JOHANNESBURG – Authorities are trying to determine whether human remains found buried underneath a swimming pool belongs to a victim of paedophile Gert van Rooyen.

During the late 80’s Van Rooyen was linked to the disappearance of at least six young girls whose bodies were never found.

The Saturday Star reported that a female skeleton found at a Germiston house in April last year could belong to one of the victims.

At the time police told Eyewitness News that it couldn’t be possible as the skeleton belonged to a girl in her late teens.

The home’s owner said contractors stumbled upon the human bones while excavating the swimming pool during renovations.

To evade arrest in January 1990, van Rooyen committed suicide.       

JOHANNESBURG – As the family of slain taxi driver Mido Macia prepares to bury him in Mozambique, residents of Daveyton have reiterated their demands that his alleged killers be denied bail.

Macia was dragged through the streets while handcuffed to the back of a police van last week.

He died in a holding cell hours later.

A total of nine policemen were arrested and charged with murder.

They appeared in the Benoni Magistrates Court for the first time on Friday to make a formal bail application.

The state on Friday arrested a ninth policeman who appeared in the dock alogside his colleagues.

Besides being charged with murder, he was also accused of attempting to flee to avoid arrest and prosecution.

During their appearance, all of the accused said they intended pleading not guilty to the charge of murdering Macia.

Despite video footage of Marcia being dragged behind a police van, only two of the accused mentioned it in their affidavits.

All of them said they were surprised to learn of Macia’s death as he had not complained of any injuries.

The case was postponed until next Monday and the officers will remain in custody.

Prosecutors will on Monday submit affidavits from witnesses.

The state will oppose bail and said they will call witnesses to the stand if need be.

www.ewn.co.za

Johannesburg – A South African Airways crew member was arrested at the OR Tambo International airport on Friday for allegedly trafficking drugs from Sao Paulo, Brazil into the country, the Hawks said on Friday.

Captain Paul Ramaloko said the 34-year-old flight attendant was found with nearly two kilograms of cocaine, estimated to have a street value of R300,000.

“She had wrapped the drugs on the upper part of her body, under her clothes,” said Ramaloko.

He said she was under surveillance for some time and was arrested  shortly after landing at the OR Tambo International airport.

She was apparently part of a drug syndicate trafficking between the two countries.

“We hope this arrest will break the chain in the trafficking of drugs between South Africa and Sao Paulo,” said Ramaloko.

The woman was expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

She would face charges of dealing in drugs. – Sapa

North West invests in skills development for more jobs and productivity 

 The North West Provincial Government is to spend R19 million on skills development to uplift young people during the 2013/2014 financial year in an effort to address

unemployment, poverty and inequality, Premier Thandi Modise announced at the Provincial Jobs Fair and Job Summit held in Potchefstroom on Friday.

Addressing hundreds of potential employers and other stakeholders at Madiba Banquet Hall, Premier Modise said that young people are under enormous pressure to find employment especially the graduates. She said that her administration is aware of the challenges faced by young people and was happy that the Minister of Labour Mildred Oliphant was present at the summit as she will be able to assist in addressing these challenges. 

 The Premier highlighted that according to 2011 census report, the North West Province is a home to about 3.5. million inhabitants, and the economy in the province has grown at about 2.7 % which is miniscule given the 5.4 % needed by National Development Plan to create 11 million jobs by 2030. She said that the mining sector contributes 30% to the overall GDP of the province with other sectors like manufacturing at 4.9 %, agriculture at 2 % and community service at 11.7 %.

Modise alluded that her province is faced with the predominantly poor population with high levels of dependency on social grants, uneven distribution of limited and available resources which inhibit service delivery and economic growth and also possibility of shedding of jobs by the mining sector.

“As part of our strategic plan to address these challenges the Provincial Government proposed building strong and enduring partnerships and to select from many possible interventions which hold promise of greatest possible, create jobs, improve efficiency and productivity, fairer distribution of economic opportunities and rewards,” she stressed.

She underscored that the province boast itself with strong agricultural sector, road transport network between SADEC and other provinces such as Gauteng, Free State, Limpopo and Northern Cape and that BRICS will create opportunity for international markets in agriculture.

   The Premier hinted that she is in negotiations with Minister of Minerals about the marble project in Taung to be given to Women in the Province.

  The Province will seize the opportunity brought about by climate change by introduction of several Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency initiatives and Manufacturing opportunities.

In her address, Minister Mildred Oliphant said the jobs summit and jobs fair is one of the initiatives that Government has embarked on to ease the lot of many people who find themselves not only jobless but also hopeless.

The Minister highlighted that the Job fair gave effect to government’s commitment in the struggle to ease the challenge of inequality, poverty and unemployment and that the summit was designed to help employers and potential employees to find each other.

 “The focus of government is decent work hence we have set in motion process of amending critical areas of Legislation like Labour Relation and Basic Conditions of Employment.

  The Employment Services Bill and Employment equity Amendment Bill have also been submitted to Parliament. The Portfolio Committee has deliberated and voted on Basic Conditions of Employment and will be finalising the Labour Relations Bill. These legislation will make it difficult for situations that gave rise to Marikana,” she said.

MEC for Economic Development, Conservation, Environment and Tourism, Motlalepula Rosho focused the summit to key projects which are aimed at addressing development in the province such as Beef Beneficiation in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Development of Electronic Sector Zone in Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Expansion of Tourism Sector through a deal with Peermont Group and the North West Hotel School and Platinum Beneficiation in Bojanala.

 MEC Rosho said that while Tourism, Agriculture and Mining are top job drivers, the provincial government is in negotiations with Ireland, Thailand and Mozambique on issues of arts, hospitality and tourism opportunities for the Province.

Private Sector institutions such as National Empowerment Fund and industrial Development Corporation, South African Maritime Safety Authority presented to both the Minister, Premier and other stakeholders about their initiatives and urged Business and SMMEs to make use of available funding and support opportunities that creates jobs and alleviates poverty available from their institution.

The job summit which was hosted by the North West Provincial government in partnership with the Department of labour was seen by many of the young people who attended it in numbers as an opportunity for them to find long lasting solution to unemployment and poverty.

Social partners in attendance committed to sustainable and practical declarations to create jobs for the young people.

   The summit was also characterized by a job fair which created opportunities for job seekers and unemployed graduates to meet with prospective employers and other institutions that can assist with their placement in different forms of employment or learning opportunities.

By Staff Reporter

A much improved performance by Banyana Banyana was not enough to avoid a 1-0 defeat against the Republic of Ireland in the second match of the Cyprus Cup in Group C. The match took place in windy conditions at Paralimni stadium in Cyprus. 

A lapse of concentration in one of the most crucial stages of the match again – opening five minutes of the second half – saw the Irish girls profit through an Aine ‘O Gorman half volley from inside the penalty area.

The Sasol-sponsored side dominated the contest in the first half, struck the crossbar three times in the second half, but unluckily failed to score against the towering opponents who came into the match buoyed by a 5-1 opening day drubbing of Northern Ireland also in Group C.

Playing with the advantage of the wind in the first half, Ireland put Banyana on the back foot but coach Joseph Mkhonza’s charges weathered the pressure. From one such incident with the wind in favour of the Irish, Grace Murray watched in agony as her in-swinging corner kick from the left struck the crossbar and cleared to safety by the outstanding Janine van Wyk.

Refiloe Jane and Amanda Dlamini produced a far better display in the middle of the park to stifle the Irish but it was upfront where Banyana’s attack looked jaded. Jane, in particular, played superbly as the protective shield for the back four. Jermaine Seoposenwe was sent through by a defence-splitting pass from Jane but saw her shot saved by Ireland goal minder Emma Byrne midway through the first half.

Substitute Noko Matlou and fellow striker Nomathemba Ntsibande, came close to scoring on three occasions in the second half but first Matlou’s header agonizingly shaved the upright. Moments later, Ntsibande struck the upright with a fierce low shot while the Ireland goalkeeper Byrne dived low to save one of Matlou’s other attempts towards the end of the match.

Arguably the best player on the park for Banyana was winger Mary Ntsweng. She thought she had scored with a long range effort but watched in disbelief as the shot cannoned off the crossbar following sustained pressure by the fighting Banyana side that searched without luck for the elusive equaliser. 

Despite conceding early on in the second half, South Africa goalkeeper Andile Dlamini performed well on the few occasions she faced challenging situations, a huge improvement from her first outing on Wednesday.

The 2012 African Women championship runners up will face Northern Ireland in their final Group C match on Monday (14:30) in Cyprus.

In the late evening kickoff after the SA and Republic of Ireland game, Korea Republic will play against Northern Ireland

Benoni – One of the policeman accused of murdering a Daveyton taxi driver was assaulted by the driver before his arrest, the Benoni Magistrate’s Court heard on Friday.

Elias Tshole, for Thamsanqa Ncema, 35, read out his client’s affidavit in court.

In it, Ncema alleged that Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia, 27, was blocking the road with his taxi on February 26.

“I asked him to move and he insulted me and told me I am a useless cop,” Ncema said.

He claimed Macia grabbed a fellow policeman’s gun and pointed it at them.

He later handed it back, and Warrant Officer Meshack Malele, 45, went to call for backup.

Macia’s driver’s licence was taken. He then “tussled” with Ncema after asking for its return.

Ncema said Macia was arrested when back-up arrived and was taken to the police station.

“I was caught by surprise to be told that the person had died, as he has never complained about any injuries,” Ncema said.

Ncema and Malele brought a bail application with their co-accused Motome Walter Ramatlou, Percy Mnisi, 26, Bongumusa Mdluli, 25, Sipho Ngobeni, 30, Lungisa Ewababa, 31, Bongani Kolisi, 27, and Linda Sololo, 56.

Mnisi said in an affidavit that he assisted Ncema after he received a call for back-up.

Macia was allegedly tied to the back of a police van and dragged along a street in Daveyton on February 26. An eyewitness filmed the assault.

Macia was found dead in the local police station’s holding cells several hours later. A post-mortem revealed that he had died of head and internal injuries.

Johannesburg – A swarm of bees attacked children playing at the Bunny Park in Benoni on Friday afternoon, stinging 44 of them.

Netcare 911 spokesperson  Chris Botha said four of the children were in a very critical condition.

He said paramedics and emergency services were still at the scene, stabilising the children.

Cape Town – The Free State government’s website, which reportedly cost R40m to build, is not secure, a report says.

According to Gadget, key elements of the website can be exploited and pose many security risks.

On Wednesday it was reported that more money was spent on the planning of the Free State government website than most South African corporates have ever spent on the full development and implementation of their websites.

But little attention has been paid to making sure the government website is secure.

“The balance of the departments are made up of a mix bag of WordPress themes of varying versions – all with exploits & vulnerabilities,” Gadget reported.

On the Gambling Authority Board’s website, it was reported that nothing was clickable and there was no “website”.

There were also a number of error pages, incomplete links and menu items that did not work – key elements that would have been spotted through stringent testing.

There was also little content management evident on the website.

“Anyone can post anything with no moderation at all including swearing, adverts and anything goes. Spammers are having a field day.

“So if you are looking for cheap Nike Shoes, head over to the one of the news items on the site and look at the comment section,” Gadget reported.

For more details go to www.news24.com

Johannesburg – Stuart Baxter would not call it a championship decider, but Roger de Sa conceded a victory is “almost a must” in Saturday’ Soweto Derby if Orlando Pirates are not to surrender their Absa Premiership title to their bitterest rivals Kaizer Chiefs come May.

Baxter, the Chiefs coach, was predictably reluctant to fall into the trap of championing his charges as favourites, given that they go into Saturday’s match (Soccer City, 3.30pm) with a five-point advantage of Pirates.

A win would extend that lead to an even healthier eight points, although the Buccaneers have a game in hand.

“It would give us a massive momentum, if we were to go eight points clear. It would be great,” Baxter said at the pre-derby press conference in Midrand.

For Pirates, the situation has become desperate after they picked up just one point from their last two games.

“We haven’t done too badly,” De Sa, the Bucs coach, said. “We have been quite unfortunate in the last two games. We were 2-0 ahead of Moroka Swallows and lost that game. We were leading right up to the 92nd minute against Bloemfontein Celtic (on Wednesday) but could only draw. That result (against Celtic) felt like a defeat.

“But now we have a massive opportunity to turn the corner – there’s no better way of doing that than playing against Chiefs. For us, a win is almost a must. Chiefs can afford to draw and still feel comfortable.”

De Sa’s seven-month regime at Bucs’ helm has come under its stringiest scrutiny after the past three results, where Pirates were embarrassed by lowly Maluti and squandered points against Swallows and Celtic. An inquisitor yesterday put it to De Sa that the recent slump in form might be proof the Pirates job is “too big” for him, but, to his credit, De Sa was not riled by this line of questioning and actually exuded maturity in his response.

“When I got here we were 10th (in the standings). We are now just behind Chiefs. We have been on top briefly and we also went 13 matches unbeaten. If that means this job is too big for me, I’ll take it on the chin,” De Sa responded.

Chiefs will back themselves to score against a Bucs defence which has let in eight goals in the last three domestic games – Amakhosi have failed to find the net in just four out of 21 league games this season.

But De Sa is hoping Siyabonga Sangweni is fit to take the field on Saturday, although he was full of praise for the men who’ve been holding the forte while the Bafana Bafana defender has been recovering from injury.

“We knew Sangweni was prone to injury, and we tried to sign a centrehalf (in January). When that didn’t work out we had to make do with what we have. The guys haven’t disappointed, in spite of the results. How much more can they give? It’s a pity that people focus on the last three games, but the fact is we still have the best defence in the league.”

Baxter, meanwhile, has cautioned against taking Pirates lightly. “My experience of any derby is that it doesn’t reflect what’s going on. You’ve seen Everton beating Liverpool when they are way above them in the log standings. The derby is never dependent on form. There are a lot of factors that can boost players’ confidence,” the Chiefs trainer said.

He pointed out that Pirates still had the best defence in the league, in spite of their recent travails. “Pirates haven’t had a bad season defensively. They’ve just had hiccups recently and that happens to any team.” Chiefs will be without Lehlohonolo Majoro, the striker whose equalising goal in the first-round derby enabled Amakhosi to return with a point. “It’s a blow for us. Other players have to step up and I’m glad they have.” – The Star

Rustenburg – The ANC North West has officially suspended the membership of murder accused MEC China Dodovu, the party said on Friday.

“The provincial working committee (PWC)… resolved to temporarily suspend the membership of comrade China Dodovu, our deputy chairperson,” said acting provincial secretary Gordon Kegakilwe.

Dodovu’s suspension was decided at a special meeting of the provincial disciplinary committee after criminal charges were laid against two members of the committee and an ANC councillor.

Dodovu, who was the local government and traditional affairs MEC, had already been suspended from the ANC’s provincial executive committee.

He was released on bail of R20,000 on Tuesday after his arrest, with seven others, in connection with the murder of ANC regional secretary Obuti Chika.

Chika, 33, was shot in the driveway of his Klerksdorp home on December 14. He died in a local hospital.

Kegakilwe said the PWC had reflected on the implications of African National Congress leaders facing criminal charges and had re-affirmed its position to “safeguard core values of the movement”.

Any charges against leaders could potentially damage the image of the ANC, he said.

Dodovu claimed on Wednesday a smear campaign was being conducted against him.

“My arrest can only point to an unholy alliance between some ANC leaders, the police and the prosecution,” he told reporters in Johannesburg.

Paul Sebegoe has since been appointed acting MEC for local government and traditional affairs in the North West.

Dodovu and his co-accused are scheduled to appear in court again in April.

The other accused are: North West provincial ANC Youth League chairman Papiki Baboile, ward secretary Paul Molomonyane, councillor Itumeleng Molebatsi, municipal worker William Malefo, taxi driver Kgotso Kali, and community members Sihlangu Sekhakhane and Jeffrey Letuka. – Sapa