Bloemfontein Celtic have assured their fans that captain Thabo Nthethe is not going anywhere.

The Bafana Bafana defender has been linked with a move away from the Free State, with all off the big three supposedly chasing his signature.

Celtic CEO Khumbulani Konco tells KickOff.com that Nthethe will lead the team against next season, saying: “Nthethe is not going anywhere. He is staying with the club.”

Konco adds that while they are interested, no deal has been reached with Mamelodi Sundowns for Musa Nyatama.

“We are interested in signing him, but nothing has happened yet because Sundowns are still waiting for someone outside the country.”
Source: http://www.kickoff.com

Johannesburg – One-time Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns scoring ace Katlego Mphela could revive his international career by signing for newly-promoted English Premiership club Hull City.
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London – John Terry’s father, Ted Terry has been charged with carrying out a racist attack on a man after an altercation in the street.

The Daily Mail’s website reports that Terry, 59, was arrested earlier this year following the incident on Fenchurch Street in London’s Square Mile.

After answering bail at Bishopsgate Police Station, Terry was formally charged on Tuesday afternoon with two racially motivated offences.

He is accused of committing a racially aggravated common assault and a public order offence.

Two other men, Tudor Musteata, 47, and Stephen Niland, 36, were also charged.

They both face a single allegation that they caused a ‘fear of violence’ that was racially aggravated.

Local authorities declined to elaborate on exactly what is alleged to have taken place.

“As charges have now been brought we are unable to comment further on the nature of the incident,” said a police spokesperson.

All three men were ordered to appear before City of London Magistrates’ Court on July 23.

It is not the first time that Terry has had a run in with the law.

Last year, John Terry, the former England captain, was cleared of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand.

Terry denied making the comments to Ferdinand during a match at Loftus Road the previous year.

The Chelsea captain was also arrested following a nightclub brawl in 2002, but was later cleared of four charges, including affray and wounding with intent.

In 2001, Terry, along with fellow Chelsea teammates were also accused of drunkenly mocking American tourists after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The rest of the Terry family also have chequered backgrounds.

In 2009, Terry’s father was accused of of passing drugs to an undercover newspaper reporter, whilst Terry’s mother Sue, 55, and mother-in-law Sue Poole, 59, were cautioned for shoplifting from Tesco and Marks & Spencer.

2009 was also the year Terry was accused of having an extra-marital affair with former teammate, Wayne Bridges then girlfriend, Vanessa Perroncel.

In November 2010, Ted Terry was rushed to hospital after he was attacked by Tottenham Hotspur fans.
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Few of us give our belly buttons a second thought – but perhaps we should. Here are some navel facts you might want to think about…

Don’t wash yours with antibacterial soap

Our navel is inhabited by hundreds of friendly bacteria species, according to a North Carolina State University study. Researchers from the Belly Button Biodiversity project took swabs from 60 navels, which revealed more than 1,400 species of bacteria, including one responsible for smelly feet and others thought to protect skin.

‘The belly button is kind of a nature reserve on your body,’ says Rob Dunn, an associate professor from the university.

Researchers also found the micro-organism make-up in each person’s belly button is unique. Your own bacteria are your first line of defence, because they compete with and attack viruses and germs that land on the skin. For this reason Professor Dunn does not recommend anti-bacterial wash.

‘I use soap and water and try to never touch anti-microbial products.’

So that’s why you have got an ‘innie’

Around 90 per cent of us have an ‘innie’ – when the belly button goes inwards. When a baby’s umbilical cord is clamped – typically 3cm from the navel – it leaves a small stump behind which usually drops off within two weeks. Whether it’s an ‘innie’ or ‘outie’ may be linked to how the cord is detached. If it’s clamped and cut, it’s more likely to be an innie, but if it’s been tied and cut, it may be an outie.

Women’s belly buttons can change appearance during pregnancy. ‘The pressure of the baby can push out the soft tissue, leaving the belly button completely flat or turning it into an outie,’ says Nikki Khan, a midwife at BMI Syon Clinic in Brentford, Middlesex. It generally returns to normal, but sometimes stretches permanently.

Why surgeons love belly buttons

The umbilical cord connects the growing foetus to the placenta, providing it with oxygen and nutrients needed for development. But after birth our belly buttons didn’t serve much purpose – until recently.

Now the belly button is coming into its own in so-called ‘orifice’ surgery. Keyhole surgery involves inserting tiny cameras and tools into the body via two or three small incisions known as ‘ports’.

For abdominal or pelvic surgery this can now be done through just one incision in the belly button, which means less chance of wound infection and no scar. Hernia repair, removal of the gallbladder or the appendix, some bowel cancer surgery, gastric banding and hysterectomies can all be performed like this.

And as surgical equipment becomes more advanced, more operations are likely to be conducted this way, says Professor John Erian, consultant gynaecologist at BMI Chelsfield Park Hospital, Kent.

How yours could go wrong…

Belly buttons can become infected, which often affects obese people with large skin folds covering it up.

‘This area is likely to get hot and moist, an environment which can lead to fungal infections,’ says Dr Adam Friedmann, a consultant dermatologist at the Harley Street Dermatology Clinic, London.

People with psoriasis – a skin condition causing red, flaky, crusty patches of skin covered with silvery scales – often have it in their belly button. Harmless warts can also appear on the skin as we age. This includes the belly button, where they can become painful, bleed, and may need to be surgically removed. In rare cases a firm, red, painless lump can appear. This is known as the Sister Mary Joseph nodule and is a marker for internal cancers in the pelvis or abdomen. ‘Usually by the time it manifests, the cancer is quite advanced,’ says Dr Friedmann.

PS. . . why belly button fluff is usually blue

Belly button ‘fluff’ is more common in hairy, overweight, older men with ‘innie’ belly buttons, says Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, an Australian doctor and radio presenter who surveyed nearly 5,000 people about their navels.

After examining respondents’ belly button fluff, he found it largely consisted of clothing fibres, sweat and skin cells. It gets moved into the belly button by the hair on the belly – so the hairier the stomach, the more fluff there is. People with bigger bellies build up more lint because they have deeper navels.

And why is it often blue? Dr Kruszelnicki says: ‘Because a lot of clothes are blue.’ – Daily Mail

Johannesburg – A Durban Magistrate’s Court prosecutor was arrested on Tuesday on charges of corruption, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

She allegedly demanded R1 000 from an advocate to make a case of fraud and assault against his client disappear, police spokesperson Vincent Mdunge said.

A trap was set and a sworn statement was obtained from the advocate.

The money was handed over.

Police officers then entered the court while it was in session and conducted a search.

The marked notes were found in the prosecutor’s possession.

She would appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

– SAPA

Mthatha – A police docket containing evidence of alleged grave tampering by Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela was handed to prosecutors in Mthatha on Tuesday afternoon.

A decision on whether to prosecute Mandla Mandela would be made this week, National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Luxolo Tyali said.

“The senior public prosecutor at the magistrate’s court in Mthatha will look at the content of the docket and will make a decision based on that,” Tyali said.

“We expect that decision to be made within the week.”

Mandla Mandela, 39, admitted to exhuming the remains of three of the former president’s children in 2011 in Qunu and moving them to Mvezo, where he is chief.

The remains were exhumed in Mvezo on Wednesday following an order by the Eastern Cape High Court in Mthatha. They were reburied at Mandela’s home in Qunu on Thursday.

The court order came after an application against Mandla Mandela by 15 members of the Mandela family, including Mandela’s wife Graca Machel.

Mandela has expressed his wish to be buried with his children at his rural homestead at Qunu.

He is currently in a critical but stable condition in a hospital in Pretoria. – Sapa

Johannesburg – The monthly Mxit brand index for June shows that SuperSport retained the No 1 position of South African brands.

It was followed by 24.com, SterKinekor in third and MNet in fourth position.

The top cellphone brand was CellC, the top sporting brand was Nike Football and the top banking brand was FNB.

The bank jumped three places from 13 to 10 the last month, to put more distance between itself and the other banking brands by acquiring just under 70 000 new subscribers since March this year.

Other top brands included leading financial services brand 1life; the top retail brand was Spar and SuperSport was the top media brand.

A new arrival on the brand index was Pep, which took over the No 20 slot from KFC on the back of a targeted promotions campaign.

Among the criteria Mxit use are working app with updated information; real world brand that exists outside of the Mxit ecosystem; no individual celebrities such as Riaad Moosa and Romy Titus as well as no chat rooms.
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Johannesburg – The head researcher for Cope could not recall hearing changes that would affect the party’s quorum, discussed at a 2010 conference, the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg heard on Tuesday.

Farouk Cassim, head of the Congress of the People’s research team, testified that he could not recall discussion about an amendment to the party’s constitution during a conference held at St George’s Hotel in Irene in May 2010.

The amendment referred to a change in the party quorum from two-thirds, to 50% plus one.

“I cannot recall that anything of that nature occurred during that conference,” Cassim said.

The quorum is the number of members who must be present to validate a party decision.

Cassim said he did not attend one of the sessions as it was not of relevance to the research team, which dealt only with policy aspects of the conference.

The matter before the court is part of the ongoing battle over the party’s leadership since Mbhazima Shilowa was ousted.

Both Shilowa and Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota were in court on Tuesday.

In February 2011, Lekota obtained an interim court order recognising him as president of the party, and restraining ousted leader Shilowa from claiming the title of party leader.

On 8 February of that year, Lekota expelled Shilowa from the party after an internal disciplinary hearing.

Shilowa refused to participate. He was found guilty of mismanaging the party’s parliamentary funds.

Disciplinary hearing

On 18 July 2012, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria struck an application by a faction of Cope aligned to Shilowa off the roll.

The application was to stop further disciplinary hearings against Cope members pending the outcome of the Shilowa-Lekota leadership dispute.

Judge Ronel Tolmay ruled that the application by five Cope leaders in Gauteng and Limpopo was not urgent.

The application was brought by caucus leader Ndzipho Kalipa, whip Moses Mayekiso, and Clara Sodlulashe-Motau, all of the Gauteng legislature; and Solly Mokhatshoa and Mabule Motubatse of the Limpopo legislature.

Lekota opposed the application, saying it was not urgent. Cope would become ungovernable if the party could not discipline its members, he said at the time.

Just before lunch on Tuesday, a member of the research team headed by Cassim said he had attended the commission dealing with the party’s constitution during the conference.

The commission was cut short due to time constraints, and he insisted that the clause was not discussed before the session closed.

Earlier, Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem said Lekota was expected to take the stand on Tuesday.

The matter continues in the afternoon.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has criticised individuals he claims are attempting to “delegitimise” the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

“A deliberate attempt is being made to delegitimise the JSC, and through some scare tactics intimidate or mock the JSC into recommending… certain white men and at times certain women,” he said in a copy of a speech obtained by Sapa on Tuesday.

“These developments seem to suggest that war has been declared against transformation.”

Mogoeng said it seemed these individuals wanted to discredit the JSC.

The chief justice was speaking to Advocates for Transformation (AFT) in Cape Town on Saturday.

He told the AFT that it and other “progressive organisations” had to defeat resistance to transformation.

“I have come to challenge you and other genuinely progressive bodies to resist all efforts geared at the protection of white-male dominance in the professions and the Bench,” Mogoeng said.

“The apparent discomfort with the progress we are making in transforming the judiciary… must be dealt with decisively.”

White men being ‘overlooked’

Earlier this year, JSC official Izak Smuts resigned amid controversy about a discussion document he wrote, criticising the way the JSC overlooked white men for judicial appointments.

Mogoeng said the individuals and NGOs, who spoke regularly about the “perceived” problem areas in the JSC, were mainly concerned about appointments.

“They seem to be more concerned about white men, who are not appointed, and do not seem to be concerned about the reasons for not recommending them for appointment,” he said.

Members of the profession had to lead the charge on the transformation of the judiciary.

“Sadly, they are conspicuous by their silence,” Mogoeng said.

– SAPA

Pretoria – President Jacob Zuma axed Communications Minister Dina Pule on Tuesday, replacing her with former Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Yunis Carriem.

Announcing his reshuffled Cabinet in Pretoria, Zuma made several other changes in the executive.

Connie September would take over the portfolio of Human Settlements, and Transport Minister Ben Martins swopped porfolios with Energy Minister Dipuo Peters.

Deputy Land Reform Minister Lechesa Tsenoli would take over from Richard Baloyi as Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Zuma said.

It is the fourth time that Zuma has changed his Cabinet.

The new Cabinet will be sworn in on Wednesday.

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