Daily Archives: March 15, 2014

Katsande breaks Pirates duck


Johannesburg -Kaizer Chiefs defeated Orlando Pirates 1-0 in the Soweto derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday thanks to a first goal from Willard Katsande.
 
Pirates created the first goal scoring chance in the fourth minute when Oupa Manyisa’s cross from the right by-line found the head of Mpho Makola, but his effort to the near post was well-saved by young goalkeeper Reyaad Pieterse.
 
On 11 minutes the Buccaneers created another opportunity when overlapping left-back Ayanda Gcaba sprung the offside trap and got a shot away from a tight angle, but Pieterse again came up with a good save.
 
Pirates were the more fluent and forceful team in the first half, pushing Chiefs onto the back foot and limiting them to mere scraps in attack. Bucs created another shooting chance for the adventurous Gcaba in the 34th minute, but his left-footed effort went high and wide.
 
The tense and bruising first half ended with the sides still locked at 0-0, and the respective defences went into the break knowing that they had enjoyed the better of the battle. Chiefs ‘keeper Pieterse would have been particularly pleased with the way he handles his nerves on derby debut.
 
Bucs made a change at the start of the second half, throwing Lennox Bacela on in place of Helder Pelembe. However, it was Chiefs who created the next scoring chance and their best of the match to that point, with Reneilwe Letsholonyane shooting over from just inside the penalty area in the 51st minute.
 
Ten minutes later the Amakhosi broke the deadlock with a first official goal for the club from midfielder Willard Katsande, who was able to head home almost on the goal line from a corner kick by Siphiwe Tshabalala that drifted over the reach of Senzo Meyiwa.
 
Pirates should have pulled level with just under ten minutes to play when Sifiso Myeni picked out Rooi Mahamutsa from a free kick, but the defender put his header wide of the target with only Pieterse to beat.
 
Orlando Pirates 0
Kaizer Chiefs (0) 1 (Katsande 61’)

Teams:
 
Pirates:
Meyiwa, Nyauza, Mahamutsa, Lekgwathi, Gcaba, Makola (Matlaba 71’), Ntshumayelo, Manyisa, Myeni, Erasmus (Majoro 81’), Pelembe (Bacela 46’)
 
Chiefs:
Pieterse, Gaxa, Mashamaite, Gould, Masilela, Letsholonyane, Katsande, Tshabalala, Parker (Rusike 81’), Nkhatha (Bukenya 90+3’), Musona

Backpagemedia

AMCU case postponed


Rustenburg-JOHANNESBURG – The court case regarding the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (Amcu’s) planned strike in the gold sector was postponed in the Johannesburg Labour Court on Friday, the Chamber of Mines said.

Lawyers and counsel for the Chamber of Mines and Amcu have requested the Labour Court for a postponement of the return date on the matter originally set for March 14.
RELATED STORIES
Miners claim AMCU forcing them to strike
Amcu set to march to Union Buildings
AMCU cuts wage demands
Amcu contempt of court case postponed
Amcu unyielding on platinum strike
Subscribe
to our newsletters
“Lawyers and counsel for the Chamber of Mines and Amcu have requested the Labour Court for a postponement of the return date on the matter originally set for March 14,” said Chamber of Mines spokeswoman Elize Strydom in a statement.

The new court date set was June 5.

Amcu’s general secretary Jeff Mphahlele confirmed the matter was postponed.

Amcu issued strike notices to employers in the platinum and gold sectors in January.

It was demanding an entry-level monthly salary of R12,500.

In January the Labour Court issued an interdict that prevented Amcu from going on strike in the gold sector.

Judge Edwin Molahlegi, on behalf of Judge Hamilton Cele, ruled that Amcu had to return to court on March 14 and explain why the interim interdict should not be made permanent.

Molahlegi told the Chamber of Mines to make sure they put the message on notice boards across all mines, and distribute updates via sms.

“The message should read that the Labour Court has interdicted the planned strike by the [the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union] in the gold sector, and if they continue with it, it would be unprotected. They should continue going to work.”

-Sapa

Petrol station catches fire


Johannesburg – A shop at a petrol station in Sandton, Johannesburg, caught fire late on Friday evening, the city’s emergency management services said.

“We are attending to it now… the petrol did not catch alight,” said spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi.

“At the moment no injuries have been reported. The fire took place in the shop. The road is still open.”

The petrol station was on the corner of Katherine Street and Grayston Drive, close to the Sandton fire station.

Emergency services were notified around 22:00.

SAPA

Roux more popular than Nel- Survey


Johannesburg – Oscar Pistorius’s lawyer Barry Roux is being mentioned three times more than prosecutor Gerrie Nel, reveal figures from media monitoring group Data Driven Insight (DDI).

“If you plot the coverage about the legal representation in the trial, the conversation and reporting around Roux hit 74.86%, compared to the 25.14% of Nel, said DDI spokesperson Tonya Khoury on Friday.

This was in regards to conversation and media coverage.

Media coverage during the past 24 hours mentioning the word “blood”, in relation to former police officer Colonel Schoombie van Rensburg’s testimony was 48.03%, said Khoury.

Van Rensburg, a former commander of Boschkop, Pretoria, police station, began his testimony in the murder trial on Thursday.

The data from the survey also showed that media interest in the trial had dropped by about 50% from the first week.

Media coverage of the trial was still, however, higher than coverage of the elections, Marikana and Johannesburg rain and flooding.

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

Pupil killed in a crash


Johannesburg – A pupil was killed and six others injured when a car overturned in Pietermaritzburg on Friday, paramedics said.
The car veered out of control and rolled down a small embankment on Joubert Street, said ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring.

The pupils were pulled out of the wreckage by residents who had witnessed the accident.

The injured were treated on the scene before being taken to various hospitals, Meiring said.

SAPA

No Disasters Declared Over Floods


Pretoria – None of the nine provinces has declared a disaster caused by floods, Co-operative Governance Minister Lechesa Tsenoli said on Friday.
“The latest report was saying provinces and municipalities are reporting that so far they are coping with some of those instances,” Tsenoli told journalists in Pretoria.

He said assessments by government to establish the cost of damage caused by the natural disasters had not been concluded.

“We know that the speed [with] which we are able to do assessments that give us the costs is an area which requires huge improvement and we are working on that,” the minister said.

“It is early days to determine those costs. We don’t have them yet,” said Tsenoli.

On the employment of suitably qualified staff to administer municipalities across the country, Tsenoli said regulations were being tightened.

Policies governing the appointment of senior managers were aimed at preventing the rehiring of “unsuitable managers” who might have been dismissed elsewhere or were facing disciplinary processes.

“We have agreed with Treasury that, for example, in the area of financial management we are giving people [already employed by municipalities but lacking skills] 18 months to acquire the specific qualifications,” Tsenoli said.

He said those who didn’t have the skills after that period would have to “look for jobs”.

New regulations also required municipal managers to declare their financial interests on a regular basis, and prohibited management from holding positions in political parties, the minister said.

SAPA

Satan kille Reeva- Pastor


Pretoria – Murder accused Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was not to blame for the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and needs prayer, a pastor said on Friday.
“Oscar did not kill her [Steenkamp], Satan made him do it. I pray to God to help him,” Reverend Isaac Malaza said.

“I came today to pray for Oscar. He shouldn’t do something like this again that breaks the hearts of his family.”

He said Steenkamp’s parents and family were also left heartbroken.

Malaza was waiting outside the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria where Pistorius is currently on trial for the murder of Steenkamp.

Dressed in his green and white attire, Malaza stood at the exit door and waited for Pistorius so he could pray for him.

Pistorius should not ruin his family and other families but Satan is the one to blame, Malaza said.

“We hope God will help him so that he doesn’t do something like this again,” he said.

“It’s not just Oscar, a lot of men kill women. So I want God to stay in the hearts of men so they can like their women and not kill them.”

Pistorius and his entourage were trying to get away from all the reporters and people gathered outside waiting for him.

Reporters with cameras and people with phones formed a “human shield” from the entrance of courtroom GD all through to outside the exit of the building.

As Pistorius walked out, people shouted, “it’s him” and many tried to take a picture of him as a drone flew over taking aerial shots.

Friday was day 10 of the Paralympian’s murder trial. Pistorius is accused of having murdered Steenkamp when he shot her dead through a locked bathroom door in his Pretoria home on 14 February last year.

He has denied guilt, saying he mistook her for an intruder.

SAPA

Two children missing, bridges washed away in NWest floods  


Matlosana-Two children whose ages have not been confirmed are reportedly missing after they were swept by floods as a result of heavy rains experienced in Mogwase Township near Sun City outside Rustenburg on Thursday afternoon.

The Bojanala Platinum Disaster Management, Moses Kotane Fire & Emergency, a  Search & rescue team and police are at the scene.

“Relief efforts have also been mobilised to assist 500 learners residing at boarding residences at Orbit College and Holy Family School in Mabele-a –Podi villagewho were also affected by flooding.Premier Thandi Modise who has expressed concern about the missing children is scheduled to visit the scenes on Saturday morning” Lesiba Kgwele said.

More flooding incidents were reported in Madibeng Local Municipality.

Six bridges were also washed away in Klipgat (4) and one in Maboloka and Jericho respectively.

“Flooding was also experienced in Letlhabile Block I and G due to lack of storm water drainage” Kgwele said.

Roads in Segwaelane village which was also flooded were also muddy and slippery.
One hundred and fifty households in Segwaelane, Majakaneng, Mothotlung,Oukasie, Maboloka, Bapong, Letlhabile, Mmakau and Primendia in the municipality were last week affected by the floodsRelief efforts that included  counselling, tents, blankets, food parcels and Social Relief of Distress grants were rolled out to the said communities.The Provincial Disaster Management Centre which has earlier in the week issued an early flood warning to all municipalities reported that the Department of Water Affairs is regulating the outflow of water from Hartbeespoort Dam which is full.

“It also reiterated its appeal to motorists and pedestrians crossing flooding rivers to exercise extreme caution and not to underestimate flood currents” he said.

Tlokwe, Matlosana, Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality and Lekwa Teemane municipalities are monitoring the Vaal River level.-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

NWest motorist dies, two rescued in floods  


Rustenburg-One fatality was reported due to a head on collision accident that occurred on the Mogwase-Sun City road, The North West Provincial Disaster Management Centre reported on Friday.

Poor visibility as a result of heavy rains is suspected to have caused the crash that occurred on Thursday afternoon.

“Two motorists whose vehicles were swept away by floods on the Mogwase-Northam road on Thursday evening were rescued at around 5:45 this morning by divers and the Search and Rescue team from the South African Police Service” Premier’s Office spokesperson Lesiba Kgwele said.

The pair, one of whom is a local doctor was allegedly found hanging on trees.  

Many trucks are reported to be stuck between Rustenburg and Northam as a result of the flooding Kgetleng Rivier.

“An impact assessment will be carried out later this morning to assess the extent of the damage caused by the floods” Kgwele said.

Meanwhile, the search for the two children who were reported missing after they were swept by floods in Mogwase on Thursday afternoon will continue this morning.-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Christiana man arrested in connection of murder


By Obakeng Maje
The Northern Cape HAWKS made a breakthrough during the early hours of Thursday morning in connection with the armed robbery and murder of Casper Adriaan Labuschagne(29).

Mr Labuschagne was gunned down on the 27 February 2014 while working at a mine in Holpan, Windsorton.

“At about 00:20, three suspects were arrested in Windsorton and one in Christiana. The suspects aged between, 24 and 43 years old will appear in the Barkly West magistrates’ court on Monday on charges of murder and armed robbery” lieutenant Sergio Kock said.

The Hawks were assisted by Kimberley Tactical response Team (TRT).-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_