BY OBAKENG MAJE
TAUNG- THE Greater Taung Municipality Executive Committee sworn-in one of African National Congress stalwarts in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati as a PR councillor.

Mika Dikgole Moeti(49) originally from Maphoitsile village, near Taung was finally sworn-in as a PR councillor on Tuesday at Choseng village.

According to Greater Taung Municipal Speaker Deliwe Zethi, Moeti is one of the best deployees of the party as he brings his vast experience and political exposure.

“We believe he will bring stability into the party and his contribution will be immensely. We appointed him to fill the vacant left by the late comrade Lepodisi Tong. He will be helping ward 1 councillor in Reivilo” Zethi said.

Moeti said he welcomes the decision and the trust bestowed oon him by the ruling party to make use of his experience.

“I accepted the position offered to me by ANC because as a public servant, I cannot refuse when the party need my contribution. I will be helping the ward councillor at Reivilo and also helping to oversee things at Local Economic Development department within Greater Taung municipality” Moeti said.

Moeti once worked as a director at North West Social Development department in Mahikeng under Mosetsanagape Mokomele-Mothibi’s tenure.
-TDN
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By Lesedi Setlhodi

The multi-talented artist from the Texas of South Africa, Vryburg made time from his forever dynamic schedule to speak to Taung DailyNews (TDN). Otshabeng Paul, affectionately known as Tshabz Motswanarap is one local artist who in the rise and has already had a taste of greater things in the music industry.

Tshabz, who is also a Latin and American ballroom dancer, is a hip-hop artist who was born in Mahikeng, bred in Huhudi (Vryburg). A 28-year old artist started writing his own lyrical content at the age of 16. “I grew up from music background, my mom was a choral singer and she loved music too. I believe I got my talent from her,” shares the modest Tshabz.

The young man is preceded by a long trail of his remarkable reputation. He is not just a hip-hop artist, but also an entrepreneur as he also runs his own marketing and advertising agency.

In 2009 he scooped first position on the then talent scouting show Jam Alley; he then later that year released his first mixtape titled Self Restriction. His latest single “Never let you” go is making waves on local and several University campus radio playlists. He has made appearances on Play Network (Sabc 3); Shiz Niz (e TV); the most recent one was when he performed live on e TV’s Sunrise in January this year.

TDN caught up with Tshabz…

Why did you choose to pursue hip-hop music?

The love for music and I express myself better when I make music. I take it as having a conversation with someone that I don’t know who is willing to hear and relate to my story.

Who motivates you to do what you do?

My life motivates my journey in life; growing up without both parents and being raised by a single grandmother who did everything in her power to support us made me want to turn my life around. It made me want to inspire young people who went through the same struggle I did and those who continually sharing the same element as me.

He has shared platform with heavy weights like TUKS, Morafe, HHP, Alaska and would like to work with amongst others, Zahara, Thandiswa Mazwai, Black Coffee, Kanye West and Dr Dre in the future.

How do you prepare for your gigs?

To be a great artist takes a lot of rehearsal and focus is required every minute of the way. You have to be always prepared.

Challenges you face in the industry?

A challenge that most artists never talk about on their interviews is that of financial support. Making music requires a lot of money and so is recording an album and shooting music videos. You need a good PR team that will make sure that your brand and music is being dished out well to music lovers. Lastly but not least, you need to study the music industry/business, learn all the relevant channels of the industry while building good relationships.

How is your latest single doing in the market? When can we expect the 2015 album?

I have released a single from my upcoming album titled Never let you go and so far the song is doing good, the fans are showing love by buying the song. I have also released another single (Uyababa) which is going to be big in South Africa! I’m releasing my first album this year titled Lentswe and on it I worked with hardworking upcoming artists and producers from various areas.

How do you like the limelight?

I just appreciate the recognition that I get from my fans and from people I do business with. One day I want to be seen as a legend. My responsibility is towards the youth, I am passionate about uplifting them and give them hope especially those from disadvantaged precincts and circumstances.

Any hidden talents?

Hahahaaaaa! My hidden talents include acting, basketball, dancing and soccer.

Any words of encouragement to your fans or those who look up to you?

You need to be a hard worker and passionate about what you do, take good care of yourself and choose your friends correctly. Work more on your weaknesses and grow your skills; like I said I have never been to school for business, arts or graphic designing but with dedication and the love for what I do, I’m getting there. I can say one should just be self and believe in God, and don’t forget to pray.

For more on Tshabz visit www.tshabz.co.za

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Johannesburg – The EFF on Thursday said it had not yet received papers lodged by four of its suspended MPs in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.

“Nevertheless, when we do receive papers, the EFF shall respond and all fighters and South Africans can rest assured that the EFF will win this case,” spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said in a statement

“The EFF has no history of losing cases about its internal democracy, processes, and policies, even in interaction with other forces in society, and it is not about to start losing now.”

He said the disciplinary action against Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, Mpho Ramakatsa, Lucky Twala, and Andile Mngxitama was continuing.

The hearings began on Wednesday.

The four were suspended by the party in February.

This followed an attempted media conference ahead of the State of the Nation address in Cape Town led by Mngxitama.

The conference was abandoned and Mngxitama made a hasty exit when other EFF members arrived and objected to it being held.

The Mngxitama faction announced a “Save the Soul of the EFF” campaign.

They accused the party leadership of corruption and cover ups.

The four said they decided not to appear before the disciplinary committee on Wednesday.

Letters were sent to the party leadership informing them of their intention to lodge a high court application, they said.

“The high court application is contributing to the ‘Save the Soul of EFF’ campaign, which aims to fight corruption within the party and to hold all leaders and members to the founding manifesto of the EFF and in particular its seven cardinal pillars.”

Various EFF supporters from across the country submitted sworn affidavits to support the court application.

“The transgressions of EFF rules are, among others, setting up ghost branches, altering names of delegates, intimidation, promises of money and positions in exchange for voting [for] certain slates, systematic sabotaging of audited assembly registers of delegates to the NPA [national people’s assembly], interference with the electoral process, and unduly influencing the outcomes of the elections,” the MPs said.

BY OBAKENG MAJE
A case against four white rape suspects was postponed by Jan Kempdorp Magistrates Court on Thursday after they appeared for rape.

According to information, four pupils from Landbou Agricultural High School allegedly raped a 18 year-old black pupil at his dorm room as part of racially motivated initiation ritual.

The incident took place a month ago at the school hostel.

Video footage showed four pupils strip a black pupil naked and put his feet and hands on shackles and paint him with white cream before sexually molested him.

The pupils were arrested shortly after the incident and appeared at Jan Kempdorp Magistrates Court for rape.

They were granted R1000 bail each and the case was postponed for Thursday, however the case was postponed until 09 April 2015 to give police more time to investigate the matter.

It is alleged that the perpetrators shoved broom-stick into the victim’s rectum and also used a toothbrush to rape him.

Democratic Alliance MP, Phumzile Van Damme said they will fight tooth and nail in quest to root-out apartheid act within the. Society.

“We will stand together and condemn the barbaric act as this divides the society. We really want to see justice prevails and we believe those who are at the wrong will get punished” Van Damme said.

ANC Youth League in Jan Kempdorp said the initiation act must be banned from the school.

“We marched to the school three. Weeks ago to deliver a memorandum requesting that the initiation process be banned from the school. We always heard racial attack at the school since 2010, now we say enough is enough” Chairperson of ANCYL at Ivakanyang branch, Mothusiemang Moya said.

The case was postponed until 09 April 2015 for further investigations.

Cape Town – An office building in Newlands caught fire on Thursday morning, as Cape Town firefighters continue to monitor unrelated wildfires which have devastated parts of the South Peninsula in recent days.

For more http://www.news24.com

Pretoria – Three Winterveld men who gunned down an elderly couple in a busy Soshanguve street three years ago will have to wait until next week to hear their fate.

North Gauteng High Court Judge Lettie Malopa-Sethosa on Wednesday postponed the trial of Victor Mbuyseni Simango, Solomon Selekane and Collen Peter Malopo to 11 March for sentencing.

The three were convicted in December 2014 of murdering Chris Jooste and his wife Katrien and robbing them of cash and a toy gun.

Shot

The couple, both in their sixties, were shot dead while delivering stock to a spaza shop in Soshanguve. Chris Jooste was shot in the stomach while on his way back to his bakkie. His wife was shot in the chest when she tried to defend herself with pepper spray.

She managed to phone her daughter Belinda. They died on their way to hospital.

The accused were also found guilty of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Simango was convicted of robbing the Joostes of R500 in cash while they were delivering stock in Soshanguve 16 days earlier.

A fourth accused, Nkomo Romeo Mathebula, is still being sought by the police after escaping from the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court while in custody last year.

Malopa-Sethosa earlier rejected the three accused’s protestations of innocence to the cold-blooded murders as lies and fabrications.

She said all of them had known what was going to happen and conspired to rob the Joostes.

No remorse

Prosecutor Mari Marriott argued that the accused’s actions showed life had no meaning for them and they had no respect for other people’s property. Their calculated actions had devastated their victims’ family.

They denied responsibility and showed no remorse for what they did, Marriott said.

A letter by the couple’s daughter Belinda, in which she described the effect of her parents’ death on the family, was read to the court.

Nothing could have prepared her for the call from her mother saying they had been shot, she wrote.

The family could never say goodbye to her parents as they died before she arrived at the scene, which she said would forever remain imprinted in her mind.

“My whole life changed and that of my family. In an instant. One moment I had a mom and dad and the next they were gone. Dead. Shot.

‘Massive loss’

“Our life was affected in a massive way. We suffered a massive loss. Two people who still had a lot of life left to live were rudely taken out of our lives,” she said.

Her parents’ death had particularly hit her son very hard, as he lived with them permanently and regarded them more as parents than grandparents.

His whole personality changed. He went from being an A student to scraping by. He was still receiving counselling.

Belinda Jooste had a job that entailed a lot of travelling, but had to relocate, causing her job to suffer.

Her elderly grandfather could not handle the shock either and went from a busy farmer to dying as an invalid in a very short period.

Counsel for Simango and Malopo argued that they were first offenders, the fathers of young children and had shown remorse.

Malopo’s advocate said his client was HIV-positive and on medication for his condition.

Counsel for Selekane argued that his client had shown remorse by crying while he gave evidence. He said Selekane was “very much sorry” for the situation that happened that day, and stressed Selekane’s version that he had not been armed and was not aware that the others were armed.

Cape Town – The DA on Thursday will challenge legislation allowing for the arrest or removal of people who create a disturbance in the National Assembly.

The party approached the Western Cape High Court after the removal of Economic Freedom Fighters MPs from the National Assembly during the State of the Nation address on 12 February.

The DA also wants an order preventing the Speaker from calling in police pending the outcome of its challenge to the constitutionality of section 11 of the Powers, Privileges, and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act.

EFF MPs were removed by police and parliamentary protection officers after Speaker Baleka Mbete invoked section 11 of the act.

The DA wants the section removed from the act, saying it clashes with section 58 of the Constitution.

Written questions

Meanwhile, the SA Police Service will also receive written questions about its activities during the State of the Nation address, DA Western Cape community safety spokesperson Mireille Wenger said.

Wenger, who heads the provincial committee on community safety, said in a statement that questions would be directed in writing to provincial police commissioner Arno Lamoer and national police commissioner Riah Phiyega.

Lamoer was in the provincial legislature on Wednesday morning. The committee had called him in to get answers about what police did in the parliamentary precinct during President Jacob Zuma‘s address.

“We are most disappointed that many of the pertinent questions remain unanswered,” said Wenger.

National operation

At the time, Lamoer said he could not answer questions about action taken on that day as it was a national operation. “It is a national event. It is a national operation. There are different role players in that.”

He said the committee needed to address questions to the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints).

Natjoints, which is mandated to secure major national events, includes the police, defence force, metro police departments, and intelligence bodies.

Wenger said that while it was understandable that some matters fell under national co-ordinating structures, the committee had hoped to get clarity on provincial police matters, especially in light of media reports claiming that provincial police were deployed to the National Assembly.

Lamoer said he could not discuss any operational details about that day because the media was present.

Wenger told him that the provincial legislature could not exclude the public and media unless it was reasonable and justifiable to do so.

The committee had asked questions relating to the arrest of four Democratic Alliance members on charges of public violence, ahead of the state-of-the-nation address.

Charges against MPs withdrawn

Last week, the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed the charges against DA MP Marius Redelinghuys, DA Cape metro chairperson Shaun August, and two other party members, were withdrawn due to insufficient evidence.

Lamoer said police officers had the power to arrest someone suspected of breaking the law.

His department would investigate allegations that the party’s members were driven around for four or five hours in a police van.

“If any of my members transgresses, I will take action against that. We are still looking at what is going on there… so the investigation is not yet concluded.”

He said the DA members could approach the provincial police ombudsman, public protector, or the police’s own inspectorate.

Wenger said there seemed to be quite a heavy police presence on that day and asked whether there had been a particular threat to national security or fear of disruption.

Lamoer replied that the police presence that day was not out of the ordinary. He would be able to provide figures in writing on how many officers were present that day and how many arrests were made.

“The threat itself, that is really a question that needs to be asked to state security,” he said.

Harare – Zimbabwe has confirmed eight cases of cholera, including two on the border with South Africa, state media reported on Thursday.

Two children, aged five and 10, had been quarantined with cholera at Beitbridge District Hospital, the official Herald reported.

Six other cases had been recorded in Mudzi and Chiredzi, the state Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation said.

Mudzi is on the border with Mozambique, where 41 people have died of cholera. Chiredzi is in south-eastern Zimbabwe.

Another possible case was being investigated in Chirundu on the Zambian border, the report said.

Beitbridge district administrator Simon Muleya told the Herald: “The two victims are from the same family and according to our rapid response team there are no other cases from the same village.

“The situation is now under control and there is no need for people to panic,” he said.

The children were reportedly in a stable condition in the Cholera Isolation Centre of Beitbridge District Hospital.

Cholera killed more than 4000 people in Zimbabwe in late 2008 to early 2009. The disease spreads particularly fast during the rainy season through contaminated food and water.