Rodney Ramagalela has completed his move from Black Leopards to Mamelodi Sundowns after signing a three-year contract.

The striker is one of three Lidoda Duvha players – Raymond Monama and Tiyani Mabunda the others – who had initially rejected the financial terms offered by the Brazilians.

However, Ramagalela is now a Sundowns player and will report for pre-season training next week, with Monama and Mabunda are expected to conclude their moves before the end of the weekend.

“Ramagalela has signed a three-year contract plus a one-year option,” KickOff.com’s source at Chloorkop says. “We are still trying to iron out a few issues with both Tiyani and Monama, but we are confident they will join us for pre-season on Monday.”
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Johannesburg – Public statements that insult President Jacob Zuma are an abuse of the constitutionally enshrined right to freedom of expression, the ANC said on Friday.

“The African National Congress respects the right of all citizens to make constructive criticisms with the intention to build and strengthen our young democracy,” spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.

“… Elsewhere in the world, it is a criminal offence to insult a sitting head of state, and South Africans must, together, forge a common understanding on how we halt this impunity and abuse of democratic privilege,” he said.

Earlier, an open letter to Zuma, attributed to flamboyant businessman Kenny Kunene, was published on The Star’s website.

In the letter, Kunene claimed that people within the ANC were “terrified” to speak out against Zuma because they feared him.

“In public you smile and laugh, but in truth you behave like a monster, a tyrant who will target perceived enemies ruthlessly, and because of that fear few dare to speak openly,” Kunene wrote.

Mthembu said it was a “dangerous fallacy” to claim the party feared Zuma.

“To call President Zuma a tyrant, a monster, and a person who ruthlessly pursues an enemy is tantamount to slander and defamation of the integrity of the president.”

The ANC viewed such comments as disrespectful, distasteful, and insulting and was concerned that criticism of the president had become commonplace.

“Such is a farce that has perhaps gone unattended for too long and has morphed into a normal part of national discourse.”

The Guptagate and Nkandla

In the letter, Kunene claimed that Zuma’s relationship with the Gupta family and the recent wedding scandal, and controversy surrounding spending on Zuma’s lavish household at Nkandla, detracted from the president’s credibility.

DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko criticised Zuma on the same issues last week.

She said he had failed to earn respect from opposition parties and the people of South Africa, as he built “a palace” for himself in Nkandla and “allowed” a jet chartered by the Gupta family to land at the Waterkloof Air Force Base.

Mthembu said the ANC had shown no fear or favour in its response to the Gupta matter and government had “taken steps to correct the situation surrounding the breach that occurred there”.

“In their haste to vilify the person of Zuma, some cannot even wait for the public protector and other respected institutions, created by our Constitution, to investigate and make public their findings regarding the Nkandla allegations.”

Mthembu warned those who chose to insult the party’s leadership that they could alienate themselves.

“The membership of the ANC is well aware that others who have traversed this route of insulting the leadership of the ANC have expelled themselves from this glorious organisation.”

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Five boys died and one has been castrated in the Eastern Cape after illegal circumcisions, the provincial health department said on Friday.

“The Eastern Cape department of health is extremely concerned about the increasing number of young boys dying in the bush,” said spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo.

“Over the past four days five boys have died in the bush. An autopsy conducted on three of them indicated they suffered from gangrene which resulted in renal failure.”

A 15-year-old boy also had to be castrated.

Kupelo said the circumcisions had occurred at illegal schools in the Libode, Port St Johns, and Lusikisiki areas.

“In one instance in Libode, a man wearing a balaclava is alleged to have circumcised at least 37 boys,” he said.

Those circumcised included boys as young as 9-years-old.

“The department describes the situation as not circumcision but acts of barbarism being perpetrated by greedy people, who are interested in making money, and who have total disregard for human life.”

An urgent meeting had been called between the department, traditional leaders, and local government representatives to discuss the situation.

Kupelo said the department was deploying resources, including 4x4s, to the affected areas to engage in aggressive monitoring to prevent further loss of life.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Lawyer Dali Mpofu has launched an urgent application in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, to secure state funding for the legal representation of victims of last year’s Marikana shooting, the SABC reported on Friday.

Mpofu told the Farlam Commission of Inquiry that due to financial constraints, Friday could be his last day representing the miners injured in the incident.

The application seeks to compel President Jacob Zuma and Justice Minister Jeff Radebe to approve funding for continued representation of the wounded miners.

According to the report, Mpofu said he hoped the matter would be resolved by the time the commission resumed on 15 July after a three-week recess.

Police shot dead 34 striking miners in Marikana, North West, on 16 August last year while trying to disperse them.

The commission is investigating the events that led to the shooting, and the deaths of 10 more people in strike-related violence the previous week.

– SAPA

FIFA says it is not considering canceling the Confederations Cup in Brazil as violent protests spread across the country.

An estimated 1 million protesters took to the streets in more than 80 cities on Thursday night as the country’s biggest protests in two decades intensified despite government concessions meant to quell them.

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets in Rio de Janeiro, where more than 300 000 people protested in the city hosting key Confederations Cup games.

But world football’s governing body says in statement to The Associated Press that neither “FIFA nor the LOC (local organizing committee) have ever discussed any such possibility” of canceling the eight-tournament.

CBN radio and the website of the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper, both respected, mainstream media, carried reports speculating that the eight-team tournament, considered a dry run for next year’s World Cup, was in danger.

“FIFA will claim compensation from Brazil if the Confederations Cup has to be suspended,” said a headline on CBN’s website.

The protests, now in their second week, have been about high taxes, inflation, corruption and poor public services and have also targeted the $26 billion of public money being spent on the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

An estimated 1 million protesters took to the streets in more than 80 cities on Thursday night as the country’s biggest protests in two decades intensified despite government concessions meant to quell them.

A CBN report said one of the eight teams were pressuring their leaders to leave the Confederations Cup because they were worried about relatives who were in Brazil to watch the matches.

“On the legal side, there’s a certain degree of confidence on FIFA’s part that if the tournament is canceled, it can launch a claim from the Brazilian government, if there are no safety guarantees for the competition or the World Cup,” said the report by Juck Kfouri, a veteran Brazilian sports journalist.

“There is strong speculation, which won’t go away,” he added, referring to rumors that the competition was in danger.

The Estado said that FIFA was negotiating with the teams to try to persuade them to stay.

“The protests in the streets of Brazilian cities have forced FIFA to negotiate with the teams to keep them in the Confederations Cup,” it said.

“By law, if there is no guarantee of safety, it could force the tournament to be canceled.”

The Estado said that two FIFA vehicles were attacked in Salvador, where Uruguay played Nigeria on Wednesday, and its employees had been instructed not to wear uniforms outside their hotel.

The Folha de Sao Paulo said that FIFA and the participating teams were “terrified” by the situation.

“The competition has become a nightmare for the organization,” it said. “FIFA didn’t imagine that the event would be perfect but the size of the problems is worse than the worst-case scenario.”

No matches for scheduled for Friday. Play is due to resume on Saturday with Italy facing Brazil in Salvador and Japan playing Mexico in Belo Horizonte.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Benjani Mwaruwari will complete his move to Bidvest Wits on a renewable one-year-deal next week after cutting ties with Chippa United.

According to Ralph Nkomo, who manages Mwaruwari, the contract that will take the veteran striker to Wits is now being finalized.

“We are just ironing out a few things now with regards to the contract but it should be done as it is a matter of merely finalizing things. At his age it is more interesting to go on a renewable one year deal so that he remains motivated.

“Everything should be done by next Wednesday and the good thing is that Gavin Hunt (new Wits coach) knows him well since Benji trained with SuperSport for some time while Gavin was still the coach there.

“So it should be a smooth completion of the deal especially when considering that Benji plays as a non-foreigner in South Africa,” says Nkomo.

Mwaruwari was supposed to have stayed on with Chippa until the end of the month but misunderstandings over the Promotional Play-offs led to him to not returning.

“The Original contract was supposed to go up to the end of the League season but with Chippa getting into the Play-Offs there was an agreement to extend it up to the end of June.

“However, once there was a long break between the Play-offs games there was a misunderstanding about when Benji should go back after he went away to spend time with his family,” explains Nkomo.

Mwaruwari –who turns 35 this year – has shown glimpses of his aggressive style in the games that he has played for Chippa and still carries the kind of qualities of a striker that Hunt always believes in.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

Kermit Erasmus’ agent says there has been no contact from Orlando Pirates, but admits that both Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns have made their interest known.

KickOff.com reported yesterday that the SuperSport United striker had expressed a desire to join Amakhosi, though media reports today suggest the Buccaneers were now favourites to sign him.

However, Rob Moore insists there has been no contact at all with Pirates.

“We haven’t had any discussions with anyone at Orlando Pirates,” he tells KickOff.com from Barcelona. “As for Kaizer Chiefs, there has been some contact from the coach [Stuart Baxter].”

Moore adds: “There were also some meetings between Sundowns and SuperSport United a few weeks ago, but we have heard nothing more from that.”

Moore says he is unsure whether the player will actually get his move during the transfer window, but suggests that it would be in the best interests of both parties if it does happen.

“Look, if the SuperSport United accept an offer than we will sit down and discuss terms and so on, but there has been nothing of the sort,” he says.

“But his contract ends in 12 months and they know that if they don’t sell him now he can leave for free at the end of next season. Also, I feel the time has come for him to move on.”
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North West – One of the men who alerted ANC president Jacob Zuma to rampant corruption and fraud in the ANC-controlled municipalities in North West feels let down by his own party.

Not only is Alfred Motsi feeling aggrieved about the ANC’s lack of action – his best friend and fellow ANC councillor Moss Phakoe was shot and killed in his driveway for handing over the dossier to Zuma and ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – If existing problems of wealth distribution and poverty are not urgently addressed, South Africa will face serious problems in future, former president Thabo Mbeki has warned.

Speaking to new Gauteng talk radio station Power FM, Mbeki said South Africa remained a two-nation, The Star reported.

Mbeki was speaking to presenter Tim Modise.

The former president urged the public to hold elected representatives accountable.

“South Africa remains divided in terms of race and colour, in terms of wealth. If we don’t address it properly, tomorrow, we are going to have very serious problems,” Mbeki said.

Noting SA Airways’s plan to train more black pilots as an example, Mbeki said the aim was “not to discriminate against white people, but to achieve the objectives of our Constitution”.

These objectives included non-racialism, non-sexism and building a prosperous country.

He also said he knew for sure that his condition was improving because he was in contact with the Mandela family and his doctors.

“Nelson Mandela is indeed improving in terms of his health. I don’t think anybody should entertain wrong notions that Nelson Mandela is going to die tomorrow. It’s not going to happen,” he insisted.

– News24

Pretoria – South African troops have begun deploying to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s volatile east as part of a special UN brigade to battle armed rebels, the deputy foreign minister said on Friday.

“South African troops are on their way to the DRC now,” deputy international relations minister Ebrahim Ebrahim told reporters.

South Africa has pledged 1 345 soldiers to the first-ever offensive United Nations brigade.

Tanzania and Malawi are also part of the 3 000-strong force, which began deploying to Goma on 13 May.

“The Tanzanians are already on the ground,” said Ebrahim.

The eastern Congo has been the scene of intense fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 rebels, an armed group launched by Tutsi former soldiers who mutinied in April 2012.

– AFP