Johannesburg – Four children died in a fire at Gedleza, near Jozini, in KwaZulu-Natal, police said on Tuesday.

Police spokesperson Jay Naicker said the children were alone in the house when it caught fire on Sunday night.

“The cause of the fire is not known at this stage,” said Naicker.

Amkelwa Kwesaba, 19-month, Nkosingizwile Mazibuko, 2, Noxolo Mazibuku, 7, and Sinegugu Mazibuko, 10, all died on the scene.

An inquest docket had been opened.

– SAPA

Potchefstroom – Campaigning ahead of by-elections in Tlokwe, North West, continued late on Tuesday despite uncertainty about whether they would go ahead as planned.

By mid-afternoon, the Electoral Court in Bloemfontein had reserved judgment on an application to postpone the by-elections.

The court was hearing an application by five independent candidates, who were disqualified from taking part in the by-elections by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

Judge Kenneth Nthiyane said he realised the by-elections were scheduled to take place on Wednesday, and the court might give an order before then. Reasons for the order would be given at a later stage.

The ANC was campaigning in three Tlokwe wards on Tuesday.

“These [wards] are our main focal areas,” spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said.

North West ANC chair Supra Mahumapelo was visiting Ward 4, Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula Ward 18 and former Gauteng housing MEC Humphrey Memezi was in Ward 26.

The wards, which were previously represented by the ANC, became vacant when the party expelled the councillors.

Expelled councillors

In July, the ANC expelled 14 councillors after its provincial disciplinary committee found them guilty on four counts of misconduct for participating in a motion of no confidence against Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle.

Maphetle was replaced by DA councillor Annette Combrink.

However, the ANC’s national disciplinary committee overturned the expulsions.

Despite this, eight of the councillors registered as independent candidates for the by-elections.

Mnisi said the ANC would hold a press briefing once the IEC had made a decision.

DA constituency leader in the area Juanita Terblanche said the party was going ahead with its preparations for Wednesday’s by-elections.

Campaign posters for ANC, DA, Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) and independent candidates adorned lamp posts around Potchefstroom.

The ANC’s posters bore the faces of their candidates in the different wards.

DA posters read: “Your vote can make Potch DA.” The FF Plus poster read: “Stop die ANC [Stop the ANC]”.

There were also posters for David Kham, a former ANC member and Tlokwe chief whip, campaigning as an independent candidate.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The ANC has set up a task team to help Cosatu resolve its problems, party spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said on Tuesday.

“It is the view of the NWC [National Working Committee] that it is in the interest of the ANC, our alliance partners and broad mass democratic movement to find a lasting solution that will allow Cosatu to unite, and continue to lead the struggle of the workers and the labour movement broadly.”

Mthembu said the NWC resolved at a meeting on Monday to create the task team.

It would be led by ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa. Other members are Baleka Mbete, Gwede Mantashe, Zweli Mkhize, Mildred Oliphant, Susan Shabangu, Connie September, and Ebrahim Patel.

Mthembu said an urgent meeting would be arranged with Cosatu leaders, and alliance partners would be informed of the decision.

“We are confident that the current phase of challenges facing Cosatu will be overcome.”

Vavi suspended

Cosatu suspended its general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing into to an affair he had with a junior employee.

The employee accused him of rape.

The woman subsequently withdrew a sexual harassment complaint against him.

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) brought an application at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg for his suspension to be declared unconstitutional.

The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu) and the SA Football Players’ Union (SAFPU) are co-applicants in Numsa’s case.

Numsa’s application was postponed last Tuesday to allow an application to intervene by seven opposing unions.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Orlando Pirates will show no mercy to a bottom-of-the-log Polokwane City, Buccaneers’ captain Lucky Lekgwathi said ahead of their soccer Premiership clash at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday.

Polokwane parted ways with their coach Duncan Lechesa on Monday after four consecutive losses in their league campaign, and now have to deal with a dangerous Pirates side on their home turf without a recognised mentor.

“It’s the best time to be playing Polokwane, it’s good to build our motivation,” Lekgwathi said on Monday.

“I heard that their coach has been fired and they’re not doing well, so we must just use that advantage.”

While other teams have played three and four matches each, Pirates have turned out just once in the league – due to their CAF Champions league commitments – losing 1-0 to AmaZulu at Orlando in early August. They are one spot above Polokwane with no points following the loss.

“We don’t have any points in the league yet, so we want to make sure we get three points on Wednesday,” Lekgwathi said.

“We are second from bottom and we want to improve that by winning the game and using the advantage of playing at home. It’s time to catch up now, we spoke about it. It’s just taking it one game at a time.”

Pirates go into the game fresh off a 1-0 loss to Congolese side AC Leopards in the Champions league on Saturday.

Lekgwathi said his side is keen to translate their success into the local league.

“We need to carry on our good form from the Champions league. The experience from Africa will help us a lot. If you look at our team there are a lot of youngsters who have gained experience in the Champions league.”

He said playing Polokwane would provide a brief respite from tackling the bigger sides.

“It’s nice to be playing them instead of a team like Kaizer Chiefs. They are obviously bottom-of-the-log, but when those teams play us or Kaizer Chiefs they double their efforts.”

SAPA

Bloemfontein – An SA Air Force member accused of murder appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

The matter against Corporal Simphiwe Magudulela, 27, was postponed until 18 October for further investigation and to make arrangements for a possible psychiatric evaluation.

Magudulela was represented by a Legal Aid lawyer.

A man was killed and another wounded in a shooting at the Bloemspruit Air Force Base outside Bloemfontein at 02:00 on 1 September.

At the time, police said a member on duty had shot two colleagues.

One of the men died on the scene and the other was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

SA National Defence Force spokesperson Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga said the circumstances leading to the shooting were being investigated internally. 

SAPA

Johannesburg – Comments about expelled ANC Youth League president Julius Malema made by an ANC Gauteng provincial executive committee (PEC) member do not reflect the party’s views, it said on Tuesday.

“We want to put it on record that the views expressed by the PEC member comrade Panyaza Lesufi are his personal opinions,” ANC Gauteng spokesman Dumisa Ntuli said in a statement.

“At no stage of any ANC Gauteng meeting (did) such views or discussion emerge,” he said.

On Monday, the Independent Online reported that Lesufi had called on the African National Congress to review its decision to expel Malema, who now leads the Economic Freedom Fighters.

He was quoted as saying: “The ANC still needs a Julius Malema, in so much as a Julius Malema cannot survive ‘outside of the ANC’, an organisation that made him what he is today.”

Lesufi said he respected the party’s decision to expel Malema two years ago, but that the decision might have been “too harsh”.

“Unlike (the Congress of the People), whose members left the ANC, these comrades were expelled, surely a decision that is within our powers to review.”

Ntuli encouraged Lesufi to raise his concerns at ANC meetings.

“The matter of the expulsion of Julius Malema has been fully exhausted in the internal processes of the ANC, his expulsion is now history.”

Malema’s expulsion from the party was finalised in April 2012. He was found guilty of sowing division in the party and bringing it into disrepute. He was found to have done so by unfavourably comparing the leadership style of President Jacob Zuma to that of former president Thabo Mbeki, and for remarks on bringing about regime change in Botswana. – Sapa

Johannesburg – A bus driver was killed and 10 people injured when a bus and a minibus taxi collided head-on in Regents Park, Johannesburg, on Tuesday, paramedics said.

“The driver of the bus, a man in his 40s, was ejected through the windshield of the bus and was found lying quite a distance from where the bus had come to rest against the street pole,” said ER24 spokesperson Vanessa Jackson.

The driver was declared dead at the scene.

“The 10 occupants of the taxi miraculously survived the impact with only minor and moderate injuries, she said.”

The injured were treated on scene and transported to hospitals in the area for further care.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Support for President Jacob Zuma reached an all-time low among the youth this month, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

Conducted by Pondering Panda, the study found that 31% of 2 388 people questioned felt Zuma was doing a good job as president.

In April it was 37%.

“President Zuma’s support has taken a big hit in the last five months, with less than a third of young South Africans now feeling he’s doing a good job of running the country,” Pondering Panda spokesperson Shirley Wakefield said.

The Gupta wedding scandal, criticism from opposition parties like Agang SA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and the fact that Marikana was still in the news, were some of the reasons for this.

“According to the latest survey, young black South Africans were the most likely to approve of the president’s performance, with 35% giving him the thumbs-up.

“In contrast, only 17% of whites and 13% of coloureds thought he was doing a good job of running the country.”

Zuma lost support among blacks and coloureds. His approval rating remained unchanged among white youth compared to the April survey.

Across the country

There were differences according to province.

“Respondents from KwaZulu-Natal were the most positive, but this was also where Zuma saw the biggest drop in support, from 57% in April to 48% in September,” said Wakefield.

“The Western Cape and Gauteng were the most negative, with only 19% and 23% of respondents from these regions respectively feeling that Zuma was doing a good job.”

The Free State was the only province where the president’s support grew, from 33% in April to 38% in September.

The survey showed a significant level of disillusionment with the political process. It also appeared to be an indictment of Zuma’s perceived ability as president, Wakefield said.

With next year’s elections approaching, Zuma would need to focus more on appealing to young people for his candidacy not to have a negative impact on the ANC at the polls, Wakefield said.

The respondents were aged between 18 and 34, and were interviewed on their cellphones across South Africa, excluding deep rural areas, between 3 and 10 September.

Responses were weighted to be nationally representative in terms of age, gender, and race.

SAPA

Embattled Northern Cape ANC leader John Block remains innocent until proven otherwise, the ANC said on Monday.

“The ANC will not allow itself to be pushed to take action on any matter, based on allegations,” said ANC Northern Cape spokesperson Gail Parker.

She said the party believed in the principle of innocent until proven guilty and this counted for Block, who faces criminal charges in court.

Last week, the Northern Cape High Court granted the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) a forfeiture order against property owned by Block to the value of R5.85m.

The forfeiture included 25 ordinary shares in Trifecta Resources and Exploration, given to him on 8 September 2006.

It also included the amount of R349 919, which was the value of renovations made by the Trifecta Group to a guest house belonging to Block in Upington.

NPA Northern Cape spokesperson Mashudu Malabi said Block did not oppose Friday’s application.

He was arrested by the Hawks with two other provincial ANC heavyweights Yolanda Botha and Alvin Botes earlier this year.

The case goes to court again in October 2013.

Corruption claims

The NPA alleges the Trifecta Group entered into a number of lease agreements with the Northern Cape department of social development in which the rentals, or rental space, were grossly inflated.

As a result, the Trifecta Group received or would receive, at the end of the lease agreements, rentals of R57m.

Friday’s order forms part of a series of freezing orders obtained by the AFU in the Trifecta matter against a number of Northern Cape politicians and officials in the department of social development.

Malabi said the case was part of the ongoing work of the Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT) set up by the Cabinet in July 2010.

It was set up to deal more effectively with large corruption investigations.

Parker said the ANC respected the work done by law enforcement agencies.

She said no one in the ANC was untouchable.

“Comrade John Block is a humble man, who is liked by the people of the province,” she said.

Parker said the ANC would nevertheless not stop taking action against anyone who was found guilty of wrongdoing in the party.

SAPA