Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane was speeding when his Porsche hit a minibus taxi, killing a woman, an inquest heard on Tuesday.

A passenger in the taxi at the time, Matron Mdakane, 68, claimed Zuma left the accident scene to fetch a security guard and was to blame for the accident in February this year.

“I do blame him because he was the one who hit us with his car,” she told the inquest in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court, Johannesburg.

Phumzile Dube was killed in the accident and three people were injured.

Mdakane, speaking through an interpreter, said she saw the Porsche go out of control and spin twice before it hit the taxi. The taxi then hit a barrier before coming to a standstill.

She said Zuma got out of his car, left, and came back with a security guard.

“He got off the car, went down, and immediately came back with a man wearing a green vest, a security one.”

Zuma’s lawyer, Gary Mazaham, disputed her version.

“Mr Zuma will deny that he ran away and he will deny that he came back with a security officer,” he said.

Mdakane claimed Zuma had been speeding, but admitted she did not drive herself and did not know how to measure speed.

Mazaham questioned Mdakane’s eyesight, asking how she could see so much when it was raining heavily and the taxi was full. She said her eyesight was good as she had undergone an eye operation in June 2013.

Mazaham argued that experts would dispute her version that the Porsche spun twice before hitting the minibus, saying it was highly improbable.

During Mdakane’s testimony, Dube’s mother sat with her head in her hands crying in the public gallery. She was wearing a black velvet hat, white Nike T-shirt and an olive green jacket.

Proceedings were interrupted after Mdakana became agitated with the interpreter and a different one had to be called in.

Zuma sat in the second row of the courtroom’s public gallery. Wearing a grey suit and black tie he alternated between clasping his hands in his lap and sitting with his right foot on his left knee.

The inquest will continue on Wednesday, when expert witnesses were expected to testify.

In July, the National Prosecuting Authority said it declined to prosecute Zuma due to insufficient evidence. Spokesperson Nathi Mncube said at the time the matter would be referred to a magistrate for a formal inquest to determine whether the accident was caused by a human error.

Sapa

Mahikeng – The labour court in Braamfontein has dismissed the court application by South Africa Municipal Workers Union – SAMWU in Ngaka Modiri District Municipality of the alleged unlawful lock out against the workers in the municipality. SAMWU filed the application alleging that the Administrator and the Department Local Government and Human Settlement had locked out their members after the workers were ordered to remain at home for few days. 

The argument by Administrator was that he had ordered a temporary closure of the Mahikeng offices (Head Office) for a few days as an effort to bring stability to the municipality. Few days later workers went through employment validation process and to be accredited to enter the municipality premises.

When the Administrator Kumaran “Kulu” Nair was to assume his duties together with the Intervention Team on the 26th of September 2014, there were a group of people within the premises of the municipality who were continuously chanting slogans without engaging in any work. Municipal vehicles which included trucks and fire brigade blocked all entrances into the municipality.

Workers were against the decision by the provincial government to dissolve the council and put Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality under administration.

The Intervention Team assumed duties a day after the North West High Court had dismissed an application launched by the municipality to interdict the provincial government from appointing an Administrator and for the court to set aside the EXCO’s decision to dissolve the council.

SAMWU alleged that the action by the department was unlawful and it constituted an unlawful lockout of workers but the labour court dismissed the application. No cost was however made by the court.

MEC for Local Government and Human Settlement Collen Maine said that he never had any doubt that the court will rule in their favour. “The court has confirmed that our decision as the provincial government was lawful as it intended to bring calm and stability into the municipality. Our action had the best interest of workers at heart as we needed to separate workers from those who were rented to bring anarchy to the district municipality. We knew all along that the court application will never see the light of the day” remarked Collen Maine.
-TDN
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Numsa has filed an urgent interdict at the South Gauteng High Court to stop a crucial meeting in which it is expected to be expelled from Cosatu.
For more http://www.mg.co.za

Four people remain in a critical condition at the Upington hospital in the Northern Cape after a crane collapsed at a building site of a new solar plant, killing a man and a woman.

Police spokesperson Jacques September says the incident took place at KHI Solar One, outside the Northern Cape.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Rustenburg – Bokone Bophirima Provincial Government and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to commence collaboration on funding for infrastructure development. The signing which Premier Supra Mahumapelo described as one that is critical in pursuing the objectives of the National Development Plan and the conceived strategy to Rebrand, Reposition and Renew the Province, was done on Saturday, at Rustenburg Civic Centre, Bojanala Platinum District Municipality. 

Premier Supra Mahumapelo said this MoU is a practical expression of the Bokone Bophirima government’s firm resolve to join forces with other stakeholders to radically deal with challenges such as infrastructure backlog for roads, water, electricity and housing.

“As a means to primarily implement the objectives of the National Development Plan, this process will contribute greatly towards the attainment of the Province’s set economic growth to 6% by 2019, thus enabling us to progressively overcome the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. By signing this MoU”, Premier emphasised “We are committing ourselves as partners who share the same mission, to assertively face the challenges before us and ensure that the lives of the people in Bokone Bophirima Province are changed for the better”.

DBSA Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Dlamini acceded that this MoU signals the two parties’ intent to provide better services, saying the institution will work tightly with the Province to successfully achieve this goal which is also expressed and stressed in the National Development Plan. 

“We are excited because the infrastructure development approach we are planning for Bokone Bophirima Province will soon be used as a model for the country, an approach which challenges all of us to up our game in an effort to ensure that the citizens enjoy their rights to access better services”, said Mr Dlamini who applauded Premier Mahumapelo for having taken the initiative to approach the DBSA for support.

Dlamini said while the infrastructure development projects for Bokone Bophirima Province could not be quantified at present, it is expected that the funding which will be guided by the Province’s needs, will be huge.

The Executive Mayor of the Rustenburg Local Municipality Cllr Mpho Khonou who also attended the signing ceremony, welcomed the move as a step in the right direction.

The DBSA is a Development Finance Institution wholly owned by the government of South Africa and focuses on large infrastructure projects within the public and private sector. Its main objectives are the promotion of economic development and growth, human resource development, institutional capacity building, and the support of development projects in South Africa, the SADC region and other parts of Africa. 
-TDN
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