Johannesburg – A woman was arrested for stabbing her boyfriend in Kagiso, Krugersdorp, Gauteng police said on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old was arrested on Monday after the fight at the weekend, Brigadier Sipho Ngubane said in a statement.

“It is alleged that the (boyfriend) was home with his girlfriend, when an argument ensued between them,” Ngubane said.

The woman was trying to stop the man from leaving when she stabbed him.

The man fainted and was taken to hospital with wounds to his head and nose.

Sapa

Malamulele – Residents of Malamulele in Limpopo burnt down a government building and shops during a violent demarcation protest on Tuesday, the provincial police said.

“Almost 20 000 residents went on a rampage after a meeting to demand their own municipality was not acceded to by the demarcation board this morning,” said Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.

“The residents ran amok, looting shops. The Malamulele crossing complex, and the home affairs office, and shops at the Mala plaza were burnt down.”

Stones and burning tyres were used to block roads. Forty people were arrested for public violence. They were expected to appear in the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Limpopo provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Fannie Masemola warned residents not to take the law into their own hands.

“When community members have complaints, they must not resort to any violent means and destroying of property. We will not hesitate to take action to bring the perpetrators to book,” he said.

Sapa

Johannesburg – A driver accused of killing 23 people when his truck crashed into four minibus taxis and two cars will apply for bail in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Sanele Goodness May’s bail application was postponed earlier this month after his lawyer Louis Barnard said the defence “wanted some preliminary issues ironed out”.

On September 6, the truck May was driving hit four fully laden minibus taxis and two cars on the corner of Field’s Hill (M13) and Richmond Road in Pinetown shortly before 7pm.

Twenty-two people died on the scene, and another person died in hospital.

May was initially charged with culpable homicide, but this was later changed to 23 counts of murder and a charge of reckless or negligent driving. – Sapa

Kimberley – The triple murder trial of the Steenkamp family from Griquatown will proceed in the Northern High Court on October 21 after an amount of R500 000 of an inheritance was released to enable the 17-year-old accused to pay his legal fees.

Up until May, the bill for an instructing attorney and two defence advocates have run into the region of R1.2 million plus R130 000 for the use of forensic, ballistic and other experts.
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The outcomes of Auditor General Terence Nombembe’s audit of the Northern Cape government was welcomed by the ANC in the province on Monday.

African National Congress provincial whip Dave Molusi said his party encouraged the executive and accounting authorities to redouble their efforts in achieving clean audits.

“These outcomes demonstrate an emphatic improvement, with several departments and government entities close to achieving the ‘clean audit opinions’ advocated by the ANC-led government.”

Nombembe presented his findings to the provincial legislature and members of the Northern Cape executive last week.

Molusi said in a statement the highlight of Nombembe’s findings was the clean audit opinion, meaning unqualified with no matters of emphasis, which the social development department received.

During his presentation, Nombembe said consistent performance was an important benchmark of good governance.

Molusi said: “It is with pride in the ethic of hard work and dedication to service delivery that we can announce that none of the departments received a disclaimer opinion during the 2012/13 financial year’s audit.”

A disclaimer report is issued when an auditor is unable to complete the audit for a variety of reasons and therefore does not issue an opinion.

The Northern Cape Economic Development Agency and Trade and Investment Promotion Agency received disclaimer opinions.

Molusi said that the provincial health department had received a qualified opinion report, an improvement from its recent history of disclaimer opinions.

“The AG also highlighted that this improvement was encouraging given the complex challenges faced by this department,” Molusi said.

“It is significant to note that Mr Nombembe was encouraged by the Northern Cape’s service delivery reporting on the whole.”

Sapa

Rustenburg – The case of a man accused of murdering a woman at a mine in Rustenburg was postponed by the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, North West police said.

The case against Kabelo Arthur Moseki, 29, was postponed to Friday, said Brigadier Thulani Ngubane.

Moseki faces a charge of murder after his arrest on Wednesday following the discovery of the woman’s body underground at Aquarius platinum mine’s Kwezi shaft.

Sapa

The ANC will be a very different animal if it hopes to stay in power in 2019, says Max du Preez.

Durban – If the ANC’s support dropped to below 60 percent of the vote in next year’s election and the trend continues, the ANC could lose power in 2019, right?

The second question in the minds of the chattering classes is: would the ANC accept a defeat at the polls and hand over power?
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – Children are likely to achieve higher levels of literacy when using a home language in schools, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday.

“Research shows that children are likely to achieve higher levels of literacy when using a home language in school, in our case, African languages like isiZulu, isiXhosa, Setswana and others,” she said at the 10th international language and development conference in Cape Town.

Developing and speaking the languages of the land and the languages acquired as part of the colonial enterprise would bring to speed the realisation of a united and integrated Africa.

“South Africa’s experience will assist the conference to deeply appreciate the importance of language in society and how it is critical to liberating the mind,” said Motshekga.

She said that even beyond apartheid and its discourses of difference, language still affected on relations and opportunities in life.

“This conference is of importance as it gets us thinking and reflecting on an important review of the Millennium Development Goals.”

The conference promised to provide a useful lens through which everyone could interrogate critically the extent to which countries had performed in pursuance of the Millennium Development Goals, she said.

The Millennium Development Goals are set targets to be reached in eight areas, including poverty, unemployment, and education, by 2015.

– SAPA

Six independent candidates contesting the upcoming by-elections in Tlokwe, have asked for more time to campaign, the IEC said on Tuesday.

“Some of the independents have requested the commission to postpone the by-elections next week. The commission is presently considering the matter,” Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) spokesperson Kate Bapela said.

The by-elections in wards one, four, 11, 12 and 20 of the municipality are scheduled to take place on 23 October.

The date was set after the Electoral Court in Bloemfontein heard an application by five independent candidates, who were disqualified from taking part in previous by-elections by the IEC.

The ANC retained control of two of three wards in the remainder of the by-elections in Tlokwe.

A sixth by-election, in Ward 13, was earlier postponed after an out-of-court settlement.

The seats were vacated when 14 ANC councillors were expelled from the party in July for participating in a motion of no confidence in then Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle. He was replaced as mayor by DA councillor Annette Combrink.

The ANC’s national disciplinary committee subsequently overturned the expulsions, but nominated other candidates for the by-elections.

Some of the former councillors decided to stand as independents.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The killing of two toddlers in Diepsloot Extension one north of Johannesburg, was shocking and heart-breaking, the ANC said on Tuesday.

“We believe that the killing of kids is senseless and immoral, it is an act of those who are insane and heartless,” said ANC Gauteng spokesperson Dumisa Ntuli.

“We condemn the brutal killing of the two innocent children and we call upon the [SA Police Service] to act swiftly to apprehend the killer.”

The ANC sent its condolences to the children’s families and relatives, and urged parents and communities to be extra vigilant to avoid similar killings.

The girls, aged 2 and 3, were found dead in a toilet cubicle, by a community member on Tuesday morning.

Police spokesperson Lungelo Dlamini said they were reported missing on Saturday after they went missing, by the children’s parents.

– SAPA