Monthly Archives: February 2014

Four arrested for vandalism in Majakaneng


By Obakeng Maje
Majakaneng-Following a week of violent public protests by Majakaneng community in Brits area, the North West Premier engaged the community with the view to address their concerns which were mostly about lack of water.

Despite the Premier having addressed the problem of water, and requesting the community to refrain from acts of vandalism and general lawlessness, the police still receive reports of passing vehicles being pelted with stones and of local businesses being looted.

“It is clear from these reports that criminal element has always been behind the violence and the destruction of property, taking advantage of genuine community concerns” colonel Sabata Mokgwabone.

The police will continue to intensify their actions around the area and a call is being made to all law abiding citizens and community leaders to identify and report to the police all those who are busy committing crime. 

“It is important that the community resist all the efforts of those who want to destroy the property and to loot local businesses as this will only worsen the plight of the community in terms of access to basic services” Mokgwabone said.

Police said during the early hours of this morning, four suspects were arrested.

They were caught breaking and looting a local business. The suspects will be charged for burglary as well as theft, and anybody found in possession of suspected stolen or robbed property will face the full might of the law. 

“The suspects ages including a woman range between 24 and 35 are expected to appear in Brits Magistrate’s Court on Monday” said Mokgwabone.-TDN
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Premier Modise gives Madibeng 24 hours to redirect water to Majakaneng community  


The valve that has been directing water to the nearby mine instead of the community should be opened to redirect it to the disgruntled Majakaneng community for it to assess water from their taps within the next 24 hours, North West Premier Thandi Modise instructed on Saturday.

In appealing to the community to give the intervention in Madibeng Municipality a chance, Premier Modise assured the community that had been rioting since Thursday that three boreholes will be commissioned within the next seven days to augment the supply of water to the area.
Like the Mothotlung community, the disgruntled residents rejected water tankering which they alleged is part of the fraudulent tender associated with corruption. 
““Violent protest and chaos will only serve to disrupt the momentum of interventions aimed at getting service delivery that was negatively affected by fraud and corruption within your municipality back on track,” highlighted  the Premier.Modise said that the intervention is part of the over R2 billion water project implementation plan set aside to address water challenges across the province.
In terms of the plan, R300 million is earmarked for water projects to communities experiencing problems with water provision within the jurisdiction of Madibeng Local Municipality.
Premier Modise was accompanied by the Executive Mayor of Madibeng, Matshediso Mangoathe and Members of the recently established Provincial Executive Council Task team overseeing interventions in municipalities,  MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs,Manketse Tlhape, MEC for Finance, Paul Sebegoe, MEC for Human Settlement-Public Safety and Liaison, Nono Maloyi,
In her address to community leaders in Koster in the late afternoon, Modise also assured them that allegations of fraud, corruption and nepotism service levelled Kgetleng RivierLocal Municipality would be investigated.
Premier Modise is scheduled to meet with Madibeng Council on Monday morning and thereafter address rioting Hebron residents in the afternoon.-TDN
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Baxter: It would have been more


After watching his team win 3-0 against Black Africa in the first leg of their CAF Champions League Preliminary Round match, Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter believed they should have won by more.
While being content with the result, considering that he made a number of changes to the team, Baxter thought the performance lacked consistency, but said he would take the result.
“The result, 3-0, is okay, the third goal was the important one. The overall performance was a bit up and down, but we made a lot of changes today. 
“I thought at times very good, at times a bit sloppy, all in all, the result should have been heavier, we should have been able to put them to the sword more than we did. We created chances and the main thing today was that we rotated the squad and still got away with the win, so that’s satisfying.
“We gave Mandla (Masango) a run and we gave George Maluleka another run, we brought Siya back in and Moleko played again, Pa (Gaxa) was at left back, Morgan was out and Tower came in.. I think it was a lot of changes for one game and I think that sometimes effects your continuity.
“I put Matthew on in the second half, and I think the ones that came on did okay, and I think it was a difficult pitch, a little bit slippery tonight, I think 3-0 you’ll take, but it should have been more.”
For more http://www.soccerladuma.co.za

Zille cancels trip to Manenburg


Cape Town – Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille cancelled her election campaign drive in Manenburg, Cape Town in the Western Cape due to safety concerns, the Sunday Times reported.
Zille was expected to visit the Cape Flats township on Saturday to encourage DA supporters in the area to register for the upcoming elections, the newspaper reported.

The visit was cancelled as gunshots were heard in the area on Saturday, as gang violence resumed.

She was in neighbouring Langa before she was scheduled to move onto Manenburg, instead Zille later visited registration points in Capricorn, near Muizenberg.

“We pulled out all the DA activists from staffing tables at the registration point there…because of the resumption of shooting in the area, and because we did not want to put our activists at risk,” Zille was quoted as saying.

Chief of the Independent Electoral Commission in the Western Cape Courtney Sampson said that voting stations in Manenburg were under heavy police guard.

The party was targeting between 55% and 60% of the votes in the Western Cape this year, DA provincial leader Ivan Meyer told the newspaper.

The DA took 51% of the provincial vote in the previous general election in 2009.

– SAPA

Police deny giving Zuma’ son special treatment


President Jacob’s Zuma’s son is to be questioned by police this week following a car accident that left one woman dead and two others seriously injured after his Porsche smashed into a packed taxi in Johannesburg recently.

According to the Sunday Times, Duduzane Zuma had been driving his car, a Porsche 911 Turbo, at the time of the accident which happened on 1 February in heavy rain in Grayston Drive in Sandton. However, a breathalyser test to determine his blood alcohol level was not carried out. This is a mandatory test at an accident scene.

Metro police on Saturday denied having given Zuma preferential treatment at the scene, despite having allowed him to also have his car towed away.

The deceased woman, Phumzile Dube, 30, was killed instantly. She was buried on Saturday at her hometown, Plumtree, in Zimbabwe.

Zuma is widely regarded as his father’s favourite and he enjoys a close relationship with the controversial Gupta family. In 2010 he was embroiled in a scandal involving the takeover of Kumba’s Shishen mine – along with the Guptas.
For more http://www.news24.com

NWest man killed by lightning


A forty-one year old man died after he was struck by lighting during a thunderstorm in Kang village near Tosca on Friday afternoon.

The death of the man brings to eight the number of people who died as a result of flooding as a result of heavy experienced over the past few days in the North West Province.
In conveying condolences to families that lost their loved ones, Premier Thandi Modise said that a team from the provincial government will be deployed as early as Monday to assess the damage to the road infrastructure and housing to determine urgent intervention required.
Premier Modise said that emergency social housing will be considered for those whose mud houses had collapsed.
Four bridges that are linking about 26 villages are reportedly damaged.

Emergency relief efforts are being coordinated to support over 700 families affected by flooding across the province. Distribution of food parcels, blankets, mattresses, cottage tents and processing of social relief of distress grants have commenced.
 

Bona Bona village at which 14 houses were affected by flooding was still not accessible on Saturday.

 

Modise has appealed to people low lying areas to take precautionary measures and to keep authorities informed of threatening conditions for early intervention.

 

She has called on members of the public to exercise extreme caution when they cross flooding rivers and streams.-TDN
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ANC apologises for Zuma no-show


Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma did not attend the ANC’s door-to-door campaign in Soweto on Saturday due to a prior engagement, the party said.

“This omission on our part is regrettable for the inconvenience it caused to the media and members of the public who expected to be addressed by President Zuma,” spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.

The party’s programmes in Soweto continued with African National Congress national working committee members Nathi Mthethwa, Nomvula Mokonyane and the provincial chairperson Paul Mashatile.

“These Comrades will continue with tomorrow’s [Sunday’s] programme where the president was deployed.”

Mthembu also expressed regret that ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte had been unable to attend an inner-city campaign in Johannesburg due to illness.

“This leg of mobilisation will continue with the Comrades Malusi Gigaba, Mzwandile Masina and Brian Hlongwa,” Mthembu said.

Earlier, the presidency said that Zuma was relaxing at his home in Nkandla ahead of a busy schedule next week.

“…The president visited two local voter registration stations in Halambu and Ntolwane Primary Schools respectively,” spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement.

“He was happy with the turn out of potential voters, especially the young people who indicated they would be voting for the first time on 7 May.”

– SAPA

Rain, violence disrupt some IEC Stations


Johannesburg – While most voter registration stations opened smoothly on Saturday, some problems with violence and roads rendered impassable by rains were experienced, the Independent Electoral Commission said.

“The vast majority of registration stations opened on schedule at 08:00 today for the final weekend registration drive and officials reported a smooth start to registration in all but a handful of the country’s 22 263 voting stations.”

In Bekkersdal on the Johannesburg West Rand, petrol bombs were thrown at two voter registration stations and registration staff were threatened, the IEC said in a statement.

The IEC was monitoring the situation and would re-open the Bekkersdal stations as soon as possible.

Most of the hitches, however, were related to recent heavy rains and some voter registration stations opened late due to impassable roads in remote rural areas, the IEC said in a statement.

“In Limpopo, in the Musina and Mutale areas officials had to wade across a flooded low-level bridge to reach registration stations, while elsewhere in the North West, in the Kagisano and Molopo areas, official vehicles became bogged down in mud and had to be rescued by security forces.

“Flooding also affected the delivery of registration materials in the Northern Cape in the Joe Morolong municipality.”

The IEC expressed gratitude for co-operation from communities and political parties to ensure that eligible voters could register on the last voter registration weekend.

Unregistered voters were urged to take this weekend to make sure they were able to vote in the general elections, which President Jacob Zuma announced would be held on 7 May.

The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal expressed satisfaction with the voter registration in the province on Saturday.

“We are satisfied that the open voter registration drive is proceeding as planned,” provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala said in a statement.

“Most voting stations opened on time and in most of them the IEC Officials were ready and had the appropriate material to conduct voter registration.”
He called on all eligible voters to ensure they were registered on the voters’ roll before the end of the weekend.

“Voting is not just a right or privilege; it is a responsibility for every South African citizen to determine the future of his or her country,” Zikalala said.

It’s your last chance to register for Elections 2014. Download News24’s free Elections App to check if you are registered, on Android or iOS.
– SAPA

Donor funding behind failed merger: Zille


Johannesburg – The motivation behind Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele’s short-lived agreement to stand as the DA’s presidential candidate was to secure donor funding, according to DA leader Helen Zille, the Saturday Star reported.

“Dr Mamphela Ramphele wanted an immediate announcement because she was desperate for money,” Zille was quoted as saying, while campaigning in Paarl on Friday.

“And the minute we made the announcement she contacted donors and tried to get money.”

Ramphele’s spokesperson Mark Peach described Zille’s claim as “an outright lie”.

“Agang has a fund-raising department that is in contact with donors daily and has been for the last year. So any notion that she was suddenly putting special calls through to donors is a flat, outright lie.”

He denied that a reported donor meeting in London put pressure on Ramphele to work with the Democratic Alliance.

‘I’m white, live with it’

Zille said an association with Ramphele would have benefited the DA largely because of Ramphele’s struggle credentials and to put to rest the myth that the DA wanted the return of apartheid.

Zille said her race compromised the value of her own struggle record in the eyes of some voters.

“I’m white, live with it,” she reportedly said.

The partnership between the DA and Ramphele lasted less than a week.

According to a joint statement issued by Ramphele and Zille last Friday, the Agang SA founder would have been welcomed into the DA at a press conference in Johannesburg on Monday.

However, following the joint statement being issued, a message from Ramphele was uploaded onto Agang SA’s website saying that she never agreed to join the DA.

On Sunday, Zille said Ramphele had reneged on the agreement to be the DA’s presidential candidate and the following day the parties held separate press conferences to explain what went wrong.- SAPA

Two killed in a crash


Pietermaritzberg – Two people were killed on the R33 near Pietermaritzburg on Saturday morning when a car and truck collided, KwaZulu-Natal emergency medical services said.

“This resulted in the car going down an embankment next to the road,” spokesperson Robert McKenzie said.

“Tragically, two occupants of the car sustained fatal injuries and a third was critically injured.”

McKenzie said the injured person was treated on the scene and taken to a nearby hospital.

“The road was closed due to the obstruction caused by the truck and for the safety of the emergency staff on the scene.”

Police were investigating, he said.

SAPA