KwaZulu-Natal intends closing more than 1000 schools in the province, the National Freedom Party claimed on Friday.

Party spokesperson Nhlanhla Khubisa condemned the purported closure as unwarranted.”This paints a gloomy picture of the state of education in our country and in the province,” said Khubisa.

Provincial education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the NFP lacked information on the transformation of schools and was malicious. He said the NFP had a political agenda.

Mahlambi did not elaborate. Khubisa said more schools needed to be built in the province, and the education department lagged behind in providing classrooms.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

A task team in Mpumalanga has established that there are more than a 100 illegal schools operating in the province. The team consists of officials from different provincial departments.

It is probing the cause of deaths of initiates in the Nkangala district. Preliminary findings show that the initiates died of excessive bleeding, dehydration and hypothermia.

Earlier this week the ANC in Parliament turned down some political parties’ call to appoint an independent commission of inquiry into the cause of the deaths.

Mpumalanga provincial cabinet spokesperson, Madala Masuku, says the PEC has resolved that regulatory measures should be put in place.

“The schools haven’t been shut down because in the initial process. They have set up what they call the Ingoma forum and each time there are challenges to manage the situation. What they have agreed upon was that no because the initiates are already there and the process is actually going.

“What we need to do is to extend the monitoring of the situation to those particular schools that we have identified and currently that’s what the departments are actually doing to assist all those particular schools. So that we don’t experience any other deaths,” says Masuku.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Kimberley – Cope Member of the Provincial Legislature, Pakes Dikgetsi, has expressed shocked and horror at the brutal killing of a 10-month-old baby, allegedly at the hands of her father.

“The man who should have protected her from violence is the one who so violently killed her. We condemn this terrible crime in the harshest terms possible,” Dikgetsi said in a statement.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund says Itumeleng Khune should work on his temper, now that he has been appointed as permanent captain of the national side.

Igesund said on Friday he had spoken to Khune, who is known to lose his cool with match officials, and told him to dial down his temper.

“To be a great captain he just has to calm down in certain situations,” Igesund said at a Bafana training session in Germiston.

“Sometimes he loses his temper, but I’ve spoken to him about that and a lot of things.

“There’s hundreds and hundreds of captains, there’s only a few great captains.”

The Bafana coach ended speculation on the Bafana captaincy by naming Khune as permanent skipper ahead of a friendly international against Lesotho on Sunday, and World Cup qualifiers against Central African Republic and Ethiopia.

“Let me take this opportunity to say that Itu is the captain of the national team from now on,” Igesund said.

The coach was unsure, however, whether Khune would play in Maseru this weekend, confirming either Senzo Meyiwa or Wayne Sandilands could be given the gloves.

“Well I’m not sure he’s going to play at this stage,” he said.

“If I decide to rest him or use him, there will be a stand-in for the day of the match, but it won’t be changing on a regular basis.”

Khune, the captain of Premiership champions Kaizer Chiefs, said he would have no problem stepping up.

“It humbles me as a person and it will improve my leadership skills,” Khune said.

“It’s a heavy responsibility. In the past games the players have responded well from what the coach has told me to tell them. I’m happy, but again I’m humbled.” – Sapa

Cape Town – Anonymous Facebook confession sites are going viral as thousands of university students confess their most intimate thoughts.

The craze started with the Facebook page UCT Confessions, which allows students to post messages anonymously using a code via Google.

UCT Confessions has amassed over 10 000 Facebook likes in just over a week.

The site guarantees it will publish confessions on its page. “Submit your confessions or stories. Nothing you submit will be traced back to you,” it states.

UCT confession 1043 reads “I’ve had a crush on the same girl since my 1st year. 4 years on and I’m so deep in the friend zone, I don’t think I can get out” 

Confession 929 was more controversial: “I think I have kissed just as many girls as I have guys…”.

Many are inappropriate for publication, and concerns have been raised that the nature of the confessions may damage the reputation of the university.

According to the Cape Argus, the creators want to remain anonymous, but said they wanted a platform where students could be heard anonymously: “Not everyone wants to associate themselves with their opinion”.

Three other university confession sites have subsequently been created, with Rhodes Confessions, UWC Confessions, and Shit Maties Say each having more than 1 000 Facebook likes.

News24

Johannesburg – About 300 cars were taking part in the “drive slow” protest action on Johannesburg freeways, trade union federation Cosatu said on Friday.

“I think there’s about 300. So far so good, our target was 100 and we’ve exceeded that,” Congress of SA Trade Unions Gauteng secretary Dumisani Dakile said.

“It shows the level of support we have,” he said.

The motorcade was on the R24 in Kempton Park around noon.

A number of drivers have joined the protest, including the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC).

Cosatu is staging the drive-slow protest against e-tolling on Gauteng freeways.

The “drive slow” was expected to move from the R24 to the R21 North and then make a U-turn back onto the R21 South and return to the R21, R24, N12, and the N3 South back to Katlehong, where the meeting point was.

SAPA

Cape Town – The retail price of petrol will decrease by 8 cents a litre next Wednesday, while diesel will fall by 3.98 cents a litre.

The newly named permanent Bafana Bafana captain, Itumeleng Khune, says that he is humbled at being handed the honour by coach, Gordon Igesund.

Today the Kaizer Chiefs shot-stopped was named by Igesund as the official captain of the national team after former skipper, Bongani Khumalo, was dropped from the side.

Khumalo captained Bafana during the African Cup of Nations earlier this year but then fell out of Igesund’s plans and Khune was given the responsibility for the games that followed.

Now, with crucial World Cup qualifiers against the Central African Republic and Ethiopia to follow this weekend’s friendly with Lesotho, Igesund explained that Khune will wear the armband from now on.

The PSL Player of the Year said at Bafana’s training camp in Germiston, “It’s humbles me, I think it will improve my leadership skills and it’s a hell of a responsibility but in the past games it worked well. I’m happy and once again I’m humbled.

“Given the responsibility I can step up and like I said it all depends on how well I respect the others players and how much respect I can get from them that will take us forward.

“It’s not all about Itumeleng Khune as leader, we have a lot of leaders here, lots of big players who captain their clubs and I’ll sit down with the guys and we’ll have a chat about how they feel. We have a good working relationship.”

It remains to be seen whether Khune will be rested for the friendly against Lesotho this weekend, however he will no doubt start between the sticks when Bafana take on CAR and Ethiopia later in the month.
For more http://www.soccerladuma.com