Pretoria – A statement by President Jacob Zuma regarding e-tolls was taken out of context, the presidency said on Tuesday.

Presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj said Zuma’s statement to the Gauteng ANC Manifesto Forum at the Wits University Great Hall was “taken out of context” and “blown out of proportion” by the media.

Zuma came under fire for telling the forum: “We can’t think like Africans, in Africa, generally. We are in Johannesburg, this is Johannesburg. It’s not some national road in Malawi.”

Maharaj said the president’s comments were made in the broader context of South Africa “achieving more” in the past 19 years of freedom and democracy.

Zuma spoke in his capacity as president of the African National Congress and remarked on a wide range of issues including economic party policies, BEE, youth employment and tolls.

Zuma said: “It is not fair to make the whole of South Africa pay for Gauteng’s road use by taxing everyone’s petrol more. We thank all citizens who have registered for the e-tolls so that we can continue to improve roads and boost economic growth in Gauteng.”

The ANC on Tuesday agreed with the presidency that Zuma’s comments had been taken out of context.

“The African National Congress welcomes the role played by traditional and social media in our national discourse,” spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.

“It is important therefore that those privileged to form opinion on these networks do so with the intention of promoting fair and balanced reporting, a call we believe would not have arisen had the president’s comments been placed in context.”

The Democratic Alliance’s Mmusi Maimane earlier called for Zuma to retract the statement while Malawi trended on Twitter.

– News24

The British woman wanted for alleged terror offences in Kenya, dubbed the “White Widow”, wrote an ode to the late al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden proclaiming her love for him, a report said Tuesday.

Samantha Lewthwaite’s clumsy poem, littered with spelling mistakes, was found by British police investigators after they examined a computer hard drive found at a house in the Kenyan town of Mombasa, Britain’s Sky News television said.

“Oh sheik osama my father, my brother / My love for you is like no other / Oh Sheik Osama now that you are gone / The muslims must wake up they must be strong,” it begins.

Bin Laden was killed by US troops in May 2011 in Pakistan.

It continues: “Al Qaeda are stronger and fiercer than ever / Thinking in the end you are stupid it will NEVER / Be over until the day that we see our lands returned and governed by He Allah the almighty,/ Whose law is complete.

“So make your plans and He is the best of planners./ Their was no victory for you Mr (US President Barack) Obama / The honour is his on martyred Osama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Lewthwaite is the widow of Germaine Lindsay, one of four Islamist suicide bombers who attacked the London transport network on July 7, 2005, killing 52 innocent people.

The 29-year-old Muslim convert is the subject of an Interpol “red notice” warrant for her detention, issued at Kenya’s request after Islamist gunmen massacred at least 67 people at a Nairobi shopping mall last month.

The notice did not specifically mention the mall siege, saying instead that Lewthwaite was wanted on charges of being in possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony dating back to December 2011.

Investigators also found a flash drive believed to belong to Lewthwaite which showed how she spent eight years researching bomb making, Sky News said.

The report said that the hard drive led investigators to a three-bedroomed flat in Nairobi overlooking a shopping centre similar to the Westgate mall attacked last month.

Lewthwaite lived there for seven months in 2011 using a false South African passport under the name Natalie Fey Webb, paying 60 000 Kenyan shillings ($700) a month in rent, it said.

The hard drive also contained several photographs of Lewthwaite, which reveal she spent much of her time on websites concerning body image.

One site she viewed showed how to obtain a hairstyle like US singer Taylor Swift, others had details on dieting and another offered an online course of self-defence.
SAPA

The South African Under 20 Women’s National Team (Basetsana) has assembled in Johannesburg in preparation for the first round first leg qualifiers of the FIFA U20 Women’s Cup.

 

 

 

The qualification will be played over three rounds to determine the two African teams that will represent the continent in the 2014 edition soccer showpiece set for Canada from 5 – 24 August.

 

 

 

South Africa will face neighbours Botswana in their opening match of the campaign. The clash will be played at the Molepolole Stadium in Gaborone on Saturday, 26 October.

 

 

 

Kick-off is at 16h00.

 

 

 

The Sheryl Botes-coached side will host the return leg in a fortnight.

 

 

 

The majority of the South African players in camp in Johannesburg come from the High Performance Centre in Pretoria.

 

 

 

The experience of players like Kaylin Swart, Vuyo Mkhabela, Robyn Moodaly and Shiwe Nogwanya, who have also been instrumental in Banyana Banyana’s success, will be key as they look to made it to the next round of qualifiers were they are likely to meet the winner between Tanzania and Mozambique.

 

 

 

The aforementioned quartet played a crucial role in helping South Africa secure qualification to the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup held in the Caribbean in 2010.

 

 

 

The Basetsana squad had their first training session at the Nike Centre on Monday morning (21 October 2013). They will continue with preparations this afternoon at Eldorado Park Football fields.

 

 

 

 

 

Basetsana squad in camp:

 

 

 

NO

 

  NAME

 

  CLUB

 

  1

 

  KAYLIN SWART

 

  UWC

 

  2

 

  REGIRL NGOBENI

 

  High Performance Centre

 

  3

 

  JULLIET SETHOLE

 

  HPC

 

  4

 

  VUYO MKHABELA

 

  UWC

 

  5

 

  NOMONDE NOMTSHEKE

 

  BLM CELTICS FC

 

  6

 

  CHAMELLE WILTSHIRE

 

  HPC

 

  7

 

  DRISHANA PILLAY

 

  HPC

 

  8

 

  ALICE KHOSA

 

  TUKKIES

 

  9

 

  AMANDA MTHANDI

 

  CROESUS FC

 

  10

 

  ZINGAWE PHAKATHI

 

  ALEXANDRA LADIES FC

 

  11

 

  NOMVULA KGOALE

 

  HPC

 

  12

 

  AMOGELANG MOTAU

 

  HPC

 

  13

 

  LESEGO NKOANA

 

  HPC

 

  14

 

  GABRIELLA SALGADO

 

  HPC

 

  15

 

  MATHILDA ONTONG

 

  BERNLEY FC

 

  16

 

  ROBYN MOODALY

 

  USA

 

  17

 

  AMANDA NOVEMBER

 

  PIONEER FC

 

    18

 

  SHIWE NOGWANYA

 

  BLM CELTICS FC

 

    19

 

  MOSILI MAKHOALI

 

  CELTA VIGO

 

    20

 

  THEMBI KGATLANE

 

  HPC

 

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Johannesburg – More young black graduates are needed to fill academic posts at universities, President Jacob Zuma said on Monday.

 

“… We want to attract more young black graduates into academic careers,” he said in a speech prepared for delivery at the Gauteng Manifesto Forum at the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg.

 

“Our research indicates that one fifth of our university academics will retire within a decade, of which 32% are professors, meaning most experienced academics will be leaving the field.”

 

There were only limited numbers of younger researchers entering academia to replace those leaving.

 

The government was prioritising investment in education and skills development to help boost youth employment.

 

“The National Development Plan envisages an increase in higher education enrolments from 17.9% in 2012 to 25% by 2030.

 

“Indeed, our young people are hungry for education,” Zuma said.

 

In the past 10 years, the number of enrolments had grown by more than half.

 

Two new universities were being built in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape in response to the demand for education.

 

“Our economy has expanded, more opportunities are becoming available for all,” he said.

 

Employment increasing

 

Since 1994, total employment had increased by more than 3.5 million

 

In mining and industry, the average real wages had increased by more than 150%, also since 1994.

 

“While income inequality remains high, the expansion of our social grants system has contributed to a reduction in the proportion of households living in poverty,” said Zuma.

 

There had also been progress in transformation of ownership and the management of the economy.

 

“To date, over R600 billion in Black Economic Empowerment transactions have been recorded since 1995,” he said.

 

Black people and women in senior management positions had increased from less than 10% in the 1990s to over 40%.

 

“More progress is needed, but the trend is in the right direction.”

 

While the global economic meltdown had affected the economy considerably since 2009, the resilience of South Africa’s banking sector had shielded the economy to some extent.

 

Not fair

 

On the issue of e-tolling, Zuma said: “The roads are to be tolled to pay back the money we borrowed to build the freeways.

 

“… It is not fair to make the whole of South Africa pay for Gauteng’s road use by taxing everyone’s petrol more or put more burden on the already strained fiscus.”

 

On 9 October, the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein dismissed the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance’s (Outa) challenge to the e-tolling of Gauteng’s freeways.

 

On Friday, Outa announced that it would abandon its legal battle as it had insufficient funds.

 

“We still owe our lawyers R1.8 million and it will cost R1.5m to continue. We realised that we are out of money,” Outa chair Wayne Duvenage said at the time.

 

SAPA

Pic: (Young,beautiful and Vibrant Gaamangwe “Pinase” Motshitshi who feels short-changed by North West police)

By Obakeng Maje

Taung-A 83 year-old woman was left dithered on Saturday after North West police allegedly stormed into her house, searched and left.

The incident took place on Saturday morning at Manthestad village, near Taung.

Gogo Annah Sima,83 who is residing with her grandson (Moshe,11), said she was woken up by close to six police officers wearing a uniforms and accompanied by sniffer dogs.

“I was so astonished after woken up by police early in the morning. They stormed into my house without identifying themselves and searched my house” gogo Annah Sima said.

According to gogo Sima, police said they were looking for drugs and dagga.

“They left without finding anything and I’m still crestfallen as I believe it is so embezzling for police to just storm into my house just like that” gogo said.

Our crew contacted North West police department to get more clarity about what exactly happened.

Taung DailyNews spoke to colonel Emelda Setlhako and she has this to say. “We do not know those police and cannot commend further” colonel Emelda Setlhako said.

According to gogo Sima, the police woman who accompanied the crew identified herself only as Motsemme from Manokwane village, but stationed at Potchefstroom.

However colonel Setlako said they were not aware of any house searching acts taking place in the area.

Our source said police were part of initiative called “A Fight Against Teenage Pregnancy And Drug Abuse” that was hosted by North West Health Department at Taung Sportsground on Saturday.

The department of health in the province hosted the initiative where they taught youth about danger of teenage pregnancy, drugs abuse and sceptical abortion.

The initiative started at Vryburg on Friday and the main event was in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati.

However gogo Sima’s granddaughter Gaamangwe “Pinase” Motshitshi said it is so clumsy of the police for just storming into her gogo’s house without identifying them.

“I demand apology from those police for what they did as my granny is so old and frail for heaven’sake. They nearly gave her heart attack” said furious granddaughter.

Gaamangwe Motshitshi said police need to respect elders and be more careful when dealing with them.

According to other report, the same crew went on to search Katong’s family in Manthestad village and allegedly arrested a man after he was found in possession of dagga.

“It is very disturbing to see our most trusted officials in the society showing that obstreperous behaviour towards our elders. Nowadays is not safe at all as criminals are masquerading as police officers to consolidate their criminal activities. The least they could do is to introduce themselves and explain their visit” concludes Pinase -TDN

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