TlokBy Obakeng Maje

Pretoria-The former Executive Mayor of the Tlokwe Municipality, Mr Maphetle Maphetle, and the Tlokwe Speaker, Barei Segotso, this morning served papers on the 48 Councillors (26 ANC 19 DA 2 FF+ and 1 Cope) as respondents in an application to be filed in the Supreme Court in Pretoria. 

Maphetle and Segotso’s application wants the Council meeting of the 2nd July during which the second motion of no-confidence in Maphetle was unanimously accepted, to be declared invalid and all resolutions taken at the meeting to be reversed.

The DA will, on behalf of its Councillors, fully respond to the application and is also considering a counter-application.

“It is clear that even after the ANC’s acknowledgement that the ANC was slow to deal with the allegations of fraud and corruption, an euphemism for sweeping it under the table, the ANC will stop at nothing to frustrate democratic processes” DA Chris Hattingh said.

The ANC campaigning in Potchefstroom during the past two days emphasised that residents are only regarded by the ANC as voting fodder with no hope to receive the frequently promised services or even responses on the community’s concern about fraud, corruption and maladministration.

“While we proceed with our efforts to end Maphetle and his former mayoral committee’s illegal occupation of the Municipal Offices, we will also continue with our planning and endeavours to have the Tlokwe Municipality restored back to delivery mode” DA said.

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JOHANNESBURG – Mayor Parks Tau’s assertions that the billing crisis is over is a fallacy, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Mmusi Maimane said on Wednesday.

Maimane was reacting to the ANC receiving an inflated electricity bill of R3.5 million for its Luthuli House headquarters.

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Adolescent pregnancy will be the key focus of the World Population Day commemoration hosted by the North West Provincial Government in partnership with the Department of Social Development and the United Nations Population Fund in Mahikeng on Thursday, 11 July 2013.

North West Premier Thandi Modise and the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Bongi Ntuli will address government’s concerns about adolescent pregnancy at the commemoration to be held on the second day of the 2013 Population Association of Southern Africa Conference.

World Population Day is an annual event, commemorated on 11 July throughout the world to raise awareness on the importance of population and related issues.

According to the South African Youth Context report released in 2011, nine comma five percent male and 6 percent female high school learners reported having had an abortion or a partner who had an abortion. Only 48 percent of these learners reported using legal health services.

The event details are as follows:

Date: Thursday, 11 July 2013Place: North West University Mahikeng CampusTime: 10h00 – 13h00

North West Premier Thandi Modise has ahead of the World Population Day (WPD) called on men to take a stand against adolescent pregnancy by not being sugar-daddies. The WPD commemoration is to be held in Mahikeng on Thursday.Premier Modise said that research has shown that sugar daddies who date young girls contribute to the problem adolescent pregnancy which robs many young girls of their childhood and future.

 “The commemoration takes place at the appropriate time as July has been declared Men’s Month, and therefore it is important that real men take a stand against adolescent pregnancy and the scourge of rape as part of moral regeneration,” highlighted Modise.

The Premier said that other factors leading to adolescent pregnancy include lack of knowledge about contraceptives, lack of access to safe contraceptives and peer pressure.

She urges young women to focus on their studies and stop engaging in premature and irresponsible sexual activities. She said the province will continue to create awareness about the dangers of adolescent pregnancies and the importance of contraception and proper family planning. 

WPD is an annual event, commemorated on 11 July throughout the world to raise awareness on the importance of population and related issues. The focus for this year’s WPD is on Adolescent Pregnancy.

According to the South African Youth Context report released in 2011, six percent of female high school learners reported having had an abortion while 9, 5 males in the same category reported having had a partner who had an abortion. Only 48 percent of these learners reported using legal health services.

Minister of Health Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi recently revealed that 94 000 school girls fell pregnant in 2011 across the country and that some of the girls who fell pregnant and tested positive for HIV-were reportedly between the ages of 10 and 14.

Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma should have put good governance above “cronyism”, and sacked underperforming ministers in his Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, the DA said.

“The reality is that this Cabinet reshuffle by President Zuma proves that he is more interested in his political survival than ensuring that good governance is his top priority,” Democratic Alliance Parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said in a statement.

“This is symbolic of a President who lacks the leadership needed to deliver on his government’s promises,” she said.

Zuma axed three ministers in the reshuffle – Communications Minister Dina Pule, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Richard Baloyi.

Mazibuko said the DA welcomed Pule’s removal.

However, it saw little sense in axing Sexwale while Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson and Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu remained.

“This should have been an opportunity for the President of the Republic to stamp out poor governance, which has been the mainstay of his administration, and replace all poor performing ministers with competent and dedicated individuals,” she said.

“Instead, President Zuma seems determined to keep in the executive ministers who should have got the sack some time ago.”

Mazibuko said the DA remained determined to move a motion of no confidence in Zuma, and said the problem remained at the top.

‘Forces of change’

On Tuesday afternoon, Zuma said ANC MP Connie September would take over the portfolio of human settlements from Sexwale.

Sexwale was said to be part of the “Forces of Change” which resisted Zuma’s re-election as African National Congress president at the party’s elective conference in Mangaung last year.

At the conference, Sexwale lost his bid for the position of ANC deputy president and his seat on the party’s national executive committee.

Zuma said Lechesa Tsenoli, who was deputy minister of land reform, would take over from Baloyi as minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister. His deputy would be Andries Nel, the former deputy minister of justice.

Baloyi, who has been an MP since 1999, had been moved to co-operative governance from his position as public service and administration minister in Zuma’s 2011 reshuffle.

Zuma also announced that Yunus Carrim, who was co-operative governance deputy minister, would replace Pule as communications minister.

Pule has been embroiled in a battle with the Sunday Times about reported accusations that she gave tenders to a boyfriend, meddled in tender processes, and interfered in the appointment of officials to the boards of state-owned enterprises.

Zuma said Ben Martins, who has been transport minister for just over a year, would swap portfolios with Energy Minister Dipuo Peters.

He also announced the appointment of John Jeffery as justice and constitutional development deputy minister; Michael Masutha as science and technology deputy minister and Pamela Tshwete as deputy minister of rural development and land reform.

SAPA