POLICE have always maintained they only fired live rounds at Marikana miners in self-defence. Yet affidavits from mortuary workers indicate that cops had instructed them to be on standby with mortuary vehicles . . . hours before the actual massacre took place.

The affidavits by workers at different mortuaries were submitted to the Marikana Commission of Inquiry yesterday after the commission had been in recess for two weeks.

Evidence leader Advocate Matthew Chaskalson submitted that cops had anticipated that people were going to be killed during their operations.

Chaskalson said this was in line with provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Zukiswa Mbombo’s statement, who had earlier said cops were going to end the strike that day.

It has also been confirmed that 4 500 extra rounds of live R5 ammunition were delivered during the Marikana massacre.

The police have always maintained they shot at the miners in self-defence. In affidavits Chaskalson submitted, evidence suggests cops started making calls as early as 8am to mortuaries, demanding extra vehicles. In some instances cops were asked to make the requests in writing and complied.

Mortuary worker Josephine Ngake said Colonel Classen from Phokeng Police Station requested four mortuary vehicles to be sent to Marikana.

“I said I could only send one vehicle and asked Classen to send a letter of request,” she said. Later she received the request by e-mail.

Another mortuary worker, Simon Laka, from the Phokeng government mortuary, said he and other workers were summoned to Marikana. They were told to be there at about 6pm, two hours after the first shooting. He said they spent the night at Marikana and collected about 30 bodies from 5am onwards the next morning, which they took to the Phokeng mortuary.

Police strategist Colonel Duncan Scott denied any knowledge of the order for live ammunition and denied knowing about the request for mortuary vans.

He agreed with Chaskalson that it might have come up at meetings but he could have been preoccupied with other things.

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Johannesburg – Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund has called for a restructuring of the country’s youth teams set-up, in order for players to be better developed before making their senior national debuts.

Igesund said South Africa’s Under-17, U-20 and U-23 teams were lying dormant and were in desperate need of more matches, which would allow young players to move through the ranks and gain experience along the way.

“If you look at the big picture, we have to start developing a team for 2015, 2017 and 2018,” Igesund said in Kempton Park on Monday.

His comments come a day after the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) U-20 Championships draw in Lesotho.

South Africa were drawn in Group C, along with Zambia, the Seychelles and Namibia.

The side last played in March and their previous major competition were at the 2009 U-20 World Cup in Egypt where they progressed to the last-16 stage.

Igesund said Bafana Bafana should not be used to identify and nurture young talent, but was rather a team that deserved only the best and most experienced players in the country.

“The senior national team is a not a place to give caps away all the time,” he said.

“They have to start playing in the Under-17s, 20s and 23’s. There are so many players that have to start playing.

“If these young players had five or six years of being in the under-17s, 20s and 23 teams, then when they come to the senior national team, they will be much more experienced than they are now.

“We have to remember that our senior national team is not a development team. We have to pick the best players at all times.”

Igesund has blooded a number of youngsters since his appointment as national coach last year, including Kgosi Ntlhe (19), Ayanda Patosi (20), Bongani Zungu (21), Siyanda Xulu (21) and Daylon Claasen (23).

“Over the last three or four months, I’ve given a lot players opportunities and I wouldn’t have done anything differently if I had the chance again,” Igesund said of his squad selections.

“Slowly but surely there might be one or two older players out of the system come 2015 or 2018.

“I’ve given them (young players) the opportunity, where normally I’d be watching them in the Under-23 team. But because these teams have been inactive, we’ve taken the responsibility of throwing them in at the deep end.

“We’ve been putting them into the squad, having a look at them at the risk of losing sometimes.” – Sapa

By Obakeng Maje

ATAMELANG-The DA has laid charges against 4 ANC members that had maliciously damaged and destroyed DA posters in Gannalaagte Ward 5 Tswaing in the run-up to upcoming by-election of 23 October 2013.

A formal complaint was also lodged at a Local Party Liaison Committee meeting of the IEC. 

In addition a complaint was forwarded to the national IEC Offices.

“The ANC representatives attending the meeting on Thursday 10 October was requested by the IEC official to reprimand their members to respect property of other parties contesting the by-election” DA Tiaan Kotze said.

Despite the request the ANC defiantly intensified its campaign against the DA by destroying almost all of the posters resulting in damages of more than R15 000, 00.

“Several DA members and the DA candidate witnessed as they went on their road of destruction” Kotze said. 

The intensified destruction started after a funeral on Saturday 12 October, where a government official of the Department of Rural and Land Affairs accused the DA as a “racist Party” that will bring apartheid back, says DA.

“Some threatening messages were written on the posters.  The DA Tswaing will not be intimidated by these actions.  Voters have the Constitutional Right to associate with a political party of their choice” said Kotze. 

DA says, their vote is their secret. 

“The ANC promising them food parcels and blankets is an incentive to try and buy the loyalty of the Voter”.

“The intimidation by the ANC and the distribution of food parcels in by-election ward are signs that the ANC is increasingly coming under threat from their former support base” concludes DA Tiaan Kotze.-TDN

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pic: (by obakeng maje)

Pretoria – The South African municipal landscape will change after the 2016 elections, the municipal demarcation board said on Tuesday.

“We have reached the final leg of this cycle and made the final determination of the cases that were before the board,” chairperson Lanbiwe Mahlangu told reporters in Pretoria.

“In reaching its final determinations, the board was by law expected, based on objections received, to either vary, confirm or withdraw on its decision on a particular case.”

She said the board had published 167 cases and received almost 10 000 objections, most of them from Gauteng.

Among these was an objection to the merger of the Midvaal and Emfuleni local municipalities, and the Sedibeng district municipality, into a single metropolitan municipality.

SAPA

North West Premier Thandi Modise has reacted with shock and dismay to the allegation of racial attack against three school children in Maquassie Hills.

This after the Congress of South African Trade Unions in the North West raised an alarm about the incident which allegedly took place the 7th of October.

“We call on police management in the province to urgently investigate the serious allegations that have the potential to undermine progress we have made as a country towards social cohesion, reconciliation and nation-building and if found to be true, the alleged perpetrator should be disarmed and arrested and those who might have neglected to do their duty should be immediately stripped of their dignified blue uniform,” said Premier Modise.

According to reports, the three school girls were walking from the library when a white man drove close to them at 18h00 and fired two gunshots. The man allegedly assaulted one of the girls, Tsholofelo Kadi before taking her to a local river where she was thrown in.

It is alleged that the girl was hospitalized at a local public hospital, but her parents were forced to take her to a private doctor who referred her to Wilmedpark hospital in Klerksdorp.

According to Cosatu, the matter was reported to police but the man has not been arrested.

“We will not tolerate racism in our province or anywhere in South Africa for that matter. Not after what we went through for many years because of it. There should be no place in the South African Police Service for sympathisers of trigger happy racists”. 

She said this is not the Wild West.

“There is no place in our democracy for police who do not value the culture of defending human rights” cautioned Premier Modise.-TDN

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By Obakeng Maje

Potchefstroom-Construction work on a bicycle path that will stretch from Sarafina on the Klerksdorp road to the industrial area of Potchefstroom has started.

“The pathway will be on the northern side of the N12 and will greatly assist in making this section safer for all concerned” DA North West spokesperson Tiaan Kotze said. 

DA Kotze said there has been too many cyclist fatalities on the N12 lately and by this exclusive cyclist road, they want to protect the hard workers of our city.

In the meantime road markings are receiving constant attention from the department of traffic and safety.

“Speed humps, which can become dangerous when not clearly marked, are getting special attention” Kotze said.

The DA led Tlokwe coalition will continue to ensure a safer City of Expertise, says DA.-TDN

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North West-There is no turning back on development of rural village agro-industrial hubs that will assist farming enterprises in the North West Province to access markets, funding, training, technology and logistics support, Premier Thandi Modise assured the Serbian delegation that visited Mahikeng on Monday.

Premier Modise said that from the mission to Serbia that was undertaken by the province and lessons learnt, optimal land use is critical for revitalization of rural towns, communities and their livelihoods through village industrialization and manufacturing.

“The Serbian experience has shown us that it is cost effective to recapitalise small holdings with moto-cultivators and small farm equipment rather than big tractors and big farm machinery used for large commercial farming for enterprises to make a profit of R2 million on a 3 hectra,” highlighted Modise.

She added that the provincial government is studying the profiles of other municipalities visited by the provincial government delegation to identify matters of interest and propose possible twinning agreements with other municipalities in the province.

Several job creation and empowerment projects have been identified for implementation around Mahikeng in a pilot project to be rolled out in the next few months through the partnership between the North West Provincial Government, The Serbian Government, North West Development Partners Trust (NWDPT) and the BIPOM Balkan-Black Sea Machinery Cluster Manufacturer’s Association for improving competitiveness.

The establishment of Mini-Diary agro –processing, Mini Agro-processing, Mini-chicken abattoir, Mini-fodder processing, Mini-grain milling, Abattoirs& Meat Processing, Fish Agro-Processing and assembly, manufacturing and servicing of farm machinery plants are among some of the targeted projects to be rolled out.

Leader of the four member Serbian delegation and Co-President of BIPOM, Milivoj Stojanovic said that the North West Province is a strategic partner as the province is a gateway to the SADAC market.

The Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Kgora Farmers Institute, The Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT), Mahikeng Local Municipality, Taletso Further Education and Training College Mahikeng and Lehurutshe Campuses and the North West University are key stakeholders that will be involved in the pilot project.

The potential of the project to attract investments and create much needed jobs through the proposed free special economic zone (SEZ) and the proposed twinning agreement with Serbia’s Shabatz municipality were unanimously given thumbs up by the Mahikeng Local Municipality Council in its project briefing meeting with the delegation led by Stojanovic.

“The agro-industrial incubators will benefit the breed laying enterprise we have established and empower us with the technology and skills for us to be viable and sustainable and create more jobs“, said Councillor Thapelo Motshegoa who is a partnership project that is producing 300 eggs a day.

The municipality’s Executive Mayor, Councillor Lena Miga was part of the 29 June to 6 July 2013 provincial mission delegation to Serbia that was led by MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Desbo Mohono.

A development collaboration framework agreement that will guide the roll out of the development programme of the partners in the North West Province is to be finalised through a Memorandum of Agreement  on Technology transfer, Scientific and technical interchange in the field of Agriculture and Rural Development  that is in line with South Africa’s bilateral agreement with Serbia.

The partnership follows the NWDPT’s July 2010 visit to Serbia to benchmark issues of development and August 2011 BIPOM visit to the province.-TDN

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Rustenburg – The case of a man accused of murdering a woman at a mine in Rustenburg was postponed by the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, North West police said.

The case against Kabelo Arthur Moseki, 29, was postponed to Friday, said Brigadier Thulani Ngubane.

Moseki faces a charge of murder after his arrest on Wednesday following the discovery of the woman’s body underground at Aquarius platinum mine’s Kwezi shaft.

Sapa

Cape Town – The SA Police Services (SAPS) Amendment Act as it currently stands does pass constitutional muster the Western Cape High Court heard on Monday.

Advocate Renata Williams, for the justice department and the government, was arguing in a case in which businessman Hugh Glenister and the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) have sought to have sections of the act declared unconstitutional.

They argue that Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has too much power in terms of hiring and firing the head of the Hawks, which would open it up to political interference.

Williams disagreed.

“The minister must have an element of control. He cannot have no control.”

Williams said even if the Hawks were told not to investigate a certain matter, there were other institutions such as the public protector, which could “fill that gap” and help root out corruption.

Max Du Plessis, for the HSF told a full Bench of the court the “the possibility for abuse is manifest”.

Both Glenister and the HSF argue that the amendments do not allow the Hawks to meet the requirements of “adequate independence”.

The amendments were drafted in reaction to a previous Constitutional Court victory by Glenister, in which the executive was ordered to change the legislation to provide the Hawks with independence from political interference, among other things.

Glenister brought his suit following the dissolution in 2008 of the Scorpions, which was an investigative unit which fell under the jurisdiction of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The Scorpions, or the Directorate of Special Operations, was replaced by the Hawks, which falls under the police.

– SAPA

The outcomes of Auditor General Terence Nombembe’s audit of the Northern Cape government was welcomed by the ANC in the province on Monday.

ANC provincial whip Dave Molusi said his party encouraged the executive and accounting authorities to redouble their efforts in achieving clean audits.

“These outcomes demonstrate an emphatic improvement, with several departments and government entities close to achieving the ‘clean audit opinions’ advocated by the ANC-led government.”

Nombembe presented his findings to the provincial legislature and members of the Northern Cape executive last week.

Molusi said in a statement the highlight of Nombembe’s findings was the clean audit opinion, meaning unqualified with no matters of emphasis, which the social development department received.

During his presentation, Nombembe said consistent performance was an important benchmark of good governance.

Molusi said: “It is with pride in the ethic of hard work and dedication to service delivery that we can announce that none of the departments received a disclaimer opinion during the 2012/13 financial year’s audit.”

Disclaimer

A disclaimer report is issued when an auditor is unable to complete the audit for a variety of reasons and, therefore, does not issue an opinion.

The Northern Cape Economic Development Agency and Trade and Investment Promotion Agency received disclaimer opinions.

Molusi said that the provincial health department had received a qualified opinion report, an improvement from its recent history of disclaimer opinions.

“The AG also highlighted that this improvement was encouraging given the complex challenges faced by this department,” Molusi said.

“It is significant to note that Mr Nombembe was encouraged by the Northern Cape’s service delivery reporting on the whole.”

– SAPA