Daily Archives: November 6, 2012

Pastor sentenced to 10 years in prison after molestation

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BY Obakeng Maje

Lichtenburg- A 36 year pastor was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Lichtenburg Magistrate Court today after he molested two teenagers.

Pastor Dannie Venter originally from Blydeville sexually abused two boys aged 12 and 14 in several occassions.

“The Pastor lured the boys under false pretence to accompany him to the nearest garage to buy electricity.Then he will change route by driving to the bushes” Captain Pelonomi Makau.

“According to evidence demostrated before magistrate,Venter will show them pornographic magazines and touch their private parts. He will then molest them” she said.

A 36 year-old man bought the boys silence by offering them chips and sweets. According to the boys Venter started sexually abusing them since February this year.

“The boys finally let the cat out of the bag by informing their teacher. The meeting between the parents and boys were organised where the boys tell nothing but the truth” Makau said.

Pastor Dannie Venter was left speechless like confused dinasours flee Juriseen Park when Police pounced on him.

Pastor could not even get mercy from the bible as the bible also says “You will reap what you sow” and is guilty as charged.

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Motlanthe’s gamble a grave miscalculation

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KGALEMA Motlanthe, we are told, is ready to challenge President Jacob Zuma and thus rescue the ANC from self-destruction.

Well, he did not say as much. He merely gave us a hint, it is reported.

In addition, he has also given us conditions under which he will partake in this race for the leadership of a party that, with respect to our opposition parties, will remain the ruling party after the 2014 elections.

Motlanthe will not run a normal campaign. He will not get a faction to belong to. Or put his name on a list pre-determined by others. He does not want to become beholden to those who will, after elections, credit themselves as kingmakers.

At a rally in the Eastern Cape this weekend, he said: “Today in the ANC we take away the right of members to elect leadership because today we come with slates and we say to members, ‘this is the slate and you must elect according to the slate.’

“When we do that, we are taking away the right of members to elect leaders of the ANC. Now, by taking that right away, our leaders would be weaker.”

Quite refreshing to hear a leader who applies himself to the issue of leadership; who worries about being compromised by slates and belonging to factions; who is principled in the manner he seeks to ascend the throne. He has also told us that a case has not yet been made for open campaigning.

It is not rocket science that Motlanthe worries about how his contribution to society will be recorded for posterity. He has apparently had a good look around and seen people introducing “tendencies” to the organisation, and felt he needed to act differently, even as he saw that it was opportune for him to take his campaign to his scandal-prone opponent.

It would be easy for Motlanthe to campaign against Zuma. Our leader from Nkandla has many fires to fend off. Using the state to build a R240m palace is one. Just how do you say to learners: there is no money for books, but there is money for a bunker? Anyway.

His views about African justice, not the white man’s justice, is another. His attack on single women as being incomplete and needing marriage is another. What he does within his marriage, as part of his culture, is entirely up to him and his family. But when he uses culture to justify conduct that earned him the title “Casanova president”, then he sends conflicting messages about government policy which he contradicts in his life.

So, if Motlanthe needed to conduct a Barack Obama/Mitt Romney type of campaign, there would be plenty of material to go on. Ever the gentle giant, Motlanthe has opted for a no-campaign strategy. He wants to be wanted, to be needed. This is part of a long history of the ANC. It is the organisation that deploys you based on what members see as your strength. If they think you could make a good president, they will seek your availability and you may not say no.

But therein lies Motlanthe’s folly.

The ANC that behaves like that is long dead. The new ANC members, the people who will be in Mangaung – some of whom were in Polokwane five years ago – are very different to those who were led by Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela. Politics today is about cloak and dagger. It is about numbers. You get numbers when you choose a faction and extend your hegemony. This idealistic posture by Motlanthe is a miscalculation that will backfire.

Motlanthe’s attitude is that the ANC of Tambo and Sisulu will re-emerge in Mangaung and catapult him into power in a decent manner. That is admirable.

But it will not work. Not now. Not in the future. The sooner those close to Motlanthe get this the better for all who dread Zuma’s decade of damage.

Five held over naked miners

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Johannesburg – Five people have been arrested for allegedly forcing four workers at Anglo American’s Amandelbult mine to strip naked, Limpopo police said on Tuesday.

“They were arrested on 1 November and they appeared in court on 2 November, facing charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, indecent assault, and illegal gathering,” Colonel Ronel Otto said.

The outcome of the trial held at Northam Magistrate’s Court was not immediately available.

According to media reports on Tuesday, the SA Human Rights Commission was investigating reports that photographs of non-striking mineworkers who had been stripped naked had been circulated on social media.

“As the commission, we will be taking up this matter,” SAHRC spokesman Isaac Mangena told SAfm.

“We have mandated our Limpopo office to take up the matter at the mine, and we… call on the police to investigate this, because this is clearly a criminal act.”

The New Age reported on Monday that strikers forced four workers at the Amandelbult mine to strip naked to punish them for reporting for work.

A photograph in the newspaper showed three men over the age of 50 and a woman in her 30s standing naked in front of a crowd of striking workers.

Mangena said the SAHRC would work with the Commission for Gender Equality to “look at what can be done to protect the rights of women and men whose pictures have been circulating (on) the social media”.

The New Age reported on Tuesday that the administrators of social networking site Facebook removed the pictures on Monday afternoon.

Anglo American Platinum miners are currently on an unprotected strike at its Union and Amandelbult mines in Limpopo. – Sapa

Banyana to break the jinx against Nigeria

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BY Obakeng Maje

Banyana Banyana will be out to record their first ever win over Nigeria when the two African women’s football powers meet in the semi-final of the CAF African Women Championship 2012.

The clash takes place on Wednesday, 7 November 2012 in Bata, Equatorial Guinea.

Kickoff is at 18h30 South African time, with 30 minutes extra time to follow if the score is deadlocked after 90 minutes of play. If there is still no winner after extra time, the match will be decided via a penalty shoot out.

The Sasol-sponsored South African Women’s Senior National Team go into the match ranked No 4 in Africa, compared to the No1 ranked Nigerians – and captain Amanda Dlamini’s team will be looking to break the mental block and record their first win over the Super Falcons since Banyana Banyana was formed in 1993.

“We came to the tournament with the aim of improving on our world ranking of 56th and African ranking of 4th, and with the top four African nations (Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and South Africa) all having made the semi-finals, we now need to deliver to meet our objective,” said Banyana Banyana head coach Joseph Mkhonza.

Hosts Equatorial Guinea face All-Africa Games champions Cameroon in the first semi-final, to be played in Malabo earlier in the day (15h30 kick-off).

“We played to a 1-all draw with Nigeria in an international friendly played in Phokeng near Rustenburg, North West Province earlier this year (3 June), and shared a goal-less draw with them in Lagos two weeks later, so we know we are competitive enough to match Africa’s No 1 side,” added Mkhonza.

“The Banyana Banyana players are keen to do better than their bronze medal finish at the CAF African Women Championship 2010 held in Ekurhuleni near Johannesburg, and will be looking to use the experience gained at the London Olympics held in July, to good advantage.”

Mkhonza has an injury-free squad of 20 players to choose from and has the option of fielding his attack-minded 3-5-2 formation which brought success (a 1-0 win over Senegal and a 4-1 triumph over the Democratic Republic of Congo) in the group stages, or revert to the conventional 4-4-2 format.

Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (Sasol League Gauteng) striker Andiswe Mgcoyi will arrive at the semi-final as the joint leading goal-scorer in the tournament on four goals, having scored the only goal of the match against Senegal and a hat-trick against the Congolese.

 

 

Bafana to play in Cape Town stadium

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BY Obakeng Maje

Bafana Bafana will play Norway in a friendly international at Cape Town on 8 January 2013.

 
This is the second match hosted by the magnificent soccer arena built for the 2010 World Cup, after the 2010 showpiece, the first being a sell-out encounter against the USA in November 2010, which the home side lost 1-0.
 
South Africa last played against Norway in an international friendly match in March 2009 in Phokeng, near Rustenburg in which Bafana emerged 2-1 winners.
 
“To play Bafana in South Africa in January is a good start to the 2013 year for us. We are preparing for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers starting in March next year and we have a bunch of young players knocking on the door right now.
 
“We played South Africa prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and we unfortunately lost. I personally hope that this is not going to happen again,” said Norway coach Egil Olsen.
 
Bafana Bafana head coach, Gordon Igesund was equally excited about the match.
 
“Norway is a quality opponent and we are grateful that we get the chance to play them as we near the end of our preparations for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations tournament which will begin less than two weeks after this match. The exciting part is that for this clash, is that it affords me an opportunity to fine tune my final combination that will play in the tournament, so this will be a good test for us and will help us gauge our readiness,” said Igesund, who could not attend the announcement as he is in England to visit some of the South African players.
 
Ranked 26th on the FIFA World Ranking, the Scandinavians are expected to descend on the City of Cape Town’s sunny shores in the midst of the peak summer tourism season.
 
“South Africa is a perfect destination for these types of preparations and camps. Firstly, it is snow and cold in Norway at this time of the year. Secondly there is no time difference and the fact that the infrastructure, quality of the food and hospitality in South Africa is overwhelming is a huge plus for us,” said Norway Team Manager Nils Johan Semb.
 
The Western Cape has seen a massive jump in international, regional and domestic tourism numbers and this growth bodes well for the overall economy of the region.
 
Major events like the Bafana Bafana match are key levers in the City’s strategic intent to continually grow the attractiveness of the region as a globally competitive tourism destination.
 
“It’s like a dream for me to bring the Norwegian national team to South Africa, in particular Cape Town. It is my second mother land, and I really want to show our players, media and Norwegians the best of my favourite town on earth. We are bringing the whole management for a week as well, and we will be training with friends at Ajax. I am really looking forward to this,” said Kjetil Siem, General Secretary of the Norway Football Federation.
 
His counterpart in the South African Football Association, Dr Robin Petersen had this to say:
 
“We are indeed honoured to get the calibre of opponents like Norway as we prepare for AFCON. As SAFA we have always maintained that we will give our coach all the support he needs to do well in the tournament and this is testament to our promise. They are a top-ranked nation and should help us in our quest to succeed in the tournament.”
 
Whether one is a supporter of football or not, the Bafana Bafana clash against Norway will be remembered as a highpoint to kick-off the year 2013. The trumpeting sounds of vuvuzelas, the donning of our favourite green and yellow jerseys, the proud waving of South African flags, the excited gait to get to the stadium on time and the colourful attractions of Cape Town’s much loved Fan Walk…What a memorable start to the New Year.
 
The City invites its residents to come out in numbers and support Bafana Bafana as they play their penultimate match before their participation in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Fans are urged to give the squad a true Cape Town send-off in their goal to be Africa’s Champions.
 
Tickets for this international spectacle range between R50 and R100, making it possible for fifty-five-thousand (55 000) fans to descend on the Cape Town Stadium.
 
Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, 20 November 20102 and will be available at all Computicket, Shoprite, Checkers and Shoprite/Checkers outlets around the country.
 
 

Bophelong Pychiastric Hospital to be built in Mahikeng

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By Obakeng Maje

North West Premier, Thandi Modise together with Provincial Health MEC, Dr. Magome Masike will on Tuesday, 06 November 2012 handover site to the winning bidder for construction of new Bophelong Psychiatric Hospital.

“A total of R478 million has been set aside for the construction of new psychiatric hospital in Mahikeng and the project is expected to be completed in the next 24 months” Tebogo Lekgethwane said.

“Initially the Department planned to construct a 648 beds hospital, but following extensive consultation with mental health experts and recommendations by World Health Organization (WHO) MEC Masike decided to downsize psychiatric hospital in favour of community based psychiatric health care facilities” He added.

This will increase access to mental health care services and also boost chances of psychiatric patients to respond to treatment as they will be treated and cared next to home. In no distant future the Department will construct community based psychiatric health care facilities in the four districts of the Province namely, Ngaka Modiri Molema, Bojanala, Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati and Dr. Kenneth Kaunda. The facilities together with the new hospital will make available 648 psychiatric beds of which 384 will be at the new hospital and the remaining beds will be spread across the districts.

Each community based facility will make a provision for residential needs, day care center, a workshop for occupational activities and industrial therapy. It is envisaged that each of these facilities will function independently in terms of staff structures and will be located near health facilities to promote easy outreach of health professionals. 

Members of the media are invited to attend the handing over ceremony billed for 12h00 at the new Bophelong Psychiatric hospital construction site along the Nelson Mandela Drive to Lichtenburg from Mahikeng.

Jub Jub back in court

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Johannesburg – Musician Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye, convicted of murder, is expected to appeal the decision of a Soweto court that remanded him in custody until sentencing, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Monday.

 

“Maarohanye appealed the decision made by Magistrate Brian Nemavhidi in the Protea Magistrate’s Court that he be remanded in custody until he is sentenced on November 30,” spokeswoman Phindi Louw said.

 

The appeal would be heard by the South Gauteng High Court on Wednesday.

 

Louw said she could not provide more details as the NPA only received a notice about the appeal and the date.

 

On October 16, Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala were found guilty on four counts of murder and two of attempted murder.

 

“The State managed to prove beyond reasonable doubt… that the accused are guilty on four counts of murder… (and) two counts of attempted murder,” Nemavhidi said, delivering judgment.

 

He also convicted them of racing on a public road and driving while under the influence of drugs.

 

“The death of the deceased occurred as a result of the driving of those vehicles and as such the accused are convicted of driving their vehicles while under the influence of drugs.”

 

Nemavhidi said that bail for both Tshababala and Maarohanye ended at the time the court announced its finding.

 

Louw said Tshabalala would not appeal the court’s decision.

 

“We haven’t received any notice that he (Tshabalala) will be appealing,” she said.

 

Sentencing would take place on November 30. – Sapa