Senior National Team coach Gordon Igesund has described as “excellent” news of Bafana Bafana climbing six places in the latest FIFA/Coca Cola World Rankings released on Wednesday, 9 May 2013.

South Africa has moved from 62 to 56 in the world rankings, while also breaking into the top 10 on the continent.

Bafana Bafana now lies on number 9 in Africa.

”That is excellent, it’s good news really. It shows we have put in the hard work and made serious progress. Building a solid side is something that takes time but it’s a clear indication that we are on the right track, we have made great strides,” said Igesund.

“This emphasises the importance of rankings. It shows that every match we play is affected whether positively or negatively. Therefore, we should take every match we play seriously. It is very critical that when we play in any match or tournament, we must have our best squad to ensure that we get positive results so we can continue the climb.”

The Bafana Bafana mentor says rankings should not be taken lightly as they play a key role.

“Come big tournaments like the World Cup, if we are not placed higher on the rankings we will not be seeded and we will end up meeting big guns in the event affecting our chances of progressing further. 

“So it is important that we strive to be high up among the best. We have an obligation and responsibility to the fans to be in the top 20 in the world and among the best three on the continent – that is our mission. I am glad that we are working towards that direction,” added Igesund.

Cote d’Ivoire is still leading the pack on the continent, followed by Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Algeria. Completing the top 10 are Tunisia, Zambia, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea.

On the world rankings, Spain is still on top, along with Germany, Argentina, Croatia, Portugal, Columbia, England, Italy, Netherlands and Ecuador.

The next rankings will be released on Thursday, 6 June 2013.

Top 10 in Africa

Ivory Coast                   (12th in the world)

Ghana                           (22nd)

Mali                              (26th)

Nigeria                          (28th)

Algeria                          (35th)

Tunisia                          (41st)

Zambia                          (46th)

Burkina Faso                 (50th)

South Africa                (56th)

Equatorial Guinea           (61st)

The 20- year jail sentence given to a North West man by the Itsoseng Regional Court for the rape of a six-year-old should sent a strong message to perpetrators of sexual office against children that those who rob innocent childen of their childhood will face the full might of the law, North West Premier Thandi Modise said on Thursday.

“We welcome the jail term as it served justice on the perpetrator who betrayed the trust that the little girl had on him as a chorister who sang with her father in the same choir. We call upon parents to conscientise their children against the danger of accompanying people known or unknown to them anywhere in their absence or letting them into their homes in their absence,” said Premier Modise.

According to police, Peter Monoto, 23, had gone to the girl’s house on April 29 last year and asked for her father. The girl’s parents were not at home at the time. Only the victim and her two siblings aged, seven and nine were at home.

Monoto is said to have requested the girl to accompany him to her parents. The girl obliged as did not suspect anything as she trusted him.

North West Police Spokesperson Captain Pelonomi Makau alleged that instead of proceeding to where her parents were, the convicted man took the victim to his friend’s house and raped her.

After he raped her, he took her back to her house and left her outside.

“An hour later the victim’s parents arrived and found their daughter sitting outside the house crying,” Captain Makau said.

“The victim explained to her parents what happened. Her parents took her to the police station and she was taken to the local hospital, where the doctor confirmed the rape

The arrest of a Klerksdorp police officer for corruption is shameful and an insult to the dignified blue uniform that represents the integrity of the state and the fight against crime and lawlessness, North West Premier Thandi Modise said on Thursday.

In commenting the Hawks and members of the crime intelligent unit for the arrest, Premier Modise said that there is still hope that corrupt elements within the South African Police Service will be outrooted as the overwhelming majority of most men and women within the service are loyal to the pledge to serve and protect communities.

Modise called on members of the community not to perpetuate crime and corruption by bribing law enforcement officers .She called on members of the public with information that might assist police in their further investigations to come forward.

According to police, the officer allegedly withdrew traffic offenders’ tickets and cancelled their arrest warrants in exchange for money. He was arrested following a sting operation after he had allegedly told a police agent whom he had presented with a R2000 fine for an unroadworthy vehicle.

Spokesperson for North West Police, Brigadier Thulane Ngubane says the arrested officer

  offered to withdraw the traffic fine and cancel the warrant of arrest if an amount of r1 500 was paid to him.

The suspect was arrested outside the Klerskdorp Magistrates Court after receiving marked money from the undercover police agent and giving proof that the traffic fine was paid and 

 withdrawn .

Ngubane says that he was arrested after he was found in possession of state money and confirmed that there could be further arrests as investigation is continuing to establish if other court officials are involved in corruption.

The arrested officer is expected to appear in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court soon.

London – Beyonce treated her crew to a £17,000 party to thank them for their hard work during her London concerts.

The 31-year-old singer splashed out on alcohol aplenty for her backing dancers at the Champagne bar at the Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street, east London, on Sunday night (05.05.13), following the conclusion of her sixth show at The O2.

A source said: “Beyonce wanted to say thanks to all of the backing dancers, crew and everyone else involved with putting on the six shows.

“Between the lot of them they managed to drink their way through more than £17,000-worth of booze in just a few hours.

“They got stuck in as they knew they had a few days off afterwards. They were still in there at closing time at 4am.”

Despite the big night out, Beyonce still has gigs to play on her ‘Mrs. Carter Show World Tour’ including the last of three dates in Manchester, North West England, tonight (09.05.13) and another show in London on June 1, but she was keen to let her crew indulge after the “pressure” of preparing for her London concerts.

The source added to The Sun newspaper: “They are only part-way through her ‘Mrs. Carter’ tour, but the pressure was on in London and she was chuffed they all helped her put on a good show.” – Bang Showbiz

Manchester United on Thursday confirmed that David Moyes will succeed Alex Ferguson as manager of the club.

Moyes’s departure from Everton was announced earlier in the day and United subsequently revealed that he has been awarded a six-year contract at Old Trafford.

“When we discussed the candidates that we felt had the right attributes, we unanimously agreed on David Moyes,” said Ferguson in a statement, the day after he announced his decision to retire after 26 years in charge.

“David is a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic. I’ve admired his work for a long time and approached him as far back as 1998 to discuss the position of assistant manager here.

“He was a young man then at the start of his career and has since gone on to do a magnificent job at Everton. There is no question he has all the qualities we expect of a manager at this club.”

Moyes, 50, has been at Everton since 2002 and will take over from Ferguson on July 1.

“It’s a great honour to be asked to be the next manager of Manchester United,” he said in a statement released by his new employers.

“I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job. I have great respect for everything he has done for the football club.

“I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn’t something that comes around very often and I’m really looking forward to taking up the post next season. – AFP

Johannesburg – Transnet, South Africa’s state-owned port and railway operator, has 15 days to respond to an 85.5 billion rand ($9.5 billion) lawsuit brought against it by pensioners, according to the applicant’s attorney.

“The application was served on all relevant parties by May 7,” Wynanda Coetzee, a lawyer at Pretoria, South Africa-based Geyser & Coetzee Attorneys, representing the pensioners, said in a phone interview today.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – There is no rift between ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and President Jacob Zuma over the recent Gupta aircraft saga, Mantashe’s deputy Jessie Duarte has said.

“We sit here, and we know what is going on, and you might say: ‘Yes, but you must protect them’. No, hell no.

“If there’s a rift, there’s a rift, but there is no rift,” Duarte told Sapa in an interview this week.

“The problem, I think, is that the media tries to create (a rift).”

Reports this week claimed Mantashe and Zuma had “fallen out” over the landing of a private aircraft chartered by the Gupta’s, with wedding guests on board, at the Waterkloof Air Force Base on April 30.

The incident was reportedly the final straw for Mantashe, who had privately expressed concerns that the family wielded too much influence in government and African National Congress affairs.

Mantashe released a statement calling on those responsible for authorising the aircraft to land to explain how they reached the decision.

Some media apparently considered the statement proof of a rift between the two leaders.

However, Duarte said the ANC’s top leaders met every Monday and discussed such issues. Even though the statement was issued in Mantashe’s name it was an ANC statement.

“We talk to each other. We say this is the issue, this is the problem, this is the way forward. We agree.

“… Surely a statement of this nature could not go out if there wasn’t consensus among the top six, (which) there was on the matter,” she said.

Duarte said the so-called rift existed in the minds of journalists.

“While the media might die and fall on its sword of sources, I think that, on this one, they have it terribly wrong and there is no evidence that they can prove that what they saying is even right, or correct, or has any merit whatsoever.”

She said the media was trying to create rifts within the party as it had before the ANC’s national conference in Mangaung last year.

“I think it’s a game that is played to divide the ANC,” Duarte said.

It is no secret that the ANC stalwart has a short fuse for the media, and has labelled it “oppositionist” and the enemy.

The relationship “is what it is”, she said.

“Why we (the ANC) are very successful, and why you always get it wrong in the media, of what’s going to happen at every conference of the ANC, is we (are) on the ground and we know what the people are saying, and you are not… You fly in the air and we are very grounded, and therefore sometimes we dismiss you out of hand. Which is a pity,” Duarte said. – Sapa

SuperSport United will be going into the 2013 Nedbank Cup final on May 25 with the aim of defending their title and clinching the cup for a second consecutive year.

However, they will be up against Kaizer Chiefs in the final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, who have, arguably, been the team to beat in the 2012/13 campaign.

Under coach Stuart Baxter the Amakhosi have been a difficult team to breach, although SuperSport midfielder Mogogi Gabonamong believes that any team is beatable.

He told the Siya crew that they want to hold on to the trophy and to do that, they will have to overcome Chiefs.

“We are the defending champions and we want to keep the trophy, and to do that, we have to beat Chiefs. This is a huge step for us to win two trophies in a row. We respect them but we want to win this trophy.

“We will fight like soldiers to beat them. We value them just like they value us and the 90 minutes will decide the game. But we want to win,” the Botswana international said.
For more http://www.soccerladuma.com

Kaizer Chiefs will face defending champions, SuperSport United, in the Nedbank Cup final on May 25 and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune is expecting a tough clash.

Since the cup’s launch in its current format, with Nedbank as the title sponsor, in 2008, Chiefs have never reached the final, which allows the current crop of players under coach Stuart Baxter to re-write the history books.

Khune admits that SuperSport are a formidable outfit, pointing out their success in recent years.

The keeper said, “We haven’t been to the finals of the Nedbank Cup before and we are happy that we are here now and going to face United. They have done very well in the past five years which just shows that they are a good team.”

With the two sides meeting in the Absa Premiership on May 15, the game will be seen as somewhat of a dress rehearsal for this year’s Nedbank Cup final.

Khune added, “It is good that we are playing them first in the league and that will give us the chance to know where they lack and utilise on that, going into the cup final. They are the defending champions and we respect them for that. But it won’t be easy for both teams.”
For mor http://www.soccerladuma.com

Johannesburg – A debate on the use of Waterkloof Airforce Base by the Gupta family will be held in Parliament, the ANC said on Thursday.

“As an open and transparent forum for debate on matters of national importance, Parliament has a responsibility to reflect on this matter in the interest of the people of South Africa,” said Moloto Mothapo, spokesperson for African National Congress Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga.

“We cannot allow a situation whereby our ports of entry and national key points are penetrated with impunity.”

He said the ANC had proposed that the debate be scheduled from 4 to 7 June.

“The motivation for the scheduling of the debate during that week takes into consideration the congested programme of Parliament, due to the stream of budget vote debates currently underway,” Mothapo said.

“It is also envisaged that the government investigation into this matter would have been concluded by that time.”

He said the multi-party chief whip’s forum would consider the scheduling proposal at its next meeting and would make a recommendation to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu.

The Democratic Alliance earlier asked that President Jacob Zuma be present at the debate.

“We urge President Zuma to make himself available for this debate so that he can answer for his role in this saga,” DA Chief Whip Watty Watson in a statement.

“The presidency can no longer remain silent on this matter of public importance.”

He said Sisulu had granted his request for a debate on the matter, and he hoped time would be made available for this as a matter of urgency.

“The abuse of government resources in this scandal has seriously undermined the integrity and security of the state, and Parliament must do everything within its powers to ensure that all those responsible are held to account,” said Watson.

“It is critical that the National Assembly be heard on this matter and that public representatives are able to exercise their constitutionally mandated oversight role.”

– SAPA