Orlando Pirates coach Roger De Sá has played down suggestions that injuries to his most experienced and on-form players are threatening the team’s title defence.

Pirates have reported a number of player injuries, with influential players like Siyabonga Sangweni, Thulasizwe Mbuyane, Sifiso Myeni, Rooi Mahamutsa and Robyn Johannes on the injury list.

But the former Bidvest Wits coach refused to concede the league title as yet.

“We will absolutely retain the title. If that is the last thing we have to do, then we will,” De Sá said.

“Of course it will be difficult playing without all these guys, but we just have to rely on the ones that are available to do the job.

“We still have Lucky (Lekgwathi) who can always guide the young players in the center-back role. Sangweni is showing good progress and he will be back soon. For those that will have long layoffs, we just have to learn to do without them.”

The Buccaneers are trailing Kaizer Chiefs by five points on top of the league standings with a game in hand.

Having already failed to defend their other two trophies this season, it is hard to picture Pirates defending the league as they still have tough fixtures against the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns and Free State Stars.

The Sea Robbers also have to play all the relegation candidates in the form of Black Leopards, Chippa United, AmaZulu and Ajax Cape Town in their last matches, a task that De Sá himself is weary of.

The majority of players who are hit by injuries are well over 30 years old. Benni McCarthy and Moeneeb Josephs are two of the players who have also had niggling injuries and their ages suggest that their bodies may be starting to find it hard to adapt to the competitiveness of the PSL.

Mahamutsa and Sangweni have all celebrated their 30th birthdays, with Mbuyane celebrating his in August, but De Sá has defended his charges, insisting that they are not over the hill and that their experience is still needed to guide the young players.

“It’s true that they are not youngsters any more, but you have to look at their contribution and the experience that they add to the team,” De Sá said. It is immense.

“We also have young players like Jali, Segolela, Manyisa, and Matlaba. The fact that they are injured does not mean we should discard them. They have a huge role to play and there is still a lot that we can get out of them.

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Cape Town – President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday declined to “discuss the details” of the Public Works Department’s R206-million security upgrade to his Nkandla residence.

The outcome of pending reports on the matter should be awaited instead, he told the National Assembly during question time.

Zuma was asked by Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko whether he was informed of the upgrades at his private home in Nkandla in November 2010.

He replied, among other things: “Naturally, I was informed that improvements needed to be made at the family residence to enhance the security of the head of state.

“The nature and form of the improvements was decided upon by the relevant officials through their departments.

“As already indicated, such information would not include details on the specifics of what would be done, by whom and at what cost,” he said.

In a follow-up question, Mazibuko said Zuma was “tap-dancing around the issue”, and must have known the cost and extent of the upgrade.

“I have a letter that shows he must have known. A letter addressed to him by former public works minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, setting out the details of the project, including that money was being spent on non-security items.

“How is it that the president didn’t know about or act upon a letter addressed to him by one of his own cabinet ministers?” Mazibuko asked.

Zuma replied: “Firstly, I never received any letter. No letter has ever been received by me. Very clear, straight answer.”

Secondly, the report of the Public Works Department’s task team appointed to probe the spending was before Parliament and still had to be discussed by MPs.

“And I’m sure those details will come there. Wherein you look at these items and deal with them, whether they were security-related or not. I don’t think I should pre-empt your discussion by discussing the report that is before Parliament. If there was no report before Parliament, it would be a different matter.

“I am also informed that the public protector is also either conducting an investigation, or about to conduct it.

“So, I don’t think, besides saying I never received the letter, I should discuss the details,” he said.

Pressed by more follow-up questions by the opposition, Zuma repeated that “no house of the president was ever built by government”.

“I’ve said so at the beginning, I’ve repeated it”.

“And I’ve said, secondly, the report is coming, which will clarify all of this. And I’m saying you’ll discover no house was built by taxpayers’ money of the president.

“Security departments said they needed to put security features in my houses that I built. Security features and houses are not one and the same… wait for the report. That will help you a great deal, so that you can ask more intelligent questions.” – Sapa

a crane fell on him in a scrapyard in Kimberley, paramedics said on Wednesday.

“The 35-year-old man was pinned underneath the weight of the metal…,” said ER24 spokeswoman Vanessa Jackson.

“His colleagues managed to remove the metal from his body, but it was already too late as he had died due to serious injuries he suffered.”

It was not clear how the load of metal loosened and fell, said Jackson.

-Sapa

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has successfully challenged the SA Revenue Service’s (Sars) taxation of compensation paid to the estate of a deceased civil servant, her office said on Wednesday.

“In a landmark case… the collector of revenue agreed to refund the estate of the said official an amount of R110,903,” the Protector’s office said in a statement.

“The amount had been deducted, as income tax, from the department of correctional services’ settlement offer of R484,697, which was paid to the official’s estate.”

Madonsela found in 2011 that the process followed by the department in terminating the man’s services constituted maladministration.

“At the time, Minister [Nosiviwe] Mapisa-Nqakula accepted the remedial action, with her department agreeing to implement it fully,” Madonsela’s office said.

“Unfortunately, the official died before the remedial action could be implemented, prompting the department to pay the compensation to his estate.

“However, what then came into question was whether the settlement offer by the department constituted income in the hands of the taxpayer or his estate, and whether the benefits were therefore taxable in terms of the Income Tax Act,” it said.

Sars later agreed that the compensation could not be taxable.

-Sapa

Polokwane – Fraud-accused Julius Malema’ former friend Boy Mamabolo appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate’s court on Wednesday on 72 counts of fraud.

The charges related to his chairmanship of the Limpopo Geographical Names Committee, the Hawks said on Wednesday.

The case was postponed till May 27.

Mamabolo was released on bail in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on January 31.

He was granted R10,000 bail, said Captain Paul Ramaloko.

Mamabolo was embroiled in a court battle with Malema after he allegedly sent a threatening text message to the former ANC Youth League leader.

He allegedly wrote in the sms he would exhume Malema’s mother’s body and take her remains to Malema’s grandmother’s home in Seshego.

This was apparently in retaliation for Malema allegedly sending his allies to seduce Mamabolo’s girlfriend.

The crimen injuria case was provisionally struck off the court roll on January 29. – Sapa

Johannesburg – Sixty-one children and three teachers were stung by bees at a school in Bellville, Cape Town, on Wednesday morning, paramedics said.

“Reports indicate that the children were at a school for special needs when the swarm of bees went on a rampage, stinging everything in their way,” Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said.

The children were aged between five and 10. By the time paramedics got to the school four children in a critical condition had been taken to hospital in private transport.

“Thirty-five people were treated on scene by nursing staff while 26 children were treated by paramedics before they were transported to nearby hospitals,” he said.

“The exact cause for the bees becoming aggressive is still unknown at this stage.”

By Obakeng Maje

Bafana Bafana coach, Gordon Igesund received a timely boost when influential midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala was given the all clear to continue training with the team after his MRI scan results came back positive.

The Kaizer Chiefs player missed Bafana Bafana’s first training session at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday (19 March 2013) due to a niggling knee injury after he felt some discomfort during the warm-up session.

He was sent for an MRI scan which came back positive this morning.

On Wednesday (20 March), he trained on his own under the watchful eye of the medical team.

Tshabalala is expected to join the rest of the team at training on Thursday night (21 March) at Cape Town Stadium.

“We are pleased with the results and what we have to do now is to monitor him all the way to the match day. I believe he should be ready to return to full training on Friday.

The MRI scan revealed nothing too serious, which is very encouraging. The player also wants to play, which will help the healing process,” said Bafana Bafana Team medico Dr Carl Tabane.

By Obakeng Maje

Cape Town-The Bafana Bafana afternoon training session on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 has been cancelled to give players more time to rest ahead of the all-important 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Qualifier against the Central African Republic (CAR) at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday evening.

The squad will resume training at the match venue on Thursday, 21 March at 20h00.