JOHANNESBURG – Trade union federation Cosatu on Sunday said it condemns reports that it will this week hold an inquiry into allegations of corruption against its General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.

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Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane says his side will focus on finishing in the top eight after the Brazilians were knocked out of the Nedbank Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Despite taking the lead through a Teko Modise goal, Mosimane saw his side conceded two goals in 16 minutes as Thuso Phala and Robert Ng’ambi scored for Platinum Stars to win the quarterfinal match at Loftus Stadium 2-1.

Mosimane admitted his players were not at their best on the day, but they will now focus on finishing in the top eight of the Absa Premiership.

“We are out of the cup now and that is the way it goes. We will turn our attention to the league and finishing inside the top eight,” said Mosimane after the match.

Referring to the game and the goals his side conceded, Mosimane added, “I think my players were ball watching, I could not see clearly but it looked that way.

“They scored from a set-piece which SuperSport did yesterday,” he said of defending champions SuperSport United who beat Maritzburg United 2-1 in their quarter-final clash on Saturday.

“But that is how it goes, that is how teams can win or lose games and you can see why they are second on the league.”

“We had our chances to win the game too but it did not go our way. I am happy for Teko because he scored but the result did not go our way, but his confidence is back and he is a good player for us.”

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Girls must be empowered to become future entrepreneurs and business leaders said the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Elizabeth Thabethe.

She was speaking at the workshop dubbed “techno-girl entrepreneurship”, at the Mitta Seperepere Convention Centre in Kimberley at the weekend.

Thabethe said the government was keen to promote women in science. The initiative saw 100 pupils from 10 high schools in the province take part in the workshop, where they presented business ideas to a panel of judges.

The workshop, a part of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Technology for Women in Business, is aimed at introducing girls to career opportunities in various sectors of the economy.

“We are investing in developing young girls in order to ensure they do not become a liability, and a burden to the state, but contribute meaningfully in the country. This they can do that by establishing their own businesses and creating employment. We want to create youngsters who will be creators of jobs and not seekers’ of jobs,” Thabethe said. She told the girls that they had to be innovative in order to become successful entrepreneurs.

“You can do this by coming up with workable business ideas that can be turned into successful businesses.

“We want to encourage young girls to become creative thinkers and inventors, and to consider science and technology in their studies and careers.

“The programme has been a success and we want to take it to the next level.” 

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Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Rejoice Mabudafhasi has expressed concern that municipalities bleed millions of rands because of water lost through leaking pipes and taps.

She was addressing residents at the National Water Week awareness programme in Kareeberg local municipality in Carnavon at the weekend.

“Water leaks are a major cause of concern. If not stopped early they might lead to disaster. Today we are here to declare war on leaks,” she said.

South Africa is one of the 30 driest countries in the world, she said.

“Though the country’s water supply is adequate to meet the current needs, there could be a problem in meeting future needs if we do not act now to secure effective and timeous smart water-management options.”

Earlier this year, President Jacob Zuma called for the reduction of water losses by half in 2014.

“We have therefore declared war on leaks. This project aims to eradicate leaks at household level, educate users about water conservation, fixing leaks, creating jobs for young people and skills development.

“South Africa is already faced with scarce water resources and is further threatened by high levels of pollution in dams and rivers.

“We are also faced with water wastage that occurs in our homes, schools, and businesses as a result of leaking taps and pipes,” she said

Mabudafhasi said this programme would continue to educate pupils about integrated water resource management, climate change and environmental control, including water-related careers.

She said her department was encouraging all South Africans to focus on the need to restore and preserve the integrity of the most precious resource, water.

“South Africans must take responsibility to make sure this scarce resource is managed in an effective and sustainable manner.

“Remember to report the misuse of water and other faults to the nearest municipal offices or call the department’s toll free number, 0800200200.”

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Management at Brits district hospital is asking the community to help identify two patients admitted to the hospital who are failing to provide information on where they come from.

Communications officer at the hospital Tshepo Mokono said the two adult male patients were admitted early this month.

“The first patient is allegedly a homeless man known as William Sefatsa and he was picked up on the streets in Brits by emergency officials and brought to the hospital on April 3. Sefatsa has a history of confusion and disorientation.

“The patient cannot state exactly where his place of residence is. He said he comes from Sebokeng, QwaQwa, Makaunyana, Ga-Rankuwa and Botswana,” Mokono said.

This has made it difficult for the hospital to trace his relatives and community members are called to assist.

“The second patient, known as Cornelius van Deventer, was allegedly renting a room in Brits and working as a car guard. Van Deventer brought himself to the hospital after he had been referred by the Madibeng Clinic.

“He was admitted on April 4 and has been discharged. He has a history of internal bleeding,” Mokono said.

In the case of Van Deventer, the hospital cannot release him because there is no information on where his relatives are.

“Anyone with information about these two patients’ relatives, friends and families, please contact Brits District Hospital’s social worker, Ben Mageza, on 0734879953 or 0122523311.”

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Disabled people in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Momphati district expressed happiness that they could now manage to move from one point to the next after they received assistive devices at Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital in Vryburg, on Thursday last week.

The devices were procured by the provincial social development department in partnership with Epilepsy South Africa as part of intervening in the lives of those living with disabilities.

Some of the beneficiaries received wheelchairs, others got crutches and artificial legs that would help them move by themselves. The department said that about R700000 was spent on the assistive devices and they were handing out the first batch.

One of the beneficiaries, Bennet Wynberg, 40, received an artificial leg and he said that his life was bound to change. “I count myself lucky to be among the first group of people with disabilities to receive this device.

I will, from now on, be free to attend funerals and other public gatherings without looking down on myself,” he said. Wynberg is a father of one child and depends on the disability grant for a living.

Other beneficiaries also expressed gratitude that they had benefited in the exercise and would be able to lead decent lives. Social development, women, children and people with disabilities MEC Mosetsana gape Mokomele-Mothibi said that her department had seen fit to sign a service level agreement with Epilepsy South Africa to provide assistive devices so that disabled people could also have a chance at mobility and other things.

“Earlier this year, we provided funding to the tune of R700 000 in accordance with the service level agreement we entered into with Epilepsy South Africa to provide assistive devices to five service points in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati and this is the beginning of that exercise,” she said. Mokomele-Mothibi added that a total of 75 people with disabilities had received the assistive devices since Wednesday.

Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital chief executive Zack Esterhuizen applauded the department’s partnership with Epilepsy South Africa.

“This partnership will continue to benefit many people.

“We can’t adequately provide for these devices due to budget constraints,” he said.

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The DA has ridiculed Premier Thandi Modise’s fiery comments on the regressive provincial municipalities, as highlighted by the auditor-general, saying she has failed to take action against officials responsible for poor performance and transgressions.

DA provincial leader Chris Hattingh said the premier, increasingly more vociferous and apparently involved in North West issues since she was relieved of her Luthuli House obligations in December –as former ANC deputy secretary general – had yet to acknowledge the core findings of the AG about governance in the municipalities.

Hattingh said the AG’s findings were that leadership did not set the appropriate tone at the top, a significant increase in irregular expenditure and that key officials lacked the required competencies and skills.

“Modise’s unhappiness about municipalities that are not taking action against those responsible for poor performance and transgressions is an indictment against herself as the premier and ANC leader.

“The implicated officials are almost exclusively ANC cadres deployed into positions way beyond their capacity, qualification and experience levels are protected with the accompanying cadre protection system, allowing them to act almost with impunity,” Hattingh said.

He said Modise’s statement about the lack of a political will to act against officials found guilty of corruption and mismanagement of funds was another indictment against herself in her role as the most senior political official in the province and “perhaps an acknowledgement of the devastating effects of having two competing centres of power within the provincial ANC”.

The premier based some of her statements on several forensic reports touching on another serious facet of the provincial governance crisis and not a single forensic report has been tabled in the North West Provincial Legislature by Modise or her predecessors for more than a decade, he said.

“Unless Premier Thandi Modise is prepared to move from speeches and statements to visible action and a real clean-up of corrupt officials and practices, the government at provincial and municipal level will continue its downward trend.

“A good start would be for the premier to table the stacks of forensic reports and start a capacity audit of government officials, then a fraction of the amounts spent annually on consultants appointed to do the work of incompetent cadres will be sufficient to fund such an audit.”

Provincial government spokesperson, Lesiba Kgwele said: “Only a desperate psychotic demagogue would use last year’s audit findings to criticise Premier Modise on her comments on the findings of a report she has not seen.”

Kgwele said the DA leader’s comments on the 2011-2012 Municipal Finance Audit Outcomes were nothing but cheap politics, usual theatrics to draw attention to himself and a desperate attempt to downplay the call for bold steps to be taken to overcome challenges facing municipalities. “The broadside that Hattingh threw at Premier Modise is part of the DA’s strategy to drive a wedge between the provincial government and municipalities and between the executive council and portfolio committees within the provincial legislature.” 

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