By Obakeng Maje

Bothithong-Northern Cape police are investigating a case of malicious damage to property after three voter’s registration point were allegedly disrupted on Saturday. 

Dithakong Tribal Office, Omang Primary School, and Lehuro Primary School in Boithithong, in the greater Kuruman area were closed down after interruption from community members. 

“It is alleged that some members of the public burned down the IEC banners. Police managed to arrest four suspects aged between 22 and 42” lieutenant Olebogang Tawana said. 

The value of the IEC banners are estimated at about R50 000. 

“The three IEC voters’ registration points were then closed down as a result and situation seems calm at the moment and police are maintaining their presence” Tawana said.

The four suspects are expected to appear before court on Monday.

Police investigations continue.-TDN

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The Confederation of African Football announces the start of the Contract with Africa phase 3 Financial Assistance Program (CAFAP) which will run until 2017.

CAF Secretary General, Hicham El Amrani revealed that the amount to be allocated to each National Association eligible for Phase 3 will be USD 125,000 up from the USD 100,000 given during Phase 2. The announcement follows the recent September CAF standing committees and CAF Executive Committee meetings. Each National Association can benefit once from this grant during the 4 year cycle of CAFAP 3

CAFAP’s main objective is to help CAF Member Associations establish long term, innovative, and tangible development projects; targeting the football infrastructures for the benefit of the football players, spectators, and football professionals such as doctors and the members of the media

The beneficiaries of phase 3 are the Member Associations of CAF and to be eligible any national association applying for CAFAP 3 should have one of its teams engaged at least once a year in a continental CAF competition. CAF will financially support projects according to defined Criteria with each project application be evaluated by the administration of CAF and approved by the Executive Committee.

Contract with Africa
The CAF FINANCIAL PROGRAM is guided by “CAF Contract with Africa”, a strategic blueprint development program launched in 2005. Under Contract with Africa, CAF is committed to empower its Member Associations by providing them support through the following three pillars of development namely Grassroots , Human Resources and Infrastructure.-TDN
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Basetsana progressed to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers in style having convincingly beaten Botswana 2-0 for a comprehensive 7-2 aggregate score.

The Sheryl Botes side had already almost made sure of qualification for the next round having walloped Botswana 5-2 in the first leg in Botswana two weeks ago, meaning the second leg at Bidvest Stadium yesterday was a mere formality.

Basetsana got their goals from Shiwe Nogwanya and substitute Amanda Mthandi.

The Under/20 side are now likely to face Tanzania in the next round for the road to Canada next year.

Stifling heat in which temperatures hit above 30 degrees Celsius was a major factor in the flow of the game.

The two teams went to half-time deadlocked at 0-0 but it was a different ball game altogether in the second half as lethal striker Nogwanya put the home side in front.

Mthandi, who has always been used as an impact player doubled the scoreline as Basetsana romped to an emphatic victory.

The match was attended by SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan, NEC members Truman Prince and Anastacia Tsichlas among the top officials.

“It was a great game and I am happy our girls are still on track for the World Cup to Canada. The heat played a major role in the flow of the game but I was particularly impressed by the second half showing,” said Dr Jordaan.-TDN
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Galeshewe, Northern Cape – Five days after calling the police for help, a woman who was nearly beaten to death with bricks and an iron managed to crawl out of her bloodied kitchen and called her neighbours for help.

Doreen Pholoane, 52, was hit with a paving brick behind her head as she opened the door to her shanty in Tshwene, Galeshewe, allegedly by two men she knew.
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Rightwing leader Andre Visagie was found guilty of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, Beeld newspaper reported on Saturday.

His son, Jan, 18, who was his co-accused, was acquitted in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court in the Northern Cape on Friday.

Magistrate Vernon Smith said Visagie, leader of the Geloftevolk Republikeine, has “an absolute lack of trust” in the police and was also concerned about farm attacks, which made him believe people needed to be able to protect themselves.

Visagie had earlier told the court that a chest of arms discovered in his son’s room had been planted there.

Smith found Visagie guilty but said there was no evidence that his son had knowledge of the firearms in the closet in his room.

A sentencing date is yet to be determined. – Sapa

North West – A slip of the finger has caused a delay in drought relief payment to North West farmers, Beeld newspaper reported on Saturday.

The National Treasury this week paid R4.6 million instead of R43.6m into the provincial treasury’s account, provincial agriculture spokesperson Bonolo Mohlakoana said.

She said the mistake would hopefully be corrected next week.

Agri North West deputy manager Naude Pienaar told the newspaper the mistake showed that the government was not serious about helping drought-hit farmers.

“This (happened) while President Jacob Zuma on Friday promised drought relief of R100 million to Namibia,” said Pienaar.

The North West was declared a drought-stricken area in September. The province requested help of R400m, but the government only approved R43.6m, said Mohlakoana. – Sapa

Johannesburg – The state’s security cluster welcomed a court order on Friday granting it a hearing on its application to prevent Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s preliminary report on Nkandla from being released.

“The decision to refer the matter to court follows a series of unsuccessful attempts by the security cluster to obtain from the office of the public protector a reasonable extension to provide comments on the interim report,” government said in a statement.

“The investigation by the public protector was carried over a period of about a year covering a wide scope of legislative and security issues that may not be adequately covered for comment over a few days.”

An urgent application by the cluster to prevent Madonsela from releasing the report into President Jacob Zuma’s KwaZulu-Natal homestead was postponed in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday. It would be heard next Friday.

William Mokhari, SC, for the cluster, told the court Madonsela was served an application for the interdict on Friday morning.

“We understand that the respondent [Madonsela] needs some time to file opposing papers and we have no objection to that.”

He said the parties came to an agreement.

“The first item [of the agreement] is that the matter be postponed to the 15th of November 2013,” he said.

“The respondent is to file the answering affidavit by Tuesday… and the applicants shall deliver replying affidavits by 17:00 hours on Wednesday.”

The parties would file heads of argument by noon on Thursday.

“[There is also]… an undertaking by the respondent [Madonsela] not to release the provisional report pending the finalisation of the application.”

Judge Sulet Potterill said the draft order of the agreement was made an order of court.

Zuma’s safety a concern

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said in a founding affidavit that Zuma’s safety would be compromised if Madonsela released the provisional report without state comment.

“If the report is released in its current form as intended by the respondent on [Saturday]… the applicants will suffer irreparable harm and the security of the state and the safety of the president will be severely compromised,” he said.

Mthethwa said in the affidavit that Madonsela initially released the report to the security cluster because she was aware it contained “classified, top secret and confidential matters which may impact on the security of the state and president”.

Mthethwa said releasing the report to other affected, implicated and interested parties before the cluster commented was therefore unlawful.

Madonsela’s office said earlier that the protector was due to receive comments on the report from the security cluster on Friday.

This followed a special request made by the cluster to have access to the report ahead of all other parties, to establish if its contents would compromise Zuma’s security.

“The report was shared with the said parties on 1 November, with a return date of Wednesday. The deadline was subsequently extended to Friday, following a request from the organs of state concerned,” it said.
‘Cover up’

Mthethwa said in his affidavit that the cluster, through Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi, sent a request to Madonsela on Monday for an extension of the deadline to submit their comments.

“The reason for the request was that the provisional report is voluminous… 357 pages,” he said.

“On 5 November [Tuesday] the applicants received the response from the respondent stating that the request was declined and that an additional two days were granted… to provide a response.”

Mthethwa said Madonsela stated she would release the provisional report on Saturday, whether she received the comments or not.

The notice of motion, by the cluster, stated that it be given an extension to 15 November to submit its comments on the report. Once Madonsela received them she had to send the revised report back to the cluster.

This was to determine whether or not security concerns raised had been addressed. The security cluster also asked to have seven more days to make further comments.

The Christian Democratic Party (CDP) said on Friday the interdict was an attempt to cover up irregularities.

“Attempts by the government to prevent the release of the public protector’s report on Nkandla [is] tantamount to high treason and violates constitutional principles,” CDP leader Theunis Botha said in a statement.

“To effectively undermine the Constitution can be regarded as a statutory coup, with opposition parties being excluded from exercising their constitutional right as protected by law.”

– SAPA

Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma visited a voting station at the Ntolwane Primary School in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday to see whether he is still a registered voter, SABC news reported.

Zuma was joined by his daughter, Msholozi Zuma, who wanted to re-register.

A group of African National Congress supporters greeted him as he walked into the voting station. Zuma then checked his name, which was found on the voter’s roll, the broadcaster reported.

However there were issues with registering his daughter, as her ID had Swaziland as her country of birth.

Zuma reportedly had to explain that she was born in exile and that she had voted before. She was only changing her voting area from Cape Town to Nkandla.

The SABC reported that after an Independent Electoral Commission official called his superiors, he was able to register her.

– SAPA

Pretoria – ANC president Jacob Zuma urged voters in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, on Friday to register and ensure his party wins by a landslide in 2014.

“If you have not registered, no matter how much you love this movement, you will be like those who don’t love it,” Zuma said.

He was addressing residents of Brazzaville in Atteridgeville. He was met by loud cheers as he made his way to the stage.

Zuma told the hundreds waiting for him at a sport field that the party wanted to win the 2014 elections by 75% and show the opposition who they were.

The only way to reach this target was if people were registered.

“We want to win because we want to show them who we are. For us to do that, let us go and register.”

Zuma told the crowd their votes were important to put in charge a government they liked, but they should not be misled by people making empty promises.

“There are a lot of people who make empty promises. You need to know there is an organisation that fought for freedom,” he said.

– SAPA

Cape Town – Justice Minister Jeff Radebe conceded on Saturday that government has no say on whether Public Protector Thuli Madonsela should classify her report into the R206m upgrade to President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead.

“Government has no role in deciding how the public protector deals with a report, even in this case. It is the public protector who herself gave us the report so we can check up on security concerns,” he told journalists in Pretoria. .

“Whether she [Madonsela] makes the report public or confidential, those are decisions that lie at the discretion of the public protector. We as the executive have no role to play.”

Radebe and his colleague in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) cluster, State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele briefed media on the rationale behind the decision to try and interdict Madonsela from releasing her provisional report.

Radebe said the merits of the case, brought in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday, were not up for discussion.

The urgent application was postponed. It would be heard next Friday.

Government’s only reason for bringing the case was to give the JCPS cluster more time to comment on the report.

Madonsela had submitted her report to ministers in the cluster, asking for comment on whether it would impact on national security and Zuma’s security.

Government’s court action had essentially prevented Madonsela from publicly releasing the report this weekend, telling the court it needed until next Friday to submit comments.

Radebe denied they were trying to supercede the mandate of the Public Protector.

Asked whether ministers would attempt to whitewash the report, Radebe said the executive did not have the power to do this.

“It’s not our duty to sanitise any report. It should be the [decision] of the public protector.”

In court papers, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said the release of the report would be a criminal offence.

Radebe said, despite criticism from some quarters, that this was not meant as a threat.

“That impression is misplaced,” he said.

Cwele concurred, adding: “There’s absolutely no intention for us to intimidate”.

The cluster was currently working on its response to the report.

“When we give our comments to the public protector, where there [are] such instances, we will be proposing certain remedial measures,” Radebe said.

He did not elaborate on the measures.

Radebe insisted Madonsela was unreasonable in setting a 6 November deadline for the ministers to comment, as the 357 page report was only submitted to them on 1 November, leaving ministers only four working days to provide input.

He said she also denied requests to extend this deadline.

“In providing us the opportunity to comment on the provisional report before it is released to other affected, implicated and interested parties, the public protector recognises the legal obligation to ensure that the provisional report does not compromise national security and the security of the president…,” Radebe said.

“The public protector has, in our view, unreasonably denied us the opportunity to properly engage the report…,” Radebe said.

– SAPA