Johannesburg – The presidency denied reports on Saturday that former president Nelson Mandela had been discharged from a Pretoria hospital.

“The presidency has noted incorrect media reports that former president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital,” spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement.

“Madiba is still in hospital in Pretoria, and remains in a critical but stable condition. At times his condition becomes unstable, but he responds to medical interventions.”

Maharaj was responding to various reports from the international media that the 95-year-old elder statesman was discharged from the Medi-Clinic Heart hospital in Pretoria in the early hours of Saturday morning and returned to his Johannesburg home.

Sky News reported Mandela had a “hospital ward” in his house so his team of doctors would be able to monitor him around the clock.

The British news channel said it had spoken to one of Mandela’s daughters who did not want to be named.

BBC News also reported Mandela had been discharged from hospital.

On 24 August, the presidency said Mandela remained in a critical but stable condition but at times became unstable.

“While at times, his condition becomes unstable, the doctors indicate that the former president has demonstrated great resilience and his condition tends to stabilise as a result of medical interventions,” Maharaj said at the time.

He said doctors were working hard to effect a turnaround, improve Mandela’s health and keep him comfortable.

On Tuesday, President Jacob Zuma said Mandela remained in a stable but critical condition in hospital.

Mandela is being treated for a recurring lung infection. He was admitted to hospital on 8 June this year.

SAPA

Education and skills development are the most powerful tools we can use to tackle the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality. North West Premier Modise told delegates attending the National Skills Authority (NSA) Provincial Consultative Workshop in Cookes Lake, Mahikeng on Friday.

Premier Modise said that skills development is not just about improving productivity in the workplace but it is also about improving the quality of life of workers, in terms of job prospects and their mobility.

“The New Growth Path identifies skills shortages, poor quality of education and training as some of the major constraints that need to be addressed to realise its objectives. High levels of education and training with relevant skills that talk to the time and need of that population are also critical if we are to address the challenges of poverty and inequality in our country,” said Premier Modise.

Modise announced that plans were afoot to establish the Provincial Skills Development Forum and the Provincial Human Resource Development Council which she will personally spearhead. She also declared that her administration will establish the Provincial Public Service Academy before the end of the year to ensure that there is integration in implementing skills development in all sectors within the Province. 

Outlining the purpose of the consultative workshop, Mr Manene Samela of the National Skills Authority (NSA) said the workshop is intended as a viable platform to deepen partnership with various stakeholders including business, government, community and labour organisations.

“We are here today to respond to the critical call of shaping the anticipated post school landscape in higher education and training whilst ensuring effective implementation of the NSDS III, and provisioning of quality service to our people’” said Samela.

He said the consultative workshop provides a good opportunity for stakeholders to deliberate on the national skills development strategy and examine prospects and challenges facing the province with regard to post school education and training needs.

“We have already completed the second year of implementation since the launch of the NSDS III and it is important to evaluate progress thus far. It is against this background that you are engaged as the province to share your achievements and challenges in the implementation of this revolutionary strategy,” said Samela adding that skills development should essentially benefit the unemployed, underemployed and vulnerable groups.

Speaking on behalf of the North West Business Forum, Kelebogile McHarvey Seboka said it was worrying that South Africa has a high rate of unemployment especially when compared to other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries.  

He attributed this problem to the fact that South Africa tends to focus on employment in the formal sector as opposed to trends other countries were the focus is diverse. He decried the caliber of students that graduate from our Institutions of High Learning, saying that our schooling system tends to produce graduates who are not employable or who are not immediately productive economically.

 “Business would like to see Institutions of higher learning beginning to observe industry requirements and providing the caliber of graduates that will match the need of business. Where possible business will want to have a data base of those skills that our members can help develop, those that need experiential learning so that we mobilize our members to grant them space to learn,” said Seboka.

Kopano Konopi of COSATU, who also addressed delegates, cautioned that South Africa was one of the most unequal societies in the world especially in terms of wage disparities. He said any kind of skills development should endeavour to close such a gap.

In their recommendations, delegates highlighted, among others, the need for more SMME oriented systems of skills development that would encourage job creation instead of producing a cohort of job seekers. It was further recommended that Science, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing sectors be prioritised in the Province.

In his closing remarks, NSA Board Member Mr. Percy Mongalo advised the province to convene a follow up workshop that will delve deeper into some of the challenges and map out a strategy to address them.

Cape Town – Currie Cup champions Western Province may learn to their detriment on Saturday night the cost of turning a once highly likely five-point away log haul into a mere two.

The predators waiting to pounce on their failure to bolt the door against the Golden Lions in a breathless, high-quality 31-31 draw at Ellis Park on Friday are the Sharks, who now simply need to register  Durban victory — not even with a bonus point required — over the embattled Blue Bulls (17:05) to seize command of the 2013 table.

It would be a handy device to boast going into next Saturday’s final series of first-round fixtures, when their very opponents in a coastal derby will be current leaders Province at Newlands in the feature game.

Should the Sharks unexpectedly slip up against the rookie-laden, rebuilding Bulls, the Cheetahs could also alter Province’s tenuous supremacy: they will draw level with WP by gaining a full-house victory over Griquas in Saturday’s 15:00 kick-off in what will probably be a sunny but ice-cold Bloemfontein.

Allister Coetzee’s charges, of course, would have been safe in their lofty position, regardless of the outcomes of remaining fixtures this weekend, had they matched their magnificent start in Johannesburg with a knockout finish.

Instead, after romping into a 25-10 half-time lead against the Lions and bagging as many as three tries well before the break with reminders of old-style “Province rugby”, they actually had to rely on a penalty strike from in front of the posts by Kurt Coleman on the closing siren even to bank the consolation of a draw and two log points.

Getting a draw on the road in the pleasingly strength-versus-strength competition this year is no disgrace anywhere, as captain Deon Fourie was quick to point out, but he and his troops will also be quietly seething about their failure to leave with a far rosier five points after this had seemed so feasible at one stage.

Still, say what you like about some highly-debatable, possibly very influential TMO calls during the full-blooded clash which mostly went against the visitors … the Lions deserve full marks for the marvellous “gees” they displayed in turning the game so violently on its head and so nearly winning it.

They did gain the moral satisfaction of banking three points on the table (and shifting up to second for the time being) via the draw and also through being able to nick a bonus point for registering four tries to Province’s unbudging three.

While both teams would have had reason to wonder how to digest the result in the post-game dressing rooms – was it a gift from the orchard or a kiss from your sister? – the fact remains that they are very much in the cup hunt.

The Lions, especially, have burst into contention in a big way after successive losses to start with.

They have earned a productive eight points from a possible 10 against the Bulls in Pretoria and now the trophy-holders at home, and played with such passion and vitality each time that there is no reason to suspect they are any less worthy challengers for the crown – one they last annexed only two seasons ago – than the other five teams.

All this has come despite a fair amount of staffing turmoil at Ellis Park in recent months.

The peak of their troubles was probably losing their captain and staunch loosehead prop JC Janse van Rensburg to Bayonne, but compensation has come from the return to red-and-white jerseys of once-staple customers like Franco van der Merwe and Elton Jantjies, and emergence of loose forward dynamos like Jaco Kriel and Willie Britz.

Clearly the Lions are a very fit side, too: it was a point alluded to by their former coach and now TV pundit John Mitchell after last week’s humbling of the Bulls, and only borne out by their great second wind against WP despite the drawback of a mere six-day turnaround from that fixture.

The Lions’ next obligation is against Griquas in Kimberley.

For more http://www.sport24.co.za

Johannesburg – A 29-year-old Soweto man is behind bars for the murder of his 4-year-old girl, police said.

“Police found the child lying face down with bruises all over her body,” warrant officer Kay Makhubela said on Saturday.

She was certified dead by paramedics who were called to try and save her.

According to information, the girl soiled herself at the family home in Rockville, Soweto and that angered the father. 

Makhubela said the man then severely assaulted the child.

“At this stage it is not known what the man used to assault the child, investigations are still on going,” he said.

The man is expected to appear at the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

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