THREE men were arrested in Pretoria earlier this week in connection with the theft of 70 military hand grenades, according to police.

Eleven grenades were recovered when the men, aged between 25 and 34, were arrested in Lyttelton and Sinoville, near Pretoria, said Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini.

They were due toappear in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court yesterday.

On July 4, Rheinmetall Denel Munitions reported that three crates containing 35 grenades each were stolen from a company vehicle at a petrol station on the N1 in Hammanskraal. One of the crates was found in a nearby field. - Sapa

Teenager's tragic death relived

THE R5 rifle that killed a Soweto teenager probably stopped firing because a bullet jammed it, a ballistics expert testified yesterday.

Warrant Officer Eugene Lurie told the Johannesburg High Court that he extracted the bullet from the rifle when he examined it.

"If that bullet hadn't got stuck, the gun would have continued firing until the magazine was emptied, or until the handler removed his finger from the trigger."

Lurie was testifying in the trial of student Constable Sipho Mbatha, who is accused of shooting Thato Mokoka, 16, while he lay on his stomach in Bramfischerville, Soweto, on February 14. - Sapa

Muslim man's killing: bail denied

A MAN accused of beating a Muslim man to death was denied bail by the Krugersdorp Regional Court yesterday.

Magistrate Reginald Dama said he had "no choice" but to deny Roedolf Viviers, 28, bail.

Viviers faces charges of murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

His co-accused, Zayne van Tonder, 33, who was charged with assault, was granted R2000 bail.

Dama said he was initially concerned that R2000 was too high for Van Tonder's bail because bail "is not used for the purpose of punishment".

The two accused allegedly directed racist remarks at Muhammad Kazi and his friend, Anser Mahmood, at a fast-food outlet in Magaliesburg on August 6. A fight ensued. Kazi was severely beaten and died in hospital.

Dama said seven witnesses had pointed Viviers out at an identity parade.

The racial nature of the attack, and the degree of violence that apparently accompanied it, meant that "not only was the community of Magaliesburg outraged . [Anger was felt throughout] the length and breadth of the country".

Dama said that, from the testimony of the investigating officer, it appeared that Viviers had behaved like a "professional pugilist".

He said that many groups, including the SA Communist Party, picketed outside the court, demanding that the accused be denied bail.

"Their voices cannot be ignored," he said. - Sapa