Johannesburg – Three students were stabbed on the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Polokwane campus this week, the institution said on Wednesday.

The attack on Tuesday was sparked by an argument related to student leadership elections held on campus, TUT spokesperson Willa de Ruyter said in a statement.

The injured students received treatment at a local hospital and were discharged.

“The alleged perpetrator, who was assaulted by bystanders, has been apprehended and is currently under police guard in hospital. The [police have] already launched an investigation into the matter,” De Ruyter said.

The university instituted an internal investigation.

De Ruyter said the institution was weapon-free and had security measures in place to ensure the safety of staff and students.

– SAPA

Cape Town – Procurement contracts worth over R1bn in Limpopo are being probed by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Parliament’s finance select committee was told on Wednesday.

SIU officials and public service and administration department (DPSA) officials briefed the committee on progress made in probes instituted after national government took over the running of five departments in the province in December 2011.

The departments were education, health, public works, treasury, and roads and transport.

“We are currently investigating 18 procurement contracts which is to the value of R1bn,” SIU programme manager Leonard Lekgetho told MPs.

The biggest contracts under scrutiny were in the health department.

Four cases were under investigation in the department where officials allegedly flouted procurement laws.

“The value of those four matters amounts to [over] R900m,” Lekgetho said.

Five cases were being investigated in the education department, one in the treasury, five in the public works department, and three in the roads and transport departments.

On the non-disclosure of business interests, the SIU initially identified 302 cases.

“Currently as we speak, 41 cases have been referred to the DPSA for institution of disciplinary action against the members,” Lekgetho said.

Another 48 cases were in the process of being referred to the DPSA for disciplinary action.

“Investigations where we could not find anything are 114. Disciplinary cases completed by departments were 13 and cases where we did not investigate were 86.”

Suspected misconduct

MPs were unhappy at the pace of action against those suspected of misconduct and criminal behaviour.

DPSA official Mamodupi Mohala-Mulaudzi disagreed, saying progress was being made.

A total of 88 cases were referred to the DPSA by both the SIU and forensic firms who were contracted to probe financial irregularities.

Of those charged, 44 were in senior management positions, while 44 were junior staff members.

Two heads of department were given precautionary suspension letters and charged with wrongdoing.

Their disciplinary cases were set to start in September and October.

They remained suspended on full pay.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The Congress of SA Trade Unions needs to focus on its principles, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Wednesday.

“Once you close your eyes to those fundamental principles you are going to see the battles that are running now,” he told Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) members at their 2nd national political school in Benoni, east of Johannesburg.

“Those battles are a function of many things.”

Mantashe said one of those things was the development of personalities in the trade union federation.

“When you begin to worship individuals then you are going to kill the thing [Cosatu].”

Divided

Cosatu has been divided following allegations of rape against its general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, and his suspension. Cosatu announced on Thursday that Vavi had been put on special leave pending outcomes of a disciplinary hearing into an affair he had with a junior employee.

On Friday, Vavi vowed to challenge his suspension.

Last month, a junior Cosatu employee accused Vavi of rape. He admitted to having a consensual affair with her. The woman subsequently withdrew a sexual harassment complaint against him.

Cosatu affiliates such as the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the Food and Allied Workers Union have backed Vavi.

The unions have called for Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini to be removed from his position after he made comments saying damage had been done to Cosatu. They also claim the special central executive committee meeting which suspended Vavi was not constituted properly.

Numsa, Cosatu’s biggest affiliate, said it had lost faith in Dlamini and that he was not representing all Cosatu affiliates.

Fundamental principles

Mantashe on Wednesday said Cosatu needed to appreciate the fundamental principles and focus on its responsibility to workers.

“You gave power to general secretaries and killed worker control,” he said.

“Once you do that you tamper with the content and nature of the trade [union] movement,” he said.

– SAPA

The North West health department has received a clean audit from the Auditor General for the 2012/13 financial year, it said on Wednesday.

“The achievement happened after a vigorous fight to address all the reported findings that led to qualification last financial year (2011/12) and effective implementation of the audit recommendations,” spokesman Tebogo Lekgethwane said in a statement.

Problems, such as payment of creditors, procurement and management of contracts, and unauthorised expenditure, were highlighted by Auditor General Terence Nombembe for the 2012/13 year as needing urgent attention.

Lekgethwane said these problems were being addressed.

“Extensive resources have now been put behind payment of suppliers, especially pharmaceutical supplies, since they are the biggest consumer of the departmental allocation.”

The department has been allocated R7.6 billion for the 2013/14 financial year.

Sapa

BY Obakeng Maje
Hartswater-Police made a breakthrough following the arrest of two men aged 24 and 41, who are accused of house breakings around Hartswater Policing Cluster. The arrest emanates after the police followed the leading information, about the two local men from Warrenton who are in possession of the suspected stolen goods.
The suspects were both arrested in Warrenton at Ikhutseng location, today.
“The suspects were found with two cellphones which were reported stolen during a house breaking on the 10th August 2013. Apparently the suspects broke into a house in Ikhutseng location, while the owner was away on holiday” Lieutenant Donald Tawana said.
“During questioning they led the police to where other items have been pawned. As a result of that the police drove with them to the places where the items were sold and pawned. Two laptops, laptop charger, two expensive gold wrist watches, were recovered from where they were pawned” he said.
The investigation reveals that one of the laptops was also reported stolen during a house breaking in Jankempdorp two weeks back, while other laptop including wrist watches, cellphones and shaver were also stolen in Warrenton.
The suspects are due to appear before the Warrenton Magistrate’s Court on charges of house breaking.
The police appeal to the public or community members not to shy away from reporting criminal activities, which are taking place in the within their respective community.
“We will not hesitate to arrest also those who buy stolen goods from the criminals. If you buy stolen goods you are equal to perpetrators of crime, and you will be charged for committing crime” Tawana concludes.-TDN
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MAHIKENG – The North West Provincial Government and the North West University have signed a breakthrough Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will strengthen collaboration and cooperation between the provincial government and its university.

Speaking at the signing ceremony held at Mafikeng Hotel School on Tuesday, North West Premier Thandi Modise said her administration seeks to take the existing relationship with the North West University to another level.

“We had noted that even though there is a relationship between ourselves and our university, there is still a huge gap that needed to be closed.

We are making a serious call to all the campuses of the North West University to take part in developments of the province,” Premier Modise said.

The MoU amongst other things is expected to provide a framework for cooperation on diverse area of mutual interest between the North West University and the North West provincial Government.

The expected areas of cooperation included are in areas of research and development, poverty alleviation projects and sustainable skills development.

Other areas also included are agricultural development and information systems, human security, government capacity and indigenous knowledge system.

Premier Modise emphasised that the role of the university in the development of the province is beyond measure.

“I have seen this University producing rare fine leaders such as Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, Judge Bez Nkabinde, Dr Sophie Mosome, Current IEC Chairperson P Hlakula and Professor Sipho Seepe.

Your educational muscle cannot be underrated as you have developed champions in field such as agriculture, education, health and planning”, she said.

Premier Modise appealed to the university to play a huge role in fighting huge challenges faced by the provincial government.

“It is true that government is faced with challenges which include poverty, unemployment, and shortage of skills in areas such as research, policy development, planning, and crime.

Government therefore is pleading to academic institution as it is a knowledge institution that can guide and advice on latest innovations,” she cited.

The North West University Vice Chancellor, Dr Theuns Elloff also cited that government must not neglect universities when doing their planning.

“We all have to admit at this stage that Universities cannot afford to work alone as a white elephant. We have to agree that all of our universities are rooted in our society and must therefore contribute to the development of these communities,” he said.

Dr Elloff said through the signing of the MoU the North West University is committing itself to work closely with government in changing the lives of the people.

Johannesburg – Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will represent South Africa at Robert Mugabe’s inauguration as president of Zimbabwe on Thursday, the international relations department said.

“The inauguration follows the ruling by the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe on 20 August 2013 that… Mugabe is the duly elected president of Zimbabwe,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

Motlanthe would be accompanied by International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

“President Jacob Zuma was among the first heads of state… to congratulate President Mugabe on 3 August 2013 following the announcement of the results by the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission,” it said.

“In his statement, President Jacob Zuma reiterated South Africa’s readiness to continue to partner with Zimbabwe in pursuit of mutually beneficial co-operation.”

A spokesperson for Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai told AFP on Wednesday that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader would not attend the inauguration.

“Expecting Tsvangirai to attend the inauguration is like expecting a victim of robbery to attend a party hosted by the robber,” Luke Tamborinyoka was quoted as saying.

AFP reported that Thursday had been declared a public holiday to allow people to attend Mugabe’s swearing-in, to be held in a 60 000-seat sports stadium on the outskirts of Harare.

The ceremony was delayed after Tsvangirai challenged the election results in a petition to the country’s constitutional court.

On Tuesday, the court cleared the way for the inauguration after ruling that the elections last month were “free, fair and credible”.

Tsvangirai condemned the election as “a farce” and “a massive fraud” and demanded a forensic audit of the election results.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The Marikana families must sue the government and Lonmin in a civil court, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) said on Wednesday.

“There is an abundance of evidence, such as Mr Cyril Ramaphosa’s e-mails and the recordings and photographs of our police mowing down these workers, to hope that a civil suit might result in the families being fairly compensated,” UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said.

In an open letter to Dali Mpofu, the lawyer representing mineworkers arrested and injured during last year’s unrest in Marikana, Holomisa urged him to consider suing.

“Why do you not consider that we fundraise for these families to assist them to file papers in civil court?” he asked.

Ramaphosa, the ANC’s deputy president, allegedly wrote an e-mail to Lonmin a day before 34 mineworkers were killed on 16 August, describing their actions as a “criminal act”.

He was a non-executive board member at the platinum miner at the time.

Mpofu and his clients have provisionally withdrawn from the Farlam Commission of Inquiry due to a lack of funding.

The commission is investigating the deaths of 44 people during a pay strike at Lonmin platinum’s mining operations in Marikana, near Rustenburg, last year.

The 34 people were killed on 16 August 2012, when police fired on them. Ten people, including two police officers, were killed in the preceding week.

Holomisa said the government had gone to great lengths to defend the actions of the police and had already spent R7m in their defence.

“The Farlam Commission’s findings cannot be righteous and just when these families are left to fend for themselves against a government that has millions to spend on crack legal teams.”

He said there was no guarantee that the government would honour the commission’s findings.

“There is serious doubt whether this government will ever accept liability for the actions of its police and state security organs.”

The Marikana Solidarity Campaign also wrote an open letter to the government asking for it to fund the lawyers representing the mineworkers.

– SAPA

Word reaching the Siya crew is that former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates midfielder, Gert Schalkwyk, has gone AWOL at Moroka Swallows.
For more http://www.soccerladuma.com

Kaizer Chiefs have begun their 2013/14 campaign brightly and seem to have started from where they left off last season, in their league and cup double winning campaign.

The arrival of Knowledge Musona has only added to what is a hugely talented attacking armoury.

Interestingly, while it’s still very early days in his second stint at Naturena, Musona is yet to announce himself as a force with a big performance.

It’s something he did in his first spell at the club when he memorably got the better of Orlando Pirates in a Soweto derby.
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