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JOHANNESBURG – As the African National Congress (ANC) prepares for its elective conference later this year, the party has introduced a new way of nominating leaders for positions, with the hope that it will stop slate politics.

The party’s secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe,announced the national executive committee (NEC) resolved to do away with the practice of consolidating nominations for leadership at a regional and provincial level.

Mantashe briefed the media earlier on Monday, following the NEC lekgotla.

Previously ANC branches would nominate its candidates for leadership, send the list to the party’s regional structure and then to the provincial structure for consolidation.

The secretary-general says that process tampers with the authority of branches to nominate as the basic unit of the party.

“We need to do something that will ensure that branches are given the right to nominate. In other words, when we nominate in the branches we seal those envelopes and take them to a central point, nationally.”

Now all nominations for leadership from branches will be consolidated nationally by the electoral commission.

The ANC’s leadership has been struggling to contain discussions around who will succeed President Jacob Zuma as head of the party.

ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, outgoing African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, long-serving cabinet minister Jeff Radebe and National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete have been named as possible candidates to stand for the party’s presidential position.

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

Johannesburg – Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has accused the Gupta family and its associates of launching an organised campaign against National Treasury and himself, according to court papers filed on Monday.

FULL AFFIDAVIT: Gordhan responds to Oakbay

Gordhan filed his counter affidavit in the North Gauteng High Court in Tshwane on Monday morning, after Oakbay Investments filed court papers on January 20.

The papers revolve around a bid by Gordhan in October last year, in which he sought court protection against being forced by the Guptas to intervene in the matter of the bank account closures of Oakbay Investments.

READ: Gupta response to Gordhan under the microscope

South Africa’s big four banks closed Oakbay’s accounts last year.

As part of the court application, Gordhan listed a Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) report detailing how the Guptas’ businesses made R6.8bn in “suspicious and unusual transactions”.

In court papers, the banks listed concerns about the Guptas, ranging from risks of money-laundering and suspicious transactions to the family being politically exposed persons.

READ: SA banks becoming battleground in Zuma war – analysts

In Gordhan’s latest affidavit he also accused Oakbay Investments of shifting its position over the matter of its closed bank accounts.

READ: Gupta lawyer lambasts ‘mischievous’ Gordhan over FIC document

“Oakbay’s answering affidavit capitulates on the essential issue before [the] Court. Now Oakbay unequivocally adopts the formal stance that I, as Minister of Finance, indeed have no legal authority or duty to interfere in its banker-client relationships,” said Gordhan.

“Strikingly this belated concession is now embraced by Oakbay as its first and main ground of opposition.

“Thus, after having persistently sought to implore my intervention, Oakbay shifts position to ask this Court to refuse my application on the very basis that Oakbay now accepts that there was indeed no legal basis on which it could seek to impose pressure on me to prevail on the banks to reverse their application of anti-money laundering and related laws and standards,” Gordhan said.

‘Simply scurrilous’

“Oakbay asserts that my application is an abuse because it is politically motivated and retaliatory. There is no merit in this allegation; it is simply scurrilous.

“Oakbay itself concedes its companies’ connection with politically-exposed persons,” added Gordhan.

READ: Gordhan responds: Guptas’ claims are politically-driven and sensational

On January 20, Gupta-linked Oakbay Investments slammed Gordhan’s court application regarding the company as “superfluous” and “riddled with factual and legal errors”.

Oakbay asked the court to “decline to grant the relief” sought by Gordhan and to dismiss the minister’s application with costs.

Oakbay in its affidavit also accused Gordhan of launching the court bid for political gain.

READ: FULL STATEMENT – Oakbay’s full statement on Gordhan’s application

Oakbay Investments slammed Gordhan’s court bid, saying the minister’s reliance on the list of 72 “suspicious transaction reports” is “misplaced and the minister’s application is supported by a flawed analysis and a faulty factual record”.

The company further said that it “never suggested that the minister is required to intervene in the bank-customer relationship” and that Gordhan could “simply have declined to do anything in the exercise of his legal discretion”.

Oakbay Investments said it had made “every attempt” to gain information from the FIC regarding the transactions Gordhan referred to, and that international investigative firm Nardello & Co reviewed the 72 transactions and didn’t find any damning evidence.

The company also alleged that in January 2016 Gordhan met with 60 “captains of industry” where the minister, according to its “sources”, said that “steps must be taken to ‘clip the wings of this family [the Guptas]’.”

For more http://www.news24.com

*This is a developing story.

BY REGINALD KANYANE

A 18 year-old man was arrested in Ganyesa in connection for murder at Tlakgameng village, near Ganyesa on Saturday.  He allegedly stabbed a 24 year-old man to death.

“The police were summoned to a scene of murder where they found the victim’s body lying on the ground with a stab wound in the chest. The motive of the incident is unknown at this stage and the suspect is expected to appear in Ganyesa Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

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BY REGINALD KANYANE

A 28 year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and robbery North West police spokesperson, Sgt Kelebogile Moleko said the accused raped and robbed a 52 year-old woman off her cellphone in December back in 2014.

“The incident took place at Letlhabile location near Brits. The victim was on her way to workplace when the accused dragged her to the bushes. He threatened her with a knife and raped her.

“The accused was arrested in January 2015 after a thorough investigation by the Brits Cluster Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS). Upon sentencing the accused, the court declared him unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 (g) of the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act No. 60 of 2000),” she said.

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Rustenburg – Marikana in North West near Rustenburg is one of the areas where police found it difficult to police, acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane said on Friday.

“There are areas such as Marikana where police find it difficult to work. officers are attacked when responding to complaints,” he said at the national police day at Ikageng in Mosenthal near Rustenburg. He said events such as the national police day were intended to bring the police and the community together in order to fight crime. “We must find peace, we must bridge the gap. We are not enemies of the community.”

Residents of Marikana West marched to the Marikana police station on December 8 last year, and declared their area as a no go area for the police. They allegedly told the station commander that police would enter Marikana West at their own risk, that afternoon a man was hacked to death by a mob of over 30 people.

Six people including activist Napoleon Webster have been arrested in connection with that murder, they were expected to appear in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court sitting in Tlhabane on Monday for bail.

Tension between Marikana residents and the police stems from the death of 34 mineworkers who were killed by the police at a koppie near Nkaneng informal settlement four years ago, following a violent wildcat strike at Lonmin platinum mine Marikana operations.

In total 44 people, including two policemen and two Lonmin security guards, where killed during the violent strike. Phahlane said in the previous financial year, 81 police officers were killed.

“In the 2015/2016, financial year 81 officers were killed, this figure include those who were killed in [road] accidents while on duty, 40 died in the line of duty. Since April, 45 officers were killed and those who died in the line of duty are 27.”

Earlier, the SA Policing Union (Sapu) said it was worried at the number of police officer who were killed. “Our members are mercifully killed,” said Sapu North West provincial chairperson Letebele Mothobi.

He said the union would continue to fight for better working conditions of the police officers and called on the community to work with the police to defeat crime.

African News Agency

Rustenburg – For 80-year-old Johannah Kolobe of Ikageng near Rustenburg, the police are not her protector but, helped to put a roof over her head.

The pensioner was close to shed tears on Friday, when the police handed over a newly built house to her. “I was not expecting this, I did not believe, this is a surprise. God is great,” she said clapping her hands together.

She said when she saw a truck delivery a load of bricks, she was convince she would have a house.

“I was left with nothing when the fire ate my house. I bought building material bit by bit to rebuild my shack but, when I saw load of bricks delivered to my yard I was realised it was going to get a house.”

The furnished house consists with two bedrooms, lounge, kitchen, a shower and a toilet.

Her shack burnt to ashes on December 16 last year, and she was left with only the night dress she was wearing.

She shared the house with eight people, including her son and his wife, together with four grandchildren.

Police Minister Nathi Nhleko flanked by acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane and North West provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane handed the house to her on national police day.

The police also bought grocery to the Kolobe family and other 100 families, they also bought full school uniform to five school children.

African News Agency

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Johannesburg – North West church leaders have come out in support of a bishop after he made headlines for making homophobic comments during a sermon.

Pastor Lesiba Kgwele from Mahikeng Ministers Fellowship on Sunday said the sermon of Bishop Dag Heward-Mills delivered at the Grace Christian Church was not targeted at gay communities, but was preached out of love.

“Dag Heward-Mills did not cross the line for his sermon to be considered hate speech. It is a pastor’s mandate to preach the word of God and that message was preached out of love. People prefer to hear a Gospel that tickles their ears.”

Kgwele said Grace Christian Church should have supported Heward-Mills and not distanced itself from him after the bishop reportedly said homosexuality was unnatural while discussing the soul and sins.

“Which animal has one partner? It’s just like homosexuality, you don’t have male and male. You don’t find two male dogs, two male lions, two male impalas, two male lizards. You don’t find that in nature. That is unnatural. There is nothing like that in nature,” Heward-Mills was reported as saying.

However, Kgewele said the message was aimed at making people repent.

“The Word of God is not preached to adorn, support or endorse our sinful nature, but is invariably at odds or at enmity with that which prevails as the conventional and accepted wisdom,” Kgwele said.

Local celebrity Somizi Mhlongo set Twitter abuzz after he posted on Instagram that he had stormed out of the church following Ghanaian-born Heward-Mills’s homophobic comments.

But Kgwele said: “Somizi must be reminded that Christians are called to be pilgrims, strangers and sojourners in the world and that the primary function of preaching is to jolt God’s people into an awareness of the degree to which they have unconsciously succumbed to the world and its values.”

He said everyone was created in the image of God and should be loved in that way.

For more http://www.news24.com

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Residents of Mahikeng and surrounding areas requested Parliament to give them more time to study the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill in order to make meaningful contributions on the draft legislation.

They told the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs that the time allocated for the public hearings on the Bill was not adequate, as some citizens only had less than a day to go through the Bill and were then expected to make comments.

“The time is not enough for the community to engage on the Bill, some of us only saw it for the first time today. Can you please allow us more time to go through it and come back for the public consultation,” Dipuo Matlhonoko said.

Another member of the community who claimed to have seen the Bill for the first time on the day of the public hearing, Mr Goitseone Motseoakhumo, said he needed two weeks to study it before he can make an input.

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Other members of the community advised 

Parliament to host more public 

educationsessions on the bill especially in 

rural areas  under traditional leadership and 

Khoi-San 

communities which, they argued, were mainly 

affected by the draft legislation.

Kgosi Gobusamang Shole from the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders asked the Committee to have the Bill translated into local languages, documents must be available is Setswana and for the Bill to be renamed “Traditional Affairs Bill”.

“The documents must also be available is Setswana. It is always good to read for yourself than to rely on interpretation and I also think the legislation should be renamed Traditional Affairs Bill because the current title makes the Khoi-San special than other tribes,” he told the Committee at the packed Mafikeng Civic Centre on Tuesday.

He also advised the Committee to consult further with houses of traditional leaders at local and provincial levels.

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Goitsemodimo Gaborone said the Bill will give 

more powers to the chiefs and was not in the 

interest of the community.

“Rural communities under traditional leadership are excluded from benefiting from natural resources, yet they are the owners of the land.

“Chiefs are still oppressing the people in rural communities, it is not true that communities do not respect traditional leaders – people feel undermined. Makgosi do not own the land, we all have equal rights to the land and the natural resources,” he said.

Committee Chairperson Mr Richard Mdakane said the Committee will return to the North West Province to meet with traditional leaders on issues raised by the public that were not related to the Bill.

“We are not here because we are scared to go to the Constitutional Court, but because the Constitution enjoins us to consult the public and we are here also to learn because we do not know everything, we value the views of our people,” he said.

For more http://www.allafrica.com

BY BAKANG MOKOTO

RUSTENBURG Local Municipality could be under new leadership in no time if what Forum 4 Service Delivery’s utterance is anything to go by. 

F4SD national spokesperaon, Elias Mogoru said they will robustly meet with the African Independent  Congress (AIC) for a high level discussion regarding the future of the Rustenburg Local Municipality.

“F4SD is of a view that the AIC is gradually seeing the light and will in due course release Rustenburg Municipality into the hands of community so as to take control the affairs of their platinum municipality,” Mogoru said.

No political party has won with the outright majority during Local Government elections back in 2016. 

He further said the coalition between the AIC and ANC was not based on what the people of Rustenburg were looking for from the AIC. 

“It is our strong conviction as F4SD that people of Rustenburg who voted against those who cannot deliver on their promises since 1994, wanted a corrupt-free and clean-run municipality. They also did that to strengthen our maturing democracy,”he said. 

Mogoru added that the wishes of the people of Rustenburg must be honored. According to Mogoru, AIC has agreed to meet with them to discuss the matter. 

“F4SD is confident that after this meeting, our counterparts in the Ekurhuleni will follow suit and AIC will listen to the voices of the masses on the ground,” he said. 

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BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

A MAN has been arrested in connection with murder of a police officer in Kimberly. Mzwandile Majosi, 28 appeared in Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

The Hawks provincial spokesperson, Capt Philani Nkwalase said the body of Constable Lentswe Edward Mogorosi was discovered in the veld near Lerato Park on January 8 at around 05:45am.

“The police officer had sustained multiple stab wounds on his face and body. Some of the deceased’s personal items were allegedly recovered during Majosi’s arrest.

“The investigations revealed that Majosi was convicted of robbery in 2008, theft conviction in 2010 and has a pending case of possession of drugs in Kimberley. Majosi decided to abandon his bail application soon after Hawks’ Investigating officer presented evidence against his bail application,” Nkwalase said.

Northern Cape Hawks Provincial Head, Major General Kholekile Galawe welcomed the court outcome and applauded the investigating team for their commitment in ensuring that cop killers remain behind bars.

The case was postponed to March 23 for further investigation.

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