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InterNations
Geopolitics

Twist In Pistorius Case - Lead Detective Faces Attempted Murder Charges

EYEWITNESS NEWS, JACARANDA NEWS, NEWS24 (South Africa), TWITTER

Worldcrunch

PRETORIA- It has emerged that the lead investigating officer in the Oscar Pistorius case is facing seven counts of attempted murder himself, according to Eyewitness News.

Pistorius, the legendary paralympian accused of shooting his girlfriend to death, is back in court Thursday as a bail hearing continued. But the focus dramatically shifted to Hilton Botha, the top detective at the shooting scene in the South African capital in the early hours one week ago.

According to News24, police detective Botha faces a court hearing in May on seven counts of attempted murder linked to a 2009 incident. Along with two other officers, Botha is accused of going on a drunken rampage, and firing shots at a minibus taxi carrying seven people.

The police spokesman for the Gauteng province, Colonel Neville Malila said Thursday that: “It was only yesterday Wednesday that we were informed ... that (Botha) is being charged.”

This is #HiltonBotha, investigating officer who is facing 7 charges of attempted murder in the #OscarPistorius case twitter.com/Jacanews/statu…

— Jacaranda Newsteam (@Jacanews) February 21, 2013

According to Jacaranda News, Malila said that the decision to drop Botha from the Pistorius case has not been made although other reports are already claiming that he has been dropped already.

When the details emerged, Botha told Eyewitness News that “my blood was never tested for alcohol in the aftermath of the shooting. I wasn’t drunk.” He claimed that shots were fired at the taxi after it “tried to push us off the road”. He was first charged in 2009 and then the charges were provisionally withdrawn. The matter was referred to the prosecutor's office, and he is due to appear in court with the other officers in May, says Eyewitness News.

[rebelmouse-image 27086303 alt="""" original_size="320x199" expand=1]

Pistorius at the London Olympics - Jim Thurston

This will no doubt complicate the Pistorius case, as prosecutor Gerrie Nel claims he did not know about these charges when he called Botha to the stand on Wednesday morning. On Thursday morning, Botha wished not to appear in the court room but Justice Nair called him in, saying his presence was necessary to his plans for the day's proceedings. This is the third day of the hearing determining whether medal-winning Pistorius will be granted bail.

#OscarPistorius Gerrie Nel, true to form, cracks a dry joke, saying "there goes my case".

— Mandy Wiener (@MandyWiener) February 21, 2013

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Society

For Seniors, Friendship May Be More Important Than Family

Even if the aging and elderly tend to wind up confined to family circles, Argentine academics Laura Belli and Danila Suárez explore the often untapped benefits of friendship in our later years.

Photograph of two elderly women and an elderly man walking arm in arm. Behind the, there are adverts for famous football players.

Two elderly women and a man walk arm in arm

Philippe Leone/Unsplash
Laura F. Belli and Danila Suárez Tomé

Updated Dec. 10, 2023 at 10:10 p.m.

BUENOS AIRES — What kind of friendship do people most talk about? Most often it is childhood or teenage friendships, while friendships between men and women are repeatedly analyzed. What about friendships among the elderly? How are they affected when friends disappear, at a stage when grieving is already more frequent?

Argentines Laura Belli and Danila Suárez Tomé, two friends with PhDs in philosophy, explore the challenges and benefits of friendship in their book Filosofía de la amistad (Friendship Philosophy).

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They consider how friendships can emerge later in life, in profoundly altered circumstances from those of our youth, with people living through events like retirement, widowhood, reduced autonomy or to a greater or lesser degree, personal deterioration. All these can affect older people's ability to form and keep friendships, even if changes happen at any stage in life.

Filosofía de la amistadexplores the place of friendships amid daunting changes. These are not just the result of ageing itself but also of how one is perceived, nor will they affect everyone exactly the same way. Aging has firstly become a far more diverse experience, with increasing lifespans and better healthcare everywhere, and despite an inevitable restriction in life opportunities, a good many seniors enjoy far greater freedom and life choices than before.

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