A man shot and injured four people before turning the gun on himself in Rasimone, North West police said on Friday.

 

“He had a case of assault laid against him by his girlfriend last year. The man asked her to withdraw the case, and he threatened her with a firearm when she refused,” said spokeswoman Colonel Emelda Setlhako.

 

The woman refused to leave with the police and be accommodated at a place of safety.

 

The man shot her in the stomach later that night, before turning the gun on himself.

 

“It emerged that he had shot and injured three other people in another shack on the same block.”

 

The four were taken to hospital for treatment. -Sapa

One person died and eight others were injured after the bakkie they were travelling in overturned near Deben in the North West, paramedics said on Saturday.

 

“Paramedics arrived to find the bakkie lying on its side. One person was declared deceased on the scene,” said ER24 spokesman Derrick Banks.

 

The bakkie overturned on a gravel road just 10 km outside of Deben.

 

The remaining eight patients, who included the driver were transported to Kuruman hospital for treatment.

 

       

-Sapa

By Staff Reporter

Turn-around strategy to revamp municipalities and traditional councils

 

The North West Province is expecting a noticeable difference in municipalities and traditional councils following the newly developed 2016 Turn-around Strategy, North West Premier Thandi Modise said on Friday.

 

Premier Modise said that the strategy is intended to revamp, realign and re-energize municipalities and institutions of traditional leaders to maximize accountability, effective service delivery and good governance. It was developed after challenges encountered were relooked into and interventions declared where necessary.

 

“The strategy will mainly concentrate on leadership alignment, Clean Audit by 2014, capacity building, financial management and viability as well as stability and governance in traditional councils,” said Modise

 

The Premier said implementation of the strategy would be accompanied by a proper monitoring and evaluation on the ground. A comprehensive report would be submitted to reflect on progress made which would also recommend a way forward.

 

 

Johannesburg – Oscar Pistorius’s official website, oscarpistorius.com, has had a massive revamp in recent days.

 

This is thanks to a PR drive his team launched after he was accused of killing Reeva Steenkamp.

 

Pistorius’s family have decided to devote his official website to the latest news about developments as well as messages of support they are constantly receiving.

 

The website is also open to Pistorius’s fans from all over the world, who have been posting messages of support on the website and Bible verses, wishing him luck and praying for him.

 

 It also contains a copy of the affidavit that was read by his lawyer in court on Tuesday, explaining events that he said had led to the shooting of his girlfriend.

 

What is missing, however, are all the logos of his sponsors. A week ago, when one clicked on the logos of his sponsors, such as Nike, on his website, the page would open to an article. Now, those logos have been removed, after his sponsors dropped him.

 

The website has, among others, a picture gallery, media articles and messages of support.

 

Despite huge interest in the Pistorius story worldwide, there were only four listed under “media articles” on Thursday afternoon.

 

Two were from last year, informing his fans that the athlete would be appearing on Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN as well as on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

 

The other two articles are recent opinion pieces written by people blasting Pistorius’s critics and those “that have already judged him”.

 

One of the opinion pieces is from Duncan Reyburn, who claims he went to school with Pistorius and happens to work “at the university that Oscar used to go to, on a campus just one block away from the prison where he has been held”.

 

In his article, Reyburn, a lecturer at the University of Pretoria, makes that South Africa is to blame for Pistorius’s actions.

 

“I know that Oscar, whether he is guilty of murder or not, would have benefited from being the product of a culture that promotes thought over action. But, sadly, Oscar is the product of our culture. He is, whether we like it or not, a product of us – we’re reactive, terrified, wounded people.

 

“I have no judgment yet on Oscar’s guilt. Having been the victim a few years ago of a violent attack in my own home, I completely and fully understand the possibility that Oscar could have acted the way he did because he was afraid, because he wanted to protect his girlfriend,” Reyburn says in the article.

 

Matthew Syed, who writes another opinion piece that appears in The Times of London, blasts Pistorius’s critics, saying that what was happening was “quantity of cod psychology (fake psychology) that has been unleashed” since his arrest. There’s also a statement from Pistorius’s uncle Arnold on behalf of the family.

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

By Staff Reporter

Banyana Banyana head coach Joseph Mkhonza has announced the 22 players for the forthcoming annual 12-Nation Cyprus Women’s Cup scheduled to take place from 6-13 March 2013. The new-look squad has five new faces.

 

The final selection for the Cyprus Women’s Cup squad took place following an intense work out which saw the national team coach and his technical team trim down the squad from the original 25 players to 22.

 

The squad has been training at the North West University, High Performance Centre in Potchefstroom since Monday.

 

The five new players to make it onto the squad are goalkeepers, Kaylin Swart who plays her club football for University of the Western Cape Ladies club, Mahlatsi Mogola of the Tshwane University of Technology Ladies football club, TUT Ladies FC central midfielder Zanele Chiya and Vuyo Mkhabela of the UWC Ladies FC. Shiwe Nongwanya of Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies completes the contingent of the new caps to the Banyana Banyana squad that will travel to Cyprus.

 

Swart, Mkhabela and Nongwanya are graduates of the SA U-20 Women’s National team (Basetsana).

 

The squad sees the return of two key players, Nomathemba Ntsibande and Gloria Thato who were not part of the squad during the national teams’ London Olympics campaign and the African Women’s Championship hosted by Equatorial Guinea last year.

 

The bulk of the squad is made up of the players that took part in the London Olympics and coach Mkkhonza is hoping that the experience carried from the Olympics will assist the team in climbing up the rankings after this year’s Cyprus Cup competition.

 

The Sasol-sponsored and high-riding Banyana squad though, will be without the services of three overseas-based players. These are Russia-based Nompumelelo Nyandeni who has to honour club commitments, Kylie-Ann Louw and Roxanne Barker who have both been held back due to study commitments at their respective universities in the United States.

 

Head coach, Joseph Mkhonza said he was confident the squad selected has what it takes to conquer the world and will try some new combinations before Monday’s departure.

 

“The players worked very hard during the training camp and they all showed a lot of potential which made selection all tougher for me and the technical team. We have included new young players coming from the Basetsana squad and I am looking forward to seeing them perform to the best of their ability in the Banyana Banyana squad,” said Mkhonza.

 

UWC Ladies FC goal-minder Swart said she was excited at her first call up to the Banyana Banyana squad saying it was always her ambition to play for the senior national team.

 

“A call up to the senior women’s national squad has really been a huge fillip for me. I have been working hard for this position and I am glad that the coaches saw the potential in me. Being one of the youngsters in the squad, I hope to gain the required experience and grow as a national team player and see myself becoming a regular player in the Banyana Banyana squad,” said Swart.

 

Kaylin has been a key member of the junior women’s national teams playing at the U17 (Bantwana) and U20 (Basetsana) national teams. She represented the Bantwana during the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup played in the Caribbean in 2010. 

 

Nomathemba Ntsibane has welcomed the national team call up after an extended absence from the national team, missing out on the Olympics and the African Women’s Championship in the process.

 

“It’s exciting to be back in squad after a long absence. I have been working hard throughout my rehabilitation and it is nice to be back with the girls again.”

 

Cyprus Women’s Cup Fixtures:

 

 Tournament scheduleGroup A – LarnacaEngland

 

Italy

 

New Zealand

 

Scotland

 

Group B – LarnacaCanada

 

Finland

 

Netherlands

 

Switzerland

 

Group C – Aija NapaNorthern Ireland

 

Republic of Ireland

 

South Africa

 

South Korea

 

Wednesday 6 March14.30 New Zealand – Scotland                          GSP, Nicosia

 

17.30 England – Italy                                           GSP, Nicosia

 

14.30 Canada – Switzerland                              GSZ, Larnaca

 

17.30 Netherlands – Finland                               GSZ, Larnaca

 

14.30 South Africa – South Korea                       Tasos Marko,Paralimni

 

17.30 Northern Ireland – Republic of Ireland  Tasos Marko,Paralimni

 

Friday 8 March14.30 Italy – New Zealand                           GSZ, Larnaca

 

17.30 Scotland – England                            GSZ, Larnaca

 

14.30 Switzerland – Netherlands               GSP, Nicosia

 

17.30 Finland v Canada                               GSP, Nicosia

 

14.30 Republic of Ireland – South Africa    Tasos Marko,Paralimni

 

17.30 South Korea – Northern Ireland       Tasos Marko,Paralimni

 

Monday 11 March14.30 England – New Zealand                    GSP, Nicosia

 

14.30 Italy – Scotland                                    GSZ, Larnaca

 

17.30 Netherlands – Canada                      GSP, Nicosia

 

17.30 Finland – Switzerland                         GSZ, Larnaca

 

14.30 South Africa – Northern Ireland          Tasos Marko,Paralimni

 

17.30 South Korea – Republic of Ireland    Tasos Marko,Paralimni

 

The 22 Banyana Banyana players for the Cyprus Cup:

 

No.NameClub  

1Andile DlaminiSundowns Ladies FC  

2Lebogang MabatleHalleluyah Zebra Force  

3Nothando VilakaziPalace Super Falcons FC  

4Jermaine SeoposenweUWC Ladies FC  

5Janine van WykPalace Super Falcons FC  

6Zamandosi CeleDurban Ladies FC  

7Nomathemba NtsibandeSprings Home Sweepers  

8Silindile NgubaneDurban Ladies  

9Amanda DlaminiUJ Ladies FC  

10Mary NtswengTUT Ladies FC  

11Noko MatlouUJ Ladies FC  

12Robyn MoodalyAlexandra Ladies FC  

13Gabisile HlumbaneKovsies Ladies FC  

14Refiloe JaneSundowns Ladies FC  

15Kaylin SwartUWC Ladies FC  

16Andisiwe MgcoyiSundowns Ladies FC  

17Nocawe SkitiCape Town Roses FC  

18Zanele ChiyaTUT Ladies FC  

19Mahlatsi MogolaTUT Ladies FC  

20Vuyo MkhabelaUWC Ladies FC  

21Gloria ThatoTuks Ladies FC  

22Shiwe NongwanyaBloemfontein Celtics