Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma is considering extending the commission of inquiry into the multi-billion-rand arms deal, the presidency said on Wednesday.

“President Jacob Zuma has received and is considering a request to extend [it] by 12 months,” spokesperson Mac Maharaj said.

The commission’s term was due to expire in November. Its public hearings were scheduled to start next week.

Former president Thabo Mbeki, Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel, former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils and Congress of the People (Cope) president Mosiuoa Lekota were some of the people expected to testify in the first phase of the inquiry.

The commission, which is probing the R70bn arms procurement deal, would hold public hearings from 5 August until 31 January at the council chambers of the Sammy Marks Conference Centre, Pretoria.

The deal, which was initially estimated to cost R43m, has dogged South Africa’s politics since it was signed in 1999, after then Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) MP Patricia de Lille raised allegations of corruption in Parliament.

Zuma himself was once charged with corruption after his financial adviser Schabir Shaik, who had a tender to supply part of the requirements, was found to have facilitated a bribe for him from a French arms company. The charges against Zuma were dropped in April 2009.

The commission, which is probing the R70bn arms procurement deal, subject to Zuma granting an extension beyond November, spokesperson William Baloyi said.

Mbeki and Manuel were set to testify in the second half of January.

Rationale for arms

Baloyi said the first phase of the commission would “deal with the rationale for the Strategic Defence Procurement Package”, and whether the arms and equipment acquired were under-utilised or not utilised at all.

The first witnesses would be navy and air force officials. Armscor witnesses would be named later.

Kasrils and Lekota would be called as witnesses between 30 September and 4 October, followed by department of trade and industry officials until 11 November.

Former public enterprises minister Alec Erwin was expected to testify for three days in November, followed by National Treasury officials until the end of that month.

“It is also important to note that the programme is not cast in stone and circumstances prevailing at the hearings may require that it be adapted or altered, and this may also effect the sequence of witnesses,” Baloyi said.

“Some of the witnesses may be recalled at a later stage, when the commission deals with the terms of reference relating to allegations of impropriety, fraud and corruption in the acquisition process, a phase in which the ‘whistleblowers’ and those who are implicated will feature.”

The commission would be held in the council chambers of the Sammy Marks Conference Centre in Pretoria.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Young people must register for next year’s general elections because they have more to gain than older voters, DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said on Wednesday.

“Register to vote. It is an important act of civic duty,” she said in a speech planned for delivery at the Vaal University of Technology in Vanderbijlpark.

“You will have a choice that will shape your life for decades to come. When you cast your vote, I want you to think of your future.”

She said young people made up about a fifth of the electorate and, therefore, had significant political “clout”.

“As the youth of South Africa, you have more to lose or gain than anybody else in this country. You still have long lives to live.”

Mazibuko was speaking at the launch of a new branch of the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (Daso) at the university.

She said the Daso was the fastest growing student organisation in the country.

At the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), for example, the Daso recently secured three-quarters of the vote within three years of its launch.

At that university, the Daso helped students by implementing a shuttle transport service.

The Daso also believed it was important to introduce tutorials in students’ mother-tongues to help second- and third-language speakers reach their potential in classes and exams conducted in English.

“This has been implemented at NMMU. Students who attended those mother-tongue tutorials achieved a 100% pass rate in 2011 and 2012,” Mazibuko said.

“We can do the same right here.”

Mazibuko said that the ANC was “worried” that it could lose support in Gauteng.

“The ANC thought the same when they were in government in the Western Cape before the 2009 elections, and the same in the City of Cape Town before the 2006 elections.

“My message to [ANC Secretary General Gwede] Mantashe today, as I look around this room, is that you are in for a big surprise again, this time in Gauteng.”

– SAPA

Pretoria – A 28-year-old mother accused of murdering her three-week-old baby told the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday she was not mentally unstable.

Juanita Fourie, whose surname appears as Oldewage on the charge sheet, said she would not have been able to run a bottle store six days a week if she had been unstable.

She co-owned the Port Elizabeth business and was using the profits to pay her lawyer, she said.

Fourie told the court she was divorcing her co-accused Christiaan Oldewage, and was now using the surname Fourie.

Fourie and her husband are accused of abusing and murdering Fourie’s three-week-old baby Christiaan.

The baby died from multiple injuries in the Montana Hospital, in the north of Pretoria, hours after being admitted on 13 December 2011.

The baby had a fractured skull and multiple broken ribs.

The State on Wednesday asked the court to withdraw Fourie’s bail and refer her to a psychiatric hospital for observation.

This was after Fourie failed to turn up for her trial on Monday.

Warrant for her arrest

Her legal representative Carlo Viljoen told the court that she had suffered a nervous breakdown and was not fit to stand trial.

He also handed in a psychological report stating that Fourie suffered from anxiety and depression, was unable to face court proceedings and may only be ready to face the court on Friday.

Judge Lettie Malopa-Sethosa issued a warrant for her arrest, but held it over until Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Viljoen backtracked and submitted that Fourie was mentally fit and ready to proceed with the trial.

Fourie testified that she had not been in court on Monday because of incorrect advice she received from her advocate and psychologist. “Emotionally I did not feel ready to be here.

“I’m a mother. I lost my child. I’m accused of his murder.

She testified that she had received death threats, but conceded they were not from her husband.

“The last time I was in court I was followed and robbed of a statement and photos I wanted to use in court.

“Everything just built up and I didn’t feel ready at that stage, but I’m ready today.

Fourie said she had moved to Margate, in KwaZulu-Natal, to “get away from everything”.

“I was staying with my godmother, but she was shot in the face [with a paintball gun] one morning when she opened the door. “She told me it was meant for me.”

Heartache

Fourie said she was afraid to return to Pretoria, and that she had “lost everything” due to the negative publicity she received.

“I’m not mentally ill. I’m a mother who lost a child. I’m experiencing heartache. I had to give birth. It’s hard… I work and I do my investigations and I stay strong.”

Fourie told the court she had already been judged by her friends and family in Pretoria and lost her business as a hairdresser because of the allegations against her.

She testified that she had no history of depression and was not on medication, but said she wanted to avoid standing in court “with tears falling” and being unable to answer questions.

Fourie admitted that she had not always signed in with the police on Mondays, as her bail conditions stipulated, as she had been under the impression she could report on any day of the week.

Prosecutor Cornelia Harmzen argued that Fourie’s bail should be revoked, however, Malopa said she was prepared to give Fourie the benefit of the doubt.

Malopa described Fourie’s failure to come to court on Monday as a tactic to delay the trial and warned Fourie that only the court could excuse her from attendance.

Malopa postponed the trial to 2 December and extended Fourie’s bail, on condition that she report to the Port Edward police station on Mondays and Fridays.

Oldewage remained in custody, after abandoning his bail application.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Thousands of illegal firearms were destroyed on Wednesday in Isipingo, KwaZulu-Natal.

“A total of 17 746 firearms including pistols, revolvers, rifles, AK 47s, shotguns and home-made firearms were destroyed,” said police spokesperson Vincent Mdunge in a statement released after the event.

The SA Police Service (SAPS) held the 24th Destruction of Firearms, which was attended by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, his deputy Makhotso Sotyu, national police commissioner Riah Phiyega, and provincial commissioners.

Most of the destroyed guns were used during serious and violent crimes.

“Fifteen of [the guns] were handed in during an amnesty campaign, 474 were voluntarily handed over and 17 257 were seized during police operations,” Mdunge said.

The police would use all its resources to curb the proliferation of illegal firearms in society.

“[Most of the] firearms were lost negligently by licensed firearm owners, robbed from licensed firearm owners, robbed from members of SAPS and robbed from security firm personnel.”

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The DA’s two Gauteng premier candidates indicated racial tension within the party, the ANC in the province said on Wednesday.

“The fact that the Democratic Alliance has two premier candidates is a distinctly inauspicious sign that the party is in a state of mess, confusion and leadership squabbles,” ANC Gauteng chairperson Dumisa Ntuli claimed.

He was responding to the news that the DA’s Gauteng leader Jack Bloom and party spokesperson Mmusi Maimane would vie for selection as the party’s preferred candidate for premier.

“It is a clear indication that there are deeper fights taking place between blacks and whites because of greed, factional battles and rupture caused [by] lack of policies and identity. We know that the DA is a white party and always want to hides behind a faade of a black face.”

Maimane dismissed Ntuli’s comments as political rhetoric aimed at diverting public attention from the ANC’s failings.

“They have no delivery record and are losing credibility. All they want to argue is race,” he said.

Attempts to portray the DA as a white party contained the implication that the ANC was, therefore, a black party, Maimane said.

The focus on race issues showed the ANC had departed from the non-racial principles of its former president Albert Luthuli, he said.

– SAPA

A special committee to oversee implementation of resolutions adopted at the Provincial Social Cohesion and Moral Regeneration Summit and the establishment of a permanent Monitoring and Evaluation Unit in the Office of the Premier were announced by North West Premier Thandi Modise in Mahikeng on Tuesday.

Hailed as the trendsetter for other provinces, the provincial summit resolved among others to continue to fight any forms of discriminations, which are threats to social cohesion and nation building and to accelerate change in improving the quality of life of all people, with special attention to the needs of the youth, women and people with disability.

Delegates endorsed that the provincial government must continue to build capacity to drive the socio economic agenda in the province, including absorbing young people and women into economic activity, employing professionals, investing in skills required by the economy, and investing in research and development to respond to the demands of the knowledge economy.

They resolved to mobilise communities to work together to build a caring and proud society based on shared values and a vision informed by constitutional democracy, Ubuntu , human rights and equality, non-racialism, non-tribalism and non-sexism.

Inclusivity and social justice, redress and transformation, intercultural and community cooperation, social solidarity, empowered, fair, inclusive and active citizenship, Civic responsibility, unity in diversity, National consciousness and identity were adopted as guiding principles that should knot society together.

Stakeholders committed to work towards the implementation of the recommendations of the 2030 National Development Plan as a long term vision which should serve as a basis for partnerships across society to attain the South Africa and North West Province of their dreams, eloquently articulated in the constitution.

They also undertook to ensure that social cohesion and nation building underpins all provincial and local government strategic priorities, inclusive of integrated economic and social development, education, health, human settlement, land and rural development, safety and security, immigration policies and programmes, arts, culture, language and heritage development and preservation, technological innovation, research and development.

Delegates from across all sectors also agreed to promote and preserve all indigenous cultures and knowledge and further to accelerate change in improving the quality of life of all people, with special attention to the needs of the youth, women and people with disability.

In her closing address, Premier Modise reminded delegates that social cohesion is not about new concepts. Modise emphasised that it is about renewal of values and standards, respecting other people’s cultures and beliefs, being our brothers keepers and loving our neighbours.

She said that a lot still needs to be done to protect whistle blowers and that the public service should be intolerant to people who are unable to serve with a smile.

“Rural development is not about tractors or the number of fowls. It is about making the lives of people residing in those areas better by providing the kind of services and resources that are found in urban areas. It is not about the erosion of culture or values,” said Modise in proclaiming that Mahikeng and Taung are among areas that are targeted for development that should turn them into modern cities.

The Premier encouraged young people to take their studies seriously saying that there will be no place for the uneducated in the future. “There is absolutely no excuse for the youth of today not to be educated,” she stressed.
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Midfielder Sandile Zuke says Mpumalanga Black Aces cannot wait to kick off their Premiership campaign against defending champions Kaizer Chiefs on Friday evening.

Aces were promoted to the elite League after winning the promotional play-offs at the expense of Chippa United and Santos, and Zuke will be up against the club that introduced him to professional football.

“There is no denying that Kaizer Chiefs made me who I am today, they developed me and groomed to the player I am today,” he tells KickOff.com.

“I have no personal agenda or anything of that sort against them. This time I have to do the talking for my employers, Aces.
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The former Bafana Bafana captain joins from Tottenham Hotspur, where he has fallen way down the pecking order.

“I’m really pleased to be here. I’m very happy that things have worked out and I’m just looking forward to the start of the season,” Khumalo says.

The former SuperSport United defender joins Bafana teammate Dean Furman at the club, with the midfielder having recently signed a two-year deal.
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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) are adamant the Champions League clash between Al-Ahly and Orlando Pirates in Egypt this weekend will go ahead as planned.

The South African Football Association submitted a letter to CAF yesterday to voice concerns over the volatile political situation in the north African country, where mass protests have left many citizens dead.

However, CAF insist that all the necessary precautions have been made and that the match will go ahead on Sunday.

“We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 29 July 2013 regarding your request to move the match of the Orange CAF Champions League (El Ahly v Orlando Pirates) to a neutral venue,” CAF’s reply read.

“Kindly note that while the political situation is still volatile, CAF can confirm that the organisation of football matches does not pose any threat to the security of officials nor any other party involved in such matches. We received the required guarantees from the authorities to ensure that the match will be secured properly.”

CAF also confirm that the match will be played behind closed doors given previous sanctions against Al-Ahly.

“This would make sure both teams are far away from any potential trouble.”
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KickOff.com can reveal that CAF turned down Orlando Pirates’ attempts to have new signing Kermit Erasmus registered for the Champions League.

The Buccaneers signed the striker from SuperSport United on July 23 and sent a mail to CAF the next day to request his registration.

However, four days later the to-be-expected reply came back where the continent’s governing body explained that as Erasmus had turned out for Matsatsantsa in the CAF Confederations Cup this season, he would not be permitted to feature for another club in the Champions League.

According to Article 26, Para 9: “During the same year a player is in principle only eligible to play for one and the same club in the CAF inter-club competitions. However, a player, even though registered on the list of a club who has not been fielded in any match of inter clubs competitions, will be authorized to play for another participating club in the inter-clubs competitions during the same year so long as all the regulations are complied with.”
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