Lourentia Lombaard is expected to appear in Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court for bail today. She was arrested two weeks ago and faces charges of trafficking in persons for the purpose of exploitation and kidnapping. The police initially arrested Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appolis, Steveno van Rhyn and Phumza Sigaqa on charges of human trafficking and kidnapping in connection with Joshlin disappearance.
Phumza spoke to Newzroom Afrika and is one of the accused implicated in the Joshlin Smith disappearance and she says that police tortured her to reveal the whereabouts of the missing girl. She says that the people close to Joshlin need to tell the truth. She says that the police asked her where Joshlin is because Boeta and Steveno said that they left the girl by her at 1 o’clock. She revealed that she was shocked that they said this. The police then proceeded to beat her under her feet, on her knees and poured water onto her and suffocated her with a plastic bag. She was forced to admit that Joshlin was left in her care. She says that they forced her to agree to something that she knew nothing about.
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor spoke to Aljazeera about Israel and says that the fact that South Africa approached the International Court of Justice may be causing some discomfort. She says that the relationship with the USA is an important one and that they will look for ways to repair the relationship.
Pandor says that our underlying fundamental philosophy and foreign policy is that we always seek peace, we always seek negotiation. She says that we are mandated by the freedom charter of South Africa to always pursue international peace and friendship.
Having been a people who have suffered under the oppression of apartheid, they reject oppression wherever we find it. We seek to reduce harm for people who are striving for freedom. Pandor add that it is natural that South Africa would support the just cause of the people of Palestine. They also support the people of Israel for having their own state, but we can never agree that it is correct to kill thousands of innocent civilians in Palestine and for them to attempt to pretend that there is some just cause behind this murderous onslaught.
Clare Daly is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency since July 2019. She is a member of Independents 4 Change, part of The Left in the European Parliament. She says that on the 26 January, the international Court of Justice ruled that there’s a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza. It ordered Israel to stop killing civilians; Israel continued. She says that EU Member States continue to defy EU law to send lethal weapons into a genocide.
Daly says that the legal obligations on the EU Member States are very clear: the Genocide Convention requires States to avoid complicity. The EU common position on Arms Exports bans exporting arms where there is a clear risk they will be used to violate international law and the UN has warned that such transfers must cease. Yet France dissembles, hiding behind secrecy and Israeli assurances while Germany has increased its exports tenfold last year, 90% since October 7th Ireland doesn’t even ask ‘Butcher Biden’ what is coming through Shannon Airport from the US on the way to the Middle East.
She asks: What sort of people are you?
In 2024 European Greens, Social Democrats and Liberals are arming a genocide. Shame on you! International law and humanity requires lethal arms to Israel must stop now.
TikTokker guidetothestraightpath says that she has been lied to about Islam. She decided to read the Holy Quran and says that her eyes have been opened. In the Quran it states that if you must fight then you must only strike only at those combatant, who attack you. Do not attack women, children or the elderly or those retreating in the places of worship. Fighting against aggressors are allowed regardless of faith and fighting innocents is prohibited regardless of faith.
The Quran makes it clear that men and women are equal before God and the law. If there are any abuses against women that are cultural practices in muslim countries they contradict Islamic teachings. Islam guarantees the freedom of non musims to practice their faith, as well as the protection for their places of worship. The Prophets said that whoever harms a non muslim under the protection of Islam: ‘I shall be their opponent on the judgement day and they will not even smell paradise.’
Islam teaches three types of brotherhood:
1 Brotherhood in humanity – all humans are equal
2 Biological brotherhood – your siblings
3 Brotherhood in faith – your fellow muslims
The best among the believers are those who are best to their wives.
