The North West Executive Council (Exco) has welcomed the deployment of an seasoned public administrator, a policy synthesiser and implementor, a political analyst, negotiation expert, strategist and innovator to take over the reins as caretaker Director General for the North West Provincial Administration during its bi-weekly meeting held in Mahikeng earlier in the week.

In introducing Johannes Rantete who will be taking over from Acting Director General Major General Dr. Mokgethi Radebe, Premier Thandi Modise said that her administration is not interested in appointing lackeys but qualified, skilled and experienced individuals who are committed to make a meaningful contribution towards improving the lives of the people in the province.

General Radebe will soon be leaving the province to serve as an envoy of the National Ministry of Health to oversee the doctors training programme in Cuba.

In pledging the support of Exco, Premier Modise urged Rantete not to be intimidated but to put his foot down to ensure that government’s agenda to better the lives of the people of the province triumphs.

Modise highlighted that her administration had resolved not to proceed with the appointment of a substantive Director General for the province as its term of office has drawn close.

“We do not want to impose a Director General on the new administration that will come after the elections,” she reiterated a position she had intimated to the Provincial  Affairs and Finance committee during the briefing on the 2013/2014 Annual Performance Plans for the Office of the Premier.

Rantete who holds a Masters in Political Science from the University of Witwatersrand had served in various capacities to gain his wealth of experience in the private sector and administrative proficiency.

He had among others served as Commissioner with National Land Commission, Director of Board of the Municipal Infrastructure  Investment Unit, Head of Department for the Department of Housing & Water Affairs which was later reconfigured to Local Government & Housing in Limpopo, Head of Department for the Department of Public Works in Free State, Deputy Director General in the Office of the Director General for Public Service and Administration and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Public Service Sector Education & Training Authority.

The deployment of Rantete who had also served as Member of the Advisory Board on Public Service and Administration and Special Advisor to former Ministers of Public Service Administration Richard Baloyi, the late Roy Padayachie and the current Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is part of the intervention support requested by Premier Modise to Minister Sisulu to strengthen her administration and root out corruption. 

“We remain grateful to President Jacob Zuma and Minister Sisulu for the deployment and overall support that include support to turnaround our municipalities,” said Modise.-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

North West Premier Thandi Modise says the senseless killings of union members in around Marikana and mining area around Rustenburg cannot be allowed to continue unabated and that perpetrators have to be unmasked and dealt with once and for all.

Modise’s concerns come amid the news that a National Union of Mineworkers(NUM) leader was shot dead and his colleague wounded last night.

According to NUM, its Branch chairperson was shot dead on the scene, while his colleague is reeling in hospital after being shot on the leg.

In condemning the killing and calling for calm, Premier Modise who had repeatedly called for a halt to the scourge of violence, said it is clear that perpetrators are determined to continue the carnage at all cost.

“We wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to the family that lost their loved one in the incident and wish his injured colleague a speedy recovery. We call on police not to leave any stone unturned and also appeal to communities to help them with any information that will ensure that the perpetrators of violence are unmasked and brought to book. One death in the ongoing violence is death too many,” said Premier Modise.

Premier Modise says the killings undermine the Marikana Peace Accord and the Framework for Peace and Stability signed early this year.

“We will request the police to brief us on their investigation,” said the Premier, adding that the police need to intensify efforts to make a breakthrough in the case.-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Makapanstad-North West MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs Manketsi Tlhape will on Saturday perform a sod turning of the R60 million Bulk Water Project for Makapanstad and Mathibestad under Moretele Local Municipal. 

The project which involves the building of three reservoirs in the area will enable proper storage of water from Temba Water Treatment Works before being distributed to 13 villages in the area which has over sixteen – thousand (16 000) households. 

Benefiting villages are Kwa – Mmatlwaela, Tladistad, Leeukraal, Kgomo-Kgomo, Kontante, Moretele, Makapanstad, Phomolong, Potoane, Prieska, Mathibestad, Thulwe and Opperman.

“The project which is expected to bring to an end water shortage, will also create job opportunities and depart skills to locals” departmental spokesperson Dineo Lolokwane said. 

The event will take place as follows:

Date: 19 October 2013

Venue: Mathibestad (next Viva Petrol Station)

Time: 10h00 

TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the North West Province is in full support of the march by the farm workers on Friday on the R507 between Tigane and Ottosdal. The march is informed by the continuous exploitation of the farm workers and the farm dwellers by the farm owners, using one of their organisations called SEESA.

COSATU is informed that the farm owners continue to lock out and evict farm workers when they try to engage them on employment related matters and they use this organisation called SEESA to legitimise their actions. COSATU is also informed that some farmers have implemented the sectoral determination for agricultural workers by reducing this benefit by withdrawing money from the workers for staying in houses which do not meet the standards set out in the sectoral determination.

“One matter which has raised the concern of the workers is the continued closure of the farm schools through the so-called rationalisation process by the Department of Education, while at the same time there are no proper preparations made for the learners to be accommodated in other schools. This has the potential of some educators losing their jobs and the worst is that there is no learner transport improvement in all areas’ Cosatu North West spokesperson Solly Phetoe said.
COSATU said that while the government is trying by all means to make the work of the farmers and the farm workers conducive in this country, there are some elements in the farming community who are hell bent on undermining the government and all its policies.

“COSATU calls on the Department of Labour to dedicate time to inspect all the farms in the province and make sure that there is compliance with all the laws, including the sect oral determinations. For the past three to four months we have been receiving cases of workers and their families being abused, assaulted and killed racially by white racist farmers who end up using their money to undermine justice which is working for the rich” Phetoe said.

COSATU also calls on SEESA to get out of employment related matters as it is not an employer or employee organisation; this will create labour peace between the employees and their employers.

“We call on the Labour Department and the police to investigate this so-called SEESA in the farms. Why was it given that responsibility in the farms? Is it registered to do work related matters or is it a vigilante group that is used against workers, like Mapogo Amathamaga in the old apartheid regime” he said.

COSATU calls on the Department of Education to stop this farm schools rationalisation program until they have made infrastructure available and all the necessary processes has been followed, which must include consultations with educators led by SADTU, farm workers led by FAWU and the rest of communities led by SANCO and civil society.

The march will be on Friday at the R507 route from the Witfontein turn-off toward Ottosdal and will start at 09h00 COSATU calls on all the farm workers and farm dwellers to come out in their numbers to defend their rights but also to tell public about their bad conditions of service and expose those criminals who refused to let workers join the union of their choice.

“We want to be on record that we are now implementing our remaining two months program which will target the farm areas, mining, the security sector, and municipalities, where we will name and shame those politicians and officials who are working with IMATU to destroy our unions and working with the DA to weaken the ANC, in particular in Matlosana, Tlokwe and many others’ Phetoe said.

We call on all media people to join us on 19th October 2013 to expose the real exploiters of our poor farm workers and expose the worse racist famers in the NW. – TDN
(Edited By Obakeng Maje)
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

A man found guilty of raping and murdering a Nelspruit airport employee told the court he didn’t attend the victim’s funeral because he “had to go to a dry-cleaner in White River”.

Sibusiso Wonder Phelembe (29) testified in mitigation of sentence in the Nelspruit circuit of the high court in Pretoria today.

Phelembe was convicted yesterday of robbing, raping and murdering Nonkululeko Thandi Khoza with a hammer at her home in Dwaleni Trust, outside White River, on May 21 2010.
For more http://www.citypress.co.za

The 17-year-old son of Kaya FM breakfast show host Bob Mabena is publishing his first novel.

Reneiloe Mabena’s novel, Blaze: The Beginning, is a mashup of science fiction, supernatural, adventure, fantasy and action.
For more http://www.citypress.co.za

Acting SABC chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng has pulled the trigger on the corporation’s popular talk show, The Big Debate.

Motsoeneng has instructed the SABC2 commissioning bosses to bin the second season of the show, which was supposed to have started tonight.
For more http://www.citypress.co.za

News reaching the Siya crew is that South African Football Association (SAFA) vice-president Mwelo Nonkonyana has been suspended.

Newly elected president Danny Jordaan has shown that he intends to act strongly and make an impact early on after his appointment.

After hardly a month in office, Jordaan proved he is no Mickey Mouse by taking a non-compromising stance and suspending his first deputy.

This comes following allegations against Nonkonyana for stating that coach Gordon Igesund had a performance clause in his contract, saying that if he doesn’t deliver or win silverware at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) next year, he will lose his job as Bafana head coach.

Nonkonyana is due to appear before the SAFA disciplinary committee.
For more http://www.soccerladuma.com

Bradley Grobler and Sibusiso Khumalo have both been cleared after injury and will be in contention to play for SuperSport United in their Telkom Knockout tie at the weekend, club officials said on Sunday.

SuperSport host Moroka Swallows in their quarterfinal tie at Atteridgeville on Saturday (live on SS4, 3pm kick off).

Grobler was injured against Swallows on September 18 when the two clubs met in the league and he was kicked on his knee. The striker missed the subsequent matches against AmaZulu and Ajax Cape Town.

Khumalo had to be taken off after scoring in SuperSport’s last match against Ajax Cape Town in the first round of the Telkom Knockout. He received a knock in a first half challenge but has since been cleared to resume training.

Earlier on the weekend, SuperSport announced that veteran Sibusiso Zuma returned to training for the first time this season having now recovered from a knee injury suffered almost six months ago.

He has been out since the Nedbank Cup final in May when injury forced him off in extra time of the game against Kaizer Chiefs in Durban, leaving his side to finish with 10 men as they had already made their substitutions.
For more http://www.psl.co.za

Mamelodi Sundowns have lodged a complaint with Safa over a “joke” made referee Lwandile Mfiki ahead of their match against Ajax Cape Town.

This after news today that the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation (The Hawks) have arrested a member of the Safa Panel of Referees for alleged match fixing.

Shortly before the second half of Sundowns’ match against Ajax on September 20, Mfiki allegedly joked with fourth official Naasif Julius: “Are you with us or with Sundowns?”

Mfiki was apparently referring to the blue top Julius was wearing.
For more http://www.kickoff.com