The Hendler commission of enquiry that was investigating the management of the royalties and or income derived from mining companies and alleged activities of corruption and maladministration of the funds of the Rakotea community near Brits is to resume with public hearings as from next week Monday 6 May to Friday 10 May 2013, the Office of Premier of the North West Province announced on Tuesday. 

The continuation of the commission of enquiry with its original terms of reference was approved by Premier Thandi Modise recently. The commission was initially appointed in 2008 by then Premier Edna Molewa  in terms of the North West Commissions Act, 1994 (Act No. 18 of 1994) 

The commission had adjourned in 2010 because the leader of evidence Adv. Senne resigned from the commission on the grounds that he had joined government from the private sector and could not proceed in his role as leader of evidence, without his impartiality being an issue. 

The work of the commission was also interrupted because its chairperson Judge Hendler had to go for a medical procedure overseas and the Office of the Premier had to wait for his return and full recovery. The appointment of another chairperson to replace Judge Hendler would have meant that the commission had to start the hearings afresh.

Family members of the joint co-owners, the family representatives and the residents of Rankotea are invited to the inquiry. The persons who previously gave testimony during the hearings are requested to be in attendance. The commission further invites any person who wishes to give testimony at the commission to be in attendance during its sittings to be held at the Madibeng Local Municipality Offices in Brits.

Among its terms of reference, the commission was also appointed to investigate:

∙         the functionality of the Executive Committee if any and other committees or subcommittees entrusted with the general management of the affairs of the community.∙         To collect and examine information relating to the administration and management of the financial affairs of the community.∙         the cause of continuous battles between all committees that were ever elected or appointed and recommend scenarios to be considered to ensure non-recurrence of such problems. 

Upon completing its investigations, the commission has to make recommendations to the Premier Modise on any proposed actions and/ or steps to be taken to prevent the mismanagement of the funds of the community including the appropriate financial and management structures that must be put in place for future management of the funds and general administration thereof.

Tuesday is the last day for social grants beneficiaries to re-register. The South African Security Agency, Sassa, introduced the roll-out of the new bio-metric card system for pay-outs in February last year, which required all beneficiaries to re-register. 

Last month Social Services Minister Bathabile Dlamini said 19 million out of a target of 21 million people have already re-registered. Sassa spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Senzeni Ngubeni says they have re-registered about 95% of the 1. 5 million grant beneficiaries.

Ngubeni says after Tuesday’s closing deadline: “Sassa will be issuing out letters to cancel those who have not come forward.”

“Our suspicions are maybe it will be ghost beneficiaries or for further various reasons which will tell us maybe those grants, even the beneficiaries were not even there, were fraudulent. So Sassa will be closing those that have not come forward to re-register up until this point in time,” says Ngubeni. 

When the system was launched in 2012, Minister Bathabile Dlamini said there are currently over 15 million beneficiaries, ten million of whom are children. Dlamini added that this is part of efforts aimed at eliminating fraud and corruption.

 “With older persons, because they have people who get the grant on their behalf we want to ensure that we go to where they stay so that we register them correctly, take their biometrics,” said Dlamini.

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Ajax Cape Town coach Muhsin Ertugral has praised the influence of Matthew Booth ahead of Wednesday’s crunch North-South derby with Kaizer Chiefs.

Booth was outstanding against Chippa United over the weekend, holding the Urban Warriors defence together as they held on for a point after Abia Nale was sent off with 25 minutes to go.

With Ajax battling tooth and nail to survive the drop, Booth’s performance is exactly what Ertugral is looking for in the last three matches.

“I was very pleased with Matthew; he was playing with 11 stitches (after a collision with Benjani Mwaruwari). Having such a player makes me very happy, because he has the character and the heart.

“I was talking about it with my chairman; we were saying that if there were five Matthew Booths in South Africa, Bafana Bafana would be doing so much better. It was because of him that we survived.

“The experienced player’s though can still be more responsible without the ball. The players have understood the message and we’re improving day by day,” he added.

For more http://www.kickoff.com

Fresh from a goal on his return to action, Orlando Pirates midfielder Sifiso Myeni is set to start tonight’s match against Chippa United at Orlando Stadium.

Myeni, who has just returned from a two-month lay-off because of a torn ligament, came off the bench on Saturday to score the winner against his former club Bidvest Wits at Mbombela Stadium to hand Pirates a 1-0 win at the death.

The 24-year-old has scored five League goals for Pirates this season.

Meanwhile, Bheki Nzunga is expected to replace Happy Jele, who is suspended for the match. If Nzunga takes to the field as expected, it would be his first start in a League match for Bucs this season.

For more http://www.kickoff.com

Cape Town – Ajax Amsterdam are on a collision course with their franchise club in the Mother City, Ajax Cape Town, with a senior official from the Dutch club saying they would “get out” even if it costs them financially.

For more http://www.iol.co.za

The man accused of invading a soccer pitch and assaulting a referee with a vuvuzela will be back in the Durban Magistrate’s Court.

On April 8, Velaphi Mkwanazi appeared in court with Zenzele Zikali, who is accused only of pitch invasion.

For more http://www.sowetanlive.co.za

Residents of Oersonskraal informal settlement near Wolmaranstad expressed relief after they received food hampers from the social development department.

The community has a huge number of unemployed youth and many residents rely solely on social grants for survival.

For more http://www.thenewage.co.za

Business stakeholders in the North West have resolved to implement an integrated socio-economic land use plan to benefit the province.

This happened during a two-day mediation strategy and plan for mining, tourism and land claims.

The workshop was held in Rustenburg on Thursday.

Participants included representatives of the provincial government, district and local municipalities, national departments, public entities, academic institutions, representatives of traditional communities, chamber of mines and the mining sector and the tourism sector.

“The parties committed to the implementation of the strategy to promote harmony among all role players to optimise their development potential.

“They undertook to promote partnerships within a mutually beneficial and conducive environment and to collectively strive for the advancement and realisation of the mediation strategy and plan for sustainable development,” provincial government spokesperson Lesiba Kgwele said.

The stakeholders endorsed the National Development Plan (NDP) as the basic platform to advance development.

Provincial planning commission head in the office of the premier, Darkey Afrika, said: “We must not allow the darkness of ideological and intellectual disorder to blind us to the prospects of a better tomorrow. This is succinctly articulated in the NDP with all its imperfections and reinforced by our vision for a better and a prosperous country with a capable and developmental state ready to serve our people without any revolutionary pretence and subtle Marxist deception. The audacity to ignore the truth will never triumph over the NDP.”

The adopted strategy will be presented to Premier Thandi Modise and the executive council for consideration.

For more http://www.thenewage.co.za