Suspended Congress of SA Trade Union (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi’s family says they have accepted his apology and he deserves another chance.

Vavi’s wife Noluthando said in a statement on Wednesday, that it had been an emotional and politically taxing time for the family.

“Still, we have accepted his apology and believe he has so much to give to South Africa and deserves another chance to make this contribution. I love him and he retains both my respect and support,” she said.

“Two weeks ago, my husband was placed on ‘special leave’ pending unspecified disciplinary action against him by the federation. However, as is his right, he is challenging this action through appropriate channels,” Noluthando said.

“It is in part against this background and the desire to give my husband space and time to prepare for his case against him that I have appointed John Dludlu… as the Vavi family spokesperson with immediate effect.”

She said she would not comment on the merits or demerits of the case against her husband.

I love him and he retains both my respect and support

Former journalist and Absa head of communications John Dludlu has been appointed spokesperson for Vavi’s family.

Last month, Cosatu announced that Vavi had been put on special leave pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing relating to an affair he had with a junior employee.

In July, the employee accused him of rape. He admitted to having a consensual affair with her. The woman subsequently withdrew a sexual harassment complaint against him.

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), a strong ally of Vavi’s, this week said it had served Cosatu with legal papers challenging the general secretary’s suspension.

The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu) and SA Football Players’ Union (Safpu)were co-applicants.

Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said they wanted Cosatu to rescind and uplift the “unconstitutional and unprecedented” suspension of Vavi.
Source:www.sabc.co.za

The ruling party was convinced that a fire at its Johannesburg headquarters on Tuesday night was a malicious act, spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said.

“The bottle was strategically placed under the couch at reception — a bottle filled with chemicals. The couch caught fire as the bottle exploded,” said Mthembu on Wednesday.

“In our books that is grounds to be confident that this was arson,” he said.

He said the chemicals that filled the bottle left fumes that were still lingering in the building. Mthembu added that a bomb unit, police and other experts all confirmed that the attack was indeed an arson attempt.

“It is pretty clear what we are dealing with and we view such actions in a serious light.”

The ruling party expressed disappointment at the act and said such actions did not have a place in a democratic nation.

“We have avenues to address issues and this attempted arson is not one of them. This was a criminal act.

“South Africa does not need such incidents. An attack at the offices of the governing party or any political office under a democracy is something we do not need.”

SA Police Service Brigadier Neville Malila confirmed an investigation into an alleged arson attack was underway.

Mthembu applauded security staff on duty.

“Security personnel used fire extinguishers to put down ballooning flames that were almost reaching the ceiling of the reception area,” he said.

The ANC said it was unclear what motives were behind the attack.

Work at Luthuli House would continue as usual on Wednesday.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

Dozens of community members from western Thembu land in the Eastern Cape have marched to the office of the Premier Noxolo Kiviet to hand over a petition demanding to be placed under the controversial AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo.

The Western Thembu Kingdom was dissolved by the Nhlapho Commission.

They also want all chiefs that were sworn in without Dalindyebo’s approval to be removed.

“We have waited patiently after the Nhlapho Commission that our plight will be addressed immediately, but to our dismay the process is prolonged or ignored continuously which make us suspicious that there is a strategic influence on those traditional leaders who benefited in the apartheid era and continued to be in the centre stage in post-apartheid,” says Unathi Mlindazwe.

Mlindazwe says that they have decided to march so that their pains and sorrows can be heard by those in authority. The people who attended the march came as far as Queenstown, Cofimvaba, Lady Frere, Hewu and Cala.

“We demand that our king to be given the authority to serve his people of western Thembu land with immediate effect,” Mlindazwe added.

Deputy Director-General in the Department of Traditional Affairs Sidumo Mathetha accepted the memorandum and promised to hand it to the relevant people.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

South Africans need to take an active role in the country’s development, Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel said on Wednesday. “We need to reclaim this term ‘development’,” he told a conference on the state of South Africa’s social economy.

Previously, development was “all premised on mineral wealth and not on people. We need to go back and realise our deficiency in investing in people”. South Africans often tended to define empowerment in “rather narrow” terms, Manuel said.

Rather, the focus needed to be on getting everybody working, “even if it’s not narrowly for gain”. The disempowered were often disengaged and discouraged because of lack of access to information and resources. “People no longer build their own houses,” he said.

Co-operatives formed through people working together and pooling their resources could achieve much more than individuals. This collective power could be harnessed to promote social economic development.

Manuel related a story of when his wife was injured in a car crash in Nairobi and was admitted to a not-for-profit trust hospital. “She said she never experienced such good healthcare in South Africa. The staff at the not-for-profit hospital do it as a national service. “What is wrong with us? Why have we not found more innovative ways of building houses in the face of such need?” he asked.

Co-operatives were often started to meet basic needs. “But what starts out as a survival mechanism becomes something much bigger.” There remained a vast gap between the education received by children from wealthy families and those from poor families. “That investment in people is at the epicentre of that transformation.”

Innovative solutions, between the poles of private enterprise and non-profit organisations, had the potential to help achieve many of South Africa’s development goals, Manuel said.

The National Development Plan, as a broad strategy for improving the standards of living of ordinary South Africans, needed input from the public to fill in additional details to achieve its goals. “We can’t for a moment presume to have covered the entire spectrum of life.”

Manuel said that when the international community saw strike action in the country, in the context of the vast divide between South Africa’s rich and poor, they “wonder how we can hope to have a stable country”.

Ensuring the health and wellbeing of workers now would help secure better levels of productivity. “If we neglect workers today, we sow the seeds of future instability. It is happening now.”
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

The South African Broadcasting Commission (SABC) management and media workers union, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have reached a wage settlement.

The union and the public broadcaster have agreed to an 8.5% across the board increase for members inside the bargaining unit.
It was a final agreement after protracted negotiations.

Employees will receive an 8.5% increase, backdated to April and a further R1500 once off payment, tax free, to all employees.

“As the SABC we are very happy that we have shown that we have a good relationship with our unions. There are many stakeholders at the SABC and we cannot achieve the strategy that we are looking to achieve if the unions are not on board and if the workers are unhappy,” says SABC Chief Operations Officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

He says that he is happy that an agreement has been reached.

CWU chief negotiator Macvicar Dyasopu says, “We have finally arrived at an amicable settlement after protracted negotiations. Our desired outcome was 10% and we realised that we are miles apart from management who were offering 6.5% but through skillful negotiations we managed to arrive at a middle ground.”

He says that the agreement of 8.5% with a sweetener of R1500 non-taxable once-off was amicable.

“Basically any negotiations are characterised by a give and take process. It is characterised by compromises and as such we as labour will never say we are happy that we have arrived at 8.5% but it is something we can live with considering the current prevailing conditions on the ground,” he added.

On Tuesday, trade union Bemawu signed the wage deal.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

The South African National Defence Force says Rooivalk attack helicopters are being deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday.

Defence Force spokesperson Xolani Mabanga says a United Nations (UN) request for the helicopters to be deployed to the DRC is being handled by the South African government and the UN.

The UN has approved a 3000 strong intervention brigade to support DRC government forces in the fight to dislodge M23 rebels from strategic positions. He says South Africa has over a 1000 soldiers in that country.

“We are aware of that request as the SANDF as well as the processes that are currently underway in terms of making that equipment available to the UN. As well as the UN is aware of the processes that are going on between the UN and the SANDF, that is the UN department of Peace Keeping Operations,” says Mabanga.

The SANDF recently declined to confirm a claim by the SA National Defence Union (SANDU) that UN-deployed South African snipers have killed six M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mabanga has confirmed that South African forces have engaged the rebels, but said he could not comment on the sniper reports. The South African soldiers who are part of a UN intervention brigade, which has an unprecedented mandate to use lethal force against Congolese rebels.
Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

Durban – Despite the major challenges facing Addington Hospital, its new chief executive, Dr Mthetheleli Ndlangisa, is confident he can turn the problem-plagued institution into a world-class health facility.

He said his long-term plan was to ensure the hospital offered all services under one roof.

In an interview with the Daily News on Monday, Ndlangisa said Addington Hospital was a challenge worth taking on.
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Durban – The metro policeman at the centre of a sex scandal involving prostitutes has been suspended from his post pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

Three of his colleagues who have been identified as possible accomplices, have been stripped of their police powers and given desk jobs out of the city.
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Durban – A woman was caught driving at a speed of 205km/h on the N2 in Fairbreeze, near Gingindlovu, on Wednesday morning, the KwaZulu-Natal transport department said.

“She was driving a silver BMW car at a speed of 205km/h in a zone of 120 km/h,” said spokesman Kwanele Ncalane.

Earlier the department said the driver was a man

The woman was released on R1000 bail and was expected to appear in the Gingindlovu Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday afternoon.

Transport MEC Willies Mchunu condemned the motorist’s behaviour.

“It is such reckless actions that are costing innocent people’s lives,” he said.

“Just last weekend alone we lost 25 people in various accidents across the province.

“Surely this is alarming and requires all of us as road users to change our mindset and respect the rules,” he said. – Sapa

Pretoria – After working at one of the biggest vehicle manufactures for 25 years, Enoch Masina still cannot afford a car.

Masina, who works for Ford Motor Company in Silverton, was one of the hundreds of National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa members who marched to the National Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa offices in Pretoria on Tuesday, demanding higher wages.
For more http://www.iol.co.za