BY Obakeng Maje

Bafana Bafana has completed their preparations ahead of their international friendly match against Norway.

The match will take place on Tuesday, 08 January 2013 at the Cape Town Stadium.

Kickoff is at 20h30.

This will be Bafana Bafana’s first match since the announcement of the 23-man squad on the 30th of December 2012.

South Africa had an intensive training session under the watchful eye of head coach Gordon Igesund and his technical team.

Dean Furman was rested for the final session on Monday, 07 January. The midfielder joined camp on Sunday, 06 January after playing in an third round FA Cup tie for his club Oldham Athletic in England on Saturday (05 January). The coach will select from the 22 available players who have all been given a clean bill of health.

“Dean won’t get a run as he has played a lot of games for his club in a short space of time, so we will rest him for tomorrow’s match because the bigger picture is the Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2013 tournament starting in less than two weeks,” said Igesund.

The head coach is confident that his players will do well against the 24th ranked Norway who arrived in South Africa on Friday night.

The two countries have met twice before with South Africa winning one and Norway winning the other.

“We want to win tomorrow night, but we are more focussed on the tournament so I won’t be showing my hand fully as to which team will run out for the tournament and also I don’t want players getting injured before we begin our campaign. We need a complete turnaround from the last six matches we played where I was looking at players, now I have been able to spend some time with them and we are getting somewhere. I want to excite people with our play, and I want the players to play with flair, pace and passion and we can only do that when we have the crowd behind us,” added the coach.

BY Obakeng Maje

Klerksdorp- North West police are investigating a case of Armed Robbery after a 58 year-old man robbed off his bicycle.

The incident took place at Jourberton, near Nkang Mahlale high school North West police said.

“A 58 year-old victim was allegedly riding his bike when he was approached by two suspects. They allegedly grab him and threw him on the ground and stabbed him several times before fleeing the scene with his bicycle” Captain Botma said.

“A case of armed robbery has been opened and police are looking for two suspects” she continues.

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By Obakeng Maje

Hawks in Klerksdorp received information of illegal dealing in Dagga. Information was followed up and an entrapment was conducted in Adam View, Klerksdorp.  “A suspect aged 23 was arrested after dealing and found to be in possession of dagga. The suspect informed the police that he is working for a man who is a resident of Extension 6, Jouberton,near  Klerksdorp”brigadier ngubane said.

The police visited the address and conducted a search in the house.

A cooler-box containing dagga to the value of R5000-00 was discovered and the suspect aged 30 was arrested.

It is alleged that these suspects are responsible for selling dagga and other drugs to scholars at schools around Klerksdorp.

The schools in the area are Milner and Technical High School in Klerksdorp. “There has been an ongoing concern by the surrounding community in Adam View that people sell dagga to school kids” he said.

The schools were visited by provincial management last year to try and educate them about the illegality of using drugs.

Police are appealing to parents, teachers and scholars to report any suspicious looking persons seeing around the school premises.

The two suspects will appear tomorrow on a charge of dealing in Dagga in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court.

By Obakeng Maje

Mogwase-North West police are searching for four suspects after a 33 year-old man robbed while asleep in Mogwase.

“The 33 year-old man was allegedly asleep when suprisingly being woken up by four robbers” Captain Botma said.

“The suspects allegedly help themselves with DVD player,DSTV Decoder and other house belongings. They allegedly gain entry through a kitchen door” she said.

The suspects allegedly suffocated a 33 year-old victim before they fled the scene.

A case of house robbery was opened and investigations continue.

By Obakeng Maje

Ottosdal- A 36 year-old man died in an accident after his car overturned on Vermaas road in Ottosdal.

“A case of culpable homicide was opened after a 36 year-old man died. According to information at our disposal,the driver was alone in a car” Captain Botman said.

By Obakeng Maje

Swartruggens-Police arrested a 24 year-old man after a 50 year-old man was stabbed to death in a farm at Swartruggens provincial police said.

“A 24 year-old man was allegedly arrested after he was found directly at the scene where a 50 year-old man found lying in a pool of blood allegedly from stabbing” Captain Botman said.

“According to information received a suspect is a son in law of the victim” She said.

A case of murder was opened and the suspect appeared brieftly before Swartruggens Magistrate court on account of murder.

By Obakeng Maje

Taung-North West police are investigating a culpable homicide case after two people died while others were injured when a Nissan bakkie overturned.

The accident took place at Mokgareng village yesterday and according to police a 45 year-old woman lost control of the vehicle before it overturned provincial spokesperson said.

“Police were called at the scene in Mokgareng village after allegedly a 45 year-old woman lost control of the bakkie and resulted in two people’s death” Captain Aafje Botma said.

“George Sebogodi(20) and Boitumelo Tshuku(16) perished in the accident while other passengers including a driver were transferred to Taung District Hospital” She said.

It is alleged that close to 22 people were allocated behind the bakkie. Three passengers were later transferred to Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp after their conditions deteriorated.

A case of culpable homicide was opened and investigations continue.

By Obakeng Maje

Olifantshoek-Northern Cape Department of Education took a drastical steps by opening schools classes at Olifantshoek before all schools in the province.

This is been caused by unrest situation and delay the area experienced last year when the residents boycotted against the mayor and preventing learners for attending classes in the process.

“We will open schools before scheduled time in Olifantshoek because of the unrest we experienced last year where schools were not running for six months” said provincial spokesperson Sidney Stander.

“We have align some “team building” exercise for teachers and learners who were traumatised by the whole debacle” Stander said.

Department of Education has brought more mobile classes to help the situation as they outlined that no student will be moved to the next grade as they didnot write any exams.

The area will experience a backlog especially for grade 1s.

Safa will ask the government to institute a judicial commission of inquiry into the match-fixing scandal that has divided the beleaguered association.

Days after the Africa Cup of Nations curtains comes down next month, Safa head of legal department will seek government intervention to get to the bottom of the scandal that saw its suspended president, Kirsten Nematandani, and four other officials reinstated last week.

Nematandani, interim CEO Dennis Mumble, head of referees Adeel Carelse, head of national teams Andile “Ace” Kika and Bafana Bafana manager Barney Kujane have all resumed their positions after Safa national executive committee members nullified the emergency committee’s decision to suspend them after they were implicated in match-fixing by a Fifa report.

The decision to reinstate the suspended officials also means that a commission of inquiry that had been proposed to look into the alleged match-fixing will no longer take place.

The inquiry was to have been headed by a retired judge

However, an investigation into the matter by the Hawks and police is still continuing.

“The Hawks are continuing with the investigations and at the moment I cannot disclose to the public what we have managed to dig.

“Match fixing is a serious crime and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that we get to the bottom of this issue,” Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramaloko said.

Safa’s legal and security committee is also set to meet in the next few days to unpack the damning Fifa report.

“If we find enough evidence that says the five officials were part of a syndicate that worked with convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal, then we will ask the government to establish a judicial commission of inqury,” said Safa head of legal department Poobalan Govindasamy.

For more details go to http://www.thenewage.co.za

The thwarted decision to shut down a number of Cape schools had further ramifications when the matric results were announced last week.

Three of the schools earmarked for closure achieved better matric results than in previous years, the ANC in the Western Cape said.

When the results were announced, Western Cape ANC leader Marius Fransman said they had been “vindicated” in their efforts to halt the local education department from shutting the schools down.

He pointed out that three of the schools due for closure, including Beauvallon Secondary, which was an applicant in the Cape High Court urgent interdict, came through with flying colours.

The application last month was brought against the Western Cape education department’s MEC for education, Donald Grant, to stop him from shutting down some 20 schools.

The MEC announced the school closures because, he said, they had dwindling numbers and were not benefitting from multi-grade teaching.

In a serious blow to the local education department, the high court overturned the decision on December 21, 2012. Presiding Judge Siraj Desai said it was not good practice to shut down schools that were having difficulties and that they should be assisted instead.

“These matric results are proof that all our efforts to halt this process are vindicated,” Fransman told The New Age.

He visited the schools last week when the matric results were announced to congratulate principals, teachers and pupils.

He said the results were proof that the ANC position was right from the start and that it was correct that the schools stayed open to service the needs of families in their areas.

For more details go to http://www.thenewage.co.za