Johannesburg-Netherlands-born Vera Pauw has been appointed the new Banyana Banyana coach.She takes over from Joseph Mkhonza who will take up the position of National Selector.

Pauw’s immediate task is to prepare the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana for the CAF African Women Championships (AWC) scheduled for October in the Namibian capital of Windhoek.

Three teams from the continent will qualify for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada.

The 51-year old Pauw said she was excited to be part of this ambitious and dynamic organisation.

“I am excited to become part of this ambitious project in which we can develop our girls into international stars. SAFA is aiming high with women’s football. President (Danny) Jordaan has expressed this in his New Year message because women’s football is the fastest growing sport in the world. There are plenty of opportunities in which we can use football to enhance the future of women in general,” said Pauw.

“My association with SAFA goes back many years ago. When I was coach of The Netherlands team, we had great times whenever we visited South Africa and most times stayed at the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Pretoria. We have had matches involving our U/20 girls’ teams in Netherlands.”

“South Africa has massive potential in development structures and I am looking forward to this new challenge of taking Banyana Banyana to the next level,” added Pauw.

SAFA President, Dr Danny Jordaan said Pauw was a potential game changer in South African football especially within the women fraternity.

“Pauw’s appointment was well thought out and we are confident that in her we have a coach who can take Banyana Banyana to the next level.

“She has the right credentials and her track record speaks highly of a coach who has the desire to compete with the best in the world. That is the level we want Banyana Banyana to be. We liked her vision and desire to be successful,” said Dr Jordaan.

“We have also taken a principal decision as SAFA that all women national teams will be coached by female coaches and where we don’t have the right candidates, to source the candidates from outside our borders,” added Dr Jordaan.

Pauw has worked as the Technical Director of the Russian Football Union and was the country’s interim coach in 2011.

She was Netherlands Technical Director and Women’s National Team coach from 2004-2010, leading the country to the bronze medal in the European Championships in Finland in 2009.

Between 1998 and 2004, she was the Technical Director for the National Women’s football in Scotland.-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Roodepan-An unidentified man in his 30’s found killed apparently by electric shock in Lerato Park Electricity Sub Station unit at Roodepan, says lieutenant Olebogeng Tawana said.

“Our preliminary investigation indicates that the deceased was attempting to steal copper cables from live electric wires in a substation” Tawa said.

The deceased died apparently after he was electrocuted by live electric wires.

“He was found by the municipality employees during their routine inspection at the substation. The police were immediately alerted about the gruesome discovery” he said.

The deceased could have been electrocuted between 9:30 and 10:00 am.

Upon investigation at the substation a man who was wearing gloves in both hands, black T-shirt, blue Nike training shoes, blue overall pants passed on, having some burn marks on the hands.

“The deceased broke the pad lock of the door of the substation to in order to gain entrance” Tawana said.

The total value of the damage incurred is estimated to more than R200 000.

Any person with the information that may assist the police with the identification of the deceased, can contact Detective Sgt Johannes Bosman at 073 286 0942 / 053 8075 500.-TDN
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De Beerskraal farm owner’s gesture is a positive investment in the future of farm workers children, North West MEC for Social Development Collen said, during his visit to the farm on Wednesday.

“We are pleased to have farmers like Leynette Oosthuizen who has heartily given a house to serve as a crèche for farm workers,” Maine said adding that his department would ensure that Ntataise early childhood development crèche receive conditional registration and that each child would receive R15 per day.

Maine said would be used to buy food for the children and pay stipend for the teachers.

Farm owner Leynette Oosthuizen said the centre used to be the teachers house and she turned it into a crèche for farm workers children in 1992. Since then, Oosthuizen said the centre has rendered services to 35 children between 0-4 years, providing safe and healthy environment for farm workers children where the children are being prepared for basic education and primary learning. She said the centre has 35 children.

“We are so grateful that the authorities have considered our plight. Most of the farmers here have started a feeding scheme for the children at the crèche and also primary learners. We buy them food from our own pockets. We also provide them with teaching aids. We do all these because their parents work for us,” Oosthuizen said.

To keep the centre in operation, Oosthuizen said they deduct R20 per month from the monthly wages of parents of the children and use the money to the centre’s overheads expenses. The parents of the children from the neighbouring farms such as Klerkskraal and Rysmierbult contribute R50 which is utilized to pay the salaries of the two practitioners at the centre.

On Wednesday Maine donated mattresses, sand bags, playing equipment, reading books, tables, blankets and chairs to Ntataise crèche.

Most of the farm workers receive the gifts with ululation and gladness. Maria Kgopo who grew up in farm said she wished that her child would get a better education from early age.

“I am so happy for all these gifts. We do not earn much. This is a relief on us,” Kgopo said, adding that most her peers in the farm depend on social grants and temporaty jobs for survival.

Maine who was accompanied by National Development Agency representatives and the senior management of his department urged the farm workers to attend adult basic education classes – citing that government has put education in its priority list.-TDN
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Reivilo-The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture through the Chief Directorate Sport and Recreation will be hosting a Community Sport Festival at Reivilo in Greater Taung on Thursday.

The aim of the festival is to provide coaching clinics on the day and to launch six “Priority” codes in the area, namely football, netball, volleyball, rugby, tennis and basketball.

“The reality that exists within Reivilio community is that people are interested in playing different sporting codes but don’t have the necessary equipments to play. The festival is geared towards affording the community to have knowledge about other sporting codes and to increase the level of participation amongst people” departmental spokesperson Shirley Montsho said.

Montsho said it is according to this background that the Department’s objectives strives for the promotion of health and fitness of Reivilio community, advance club development through the festival, enhance and improve competitiveness in sport and nature and sustain the talent for the elite/competitive events.

The number of participants is expected to be above 300 and the Department will also handover sporting equipments and playing attire to the participants on the day. Attire will be given to 10 soccer teams, 4 netball teams, 3 basketball teams, 1 rugby team and1 volley ball team.

MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture in the North West Province Mme Tebogo Modise calls members of the community to be part of this event in support of a better living for the youth.

Details of the festival are as follows:

Venue: TBC

Time: 09h00

Date: 13 March 2014
-TDN
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Johannesburg – People were likely to use the word “guilty” more than “innocent” in reference to the Oscar Pistorius murder trial, according to figures by media monitoring group Data Driven Insight (DDI).
“The public and media are now likely to use the word “guilty” eight times more than “innocent” in media coverage about the Pistorius case,” said DDI spokesperson Tonya Khoury on Wednesday.

“We took the measurement of the trial and put ‘guilty’ to measure what kind of feedback it would generate.”

Their guilt monitor saw about 8.43% of the world media go with “guilty” while 1.14% of all media worldwide went with “innocent”.

Social media platform Twitter added to the Pistorius news coverage at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, Khoury said.

Of the two testimonies heard on Wednesday, that of police colonel Johannes Vermeulen and Pistorius’s friend Daren Fresco, Fresco’s testimony accounted for more media activity.

“When you place these two testimonies alongside each other, Fresco’s media activity accounted for almost 80%.”

Khoury said the trial had generated more interest from abroad.

“The US, Germany, UK and Australia are covering the story more than South African media,” she said.

The data was compiled from 6.2 million social media platforms including blogs, forums, social networks and commentary, 60 000 global online newspapers, 2 000 South African print publications, and 66 radio and television stations.

SAPA

Johannesburg – A lot of work has been done to fight poverty, unemployment and inequality since 2009, President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday.
“We have created more jobs than before. Employment is now higher than it has ever been, at 15 million people,” Zuma said in a statement.
He was speaking during the launch of the election edition of the Progressive Leader magazine produced by the ANC Progressive Business Forum.
“More of our people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. Our social grants, received by over 16 million people, are one of the critical instruments in poverty alleviation,” he said.
He told guests of the work the African National Congress had been able to accomplish since coming into government.
Zuma said more than R1trn had been invested in national infrastructure projects, compared with R451bn in the previous five years.
“Nearly 500 informal settlements have been replaced with quality housing and basic services, thus providing our people with dignified housing,” said Zuma.
More was to be done in the area of sanitation and water provision in the next term, he added.
On business, Zuma said government had done a lot to create a conducive climate for business to thrive. He said the initiatives taken by government would translate into stronger domestic growth and more jobs.
Among the initiatives was the call to buy locally produced goods. He said the party wanted the state to buy at least 75% of its goods and services from South African producers and support small enterprises.
“We have also done well in promoting and protecting the country’s automotive sector, which is a valuable source of foreign direct investment.
“We are pleased with the progress in the growth of this sector and welcome all the major investments that have been made,” said Zuma.
He called on the private sector to respond appropriately, by increasing investment, production, exports and employment.
Zuma said private sector investment accounted for 63% of total investment. In addition, the private sector employed 77% of all working South Africans, he added.
“We therefore need active private sector participation in boosting inclusive growth to eradicate poverty and unemployment,” the president said.
SAPA