Daily Archives: November 7, 2013

Natu angry after govt fails to select new matric markers in KZN

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The National Teachers Union has expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of Education Department representatives in Durban, where they would have restarted the process of selecting markers for matric final exam papers.

The department had to withdraw 9 500 wrongfully appointed candidates to mark this year’s matric final examination papers. The majority of the candidates did not meet the requirements. Teacher unions Natu and South African Democratic Teachers Union say they picked up the problem during the evaluation process.

For more www.sabc.co.za

Gigaba supports probe into Eskom workers death

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Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba has pledged his full support to the investigation undertaken by Eskom into the death of six construction workers last week.

They died when a platform in a tunnel collapsed at the Ingula Pumped storage station near Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal. Gigaba was speaking at their memorial service at Ingula.

He says the accident means much still needs to be done to improve the safety of workers. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu called on authorities to make sure they carry out their responsibilities in an honourable way for the benefit of workers.

Consul general of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Lerato Tsosane, says they will support the investigation into the deaths. Tsosane was also speaking at the memorial of the six men.

National Union of Mineworkers representative Peter Bailey says they want to make sure that Eskom supports the families of the deceased and make sure their dependants get quality education.

He says there is a need for Eskom to establish a Trust Fund for the families so that they will not suffer due to the death of breadwinners.

For more www.sabc.co.za

NUM rejects Northham wage offer

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The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has rejected a revised wage offer from Northam Platinum, the world’s fifth largest platinum producer, extending a five day old strike by over 7000 of its members.

The union says its members feel that management’s offer is still far from their demand.

NUM’s regional organiser Comfort Phaala says: “We’ve conducted a mass meeting today in order to engage our members in the current development and we would like to report that the offer has been rejected by our members, noting that the development only gives a R500 increase to none core employees and a R600 to those who are core employees. Looking at the difference between the parties the gab is too big. The strike will be continuing.”
   
The strike involves the workforce at Northam’s Zondereinde operation, which accounts for the vast majority of the company’s annual production of three hundred ounces.

For more www.sabc.co.za

EFF accused of hijacking Pretoria march

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Pretoria – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was accused of hijacking a march to the Union Buildings by residents of the Mooiplaas settlement, west of Pretoria, on Thursday.

“You are ruining our march. This is not a political party-led event,” said Emely Morongwe.

The residents were presenting service delivery demands to the presidency.

When community leaders were called to hand over the memorandum, EFF members complained about being left out.

They pushed each other, and shouted insults at the police.

“You are allowing in whites. This is not a white man’s march,” one of them shouted when the police unlocked a gate to let in a journalist.

Agang SA member Makgoka Lekganyane was booed when he tried to restore order.

He was one of three people allowed through the gate to hand over the memorandum, in which residents gave the government 18 days to respond to their demands for water, electricity, and houses.

“Who are you to tell us? You have been paid to interrupt our march… Our leaders are not there,” a man shouted at the EFF group.

The EFF members retreated to the back of the gathering, where they held a meeting.

They sang while local EFF leader Peter Motherland read the memorandum.

“You are disturbing us. This is for the community not for you,” shouted a woman.

The EFF protesters, most of them wearing the party’s red T-shirts and berets, arrived at the Union Buildings singing songs in praise of their leader Julius Malema.

“Re suteleng re ya ya, Malema o e tla [Get out of the way we are coming, Malema is coming],” they sang, blowing vuvuzelas as they walked across the Union Buildings’ lawns.

Some carried placard reading: “Juju my commander all the way.”

After the memorandum was handed over, the EFF supporters continued to sing liberation songs.

 

– SAPA

Satanic ritual accused found guilty

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Two men accused of the killing of Kirsty Theologo were found guilty in South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, sitting in Palm Ridge, on Thursday, according to reports.

Jacaranda News tweeted that Robin Harwood and Lindon Wagner wept in court after they were found guilty.

Eyewitness News tweeted that Courtney Daniels was found guilty of assault and acquitted of murder and attempted murder.

 

 

According to EWN Harvey Isha was acquitted.

Theologo, 18, was assaulted and set alight in an alleged Satanic ritual in October 2011.

She died in hospital a week later due to her injuries. Her 14-year-old friend survived the attack.

For more www.news24.com

Youth will vote in 2014 – survey

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Johannesburg – Almost nine in 10 young South Africans plan to vote in the 2014 general elections, according to a survey released on Thursday.

About 87% of 2 575 people questioned said they were already registered to vote and would vote next year.

This was in contrast to the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) announcement on Wednesday that less than half of eligible voters under the age of 30 were currently registered to vote.

The survey, conducted by Pondering Panda, found that 13% of those who said they were already registered to vote indicated they would not do so.

In terms of race, young white South Africans were found to be the most likely to vote, with 92% saying they would do so.

Eighty-seven percent of young blacks and 88% of young coloureds intended to vote.

The IEC said its voter awareness programme was focused mainly on young people using social media networks.

 

– SAPA

Pule under fire over deadline – report

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Johannesburg – Former communications minister Dina Pulehas been taken to task by the Constitutional Court for failing to meet a court deadline to remedy the SA Post Office Act, the SABC reported on Thursday.

The court was reacting to a request by Pule’s successorYunus Carrim for an extension to the Thursday deadline, the broadcaster reported.

In March, the court upheld a woman’s challenge involving her divorced husband’s pension fund.

Phumla Ngewu and the Women’s Legal Centre Trust brought an application relating to the SA Post Office retirement fund.

Ngewu was married to SA Post Office worker Mawethu Ngewu until 27 July 2007. He is a member of the fund.

In their divorce decree, Phumla was awarded a 50% share of her ex-husband’s pension interest.

However, under the rules of the fund, this did not accrue upon divorce, but when her husband terminated his membership of the fund.

She and the trust challenged the provisions of the rules of the fund, alternatively the Divorce Act and the Pension Funds Act, contending that they violated her constitutional right to equality.

The court found that a section of the act dealing with the administrative and financial matters of the fund was unconstitutional and did not provide for the payment of the pension interest at the time of divorce.

It declared the section invalid and suspended the declaration for eight months for the legislature to “cure the defect”.

The fund admitted there was a constitutional defect in its rules.

 

– SAPA

Transform to end violence – commission

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Johannesburg – Society needs to transform to fight rising violence against women and children, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) said on Thursday.

Society was struggling to transform from apartheid and it had not yet progressed from a patriarchal society, CGE chair Mfanozelwe Shozi said in Sandton, Johannesburg.

“That is why we are seeing increased violence towards women and children,” he told reporters.

CGE CEO Keketso Maemo said violence against women and children topped the commission’s agenda.

“Women and children form the most vulnerable part of society and that is why it is the responsibility of all of us to protect them.”

This responsibility was more important in view of an increase in brutal rapes and murders of children.

Commissioner Amanda Gouws highlighted the importance of the SA Police Service to work with communities to prevent brutality against women and children.

“Police officers need to be trained adequately in regards to such sensitive issues, so that the community will feel comfortable to work with them to protect women and children in society.”

The CGE is a constitutional body that seeks to ensure that gender equality in South Africa is achieved, promoted and protected.

It is granted the power to perform its functions through education, conducting research and reporting issues concerning gender equality in South Africa, among others.

 

– SAPA

Still hope for ANC – Pikoli

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Cape Town – There is still hope for the ANC, as long as its members do not keep quiet about where the party is headed, former National Prosecuting Authority boss Vusi Pikoli said on Thursday.

“There are more people within the ANC who would realise that things are not the way they are supposed to be. They don’t want to own up to these fears and transcend this fear,” Pikoli told the Cape Town Press Club.

He said he joined the then liberation movement in 1980, served in the ANC’s armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe, and remained a loyal member of the party.

“My children accuse me of exhibiting symptoms of a battered wife. They say I don’t want to leave this abusive partner.”

Pikoli was axed as the country’s prosecutions boss in 2008, following his decisions to institute corruption charges against disgraced former police chief Jackie Selebi and President Jacob Zuma.

He said he was also forced to resign from the auditing firm, SizweNtsalubaGobodo, claiming the ANC threatened to withdraw lucrative government contracts if he did not leave.

Explaining his unflinching support for the ANC, Pikoli quoted Oliver Tambo, who said a line needed to be drawn between “questionable loyalty” to the party and “questioning loyalty”.

Pikoli ascribed to the latter.

“That’s why I’m always in trouble with my organisation, because I don’t have an unquestioning loyalty,” he said.

He said it was his duty to question the direction the organisation was moving towards, and he said others were beginning to do the same.

“It is that unquestioning loyalty that makes us see a number of protests of service delivery… When we go to public hospitals, you go there with one ailment and you come out with three.

“It is this unquestioning loyalty that ensures that our children still are receiving their education under trees.”

Pikoli said his decisions to prosecute Selebi and Zuma were made because his public duty at the time was greater than any loyalty he had.

“I don’t regret the decisions I’ve taken during my term of office,” he said.

 

– SAPA

Former leaders milked ANCYL dry – Masina

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Johannesburg – Dishonest former ANC Youth League leaders had milked the organisation dry, its convenor Mzwandile Masina said on Thursday.

“We know as a matter of fact that the dishonest former leaders who milked the organisation and left it dry have now created other self-enriching schemes in the form of new political parties,” he told reporters in Johannesburg.

He did not name expelled ANC Youth League presidentJulius Malema, who started and now leads the Economic Freedom Fighters.

“We are now left here to ponder how we will save the ANCYL from its problems that emanated as a result of lack of leadership at that particular point in time.”

The ANCYL was briefing reporters on a South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg decision last week to place it under provisional liquidation.

This reportedly means that the affairs of the ANCYL will be put in the hands of the Master of the High Court, and that its interim leadership is no longer in a position to make any decisions until the final order in January.

An events company in Bloemfontein applied for the ANCYL to be sequestrated over a R15m debt dating back to 2008.

Masina said the ANCYL would continue to function as if there was no court judgment, unless it was told otherwise by a liquidator.

“All the staff of the youth league have been coming to work. No one is having any sleepless nights about what is going to happen.”

Raising funds

The ANCYL called on businesses and supporters to donate money to help pay its debt.

Masina said the next time the court called on the ANCYL to pay, it should be in a position to do so because of funds raised.

“We want to call upon good citizens of South Africa to help us contribute financially so we can rescue the organisation of [former president] Nelson Mandela.

“It’s either we pay or we close shop,” Masina said.

This did not mean that the ANCYL was for sale, he said.

“However, the youth league is in crisis financially, hence we call upon progressive… business people who understand the history and importance of the ANCYL to come on board and assist.”

Masina said the ANCYL was already paying for debts it could afford, but he did not know if the debt amount would increase, because every week it received letters of demand.

The ANCYL had set up an ad hoc committee consisting of its former presidents, treasurers general and lawyers to help.

They included former ANCYL presidents Malusi Gigaba andFikile Mbalula, and former treasurers general Ignatius Jacobs and Pule Mabe.

Former ANCYL deputy president Ronald Lamola would be part of the legal team, with Advocate Terry Motau.

“[They] have said they are willing to work with us hand-in-hand to go back to court so we can plead our case politically and legally,” Masina said.

 

– SAPA