Cape Town – Former South African Idols winner Karen Kortje has appeared in court on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.
A smartly dressed Kortje, accompanied by her husband, Shaundore Aspeling, appeared calm as she entered the dock of the Kuils River Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
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Johannesburg – Joburg police are following several links they believe might lead to the arrest of a woman who allegedly snatched a two-month-old Pretoria baby.
Last week, The Star reported the disappearance of baby Prince, who was snatched by his mother’s soon-to-be employer on March 18. Victoria Muyambo met a prospective “employer” while begging on Nelson Mandela Drive.
While in a Joburg shop together, the “employer” left with the baby.
Johannesburg – Prominent lawyer George Bizos has labelled a suit against him and his colleagues by Nelson Mandela’s daughters as a ploy to “resuscitate” the sale of the artworks.
“This is the motive of the court application.”
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Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma has slapped down Planning Minister Trevor Manuel’s warning to public servants not to blame apartheid for their failings, saying such comments were “a mistake”.
“To suggest we cannot blame apartheid for what is happening in our country now, I think is a mistake to say the least,” Zuma said on Wednesday at a wreath-laying ceremony in Ekurhuleni for slain SACP leader Chris Hani.
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This was after President Jacob Zuma and the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) appointed a task team that excludes all Malema’s allies from the disbanded youth league leadership.
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The situation has returned to normal at Tlhwahalang High School in Valspan, in Jan Kempdorp, after parents had kept their children home in protest against the principal’s suspension.
On Monday, parents, teachers and school governing body members closed the school gates, demanding the reinstatement of the principal Aubrey Modiakgotla. He was suspended by the department of education seven months ago over corruption and maladministration of funds claims.
The general feeling at the school was that Modiakgotla was not given a charge sheet.
The Congress of the South African Students (Cosas) thanked parents for sending the children back to school.
Cosas deputy president Tshepo Louw on Monday met teachers, the SGB and the parents and asked them to allow pupils to go back to class.
“Parents need to understand their role is to guide their kids and teachers should understand that their role is to teach, not engage in politics,” Louw said.
Department of education spokesperson Sidney Stander said they met with parents and teachers on Monday and the delay around the completion of the disciplinary process of the principal was addressed.
Last year in Olifantshoek pupils were kept away from school for most of the year as the community demanded the removal of the mayor and a tarred road.
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DA NWest leader criticism attempt to downplay call for bold steps to overcome challenges facing municipalities
Democratic Alliance North West Provincial leader and member of the Provincial Legislature Chris Hattingh’s criticism of Premier Thandi Modise’s comments on the 2011-2012 Municipal Finance Audit Outcomes are nothing but cheap politics, usual theatrics from Hattingh to draw attention to himself and a desperate attempt to downplay the call for bold steps to be taken to overcome challenges facing municipalities.
The media statement issued by Hattingh under the heading” Modise’s latest rant about NW Municipalities sounds hollow” on Wednesday 10 April 2013 suggest that either Hattingh is trapped in the blame game mode like an old musical record with a scratch or he is genuinely unaware that municipalities are in terms of the constitution
of the Republic of South Africa autonomous.
The broadside that Hattingh threw at Premier Modise is part of the DA’s strategy to drive a wedge between the provincial government and municipalities and between the Executive Council and portfolio committees within the provincial legislature.
Hattingh’s deafening silence on provincial intervention in Matlosana, Ditsobotla and Maquassi Hills and tacit support to those opposed to the interventions as they
threaten their interests in the said municipalities have betrayed that he is not interested in functional municipalities but a divided ANC.
His criticism of the ruling party’s two centres of power in the province which has nothing to do with the AG’s audit outcomes is yet another disguised attempt to fan the flames of division within the ranks of the ruling party for the benefit his party.
Premier Modise has consistently urged municipalities to employ qualified, skilled and experienced senior managers to accelerate and deliver quality services to our communities and will thus not be sidetracked by Hattingh from focusing and pushing for implementation of the local government turnaround strategy which is the only hope for our communities.
Corruption and maladministration in municipalities across the province were not swept under the carpet as Hattingh suggest but were investigated by the Special Investigating Unit(SIU) appointed by President Jacob Zuma. The SIU final report earlier announced for release this month were not part of the Audit General’s 2011-2012 Municipal audit findings.
Their link to the AG’s audit findings while they are not mentioned in the report proves that the fork-tongued Hattingh is a charlatan and a demagogue.
The Premier’s call for municipalities to appoint qualified, skilled and experienced senior managers was not based on any forensic investigation as circumspectly suggested by Hattingh but on the AG’s findings.
All forensic reports that Hattingh is demanding from the Premier in his attempt to divert the public from interventions to deal with non-performers, accelerate and deliver quality services to communities were not commissioned by the Modise Administration in municipalities and do not relate to the local government turnaround strategy.
To the best of our knowledge Hattingh has not seen nor read the report on audit outcomes as it will only be distributed to municipalities, legislature, stakeholders and the public during the AG’s Provincial roadshow to be held in the province on 18 April 2013.
Only a desperate psychotic demagogue would use last year’s audit findings to criticise Premier Modise on her comments on the findings of a report he has not seen.
Durban – A kwaito musician will have to face the music for wearing an eThekwini metro police uniform to an awards ceremony, the NPA said on Wednesday.
The National Prosecuting Authority had issued a summons for Mkhonzeni “Professor” Langa to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on May 17, spokeswoman Natasha Ramkisson said.
He would face charges of impersonating a police officer, possession of a police uniform, and wearing a police uniform, in violation of the SAPS Act of 1995.
He wore the uniform at the Metro FM Music Awards held in Durban on February 23. He had been expected to appear in court the following week, but the chief prosecutor referred the case back to police for further investigation.
Ramkisson said on Wednesday the investigation had been completed and the senior public prosecutor had decided to take the matter to court.
Under the SA Police Service Act it is an offence for anyone not a police officer to wear a police uniform without permission. The act also regulates unauthorised use of metro police uniforms.
If convicted, Langa could be fined or sentenced to six months in jail. Impersonating a police officer carries a jail term of up to two years.
Ethekwini mayor James Nxumalo was among those who saw Langa receiving his two awards in the uniform. – Sapa
Ajax Cape Town coach Jan Versleijen feels his side should have beaten Orlando Pirates comfortably in their league match on Wednesday night, but cited his side’s lack of composure in front of goal as the reason for more dropped points.
The Absa Premiership game at Cape Town Stadium ended 2-2 in an enthralling match where chances were created almost at will, and while Versleijen says he would have taken the draw before kick-off he feels his side ‘should have scored five or six’.
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Johannesburg – A legal attempt to push advocate George Bizos SC, Cabinet Minister Tokyo Sexwale and attorney Bally Chuene out of companies connected to former president Nelson Mandela will be opposed.
“We are instructed to record our clients’ complete rejection of the scurrilous allegations made by the applicants in their papers,” Michael Hart, director at the law firm Norton Rose, said in a statement.
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The Guardian 