Cape Town – Two of mayor Patricia de Lille’s bodyguards and three Metro police officers accused of assaulting toilet protest leader Andile Lili are to appear in Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
They are to be charged with common assault, said police spokesman Frederick van Wyk.
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Mogwase – Nine people accused of defrauding the Moses Kotane municipality in the North West of R6.5 million have appeared in the Mogwase Magistrate’s Court, the municipality said on Monday.
Spokeswoman Beauty Makganye said the nine appeared on Friday and their case was postponed to October 24.
She said they were arrested last year after R6.5 million was withdrawn from the municipality’s account.
A device connected to the finance office’s computer system was used to copy information on the system such as usernames, passwords, and data. The information was used to withdraw the money.
One of the accused, Bakang Lelaka, was a finance intern at the time of the fraud. Some of the accused were arrested after their bank accounts were allegedly used to channel the money.
“The bulk of the money was recovered. Only R180 000 was not recovered,” she said.
They had been granted R3000 bail each.
Sapa
Moruleng – The minibus taxi industry stands to benefit from the opening of a mall in Moruleng, near Rustenburg, in North West, the local taxi association said on Monday.
“To us as the taxi industry, this couldn’t come at a better time,” said David Phiri, chairman of the Moruleng District Taxi Association (Modita).
“We are very happy to be part of this remarkable event. What makes us happier is that more of us are now going to make better profits. This means more shared business for us.”
The Moruleng Mall, which has more than 80 shops and is situated at the foot of the Pilanesberg mountain, is expected to open on October 24.
Phiri said a new taxi route would be developed.
“It is a new route, our operation will change. We expect to transport a lot of people.”
Taxis were expected to transport people from the 32 villages in Bakgatla Ba Kgafela directly to the mall.
Fifteen taxis had been branded with posters to rise awareness about the opening of the mall.
Kgosi Nyalala Pilane, of the Bakgatla Ba Kgafela, said the taxi association’s co-operation would go a long way.
“This is the beginning of new things and your reward is coming,” he said.
Sapa
Johannesburg – South Africa has lost its direction, Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele said on Tuesday.
“Our country has lost direction. We need to retrace our steps to the foundations of our society and build anew a prosperous country in which we aim for excellence: in which we create dignified jobs; a health care system that makes women, children, the elderly and vulnerable feel safe; and a police service that works with communities to make our shared spaces safe for work and play,” she said.
She was speaking at Heritage Day celebrations at the Tshikombani stadium, in the Vhembe District of Limpopo.
Ramphele said realising unity in diversity for the youth of the nation was critical.
“On our journey together so far, our different languages and customs are points on the compass. Ubuntu is our guide, that ancient principle at the heart of our traditional knowledge systems.
“At the heart of every culture we share the values of dignity, freedom and equality for all. These are golden threads that weave through us and bind us together.”
She said South Africans had inherited an abundance of natural minerals, and human and cultural resources.
“Let us be clear it is not our heritage, past, present or future, real or imagined, that we should live without true freedom,” she asked.
She criticised the ANC government, saying they were clinging to power and risked dividing the nation.
“Beware the state-sponsored tribalism of 100% Zuma, 100% Zulu, 100% Venda and 100% coloured,” she said.
– SAPA
Johannesburg – Three people were killed in a motorcycle accident on Tuesday on Malibongwe Drive in Lanseria, Johannesburg paramedics said.
“[Paramedics] found that three people, two women and one man, had tragically lost their lives after two motorcycles collided head-on,” Netcare 911 spokesperson Santi Steinmann said.
After the collision both motorcycles burst into flames, she said.
The cause of the accident was unknown.
Police were investigating.
– SAPA
Johannesburg – The ANC’s provincial working committee (PWC) has received a report on progress towards an agreement between the McCord hospital board and the KwaZulu-Natal health department to keep the hospital running, the ANC said on Tuesday.
ANC KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Senzo Mkhize said in a statement that the provincial government team led by health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo and finance MEC Ina Cronje had engaged the hospital board and the provincial health department in a bid to keep the hospital open.
“The PWC instructed the provincial government team to reach an amicable solution to avoid further disruption at the hospital,” said Mkhize.
Earlier this year, the hospital was slated for closure after the department opted not to renew its annual subsidy.
At the end of January, Dhlomo announced that the department had made an offer to take over the hospital.
Mkhize said the ANC was concerned that the hospital board decided to unilaterally announce the closure of the hospital while negotiations were still in progress.
“We view this as irresponsible and we call on the board to commit itself to these crucial negotiations to ensure that an agreement is signed to avoid closing Durban’s 103-year-old hospital,” said Mkhize.
– SAPA
Johannesburg – Desertification, land degradation and drought has negatively affected livelihoods in a way that cannot be ignored anymore, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said on Tuesday.
“It is better to deal with the root causes of land and ecosystem degradation rather than the symptoms. We need to draw parallels between the effects of climate change and the resultant land degradation and drought,” she said, according to excerpts from a speech.
Molewa was addressing a segment of the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties (Cop 11) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Windhoek, Namibia.
“If you can put in place appropriate policies and practices that lead to the prevention of degradation, this will be the most efficient option, [rather] than attempting rehabilitation,” she said.
The object of the convention was to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in countries through effective action and partnership agreements.
Desertification was predictable, avoidable and often reversible through the restoration of degraded lands, said Molewa.
“While biodiversity and healthy ecosystems provide wide-ranging benefits to society on the whole, many communities globally, and especially in Africa, depend directly on the products from local ecosystems for the majority of their food, energy, water and medicinal requirements.
“The degradation of ecosystems affects their ability to deliver ecosystem services, which in turn has a direct negative impact on human well-being as well as socio-economic conditions, especially for the poor,” she said.
Only 13.5% of South Africa’s land surface area was considered arable, or suitable for food production, and every year about 34 000 hectares of farmland was converted for other purposes.
– SAPA
Johannesburg – Platinum Stars have booked their place in the final of this year’s MTN8 Cup competition, courtesy of a 6-3 aggregate victory over Wits in the teams’ MTN8 second-leg semi-final clash at the Bidvest Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday evening.
Robert Ng’ambi scored a second half brace, while Denver Mukamba netted Wits’ goal in the 71st minute with a spectacular headed effort to end the night 2-1 to Stars.
Despite Mukamba’s strike, Stars progressed to their first ever appearance in the final of the lucrative top eight cup competition, having carried the advantage of a 4-2 victory in the first leg into Tuesday’s encounter.
Heading into the clash trailing on aggregate, Wits came out looking determined as Sipho Mngomezulu’s speculative effort forced Stars goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane into making a last-ditch stop as the ball almost dipped under the crossbar from some way out.
Musa Bilankulu was next to have a go, but his effort proved to be some way off as Wits continued to push for the opener.
Although the Clever Boys threatened at regular intervals, the Johannesburg outfit failed to test Mpontshane from close-range, preferring instead to try from distance, as skipper Sibusiso Vilakazi and Ryan Chapman’s shots were easily collected.
Having been the quieter of the sides before the break, the visitors were first to attack after the interval, with Siphelele Mthembu rattling the crossbar with his thunderous effort in the 47th minute.
Wits replied three minutes later with a long-range chance of their own, but second half replacement Robin Ngalande narrowly missed the target with his left-footed volley, which looked to have had the better of Mpontshane, before rising above the crossbar.
But it was Stars who would break the deadlock on the hour mark, as Vuyo Mere’s first-time delivery into the box took an awkward bounce in front of goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs.
Josephs made the save but parried his save into the path of Ng’ambi, who was primed to pick up on the spilt ball and dispatched his shot goalwards, beating Josephs and extending Stars’s aggregate lead to 5-2.
Ten minutes later, however, Wits drew level on the night as two of their second half substitutions linked superbly.
Getaneh Gibeto made a searching run along the left flank before picking out Mukamba with an accurate delivery toward the back post, before the latter’s tactful diving header sailed into the top right of goal to take the aggregate score to 5-3.
Ng’ambi was far from finished as he bagged his second of the night 13 minutes from time, in an identical repeat of their first, as Mere again provided a pinpoint delivery toward the back post, leaving the Malawian forward simply to slot home past Josephs.
Ng’ambi’s second was enough to see out the victory, as Stars now turn their attention to Saturday’s final against Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
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BY TDN
The North West Provincial Government has established a Joint Infrastructure Expenditure Steering Committee (JIESC) to accelerate infrastructure spending and improve infrastructure performance on its R4, 3 billion infrastructure budget for the current financial year.
The newly JIESC established by Exco in June chaired by the MEC for Finance is already functional and has thus far held one on one meetings with all provincial government departments with allocated infrastructure budgets to assess progress with regard to compliance with implementation of the Provincial Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS).
The intervention to establish the committee followed Exco’s concern regarding the R1,3 billion underspending that was recorded by provincial government departments in the past financial year which it viewed as unacceptable given the province’s infrastructure backlog and the need to accelerate infrastructure delivery.
“Poor expenditure and performance on allocated infrastructure by departments results in the under achievement of socio economic targets that were set for job creation, poverty alleviation and impedes on the improvement of livelihoods of population of the province, hence we took a decision that no performance bonuses would be paid to officials in underperforming departments. We are determined to take further drastic steps and measures that will ensure that departments emulate the performance of our Human Settlements Department which was declared the best performing department in the country in the past financial year,” Premier Thandi Modise has vowed.
Inadequate technical capacity within infrastructure units in provincial government departments to execute roles and responsibilities in terms of the IDMS, failure to fill vacant key infrastructure positions in departments, Inadequate implementation of Supply Chain Management practices, the Construction Industry Development Board Act as well as Treasury Regulations in terms of infrastructure procurement, Non-compliance to Division of Revenue Act requirements by departments and Poor planning were identified by Exco as key factors that contributed to underspending in the past financial year.
Stringent measures that will allow proper roll out and infrastructure development during the current financial year had been adopted to ensure that client departments plan and implement infrastructure projects aligned to approved norms and standards and spend funds that are appropriated solely for infrastructure in an effective and efficient manner to provide value for money.
The Provincial Treasury chairs a technical committee on infrastructure (Infrastructure Support Forum, ISF) on a monthly basis that is to also serve as an early warning to identify problematic areas for implementation and delivery of infrastructure. A Supply Chain Tracker Systems which tracks the status of all supply chain management and effective functioning of bid committees of all departments has also been established to address supply chain management processes.
A Provincial Budget Forum has also been established this to create a platform for budget managers and planners to share best practices on planning and budget implementation. Through this forum, strategic and operational challenges have been identified and addressed. Treasury officials are also invited to departmental Quarterly Review Meeting where Treasury highlights on all areas of planning and budget implementation with clear recommendations to improve expenditure management.
To improve spending and service delivery in the province, monthly departmental spending trends are part of the EXCO agenda.
EXCO has also resolved that the spending trends for all departments must be reviewed at the end of the second quarter and if needs be, funds will be reallocate to departments that demonstrate the ability and capacity to deliver and spent in the current financial year. -TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Mmakau- Police arrested a 29-year-old suspect for allegedly being in possession of stolen goods from South African Breweries (SAB) on Tuesday at about 04:30 in Mmakau.
“It is alleged that the other suspect who is a 28-year-old was arrested by Mabopane Police for the same charge. The stolen goods are worth the street value of R250 000.00” brigadier Thulani Ngubane said
Ngubane said according to allegations, Mmakau police received a tip off about a person who alleged stolen SAB promotional material such as T-shirts, beer openers, glasses just to name a few.
“It is alleged that the stolen goods were kept in Mmakau and Mabopane and both these suspects work for Ga-Rankua SAB. The police conducted their investigation with help from the Gauteng K9 and arrested the suspects” he said.
The two suspects are expected to appear before Ga-Rankua Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.-TDN
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The Guardian 