Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has threatened to embark on a protected strike on Wednesday next week, should Lonmin fail to declare it the majority trade union at the mine.

The decision was taken on Wednesday night at a mass meeting attended by union president Joseph Mathunjwa. He says they will inform Lonmin of their decision and give them a 40 hour notice to respond to their grievance. Should this fail, production will be brought to a halt.

Mathunjwa has re-iterated a call for the rival National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) to vacate their offices at the mine, but adds that this is a separate issue.

Mathunjwa says, “We will take this opportunity until Tuesday, if there’s no agreement, and then we will be in a position to serve the employer with the 48 hours that our members will be embarking on a protected strike, which will start on Saturday morning. The issue is about recognizing AMCU as the majority union at Lonmin Platinum. It’s not a part of the demand to close NUM offices. The agreement will stipulate the processes of what right should a union be given.”
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Thousands of mineworkers are drowning in debt as garnishee orders mount up and banks and loan sharks call in high-interest repayments in an already explosive situation.
Trade unions claim that more than half of their members in the platinum belt are struggling to get out of debt and have judgments against them – forcing their employers to deduct debt repayments before paying salaries.
For more http://www.timelive.co.za

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is pleased to announce that SABC Sport has secured a limited free-to-air broadcasting rights package from SuperSport International for three major sporting events, namely Cricket’s ICC Champions Trophy 2013 tournament taking place from the 6th until the 23rd of June 2013, the Rugby Championship, as well as the Castle Lager Inbound Test Series, which includes the Springboks, taking place from the 8th until the 22nd of June 2013. 

In terms of the Cricket, as per the sub-licence agreement, the SABC will broadcast live all 3 matches of the Proteas in the group stage, as well as one semi-final and the final match live.

The SABC will have specific television programming, which will feature daily highlights of all the other matches in the tournament. SABC radio station, 2000 FM will carry all the cricket matches live, with updates and scores on other SABC ALS radio stations.

With regards to rugby, as part of the sub-licencing deal with SuperSport, the public service broadcaster will broadcast matches on radio and television. The TV deal allows the SABC to broadcast delayed matches after the final whistle and live coverage on radio. This applies to the South African inbound Tests only. 

The coverage of these events will ensure that sports lovers of the diverse codes will have a front seat row to all the action.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng, SABC Acting Chief Operations Officer said, “With these events happening around the same time, we made a decision that we would try our best to get these broadcasting rights, as the nation of South Africa, with its diverse sporting tastes, deserves the right to watch their favourite sporting teams. We believe that the public will also enjoy the high-quality programming that has been put together to support the respective tournaments”.

Happy Ntshingila, CEO of SuperSport International said, “We are pleased to have concluded an arrangement with the SABC regarding this content on commercial terms which are satisfactory to both parties”.

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Johannesburg – The suspension of four health directors in Gauteng was welcomed by the DA on Wednesday.

“This is long overdue, as there was a damning forensic audit on this depot last year,” DA spokesperson Jack Bloom said in a statement.

“It appears that we have been grossly over-paying for medicine in Gauteng, and there have been recurring supply problems of essential drugs,” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the department announced that a chief director, two directors, and a deputy director had been suspended on full pay for alleged fraud.

They were suspected of misconduct in the department’s medical supply depot, following an investigation led by the office of Premier Nomvula Mokonyane.

Health MEC Hope Papo said the department was ready to begin disciplinary hearings.

“We are very serious about exorcising the rot in the department, and I have asked my staff to ensure that the process for disciplinary hearings is commenced shortly.

“We do not want to have suspended people receiving full pay while sitting at home,” he said in the statement.

– SAPA

Cape Town – Public Protector Thuli Madonsela and MPs mended fences on Wednesday after months of tension.

Madonsela apologised to Parliament for showing frustration in a recent, heated exchange with members of the justice portfolio committee about the mandate of her office and the extent of its independence.

In turn, committee chairperson, ANC MP Luwellyn Landers, apologised for doing the same in the 3 May meeting where Madonsela briefed the committee on her office’s budget and strategic plan.

“While I do not regret what I said, I do regret how I said some of the things. In retrospect, that is not the way an ombudsman should conduct himself or herself. I should have requested a proper parliamentary debate on matters in which I had a different view,” Madonsela said.

She spoke during a workshop with Parliament’s ethics committee, and called her remark an unconditional apology to all of the legislature.

Landers said he subsequently met Madonsela in his office.

“We met for a cordial chat in my office and I, in turn, apologised for my outburst on that fateful day,” he told Sapa.

Madonsela ‘insulted’

In the committee meeting last month, Madonsela became exasperated after MPs from the ANC and the DA questioned her decision to take on certain cases, and asserted: “I’m insulated on decisional independence.”

ANC MP John Jeffery took issue with her investigation into a complaint by former National Consumer Commission member Mamodupi Mohlala-Mulaudzi against trade and industry department director general Lionel October, which he believed belonged in the labour court.

Madonsela found that October had abused his power by interfering in the commission’s human resources operation.

The DA demanded faster feedback on two complaints the party had brought to her office, and criticised her findings on reparations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as “nonsense”.

Madonsela invoked not only the law, but UN guidelines on the powers of ombudsmen to defend her stance.

“Not even Parliament can tell you investigate this case or don’t investigate that case,” she said.

Landers objected when Madonsela went on to suggest that a workshop be held to brief MPs about international norms in this regard.

He said a debate on the exact meaning of section 181 of the Constitution – which holds her office accountable to the National Assembly – was in order, but outside elucidation was not.

Madonsela had asked MPs to support her request for a R100m budget increase as corruption had reached “stratospheric” proportions.

Apology

In a television interview later last month, Madonsela reiterated her organisational independence and said she was protected from “contemptuous pronouncements”.

“It’s improper to ambush the public protector. That case was outside the year under review,” she said, referring to the ANC’s objection to the labour matter investigation.

DA MP Dene Smuts said it did not appear that Madonsela’s apology on Wednesday was unconditional.

If the Public Protector failed to accept her accountability to the National Assembly as set out in the Constitution and Public Protector Act, “then I’m afraid we need further discussion”, she said.

Jeffery has repeatedly said he wished to debunk a perception that the portfolio committee was persecuting Madonsela.

“If we are critical, it does not mean we are out to get her, to roast her, to remove her or anything like that.”

Yet, tension was already evident last year when ANC members on the justice committee suggested Madonsela’s salary was excessive.

It is on par with that of provincial premiers and senior judges.

They proposed capping the salary for the position, then retreated.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A deadline has been set for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to decide whether to reinstate prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach, her lawyer said on Wednesday.

The NPA had until 16:30 on Thursday to make a decision, said lawyer Gerhard Wagenaar.

“We had a meeting this afternoon to discuss her return to work,” he said.

Wagenaar said the NPA was still considering whether it would allow her return, and if so, when. It was also deciding whether to redeploy her.

NPA spokesperson Nomilo Mpondo said she was unable to comment as she did not have all the information.

“We are of the view in law that she is entitled to return,” said Wagenaar.

He said Breytenbach was entitled to return immediately, and to the position she occupied prior to being suspended.

“We indicated she wished to return immediately,” he said.

Wagenaar said if the NPA decided against reinstating Breytenbach, an option would be to approach the courts.

Not guilty

On 27 May, Breytenbach was found not guilty on 15 counts by a disciplinary hearing which sat at the NPA’s head office in Pretoria.

A core charge against the anti-graft prosecutor was failing to act impartially when investigating the Kumba Iron Ore/Sishen and Imperial Crown Trading mining rights issue, because of “improper relations” with Sishen’s lawyer Mike Hellens.

Breytenbach was also found not guilty on any of the alternative charges.

The following day, the NPA announced it would bring a court challenge against the disciplinary hearing’s ruling.

At the time, Mpondo described the findings as “factually incorrect and legally unsustainable”.

Breytenbach was suspended from the NPA on 30 April last year.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – An environment official was told that the money a Stellenbosch property developer gave him was not a bribe, but a token of goodwill, a Cape Town court heard on Wednesday.

Luxolo Kula was testifying in the trial of Asrin Properties’ director Shiraz Hassan in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court.

He told the court Hassan gave him the money during a meeting at a Cape Town coffee shop last April.

“I immediately informed Hassan that I could not accept it,” he said.

“[Hassan] insisted that I keep it and urged me to consider it a token of goodwill, and not as a bribe.”

Hassan has pleaded not guilty to a charge of corruption.

Kula told the court Asrin Properties was busy with a development outside Stellenbosch. Asrin had taken over the project from another developer.

He said the processing of an application filed by Hassan to amend the original environmental authorisation was delayed because it went to the wrong section in the department as a result of an incorrect signature.

Kula was appointed as case officer responsible for resolving the problem.

At the coffee shop, Hassan complained about the delay and allegedly told Kula he would look after him if he expedited the matter. Kula said he ignored the remark.

However, as he was gathering his papers and files afterwards, he found a small transparent bag of money containing R500 in R100 notes.

At Hassan’s insistence, he took the money, but reported the incident to his supervisor, who was shocked, and went to one of the department’s directors. The director called the police and photocopied the banknotes. Kula made an affidavit about what had happened.

Asked by prosecutor Xolile Jonas what he thought when he was given the money, Kula answered: “I considered it inappropriate and said I could not accept it.”

Asked what his reaction would be if Hassan denied the incident, Kula said: “When I lifted the files to leave, and saw the plastic container with money in it, I said I could not take money and he said I must not take it as a bribe, but as his gesture of goodwill.”

The case continues on 4 October.

– SAPA