Ms Olivia Leopeng (84), the first and probably the oldest beneficiary of the Sunway Presidential project in Hartebeespoort in the Madibeng local municipality.
  Leopeng, who is blind and does not get social grants, could not stop singing praises about the good work
  that the government has done for her and which include her family.
Ms Leopeng is one of the 1000 beneficiaries who were handed over their houses by MEC for Human Settlements Public Safety and Liaison Nono Maloyi on Wednesday. The over Hundred Million project is mainly aimed at eradicating informal settlements around the Hartebeespoort area, and further restore their dignity.
“I struggled under the apartheid government. I stayed in unbearable conditions and have never enjoyed life. But today, even though I can’t see properly, I’m the happiest person alive. My life has been changed drastically, mainly because I have never owned a house before. My children will have a home,” said Ms Leopeng.
According to MEC Maloyi the project has significantly changed people’s lives based on the conditions that they have been living in. “Our people’s dignity was stolen by the apartheid system. However this democratic government has worked so hard to restore their dignity. Government will continue to make sure that our people live in habitable and humane environment as it is their democratic right, said MEC Maloyi.
MEC Maloyi further went on to hand over about 200 community residential units to the Rustenburg Local Municipality. The over 30 million rand CRU project that will also assist in accommodating migrant workers who have staying in informal settlements and other local who do not qualify for RDP houses.-TDN
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The Department of Mineral Resources invites applications for the 2014/2015 Internship/ Experiential Programme in all provinces of South Africa.

MINIMUM STIPEND: Experiential Learning: R1,500.00 per month / Internship Programme: R3,360.33 per month

REQUIREMENTS:

An NQF Level 6 Certificate, National diploma, Bachelor’s degree, Honour’s degree or Master’s degree in the following disciplines/fields of study:

Head Office (19 Posts): Ref. No: DMR/01/INT

●LLB

●Labour Relations

●Auditing

●Accounting

●Human Resources Management and Development (HRM&D)

●Finance

●Economics

●Law

●Risk Management

●Information Technology (IT)

●Supply Chain Management (SCM)

●Geology

●Mining Engineering

●Geoscience

●Natural Science

●Environmental Science or Management

Gauteng (2 Posts) – Ref. No: DMR/02/INT

●Geology

●Mine Surveying

●Mining Engineering

●Developmental Studies

●Social Sciences

Mpumalanga (2 Posts) – Ref. No: DMR/03/INT

LLB

●Environmental Sciences

●Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

Limpopo (2 Posts) – Ref. No: DMR/04/INT

●Geology

●Mining Engineering

●Social Sciences

●Human Resources Management (HRM)

●Human Resources Development (HRD)

Free State (2 Posts) – Ref. No: DMR/05/INT

●Mining Engineering

●Administration

●Economics

Northern Cape: (2 Posts) – Ref. No: DMR/05/INT

Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

●Cartography

●Environmental Sciences

●Natural Science

●Geometrics

●Town and Regional Planning

●Social Sciences

●Social Planning

●Economics

Eastern Cape: (2 Posts) – Ref. No: DMR/07/INT

●Mining Engineering

●Mine Surveying

●Geology

●Resource Management

Western Cape: (2 Posts) – Ref. No: DMR/08/INT

●LLB

●Developmental Studies

●Social Sciences

North-West: (2 Post) – Ref. No: DMR/09/INT

●Geology

●Mining Engineering

●Environmental Sciences

●Geography

●Geometrics

KwaZulu Natal: (2 Posts) – Ref. No: DMR/09/INT

●Developmental Studies

●Social Sciences

●Geology

●Mining Engineering

●Economics

One administration experiential learner per Station: (10 Posts) – DMR/10/INT

●Office Administration

●Public Management

●Management Assistant

●Business Management

●Human Resources Management (HRM)

PLUS the following key competencies:

Skills:

●Report writing.

Communication:

●Verbal and written.

Creativity:

●Innovative

●Articulate

●Good listener

●Ability to work within a team.

How to apply

NOTE:

●Applications must be made on a fully completed Form Z83(Click here to download form) stating the type of programme applied for and the Province and must be accompanied by a recently updated CV and certified copies of qualifications, academic transcripts (academic record) and Identity Document

●Please take note that all qualifications will be subject to verification

●Failure to submit the requested documents will result in your application NOT being considered

●Applications will only be considered from South African citizens between 18 (eighteen) and 35 (thirty five) years of age

●Persons with disabilities will be given preference

●Please take note that applications received after the closing date of the said advertisement will NOT be considered

●Successful candidates for the Internship Programme will be appointed on a 12 (twelve) month contract from 9 June 2014 to 9 June 2015 and Experiential Learning for a period of 18 (eighteen) months

●All incumbents will be subjected to a security clearance

●Please forward your application, marked for the attention of Ms. M.B.M. Mokwena, to the Director-General: Department of Mineral Resources, Private Bag X59, Arcadia, 0007 OR hand-deliver to Travenna Campus, 70 Meintjies Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria

●Shortlisted candidates will be subjected to an interview to determine their suitability

●Correspondence will be limited to shortlisted candidates only; if you have not been contacted within 3 (three) months of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful.

Closing Date: 25 April 2014

ENQUIRIES: Ms. M.B.M. Mokwena, tel. 012 444 3726 / 3164.
-TDN
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Cape Town – A Western Cape school pupil was fatally stabbed while travelling to school on Thursday morning, provincial police said.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said 15-year-old Joseph Isaacs boarded a school bus at Jonkersberg to get to Groot Brak High School.

“Information reveals that the deceased and the suspect argued about a seat on the bus where after the suspect, 15, stabbed him with a knife in the chest,” he said.

The stabbed pupil got off the bus next to the R102.

He was later joined by his father, who accompanied an ambulance taking the boy to George Hospital.

“However, attempts to save him were unsuccessful and he died in hospital. An autopsy will be conducted on the deceased’s body to determine the exact cause of death.”

Pojie said a 15-year-old boy was arrested after being identified by witnesses.

He would be assessed by social workers later on Thursday and remained in custody at the Groot Brak River police station.

The teenager was due to appear in the Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

SAPA

Pretoria – A star pathologist hired by Oscar Pistorius told AFP on Thursday he will not testify at the athlete’s murder trial, another blow for his defence after a week of savage cross-examination.
Private forensic pathologist Reggie Perumal – who joined Pistorius’s hand-picked team soon after Reeva Steenkamp was killed on Valentine’s Day morning 2013 – will not take the stand, amid suggestions his post-mortem findings support key parts of the prosecution’s case.

Perumal has appeared in many high-profile cases in South Africa, where a private pathologist can cost upwards of R20 000 a day.

He was hired by Pistorius in time to attend the model’s autopsy.

When asked if he would testify, the Durban-based pathologist told AFP “no, ma’am”.

“I think you’re aware that I can’t say anything right now.”

Perumal’s absence from the witness box casts further doubt on the believability of Pistorius’s story, after a week which saw the Paralympian and one of his hired experts torn to shreds by prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Nel drew a number of concessions during his cross-examination of Pistorius, who was at times argumentative, evasive and emotional on the witness stand.

On Thursday Nel hammered defence expert Roger Dixon, a forensic geologist who testified on key elements of the Pistorius crime scene, including the order of the bullets that hit Steenkamp.

Nel, a legal veteran known as the “Pit Bull”, derided the quality of the expert’s testimony, accusing him of “misleading” the court.

“I am not trying to mislead the court,” said Dixon.

‘Hired gun’

Perumal’s unusual decision not to testify has attracted the attention of his fellow forensic pathologists.

“I have heard that it might be because he refused to amend his version,” said Steve Naidoo, a Durban-based private forensic pathologist. “If so, and if Dr Perumal is not willing to twist the truth, then it’s to his tremendous credit.”

Naidoo, who said he has not talked directly to Perumal about the Pistorius case, said: “An expert forensic pathologist, independent or otherwise, must remember his function is firstly toward the court.”

If an expert tailors his version, then he risks ruining his credibility, said Naidoo, who worked as a pathologist for the State for 28 years before starting his private practise.

“That would be a hired gun approach,” said Naidoo, “and you’ve got to avoid that.”

‘In agreement’ at autopsy

Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to intentionally killing Steenkamp, saying he mistook her for an intruder in his upmarket Pretoria villa.

The State alleges Pistorius and Steenkamp were arguing and that the 27-year-old Olympian shot his girlfriend in a fit of rage.

Yet State pathologist Gert Saayman said vegetable matter in Steenkamp’s stomach suggested she ate around two hours prior to her death at 03:17, a finding that conflicts with Pistorius’s version of events that the couple were peacefully asleep at that time.

“To the best of my recollection he was in agreement,” said Saayman about Perumal.

“We must be, so to speak, on the same page before we leave the autopsy room,” he said. “We don’t have the opportunity to go back.”

Instead of Perumal, the defence called Jan Botha, a former State pathologist who has carried out approximately 25 000 autopsies.

Botha disputed Saayman’s conclusion, saying that determining the time of death through gastric emptying is guesswork, calling it a “highly controversial and inexact science”.

In an interview with local media last year, Perumal outlined his work philosophically, saying he is first and foremost a scientist.

“It doesn’t matter what the case is, if it is big or small,” he told the Mercury newspaper. “What is most rewarding is when the truth is presented and justice is done.”

Pistorius, whose legs were amputated below the knee after he was born without calf bones, gained worldwide fame for running on two carbon fibre blades at the Paralympics and 2012 London Olympics.

The trial has been adjourned until 5 May.

AFP

By Obakeng Maje
North West-It is yet another time of the year whereby various religious congregations come together to pray and reflect on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even those that will not be attending churches, this is the time for family gatherings after Christmas holidays.

The South African Police Service in the North West province have an obligation of ensuring a secure environment for anybody who travels and stays within the boundaries of the North West province during this period of the year. 

“The police won’t be going on holiday this Easter weekend; they will be on duty to ensure safety and security of the inhabitants of the Republic. The police are ready to protect the citizens as charged by the Constitution of the Republic, and this can only be realised through active participation and cooperation between the police and the community” brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.

Safety and security remains a shared responsibility.

“We want to reiterate our commitment of protecting the community by making sure that we confiscate illegal firearms and shut down illegal taverns. This year will not be different from any other year regarding deployment of our members on crime prevention operations in identified hot spot areas in an around the North West Province, including roadblocks with Provincial Traffic Department and Municipal Metro police agencies and other relevant partners and stakeholders” Ngubane said.

He said they are doing this to maintain law and order, curb lawlessness on the streets, homes and to ensure that our roads are safe to enable users to arrive alive at their different destinations.

“We want to urge the residents to cooperate with law enforcement officials especially at roadblocks and during stop and search operations. This is very critical as most stolen goods, drugs, stock travel by road to different areas.”

In order to have crime free Easter holidays the police further urge the community to take precautionary measures by taking heed on the following safety tips:

*           Do not drink and drive

*           Pedestrians should not drink and walk on or along the road

*           If you know that you will be away for a longer period, do not leave your house unattended. Do not show to other people, neighbours and friends that you are leaving as some may take advantage during your absence. 

*           To avoid hijackings, know your destination and the directions to it and be alert if you get lost.

*           Never leave your car keys in the ignition when climbing out of the car to open gates.

*           If you are waiting to be collected by someone do not wait outside the building, always try to wait inside it, to avoid being mugged, 

*           If possible, avoid walking alone. Your best defence is having other people nearby.

*           If you walk alone especially at night, plan your route carefully and try to walk on streets that are well lit.

*           Do not leave valuable items inside your car unattended

*           Avoid hitch-hiking as this could lead to rape and murders.

*       Drink responsibly and avoid, drinking and driving, rapes, assaults and murders, irresponsible drinking has been proven to the source of these crimes

To the families of the SAPS members who will be sacrificing their time by working during holidays, we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for allowing your husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers to be part of SAPS family that will be working throughout these holidays.

Let us go out there and do our jobs, to keep our communities safe during this Easter weekend, says Lieutenant General Zukiswa Mbombo.-TDN
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