Maseru- The South African Men’s Under-17 National Team (Amajimbos) arrived in freezing Lesotho where temperatures dropped to as low as -0 degrees Celsius on Monday.

Amajimbos face Lesotho in two matches this week on Thursday and Sunday- as part of preparations for Tanzania in a 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier. The match against the East African country will take place in Dar es Salaam on 18 July 2014.

The boys had their first training session on Tuesday after travelling from Botswana.

“It is cold but I think it is important for the players to undergo these conditions so they become mentally strong and get used to all weather conditions. We need to take them out of their comfort zone and start conditioning them into men at this early age so they can withstand the rigours of international competition,” said head coach Molefi Ntseki.

“We played on two different surfaces in Botswana – on normal grass and on a synthetic turf – this is also part of the building process for this team so they can be ready for any condition. I must say they acquitted themselves very well. I think we will do the same here and have made a request for two different surfaces because you never know which field you are going to play on when outside the country. But for Tanzania we have been informed that we are playing on an artificial grass, which means we are ready for it.”

The South Africans return home on Monday, 14 July before jetting out to Tanzania the following day (Tuesday, 15 July).-TDN
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Pretoria – Final arguments in Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial will be heard on 7 August, the North Gauteng High Court ruled on Tuesday after the defence closed its case.

“No heads of argument can be published in print or electronic media until the commencement of the arguments in court,” Judge Thokozile Masipa said.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel made the application to prevent publication after the defence closed its case.

Masipa said the broadcast or publication of such documents, before they had been heard in court, was theft.

“I am concerned about what you are saying… it has happened before, it is theft actually. It is a disservice for the justice system,” Masipa said.

Closing arguments

Nel said the State would file its closing arguments on 30 July. The defence, led by Barry Roux, would file its papers on 4 August.

The court would hear the arguments on 7 August.

Earlier, Roux said that most witnesses refused to testify for the defence because they didn’t want their voices heard all over the world”. The defence thus closed its case.

The paralympian is on trial for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on 14 February last year.

He claims he shot her by accident through the locked door of his toilet in his Pretoria home, thinking she was an intruder about to emerge and attack him. The State contends he killed her during an argument.

Pistorius underwent a month-long psychiatric evaluation at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital, after which the court heard he did not suffer from general anxiety disorder.

SAPA

Johannesburg – National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairperson Thandi Modise was attached to her pigs, and a report stating she suffered more than them was untrue, her spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“She was not only misunderstood, she was misquoted,” Modise’s spokesperson Neo Moepi said.

“What she was saying was that despite losing money and investment in the farm, what was of even more great importance was the loss of livestock because she was so attached to the animals.”

‘I suffered more than the pigs’

Moepi was reacting to Tuesday’s front page headline in the Sowetan newspaper: “I suffered more than the pigs”.

The newspaper quoted Modise saying in a statement issued to media on Monday: “The suffering that the animals endured does not compare to the financial loss that I suffered.”

The Sunday Independent reported that Modise bought the multi-million-rand farm Modderfontein, near Potchefstroom around three years ago.

The remaining 85 pigs on the farm had begun cannibalising 58 dead pigs, and were reportedly drinking their own urine. Sheep, geese, goats and ducks had also died on the farm. Police and officials from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) made the discovery on Saturday.

Beeld reported on Tuesday that nearly 120 of the animals had been put down since Saturday.

“It was one of the worst scenes I witnessed in my 20 years at the SPCA,” Andries Venter, manager and senior inspector of the organisation’s farm animal unit, told Beeld.

Farm manager absent

According to the Sunday Independent it appeared the animals had been without water and food for around two weeks. There were no farmworkers on the property, no electricity, and the water pumps were broken.

Modise said over the past three years, she had visited the farm every two weeks. She had appointed vets, an environmentalist, an interim farm manager and lawyers to deal with problems on the farm. She learnt of the neglect late on Saturday.

Modise said the manager of the farm had asked for a leave of absence two weeks ago to attend an urgent family matter. She said she believed his replacement had matters under control and was shocked to learn he had disappeared.

SAPA

Pretoria – Most witnesses refused to testify for the defence in paralympian Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial, his lawyer Barry Roux told the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday.

“We were unable to call a number of witnesses because they refused, and didn’t want their voices heard all over the world,” Roux said.

There was nothing the defence could do to change their minds, he said.

Roux did not tell the court who those witnesses were.

The defence closed its case.

The State would file its heads of argument on 30 July, and the defence on 4 August. Argument would then be heard in court on 7 and 8 August.

Judge Thokozile Masipa ordered that the contents of the heads of argument not be published by print or broadcast media until they were heard in court.

Pistorius is charged with murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on 14 February last year. He claims he shot her by accident through the locked door of the toilet in his Pretoria home, thinking she was an intruder about to emerge and attack him.

The State contends he killed her during an argument.

SAPA

By Obakeng Maje
Roodepan- SAPS Sector Policing in partnership with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, the Roodepan Community Policing Forum, the Roodepan Safety Volunteers, Love Life and the Lerato Park Community initiated a sport against crime awareness day.

On Saturday, seven soccer teams, comprising of teams for girls and boys, from Roodepan and Platfontein braved the cold weather by participating in a day of education, sport, music and fun.

The event formed part of the Roodepan SAPS’ School Holiday Programme which included team building, educational and fitness activities.

Police also spoke to the teenagers and the community about safety during the holidays.

“The tournament kicked off with the first match between the under-9 boy teams from Lerato Park. This was followed by the under-19 round-robin knock out tournament which saw the Roodepan Young Achievers walking away with the trophy” lieutenant Sergio Kock said.

All the participants received certificates of participation as well as warm soup and rolls which was sponsored by Roodepan and Galeshewe businessmen.

The theme for the day was “A child in sport is a child out of court”.
-TDN
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Mahikeng- North West MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements, Collen Maine is to announce interventions adopted by Provincial Executive Council (Exco) aimed at improving service delivery in Ngaka Modiri Molema District at a media briefing to be held in Mahikeng today.

The media briefing session scheduled to be held as from 11: 00 in the MEC’s Boardroom situated on the 2nd Floor West Wing at  Ga-Rona Building, Mmabatho.
-TDN
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