Daily Archives: April 29, 2014

Cosatu: All roads lead to Olympia stadium for Worker’s Day Celebration


By Obakeng Maje
Rustenburg-The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the North West province will be celebrating workers’ day on 1st May 2014 at Olympia stadium, jointly with the alliance and with the support of the communities around the Bojanala platinum belt as part of preaching peace to the rest of the people of the North West, in particular in the platinum belt, Cosatu provincial secretary Solly Phetoe said.

“We are calling all workers in the North West not to allow employers again to dictate for them on whether they can celebrate their workers’ day or not. It is the workers’ right with their families to attend May Day celebration as part of their public holiday” Phetoe said.

COSATU North West will be celebrating the workers day provincial on 1st May 2014. All workers across the North West province are expected to travel from all four regions to Rustenburg Olympia stadium to celebrate the workers’ day as this will also used to mobilize workers to vote for the ANC on the 7th May 2014.

This will take place only six days before national elections.

Cosatu said as the federation in the North West they want to warn the employer, in particular the farmers and retailers who continue to refuse workers to celebrate their workers’ day.

“This time we calling all workers not to go to work on their day which is the 1st May 2014, workers’ day” Cosatu said.

Phetoe said all workers must report any employer who refuses to let them to celebrate their workers day and those who refuse to let workers participate in the coming national and provincial election on 7th May 2014.

“We are aware that farmers and retailers are already threatening workers who will be joining the masses of the people during workers’ day and voting day that if they go and participate in those activities, they must not come back to work. Some farmers are already preparing to evict workers if they go out to those activities” he outlines.

Cosatu said they are calling on those employers and their lawyers that this time they will find them right at their main gate demanding that they be prosecuted for undermining workers’ constitutional rights.

He said farmers in the North West and Sun City must know that Cosatu is ready for them, as they will be marching to Sun City before the celebration day to demand the full reinstatement of all workers who were dismissed for attending their workers’ day in 2013.

“We have been waiting for too long, following the procedure, requesting our government and the Sun International board to intervene. Till today, two years down the line, our members are still on the street with no food and no work due to exposing the racial discrimination led by the Guptas during May Day of 2013” Phetoe said.

Cosatu also warned farmers in the following areas – Ottosdal, Brits, Tigane, Vryburg, Stella, Bosdam and the chicken farm at Lichtenburg. “Must know that those days are our workers day. No trade off. We call the IEC of the North West to intervene now and make sure that all those farm workers have access to the voting stations in the in entire North West.”

Phetoe said the DoL must make sure that all workers celebrate their workers’ day unconditionally.

He also warns Retailers such as Shoprite, Choppie’s, Game, Metro and others to release all workers to celebrate their workers day and to vote on 7th May 2014.

“We are requesting the media people to help the workers explain their rights publicly” he concludes.-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Mbalula denies stoning incident


JOHANNESBURG – Minister of Sports and Recreation Fikile Mbalula has shrugged off claims that he had to leave an election rally at Freedom Park in the North West on Sunday due to stoning by unionists.
Various reports in the media claim Mbalula had to be evacuated in a bullet–proof vehicle after Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) members began throwing stones at cars.
For more http://www.ewn.co.za

4,000 loot Rustenburg shopping centre


JOHANNESBURG – Police have confirmed an entire shopping centre next to Impala Platinum’s number 9 shaft in Rustenburg was looted and several houses and a community hall torched between Sunday night and the early hours of this morning.

In a remarkable case of public disorder, around 4,000 people started gathering near the shopping centre at midnight shortly after the nearby hall was set alight, police say.

It’s still unclear who the looters are but it’s suspected the incident is linked to the lengthy strike by members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu).

The strike, which has entered its third month, has left many mineworkers in the platinum sector without food or any other income.
The police’s Thulani Ngubane says they can only confirm one arrest so far which was related to the arson case.

He says the incident was a culmination of violence which started yesterday afternoon.

“There’s a continuous investigation we’re embarking on to make sure we bring the perpetrators to book,” he adds.

The police are not yet able to say how much money was lost by businesses at the shopping centre.
For more http://www.ewn.co.za

Nkandla committee postpones investigation


CAPE TOWN – The Parliamentary ad–hoc committee considering Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s Nkandla report has postponed its work until after the 7 May elections.
The ANC has used its majority on the committee to vote in favour of deferring the matter to the next session of Parliament which will only be convened after the country goes to the polls.
For more http://www.ewn.co.za

Ex-convicts: gangs, drugs a bad life choice


Cape Town -Dressed up in orange prison uniforms and shackled at the wrists and ankles, former convicts took to the streets of Beacon Valley with the message that “crime doesn’t pay”.

Clive Petersen, John Palm, Nicholas Isaacs and Jeremy Davis each spent time behind bars for crimes ranging from theft to murder.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Gauteng will be main focus of final sprint


Cape Town -It’s down to the wire in the chase for May 7 votes as election campaigns wind up with a focus on Gauteng, the country’s hotly-contested economic heartland, where the ANC, DA, and the Economic Freedom Fighters host their final rallies next weekend.

On Monday, the IFP holds its Siyanqoba rally at Ezinqoleni in the Ugu municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, while United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa two days ago held a final campaign rally in Rustenburg, North-West, where his party has been actively canvassing on the strike-hit mine belt.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Baby’s tiny coffin brings mourners to tears


Joahnnesburg -The sight of a tiny coffin containing the body of six-month-old baby Bulelwa Ganda left mourners in tears on Sunday.

Dozens of women who had arrived for the funeral service wept openly, many reaching out to one another for comfort, as the baby girl’s pink-and-white coffin with gold handles was carried out of a community hall in Blesbok, Springs, on its way to the gravesite.

The coffin containing Bulelwa’s mother, Manini Princess Ganda, 22, followed behind her daughter’s.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

‘ANC ‘is SA’s greatest miracle’


Cape Town -The ANC is the greatest miracle South Africa has witnessed, says ANC Women’s League president Angie Motshekga.

She addressed a crowd of hundreds of people – predominantly young people – at the ANC Freedom Day rally at the sports grounds in Mfuleni on Sunday.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Thousands of taxis register for e-tolls


Johannesburg -More than 46 000 taxis have registered for etolling in Gauteng, the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) said on Monday.

“There are clear benefits for taxi operators who are registered for e-toll,” spokesman Vusi Mona said.

The taxis which have registered were exempt from the payment of etolls.

Mona said Sanral had undertaken to set aside the e-tolls due by qualifying public transport vehicles that have already received invoices.

“We want to thank the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) for the principled stand it took in support of e-tolling and for encouraging its members to register,” Mona said.

Mona said Sanral had undertaken to set aside the e-tolls due by qualifying public transport vehicles that have already received invoices. – Sapa

Serial killer ‘wanted to teach gays a lesson’


By Waqar Hussain And Issam Ahmed
Lahore, Pakistan – Short in stature and softly spoken, Pakistani paramedic Muhammed Ejaz was probably destined for a life of relative anonymity – until he began killing gay men he met online.

The 28-year-old father-of-two was arrested last week and confessed to three brutal murders, saying he wanted to send a message about the “evils” of homosexuality, though police insist he had sex with his victims first.
For more http://www.iol.co.za