Daily Archives: May 19, 2014

Muvhango creator Ndlovu lambasts his critics


By Kgatliso Ramose
Johannesburg- Muvhango creator Duma Ndlovu took on his facebook page to set the matters straight following the damning story published on one of Sunday newspapers yesterday.

The newspaper reported that Muvhango actors are about to go on strike because the producers took the money from The SABC meant to them. The newspaper went as far as quoting The SABC Spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago who according to the journalist confirmed that the production house was given the money for going five days a week and salary increase.

“No money has changed hands. The relationship with te broadcaster is at its peak, and the relationship with the actors has never been better” he wrote.

“We continue doing the work that we came to do and continue telling amazing stories. Keep watching the show and expect more fireworks. There will be no strike and no disgruntled actors,because we have established a tradition of talking among ourselves and resolving problems amicably” he further wrote.

Ndlovu said that the brand is enjoying massive approval regardless of the one journalist who has a history of trying to say things are not going well at Muvhango.

Ever since re-branding itself Muvhango has been talk of the town and managed to keep original to its tradition meet modern storyline. Last month the actors and the production team went to church to pray together and thank God for being with them during the trying time.-TDN
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Lonmin loses third of annual output


Johannesburg – Platinum producer Lonmin said on Monday that it had lost a third of its annual production due to the mining strike over wages that is entering its 17th week.
The country’s longest and costliest mining strike had turned violent earlier this month, with four miners killed as more employees try to report for work at the world’s top platinum producers.
Lonmin had anticipated a mass return of its employees to work last week, but striking members of the main Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) prevented other workers from returning to the mines.

Chief executive Ben Magara said: “The first try for us remains a negotiated settlement with Amcu, our majority union.

“The strike has now entered its 17th week and we have now lost a third of our production for the whole year.”

Precious metal

“We are committed to get a negotiated settlement, but the situation is becoming sufficiently desperate that we have to look at other options. If needs be, to make it possible for all those employees wishing to do so, to return to work, then we’ll examine all our legal options in this regard.”

Lonmin said on Thursday that it might go to court in a bid to stop the strike.
The strike has hit about 40% of global production of the precious metal used for emissions-capping catalytic converters in vehicles.
A moderate reaction of platinum prices to the supply disruption, though, indicates demand for the precious metal is weaker than many had expected.
Magara said he was surprised to see the platinum price had not moved much.
Reuters

Lonmin fires 235 workers


Johannesburg – Lonmin says it has dismissed 235 essential services workers.

Spokesperson Happy Nkhoma said on Monday: “These are employees who have been absent since 23 January, so the recent intimidation does not explain their absence.

“A court order to this effect was obtained on 27 February, requiring all essential workers to return to work by 12 May.”
Under a recognition agreement signed with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), employees engaged in essential services may not participate in any strike.
Nkhoma said the company was not aware of a hit list.

Intention

City Press reported on Sunday that there was a hit list containing names of Lonmin staff who had returned to work and their union affiliation.
It was apparently obtained from staff who responded to SMSes the company sent to workers in a bid to end the platinum mining strike.
“We are unaware of such a list. We have a database of employees who have indicated their intention to accept [our wage offer], which is kept highly confidential,” Nkhoma said.
Amcu members at Lonmin, Impala, and Anglo American Platinum downed tools on 23 January demanding a basic salary of R12 500 per month.
They have rejected the companies’ offer that would see a minimum cash remuneration of R12 500 by July 2017.
The remuneration includes living-out and holiday leave allowances, but excludes medical and retirement benefits and any bonuses.

SAPA

Alleged killer beaten to death after triple murder


Durban – A triple murder and the vigilante killing of one of the alleged murderers was condemned by KwaZulu-Natal Community Safety MEC Willies Mchunu on Monday.
Genephi Mhlongo, 66, Angel Mthimkhulu, 26, and Chebsile Ngema were killed in their homestead in Ndundulu, near Melmoth, on Saturday.

Melmoth police spokesperson Tienkie van Vuuren said the three women were asleep in a room at the Mhlongo homestead when several men entered through an open window.

They demanded money from the women, who were sellers of traditional Zulu beer.

When the older woman refused, she and the others were stabbed.

Mhlongo died on the scene.

The other two were taken to hospital, where they died later.

Police were called to the same area on Sunday following reports of a fight. They found locals beating two men with fists, sticks, and stones, and rescued them.

Mchunu’s spokesperson Sipho Khumalo said the two were admitted to hospital.

The body of a third man, identified by Van Vuuren as Sphamandla Zungu, 30, was found in a road.

It appeared he had been beaten to death with sticks and stones.

Mchunu said: “Robbing and murdering of the elderly people, who should be the most valued members of our communities, is totally abhorrent and it represents the lowest decline of morals in our communities.”

He said he understood the community’s anger.

“[But] it is also totally against the law for them to take the law into their hands. In fact, doing so constitutes yet another criminal act.”

Mchunu said police and officials from his department were in the area in a bid to restore calm.

It was not clear whether the two men would be charged with the women’s murders.

SAPA

Cope apologises for sorry elections performance


A week after their President Mosiuoa Lekota was made to eat his hat, the Congress of the People (Cope), held its first Congress National Committee (CNC) meeting.

The meeting was held to assess its performance during the elections and the state of the party going forward.
For more http://www.timelive.co.za

Cosatu: Water crisis affects communities


Mothutlung- The Congress of South African Trade Unions has resolved to take up a campaign on water after its debate on the challenges that workers and members of the communities are facing on a daily basis.

COSATU has learned with disappointment that some councillors, senior politicians and their officials at the municipality level are implicated in corrupt activities in the water tank scandal.

COSATU said they will take up the matter with the provincial government and the minister of water affairs to deal with the crisis and go deeper to the roots of the matter, but also calls for an investigation in all municipalities on the current crisis that is created by certain individuals helping their friends to collapse the municipalities of our province.

“There is an element of corruption and some of them are unable to provide service and we should campaign for some of them to be amalgamated” Cosatu North West provincial general secretary Solly Phetoe said.

“We have lost lives in our municipalities and we are still losing lives and poor communities are not making their responsibilities as parents for taking care of their children. We are losing jobs due to water as we now know that Mafikeng Supreme Chicken is retrenching workers due to water shortage. It must be the responsibility of the municipality to make sure that our members are not retrenched or they must employ them” he said.

Cosatu said it is the federation’s view that yes, there is water challenges but in some areas have people who have no interest in the poor communities.

Cosatu Solly Phetoe said they do not care about the challenges facing the communities. Phetoe said what they care about is if “I take one truck of water how much will get in my pocket”.

“Our communities are still struggling with water, so it is a crisis that needs a strong campaign and stop people from using the water crisis to get rich.
Our members are dying in the municipalities due to poor conditions of service and money is taken to a few people after making sure that they get the tender” said Cosatu.

Municipalities are not able to provide protective cloths to workers due to corruption that is taking place in almost all of our North West municipalities, says Phetoe.

Cosatu is still awaiting a feedback from the investigators on the matter of the killing of poor families in Mothutlung for water.

“We are just watching the space from far on this matter, hoping that it will not be like the killing of the late Moss Phakoe whose family is still awaiting the judgment since December 2013 till now” he said.

Cosatu said it is possible that the case may be put into the water, as the accused are ‘politically connected’ as they normally say to their friends and it reaches the late family.

Phetoe said this can happen as they see things taking place in Rustenburg, where one person is given bail more than three times that on the murder cases.

The water crisis is a national question that must be dealt with by both national and provincial government and the private sector.

Phetoe said they will be taking up issues that affect workers and communities who had challenges during and before the national elections.

“Our campaign will take us to the streets if we find that the crisis is caused by corrupt activities that we are seeing happening in the municipalities” he said.

Cosatu promised to take action against employers who retrench workers for shortages of water. They will take up issues of service delivery jointly with SANCO to the streets.

Phetoe call all employers, in particular Supreme Chicken in Mafikeng, to reinstate all their members who are retrenched because of water shortages.

The provincial secretary will be visiting the company on Wednesday 21st May 2014 to meet with workers who are retrenched including those who are still employed. The company has retrenched almost 450 workers and the remaining are 550 on one shift.

“The municipality of Mafikeng must take responsibility for this retrenchment and unemployment crisis that is created by poor planning” concludes Phetoe.-TDN
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NUM: Amcu president Mathunjwa a professional liar


Rustenburg- The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said they would like to inform and correct ill-informed and professional liar Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) President Joseph Mathunjwa who said that NUM President Senzeni Zokwana serves in an entity called SAPS Bureau.

Mr Mathunjwa was being interviewed today on The New Age breakfast briefing on SABC 2.

“NUM President Senzeni Zokwana is the National Chairperson of the South African Communist Party(SACP) and a member of the SACP Politburo. We think that Mr Mathunjwa was referring to the SACP Politburo. There is no such entity called SAPS Bureau unless he was referring to an unknown entity that we are not aware off, ” said NUM Deputy General Secretary Tshimane Montoedi.-TDN
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Cosatu NWest PECs met to discuss burning issues


COSATU North West held its normal PEC on the 15th and 16th May 2014 at Ngwenya hotel and received a report which amongst other focuses on the following:

1.1 ORGANIZATIONAL

The report was presented to the meeting and the following were highlighted.
i) Poaching

The NOBs at our last PEC requested that the matter of poaching be left to be discussed at national level and what must be looked at in the province must be the communication between Moses Kotane local and SATAWU, on which the PEC have said that a task team must be established to deal with the matter and it must be dealt with now and be reported to the next PEC.

New events of poaching have been reported to the province by SATAWU from other unions. This has an element of increasing tensions in the province and the country. The PEC resolved that all affiliates that have recruited members that do not belong to their scope must be handed over. Our target for recruitment must be the unorganised workers and those who defected to the rival unions against COSATU affiliates.

The last CEC took a decision that all affiliates must submit the sectors in which they are organising so that the CEC can determine if there is poaching or not.

The PEC reflected on the following issues and resolved to intensify our campaigns as we are now out off the election campaign:

· The state of the campaign in the mines and the current strike in the platinum belt
· The campaigns against the toll gate and labour brokers
· The refusal by employers to allow workers to celebrate Workers’ Day.
· The role of COSATU in support of the communities.
· The role of COSATU in building the ANC
· The implementation of the remaining activities for 2014.
· The role of COSATU in the platinum area during the election.
· State of the structures and their work.

ii) State of the affiliates
· Challenge of the submission of reports.
· The matter of poaching
· Intervention in the affiliates.
· Majority of affiliates are in good standing and some are not attending the provincial activities except for May Day and PSSC, this must be discussed with those affiliates as part of building the federation.

iii) State of the locals
· The last PEC took a resolution on rebuilding the locals and was disturbed by the work in the election and on May Day; this will now be carried to our next program from this month.
· There is still a challenge in some locals which are not functional.
· Locals are the backbones of COSATU as the campaigns are implemented in the locals

iv) State of the mining program
Based on the work which we have done in the area, workers have gone back to the union. There is a challenge of violence against those who want to go back to work. The marches which we had in the mines have helped to make workers aware of what is happening in the mines.

We are still calling all affiliates to play their part in working together with the federation, as agreed, in dealing with the challenges facing the mine workers.

“We condemned the continuation of the killing, intimidation the threats to workers and call on the SAPS and our government to protect the public including those who want to go to work” Cosatu provincial spokesperson Solly Phetoe.

The PEC reaffirmed its position to continue with its program in the mining area to protect workers and members of the communities.

v) May Day assessment
The summary assessment was presented to the PEC and resolved that:
· The full campaigns meeting must be convened to assess both the May Day and election campaign
· That the matter of employers who refuse to allow workers to attend May Day and Election Day, and not giving warning, must be dealt with
· We must deal with issues that affect workers, including those raised by workers during our election campaign,
vi) Campaigns
· Toll gate campaign

“Most of the campaigns were successful except the one which was supposed to be on 25 April 2014 which the police interrupted. The outcomes of the first meeting with the national Department of Transport were presented to the meeting” Phetoe said.

· Gender based violence
There was a march to the UNW which was poorly attended
· Water and electricity campaign
The PEC took a resolution to support the community in the campaign to demand the provision of water and electricity, which most of the communities in the province do not have.
· Racism
Racism is rife and still continuing and this was even more so during the elections
· Recruitment
We can report that recruitment takes place in the affiliates. There was no report on the details but some unions have shown growth
· Mandela Day and Child Care Day
The activities must be taken seriously by all the PEC members and we should all make sure that we take forward the legacy of comrade Nelson Mandela.

Decisions:
· Reaffirm the decision of the last PEC with regard to poaching of other affiliates.
· Engage with workers who resign from the union.
· Convene a workshop for the local office bearers.
· PEC members to help the locals to run the programs of COSATU.
· Continue to call for the declaration of a state of emergency in Marikana until there is stability.
· Continue to intervene where workers require the intervention of the federation.
· Revive the local socialist forum in all the locals.
· Improve communication in the province.
· Go back to all the campaigns which have been suspended during the elections.
· The campaigns committee to sit and do the May Day and 2014 provincial and national election assessment
· Develop a coordinated campaign on water provision to the communities.
· Deal with challenges of service delivery protests that took place during the election and before.
· Take up all the campaigns of workers including the fight against labour brokers, the e-tolling system, the expensive toll gate and the exploitation of farm workers.

1.2 POLITICAL
i) Assessment of the election results and program:
· The ANC victory from the election
· The challenges faced during the election
· There was anticipation of disruptions in Marikana but this did not happened but there we disruptions in other areas
· There was an appeal of maintaining the relationship which was there with the ANC during the election post the election.
· There were good relations in the alliance.
· The role of the ANC in Marikana
· The role of the ANC councillors in the communities.
· The coming ANC provincial conference and the role of the alliance in the building strong ANC and strong alliance.

There is a need to have a high profile debate on the state of the NDR in our province, linked with the current state of the platinum belt and the current protest in service deliveries.

ii) state of the municipalities
We requested the Auditor General to investigate all the municipalities.
There is an element of corruption in many municipalities; some of them are not able to provide services and we should campaign for some of them to be amalgamated. The issue of health of safety in the municipality is also a problem and we must request the national minister to intervene.

vii) Election assessment

The PEC reaffirmed the position of the POBs and the statement issued by COSATU in congratulating the ANC but registering challenges that made the ANC to reduce the support.
· The assessment of the election campaign was presented in to the PEC and it was urged that the PEC must note the decline in the performance of the ANC in these elections.
· The war rooms in the province were not operational as resolved in the last PEC. Very few members of the PEC were part of the COSATU election program.
· The attack on the COSATU election activities.
· The role of the ANC in the alliance election program.
· The issues raised by workers and communities.
· The shortage of water
· The current state of the municipalities
· The current state of the mining strike in the platinum belt

Decisions:
· Convene an urgent political commission to do an assessment of the NDR and politically analyse and the outcome our election.
· Requested the auditor general to investigate all the municipalities.
· There is an element of corruption in many municipalities and some of them are not able to provide services and we should campaign for some of them to be amalgamated.
· The issue of health of safety in the municipality is also a problem and we must request the national minister to intervene including DOL
· COSATU must build a strong relationship with the ANC and all the alliance partners in the province. In the coming conferences of the ANC members of COSATU must participate from the branches up to the provincial conference.
· The Alliance must start to prepare for a joint campaign for the coming local government election for 2016 using our current results on election.
· COSATU and the entire alliance must be involved in the deployment post the 2014 national and provincial election

1.3 SOCIO –ECONOMIC
The following were highlighted in the socio economic report:
· The state of unemployment in the province.
· The role of the EPWP.
· The effect of the mining strike in the economy.
· The continuation of illegal evection of the farm workers and farm dwellers.

Decisions
The following were decisions were taken on the socio economic:
· Reaffirm the action at the toll gate.
· Develop a campaign on water.
· Engage the ministers of water affairs and local government on the water shortage.
· Engage the ANC on the state of the municipalities.
· The socio economic subcommittee must engage with the ANC
· The COSATU deployees in the board must report to the COSATU PEC.
· Appointment of the hospital boards have not been finalised by the MEC
· The political commission must also look at the matters which are socio-economic and have a bearing on politics.

COSATU PEC NW calls all workers to unite and build a strong federation and that all workers must go back to our principle of an injury to one is injury to all.

“We call on all workers in the platinum belt to unite and protect each other and workers must not go back to without proper security; all workers must stay away with full payment in particular those who are not on strike.”

“We condemned the continuation of killing of workers and call for peace and stability in the platinum belt” he concludes.-TDN
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Sasol Banyana Banyana depart for Comoros


Sasol Banyana Banyana coach Vera Pauw named a 20-member squad to travel to the Comoros, to play the first leg of the African Women’s Championship qualifier, scheduled for 25 May 2014.

Sasol Banyana Banyana lost 1-0 to the Black Queens of Ghana on Sunday afternoon, 18 May in an international friendly match played at Dobsonville Stadium.

“The result against Ghana was not very vital, what was important was to identify areas which needed improvement. Generally, the girls played well but still need to work on being ruthless in front of goals,” said Pauw.

The team is expected to depart for the Indian Ocean islands this evening and Coach Pauw is confident they will return home with a positive result.

Pauw said the girls played well against Ghana but were indecisive in front of goals.

“Had we taken all our chances on Sunday, the final scoreline could have read differently. But overall, I am happy that we have a base to work on going forward,” she concluded.
-TDN
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Meyiwa cries foul over awards


By Obakeng Maje
Johannesburg- Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa pulled no punches after he was overlooked for any nominations in the Absa Premiership Awards that took place last night at Sandton Convention, near Johannesburg.

Meyiwa told http://www.kickoff.com that he does not understands the criteria used to nominates players. This comes after Kaizer Chiefs goalie Itumeleng Khune scooped Goalkeeper of the season award despite playing lesser games than Meyiwa.

“When I look back at the performance I gave, it was unfortunate not to see myself as one of Goalkeepers of the season that’s where I see in South Africa maybe there is no fairness.

Khune made 14 clean sheets in 26 games and he was nominated amongst Anssi Jaakkola and Wits Moneeb Josephs.

According to Meyiwa, atleast he expected to be nominated also for Nedbank player of the tournament.

“I had put it clear because I played all the games in the PSL, but I’m not there. I do not know how they select it…it is killing us as players. It is not fair” Meyiwa told Kickoff.com

The biggest winner of the night was Wits skipper Sibusiso Vilakazi who scooped two Absa Premiership Awards and the Nedbank Player of the Tournament taking home staggering R550 000.-TDN
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