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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Johannesburg – Sadtu expressed disappointment on Tuesday that President Jacob Zuma did not remove Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga in his Cabinet reshuffle.
“… We considered that our call for Minister Angie Motshekga’s resignation would be taken into consideration due to her underperformance,” SA Democratic Teachers’ Union general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said in a statement.
The call for her removal was out of concern for education in the country, he said.
He accused Motshekga of not effectively leading the process of transformation, or of improving the quality of education.
“The future of our children is seriously being undermined by the presence of the director general, who the minister is unwilling to dismiss despite overwhelming evidence of gross negligence, corruption, indolence and daylight stealing of the Education Labour Relations Council funds,” he charged.
Zuma axed three ministers in his Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday: Communication Minister Dina Pule, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Richard Baloyi.
The new ministers and deputy ministers are:
— Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Lechesa Tsenoli;
— Communications Minister Yunus Carrim;
— Human Settlements Minister Connie September;
— Energy Minister Ben Martins;
— Transport Minister Dipuo Peters;
— Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister John Jeffery;
— Science and Technology Deputy Minister Michael Masutha;
— Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Andries Nel; and
— Rural Development and Land Reform Deputy Minister Pamela Tshwete.
SAPA
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
North West Premier Thandi Modise has welcomed the decision by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) to call off a strike at two Anglo American Platinum mines in Rustenburg.
North West Premier Thandi Modise said that AMCU’s decision confirmed by Amplats on Tuesday is encouraging and is a positive development towards ending conflict in the platinum mining sector.
“The suspension of the strike should be followed up with a demonstration of commitment by all stakeholders to peaceful co-existence and building a relationship that is based on trust and respect. The employer and trade union organisations should avoid any actions that might adversely affect this relationship “added Premier Modise.
Premier Modise also called on parties to give the peace agreement brokered by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe a chance.
Deputy President Motlanthe was tasked by President Jacob Zuma to help restore peace and stability to the mining sector.
Five thousand and six hundred workers at the Thembelani and Khuseleka 1 mines near Rustenburg went on strike yesterday (July 8) to demand that suspended AMCU officials be reinstated.
Anglo American suspended the officials last week for participating in an illegal protest that prevented other workers from returning to the surface from their underground shift.
The decision to suspend the strike comes just a day ahead of wage talks in the gold sector scheduled for Thursday, July 11.
Word reaching the Siya crew is that Orlando Pirates have decided to pass on the opportunity to sign Ashanti Gold striker Yakubu Mohammed.
Yakubu was in South Africa to train with the Buccaneers last week, however according to a reliable source close to Pirates, the Ghanaian striker failed to impressed the technical team and the club decided to not sign him.
“After a spending some time with us, we saw that he was not fitting into our system and we told him to go back to Ashanti,” said the source.
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Mamelodi Sundowns welcomed new signing Emmanuel Mathias at Chloorkop on Tuesday and he got straight into the action by training with his new teammates, according to the club’s official website.
The Togo international had impressed the Sundowns technical team when he joined them for the mid-season camp in January and also travelled over to Zimbabwe with the Brazilians where he featured in some of the friendly matches.
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Kaizer Chiefs’ proposed friendly with Egyptian club, Ismaily SC, has been cancelled due to political unrest in Egypt.
The Amakhosi were supposed to be playing the club on Saturday in Nelspruit as part of their pre-season preparations for their 2013/14 campaign, although it has now been confirmed that the fixture is now off.
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Kenya emerged as the leaders in Group B after winning on Tuesday but their victory over Swaziland was overshadowed by a six-goal thriller between Botswana and Lesotho.
Kenya won 2-0 against Swaziland in the first of the day’s matches at Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe, after which Lesotho grabbed a dramatic last gasp equaliser to keep alive their hopes in a 3-3 draw with Botswana.
Jerome Ramatlhakwana notched a hat-trick for the Zebras but Lesotho, playing their second game in 24 hours, proved the real heroes with their comeback effort.
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