By Obakeng Maje

Mahikeng-Yesterday Ethopian National appeared before Mahikeng Magistrate Court on charges of being in possession of illicit cigarettes.

Abose Errasa,33 was granted a R5000 bail by Mahikeng Magistrate Court and will be back in court on the 31st July 2013.

Police said they received a tip-off on Wednesday that there was a truck off-loading boxes onto a bakkie on the other side of the border along the border at Logageng village(between South Africa and Botswana).

“Police spotted the vehicle that fitted the given description at Makgobistad on Bray road to Mahikeng. It is alleged that police stopped the suspected vehicle” captain Pelonomi Makau said.

She said police discovered thirty seven boxes of counterfeit cigarettes to the value of R300 000.

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Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s “long history” of broken promises, many allegedly made to Parliament, to supply norms and standards for school infrastructure has drawn Equal Education back to court.

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

Prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach will be transferred from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)’s Specialised Commercial Crimes Unit (SCCU) to the office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).

The latest move comes after Acting National Director for Public Prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba, filed papers in the Labour Court seeking an order to have Breytenbach dismissed, despite her being acquitted of all 15 charges by the NPA disciplinary hearing three weeks ago.

A core charge against Breytenbach was failing to act impartially when investigating the Kumba Iron Ore/Sishen and Imperial Crown Trading mining rights issue.

On Wednesday, Jiba filed a motion of notice with the Labour Court. The acting NPDD is asking for a judicial review of its own disciplinary hearing which cleared Breytenbach. In its motion the NPA wants Breytenbach to be found guilty on 12 charges against her.

Jiba also want the matter to be referred back to the Chairperson of the Disciplinary Hearing , Selby Mbenenge SC, for what she calls an appropriate sentence.

Jiba contends that Mbenenge’s decision to clear Breytenbach was irrational and crossly unreasonable. She says Mbenenge ‘s decision was informed by material error of law.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Johannesburg – Prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach has been informed that she will be redeployed, SABC radio news reported on Friday.

Her lawyer, Gerhard Wagenaar, told the state broadcaster she had been informed of this on Thursday evening.

“What I can tell you, is that we have received a letter just before 19:00 last night indicating that Ms Breytenbach will be redeployed to the office of the director of public prosecutions in Pretoria and not to the SCU [Specialised Crime Unit] anymore,” said Wagenaar.

On Thursday, the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed that it had filed an application for the Labour Court to review the outcome of a disciplinary hearing which cleared Breytenbach of all charges against her.

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.

One of the charges was that she failed to act impartially when investigating the Kumba Iron Ore/Sishen and Imperial Crown Trading mining rights dispute, because of “improper relations” with Sishen’s lawyer Mike Hellens.

After the findings were made known, the NPA said it found them “factually incorrect and legally unsustainable” and would approach the court for a review.

On Wednesday, the NPA’s executive manager for communications Bulelwa Makeke, said in response to a question, that Breytenbach was at work but that the NPA would not discuss work matters in the media.

On Thursday, Eyewitness News reported that Breytenbach had not worked at all this week.

Asked on Thursday to clarify, NPA spokesperson Nomilo Mpondo said the NPA told Breytenbach she could come back to work on Monday. The NPA reiterated that it would not discuss her daily movements with the media.

– SAPA

Koster- Two men have been sentenced to life in prison, and a third was given an 18-year jail term, for brutally killing an elderly couple on their farm near Koster, Beeld reported on Friday.

Samson Sihlangu, Tshepang Moumakwa, and Johnny Maema were sentenced in the Mogwase Circuit Court in the North West for murdering Marthie Erasmus, 63, and her husband Chris Erasmus, 62, on their farm Hartbeesfontein in December 2010.

Sihlangu and Moumakwa were handed life terms and Maema 18 years imprisonment.

Although Chris Erasmus survived the farm attack, he died a month later.

“We will never forget how my parents were tortured, or that my mother was beaten to death with a hammer, strangled, and stabbed,” said the victims’ daughter Annelise.

A social worker’s report, submitted to the court during the trial, had mentioned that Marthie Erasmus had been known for her kindness, and because she fed the poor and transported the elderly to collect their pension money.

– SAPA

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has made a special appeal for the release of two abducted Syrian church leaders.

In a statement, Tutu says there is no justice and there can be no justification in any circumstances, for such inhumanity.

Archbishop Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo and Archbishop Boulos Yazaji, Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo were abducted on April 22.

Their driver, who was a deacon, was killed during the abduction.

Tutu’s appeal was preceded by an acknowledgement that amidst the chaos and human suffering in Syria, to focus on any single event, or to single out individuals particularly worthy of attention, would be to do the broad peace-loving and long-suffering population a disservice.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Up-and-coming goalkeeper, Nkosingiphile Zungu is happy about earning her first cap for Banyana Banyana and is hoping this is the beginning of more exciting times to come.

“I want to get to the top with this team and I hope the doors have finally been opened for me. I want to be the next superstar, God willing,” she said from national team camp this week.

The 20-year old goal-minder who plays for Remax Shooting Stars (Sasol league, KwaZulu Natal) is excited about being given the opportunity to be part of the Banyana Banyana set-up and has vowed to grab this chance with both hands.

Zungu was awarded her first cap for Banyana Banyana in the international friendly match against Mozambique played on Sunday, 9 June at the Kanyamazane Stadium in Nelspruit, where the Sasol sponsored women’s national team gave neighbours Mozambique a soccer lesson, walloping them 5-0.

“This has been an exciting journey and experience for me. I am feeling great to have so many people looking up to me as a role model.

“I am humbled that the coach awarded me my first cap but now the hard work starts. This has been the confidence booster I have waited for so long. Now I need to break into the starting 11 but that can only be done through hard work” said Zungu.

Zungu was among the first players to feature in the South African U17 women’s national team and was the reserve goalkeeper when Bantwana made history by qualifying for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup that took place in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.

Zungu who is doing her first year in Public Management at the University of Durban has set her hopes on excelling on the field of play and help the South African women’s team achieve more and more success.

“Having gone to the FIFA World Cup in 2010 with the Under/17, my hope now is to break into the senior national team and become a role player in getting Banyana Banyana to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada,” said Zungu.

Coach Joseph Mkhonza said he gave the Remax Shooting stars goal-minder an opportunity to get the feel of being between the posts and understand the national team setup as part of his plan in having a larger pool of players.

“We have been lacking depth in the goalkeeping department and I felt it was about time that we give Zungu exposure as she is one of the most promising stars.

“We travelled with her to the Caribbean in 2010 and although she didn’t feature much, I believe with hard work and dedication she has a making of a great goalkeeper; otherwise Happiness is my name” said Mkhonza.

Cape Town – Parliament is known for debating weighty issues.

But the DA feels the ANC has taken this too far in literally commenting on the size of its parliamentary leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko.
For more http://www.news24.com