Daily Archives: June 23, 2014

Arab Spring has turned into nightmare – Sanef


Johannesburg – The SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) expressed shock on Monday at the conviction and sentencing of three Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt.

“What started off as the dawn of the Arab Spring has turned into a nightmare where freedoms of Egyptian people are treated with disdain by the ruling military-aligned government,” Sanef said in a statement.

“The sentencing of the journalists comes as African leaders gather in Equitorial Guinea for a summit of heads of state and governments.”

Sanef, which is part of the African Editors’ Forum (TAEF), called on the African Union Commission to ensure that the summit condemned the sentencing of the journalists.

It also wanted Egypt’s participation in the AU to be suspended until it observed its principles and protocols.

“Sanef also calls on TAEF to embark on continent-wide protests against this heinous act by the Egyptian government.”

The three Al Jazeera journalists, Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, were arrested in Cairo in December last year while covering the aftermath of the coup that deposed Mohamed Morsi.

They were sentenced on Monday to seven years in prison each on terrorism-related charges.

Baher Mohamed was sentenced to three extra years in prison on separate charges.

SAPA

Zuma considering Tlakula’s leave request


Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma is considering IEC chairperson Pansy Tlakula’s request for special leave, the presidency said on Monday.

“President Jacob Zuma has received a request for special leave from advocate Pansy Tlakula, the chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission,” acting spokesperson for the president, Ronnie Mamoepa, said in a statement.

“The president is considering the request and the outcome will be relayed to advocate Tlakula.”

Tlakula asked Zuma to put her on special leave following the Electoral Court’s recommendation that she be removed from office.

Last week, Tlakula’s lawyer Leslie Mkhabela said the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) chairperson would appeal against the recommendation in the Constitutional Court.

“In the meanwhile, she will be approaching the president of the republic to seek his permission to take leave of absence from office while the appeal process is under way,” Mkhabela said at the time.

Several opposition parties approached the Electoral Court seeking Tlakula’s resignation as IEC chairperson before the 7 May elections.

However, the matter was postponed until after the elections to allow the court time to make a recommendation.

The United Democratic Movement, the African Christian Democratic Party, the Congress of the People, Agang SA, and Economic Freedom Fighters wanted Tlakula’s resignation, arguing her integrity was compromised.

This followed a report by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela and a subsequent forensic investigation by Treasury into the procurement of the IEC’s Riverside Office Park building in Centurion. Tlakula was chief electoral officer at the time.

Madonsela found, among other things, that Tlakula had a relationship – possibly of a romantic nature – with the then chairperson of Parliament’s finance portfolio committee, Thaba Mufamadi.

Mufamadi was a shareholder in Abland, which owns the building and was awarded the R320m contract to lease it.

The Treasury probe found the procurement process was neither fair, transparent, nor cost-effective. It found Tlakula neither gave guidance nor formally informed various people what was expected of them in the process.

In a written judgment on Wednesday, Judge Lotter Wepener concluded Tlakula’s misconduct warranted her removal from office.

SAPA

Taung man burnt to death in a shack


By Obakeng Maje
Taung- North West police are investigating a case of inquest after a 25 year-old man burnt to death in a shack.

Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said it is alleged Tshwarelo Mocuminyane was burnt to death in a raging fire.

The atrocity took place at Lokgabeng village, near Taung.

“Police opened a case of inquest after a 25 year-old man was razed in a fire. Mocuminyane allegedly arrived home in the early hours of Saturday and burnt to death after his stovel caught fire” he said.

It is alleged Mocuminyane arrived home on Saturday morning at around 01:00 am and tried to cook.

Mocuminyane allegedly slept forgetting a burning stove.

He was burnt to death in a shack and police investigations continue.-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Amcu ends five-month platinum strike


Rustenburg – The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) accepted a wage offer on Monday to end a five-month strike in the platinum sector.

“We are signing the agreement tomorrow. That means the strike has come to an end officially,” Amcu leader Joseph Mathunjwa said at a mass rally.
Miners will go back to work on Wednesday.

Mathunjwa asked thousands of striking miners whether they wanted to sign a wage deal with the three leading producers on Monday, eliciting thunderous applause.

“Yes! Yes,” the miners roared.

“The strike is officially over,” Mathunjwa then shouted back, to unrestrained jubilation.
The spot price of platinum fell 1%, the rand firmed slightly against the dollar and the London-listed shares of number three producer Lonmin [JSE:LON] rose nearly 5%.
The Johannesburg stock market, where the other two producers Impala Platinum [JSE:IMP] and Anglo Platinum [JSE:AMS] are listed, had closed by the time Mathunjwa finished his speech, but their shares closed up 1.1% and 1.6% respectively.
Earlier, he praised miners at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Phokeng, near Rustenburg in the North West, for not giving up during the protracted strike.
“Platinum will never be the same again… What other unions could not do in more than 20 years, you could do in five months.”

Mathunjwa presented to loud applause a revised wage deal to miners at the rally.

Thousands of miners were given a programme that included “back to work arrangements”, signalling the possible end to the longest strike in the history of the country’s mines.

The rally’s schedule is the clearest sign yet of an end the stoppage and follows the three main producers saying the most recent round of wage talks had seen “further progress towards a return to work”.

Mathunjwa read out the details of the deal for different salary bands at Lonmin, Implats and Amplats, which included a R1 000 per month salary increase for lower earners.

He told miners he wanted to get feedback from them on whether to accept the offer.

The deal would be back-dated to last July at Implats and Amplats but the back pay would end on January 22, when the strike started. This meant miners would not be paid for the months they were on strike.

At Lonmin the deal would be back-dated to last October until January 22.

“In 2012, we asked for R12 500 and people died… and left us with a challenge [to keep fighting],” he told miners at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Phokeng, near Rustenburg in the North West.

Before reading out the deal, Mathunjwa asked all miners in the stadium to stand and have a moment of silence for “fallen comrades”.

He said the strike was one of the most peaceful strikes in South Africa.

Mathunjwa boasted about organising a strike that lasted five months, and mocked rival union National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) for a three-day long strike in the gold sector.

In a series of mass meetings in early June, members of Amcu accepted wage offers “in principle”, while introducing new demands that producers said were unaffordable.

In their latest offer the producers said they would increase pay by about 20%, or R1 000 a month.

The strike has hit 40% of global production of the precious metal used for emissions capping catalytic converters in automobiles.

The stoppage dragged the economy into contraction in the first quarter and has so far cost the companies almost R24bn in lost revenue, according to an online tally run by the three firms.

– Sapa, Reuters

New visa rules will choke SA tourism – DA


Cape Town – New visa requirements will have a “devastating impact” on South Africa’s booming tourism, the DA warned on Monday.

“[The] new immigration regulations are tying up our tourism industry in unnecessary red tape, and placing an unnecessary burden on the growth of this job-creating sector,” Democratic Alliance MP James Vos said in a statement.

The implementation of new biometric visa requirements for foreigners was already proving a serious obstacle for people wanting to visit the country.

“Visitors are now required to apply for their visas in person, which is an additional and unnecessary travel expense for those who do not live near South African embassies, consulates, and visa centres, or, worse, live in countries without these facilities,” he said.
Home affairs published the new regulations last month.
Last week, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said the new laws threatened the province’s film, business, and leisure tourism industries.

She has threatened to take the national government to court over the matter.
Vos called on Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom to urgently brief Parliament’s tourism portfolio committee on what steps his department planned to take to overcome “the potentially devastating impact” of the new regulations.

“The minister of tourism cannot let this go unanswered. He must now step in and protect the jobs that tourism creates in South Africa,” Vos said.
According to Statistics SA, tourism employs almost 600 000 South Africans, and contributes almost R90bn to the country’s GDP.
Vos said most countries were trying to relax requirements for tourist visas.

“It seems the ANC have missed this trend completely,” he said.
Just over a month ago, before the new regulations were announced, the tourism department announced that international tourist arrivals in South Africa were at an all-time high, and poised to break through the 10 million mark.
“South Africa’s international tourist arrivals grew at an annual average growth rate of 7.4% between 2011 and 2013, well above the global average of 4.5% during this period,” it said in a statement at the time.
SAPA

A six-month-old boy injured on N12 collision

NEWS Leave a comment

Crime-Scene
By Obakeng Maje
Orkney- Four people, including a 6-month-old boy, were injured last night when a truck overturned on the N12 near the Orkney offramp in Potchefstroom.

When ER24 paramedics arrived on scene, they found the three adults sitting around the cab while the child was pinned beneath the cab. It was apparent that the child had been ejected when the vehicle rolled.

“Provincial services began their rescue to free the child from beneath the cab while ER24 paramedics began their treatment of the injured. Paramedics provided advanced life support to the patients before they were transported to a nearby hospital for further medical treatment” Er24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said.

The exact cause of the collision is not yet known and local authorities were on scene for further investigations.-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Premier Mahumapelo expresses shock at rape of minor   


North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo has expressed shock at the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl by her 61- year -old grandpa and 51- year- old uncle. The pair arrested over the weekend is expected to appear in the Koster Magistrates Court today.

 

“We wish to condemn in the strongest terms possible the horrendous and shameful act which has robbed the child of her innocence. The alleged betrayal of trust by the closest people who were supposed to protect her is unforgivable,” Premier Mahumapelo said in calling for no bail, intensified effort to protect children and united action against the scourge of rape.

 

Mahumapelo said that the incident committed around child protection week calls for intensified effort to protect children and for moral regeneration to be deepened.

 

According to police, the incident happened between June 3 and 20, 2014, at Senthumule, Koster. 

 “The child’s guardian became concerned when she realised that the child was not walking properly. The child was taken to the hospital where it was discovered that she was raped,” Colonel Sabata Mokgwabaone said.

 

Mokgwabone said that the child informed the guardian that she had been raped by her two relatives.

 

They were arrested on Saturday.
-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Platinum strike: Agreement still pending


JOHANNESBURG-The Department of Mineral Resources has refused to be drawn on exactly when it expects the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu)’s five month long strike on the platinum belt will be called off but says it’s optimistic an agreement will be soon.
For more http://www.ewn.co.za

Man arrested for abducting girl


Johannesburg – A 39-year-old man was arrested in Zakariyya Park, near Lenasia, on Sunday for allegedly abducting a 13-year-old girl, Gauteng police said.

“The police were at a roadblock in Zakariyya Park where one man who was stopped was found with an abducted 13-year-old girl,” Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela said.

“He was found with pornographic material and he was arrested. He is charged with kidnapping, sexual assault and possession of pornography.”

The man was arrested at around 13:00. The child, believed to be from Lenasia, was taken to a place of safety.

The man was expected to appear in the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court soon, said Makhubela.

SAPA

Spies probe NPA war


Johannesburg – The State Security Agency (SSA) is investigating an alleged plot to oust prosecutions boss Mxolisi Nxasana – but an affidavit it’s using in the probe may be a fake, City Press reports.
For more http://www.news24.com