positions.

In Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah has pushed some cautious reforms to give women more employment opportunities and a greater public voice, but has often faced resistance from senior clergy.

Human Rights Commission investigates "whites only" toilets

 The SA Human Rights Commission is looking into allegations that a Limpopo business park has allocated toilets according to race groups, it emerged on Wednesday.

"We are aware of this incident and our provincial office is on its way to [Louis Trichardt] to verify these shocking allegations," spokesman Isaac Mangena said in a statement.

"If they are indeed true, we will immediately launch an investigation.”

Mangena told eNCA.com he was unlikely to hear back from his team soon as Louis Trichardt was “really far away”.

The Sowetan on Wednesday reported that business tenants at the Vleissentraal office block in Louis Trichardt alleged that they were told to use separate toilets.

The tenants told the newspaper they had had enough of the segregation and humiliation.

"There are four toilets in this building. One is for black females, one for black males, one for white and coloured females, and the last one is used by one white male," a businessman, who did not want to be named, was quoted as saying.

"The toilets are always locked and before we can use them we have to ask for the keys from the white lady managing the building."

Other tenants, who did not want to be named, also spoke to the newspaper about the alleged racism.

Attempts by the Sowetan to get comment from the building owner were unsuccessful.

The search for Meyiwa's killers goes on

The police are confident that the man they have arrested for the killing of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa is implicated in his killing.

Zanokuhle Mbatha, a resident of Vosloorus who is still in police custody, appeared in court on Friday.

However, his family told DRUM this morning that Mbatha was innocent, saying the police had got the wrong man.

Lieutenant-General Vinesh Naidoo, the police divisional commissioner for detective services, said the investigators were sure that Mbatha was linked to the crime.

He said the two men picked up at Beit Bridge and those who were arrested in KwaNongoma were released after questioning.

In total 13 people were taken in for questioning.

The police still maintain that the killing was a robbery horribly gone wrong, and have ruled out any other motive so far.

“The three people taken in for questioning over the weekend could not be positively linked to the case and were subsequently released.

“There is a great deal of speculation out there in the public domain. We are certainly not going to respond to each and every rumour. Suffice to say we appreciate the support we have received from the members of the public and the media,” he said.

Moonoo said the R250 000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of the rest of the suspects is still up for grab.

The private firm hired by the Meyiwa family to probe his murder is continuing with its investigation.

Vincent Mdunge, the spokesperson for the private sleuths, said half of the team of 10 was in Gauteng and the other half was working from KwaZulu-Natal.

He also ruled out another motive for Meyiwa’s killing, saying their investigation had yielded none.

Mdunge revealed that they had interviewed and cleared the man who appears with Meyiwa’s companion Kelly Khumalo in a picture circulating on social media. The man was cleared after the investigators established that he had merely posed for picture with Khumalo at a restaurant, and had not links with her.

Senzo wanted to marry me

 Johannesburg - Singer and actress Kelly Khumalo said slain Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa planned to divorce his wife Mandisa Mkhize and marry her, the Sunday Times reported.

"I have never been loved by anyone the way Senzo loved me," Khumalo told the newspaper. "He was willing to do anything for me...His heart was with me."

Meyiwa was shot dead on 26 October in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, while visiting Khumalo.

Two men allegedly entered the house, demanding cellphones, and shot him before fleeing.

- SAPA

If it wasn't for Kelly my son would still be alive today

Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa’s father Sam Meyiwa says they will only allow singer, Kelly Khumalo’s daughter to attend his son’s funeral.

“We had already accepted the child. Kelly’s mother and another woman came to show us the baby and I even burned incense (impepho) for her because Senzo was complaining that the baby is always sick.”

A teary Meyiwa senior says he’s not ready to forgive Kelly for what happened in the past, ‘splitting his son with their beloved daughter-in-law, Mandisa’.

When DRUM asked what would happen if Kelly decided to attend the funeral,  Meyiwa senior said: “I will have people to kick her out. I don’t want her in my house, she knows that very well.”

He went as far as blaming Kelly for his son’s death. “If it wasn’t for Kelly my son would still be alive today,” he said before bursting in tears.

Meyiwa senior said Senzo and Mandisa were supposed to be in Sunninghill, north of Joburg, attending Rooi Mahamutsa’s birthday party.

“Mandisa spoke to Senzo who said he was on his way to Rooi ‘s place before he was shot. But he changed his mind and went to Kelly’s house.”

What frustrated the Meyiwa family even more is that Kelly did not call or inform them about the shooting.

Tumelo Madlala, who grew up together in Umlazi with Senzo and was at the house at the time,  called the family to inform them of the tragedy.

Kelly Kumaro returns Senzo Meyiwa's cars

Controversial singer Kelly Khumalo has returned Senzo Meyiwa’s cars.

DRUM understands that Kelly, who witnessed the murder of her boyfriend, has returned the Golf GTi and the BMW X6.

Since the murder of the Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates captain on Sunday night, Kelly had held on tight to the two vehicles.

“The Meyiwa family collected the cars and some of his belongings last night,” says our source who stays at the same townhouse in Mulbarton, south of Johannesburg.

Mandisa: Senzo chose Kelly

Slain Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa’s wife has said her husband was leaving her for singer and actress Kelly Khumalo, City Press reported on Sunday.

Days before Meyiwa was killed Mandisa Mkhize told the paper she had accepted she had lost him forever.

“I respect Senzo’s decision to be with Kelly Khumalo,” Mkhize reportedly said in a sms when asked if she felt betrayed after Meyiwa told her he and Khumalo had broken up.

“We did not end things on a sour note. He is the father of my daughter and despite all he is not a bad person.

“I wish him well; I am at peace with everything,” she said.

In April, Meyiwa and Mkhize featured on the cover of Drum magazine, and spoke of their love for each other. The two said during a interview that they were working on their marriage and that Meyiwa had ended his relationship with Khumalo.

When Mkhize discovered her husband was back with Khumalo she moved out of their apartment in Buccleuch, Johannesburg.

Meyiwa was shot dead last Sunday, October 26, in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, while visiting Khumalo. Two men allegedly entered the house, demanded cellphones, and shot him before fleeing.

Khumalo told the Sunday Times Meyiwa planned to divorce Mkhize and marry her.

“I have never been loved by anyone the way Senzo loved me. He was willing to do anything for me… His heart was with me,” she told the newspaper.

Rest in peace Senzo

 Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa’s coffin was lowered into a grave at the Heroes Acre cemetery in Chesterville, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday afternoon.

As the coffin descended, a police bugler performed a rendition of The Last Post.

Meyiwa’s wife wept, and appeared to be speaking to the slain Orlando Pirates goalkeeper as she threw a flower into the grave.

Meyiwa’s father Samuel looked lost and forlorn, and seemed to be confused after being handed the South African flag that was draped over Meyiwa’s coffin.

A heavy rain then began to fall.

As relatives approached the grave, they too began to weep.

Kaizer Chiefs players, led by goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, placed flowers in the grave.

Mining magnate Patrice Motsepe, SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan and Deputy Agriculture Minister Bheki Cele also paid their respects.

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula stood at the grave with a bowed head.

Meyiwa’s grave was next to anti-apartheid journalist Nat Nakasa, who was buried at the cemetery in September, 49 years after he was buried in New York.

Meyiwa’s former team-mate Andile Jali greeted Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza and Jordaan before going to speak to Meyiwa’s parents.

A funeral service, attended by thousands of fans was held earlier at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Meyiwa was shot and killed on Sunday evening in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, while visiting his girlfriend, actress and singer Kelly Khumalo. Two men entered the house, demanding cellphones, and shot him before fleeing.