Former Germany-based Zimbabwe international George Mbwando says Knowledge Musona’s return to Kaizer Chiefs is “shocking and disappointing”.

Musona returned to Naturena at the beginning of July after just two years in the Bundesliga.

The Zimbabwean international joined 1899 Hoffenheim in July 2011 on a five-year deal, but struggled to make an impression and spent the past season on loan at FC Augsburg.

The 23-year-old is back at Chiefs on a season-long loan.

“I was as shocked as I was disappointed with Knowledge’s decision to go back to Kaizer Chiefs,” Mbwando tells The Herald.

“It is retrogressive, how can you go back to high school when you have reached university? I know that at times it might not be easy to adjust to a new and tougher environment but it was not hell for Musona.

“Even if he could not play regularly in the Bundesliga he could have tried to have a season or two in the Second or even Third Division and I know that he would have bounced back into the Bundesliga a far much better player.

“With all due respect I don’t see how playing in South Africa will improve him or prepare him for European football when he has already been in Europe and knows what is required.”

The 37-year-old Mbwando adds that Musona “needs to return to Europe before it is too late”, as his return to Amakhosi is not a positive situation for the Zimbabwe national team.
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Cape Town – Two men accused of killing Cape Town schoolboy Glenrico Martin appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Wilston Stoffels, 18, and Jevon Snyman, 19, will remain in custody until their next appearance on September 2.

The two previously abandoned their bail applications.

Martin, 18, was shot in May while entering the Spes Bona High School premises in Athlone.

Captain Frederick van Wyk said at the time that three men – two of them armed – wearing school tracksuit tops approached Martin. One of them shot him in the head.

Paramedics revived him and took him to the Groote Schuur Hospital. He died soon after arrival.

Snyman was arrested in Athlone a day after the shooting. Stoffels was arrested in Bonteheuwel the following day.

Sapa

Johannesburg – A bail application by nine policemen allegedly implicated in the death of a Daveyton taxi driver was postponed by the Benoni Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

This was at the request of lawyers for the accused, who said a third member had been added to their team.

The new lawyer, Marius van Wyngaardt, said he needed further consultations with the accused. He joins Patrick Sithole and Benny Ndaba.

The matter was postponed to August 13.

Some relatives of the policemen murmured in disagreement at the outcome of the proceedings.

Earlier, the group of relatives was called out of the court for a brief meeting with the lawyers.

The nine officers were re-applying for bail, after it was denied in March.

Their lawyers claimed to have new evidence which they believed would convince the court to overturn its decision not to grant them bail.

Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia was filmed being tied to the back of a police van and dragged along a street in Daveyton on February 26. Police had confronted him because his taxi was apparently blocking traffic.

A scuffle ensued and he was taken to the local police station, where he was found dead in the holding cells several hours later.

The accused, Thamsanqa Ncema, Linda Sololo, Meshack Malele, Motome Walter Ramatlou, Percy Mnisi, Bongumusa Mdluli, Sipho Ngobeni, Lungisa Ewababa, and Bongani Kolisi were arrested shortly afterwards.

As in previous appearances, they were well-dressed when they entered the courtroom.

The men whispered among themselves as they sat in the dock.

Court officials had arranged for their families to sit on the bench directly behind them in the gallery.

The relatives huddled into the first bench, and a few took up seats in the second row. The second row had been reserved for Macia’s relatives, but none were present in court.

Jose Nascimento, who has a watching brief on behalf of Macia’s family and the Mozambican government, and Badanisile Ngwenya were the only recognisable people representing the Macia family.

Macia had rented a room outside Ngwenya’s house in Daveyton.

After the proceedings, Ngwenya told reporters Macia’s family (in Mozambique) were slowly trying to come to terms with what had happened.

She said she was in no rush to have the case wrapped up.

“I don’t want it to be rushed, so justice can be properly served,” she said.

Public attention had dwindled since the case first made headlines at the end of February.

At the start of the hearings several months ago, Daveyton residents gathered outside the court building and protested against the officers receiving bail.

In recent weeks, none of the protesters have returned to court. However, family members of the policemen have continued to pack the courtroom.

Sapa

Kimberley – A Kimberley police officer accused of corruption was released on bail by the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, the Hawks said.

Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the warrant officer was granted R1000 bail and was expected back in court on August 29.

“It is alleged that the warrant officer offered to make an illegal firearm docket disappear at a price,” Naidu said.

The individual under investigation was allegedly instructed by the officer to make a deposit of R300 at a local retail store, where the officer could withdraw the money.

“The suspect met with the warrant officer again on July 27, where another R300 was exchanged and we then arrested him.”

An internal police probe was also being conducted, Naidu said.

Sapa

Pretoria – Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor arrived at the department’s offices in the Pretoria CBD on Tuesday to hand over a smart card ID to President Jacob Zuma.

Pandor toured the offices and spoke to members of the public who were there for help.

The home affairs department issued former president Nelson Mandela with a smart card ID on 18 July, when he celebrated his 95th birthday.

At that event, Pandor said the transformation from the ID book to the high tech ID card was symbolic of South Africa’s expedition in the democratic dispensation.

– SAPA

Cape Town – The murder trial of the wife of acting Judge Patrick Maqubela was delayed again in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday.

Widow Thandi Maqubela and her co-accused Vela Mabena’s defence said a possible amendment to the charges could prejudice their clients.

The two have pleaded not guilty to killing the acting judge. Maqubela has also pleaded not guilty to forging her husband’s signature on his will.

Judge John Murphy had indicated that he intended amending the charges on the indictment, in terms of the discretion given to him in the Criminal Procedures Act.

On the murder charge, he wanted to extend the cause of death by adding “or means unknown” to “suffocation with plastic”.

Regarding Maqubela’s alleged forgery of her husband’s will, he wanted to amend the charge from “making of the signature” to “making of the will”.

Marius Broeksma, for the defence, said it would probably oppose the amendments because they would prejudice the defence’s case, as extra witnesses would have to be called and other evidence would have to be placed before the court.

It would also probably incur a cost and time prejudice because the trial would take longer to conclude.

He said he still had to closely study the amendments and the Criminal Procedures Act, but he believed the move could be against the “current constitutional order”.

Murphy said he would first have to consider what prejudice would be suffered before the amendments could be made.

Prejudice

The State and the defence both believed the onus rested on the opposite party to prove or disprove such prejudice.

Murphy postponed the trial until Thursday, at which time both sides would argue where the onus lay.

When that had been decided, the court would hear submissions in terms of prejudice and make a ruling.

The defence would then decide whether witnesses should be called. The State also had the option of re-opening its case.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – South Africa on Tuesday condemned an attack on a building housing Turkish embassy staff in Mogadishu, Somalia, that claimed the lives of six people.

“The government of the Republic of South Africa condemns in the strongest terms the bomb attack that targeted a building in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Saturday,” the international relations department said in a statement.

“South Africa welcomes the announcement by Turkey that it will remain steadfast in its support for Somalia despite the attempts by terrorists to plunge the country into further disarray.”

The attacks, carried out by Al-Shabaab militia, claimed six lives, including a Turkish official, two Somali security guards, and a university student.

Nine people were injured, including four members of the Turkish security force charged with protecting the complex.

The department called on parties and individuals in Somalia to renounce violence.

“We call on groups and individuals who remain outside of the political process to desist from cowardly acts of terrorism and join the peace-driven political processes of reconciliation to ensure the development and prosperity of Somalia.”

– SAPA

By TDN

Rustenburg-The South African Police Service in the North West, continues to monitor and maintain stability in the North West Platinum Belt.

This comes after a media statement by the NUM that alleges that Police are failing to control the situation in the Platinum Belt. 

“It is important to note that we have seen only one untimely death to date in the area of Wonderkop Sports grounds on Sunday” Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said. 

This is an isolated incident where one man was found dead at about 20h00 Sunday, 28 July 2013. 

Ngubane said he was in his mine gear on his way to work and was allegedly shot with two bullets on the neck and the upper body. “This is an isolated incident which does not mean the situation is volatile in the platinum belt. It is an unfortunate taking of a man’s life and we cannot at this point, determine whether the murder pure criminality or lined to any mine related situation” he outlines. 

Police are still investigating and believe perpetrators will be arrested and brought to book. This incident occurred during awkward times. 

“It is a fact Police cannot be everywhere and guarding each and every individual in the area. Police continue to patrol and ensure that people of Marikana and Nkaneng are and feel safe” said Ngubane.

“It is wrong to continue making misinformed statements and remarks that are not verified in public platforms like the media. A wrong mischievous, malicious and an ill-informed comment was made last week to confirm death of a National Union of Mine Workers member in a NUM official statement” said police. “He was attacked last Sunday, 21 July 2013, he was wearing a NUM T-shirt, it is alleged that this man was on his way to a NUM rally. His attackers were unknown men with knobkieries”. “We would like to place it on record as the South African Police Service that NO NUM person died on that said date especially the man in question”. The man was treated and released by doctors where he was treated at Brits Hospital and Police reiterate this and place it again on record, and the warm blooded man is a living testimony to these facts. 

“This has a potential of sending shock waves and unnecessary tension amongst the people and destabilize the sector, which is the backbone of the South African Economy” police said.

Ngubane said it is the request of the SAPS to all parties involved in the Platinum situation to take caution when making statements that may instill unnecessary fear and uncertainty in the Platinum Belts. 

Police spokesperson Thulani Ngubane said It remains their call as the SAPS that every stakeholder takes their meaning full role in ensuring total peace and stability in the belt. 

He said Safety and Security is a shared responsibility that all must ensure that the people are safe,and this should be from the side of both Unions, NUM and AMCU, and the employer to join hands with the SAPS. 

“It is critical that we all report to the nation and base our assertions on facts and present a true picture to the people of South Africa, Africa and the world”.

“We can put it on record that the South African Police Service will never deter from upholding the rule of law in the Platinum Belt” he said. 

The situation is currently under control and police investigations are ongoing on certain cases that are working in the Platinum Belt. “We must further be very careful when analyzing or commenting on any situation in the areas of Marikana and Nkaneng not to link any crime that is taking place in the area to some instability in the Platinum belt. There were criminal activities taking place in the area before the situation in the Platinum Belt started hence we have Marikana Police Station tasked with security in the area”. 

Ngubane said these criminal activities will continue even today and that does not mean there is instability in the Platinum Belt.

The current status quo in the Platinum Belt is that there are no escalating levels of violence in the platinum belt, workers are going to work, and life continues as normal in the area. 

“Police continues to ensure that local residents are living in a safe and secure environment. The North West Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Zukiswa Mbombo said “Our duty is to ensure that we act as per the dictates of section 205 of the Republic of South African Constitution to prevent, combat and investigate crime and that is what we continue to do in the Platinum Belt” concludes Ngubane.-TDN

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The Chairperson of Moral Regeneration Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa has called for the promotion of sound family and community values as part of the moral regeneration and social cohesion drive. Father Mkhatshwa was speaking on the role of religion in fostering social cohesion and morality during the two-day Provincial Social Cohesion and Moral Regeneration Summit that commenced in Mahikeng on Monday.

“We must promote that which is good for the soul. Churches have a critical role to play in moral regeneration because we need to build a society of people who respect others and uphold the values of honesty and integrity,” said Father Mkhatshwa.

Speaking on the role of traditional leadership to promote and preserve indigenous cultures and knowledge, Chairperson of North West House of Traditional Leaders, Kgosi Madoda Zibi said traditional leaders play a critical role in building a socially cohesive society. “Dikgosi have to act in the interest of the people in what they do or what they say,” said Kgosi Zibi.

Also speaking at the summit Judge President of the North West High Court, Honourable Justice Monicca Leeuw said the judiciary was in the process of establishing monitoring norms and standards that would enhance the performance of the courts to ensure that the courts were easily accessible, and that justice could be delivered effectively and speedily, as part of the judiciary to enhance the quality of life of the people of South Africa.

“The rights of the people and the society entrenched in the Bill of Rights directly impact on how we go about administering our duties as the judiciary. If cases take long to be finalised and are being postponed several times, both the accused and witnesses are usually adversely affected,” said Justice Leeuw.

Justice Leeuw said the Chief Justice has also established a national Efficiency Enhancement Committee comprising of all stakeholders responsible for the administration of justice in order to address issues that may hamper and delay the administration of justice in our courts.

Dr Willem Langveldt of the South African San Institute said the growing recognition and use of indigenous education methods and knowledge systems would go a long way in addressing the erosion of indigenous knowledge that was enforced through the processes of colonialism, apartheid and globalization.“Indigenous communities are able to reclaim and revalue their languages and traditions, and in so doing, improve the educational success of indigenous students, and thus ensuring their survival as a culture,” said Langveldt.Langveldt said Indigenous knowledge was particularly important to modern environmental management that is eluding much of the modern world.“Environmental and land management strategies traditionally used by indigenous peoples have continued relevance. Indigenous cultures usually live in a particular bioregion for many generations and have learned how to live there sustainably. In modern times, this ability often puts truly indigenous cultures in a unique position of understanding the interrelationships, needs, resources, and dangers of their bioregion,” added Langveldt.He said the inclusion of aspects of indigenous education requires us to acknowledge that there are multiple forms of knowledge, standards, and benchmark systems.

By Obakeng Maje

Tlokwe-The ANC’s former executive mayor in the Tlokwe Municipality in Potchefstroom, Maphetle Maphetle, and this morning refused to vacate his office by 10:00, as instructed by a High Court judgement yesterday.

Yesterday the ANC representative at the High Court, Dakota Legoete – also ANC Whip – stated that the ANC accepts the judgement, respects the judiciary and will adhere to the judgement.

Today, however, the ANC in another desperate attempt to cling to power reneged on its commitment.  

“They have applied for leave to appeal, but no such papers had been served on the DA or our legal representatives at 10:00 this morning” DA Chris Hattingh said.

Da said while the ANC in a blatant show of defiance not only against the Judgement in which it was severely castigated for their recent actions, but also against a majority of Councillors, occupies the offices, no committee meetings or Council meetings are being held. 

“It is clear that in its desperation to cling to power, to control the council’s financial resources and to suppress the forensic investigation into fraud and corruption, the interests of the community and the proper functioning of the Municipality do not come into the equation” Hattingh said.

The DA condemns the continued ANC attempts to frustrate the DA, the community and any attempt to restore stability, sanity and service delivery in the Municipality.

According to other media reports, ANC has been in a private meeting at Tlokwe since this morning.

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