By Obakeng Maje
Mahikeng-The North West Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) today conducted a public hearing about the Auditor General’s (AG) Report on the Mafikeng Local Municipality’s 2012 Financial Statements. The AG’s formal “Disclaimer” opinion, for the 4th consecutive year, shows that Mafikeng’s finances are a mess, says DA.

The acting Executive Mayor, Potsho Tabane, concedes that things have gotten worse in Mafikeng, despite provincial interventions.
“The AG reported that the municipality was unable to provide most of the required audit evidence, including audit evidence about income amounting to R326 475 732 and debtors of R486 267 298. This means that the municipality does not have the necessary paperwork to explain more than R800 million worth of movement on its books. This is an unacceptable situation that is highly conducive to corruption and maladministration” da Chris Hattingh said.
According to DA Chris Hattingh, the AG reported on irregular expenditure amounting to R36 983 972. The AG also reported that he was not able to clarify whether this was even the full extent of the irregular expenditure.
The AG further reported:
• Fruitless expenditure amounting to R5 270 237 -including the payment for salaries for staff members that did not report for work for 12 months.
• Material under spending of conditional grants of R33 470 434.
• Unauthorized expenditure amounting to R24 352 296 in the current year with another R87 457 118 unauthorized amount from previous years.

“This all creates very fertile ground for fraud and corruption, and severely hampers the municipality’s ability to deliver services to the people. We need to stop the constant waste of money in this province. We must ensure that people get the services they need”.

It is tragic that even as Mafikeng and other North West municipalities continue to waste millions on fruitless and wasteful expenditure, there are still many places in our province where people struggle to get access to water and other basic services” said DA.

The DA has suggested that a turnaround plan for Mafikeng should include an independent skills audit and a comprehensive clean-up of the administration.
“If we start by managing the money right, and rooting out corruption, we can improve services step-by-step in a sustainable way” concludes Hattingh.-TDN
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Durban – A small group of people staged a protest on Tuesday outside the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court in support of the Swazi truck driver accused of murdering 22 people in a crash.

The group of mostly women held posters that read “Justice for Sanele May”.

Sanele Goodness May was expected to formally apply for bail later on Tuesday.

He was initially charged with 22 counts of culpable homicide, but this was subsequently upgraded to 22 counts of murder and a charge of reckless or negligent driving.

The accident occurred when 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 19:00 on 6 September.

The State is opposing bail.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A 13-day-old baby boy was kidnapped during a house robbery in Kempton Park West, east of Johannesburg, police said on Tuesday.

“They tied the mother and her 16-year-old daughter up and then took the baby, its clothes and the mother’s cellphone,” Constable Sharon Mahamba said.

The father arrived home after 22:00 and untied his wife and daughter.

The robbers were identified as three men and two women.

“When police arrived there were no signs of forced entry; it seems as if they used a key to get in,” Mahamba said.

No arrests had been made.

A case of house robbery and kidnapping was being investigated.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – A disciplinary hearing will be held on Tuesday for the 14-year-old Johannesburg schoolboy who allegedly punched his teacher at the Jim Fouche Primary School, Gauteng education department spokesperson Gershwin Chuenyane said.

The boy allegedly punched Zascia Hakkesteeg, 41, last week after she asked him to remove a jersey which was not part of the school uniform.

Police were called and the boy was taken to Brixton police station where an assault charge was laid.

The boy was later released into the custody of his parents and was suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary hearing.

The school has refused to comment on the incident.

– SAPA

Bloemfontein – The SA Human Rights Commission has recommended that a Bloemfontein teacher be registered as a person not suitable to work with children after he was found guilty of racism and hate speech.

Wilgehof Primary School’s Lenard Mac Kay was suspended in July following a complaint by a parent.

Craig Thiem said his children had repeatedly complained to him about a white teacher with a racist attitude towards black pupils.

In the complaint it was stated that Mac Kay displayed a full sized old South Africa flag in front of his classroom since May 2012, and had a poster in the class that depicted black people as having monkey-like noses and primate brains who could only make confusing noise.

The commission found that Mac Kay’s actions were a clear violation of both the right to equality and the right to human dignity of the pupils.

It also found that his administering of corporal punishment was clear violation of the South African Schools Act.

The SAHRC recommended that the Free State provincial department of education assess the prevalence of racism in public schools in the province and report back to the commission within 12 months.

– News24

Johannesburg – A Johannesburg man has been arrested for the rape of a 10-year-old girl in Zondi, Soweto, police said on Tuesday.

The 10-year-old girl was playing with other children in the street at around 18:00 when the man allegedly approached her and took her back to his shack, Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela said.

One of the children alerted their aunt, who went to the man’s shack with other people accompanying her.

The girl had been raped and the 35-year-old man was reported to the police.

He was arrested and was expected to appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court soon, Makhubela said.

– SAPA

Mbombela – The assault case against former Mpumalanga human settlements MEC Siphosezwe Masango and two of his bodyguards has been postponed to next year for trial.

The three were not asked to plead to charges of assault and intimidation when they appeared in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court on Monday, a Sapa correspondent reported.

They are accused of assaulting and intimidating motorist Gert van der Merwe, 39, at the Nkomazi toll plaza in July last year.

“The suspects appeared in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court today [Monday] and their case was postponed to January 13 next year for trial,” Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesperson Moses Dlamini said.

Van der Merwe opened the case at the Kaapmuiden police station and the case was transferred to the Ipid as the bodyguards work for the police.

In February, Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza sacked Masango as human settlements MEC after he found that the department had delivered only 3 900 houses throughout the province when the target was 10 980 for the 2012/2013 financial year.

African National Congress provincial secretary Lucky Ndinisa said the party would conduct an internal investigation.

“The ANC will launch an internal investigation regarding the case levelled against Masango, but for now we treat him as innocent until proven guilty by a court of law,” said Ndinisa.

Another assault case

In a separate matter, the ANC had still not dealt with its Ehlanzeni regional chairperson Ngrayi Ngwenya. He was found guilty of assault and fined R1 000 along with Nkomazi local municipality mayoral bodyguard Bheki Mhlongo after they assaulted a man in April.

Ngwenya, 49, and Mhlongo, 33, who is the bodyguard of Nkomazi mayor Thulisile Khoza, were found guilty of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm by the Barberton Magistrate’s Court last month.

They were found guilty of assaulting former ANC member Collen Sedibe, who is now a member of Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters.

Sedibe was still an ANC member during his assault, which happened at an ANC meeting in Malelane on 18 April. The assault allegedly took place after a difference of opinion between Ngwenya and Sedibe, who vocally campaigned for Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe prior to the ruling party’s elective conference in Mangaung, Free State, in December last year.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Former National Youth Development Agency head Andile Lungisa has asked to be relieved of his political duties while he deals with the criminal charges against him, the ANC said on Tuesday.

“We resolved to accept his request to be relieved of his political duties whilst he devotes his energy in clearing his good name from the damaging allegations that are now before our courts,” ANC Eastern Cape spokesperson Pindile Miza said in a statement.

Lungisa is one of the ANC Eastern Cape’s executive committee members.

On Friday, he appeared in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court on charges of fraud and money-laundering, with Thabo Shogolo, Xolisile Guquza, and Ursula Sali.

They allegedly accepted and shared among themselves R2.5m paid by the arts and culture department for the Nelson Mandela Sports Day concert.

They allegedly promised that US singer R Kelly would perform at the concert, but he did not.

The group was arrested after handing themselves to the Hawks on Friday.

Lungisa and Shogolo were granted bail of R10 000 each, Guquza was granted bail of R5 000, and Sali was released on a warning.

They were instructed to surrender their passports to the investigating officer, and not to make contact with State witnesses.

The case was postponed until 30 October.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Police and members of the public who helped arrest a gunman in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, are to be commended, the Gauteng provincial legislature said on Tuesday.

“We appreciate the work of members of the community in helping police to arrest the suspect,” community safety portfolio committee chairperson Jacob Khawe said in a statement.

Two community safety patrollers and two bystanders were wounded in Hillbrow on Sunday after they stopped a man to search him. He drew a weapon and shot them, Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale said on Monday.

Two members of the public were also wounded. Bystanders helped police arrest the man.

By Tuesday morning one of the patrollers was discharged from hospital and the other was not in a serious condition. It was not clear how badly the bystanders were wounded, Khawe said.

“We also commend the police for their swift response in arresting the suspect and hopefully that the detective work will secure a harsh sentence for the suspect,” Khawe said.

He would visit the wounded patroller in hospital later on Tuesday. He said the patrollers should keep working hard to fight crime.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Former police commissioner Jackie Selebi still owes the SA Police Service more than R17m in legal fees, according to a report.

Die Burger reported that Selebi has not paid the amount more than three years after his drawn-out court case ended.

However, the full amount he owes has not been officially tallied up. According to the report, finalising the amount is a complex process, as there were several complaints and costs involved in the case.

Eyewitness News reported on Tuesday that Selebi may be required to pay less than the full R17.4m because he was not convicted on all charges against him during his trial.

The justice department referred queries to the police, saying it only handled the legal team and not the costs involved in the case.

‘Living a life of luxury’

Selebi was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2010 for taking bribes from convicted drug dealer Glen Agliotti. He appealed the sentence and collapsed at home when he lost his appeal in the lengthy case. He was released on medical parole in July 2012, suffering from a variety of complaints including kidney failure, hypertension and diabetes.

He was spotted shopping in Pretoria over the weekend, being chauffeured in a luxury BMW.

Beeld reported on Tuesday that even if Selebi’s health improves, he will not have to return to prison, in terms of his medical parole conditions.

Meanwhile, Freedom Front Plus spokesperson Pieter Groenewald said Selebi was making a mockery of the country’s justice system, and was leading a life of luxury while owing the state millions in legal fees.

Groenewald added that Selebi’s debt is long overdue and must be paid back with interest. If Selebi cannot pay his debt, he must be declared insolvent and his assets must be seized, Groenewald said.

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