Pretoria – Any attack on strife-torn Syria without UN Security Council (UNSC) approval will violate international law, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

“We are concerned by the rhetoric of pointing to the possibility of a military intervention,” he told reporters after meeting Sao Tome and Principe President Manuel Pinto da Costa in Pretoria.

“South Africa does not believe that bombing the already suffering people and crumbling infrastructure of Syria will contribute to a sustainable solution.”

Zuma said under certain circumstances, the UNSC could mandate the use of military force after other interventions had failed.

“Any attack on Syria without the UN Security Council authorisation would constitute a grave violation of international law and dangerously undermine international order.”

Zuma warned that the UNSC should not be used to authorise military interventions aimed at regime change.

“We encourage all parties involved in the current conflict in Syria to engage in a process of all-inclusive national dialogue, free from any form of violence, intimidation or outside interference aimed at regime change.”

Western countries are drawing up a possible military response – likely to be limited to missile attacks – to a suspected chemical weapons attack near Damascus last week that activists say killed hundreds of people.

At the same time, UN inspectors will examine one of the sites of the alleged attack.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Midvaal municipality will get a new mayor this week, the DA said on Thursday.

Bongani Baloyi would be sworn in at the Midvaal Council Chambers on Friday evening, the DA said in a statement.

The ANC called Baloyi’s appointment a disgrace.

“The public protector’s report revealed that the DA-controlled Midvaal municipality was very corrupt and has an incompetent administration,” ANC Gauteng spokesperson Dumisa Ntuli said.

It was disgraceful that the new mayor would take over a “corrupt municipality”.

“The appointment of the new mayor… is window-dressing and a cruel strategy of the DA to parade black people in order to win support,” Ntuli said.

In July, the DA’s Midvaal mayor Timothy Nast resigned.

Nast took up a position at the Gauteng Planning Commission (GPC) on 1 August.

He reports to the deputy director general of development planning in the GPC.

The GPC is responsible for long-term, city-region planning, and performance monitoring and evaluation for the province.

Nast, 32, became mayor of Midvaal in 2009.

He was re-elected to the post in 2011.

Midvaal lies halfway between Johannesburg, the East Rand, and the Vaal.

SAPA

A Northern Cape school employee accused of raping a schoolboy appeared in the Warrenton Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, police said.

Police spokesperson Olebogeng Tawana said he allegedly raped a 7-year-old boy in the primary school toilets last week.

The case was postponed to 2 September for a formal bail application.

He was arrested last Thursday after the boy told his mother he had been raped.

SAPA

By Obakeng Maje

North West-The deep-cutting report of the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, on abuse of public funds in the North West Department of Finance, confirmed the concerns of the NW DA over a prolonged period of time, the Democratic Alliance said in their statement.  

The NW SCOPA in addition also had to endure considerable criticism from the NW Executive for embarking on an investigation involving the Public Protector, The Public Service Commission, The Auditor General and the Hawks (SAPS) in the abuse of public funds by the North West Treasury.

Advocate Thuli Madonsela emphasized her concerns that in a country where 51% of people are living below the poverty line and 39 million are depended on grants, public funds could be wasted on such a scale as in this case.

Madonsela also raised her concern that more than R500 000 was paid to a legal firm just to formulate charges in a disciplinary case and confirmed that this type of abuse is rife in Departments not only in the North West,but country-wide. 

“In her summary of the report Adv. Madonsela frequently used word such as improper conduct, abuse of power, flawed, unlawful, and acting against the constitution and treasury regulations and maladministration” DA Tiaan Kotze said.

DA said she(Madonsela) also announced that certain aspects of the case, including possible collusion and fraud are being investigated by the HAWKS.

“The DA is in full support of the recommendations contained in the Public Protector Report including the remedial action directed at the Premier which includes disciplinary action against certain officials” Kotze said.

The DA said is mindful of NW practices, both at local and provincial level, to use blank cheques to get rid of deployed ANC cadres when their political usefulness have been exhausted – in many instances being the root of the behaviour described by Adv. Madonsela.-TDN

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Johannesburg – South African Airways Technical (Saat) has called off, with immediate effect, wage negotiations talks with the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu).

The decision to call off the negotiations is a result of the striking Satawu members’ disregard of the picketing rules and intensified unruly behaviour, according to a statement by SAA.

SAA’s group security department has received reports of severe intimidation of passing motorists and alleged assault of members of the public and employees of the company.

The company will take the necessary disciplinary steps in dealing with these incidences. 

Since Wednesday, striking Satawu members were involved in erratic acts of intimidation, trespassing and damage to property.

Earlier today, close to 150 Satawu members were picketing outside the SAA Technical entrance.

The group then staged a “drive slow” on Jones Road, which leads to the remises of SAA and SAA Technical. 

Saat has successfully applied for an interdict which will strengthen the law enforcement agencies’ ability to deal with any acts of criminality associated with the picketers. 

“This behaviour by Satawu protesters is unacceptable and Saat management cannot continue to engage with the union until such time that the union ends disobedience of picketing rules,” according to the SAA statement.

“This disorderly behaviour, which is directed at innocent members of the public and employees of the company, is a clear act of desperation by Satawu. The strike action has had no noticeable impact on SAAT and SAA’s operations.”

The contingency plans will continue to be in place in order to ensure minimal, if any, disruptions to airline’s operations.

To date, SAA flight delays as a direct result of the strike have on average been three per day.

– Fin24

Johannesburg – Five suspected robbers were arrested in Mthunzini on Thursday, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

Police received a tip-off and the five men, aged between 19 and 22, were arrested, police spokesperson Thulani Zwane said.

“The suspected robbers were linked to six house robberies in August 2013 in KwaDlangezwa student cottages.”

Police recovered two laptops, a 9mm pistol and ammunition, cellphones, and clothes.

“The alleged robbers attacked students in KwaDlangezwa cottages while they were sleeping on 24 August and demanded cash, clothes, cellphones, and laptops,” said Zwane.

The five would appear in the Mthunzini Magistrate’s Court on 2 September on charges of house robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Zwane said the firearm was taken for ballistic tests and the five men could be linked to other house robberies in Mthunzini and Esikhawini.

SAPA

Johannesburg – The mining charter was developed to guide the process of transformation in the mining industry and is a document involving multiple role players, the 2013 Mining Lekgotla heard on Thursday.

“Such an instrument is meant to give effect to transformation of the industry and is the first of its kind to be introduced,” Parliament’s mineral resources portfolio committee acting chairperson Faith Bikani said.

“The mining charter also sought to address the issue of beneficiation, promote investment, as well as address the socio-economic movement of mining communities.”

Bikani said improvement to the housing conditions of mining communities was needed.

On a committee oversight visit they found that there was “abject poverty” in the communities.

“Companies should start determining developmental community needs,” she said.

For South Africa to improve its economic status, everyone in the mining sector needed to work together and sustain efforts of working as a “multi-discipline task team”.

“[South Africa should] avoid forever and ever talks which never become transparent and evident in implementating strategies for the greater masses to understand,” she said.

Bikani also asked the lekgotla to identify which part of the charter was not clear and needed to be clarified. She said social labour plans needed to be strengthened.

The lekgotla was attended by representatives of the South African mining industry as well as other African countries like Botswana, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mining companies needed to become part of implementations for transformation to take place, she said.

Thursday was the last day of the lekgotla.

Pretoria – Without the participation of miners, the commission probing last year’s Marikana shooting would become the “Money-kana” commission, lawyer Dali Mpofu said on Thursday.

“It would be a commission for those who have money,” he said in Pretoria.

Mpofu, who acts for the miners, was pleading with commission chairperson, retired Judge Ian Farlam, to postpone the commission as he and his legal team were without funding.

He had provisionally withdrawn from the commission.

According to Mpofu, one of his clients said: “If they continue [the commission] without us, they shouldn’t call it the Marikana commission… It is not the Marikana commission if we, the people of Marikana are not there. The people who will be left there are not from Marikana.”

Mpofu wants the commission to be put on hold pending the outcome of their efforts to get funding from the State.

He took the matter to the high court and the Constitutional Court in a bid to compel the State to fund his team several weeks ago. Both courts ruled in favour of the State.

An appeal will be heard at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on 25 and 26 September.

The commission, sitting in Centurion, is investigating the death of 44 people during strike-related unrest in Marikana in August last year.

Thirty four people – almost all striking mineworkers – were shot dead in a clash with police on 16 August.

Ten people, including two police officers and two security guards, were killed in the preceding week.

SAPA

Pretoria – Police have cautioned the public against a “miracle doctor” operating in Pretoria North who allegedly conned a woman out of her R1 million pension payout, claiming he could double it.

Pretoria North communications officer Constable Maanda Singo says the suspect goes by the pseudonym of Dr H Muhamad and has people handing out pamphlets about his business.

Services listed on the pamphlet include increasing a person’s salary, bringing back lost lovers and solving financial problems.

Singo said one of the complainants went to the suspect to have her money doubled.

“She gave the miracle doctor R10 000 and got back R20 000. As a result she resigned from her job to get her pension,” said Singo.

The bank initially refused to pay over the money, saying an appointment needed to be made for such a large withdrawal.

“She made the appointment and went there with the miracle doctor to withdraw the money. It was withdrawn from Nedbank in Pretoria North at the end of July,” said Singo.

After the money was withdrawn the woman left with the suspect, who instructed her to put the cash in a suitcase and not to check the suitcase until he called. He dropped her off at her home with the case.

“She got impatient and checked the suitcase before he instructed her to do so and found that there was no money, only paper.”

After realising what had happened the woman tried to call the suspect several times, to no avail.

She went to the Pretoria North police and a case of fraud and theft was opened.

Singo said police went to the address from which the suspect had been operating, only to find that he was no longer there.

They also tried to contact the suspect several times, without success.

Singo, the investigating officer, has called on residents to assist police with information so the suspect may be traced. A further two cases believed to be linked to the suspect have been opened this month.

The SAPS obtained a photograph of the suspect, which the complainant identified as the man who allegedly defrauded her.

Singo said the man was in his late 20s and believed to be from Uganda. Anyone with information should call 012 353 5666 or the investigating officer at 012 353 5622.

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