Johannesburg – Thousands of school children and Equal Education (EE) members marched in Pretoria and Cape Town on Monday to demand that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga publish norms and standards on school infrastructure.

They also called for safer and better resourced schools.

In Cape Town, around 2 500 learners marched to Parliament, where they delivered a memorandum to a representative of the basic education department.

Other marches were held in Johannesburg and Durban on Sunday.

According to EE, 3 544 schools have no electricity, 401 have no water and 2 611 have an unreliable water supply; 913 have no toilet facilities and 11 450 are using pit toilets.

It said many schools also had inadequate library, laboratory and computer centres resources.

Last week, EE announced it was taking Motshekga to court for allegedly breached an agreement to publish the binding minimum norms and standards document for school infrastructure by 15 May.

The matter will be heard by the Eastern Cape High Court on 11 July.

SAPA

By Obakeng Maje

Boitekong-Police are investigating a case of rape after two children aged 10 and 12 who are reported to be sisters were allegedly raped on Friday at about 14:30.

“It is alleged that the victims were playing at a nearby open space when they were approached a by an unknown man who asked them for the directions to a nearby school” captain pelonomi Makau said. 

Police said the victims directed the suspect as he requested and he then asked them to accompany him.

“It is alleged that the suspect changed directions and took them to a nearby bushes where he allegedly raped them” Makau said. 

The victims reported the incident to their sister who took them to the police. 

Police took the victims to the hospital where rape was confirmed.

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By Obakeng Maje

Rustenburg-A teenager was allegedly raped by unknown suspect in Rustenburg on Sunday.

Police said a 26 year-old woman was allegedly from a local shop went confronted by a suspect.

“A girl was allegedly raped in an open field on her way home. She was allegedly confronted by unknown man who forced himself on her” captain Pelonomi Makau said.

Police opened a case of rape and are looking for an unknown man who pounced on her.

Police investigations continue.

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By Obakeng Maje

Klerksdorp-North West police open a case of murder after a man found murdered in the street on sunday.

The incident took place at Alabama township near Klerksdorp.

“An unknown man was allegedly found with multiple stabbing wounds in an open field in Alabama” said Pelonomi Makau.

Police opened a murder case and no one has been arrested yet.

Police investigations continue.

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By Obakeng Maje

Jourberton-North West police arrested a 23 year-old suspect for allegedly stabbing a 27 year-old man with a knife on Youth Day at a local tavern in Extension 10, near Jouberton. “The two were allegedly engaged in an argument that led to a fight” captain Pelonomi Makau said.  

Police said the deceased sustained multiple stabbed wounds on his head, ear and arms. 

A 27 year-old man was rushed to hospital and died on arrival. 

The suspect was allegedly stabbed by deceased in a chest and will appear before Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of Murder.

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Fifa has confirmed opening an investigation into the Ethiopian Football Association after they allegedly fielded an ineligible player in their World Cup qualifying campaign.

KickOff.com has established through match reports on Fifa’s website that the player is Minyahile Beyene, who should not have played against Botswana on June 8, 2013 as he was on two yellow cards.

He was booked against South Africa in June 2012 in a match played in Rustenburg and against Botswana in March 2013 in Addis Ababa and therefore, he was suspended for the match against Botswana on June 8 in Lobatse.

In a similar case recently, Sudan were docked three points and three goals which were handed to Zambia for using an ineligible player in their 2-0 win over Chipolopolo in a 2014 World Cup qualifier in June 2012.

As it stands, Ethiopia have reached the World Cup play-offs following their 2-1 victory over Bafana on Sunday in Addis Ababa, but their fate is now in FIFA’s hands.

If they are docked three points, those would be awarded to Botswana. Ethiopia would then have 10 points, Bafana 8, Botswana 7 and Central African Republic 3 with the last round of matches to be played in September.

For more http://www.kickoff.com

Johannesburg – A delegation of Christians was turned away from former president Nelson Mandela’s Qunu, Eastern Cape, home on Sunday because they were taking photographs after being warned not to, police said.

“They were taking some photos [outside the house] after they were informed not to take any,” Lieutenant Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela said.

Two policemen turned away the missionaries, from the Reformed Church of Christ and the Apostolic Faith Mission, when they arrived at the Mandela house, to offer their prayers and support.

A Sapa correspondent reported that two members of the group, while attempting to take pictures of themselves outside the house, were temporarily arrested and held inside a security room at the gate. This resulted in a heated exchange between the group and the police.

“It was not a big issue, there were no arrests,” Fatyela said.

Apostolic Faith Mission women’s leader Nomzingisi Jonga, 44, said they went to the gate wanting to know why the two were arrested.

“We came here because we had a prophecy at our night vigil yesterday [Saturday], to… pray for Madiba in his grounds. Now we are being denied access and also we were told not to pray in front of his gate.

“I wish I could share with you the prophecy, but now it is only God who knows. Let His will be done,” said Jonga.

The group then crossed the N2 Transkei road, to pray in public. Thambisa Nomatshitshi, 21, said she was disappointed at how the police treated them.

“You cannot just arrest us because we are praying for Mandela, it’s wrong… we did nothing wrong,” she said.

One police officer accused the group of betraying the freedom Mandela fought for.

SAPA

Johannesburg – The current generation of youth face a different struggle compared to that of 1976, President Jacob Zuma said on Sunday.

“The youth is now empowered by the Constitution and the laws of the land to participate fully in building a better life,” he said at a Youth Day celebration in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, according to a copy of his speech.

“The youth of 1976 were made not to be full citizens of this country. They were made to be pariahs in their motherland and could not influence or participate in decision-making in their own country.”

What was common between the two generations was that both were building a better life for all. 

Now the fight was against drugs, substance abuse, crime, gangsterism, child and women abuse, teenage pregnancy, truancy, mob justice and xenophobia, Zuma said.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Young people are the most targeted by drug dealers, with more of them being sucked in by the illicit industry, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Sunday.

“South African youth are drug dealers’ biggest target audience, with more getting involved with drugs… whether it is experimenting, dealing, addiction or being mules or decoys. They are getting sucked into the drug industry,” Mthethwa said in a speech delivered at the Future Leaders Annual Youth Conference in Durban on Sunday.

He said a study conducted in 2009 indicated that the use of drugs among teenagers had increased over the years by more than 600%.

The average starting age of drug abuse in South Africa was 12 and younger, and drug dealers were targeting schools, said Mthethwa.

“A 2007 report indicated that Gauteng’s youngest drug dealer was an 8-year old boy from Douglasdale.” Mthethwa said South Africa was both a transit and an end-user country and that over the last year alone, 41 drug laboratories were closed down by the law enforcement agencies.

Authorities were also concerned about the links between growing gangsterism and the illicit trade in drugs.

“Our response needs to focus on production, consumption and cross border trafficking.”

The drug trade was a $300bn global industry, Mthethwa said. “In South Africa, drug abuse was costing the country R20bn a year, it could pose a bigger threat to the country’s future than the HIV/AIDS pandemic.”

SAPA

By Obakeng Maje

POTCHEFSTROOM-A man was found murdered at corner Sol Plaatjie and New Market Streets on Saturday at about 21:00.

Police were summoned to the scene and found an unknown man lying on the pavement, he was stabbed twice on the left side of his chest with an unknown object. “The motive of the killing is unknown and the suspects are also unknown at this stage” captain Pelonomi Makau said. A murder case has been opened and investigation continues.

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