BY REGINALD KANYANE
Tlhabane- Police are investigating a case of malicious damage to property after a 35-year-old man died after he allegedly attempted to commit suicide by setting fire on his estranged wife vehicle on Tuesday, at about 05:00 near Tlhabane Police Station.

According to information received, the suspect who was allegedly aggressive had domestic violence-related problems with his estranged wife.

North West police said the man drove to the Tlhabane police station where
he followed his wife who went to lay a charge of malicious damage to property against him.

“This was after an argument ensued at the woman’s place of dwelling. It is alleged that the deceased had damaged his wife’s cellphone by throwing it on the floor. 

“As he arrived at the parking in front of the police station gate and allegedly poured petrol all over the vehicle he was driving” Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.

Ngubane said as the deceased parked the car he allegedly bumped into the police vehicle which had parked next to his vehicle.

“This made the police to register a case of malicious damage to state property against the deceased.

“As the Police asked the man to step out of his vehicle, he refused the instruction and allegedly set the vehicle alight as he was inside” Ngubane said.

Police  responded immediately as they were next to the vehicle and rescued the deceased without visible injuries.

Emergency Medical Services were summoned to the scene in order to  give him first aid and take him to the local hospital for medical treatment, but he allegedly refused profusely.

The suspect was then arrested.

“He was allegedly reported vomiting at about 05h00 in the morning and EMRS services were called again and he was certified dead on arrival. His death is still unknown as police are still waiting for the post-mortem results and an inquest docket has been opened” he said.

The investigation by IPID to establish the course of death are underway.
-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Hartswater- The PEC embarked on an extensive process of engagements with the structures of ANC, councilors ftand community members in the Phokwane Municipal area. These engagements commenced early last year when the PEC got a report that the working relationship between the Municipal Mayor, comrade Vuyisile Khen and the Municipal Manager, Moeketsi Dichaba has deteriorated to intolerable levels.

The conflictual relationship between the Mayor and Municipal Manager adversely affected the proper functioning of the municipal. This led a political logjam and the general interest of the community played a second fiddle to political infighting in the municipal.

This political infighting also affected the functioning of ANC branches in the sub-region and divided the Regional Executive Committee. The situation in the Phokwane sub-region was just untenable.

“The tensions in the municipality culminated in the Mayor hastily convening a special Council Meeting last week Thursday (15 January 2015) to put the Municipal Manager on a three months special leave. The ANC is of the view that this decision was not well thought off but an emotional response to the political difficulties confronting the municipality.  The placing of the Municipal Manager on a special leave triggered the intervention by the PEC” ANC Northern Cape spokesperson Zamani Soul.

The PEC also discussed the situation in the municipality with the Secretary General of the ANC, Gwede Mantashe. The SG expressed his disgust at the manner in which the comrades conduct themselves and the affairs of the municipality.

The expectation of the PEC is that 2015 is the penultimate year to the 2016 Local Government and it is crucial for everyone deployed in the local government sector to work towards stabilization of municipalities and to help inputting up measures to improve the performance and service delivery capacity of municipalities.

“This was not happening in the municipality as the comrades deployed to the municipality were overwhelmed by the tensions that found pre-eminence in the municipality, branches and the REC. Based on this, the PWC was left with no other option but to take difficult decisions with far-reaching implications” Saul said.

The PWC took the following decisions with the hope that they will help to restore normality and the dignity of the municipality:

• That, both the Mayor, comrade Vuyisile Khen and the Municipal Manager, comrade Moeketsi Dichaba must resign their positions with immediate effect.
• That, for the time being the current CFO must act as the Municipal Manager until the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs second a senior official to act as the Municipal Manager while the recruitment process for the appointment of the Municipal Manager is underway.
• That, comrade Dibuang Meza, who is a serving councillor, must be appointed as the acting Mayor of the municipality, while the PEC is processing the issue of the final deployment of the Mayor for the municipality.
• That, all the powers relating to governance matters delegated to the REC of Frances Baard Region by the PEC in terms of Rule 21.10 of the ANC Constitution are revoked.

“The PWC hopes that this intervention will bring the long-desired stability and also restore the dignity of the municipality. The only measure of success for the intervention will be the extent to which the municipality will manage to increase its capacity to swiftly respond to the developmental challenges in the municipality. Yesterday we met with all ANC branches, the leagues and the leadership from the broader Alliance Movement in the Phokwane sub-region and they all welcomed the decision and committed to respect it and work towards improving the situation in the municipality.

“It is important to note that both the Mayor and Municipal Manager have resigned. The former Mayor and Municipal Manager are resourceful comrades and have acquired extensive knowledge over the past years. The Mayor has been a Councillor since 1994 and the Municipal Manager has ascended through the ranks of the municipality to occupy the highest administrative position and is in possession of a Masters Degree from the University of the Free State. Therefore it will be appropriate for the ANC to utilise their skills and knowledge in other strategic areas in government to improve the quality of life of the people of the Northern Cape” he said.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taun g_DailyNews or @IceT_

Bafana Bafana striker Tokelo Rantie says he is disappointed at missing the penalty that could have seen South Africa take an unassailable 2-0 lead against Algeria on Monday.

The North Africans came back to score three goals after the miss, including an own goal from defender Thulani Hlatshwayo, to win the match 1-3 in the opening clash of the CAF Orange Africa Cup of Nations Equatorial Guinea 2015 tournament.

South Africa now has a mammoth task to win their remaining two games – against Senegal on Friday (23 January) and Ghana on Tuesday (27 January).

SAFA Media spoke to Rantie after the match.

Q: Your thoughts on the match?

A: I think our overall performance was impressive. We created a lot of chances and we could have wrapped it up before the end of the first half. The good thing is that we are creating chances, now we just need to convert them.

Q: Starting off with a loss puts Bafana Bafana under pressure, even though we are left with two games?

A: Yes of course it does, but at the same time it can work as a positive. It can also give us the boost and the motivation going into the next game. I personally believe that we can get the remaining six points. If you look back at our match against Algeria you can see we created a lot of chances and I strongly believe we can create those chances again against Senegal and Ghana. And if we can continue with the same kind of performance we had against Algeria, I don’t think anything can stop us from competing against the others. I believe we are still in it.

Q: The team is devastated with the Algeria result….

A: Yes, very much so because it is the first loss in 11 matches and we were not used to losing anymore. It’s a setback for us, so we just have to rectify the mistakes we did. We all know that whenever there is a loss, there is a lot of criticism, and rightly so, but then again there could also be a lot of positivity into how we turn that negativity into positives.

Q: How do we turn things around?

A: We will have to forget about the previous match. It’s gone, it’s behind us and we now need to focus on the task ahead because we can’t change that result. The next games we play we have to make sure we collect maximum points because you can’t stay in a tournament if you don’t have points, if you don’t score goals. We still have a chance.

Q: Tell us about the penalty, what was going through your mind?

A: I take full responsibility. When we were awarded the penalty I just went for the ball as I felt very confident and did not even think I could miss it. I am very disappointed that it did not go in but as we all know it can happen to anyone in the game. No person steps up to take the penalty to miss. I am trying hard not to dwell on it because it will not help me move forward when I am given another chance to play.

The penalty issue is gone and it’s time to move on. I am also glad I have teammates who understand that it could also happen to anyone. They didn’t criticise me even though they are disappointed that I did not score. If I take all the negativity of missing the penalty into the next match I will be failing my teammates and the whole squad as I will not be able to perform to the best of my abilities. Stressing about the penalty won’t help anyone. I just need to be mentally strong. But I am very excited about the next game. That is my focus right now.

Q: Given a chance, would you take the penalty again?

A: Most definitely, I will do so. That is how confident I am having learnt from my mistake. I know at the moment there is a lot of criticism for the miss, but it comes with the territory and as players we have to learn to accept that. But if you dwell on that you will only be destroying yourself and your career. The most important thing as I said is to be focused on the next challenge and try to do the correct thing. It is sad that people tend to forget the good things we players do but dwell on one mistake. I was happy with the responsibility I had of taking the penalty, but, again, I am very disappointed with the miss.

Q: Crucial game against Senegal, who won against Ghana. What needs to be done to motivate the players for that match?

A: We have had a lot of discussions with the coach and the technical team to rectify our mistakes in the match against Algeria. To be honest we are not a bad team, we believe we are one of the best in the tournament and play good football but there are have some areas that need working – like finishing and a bit of defending as a unit. It will be a completely different ball game against Senegal in terms of going forward. If we just continue with the way we played against Algeria I believe we can get the points against Senegal and be back on track.

Q: Six points to play for, still confident of the second round?

A: Most definitely. I have always been positive. I don’t think God can bring us here for no reason. I don’t think we can play 11 games, lose one and be a bad team overnight. We have a team that is capable of achieving things.

Q: To South Africans fans back home, who are cheering the team on, what can you say?

A: First of all, I want to thank them for all the messages of good wishes and for all the support. We know they are disappointed after the loss. But we will do our best in the next match to get a victory. They should remain behind us as they have been since the qualifiers. We are still in the tournament, it’s not over yet. As a nation we need to stand together and support each other because that’s all we need to go forward. We can’t go to war with half of the army. We need everyone on board, and the fans’ backing will get the best out of us.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Johannesburg – A startling video of a smash-and-grab in progress has gone viral around the country.

The 50-second clip, which was uploaded on YouTube on Thursday, has had more than 50 000 views.

It shows a white Land Rover Discovery stuck in traffic in Witkoppen Road before the Cambridge Road intersection.

A man, who looks and acts like a beggar, comes up to the passenger-side window and cups his hands, pleading for food or money.

For more http://www.iol.co.za

Cape Town – Escalating electricity costs, property prices and salaries are driving up the costs of schooling, putting the squeeze on the budgets of parents.

The increases are affecting public as well as independent schools, neither immune to the effects of rapidly rising costs.

Paul Colditz, chief executive of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (Fedsas), said that, on average, fees would have increased by about 10 percent a year since 2013.

For more http://www.iol.co.za

Pretoria – Sugar daddies daddies who prowl the city’s tertiary institutions searching for vulnerable young women should look elsewhere for sexual pleasures and allow students to pursue their goals.

Youth movements under the Progressive Youth Alliance banner said sugar daddies posed a challenge and were a common sight in the city’s northern region, including Soshanguve and Ga-Rankuwa, where there was a high number of vulnerable girls.

For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – The North West education department is investigating allegations that teachers at a high school in Maboloka were bribed by pupils to be promoted to the next grade without writing their examinations.

“The department stepped in to investigate the matter on the basis of the allegations that were surfacing,” department spokesman Brian Setswambung told Sapa.

“It is alleged that some learners were involved in buying report cards from teachers.”

The Motshwane High School pupils involved were from Grade 10 and 11.

“Not all the pupils were involved. It emerged that only some pupils were involved” said Setswambung.

The department said it was going through examination scripts to determine which pupils had been involved in the alleged bribery.

He said until the matter was finalised, all grade 10 and 11 pupils from the school would remain in the grades they were in last year.

“By Monday, the investigation report will be ready,” he said.

The Sowetan on Friday reported that pupils paid teachers an R800 bribe to promote them to the next grade.

About eight pupils had boasted that they had passed despite them not writing exams.

One pupil recorded the conversation on his cellphone and handed it to the department, demanding that he also be promoted.

Sapa

Tonga – An Mpumalanga man who raped an eight-year-old girl while caring for her blind father was sentenced to life behind bars by the Tonga Regional Court on Tuesday.

Bongani Mtsakatsi Maseko, 25, of Mbuzini village near the Swaziland and Mozambique border, was sentenced after pleading guilty to rape, a Sapa correspondent reported.

“Maseko, the community is sick and tired of living among people like you. I will make sure that I give you a sentence that suits the crime that you have committed,” Magistrate Edgar Moletsane told him.

Maseko was asked to look after the girl’s father.

“You raped her, taking advantage of the fact that her father was blind and could not see what you were doing to his daughter,” he said.

Maseko was also banned from owning a gun. He was arrested on October, 1, 2013, three years after first raping the girl in 2010.

Sapa

Johannesburg – The trial of a man who allegedly threw acid over his ex-girlfriend is expected to begin in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

During his last appearance in December, Jan Pieterse, 29, was denied bail as the court heard he was a flight risk and that after the attack he allegedly continued sending text messages to Ines Antonio, 22, threatening to kill her. Pieterse is charged with attempted murder.

The court felt his three-year-old daughter with Antonio could be at risk if he was released on bail.

“We have to consider the interests of the child who is being looked after by a landlady,” police detective, Constable Edith Thaisa told the magistrate at the time.

Antonio is in hospital undergoing skin grafts after sustaining burns to her face and chest in the attack outside her home in Sydenham on November 3.

Their daughter, who was with Antonio at the time, sustained minor acid burns to her arms.

Sapa