CAPE TOWN – Both Vietnamese and South African governments signed an agreement on Monday, which focuses primarily on the trade wildlife. 

The agreement, which is being hailed by conservationists, will have a massive impact on the illegal trade of rhino horns and poaching itself. 

“There are clear indications that rhino horn trafficking will be top of the new agenda on co-operation between the two nations,” the WWF said. 

WWF-Greater Mekong Conservation Director Stuart Chapman said in a statement that: “South Africa and Vietnam have publicly signalled their intention to get tough on the criminal syndicates behind the rhino poaching spree,” 

South Africa is home to about 85% of Africa’s estimated 25,000 rhinos. At least 618 rhinos have been poached in South Africa This year.

Vietnam is believed to be the epicentre of the illegal rhino horn trade, as locals believe it can cure disease and bring fortune. 

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Obakeng Maje

Taung-Jabulani Tsambo, better known as Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP) or Jabba is a South African rap artist who performs in multiple languages, although primarily Setswana.

Raised in Mmabatho, HHP’s break came in 1997 when he and his school friends met with renowned producer Chicco Twala who produced their debut Party. The band split soon after the release of Party.

Tsambo met singer/producer Isaac Methethwo who then worked full swing on Jabu’s 2nd debut album. The result was Introduction, an album that introduced a new, vibrant and innovative genre.

The album was recorded in different South African ethnic tongues like Setswana, isiZulu and Sesotho, to name a few.

HHP appeared on the third one-off TV special of quiz show Test The Nation, entitled National Parenting Test, as the Team Captain representing fathers.

In 2007 he won the third season of the reality dance show Strictly Come Dancing along with his professional dance partner Hayley Bennett.

In 2008 he starred as himself in 11 episodes of the e.tv musical soapie Rhythm City. He made his debut on the show on 4 April, 2008.

he released lot of album and his recent album with a track called bosso ke mang made waves and was in high rotation on many south african radios.

BY Obakeng Maje

Lehurutshe- Two suspects aged 18 and 19 respectively were arrested after they robbed a tuck-shop in Dinokana,near Lehurutshe.

The two suspects allegedly entered a tuckshop owned by a bangladesh man at goo-ratsara and demanded cash and free cigarettes.

” “a bangladesh man didnot want to hear none of it and never burge.they allegedly hauled him with stones and he ran for cover” murburgh said.

“they allegedly looted his store and helped themselves with undisclosed cash and free cigars. police arrested them few hours later after a tip-off” she said.

police urge all business owners to be observant and not to temper with any evidence that could lead to arrest.  

BY Obakeng Maje

Mooinooi- Police arrested a 26-year-old suspect and is still searching for 4 other suspects after they allegedly committed a business robbery at Palm City Shop on Friday at 08:00 North West police said.

“They entered the shop and shot the owner in the face after threatening two male employees with a knife and firearm” Captain Adele Myburgh said.

“The owner of the shop who is a between 55-65 year-old came rushing into the shop and shouted at the robbers after one of his employee ran outside screaming” She said.

The robbers fled the scene empty-handed but shot the owner in the face.

The owner was taken to a hospital in Rustenburg for medical treatment.

The police followed-up on information, which lead to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect.

More arrests are expected to be made soon.

By Obakeng Maje

Bloemhof- North West police are investigating a case of arson after a Daily Bell store was “eaten up” by blazing fire.

According to information received,the suspects allegedly gain entrance through a wobbly fence at noord street.

“the store caught fire at around 22:20 pm and the employees who were on duty tried to extinguish the fire but it was already late” captain adele muburgh said.

“emergency service were called and the damaged estimated at r3m. no one has been arrested yet and the investigations continue” she said.

the motive behind this is yet unknown.

By Obakeng Maje

Biesiesvlei- Police are investigating a culpable homicide case after the driver of a Nissan Livinia allegedly lost control of the vehicle and it overturned on the R52 (Lichtenburg Sannieshof) Road, about 30km from Lichtenburg and 7km from Biesiesvlei.

This accident happened on Friday afternoon.

“Two occupants of the vehicle all males passed away on the scene and two others (also males) were admitted at a local hospital in a critical condition. The names and ages of the occupants are still under investigation.

Bloemfontein – It’s payback time. With overwhelming support from his party, Jacob Zuma is going to sort out the ANC’s troublesome youth league.

The league’s structures are in tatters following the explusion of its president, Julius Malema, from the ANC and a weak attempt by him and his supporters to unseat Zuma.

Zuma said yesterday that it was time to sort out issues with regards to the youth league.

“They (ANC members) have not been happy with how the ANC Youth League has behaved,” Zuma said at a The New Age breakfast in Bloemfontein.

“We are going to deal with the young people,” he said.

Earlier, re-elected ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe made clear the party took a dim view of attempts to divide it, for example by Malema.

“If you mess up the ANC, the ANC messes you up,” he said.

Zuma said the issue of the youth league had been discussed at the party’s national conference. A decision was taken that the ANC’s new leadership would tackle the matter.

Zuma said there had been unhappiness with the way the league had behaved leading up to Malema’s disciplinary hearing.

The league did not have a president at the moment. It was being led by deputy president Ronald Lamola.

It had also dissolved some of its structures, said Zuma.

Asked whether the ANC had failed the league, Zuma said “not at all”, adding: “The fathers and mothers have not failed the children. At a certain age they get a little bit naughty. That process to deal with your children is not an overnight thing. There is still some delinquency and there is a need to deal with that,” said Zuma.

He said the ANC needed to make sure the league was corrected. When Malema was at the helm of the youth league, he pushed a strong line on nationalisation of the mining sector, something firmly rejected by delegates in Mangaung this week.

There were reports that some delegates wanted the league’s entire executive disbanded.

Neither Zuma nor Mantashe gave any indication that this was on the cards, but the writing is clearly on the wall for the Malema youth leaguers, as it was for those who stood against Zuma this week.

Among them were former ANC treasurer Mathews Phosa, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, former ANC deputy secretary-general and North West premier Thandi Modise, who all lost their places on the ANC national executive committee.

But yesterday saw the ANC putting its new No 2, Cyril Ramaphosa, at the head of a charm offensive as it sought to reassure both investors and a restless public it would tackle economic inequality without recourse to wholescale nationalisation.

At the same breakfast, Ramaphosa stressed that the ruling party backed a mixed-economy model.

But he added the state would intervene to ensure the country’s wealth was better shared.

“Within a mixed economy, the state has a role to play. It intervenes and the private sector also has a role.”

Rejecting charges the ANC was confused on nationalisation, whose defenders at the conference were defeated, Ramaphosa invoked the party’s 1955 Freedom Charter that declares “the people shall share in the wealth of the country”.

“Now the ANC’s duty is to make sure that is fulfilled, and fulfilling that would mean that in certain areas the state intervenes,” he said.

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Kimberley – A woman, who was buried in the ground with her upper body exposed, was pelted with burning coal and stones until she died.

Gabaediwe Motsage, 22, was allegedly beaten and stoned to death by a 30-year-old traditional surgeon and three other women after escaping from an initiation school in Hartswater.

Motsage’s mother, Martha, battled to hold back the tears on Thursday when she revealed the grisly details of her daughter’s murder.

“My baby escaped from the initiation school on Monday after they burned her buttocks with burning coal. She arrived at the house crying and when we asked her what was wrong she showed us what they had done to her it appeared as if they tried to force the burning coal into her buttocks,” Martha stated.

One of Martha’s neighbours told the DFA that after Motsage escaped from the initiation school, some of the elders, who are related to the initiation school’s traditional surgeon, visited her home in Utlwanang on Tuesday where they forcefully took her.

“They told her that she had to finish the process since she had been there already. But instead of welcoming her back we are told that the traditional surgeon and the other women at the school buried her in the ground with her upper body exposed and started beating her and throwing burning stones and coal at her until she died,” he said.

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Cape Town – Schoolgirls are selling their bodies beside illegal shebeens to earn money for alcohol.

Some teens as young as 16 openly admit to prostituting themselves to “sugar daddies” for cash.

The shocking revelation follows a Daily Voice investigation into the rise of underage drinking during the festive season.

Some girls confess that they turn to dirty old men who buy them alcohol in exchange for sex – because they cannot get money from their cash-strapped parents.

One 17-year-old Samora Machel resident, known only as Nthabiseng, says it’s easier to get money from guys at a shebeen than from her family.

“My parents don’t know that I drink so I get money from the guys I meet while I’m out partying,” she tells the Daily Voice.

“I don’t drink every day but I go out on weekends with my friends for some fun.

“We dress up and go out with just enough money for the first round of drinks because we know we will meet some guys there who are going to buy us some more.

“We’ll start dancing and chatting with them and then the drinks will come.

“It then means after partying we go somewhere and have sex.

“Usually it’s in the car or out in the bush.

“We don’t go to their houses.”

Some shebeen owners admit allowing teenagers into their drinking dens.

But they say they cannot always keep track of who they hang around with or leave the premises with at the end of the night.

“I’ve had my shebeen open for about five years now and I don’t usually sell alcohol to minors,” Phumla Madizeni, 40, tells the Daily Voice.

“Obviously these young ones try their luck sometimes to try and get in here – but I chase them away.

“But there are those who ask to stay and I let them because I know them.

“They come in to buy their beers and their ciders – I never ask where they get their money from.

“The younger ones usually come in groups, but I don’t interfere.

“The only time I ask questions, it’s for their age and when I tell them to leave when they start getting too drunk.”

The Daily Voice team witnessed groups of skimpily-dressed teenage girls openly drinking on the streets and dancing around drunk on the road.

And when the sun went down, the skirts got shorter – and the shorts even shorter.

Nthabiseng says the girls wear short skirts to attract more men.

“Guys only notice the girls with short dresses on and make-up,” she tells the Daily Voice.

“We dress up to look older so that we don’t get thrown out.”

Statistics released by the South African Breweries (SAB) earlier this year revealed that one in two teenagers in South Africa drink or has been drunk.

Many shebeen owners say they try to keep the teenagers out of their taverns by demanding to see IDs at the entrance.

But they admit it is hard to keep track of everyone on a busy day.

“Schoolgirls sometimes knock here at 6am while in uniform to buy beer. They often get very upset when I refuse to sell to them,” Babalwa Kenqa, 43, says.

for more details go to http://www.iol.co.za