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

Aubrey Ngoma has been participating in Orlando Pirates’ pre-season training since returning from University of Pretoria, however the midfielder appears to be out of Roger de Sa’s plans for the 2013/14 Absa Premiership campaign.

Ngoma played an instrumental role in AmaTuks’ wonderful debut season in the Absa Premiership, starting 27 out of the 30 league matches for the Pretoria-based side.
Source: http://www.soccerladuma.com

Troublesome talent, Masibusane Zongo, has once again gone missing from training and is no longer with Platinum Stars.

The Siya crew reported last week that the 23-year-old had been given the chance to train with Allan Freese’s side, although it was primarily just to give him the opportunity to regain fitness.
Source: http://www.soccerladuma.com

AFC Bournemouth’s recent record signing, Tokelo Rantie, says that it has been sad for him to leave Malmo and thanked the club for all of their support.

It was recently confirmed that the 22-year-old Bafana Bafana striker had been granted his work permit following his transfer from the Swedish club, and on Sunday night he played his final 30 minutes for them against Osters.
For more http://www.soccerladuma.com

Durban – Four Metro policemen have been issued with notices of intention to suspend as the investigation into allegations of officers forcing prostitutes into sex widens.

It comes as the Metro Police confirmed yesterday that their investigation into an officer who allegedly demanded sex from prostitutes in Durban’s Point Road precinct and then filmed them against their will in lewd sexual positions, was continuing.

At the weekend, the constable at the centre of the scandal, along with three of his colleagues, was served with the notices of intention to suspend.

They were expected to appear before a suspension hearing at the Metro Police headquarters today to argue why they should not be suspended.

The four, all constables attached to the Beachfront satellite station, have been implicated in one of the worst sex scandals to hit the Metro Police department.

A police inquiry has also been launched into the incident.

Metro Police spokesman, Eugene Msomi, said the investigation into the allegations was continuing. “These four individuals have been implicated. They have been served with notices of suspension and will be appearing before a senior disciplinary officer. They would need to provide reasons why they should not be suspended while the investigation is continuing. The material that was forwarded has been forwarded to our colleagues at the SAPS to determine if they would want to pursue criminal charges,” he said.

The footage showing the officer having sex with prostitutes was discovered by his now former girlfriend, after she opened the files on two BlackBerry memory cards.

The footage shows the constable filming himself having sex with at least five different prostitutes, during which he forces them to reveal their private parts to the camera.

Most of the video clips are believed to have been filmed while the officer was working the night shift. Some of the footage is believed to have been shot in his patrol car, while another clip appears to have been shot in the toilets of a Metro Police satellite office, metro police sources said.

The former girlfriend handed the footage over to the Metro Police’s Anti-Corruption Unit about nine weeks ago.

According to senior metro sources, the officers implicated were being placed on suspension as it is feared that they may interfere with witnesses that may testify against them.

Some of those witnesses are the prostitutes in the videos who have since been tracked down and have given statements. “They are obviously very afraid of what will happen. It is in their interests that they (the officers) must be suspended,” the source said.

Daily News

Johannesburg – National police commissioner Riah Phiyega should be fired, the DA said on Tuesday.

“(She) is not fit to lead the SA Police Service (SAPS),” said Democratic Alliance MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard.

She said Phiyega had been hired because of her managerial skills, but that she was failing to deliver.

The DA intended writing to President Jacob Zuma to ask him to institute a board of inquiry into her fitness and capability to head the police.

“Her latest blunder this weekend over senior appointments shows that she is totally out of her depth and is taking the SAPS down with her,” said Kohler-Barnard.

She was referring to Phiyega’s appointment of Maj-Gen Bethuel Mondli Zuma as Gauteng police commissioner.

The appointment was later withdrawn when it was found that Zuma faced a charge of drinking and driving.

Kohler-Barnard said Phiyega’s attempts to rectify her weekend error were proving her incompetence.

“Firstly, she claimed that SAPS background checks are more stringent than most organisations. This is clearly not the case if a simple Google search revealed Zuma’s charges within minutes.

“Secondly, she has now backtracked even further on his appointment by saying that these appointments were ‘provisional’. If this were the case, then why make the announcement in the first place?”

Zuma, who is not related to President Zuma, was to have replaced Lt-Gen Mzwandile Petros, whose last day as provincial commissioner was on Saturday.

The SAPS said Zuma had been permanently withdrawn from the post, and would face disciplinary hearings after failing to declare the pending charges against him.

Kohler-Barnard said Phiyega’s appointment had been disastrous from the beginning.

She had failed to take responsibility when the police shot dead 34 striking mineworkers near Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana

last year, and she had failed to address police brutality, Kohler-Barnard said.

“Richard Mdluli remains on suspension year after expensively-paid year on her watch with disciplinary proceedings yet to take place, and the Crime Intelligence Unit is in tatters; and she has failed utterly to take decisive action following the SAPS criminality audit and dismiss all those members found to have criminal records.”

The Congress of the People has also called for Phiyega to step down.

“Phiyega is a mistress of disaster and more calamities will take place as long as she continues to lead this ministry,” said Cope spokesman Mluleki George.

The Economic Freedom Fighters blamed President Zuma for the mishaps in the police service.

“Under President Zuma, South Africa has turned into a banana

republic where senior appointments are done without proper security check-up on the individuals who are supposed to lead the fight against crime,” said EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) said the weekend blunder had caused concern about the SAPS’s information gathering.

“This concern is reinforced by the revelation in Parliament that there are 1448 serving SAPS officers who have been found guilty of serious offences like rape, attempted murder, corruption, fraud and assault,” said Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven. – Sapa