Cape Town – A quarter of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigations proclaimed by President Jacob Zuma over the past six years have been completed, the presidency announced on Friday.

In an update on the state of the 36 proclamations he signed since 2009 – a total that includes five extensions to proclamations – it said nine investigations were completed and the final reports submitted to the presidency.

The remaining 27 investigations were still ongoing.

Among those completed was the SIU investigation regarding SABC personnel, which included undisclosed or unauthorised conflicts of interest with service providers.

“Twenty-eight criminal cases have been referred to the police, nine for fraud and 19 for the contravention of the Companies Act… In addition, 464 disciplinary cases have been referred to the SABC for recommended action.”

On the SIU investigation into under-spending or misspending by the arts and culture department during the period 2007 to 2009, in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup, the presidency said seven criminal cases, involving a total of R2.4m, had been handed to the police.

“Acknowledgements of debt have been obtained to the total value of R351 000.”

Other completed investigations included those into the finances of various municipalities, including the George, Stellenbosch, Oudtshoorn and Swellendam local municipalities in the Western Cape.

Investigations still ongoing included SIU probes into the affairs of the SA Social Security Agency, the SA Police Service, the State Information Technology Agency, the SA Post Office, and the departments of rural development and land reform, and water affairs.

SAPA

Johannesburg – The DA on Friday expressed concern about alleged interference in the investigation of cruelty to animals at NCOP chairperson Thandi Modise’s North West farm.

The Veterinary Defence Association had confirmed that one of the surgeons investigating the case had been threatened, Democratic Alliance North West leader Chris Hattingh said.

“The DA, apart from being concerned about the pressure excreted [sic] upon Dr Abbas, will add the latest revelations to our charge… registered at the Buffelshoek SAPS, as evidence of attempts to defeat the ends of justice accumulates,” he said in a statement.

Last month, police and inspectors from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) found starving and dead animals on Modise’s farm Modderfontein, near Potchefstroom, North West.

100+ dead animals

About 85 live pigs had begun cannibalising 58 dead pigs, and were reportedly drinking their own urine.

Sheep, geese, goats, and ducks were also among the more than 100 dead animals. Many had to be put down.

It appeared the animals had been without water and food for a week, possibly two. There were no farmworkers on the property, no electricity, and the water pumps were broken.

The Mail & Guardian and Beeld newspapers reported that the vet who performed the post mortems on several pigs’ carcasses refused to have anything more to do with the case.

Sameer Abbas, a veterinary surgeon practising in Potchefstroom, also refused to hand over his report to the NSPCA.

The society has laid charges against Modise and people living on the farm.

Claims of farm manager threats

Hattingh said Modise had promised to co-operate with the investigation.

“We have seen nothing of this co-operation yet. Instead reports of attempts to prevent NSPCA officials from doing their work emerged.”

On Tuesday, Modise’s farm manager Neo Moepi denied threatening two NSPCA inspectors with violence, claiming he had saved them from harm at the hands of farmworkers.

Earlier that day, Moepi and a farm manager allegedly threatened to kick the inspectors’ car and set it alight, and grabbed a cellphone and erased recordings.

The altercation allegedly happened last Friday, when the inspectors visited Modise’s farm to evaluate the animals.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Massive plumes of smoke can be seen from the Johannesburg CBD after a building in End Street was allegedly petrol bombed, according to reports.
For more http://www.news24.com

Johannesburg – A number of power cuts are expected in Soweto in the coming weeks due to maintenance on Eskom infrastructure, the power utility said on Friday.

The outages would take place on Tuesday from 09:15 to 23:00, on Wednesday from 09:30 to 23:00, and on Thursday from 09:15 to 23:00, Gauteng spokesperson Lerato Nkosi said in a statement.

The following Monday and Tuesday electricity would be disrupted from 09:15 to 23:00.

“Eskom apologises for the inconvenience caused, and further requests customers not to report this particular fault to the contact centre,” she said.

SAPA

Despite Mamelodi Sundowns announcing that Edward Manqele has joined Chippa United on loan, the striker is still training at Chloorkop.

Manqele was recently put on special training programme to shed a few kilos, but the club then shipped him off to the Chilli Boys, who will this season play out of Port Elizabeth.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

New Mamelodi Sundowns signing Mogakolodi Ngele will not play against his former club when the Brazilians meet Platinum Stars in the MTN8 quarter-finals.

The Botswana international has signed a five-year deal with Sundowns but has been loaned back to Dikwena for the 2014/15 season.

Sundowns’ website has confirmed the transfer of Ngele, and KickOff.com has gathered that due to Sundowns rules which forbid loaned-out players from playing against their parent club, Ngele has been ruled out of tomorrow’s fixture.

Lindokuhle Mbatha, however, could face his former team after joining Sundowns from Stars at the end of last season.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

Mahikeng- Rhema New Life Church will host family matters conference on the 8-10th August 2014, at Rhema New Life Church premises in Mahikeng.

The focus of the conference will be to empower parents and young adults across all religious denominations on issues relating to value of children, difference between punishment and discipline amongst children and godly response when faced with disappointment by a child.

“Disappointment is a hard pill to swallow. Nobody likes it, but it’s something we will face throughout our lifetime. Even Jesus experienced disappointment on many levels during His life,” said Senior Pastor Chris Venter.

In most instances families are faced with disappointments especially from children, therefore the conference will engage participants on different spiritual ways of responding positively to disappointments.

The conference is targeted at married and unmarried parents, young adults, teenagers, youth structures and community structures across all the four districts of the North West Province.

Pastor Chris Venter and his wife Brenda will facilitate the seminar.

They have been happily married for 45 years and with 47 years of Pastoral ministry have developed a Relationship Seminar for Teens, Young adults and Parents.

Participants will be given materials for future referrals.

The details for the conference are as follows:

Dates and Times

Friday : 8th August 2014 @ 19h00 : Free Transport is available at Mega City:18:00

Saturday : 9th August 2014 @ 09h30am -12h30

Sunday : 10th August 2014 @ 09h30 am -1 session

Venue: Rhema New Life Church, Cnr Gemsbok and Acacia Street, Mahikeng
-TDN
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Johannesburg – South Africa will not treat foreigners who contract the deadly Ebola virus, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Friday.

“If there is a confirmed diagnosis of a foreign national, they will not be allowed into the country [to get treatment],” NICD head of public health, surveillance, and response Lucille Blumberg told reporters in Johannesburg.

“If it is undiagnosed and the person does not know, they will be treated.”

The Associated Press reported that over 700 people had died in West Africa from Ebola, with the worst-recorded outbreak in history centred in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.

Blumberg said although the government had taken a stand on the treatment of foreigners, those infected would not generally have the means to come to South Africa and seek treatment.

There were no cases of Ebola in the country and the chances of such a pandemic breaking out in the country were minimal, she said.

“We have no Ebola in the country. The chances of the outbreak [in SA] are very small,” she said.

Blumberg said it was important for people to know about the virus and for those infected to disclose their status to doctors. She said the virus was not easily transmitted and said those travelling to affected areas would not contract the virus.

“You need direct contact with an individual infected. You cannot get it from the air,” she said.

SAPA

Johannesburg – The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) is considering laying charges against the driver transporting a giraffe that died in Gauteng on Thursday.

“At this stage we are still investigating and considering charges in terms of the Animal Protection Act,” Tshwane SPCA managing director Rick Allan said on Friday.

The NSPCA was looking into the manner in which the animal was transported.

“We believe the method in which the animal was transported was not correct. The death of the animal could have been avoided.”

The giraffe died on Thursday after it hit its head while being transported, along with another giraffe, on a truck on the N1 in Centurion.

At the time, Allan said it died due to trauma to the head.

It was not clear what hit the giraffe’s head.

“The head of the giraffe was above the vehicle.”

Members of the public alerted the NSPCA about two giraffes being transported in a truck.

SAPA

Johannesburg – The NPA on Friday declined to comment on a report regarding its former head Mokotedi Mpshe’s alleged affair with a colleague which rendered him vulnerable to blackmail.

“Mpshe doesn’t work here so I can’t comment on anything dealing with him,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Nathi Mncube said.

“If you want a comment you should go to him, I can’t comment on his behalf.”

Mpshe, the national director of public prosecutions between 2007 and 2009, took the decision to terminate the corruption case against President Jacob Zuma in April 2009, paving the way for him to become president.

The Mail&Guardian on Friday reported that an investigation by crime intelligence, which targeted the NPA and produced the so called “spy tapes”, formed the basis for the NPA’s withdrawal of the charges against Zuma.

The intelligence report allegedly named Mpshe as having an affair with Gift Ngobeni, then NPA manager in Kimberley.

Both Mpshe and Ngobeni denied the allegations to the newspaper.

The tapes contained communications intercepts and apparently disclosed evidence of political interference in Zuma’s case.

According to the newspaper, Ngobeni was arrested in 2008 for fraud but in October 2009 the case was withdrawn. Mpshe has denied being involved in the withdrawal of charges against her.

The local Volksblad newspaper at the time reported that Mpshe “withdrew the charges after studying a report from the prosecutor”.

Mncube on Friday also declined to comment on Ngobeni.

“All I can say is that I will find out from her if she is in a relationship, but that’s her private business.”

SAPA