Johannesburg – Provincial task team (PTT) convenors and co-ordinators have been appointed for the ANC Youth League in the four provinces where it was disbanded, the national task team (NTT) said on Tuesday.

“Guided by the need to re-establish much more organised and focused structures of the ANCYL, we took time to assemble strong teams in the affected provinces,” NTT convenor Mzwandile Masina told reporters in Johannesburg.

“Working closely with the national convenor and national co-ordinator, appointed PTTs will immediately conclude the reconstitution of various regional task team (RTTs) throughout the country within a reasonable time, to allow the organisation to focus on more important and pressing issues.”

Earlier this month, the NTT announced that it had disbanded the African National Congress Youth League in four provinces – Limpopo, Free State, North West and Northern Cape.

The NTT had visited the provinces to assess their structures.

KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and the Western Cape were “reconstituted”.

Masina on Tuesday announced the names of those who would run the provincial task teams.

In Limpopo, Vincent Shoba would be the convenor and Musa Chabane would be co-ordinator.

Deliver the youth vote

In the Free State, Makalo Mohale and Vusi Tshabalala would be convenor and co-ordinator respectively.

Ntombi Koloti would be the Mpumalanga convenor and Collen Maine co-ordinator. In the Northern Cape, Zet Kwinana would be convenor and Neo Maneng co-ordinator.

Convenors and co-ordinators were also appointed in the provinces which had been reconstituted, said Masina.

In KwaZulu-Natal, Nontembeko Boyce and Sibusiso Ngane would take over; in Mpumalanga, Gijimane Skhosana and Vusi Mkhatshwa; and, in the Western Cape, Mohammed Sayed and Mbulelo Memani.

With the PTTs in place, the ANCYL would focus on consolidating its election machinery, said Masina.

“Membership is expected to immediately resume election work and make sure we deliver the youth vote towards a decisive victory in the 2014 general election.”

– SAPA

Pretoria – Two security guards could be seen early on Wednesday morning inside the Pretoria hospital where a critically ill former president Nelson Mandela is being treated for a recurring lung infection.

At midnight, the hospital’s parking lot was almost deserted. Two police cars were visible near the hospital’s Park Street entrance and the police officers chatted to each other in the chilly pre-dawn air.

Despite the biting cold, scores of journalists from local and international media houses were milling around outside the hospital in the small hours of Wednesday.

Several outside broadcast vans still had their engines running. The news crews also set up generators for back up power.

Tshwane metro police officers parked near the journalists’ fleet on Celliers Street. Numerous police patrol cars were in the area.

Many Mandela family members, politicians, socialites and religious leaders have visited Madiba at the hospital after he was admitted on 8 June.
Earlier on Tuesday, the presidency confirmed that Mandela remained in a critical condition.
“[Mandela’s] condition remains unchanged in hospital, and doctors continue to do their best to ensure his recovery, wellbeing, and comfort,” spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement.

At Mandela’s Houghton, Johannesburg, home all was quiet as well.

At 23:40 a police van pulled up outside the main black gates of the house.

Two officers walked up and down the road to ensure no cars were parked in the streets in front and on the side of the house.

Four other officers went inside the gates and came out about half an hour later.

After midnight the officers all got back into the van and drove off.

Soon after this, another police car drove up and down the streets before leaving.

The house was dark with all curtains and blinds closed. Only the outside lights, in the yard and outside the house, were on.

Outside the main gates, people had put bouquets of flowers and more stones around one of the big trees. The stones were painted in the colours of the South African flag and had messages such as “Nelson Mandela we love you”, “Get well soon Tata” and “We love you Madiba” painted and written on them.

The flower beds were colourful around the yard with painted stones in each of them. One had small South African flags spread over the stones.

The stones bore messages including “God Bless Madiba”, “Thanx father” and “I love you Madiba” painted on them.

They have been left by well-wishers in the days since Mandela was hospitalised.
Police officers and security guards would take the cards and posters left by people inside.
A single broadcast vehicle was parked outside the house opposite the ailing statesman’s house.

– SAPA

A call for a turnaround strategy has been made as tension and power struggles arose between the government-appointed administrator, Igbal Motal, and the mayor, Victoria Kgabi, threatening to derail provincial executive intervention at Maquassie Hills municipality.

The legislature’s portfolio committee on local government and traditional affairs, together with the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) that visited the municipality yesterday, resolved to call acting MEC Paul Sebegoe to intervene and implement a turnaround plan with time frames to help the municipality.

One of the things is that Sebegoe should facilitate for the administrator and the mayor to work together at Maquassi.

The committees was also checking if there had been any improvement in the municipality’s finances, and whether the administrator was getting the necessities required both politically and administratively.

Section 139 states that if a municipality cannot fulfil its executive obligations, the provincial executive must intervene to ensure that the executive obligation had been fulfilled.

This means appointing an administrator for the municipality to function fully.

During the meeting, Kgabi and Motal had disagreements that have led the committee to believe that there is a strained relationship between the two leaders.

The committee interacted with the municipality over its state of affairs, including its finances.

The municipality has been under administration in terms of Section 139(1)(b) since April after serious service delivery challenges were identified.

Kgabi raised Constitutional issues regarding the legality of invoking Section 139 to the municipality, and confusion on the roles and responsibilities of the council and administration during such period.

“We have discussed with the MEC the issues of who should be executing certain functions in the municipality between the council and the administrator.

“We have seen some tasks performed without the council being consulted and that caused uncertainty among us,” Kgabi said.

No-nonsense Scopa chairperson Hlomane Chauke said the committee wanted to re-evaluate the impact of the intervention.

“We will meet with the MEC to resolve issues raised by both parties. Sebegoe needs to give us a turnaround plan with clear time frames.

“If we do not have a clear plan of intervention to address issues by the auditor-general, we will not be able to achieve the 2014 clean audit goal,” Chauke said.
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The Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipal manager has failed to appear before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) in the North West for allegedly spending R2.4 million in hiring a marquee, the committee said on Tuesday.

Mokgele Mojaki failed to appear before the North West Scopa on Tuesday afternoon and the committee took offence.

“We are very much disappointed that the accounting officer did not come to the meeting,” said North West Scopa chairman Hlomane Chauke.

“Even the explanation given by the mayor was not a solid explanation. Clearly, we see the level of undermining the legislature on serious matters.”

Mojaki was supposed to appear before the committee following media reports that the municipality spent R2.4m on a marquee.

The Sowetan newspaper reported on Thursday that the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality was set to spend R2.4m on a marquee, chairs, table and decorations for an event that would last a few hours.

The event went ahead as planned.

Acting mayor Maria Monnana addressed an estimated 3000 residents and delivered her state of the district address in Makgobistad near Mahikeng.

Documents seen by the Sowetan showed that the controversial deal was signed by Mojaki and senior manager for business support Seymour Williams.

Chauke said the committee expressed dismay at Mojaki.

“In the meeting it was clear that he did not take this matter seriously. His apology was not accepted by the committee,” he said.

Chauke said Monnana did not have the documents to present before the committee.

“We have made it clear to the mayor and the speaker that they must go back and prepare, because we need that report as a committee,” he said.

“This matter has drawn public interest and the committee has the responsibility to know whether processes were followed and how public money was spent.” – Sapa

The African National Congress has issued a statement in reponse to comments businessman Kenny Kunene made about Gwede Mantashe on a radio show. Here is the full text of the statement:

ANC Statement on fallacious utterances of a character called Kenny Kunene

The African National Congress is outraged by the ludicrous claims made about the Secretary-General of the ANC, Comrade Gwede Mantashe, on Kaya FM this morning by a character called Kenny Kunene. When these utterances started last week, the ANC regarded these as being part of being a broader oppositionist assault against the ANC intended to harm the integrity of the ANC and its leadership as the country prepares for the General Elections in 2014. It has now become clear that we are dealing with an individual of dubious character with no political mores or basic decency, intent to harm the African National Congress and its leadership with impunity. This character seeks cheap publicity to bolster his questionable political ambitions by hurling insults at our leaders and our movement.

The statements made that the Secretary-General, in private gatherings criticises the ANC President must never be accepted at face value as it is part of a campaign to divide the ANC leadership and weaken our organisation. It is not a new phenomenon and predates even this current conjecture of our struggle, such we saw recently just before Manguang when others sought to sow division between once again, the President and the SG. Colonialism, apartheid and many other individuals , throughout history, have failed to divide the leadership of the ANC. Kenny Kunene and his handlers will also fail. Let this desperate and loose cannon that is parading this fallacious notion tell us and the nation in which private gatherings the SG was meant to have said these statements. The SG does not even know this character, has never met him and certainly never spoke to him about the ANC or any other matter, however trivial. He claims to be a member of the ANC, seeking to give credence and weight to his nonsensical utterances, we do not have a record of him as a member of the ANC and we don’t doubt that such characters would never be harboured within our organisation. This person must tell us when were such statements made and to whom. It is unfortunate that we must even glory this individual with a response as his statements are not worthy of a response from our glorious movement, however we will not allow this nonsensical and disrespectful behaviour against our leaders to continue unabated.

Once again, it is reiterated that the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress is composed of capable men and women who have been elected in a democratic process by the members of the ANC. This misguided and fallacious notion that the NEC fears President Zuma cannot be further from the truth. Self-righteous fellows of questionable morals spearheading a Mangaung hangover miss the basic and indisputable fact that members of the ANC are proceeding with our historic mission of building a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous nation. The ANC is not sitting awaiting permission and directives from some dictator to do so nor from Kenny Kunene and his ilk.

The ANC remans committed to upholding the right of all people to criticise the ANC and its leadership where such is necessitated. In fact, a core principle of the ANC is criticism and self-criticism which we practice robustly within our structures. Calling our leaders snakes, saying others “must be men” goes beyond acceptable debate and shall not be tolerated. We shall, where necessary, act against such behaviour to protect the integrity and good name of the African National Congress. Insults to our leaders are not freedom of speech and are not protected by our constitutional dispensation. We reserve the right to act against these individuals within the context of our constitutional prescripts.

The African National Congress shall not waste its time anymore on this character and therefore shall not entertain any questions or interviews in this regard.

Issued by

Jackson Mthembu

National Spokesperson

African National Congress
*The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Taung DailyNews
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By Obakeng Maje

Setlagole-North West police are investigating an inquest docket and business robbery after four suspects robbed a Pakistan national shop-owner.

Police said four suspects enetered a shop of a 43 year-old Pakistan shop-owner in Setlagole village.

“Police were called after four suspects allegedly pounced on them and demanded cash”

“It is alleged that they pointed a firearm at Malawian national, who works as a security guard at the shop and ordered the owner to give them cash” colonel Lesego Metsi said.

The two managed to escape and locked themselves in a backyard room.

Police were called and suspects fled amid the police interference.

Community members joined forces with police and chased suspects who ran in different directions.

“One of the community members set his dogs on one suspect and the dogs managed to catch up with him” Metsi said.

The suspects was mauled by dogs and he allegedly shot them.

Police heard gun shots and rushed to its direction and cornered the suspect.

“The suspect alleged pulled a tricker on him after he was cornered and ordered to drop the gun by police” Metsi said.

The police discovered the gun used during commission of crime and positively identified it as a stolen police pistol.

“It is alleged that the gun used in crime was stolen from a police personnel in Mahikeng last year” said police.

The other three suspects are still at large. Anyone with information is that can assist the police`s investigations is urged to contact Warrant Officer Tshabalala at 082 373 5261.

Police believe the suspects might be responsible for spate of Business and House Robberies took place in Mahikeng, Setlagole, Madibogo and other surroundings.

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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) disciplinary committee has fined DRCongo giants TP Mazembe US$5000 (R50 000) for the incident that took place at Orlando Stadium on April 20, 2013 in which the referee on the day was assaulted.

Orlando Pirates won the ill-tempered group stage first leg CAF Champions League encounter 3-1.

Adjudicating over the case, the CAF DC said a Congolese resident in South Africa approached and assaulted the referee soon after the match and hid in the travelling side’s dressing room.

Although the incident was not captured by television, the episode was witnessed by a number of officials who corroborated seeing the match official being physically assaulted after the match.

According to the CAF DC, the perpetrator was identified as a “Congolese resident in SA” and after the incident, took refuge in the Mazembe dressing room.

As a result, CAF came down heavily on the visiting club and imposed a hefty US$5000 (R50 000) fine.

The second leg of the match between Pirates and Mazembe in Lubumbashi was characterised by more problems which included the home team refusing the game to be transmitted live. There were also reports of ill treatment for the travelling team and its entourage.

Pirates lost the game 1-0 but advanced to the lucrative round robin stage 3-2 on aggregate.

SAFA took the matter to CAF but the continental governing body is yet to preside over the return leg fiasco.

The North West Department of Sport, Arts and Culture last weekend collaborated with the Herman Charles Bosman Living Museum in unveiling the Batswana Homestead (traditional huts) within the museum in Groot Marico.

The HC Bosman Living Museum, located in the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality, is a historical, cultural and literary living museum that promotes indigenous practices. 

The Department and the Museum celebrated the event during Youth Month (June) to help direct the youth towards their own tradition, culture and heritage.

“We wanted to dedicate the launch of traditional huts in the Museum as a symbolic gesture to show their importance to the youth and that they needed to be proud of their identity, history and heritage,” said MEC Tebogo Modise. 

“The Department supports the promotion of indigenous cultures, part of which are preserved and conserved through museums.”

Manager of the Museum Santa Van Baart was enthusiastic about the event. 

“The main aim of the event was to share the unique culture of people, regardless of race. It is also meant to help preserve our South African history” Van Baart said.

Guests, most of whom were dressed in their traditional regalia, were taken on a tour of the museum. 

Various cultural performances included Boere Musiek and dance, a marimba band and the Sarafina dancers. 

Indigenous and cultural food was on offer, with guests feasting on koeksisters, papatas, milk tart, fruit, traditional beer and mampoer.

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By Obakeng Maje

Rustenburg-A taxi driver was killed instantly this morning when the taxi he was travelling on plunged into a reversing truck. The accident happened just 5km outside Rustenburg on the R24 Rustenburg/Johannesburg road.

“It is alleged that the truck driver reversed into the road unaware of the taxi that was on coming from behind” lieutenant Lesego Metsi said.

Police said the taxi collided with the truck. 

“The taxi driver who was travelling alone died instantly in the accident” Metsi said.

The police are investigating a case of culpable homicide against the truck driver.

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