Acclaimed photographer Alfred Kumalo helped to end apartheid through his art, the ANC said on Monday.

Kumalo’s work spoke volumes, providing the international community with evidence of the brutality of apartheid, spokesman Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.

As such, his work helped to mount international pressure against the apartheid regime.

On Sunday night it was reported that Kumalo, 82, died from renal failure at a Johannesburg hospital.

He was born in Alexandra, and made his name as a photographer for Drum Magazine.

Mthembu described Kumalo’s career as “industrious and illustrious” and “journalism in the highest form”.

“The ANC and the people of South Africa are forever indebted to Alf Kumalo for being at their service and striving to expose a system that was inhuman.”

Mthembu extended the party’s condolences to Kumalo’s family and his colleagues in the media industry.

Kumalo, who matriculated at the Wilberforce Institute in Evaton, began his working career as a journalist and photographer for Bantu World in Johannesburg in 1951. In 1956 he took up a permanent position at the Golden City Post.

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Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has launched an investigation into the financial affairs of one the wealthiest communities in the country following allegations that millions have been looted from its fund.

Madonsela on Friday addressed hundreds of members of the Bapo ba Mogale tribal community, who have accused the North West provincial government of mismanaging its funds.

The community owns vast pieces of land which are home to mining operations by companies, including Lonmin, who in turn pay millions in royalties to the community.

However, the affairs of the community have been clouded by controversy following leadership squabbles that have seen the royal family requesting that Kgosi Bob Mogale be removed from the chieftaincy due to his alleged incapacity to run the affairs of the community.

The squabble over the chieftaincy, which is now in the hands of the courts, has resulted in three administrators being appointed by the provincial government to run the affairs of the community over the last four years. All the administrators have in the past been removed from their positions as the community has cried foul over their handling of the community’s finances, with startling allegations of corruption levelled against them.

Madonsela on Friday confirmed that she has launched a probe into the so-called D-Account, in which the community’s royalties have been paid by the mining companies in the area.

The account has not been audited for nearly 18 years and will form part of her investigation, which will include how two administrators appointed by the provincial government allegedly made off with more than R18 million and R3.6m in 12 and six months respectively.

Madonsela said she had already met Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Richard Baloyi and North West MEC for Local Government China Dodovu, who attended yesterday’s meeting, to discuss her investigation into the matter.

Among the main issues discussed was the failure by Dodovu’s office to hand over all financial documents related to the account, which the community expects will reveal widespread corruption by politicians, service providers and members of the royal family.

“We have requested the North West government, through the office of the MEC, to hand over the information related to this account but that request has fallen on deaf ears.

“I am, however, confident after the meeting I held with the MEC and the minister that the information will be given to us as early as next week,” said Madonsela.

Madonsela said she planned to speak to the former administrators about how the finances of the community had been handled and investigate whether indeed they had made off with the amount of money they were accused of by the community.

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A man and woman were found shot to death in Motswedi on Saturday morning, North West police said.

The man, between the ages of 40 and 48, and the woman, between 25 and 30, were found about 15km from the silver Opel corsa they had been driving, said Captain Tselane Nkala.

The man had been shot in the forehead and the ear. The woman had been shot once in the head.

The are believed to have been killed at 11pm on Friday evening.

Motswedi police are investigating a case of murder and have appealed to the community for information. – Sapa

Johannesburg – Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has gone on the offensive against President Jacob Zuma, claiming he was a “politically bankrupt” leader who married “every week”.

Responding to allegations by Zuma’s lobbyists that he was an opportunist who wanted to switch allegiance because Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe’s campaign was fading, an angry Mbalula said on Sunday he had no time for a leader who thrived on corruption.

This came after some of Zuma’s allies told The Star at the weekend that Mbalula was not welcome in the president’s inner circle because he and Julius Malema had run an anti-Zuma campaign based on vitriolic and personal attacks rather than principle and leadership preference.

Mbalula dismissed as “propaganda” the Zuma camp’s claims that he agreed to back Zuma at a meeting at Luthuli House a fortnight ago.

He said Zuma’s lobbyists were the ones pursuing him, but he rejected them because of the ANC president’s poor leadership qualities and questionable private life.

The former ANC Youth League president said Zuma’s supporters had offered him the position of ANC deputy secretary or a spot in the party’s national executive committee (NEC) in exchange for his ditching anti-Zuma forces.

Zuma’s spokesman, Mac Maharaj, declined to comment on Sunday, saying he did “not make comments on party-political matters”.

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By Obakeng Maje

The South African Senior Women’s National team (Banyana Banyana) will play an international friendly match against Cameroon on Monday, 22 October 2012 at the Omni Sports Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon. Kick-off is at 14h30.

The Sasol sponsored Banyana Banyana is in Cameroon finalising preparations for the CAF African Women’s Championship to be staged in Equatorial Guinea from 28 October to 11 November 2012.

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By Obakeng Maje

Banyana Banyana central defender Amanda Sister has recovered from the quadriceps injury that side-lined her for the past week and back in training at the national camp in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Prior to the Sasol sponsored-South African national senior women team’s departure to Cameroon, the Port Elizabeth-based player sat out of the two international friendly fixtures played against Zimbabwe as a precautionary measure.

 The 22-year-old Sister, who plays her club football for Liverpool Ladies (Sasol League Eastern Cape) has formed a solid partnership with Janine van Wyk in the centre of defence over the past two seasons, creating solidity in front of goalkeeper Thoko Mndaweni.

“I am just glad to be back training as it was not nice to be left in the stands watching while my team-mates played in the matches against Zimbabwe,” said Sister.

“We will want to be at our best when we play at the CAF African Women Championship 2012 as we look to improve on our world ranking of 56th place. Our opening match on October 28 against Equatorial Guinea is so key as many of our players who were in the team in at the CAF African Women Championship 2010 in Ekurhuleni, will want to set the record straight.”

Equatorial Guinea beat the South Africans in the semi-finals of the tournament two years back and in so doing, book themselves a place along with eventual champions Nigeria, at the FIFA women’s World Cup held in Germany last year.

“Losing to Equatorial Guinea left us shattered in having missed out on FIFA women’s World Cup qualification, but we picked ourselves up and qualified for the 2012 London Olympics along with Cameroon,” added Sister, who has been capped 36 times for her country.

Apart from midfielder Yola Jafta who is nursing a hamstring strain but is expected to be fit in time for selection for the opening fixture against Equatorial Guinea, all the players are hard at training in Yaoundé.

Following the Group A match against Equatorial Guinea, Banyana Banyana will face Senegal in Malabo on October 31, and will travel to Bata for their encounter with DR Congo on November 3.

A good run of form will see the South Africans play in the semi-finals in either Malabo or Bata on November 7, with the 3rd/4th place playoff and the title decider both scheduled for Malabo on November 11.

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By Obakeng Maje

Mahikeng- All matriculants sitting for their final year examinations as from tomorrow should remember that their parents, guardians, educators and government believes in them to succeed, North West Premier Thandi Modise said in a special message to the 2012 Matric class on Sunday.

“With fewer disruptions in learning and teaching in most parts of our province this year, we are confident that the 2012 Matric Class will do us proud and sustain the improvement in the results we have recorded over the past three years. We call on all students to remain focused on the task at hand and not to be distracted,” said Premier Modise

 Meanwhile, the North West Provincial Government has prioritised awarding of bursaries in Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Economics, Mining and specialised fields in Agriculture to meet the skills needs of the province for deserving and needy students who excel in their examination.