Rustenburg – National police commissioner Riah Phiyega was misrepresented in a Sowetan newspaper article shortly after the Marikana shootings, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard on Thursday.

Under cross-examination by Dali Mpofu, for the wounded and arrested miners, Phiyega denied quotes attributed to her in the newspaper.

According to the article, Phiyega said police should not be sorry about shooting dead 34 miners on 16 August during the wage-related strike at Lonmin’s platinum mine last year.

She had been speaking at the funeral of Warrant Officer Sello Ronnie Lepaku on 20 August.

Striking mineworkers killed Lepaku during the unrest. Another officer was also killed and one was injured.

“[The] safety of the public is not negotiable. Take into account the reasons why we did what we did,” Phiyega was quoted as saying.

Misrepresentation

On Thursday, Phiyega denied she said any of this. It was a serious misrepresentation of what she had actually said at the funeral.

“I hold no authority on the words written by a journalist,” she said.

Everything she said at the funeral had been scripted, and her script from the funeral did not contain any of the things the Sowetan reported on.

“If you look at other newspaper reports, not one of the others say this,” said Phiyega.

Mpofu said merely because those words were not printed in her scripted speech, it did not necessarily mean she had not said them.

Commission chairperson, retired Judge Ian Farlam, enquired whether there was any video footage or audio available from the funeral.

Ishmael Semenya, for the police, said he was not sure and would look into it.

Mpofu also questioned why Phiyega had not followed up with the newspaper.

If the content was untrue, it would have had a damaging effect on herself and the SA Police Service (SAPS), he said.

“I didn’t dispute it, because we were not responding to any statements at the time. We wanted to give this process [the commission] a chance,” Phiyega responded.

“I was hopeful that we would get the opportunity to correct it.”

Addressing the issue

Mpofu said Phiyega’s lawyers had failed to raise the misrepresentation of her speech during her evidence-in-chief.

Phiyega said she believed that in taking part in the commission and answering the questions posed to her, she felt they were addressing it.

“I’m happy for this opportunity to address the commission. If they [Sowetan] have an appetite to correct it, they can do so. If they do not, I am doing it here,” she said.

The commission, sitting in Rustenburg, is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 44 people during the Marikana unrest.

Police shot dead 34 striking Lonmin mineworkers on 16 August. Ten people, including two police officers, were killed in the preceding week.

– SAPA

Cape Town – South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) governor Gill Marcus on Thursday announced that the repo rate will remain at 5%.

The repo rate is the interest rate at which the Sarb lends money to commercial banks.

Growth prospects remain fragile amid low consumer confidence, said Marcus.

She said growth is expected to accelerate to 3.8% in 2015.

The Reserve Bank also expects a breach of the inflation target in Q3 of 2013.

On Thursday, data from Statistics South Africa showed inflation standing unchanged at 5.9% year-on-year in April.

On a month-on-month basis, inflation slowed to 0.4% compared with 1.2% in March.

The Monetary Policy Committee is increasingly concerned about the deteriorating outlook for the country, Marcus said.

The outlook for mining sector remains bleak with threats of job losses, high wage demands and strike action, she added.
For more http://www.news24.com

Mahikeng-Africans have from time immemorial upheld appreciable moral standards and their moral standing chiselled in their culture and traditions have punctuated the heartbeat of every part of their social and economic lives, North West Premier Thandi Modise declared in Mahikeng on Friday.

Delivering her 2013/2014 Departmental Policy Statement and Budget Speech in the Provincial legislature, Premier Modise said that the 50th Anniversary of the Organisation of Africa and celebration of the African Union’s 10th year of existence to be celebrated on Saturday 25 May 2013 are a celebration of Africa’s potential and intentions and a celebration of its march to equality, justice and progress on the continent.

“We are proud of this heritage, a heritage that has engendered in many amongst us, a sense of selflessness and giving. It has nurtured the spirit and enhanced our sense of collective coexistence, without which we remain disunited entities with a reduced sense of self,” underlined Modise.

The Premier further said that the province joins millions of Africans in the continent and in the Diaspora in the march for African Renaissance to reaffirm themselves and future generations of Africa that all efforts are steps geared to demonstrate the awakening of Africa as a self reliant economic giant.

“We know that our mother continent has gone through waves of democratisation after being colonised and brutalised for centuries, we know our determination, despite all the political and economic challenges we face as a continent, to make true the jubilee celebration of Pan Africanism,” highlighted Modise.

She said that South Africa has been given the responsibility for infrastructure development and that the establishment of the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee could be seen as a model for the Africa infrastructure build.

Modise asserted that the African Union recognises that development that development, democracy and good governance, security and peace are the prerequisites for growth in Africa.
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews

Kimberley – The replacement of thousands of prepaid electricity meters to curb electricity income losses of about R3 million a month has started in Kimberley, a Sol Plaatje municipality spokesman said on Thursday.

“The municipality was experiencing a high incidence of tampering and by-passing of meters,” said spokesman Sello Matsie.

He said the number of known meters being by-passed stood at about 1200, while the total number of meters tampered with was estimated at 5 000.

“This was costing the council in excess of R3m a month,” he said

Matsie said the new meters contained technology which could help stop the proliferation of by-passed and tampered-with meters.

The project had started in the informal settlements of Kutlwanong, Beaconsfield, and Southridge. – Sapa

Durban – Vagrants living in stormwater culverts under the M4 southern freeway returned defiantly to their hideout just minutes after police left the area after a raid on Wednesday.

The operation was meant to catch criminals and illegal immigrants.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Cape Town – South African President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday labour strikes could cause major problems and job losses in Africa’s biggest economy.

“We are likely to run the economy of the country into a serious problem and therefore there will be more people unemployed and there will be therefore an extension of poverty,” Zuma said during an address to traditional leaders in parliament. – Reuters

By Obakeng Maje

Mahikeng-The announcement by the Premier of  the North West Province, Thandi Modise, that the NW Government intends to embark on a provincial consultative process with the intention to change the name of the North West Province  to Moses Kotane, should be seen for what it is: an attempt in the run-up to the elections to shift the focus away from the NW’s dismal and still declining ability to deliver services to its communities said Democratic Alliance’s Leader in the province, Chris Hattingh.  

“It is doing so as an attempt to unify the deeply divided  NW ANC in expensive road shows and public hearings which conveniently are to be held in the campaigning  phase of the 2014 elections” said Hattingh.

The shift of the Premier’s focus from  endemic NW fraud,  corruption, incompetence, maladministration  and non-delivery, to a state sponsored combined name-change and election campaign is indicative that she and her government has lost hope to turn the NW province around and has now turned into a fight for survival said DA.

The predecided new name for the North West Province, Moses Kotane, also set the agenda  for a “For” or “Against”  debate (referendum?) leaving no options  for other  name proposals.

“Premier Thandi Modise should focus on the implementation turn-around strategy for the North West Province and if the time comes must propose  a name that unites the province, rather than divides, and represents the future and not the past” said Chris Hattingh.

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews

By Obakeng Maje

Rustenburg-Ten suspects  who were arrested on Monday at Selokong, Informal settlement in Wonderkop on allegations of murder and public violence appeared before the Garankuwa Magistrate’s court on Wednesday.

“The Six  suspects were released as they were not linked to the incident. The four suspects, Reginald Disang Malanka(36), Tshepo lesejane (30), Marcus Magodielo ( 34) and tshepo Modisanyane ( 25)  were remanded in custody and will appear on Tuesday for bail application” Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.  

This comes after police received information from community members that there was an incident of “mob justice” that’s taking place at Selokong, Wonderkop.  

“Police rushed to the scene and found the body of a male victim burnt. The deceased was burnt and he was allegedly set alight with tyres” Ngubane said.  

A second victim, a male, was also found in close proximity, also badly burnt, but still alive, in the street near a church in Selokong.  

“The badly injured victim was taken to a local hospital, and in the morning of Tuesday he succumbed to burnt wounds and passed away” said police. 

The two deceased males were accused of theft and other crimes in the community, this matter was not a mine related incident. 

“The police are appealing to the community to report all suspects of criminal activities and not to take the law into their hands” said Ngubane.

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews

The North West Provincial Development Plan and Implementation Strategy that will assist mediate tensions between mining, tourism and land claims will be completed in the next three months, Premier Thandi Modise announced in her Departmental Policy Statement and Budget Speech tabled in the Provincial legislature earlier today.Premier Modise said that through the strategy, the Bojanala Platinum District as a resources critical region in terms of the National Development Plan will receive appropriate focus and attention to build stability and an environment conducive to investment.

“Platinum Belt is a high value mineral resource area worthy of special policies and attention to achieve sustainability therefore we are developing a spatial land use and master plan for the entire region to ensure integration and proper coordination of the social and economic challenges in the region,” highlighted Modise.