Women, Children and People with Disabilities Minister Lulu Xingwana has lashed out at young women who abuse the right to terminate pregnancies.

The Minister says while abortion is legal in this country, it should not be abused. Xingwana has been addressing delegates attending the two day Women’s HIV Prevention Summit underway in Rosebank, Johannesburg.

She says nurses who help conduct abortions need support.

“I agree that some nurses are traumatized by the number of abortions they are seeing every day and therefore maybe reacting to you in a manner that is unprofessional.”

Xingwana adds: “But, they also need counselling from time to time and I agree that you should not be judged at the time when you need help.”
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says it is concerned about how the South African Police Service (SAPS) conducts its administrative and information gathering capacity.

This follows the appointment and the subsequent dismissal of Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma as Gauteng’s Police Commissioner.

Zuma failed to disclose that he was facing allegations of drunk driving dating back to September 2008.

National Commissioner Ria Phiyega appointed Zuma before becoming aware of the investigations against him.

“Cosatu is concerned about the cancellation of the appointment of Major General Zuma has raised questions as to whether this was a once-off mistake or if there might be a pattern of SAPS incompetence in checking the history of people they take on as police officers,” says Cosatu’s Patrick Craven.

He says that it raises more general questions about their investigative and forensic capacity to deal with the levels of crime in South Africa.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

South Africa’s media practitioners have been urged to help to promote hope and unity in the country.

President Jacob Zuma has made the call at a meeting with senior journalists, editors and political editors from within the country and
abroad.

The meeting, which was attended by dozens of Cabinet ministers and their deputies, was called to discuss issues of national and
international interest.

President Zuma says the media in South Africa has a responsibility to promote hope, nation building, development and unity.

“We appreciate the role that the media is playing in our country. For instance, the South African Broadcasting Corporation
(SABC) has been running a successful programme called ‘Touching Lives’, this has changed the lives of many people.”
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile has re-iterated government’s position on the Tshwane-Pretoria debate. Mashatile says Pretoria cannot be regarded as a city.

Some civil society organizations, including AfriForum have been challenging the renaming in court for years. They argue that the public was not consulted.

In October, there will be more public hearings over the issues.

“There is a city called Tshwane and it includes Mabopane, Soshanguve, Mamelodi and it also includes Pretoria. And Pretoria is currently a suburb – I do not think a suburb can be called a capital city,” says the minister.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

Mineworkers union, AMCU, has appealed to workers at Anglo American Platinum, who have been served with retrenchment letters at Khomanani number 2 shaft in Rustenburg in North West, not to resort to violence.

There are rumours that the miners have threatened to bring the shaft to a standstill. The company is closing its Khuseleka and Khomanani shafts to remain competitive.

Mineworkers who fear for their future want Amplats to overturn the decision to retrench them. AMCU and National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have threatened to take this matter forward.

“We are meeting on Thursday and we are appealing to those who might think of doing such things that it would be very much irresponsible. They will give the employer the upper hand to dismiss them without receiving a cent. Let them wait for us,” said AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the Broadcasting Electronic Media and Allied Worker’s Union (Bemawu) have signed an 8.5% wage increase agreement across the board.

The two parties had deadlocked and the matter was referred to the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). The union was then issued with a certificate of non-resolution.

Under the agreement, SABC employees will also get a R1500 once-off payment. However, the SABC and another union, Communication Worker’s Union (CWU), are still in talks.

SABC Acting Group COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng is hopeful that an agreement will be reached soon.

“They still have some outstanding issues that I cannot talk about but we are in discussion with them. I hope by Wednesday we will finalise our discussion and they will come onboard and sign,” says Motsoeneng.

“A union is never happy with any settlement but we believe that under the circumstances we have done the best that we could,” says Bemawu president Hannes Du Buisson.

Du Buisson says that overall, it is not a bad increase for the SABC staff in comparison with wage increases in the private sector.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega has been summoned to appear before Parliament to explain the senior appointments she made last weekend.

Three deputy national commissioners were appointed, as well as provincial commissioners for the Free State, Limpopo and Gauteng.

However, Major-General Mondli Zuma was removed as Gauteng Commissioner, only hours after his appointment. This was after it was discovered that he was facing criminal charges.

Parliament’s Police Committee Chairperson Annelize van Wyk says Phiyega and her team will be in Parliament later this month.

“They will be here on September 17 to deal with the last quarter of the previous financial year and the first quarter of this financial year. They will give us a report,” says Van Wyk.

She says that she has asked Phiyega to come back on September 19 so that they can have a full meeting on the announcements that were made in terms of how they believe it is going to impact on improving service delivery.
Source:www.sabc.co.za

Members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in the Free State Goldfields say they are set to join the nationwide strike on Tuesday evening.

Workers who are supposed to be on night duty will not report for work.

NUM regional secretary David Sphunzi says they have set up strike committees which will ensure that union members do not engage in violence and intimidation.

He says they are expecting about 20 000 of their members to join the strike.

“If there is no production at all there will be losses especially on the side of the employer. Our members understand that the strike is a no work, no pay process. Their losses will be minimal compared to the losses that will be inflicted on the employer,” he says.

Meanwhile, employees at Amplats’ Khomanani shaft say the platinum giant has no option but to deploy them to its other operations across the country.

This as the company starts to retrench more than 3000 workers at its Khomanani and Khuseleka shafts.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (Amcu) shop stewards ordered their colleagues to register their names at the Human Resources offices, for them to be deployed to other Amplats operations.

The mining company says it wants to keep its business competitive and sustainable.

“We received a letter that says Anglo has 560 opportunities. The workers are saying they are willing to take those opportunities. What they do not want is to be retrenched,” says Amcu shopsteward Godfrey Lindani.

Lindani says that a lot of people have taken voluntary severance packages.

“We have got people who died in this mine, earlier this year and even last year. Some of them are ill. They have been taken to the medical boards,” he added.

Zuma appeals to gold firms and unions to avoid the strike
President Jacob Zuma has told parties in the gold mining industry that labour unrest is not helpful to both the sector and the country.

Addressing editors at a briefing in Pretoria, the President said that negotiating parties should find solutions to their differences for the sake of the economy.

He says although they cannot dictate to the unions, they should bear in mind that labour unrest is counter-productive.

“I do not think that we can tell mine management to just accept what the workers are saying nor can we tell the workers not to voice their demands. This is a matter of negotiation that has two parties involved. We appeal to them to find common ground because a protracted strike is not helpful to the country or the industry itself. We would like them to negotiate and find a solution,” says Zuma.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

Bafana Bafana’s preparations for the must-win FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Botswana got underway in Durban on Tuesday.
The team held its first training session at People’s Park with some players still absent. The seven, which include two overseas-based players and five Orlando Pirates players who returned from Egypt early on Tuesday, will join the team on Wednesday.

After a fanfare reception in Durban on Monday, it was time for the boys to buckle down. Coach Gordon Igesund seemed confident on the practice field. This is Igesund’s strongest squad yet. While he’s brought in the big-guns for this crucial encounter, he’s also included young talent. Dutch-based midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo is the only uncapped player in the squad.

“I am very happy about the call up, I feel this time it’s well deserved because I have been doing well at club level I am just glad the coach noticed that,” said midfielder, Kamohelo Makotjo

And despite the fact that a win may still not see Bafana through to the next phase of qualifying, Bafana have their focus firmly on Botswana.

“The only thing we need to think about and worry about is our game and to get the result and let the rest to fate. It’s important for us to concentrate on Saturday,” said Defender, Bongani Khumalo.

And they promise to give it their all, come match day. But, support from their fans will motivate them even more.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

Word reaching the Siya crew is that Nhlakanipho Ntuli has not yet started training with his new Orlando Pirates teammates. Ntuli recently signed a short-term contract with Pirates.

According to Siya sources close to Pirates, Ntuli was supposed to have joined the Pirates players who had been left behind from the squad that travelled to Egypt to play Zamalek in the CAF Champions League, but the young midfielder decided to wait for the team to return before starting his new life at Bucs.
Source: http://www.soccerladuma.com