Johannesburg – Murder convicted Oscar Pistorius has lamented why his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp did not tell him she was going to the bathroom the night he shot through his toilet door four times, killing her. 

In his first television interview since the incident, with ITV’s Mark Williams-Thomas, the former paralympian described his version of the events of February 14, 2013. 

He said that after they had supper that night, he and Reeva went to bed.

 “So we sat in bed for a while and I just said to her: ‘Listen, if I fall asleep, would you mind just closing the doors and switching off the telly, and then I pretty much fell asleep after that’,” Pistorius said in the interview that was carried locally on M-Net’s Carte Blanche on Friday night.

“It must have been shortly after 3 o’clock that I woke up.  I had opened my eyes, the curtains weren’t drawn closed, and the sliding doors were still open.  Reeva had forgotten to close them.”

After describing the events leading to him firing through the door Pistorius said he now questions all the variables of that night. 

“You can ask yourself a million times why didn’t I just close the [sliding] door before I went to bed? Why didn’t Reeva close the door? Why didn’t, when she got up to go toilet just tell me? Why didn’t she shout at me from the toilet?  

“All these things, I can’t say why she didn’t do them, she didn’t do anything wrong, But it is difficult… to know if one of those small things didn’t happen, that the situation would be different, and I would still have her here with me.”

When questioned over criticisms that he was a poor witness during his trial, he said: “I had been in court by the time I took the stand, probably close on 30 days and I unfortunately had to deal with the police for a year and several months leading up to that”. 

“I disclosed to the court that I was on medication, that I was on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety and sleeping tablets.” 

Pretoria High Court Judge Thokozile Masipa is expected to hand down a murder sentence for Pistorius on July 6. 

The Supreme Court of Appeal previously overturned her verdict of culpable homicide for Pistorius, and replaced it with one of murder. 

Source: http://www.new24.com

Kelly Khumalo’s tell-all interview on MTV Base Africa on Friday evening saw the singer reflect on her troubled past including surviving an alleged abusive relationship with convicted killer Molemo ‘Jub Jub’ Maarohanye.

The Asine star sat down with MTV Base Africa for an exclusive feature entitled Behind The Story: Kelly Khumalo to set the record straight on her controversial private life which has hogged headlines over the years.

Kelly held nothing back and did not mince her words during the one hour exposé.

Kelly Khumalo on Senzo: I feel like he did not have a backbone  

One of the aspects of Kelly’s life that the interview delved into was her rocky romance with Jub Jub.

The singer revealed that she would be lying if she said their romance was all bad.

The background:

Kelly recalled how she and Jub Jub met in the industry and before they knew it, they were in love.

“He was very sweet but I think we all lose ourselves especially when drugs are involved. He had his demons and I had mine,” Kelly explained.

Allegations of abuse:

Kelly said that things started spiralling out of control when she fell pregnant. “I am pregnant. He’s not there. He’s never there. He’s drugging. There’s other women. That’s when things started getting very heavy for me,” she said.

Kwesta is the 90% king – Ngud’ has topped the charts 

Speaking about an incredibly low time in her life, Kelly said that being in an abusive relationship along with her drug addiction played a pivotal role in her becoming a “shadow of herself.”

Jub Jub’s arrest:

Kelly did not mince her words when she said she has nothing to feel guilty about, where Molemo is concerned.

When asked by MTV presenter Sizwe Dhlomo what that time was like in her life, Kelly described it as confusing.

“I was left confused, hurt and broken. I was a first time mother and I was trying to support a partner who’s very abusive both physically and emotionally.”

Live Amp producer ‘in shock’ after bloody assault at Montecasino 

Kelly said that at the time of Jub Jub’s arrest her career was suffocating because of the association, and she just needed to get out.

“You can only do so much and I remember feeling, I’m tired of this nonsense. There’s so much drugging, there’s so much abuse – I had enough and I had to let go.”

On sharing a child with Jub Jub:

Kelly told Sizwe that if Jub Jub is released soon he will have a restraining order against him. When questioned about the son they share, Kelly replied: “A child he has never supported? A child who’s mother he abused in front of?”

She also made it clear that there’s no space for Jub Jub in her life. “For me Molemo doesn’t exist.”

Molemo ‘Jub Jub’ Maarohanye is currently serving jail time after being convicted of culpable homicide.

It has been reported that the musician will be eligible for parole at the end of 2016.

Attempts to get comment from Jub Jub’s legal team on the allegations proved unsuccessful.
Source: http://www.timelive.co.za

THE ANC in the North West said that reports of party member joining other political parties will not deter its charge towards retaining municipalities after August 3 local government elections.

This follows claims that the DA was welcoming about 100 former ANC members, including an outgoing ANC councillor in Delareyville.

Provincial ANC spokesperson, Kgantsi Diale said those who leave are not loyal members of the ANC.

“The ANC is ready for upcoming local government. We have done our ground work and believe our people will vote for the party. ANC is the only movement that represents the needs of the masses.

“Those who defected to other political parties are disgruntled. They came to ANC because of seats. We cannot tolerate them because people tend to leave after they were not included in councillors’ candidate lists. We know they will come back to the party afterwards,” Kgantsi said.

He also urged the ANC members to have tolerance towards each other. Kgantsi said that political assassinations will not be tolerated within the ANC.

“ANC is a movement that condemns anarchy. We urge our members to accept ANC decisions. They need to have tolerance and adhere to the party’s policies. We will continue to meet with our members regarding the councillors’ candidate list.

“Those who were not elected by the masses will be urged to sign a resignation letters before elections. This will happen before local government elections. On August 4, we will then submit the resignation letters for by-elections,” he said.

DA provincial leader, Joe McGluwa said they welcomed 100 former ANC members. He said ANC councillor, Gert Dikomela was part of those who defected from ANC.

“Dikomela was a chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee in Tswaing local municipality. People can no longer ignore the ANC’s corruption, disrespect for the constitution, and mismanagement of public funds and lack of commitment to serve the people of this province. More South Africans join the DA to bring about an end to corruption. They see that we deliver better services and create jobs,” McGluwa said.

-TDN

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THE ANC in the North West said that reports of party member joining other political parties will not deter its charge towards retaining municipalities after August 3 local government elections.

This follows claims that the DA was welcoming about 100 former ANC members, including an outgoing ANC councillor in Delareyville.

Provincial ANC spokesperson, Kgantsi Diale said those who leave are not loyal members of the ANC.

“The ANC is ready for upcoming local government. We have done our ground work and believe our people will vote for the party. ANC is the only movement that represents the needs of the masses.

“Those who defected to other political parties are disgruntled. They came to ANC because of seats. We cannot tolerate them because people tend to leave after they were not included in councillors’ candidate lists. We know they will come back to the party afterwards,” Kgantsi said.

He also urged the ANC members to have tolerance towards each other. Kgantsi said that political assassinations will not be tolerated within the ANC.

“ANC is a movement that condemns anarchy. We urge our members to accept ANC decisions. They need to have tolerance and adhere to the party’s policies. We will continue to meet with our members regarding the councillors’ candidate list.

“Those who were not elected by the masses will be urged to sign a resignation letters before elections. This will happen before local government elections. On August 4, we will then submit the resignation letters for by-elections,” he said.

DA provincial leader, Joe McGluwa said they welcomed 100 former ANC members. He said ANC councillor, Gert Dikomela was part of those who defected from ANC.

“Dikomela was a chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee in Tswaing local municipality. People can no longer ignore the ANC’s corruption, disrespect for the constitution, and mismanagement of public funds and lack of commitment to serve the people of this province. More South Africans join the DA to bring about an end to corruption. They see that we deliver better services and create jobs,” McGluwa said.

-TDN

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THERE is need to package and market agriculture as a cool industry so as to win more young people in the food production industry.

This was the message from rural, environmental and agricultural development MEC, Manketsi Tlhape at the Youth in Agriculture awards held in Lichtenburg yesterday.

Tlhape awarded five youth who shown above their peers in their various agriculture activities.

“We encourage the youth to be part of revolution. They can make a lot of money within the industry. So the time is now for you to get your hands dirty. The majority of the youth regard agriculture simply not cool or attractive.

“Mostly think of it only as back-breaking labour. However the industry economical pays-off. There is also a room for career advancement. With an ageing population of farmers, it’s clear that agriculture needs to attract more young people,” Tlhape said.

The MEC added: “We have empowerment programmes towards youth and women. We also transformed the agriculture sector. The 40% of what we allocate benefits youth and women. We have also resuscitated our program within our agricultural department which is YARD.

“In every allocation we make, I intervene to make sure 40% is available to projects run by youth and women. We are having these awards to recognise those who showed effort in the industry,” she said.

Tlhape pointed out that young people need to understand that they need to inherit a sector currently dominated by white farmers.

She said the agriculture has been put at the apex of the triangle to drive the economy of the province.

“We always make sure that we give the necessary support to those micro farmers. We are aware that there was an African Swine Fewer outbreak in Schweizer Reneke. We are working closely together with relevant authorities to manage that.

“We also visited Madikwe Game Reserve after TB uncertainty amongst buffaloes. So we want to advise our people not to eat any dead animals or sell them as that could create complications amongst their health,” she said.

Premier Supra Mahumapelo said that food production is becoming a global challenge and the youth have to play a role in this critical sector.

“We can never go wrong if we invest in agriculture. I agree that we have raw minerals in North West. However we cannot rely or invest in platinum. The industry is not within our reach, but we need food in daily basis.

“So let us invest in agriculture. The exodus of rural youth means fewer small-scale farmers tomorrow. We need to change that mindset and bring in those who have potential and drastically want to change the profile of farming,” he said.

Those who won said it is very encouraging to receive the needed support from the department.

Dirang  Mmogo Business Enterprise from Klerksdorp won R30 000 as overall winners. The co-founder, Patrick Mazinyo said they highly-appreciate the support they received from the department.

“Agriculture sector needs patience. One can make a lot of mo. However that comes with a price. We started our company back in 2003 and we are still striving. We won R30 000 and we will continue to produce more products,” he said.

Other winners were Piggery (PTY) LTD from Dr Ruth Mompati region scooped the best youth Agro Processing. Isagwe Solutions emerged as Best Innovative Enterprise while Taje Farming also won Best Youth Enterprise.

-TDN

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BY REGINALD KANYANE

A MEMBER of North West Film Commission will contest for international independent documentary awards in Los Angeles. Deon Van Zyl submitted his documentary called ‘My Life on the Tracks – the Rohan Vos Story’.

 North West Film Commission spokesperson, Vusi Moyakhe said the documentary made official selection.

“This was written and produced by Deon van Zyl. He is a member of the North West Film Commission. The winners will be announced on June 30.

“Winners will be invited to receive their awards at a screening on September 10 at the Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. We as are proud to have Deon van Zyl as a member. He is one of our trainers and this shows the commission has gait,” he said.

-TDN

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BY REGINALD KANYANE

THE newly-built police station at Keimos in the Northern Cape was officially opened on Thursday. Police spokesperson, Vishnu Naidoo said this was in line with the South African Police Service’s commitment.

“Our objective is to improve public access to policing services all over the country. This further more forms part of our role in fulfilling the implementation of the National Development Plan.

“We seek to ensure greater access and improvement in the quality of public services as this is critical to achieve transformation. The station falls within the Upington cluster in Northern Cape,” Nadioo said.

He also added that the police station will serve an estimated 23 000 citizens. Nadioo further said the opening of this state of the art police station is one facet of improving service delivery.

“The need for the new police station has been identified in 1999. The subsequent engagements led to the building of the station. The project was completed and handed over by public works department September 30 back in 2014.

The police station was put in use from December 1 in 2014.

SAPS acting national commissioner, Lieutenant General Kgomotso Phahlane urged the local community to work closely with the police. Phahlane said the community members need to be part of community policing forum.

“The relevant community policing structures will assist greatly in addressing crimes that are prevalent in that area. Crime like assault, theft, housebreaking, stock theft, murder, rape and drug-related crimes are rife.

“We are planning on intensifying our projects. We want to implement projects like drug-awareness campaigns, school projects, rural safety awareness and domestic violence campaigns,” he said.

“We will achieve progress by skilling and training our members. Adapting to new ways of policing in a democratic society is not an event, but an ongoing process. This needs to be aligned with the contemporary needs of transforming our organisation. Some of the areas which have just received their own police stations are in KwaZulu-Natal, North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Western Cape,” he said.

-TDN

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THE North West police said that they are ready for upcoming local elections.

The elections will be held on August 3 and deputy police commissioner, Maj-Gen Patrick Asenang said their main focus is to foster co-operation between all the role-players.

“Our police are ready for the upcoming local government elections. We have the provision of man-power, training of the police in accordance with the electoral act and the independent commission acts.

“We will combat any intimidation, removal of placards and violence. During the election itself the main focus will be on effective policing of the electoral polling booths. Many police will be deployed in order to protect these booths effectively,” Asaneng said.

He said they will provide a necessary training to their members. Asaneng said this will ensure that the police were properly informed of what is expected of them.

“We will also continue to retain high visibility, maintain internal stability, combat crime through effective management of information and investigation techniques.

“We will also make sure that we maintain competent and motivated personnel. A community relation is also imperative. No carrying of carrying of firearms and other dangerous weapons into the polling booths,” Asaneng said.

ANC provincial chairperson, Supra Mahumapelo said they signed the pledge and will abide by the rules and regulations governing elections.

“As the provincial government and ANC-led government, we support the notion. We will make sure the elections run smoothly with no hindrances. We support fair and free elections.

“We have entrusted IEC and we believe is the independent body. We will make sure the integrity of the authority is protected and restored. It is one of the most important institutions in our country,” Mahumapelo said.

Democratic Alliance provincial leader, Joe McGluwa said they have signed the IEC’s code of conduct to pledge for the upcoming local government elections. The elections will be staged on August 3.

“We are excited to be part of this historic moment. South Africa is in a young democracy as a country. We recently announced that for the first time ever, the DA will be contesting all the wards and municipalities within the province.

“We want to bring change that will move this province forward. The pledge we signed today calls for free and fair elections. It calls on all participating political parties to practice a culture of tolerance and peace,” McGluwa said.

EFF provincial leader, Betty Diale also shared the same sentiments. She said EFF is ready for local government elections and will abide to IEC rules and regulations.

“We are very adamant that EFF will change the landscape of the politics on August 3. We support and adhere to the rules and regulations of IEC. We give the authority unwavering support towards fair, honest and free elections,” Diale said.

-TDN

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THE Tlokwe City Council allocated houses to elderly people in its recently completed subsidised housing allocation scheme.

Municipality spokesperson, William Maphosa said that all houses were handed over to deserving people, particularly the elderly.

“The current allocation process is being used to establish a vibrant and complete community consistent with any normal society with all age groups. The youth, adults and elderly people were fairly represented.

“One of the strategic goals of the municipality is to enhance growth. However we will achieve that through integrated and interactive planning. We also want to develop vibrant communities that enjoy safe and secured environment,” Maphosa said.

He added that the municipality will continue to create a sustainable environment for its people.

“This process of allocation is aimed at addressing this strategic goal. Subsidised stands are currently being allocated in accordance with the housing allocation policy and the recently published waiting list. The comprehensive housing waiting list currently stands at 14 737.

“From this total number, the list was narrowed down to 1 400 names. This list will be used to allocate 900 subsidised stands in Ikageng Extension 9 and Promosa Extension 4. This project is intended for first time home owners only,” Maphosa said.

The scheme targeted the pension bracket while young people were also catered for.

“The most prominent and positive aspect of the list is that the age group in the range 60 – 90, which comprises 17% of the shortlist, will ensure that all the elderly people of Tlokwe are now properly housed.

“The youth portion from 23 – 30 age group form 11% of the list. The municipal housing policy provides that a person as young as 18 can be included in the waiting list. However, such a person can only enter into contractual agreement with the municipality when they are 21 or older,” Maphosa added.

The spokesperson pointed out that the current subsidised housing stands allocation was earmarked for households earning a combined income of no more than R 3 500 per month.

He said that beneficiaries cannot transfer their benefits to the next of kin, so those who die while waiting cannot be allocated houses posthumously.

“If a person on the list passes on or for one reason or another is no longer keen on the allocation, they forfeit the right to apply or to pass the opportunity to someone else. The re-allocation or re-organisation of the list in this regard solely rests with the municipality,” he said.

-TDN

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UNDERPRIVILEGED pupils across Taung received school uniform and shoes.

The donation was made possible by popular DJ, Orapeleng “DJ Nation” Mokgwabone.

Dj Nation said the initiative is annually and want to assist disadvantaged pupils’ especially young kids.

DJ Nation Annual Event is hosted annually at Taung Coverground. Mokgwabone said they have donated 250 pairs of shoes so far.

“We saw a need to give back to the community. It is very sad to see young kids walking barefooted to school in winter. The project was initiated four years ago. Those pupils from abject poverty get affected emotionally and mentally.

“This will lower their self-esteem and eventually push them out of school. Some are being satirised. So it is a societal matter which needs to be addressed,” he said.

Mokgwabone added that schools that benefited were Sediba-Thuto primary school in Magogong village, Raipela intermediate school in Maphoitsile village and Nhole primary school in Taung.

“We also have three students that we are paying for their tuition fees at Taung Agricultural College. Dj Nation Annual Event also pays tuition for another student from Taung at University of Johannesburg. The student is currently studying chemistry,” he said.

Mokgwabone further said that they sometimes do not get correct sizes from teachers at some schools and hope that more schools would be open to the donations.

Local non-governmental organisation (NGO), Positive Youth of Taung’s chairperson, Phemelo Mohutsiwa said it is very imperative for parents to be part of their children’s upbringing. He urged parents to work together with other stakeholders in improving the lives of children.

“We need to support our children through their education. We also need to make our children to be more resilient. Producing crop of good cream will benefit our country in the long run. Children are our future leaders, so we need to help them bounce back from whatever life throws at them. It is about being strong inside and able to adapt well to changes and difficulties. It is about flourishing in life, despite our circumstances.

“If children are resilient they will be able to cope better with problems. They will have better health and also be happier and more fulfilled. Children will also be less likely to develop emotional problems like depression or anxiety,” Mohutsiwa said.

-TDN

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