By Obakeng Maje

Matlapaneng-Some of the community members in Matlapaneng village, near Taung are up in arms after a half-built community hall fell and injured one of the employees on the site.

Kagiso Kgopane suffered minor injuries on a shoulder and back after the wall fell on him.

According to some reports, the community hall was built out of its structure and it would stand the hands of time.

“The hall was built out of its structure and its foundation is not sold. The contractors did not built a wall from the concrete embedded on the floor” community representative Freddy Seruteng said.

However Tshegofatso Samonne,39, dispute Seruteng statement and said is dillusional and imbecile.

“The wall’s falling was caused by torential rain and a strong wind we experience. The wall was newly-built and it was only one line of bricks. The inspectors, consultants and contractors came to inspect the site and gave it 100%” said cllo Samonne.

The councillor Kedumedi Tjalimpi also attests to the statement made by Semonne.”We guarantee the community that the community hall is stable and was not built out of structure. Those who made wrongful statement are trying to impede the project” she said.

The completion of the hall is expected soon and the project continue. 

Kgopane was taken to Taung hospital for medical attention and will be back at work on Monday.-TDN

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North West Premier Thandi Modise has convened an urgent meeting of the Provincial Executive Council (Exco) to evaluate progress in implementation of Section 154 intervention in Madibeng Local Municipality, Section 139 interventions in Ditsobotla, Maquassi Hills and Matlosana Local Municipalities. The Special Exco meeting is to be held in Mahikeng on Wednesday.

Premier Modise said that the meeting is aimed at determining urgent appropriate interventions where progress has not been registered since administrators and experts were deployed to the four municipalities.

“Obstruction and resistance to provincial intervention and hand-on support that is part of our local government turnaround strategy had delayed progress that needed to be registered for the benefit of our communities,” stressed Modise.   

She added that the meeting will also consider an update report on performance of all municipalities across the province. 

Johannesburg – ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and not President Jacob Zuma will deliver the party’s Gauteng provincial manifesto on Sunday at a rally scheduled to be held in Atteridgeville near Pretoria.

According to the Sunday Independent, the move comes after recent events including the booing of President Jacob Zuma late last year and Gauteng provincial secretary David Makhura’s statements that the province would seek election help from former president Thabo Mbeki.

For more http://www.news24.com

Johannesburg – The Democratic Alliance is determined to unravel the mystery of the whereabouts of a R1.2bn satellite that South Africa commissioned from a Russian company eight years ago.

According to the Sunday Times, the deal was struck in May 2006 and was known as Project Flute. DA MP David Maynier told the newspaper that he suspects the project will turn out to be one of the biggest scandals to hit SA.

For more http://www.news24.com

Johannesburg – ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa is to lead an ANC delegation to Perth, Australia, to woo South African voters living there and possibly establish a branch of the party, The Sunday Times reported.

“The ANC is a non-racial organisation, and obviously we will not leave out any voters that are likely to vote for us,” African National Congress international relations subcommittee head and deputy minister in the presidency Obed Bapela told the newspaper.

“So we will be targeting Australia because of the number of South Africans that are there.”

According to the report, an estimated 80 000 South Africans lived in Australia.

He said that the South Africans in Australia are those who left when they said the crime was too much, and 20 years into democracy, they had reconnected with South Africa.

“It’s more a fact-finding mission in Australia, unlike the UK… When we get the numbers that we think are encouraging,, we might ask them to establish an ANC branch.”

The ANC was also planning a rally in London next month, where it had set up a branch.

SAPA

Cape Town – President Jacob Zuma has ignored calls to curb spending and has given top politicians a R45m salary increase for the financial year ending in March.

According to the Sunday Independent, Zuma signed the 5% pay increase on 3 January and the hike was gazetted on Thursday. Members of his executive, premiers, MPs, MECs and MPLs will all benefit despite earlier calls for a pay freeze. The increases will be backdated to April last year.

The increases range from R43 000 for MPLs to R118 000 for Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu and National Council of Provinces chair Mninwa Mahlangu. Ministers got just over R100 000 and premiers more than R94 000.

In October 2012, Zuma met with business, labour and civil society to discuss how to recover investor confidence in the economy. He called on all CEOs and executive directors in the public sector and senior executives in the public sector to agree to a freeze on increases in salaries and bonuses for 12 months. 

By Obakeng Maje

Taung-A case of Boitumelo Bankutlwang was postponed by Taung Magistrate Court on Thursday for further investigation.

Maphoitsile residents packed the court to show support to Segomotsi Gaojelwe,78 who was allegedly raped by Boitumelo Bankutlwang,31.

Gaojelwe was gathering some firewood in the nearby veld at around 2pm when the suspect accosted at her. Bankutlwang allegedly produced a knife and raped her.

Gaojelwe informed her son about the ordeal and a manhunt was launched where the community found Bankutlwang drinking at a local shebeen.

A 31 year-old suspect was arrested and appeared before court where his case was postponed. Bankutlwang will remain in custody until his next appearance.

The court postponed the case until 27 January 2014 and police investigations continue.-TDN

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Johannesburg – Cosatu on Saturday denied any involvement in leaking suspended general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi’s charge sheet to the media.

“[We] challenge anyone who makes such claims [that we leaked the report] to substantiate or withdraw them,” Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said in a statement.

“Cosatu never intended to inform the media about the charges being delivered, but was forced to do so only after this information had already been leaked and published by others.”

Turning to social networking site Twitter on Saturday, Vavi said: “Leaking charges is gross violation of my rights! It’s an attempt to conduct media trial hoping trump up allegations will dent my reputation.”

His spokesperson John Dludlu said Vavi felt he was being treated unfairly.

“Like the continuous selective leaks of details of the forensic probes against him during the five months of his illegal suspension, we believe the purpose of this week’s latest leaks is to subject Mr Vavi to a media trial with the hope that some, if not all, of the trumped up charges against him will stick like mud,” Dludlu said in a statement.

On Friday, The Mail & Guardian reported that the Cosatu leadership wanted Vavi fired from his position without any notice.

The newspaper said it was in possession of the 33-page charge sheet dated 13 January 2014.

The charge sheet was served on Vavi last week, five months after he was put on special leave by the trade union federation.

Charges

Vavi was facing nine charges, according to the report. They were:

Recruitment and employment of the junior Cosatu employee without going through the relevant challenges

Relationship with the Cosatu employee

The conversion of the junior to permanent employee

Supervision of the woman he was accused of having an affair with – alleged failure by Vavi to supervise her work performance has allegedly led to travel expenses amounting to R483 737 in 2012 and R778 624 in 2013 not accounted for

Distribution of internal grievance and response on Twitter before Cosatu could hear the grievance

Personal expenses and personal travel paid for using a Cosatu credit card

Claiming during a Carte Blanche interview that the administrative secretary of Cosatu had interviewed the junior employee for her position

Breach of suspension conditions

Utterances derogatory of Cosatu and its leadership, which include a statement posted on Numsa’s website shortly after Vavi was suspended in which he questioned the motive of his suspension.

Disciplinary inquiry

According to the newspaper Vavi’s disciplinary inquiry would be chaired by one of the country’s top legal minds, Advocate Wim Trengove. He would be authorised to make findings on all the charges and also decide on the appropriate sanction.

Vavi would be allowed legal representation at the inquiry.

Dludlu said Vavi hoped the country would see through the “malicious agenda”.

“The basic rule at all times is that the onus and the burden of proof lies with the one making allegations. Mr Vavi is no different – he remains innocent until proven guilty.”

Dludlu said Vavi was confident of his innocence and would be vindicated.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Four people were killed in an accident on the Golden Highway’s N12 off-ramp, Johannesburg emergency services said on Saturday.

The accident happened on Friday afternoon as police were on the road, clearing rocks, spokesperson Synock Matobako said.

“The rocks had been thrown onto the freeway by criminals. They stand on top of the bridge, throwing rocks at passing cars. When you stop, they hijack your car,” said Matobako.

He said the driver of the Opel Astra hit a rock which was still on the road.

“He swerved and got onto oncoming traffic, hitting a Toyota Yaris.”

The driver of the Yaris, who was travelling alone, was instantly killed.

There had been four occupants in the Astra.

“Two of the occupants, including the driver died on the scene. A third person died in hospital while the fourth passenger was admitted to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. He is in a critical condition.”

Matobako warned motorists to be careful of the Golden Highway area as police had claimed that several motorists had been victims of the hijackings using the stone-throwing modus operandi.

“It is a very dangerous area. It’s a hotspot. If you stop after getting hit by a rock, you will be hijacked,” he said.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Residents of Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, were protesting on Saturday because they were evicted from their homes earlier in the week, Gauteng police said.

Some residents were evicted from their RDP houses on Wednesday, said Captain Riana van Aarden.

The protest reportedly began on Friday.

“The situation is under control as police are on the scene,” said Van Aarden.

She could not confirm how many people were taking part in the protest.

SAPA