The presidency and Zuma’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) have denied demanding landing permission for the flight carrying nearly 200 guests for a wedding.

But a diplomatic protocol chief Bruce Koloane said he acted “under pressure from No. 1″, a direct reference to Zuma, the report said.

Koloane has been suspended and not spoken on the matter. The government report said he used deception to obtain military landing permission.

Opposition members of parliament charged that the Gupta family at the center of the affair and whose companies have employed two of Zuma’s children in high profile roles, was wielding undo influence over Africa’s largest economy.

“There is a widely held perception that when the Guptas say ‘jump’, the president says, ‘how high?’,” David Maynier, an MP with the opposition Democratic Alliance, said in parliament.

The Gupta brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh have a business empire that stretches from mining to aviation and media. They have been major financial backers of both Zuma and the ANC.

The scandal has ranged from farce – border officials had to interrupt the four-day wedding at the luxurious Sun City resort to have guests to fill in belated customs forms – to a potentially serious diplomatic incident.

The report also implicated officials from the Indian High Commission to South Africa in the deception, charges the embassy denies.

The report also found lounges at the air force base had been decorated to welcome the visitors who were entertained by singers and dancers. They were then taken in a convoy of luxury cars to the resort – under police escort.

(Reporting by Peroshni Govender; Editing by Jon Herskovitz and Jon Hemming)

Corlett “Lolo” Sono, 21, and 19-year-old Siboniso Anthony Shabalala, were among about 21,000 people killed in political violence during apartheid by agents of the white-minority regime or by fellow activists within black liberation groups.

In 1997, Sono’s father told South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), a body set up to investigate apartheid-era atrocities, that he last saw his son in a pick-up truck with Madikizela-Mandela.

He told the commission Sono had been beaten up and that Madikizela-Mandela told him that his son was an apartheid spy.

In her testimony to the TRC, Madikizela-Mandela described the allegations as “ridiculous” and “lunacy”, and the judge dismissed the statement from Sono’s father, who is now dead.

In 2012 an investigator from South Africa’s Missing Person’s Unit found records and photographs taken by mortuary officials in 1988 of men who were identified by family members as Sono and Shabalala. The family then gave the go-ahead for the exhumation.

“Last year we found records of two young men who were brought to the mortuary after being stabbed many times and dumped in a field. Their bodies were not claimed and they were given a pauper’s burial,” Madelaine Fullard, who runs the Missing Person’s Unit, told Reuters.

The mortuary where the records were kept and the graveyard where the men were buried are in the same district where the Sono and Shabalala lived.

“We are confident it is them but DNA and forensic tests will now be conducted so police can resume their investigation,” Fuller said.

Once the face of South African resistance to white minority rule, the “Mother of the Nation” fell from grace in the 1980s as she became more militant in her fight against apartheid and increasingly paranoid about activists turning traitor.

The TRC found that Madikizela-Mandela and her former security detail, known as the Mandela United Football Club, had killed 18 people in Soweto, the sprawling township that served as the epicenter of anti-apartheid resistance.

In 1991, she was convicted of kidnapping and assaulting a minor who later died. Her jail sentence was reduced to a fine the following year.

(Editing by Louise Ireland)

The 27-year-old Mozambican taxi driver, Mido Macia, was found dead in detention with signs of head injuries and internal bleeding, according to an initial post mortem report released by the country’s police watchdog.

The incident, videotaped on Tuesday and broadcast nationwide on Thursday, was condemned by President Jacob Zuma and opposition politicians.

“The visuals of the incident are horrific, disturbing and unacceptable. No human being should be treated in that manner”, said Zuma in a statement that described the incident as “the tragic death of a man in the hands of the police”.

Police told media they detained Macia after he parked illegally, creating a traffic jam, and then resisted arrest.

The video clearly shows the man scuffling with police, who subdue him. He is then bound to the back of the pick-up by his arms before the vehicle drives off in front of scores of witnesses in the east Johannesburg area of Daveyton.

Police commissioner Riah Phiyega said she was looking into the “alleged brutal treatment” by officers “in a very serious light and it is strongly condemned”.

SCANDALS

Her force has been caught up in a series of scandals in recent months.

The lead detective in the murder case against Olympic and Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was removed from the investigation last week when it emerged he was facing seven attempted murder charges for allegedly opening fire on a minibus full of passengers.

Police shot dead 34 striking workers at a platinum mine in August last year – the deadliest security incident since apartheid ended in 1994.

The video footage and the man’s death raised fresh concerns about police brutality in a country where more than 1,200 people a year die while in custody.

The incident dominated the agenda on talk shows and social media through the day.

“How much longer must South Africans live in fear of the very people who are supposed to protect them?” the opposition Democratic Alliance said in a statement.

The government’s police watchdog investigated 1,276 cases of people dying in police custody in 2011. There were 30 police convicted of criminal acts for killing those in custody during the period, it said.

Zuma’s African National Congress, which took power when apartheid ended, has tried to change a police force known for the arbitrary and brutal killings of thousands who wanted to end white-minority rule.

The ANC government changed the name from police “force” to police “service” and said its focus was to protect all citizens.

But the police service today is filled with underpaid officers who have done little to combat some of the highest crime rates of any of the Group of 20 global economic powers.

(Editing by Andrew Heavens)

The decision by Magistrate Desmond Nair drew cheers from the Paralympics star’s family and supporters. Pistorius himself was unmoved, in marked contrast to the week-long hearing, when he repeatedly broke down in tears.

Nair set bail at 1 million rand ($113,000) and postponed the case until June 4. Pistorius would be released only when the court received 100,000 rand in cash, he added.

Less than an hour later, a silver Land Rover left the court compound, Pistorius visible through the tinted windows sitting in the back seat in the dark suit and tie he wore in court.

The car then sped off through the streets of the capital, pursued by members of the media on motorcycles, before it entered his uncle Arnold’s home in the plush Pretoria suburb of Waterkloof.

At least five private security guards stood outside the concrete walls, keeping reporters at bay.

Under the terms of his bail, Pistorius, 26, was also ordered to hand over firearms and his two South African passports, avoid his home and all witnesses, report to a police station twice a week and abstain from drinking alcohol.

The decision followed a week of dramatic testimony about how the athlete shot dead model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp at his luxury home near Pretoria in the early hours of Feb. 14.

Prosecutors said Pistorius committed premeditated murder when he fired four shots into a locked toilet door, hitting his girlfriend cowering on the other side. Steenkamp, 29, suffered gunshot wounds to her head, hip and arm.

Pistorius said the killing was a tragic mistake, saying he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder – a possibility in crime-ridden South Africa – and opened fire in a blind panic.

However, in delivering his nearly two-hour bail ruling, Nair said there were a number of “improbabilities” in Pistorius’s version of events, read out to the court in an affidavit by his lawyer, Barry Roux.

“I have difficulty in appreciating why the accused would not seek to ascertain who exactly was in the toilet,” Nair said. “I also have difficulty in appreciating why the deceased would not have screamed back from the toilet.”

By local standards, the bail conditions are onerous but it remains to be seen if they appease opposition to the decision from groups campaigning against the violence against women that is endemic in South Africa.

“We are saddened because women are being killed in this country,” said Jacqui Mofokeng, a spokeswoman for the ruling African National Congress’ Women’s League, whose members stood outside the court this week with banners saying “Rot in jail”.

TOO FAMOUS TO RUN

However, Nair said he made his decision in the “interests of justice” and argued that the prosecution, who suffered a setback when the lead investigator withered under cross-examination by Roux, failed to show Pistorius was either a flight risk or a threat to the public.

Roux stressed the Olympic and Paralympics runner’s global fame made it impossible for him to evade justice by skipping bail and leaving the country.

“He can never go anywhere unnoticed,” Roux told the court.

Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated in infancy forcing him to race on carbon fibre “blades”, faces life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder.

Prosecutors had portrayed him as a cold-blooded killer and said they were confident that their case, which will have to rely heavily on forensics and witnesses who said they heard shouting before the shots, would stand up to scrutiny at trial.

“We are going to make sure that we get enough evidence to get through this case during trial time,” a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority told reporters.

In court, lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel was scornful of Pistorius’s inability to contain his emotions. “I shoot and I think my career is over and I cry. I come to court and I cry because I feel sorry for myself,” Nel said.

“DEEPLY IN LOVE”

In his affidavit, Pistorius said he was “deeply in love” with Steenkamp, leading Roux to stress his client had no motive for the killing.

Pistorius contends he reached for a 9-mm pistol under his bed because he felt particularly vulnerable without his prosthetic limbs.

According to police, witnesses heard shouting, gunshots and screams from the athlete’s home, which sits in the heart of a gated community surrounded by 3-m- (yard-) high stone walls topped with an electric fence.

In a magazine interview a week before her death, published on Friday, Steenkamp spoke about her three-month relationship with the runner, who won global fame last year when he reached the semi-final of the 400 metres in the London Olympics despite having no lower legs.

“I absolutely adore Oscar. I respect and admire him so much,” she told celebrity gossip magazine Heat. “I don’t want anything to come in the way of his career.”

Police pulled their lead detective off the case on Thursday after it was revealed he himself faces attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus. He has been replaced by South Africa’s top detective.

Pistorius’s arrest stunned the millions around the world who saw him as an inspiring example of triumph over adversity.

But the impact was greatest in South Africa, where he was seen as a rare hero for both blacks and whites, transcending the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid. (Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Pistorius’ defense team say the athlete shot dead girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in a tragic mistake at his home in the early hours of February14 – Valentine’s Day – and deserves bail to prepare for a case that has drawn worldwide attention.

The 26-year-old Olympic and Paralympic star’s lower legs were amputated in infancy, and he raced on carbon fiber blades.

The shooting and allegations that have emerged at the bail hearing, which resumed shortly after 0800 GMT on Friday, have stunned the millions around the world who saw his track glory as an inspiring tale of triumph over adversity.

Police pulled their lead detective off the case on Thursday after it was revealed he himself faces attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus. He has been replaced by South Africa’s top detective.

In a magazine interview a week before her death, and published on Friday, Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, spoke about her three-month-old relationship with the track star.

“I absolutely adore Oscar. I respect and admire him so much,” she told celebrity gossip magazine Heat. “I don’t want anything to come in the way of his career.”

Prosecutors have told the court it was a premeditated murder, with Pistorius firing four shots through a locked toilet door at a cowering Steenkamp on the other side. She was hit in the head, arm and hip.

However, in an affidavit read out in court, Pistorius said he was “deeply in love” with Steenkamp, and lead defense counsel Barry Roux said his client had no motive for the killing.

SHOTS, SCREAMS

Pistorius contends he was acting in self-defense after mistaking Steenkamp for an intruder, and that he was feeling vulnerable because he was unable to attach his prosthetic limbs in time to confront the perceived threat.

He said he grabbed a 9-mm pistol from under his bed and went into the bathroom. He said he fired into the locked door of the toilet, which adjoined the bathroom, in a blind panic in the mistaken belief the intruder was lurking inside.

Witnesses said they heard a gunshots and screams from the athlete’s home on an upscale gated community near Pretoria. The community is surrounded by 3-metre-high stone walls and topped with an electric fence.

Bail hearings in South Africa allow for prosecutors and defense lawyers to lay out their basic arguments, based on preliminary evidence, and often produce sensational court coverage.

The full trial is unlikely to start for several months. Pistorius faces life in prison if convicted.

His arrest last week stunned millions who watched in awe last year as he sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400 meters race in the London Olympics.

The impact has been greatest in sports-mad South Africa, where Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who commanded respect from both black and white people, transcending the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.

(Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Pravin Char)

Hilton Botha, who took the stand against Pistorius at the Paralympic and Olympic track star’s bail hearing this week, is due to appear in court in May, police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila said.

“Botha and two other policemen allegedly tried to stop a mini bus taxi with seven people. They fired shots,” Malila told Reuters.

The charges were provisionally withdrawn, but were reinstated on Wednesday – at the behest of the state prosecutor – after Botha had taken the stand against Pistorius in Pretoria’s main magistrates court, he added.

“We were informed yesterday that the charges will be re-instated,” Malila said. “At this stage there are no plans to take him off the Pistorius case.”

It was unclear why the charges were reinstated against Botha, or how the latest twist in Pistorius’ sensational four-day bail hearing will affect the athlete’s chances of securing release from custody pending his main trial.

Pistorius – a double amputee dubbed “Blade Runner” because of his carbon fiber racing blades – faces life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder over the shooting of his girlfriend.

South African media said that since the charges were not hanging over Botha when he was in the witness stand, the revelations about attempted murder charges were unlikely to mean his testimony would have to be withdrawn.

The new twist caps an ignominious 24 hours for South Africa’s prosecution service.

Under cross-examination at the bail hearing on Wednesday, Botha was accused of contaminating the crime scene in Pistorius’ house and had to backtrack on details such as the distance of witnesses from the athlete’s home.

Lead defense counsel Barry Roux accused the police of oversights and slip-ups in their initial investigation.

The bail hearing for Pistorius, 26, is due to restart at 0900 GMT. He is accused of shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, at his home in the early hours of Thursday last week – Valentine’s Day.

(Reporting by Peroshni Govender; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Pravin Char)

Warrant officer Hilton Botha, a detective with 24 years on the force, also told the Pretoria magistrates court that Pistorius’ girlfriend, model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp, was hit by three bullets, in the head, elbow and hip.

Pistorius, a double amputee known as the “Blade Runner”, broke down in tears as Botha presented his testimony.

The shooting has stunned South Africa and the millions around the world who saw the track glory of the athlete, who had no lower legs, as an inspiring tale of triumph over adversity.

Steenkamp was in a locked toilet adjoining Pistorius’ bathroom when she was shot in the early hours of Thursday last week. Botha said the angle at which the shots were fired through the door suggested the shooter had aimed specifically to hit somebody on the toilet.

Botha, who arrived at the scene at 0415 local time (0215 GMT) to find Steenkamp dead at the bottom of the stairs, also said police had found unlicensed .38 ammunition in Pistorius’ house in an upmarket gated compound north of Pretoria.

In an affidavit delivered on Tuesday, Pistorius said he used to sleep with a 9-mm pistol under his bed and had grabbed it when he awoke in the middle of the night thinking an intruder had climbed through his bathroom window and entered the toilet.

The 26-year-old then described how he fired into the door in a blind panic, in the belief the intruder was lurking in the toilet.

He said he and Steenkamp, 30, had been asleep in bed before he woke up.

In contrast, lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel painted a picture of a premeditated killing, a crime which carries a life sentence in South Africa. “If I arm myself, walk a distance and murder a person, that is premeditated,” he told the packed courtroom on Tuesday.

The bail hearing is expected to conclude by the end of the week. (Reporting by David Dolan; Editing by Ed Cropley and Pravin Char)

Reeva Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, died after being hit by three rounds, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said.

Pistorius wept uncontrollably in court as Nel outlined details of the shooting in the early hours of Thursday.

Steenkamp’s funeral is to be held later on Tuesday.

Defense lawyer Barry Roux disputed the murder charge, saying the facts surrounding the shooting were unclear.

“All we really know is she locked herself behind the toilet door and she was shot,” he told the packed Pretoria courtroom.

However, Nel, his counterpart at the bail hearing, painted a picture of premeditated killing – a crime that carries a life sentence in South Africa.

“If I arm myself, walk a distance and murder a person, that is premeditated,” he said. “The door is closed. There is no doubt. I walk seven meters and I kill.”

“The motive is ‘I want to kill’. That’s it,” he added.

The arrest last week of the 26-year-old Olympic and Paralympic sprinter stunned millions across the world who held him up as a hero for triumphing over adversity to compete with able-bodied athletes at the highest level of sport.

Initial reports suggesting Pistorius may have mistaken her for an intruder – a version Pistorius told his sister immediately after the shooting, Nel said.

(Additional reporting Helen Nyambura in Port Elizabeth and Jon Herskovitz; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

Reeva Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, died after being hit by three rounds, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said.

Pistorius wept uncontrollably in court as Nel outlined details of the shooting in the early hours of Thursday.

Steenkamp’s funeral is to be held later on Tuesday.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux disputed the murder charge, saying the facts surrounding the shooting were unclear.

“All we really know is she locked herself behind the toilet door and she was shot,” he told the packed Pretoria courtroom.

However, Nel, his counterpart at the bail hearing, painted a picture of premeditated killing – a crime that carries a life sentence in South Africa.

“If I arm myself, walk a distance and murder a person, that is premeditated,” he said. “The door is closed. There is no doubt. I walk seven metres and I kill.”

“The motive is ‘I want to kill’. That’s it,” he added.

The arrest last week of the 26-year-old Olympic and Paralympic sprinter stunned millions across the world who held him up as a hero for triumphing over adversity to compete with able-bodied athletes at the highest level of sport.

Initial reports suggesting Pistorius may have mistaken her for an intruder – a version Pistorius told his sister immediately after the shooting, Nel said. (Additional reporting Helen Nyambura in Port Elizabeth and Jon Herskovitz; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

The group, who appeared in court in Pretoria, were led by U.S.-Congolese citizen James Kazongo and had been under surveillance by an elite South African police unit for months before their arrest this week, prosecutor Shaun Abrahams said.

Abrahams said police received information in September that the group, a wing of a little-known rebel militia called the Union of Nationalists for Renewal (UNR), were planning a coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“To enable them to achieve this, they required large quantities of arms and ammunition and specialized military training,” Abrahams told the court. “They did not have access to finances but would pay with mining concessions in the DRC.”

He said police had a “wish list” emailed to an undercover officer asking for satellite phones, cash, weapons and ammunition, including 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles, 1,000 grenades and a quantity of missiles.

In February, Abrahams said the undercover policeman met Kazongo, who said he was trying to recruit mercenaries, and confirmed the “wish list” as well as his intention to overthrow the DRC government.

In an elaborate sting, police then told the rebels they would be housed on a farm in the northern province of Limpopo under the guise of an anti-rhino-poaching training camp.

The men would pose as trainee game rangers, justification for them carrying weapons and sophisticated gadgets, Abrahams said.

The case was postponed to Feb 14 to allow for the group to get lawyers.

According to court documents, the UNR consists of 9,000 rebels opposed to the rule of President Joseph Kabila and want him removed by “unconstitutional” means.

Outside the courtroom, a handful of demonstrators said South Africa favored Kabila’s leadership over democratic reforms in the resource-rich nation because it wanted to protect the business interests of its citizens there.

“South Africa benefits from the DRC’s resources. Why would they want to stand up against the dictator?” said Chefdufil Mudie, a Congolese refugee who has been living in South Africa for 12 years.

(Reporting by Peroshni Govender; Editing by Ed Cropley and Jon Hemming)