BY LESEDI SETLHODI

PUDIMOE- THE residents of Pudimoe and other neighbourhoods were up in arms on Friday after they took their grievances to the streets. The residents barricaded the national road (N18) between Taung and Vryburg at around 06:00am.

They were picketing over a community hall that was supposed to be built at Matlhako 1, but according to some of the residents their ward councillor did not fulfil her promises.

Olebogeng Lencwe said the community barricaded the road with burning tyres and tree branches after there was a disagreement between them and the ward councillor.

“The community was gatvol after the ward councillor Deliwe Zethi promised them to build a community hall at a certain stand, but as we speak now the stand was trimmed into a smaller space” Olebogeng Lencwe said.

Another concerned resident said the councillor does not work together with them. “We want the ward councillor to step down as there are many issues that need her full attention, but she does not want to have none of that. The stand was there long time ago, but she let people built on that stand and now it is too small for a community hall to be built on” Modisaotsile Lebitse said.

More than ten people were apprehended by police for public violence including the chairperson of Young Communist League, Thapelo Sambatha-Galeboe.

North West police spokeperson sergeant Kelebogile Moleko said the police cleared the N18 road and the situation was back to normal.

“We can confirm that a 25 year-old man was arrested for public violence at Pudimoe location, near Taung after community members embarked on illegal protests. Police cleared the road and situation is calm so far” Moleko said.

The picketing took place on Friday and it is alleged that Greater Taung Municipal Mayor Kaone Lobelo and Speaker Deliwe Zethi were engaged with community members in a meeting on Thursday to find common ground regarding the stand allocated for a new community hall to be built in the area.

The meeting was futile as that precipitated into picketing and there community vowed not to back-off on their quest to dethrone their ward councillor from her position.

-TDN

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Cape Town – Students are again protesting at Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Bellville campus on Friday, which was the scene of violent clashes between students on Thursday.

Students were said to be in “full force” outside the administration building in the centre of campus, News24 was told on Friday.

For more http://www.news24.com

Pretoria – President Jacob Zuma assured editors on Friday that the jamming of cellphone networks in Parliament will not happen again.

“Rest assured that will never happen again and we did not know about it and we are condemning it. It was uncalled for,” he said after a meeting with the SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) at the presidential guesthouse in Pretoria.

Zuma said it was important that he met editors to make sure it did not happen again.

On 12 February, before Zuma delivered his state-of-the-nation address, journalists and some MPs protested that cellphone signals were being blocked in Parliament.

The signals were restored after National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete asked Secretary to Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana to look into the matter.

On Thursday, State Security Minister David Mahlobo said glitches with “counter-surveillance tactical measures” had led to the mobile signal disruptions on the day.

Sanef chairman Mpumelelo Mkhabela said on Friday Zuma had expressed government’s regret at what happened.

Sanef also made the president aware that editors had tried to talk to government officials before the start of his address, but that they “didn’t get positive feedback”.

“He was not aware of that and made it very clear that that should be criticised,” Mkhabela said.

“Government should be able to respond when concerns are raised and… we agreed that things should always be resolved the South African way, through negotiations and conversations…”

He said Sanef was happy with its discussion with Zuma.

Sanef had also briefed him on issues encountered in Parliament about the broadcasting feed.

Sanef would meet Parliament’s presiding officers about this.

“There was no need for the president’s state-of-the-nation address to be disturbed, for the first time in history, because cellphone signals were not working,” Mkhabela said.

“It is an issue we could have addressed early, as he correctly pointed out, and it’s regrettable and will never happen again and we take his word for it.”

Zuma said the meeting also discussed the relationship between government and the media in general, and a number of issues were agreed on.

“We should better the relationship and be able to communicate as often as possible… We are all patriots of the country and we want to promote the country,” he said.

Cape Town – The state of the province address in the Western Cape legislature was suspended for two hours on Friday after the ANC raised a point of order on a ruling made last year.

African National Congress chief whip Pierre Uys stood up before premier Helen Zille was due to speak and addressed speaker Sharna Fernandez.

For more http://www.news24.com

Cape Town – The ANC will continue to defend minorities, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

Responding to debate on his State of the Nation address, Zuma criticised Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder, who on Wednesday warned Zuma he was playing with fire by singling out minorities.

“I fight against those who suppress minorities,” Zuma told the joint sitting.

The president said the ANC remained bound to the principles espoused by the country’s first democratically-elected president, Nelson Mandela.

“When arrested by the white oppressor he [Mandela] told them in court: ‘I have fought against white domination. I have fought against black domination,” Zuma said.

“What we do in government is informed by those principles and policies.”

Pointing at Mulder, Zuma said the ANC would never chase white people out of the country.

At the same time Zuma remained unapologetic about remarks he made last month at an ANC fund-raiser in Cape Town, where he said “all the trouble began” in 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck landed at the Cape.

“Our children must know where we come from so that coming generations should not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said.

During Wednesday’s debate Mulder accused Zuma and his party of resorting to “scapegoat politics” to stem their support losses.

“The honourable president says a man called Jan van Riebeeck arrived here, and that was the start of problems in the country. I can prove the president is wrong. But what did he say in plain language? He said, when white people arrived here the trouble started.

“What is the understanding of ordinary ANC supporters? They understand that if one gets rid of the white man, all problems are solved. Get rid of the cockroaches and all problems go away.”

He questioned the ANC’s commitment to the Constitution, and whether the ruling party would hand over power peacefully if it lost an election.

“Does the ANC really believe in the Constitution and democratic principles? I say no.”

He told Zuma: “You are currently the problem. Please leave scapegoat politics. Respect democratic values and stop attacking and driving me, as an Afrikaner, and other groups away.”

Cape Town – President Jacob Zuma was on a charm offensive in Parliament this afternoon while responding to a two-day debate on his state of the nation address, City Press reports.

Zuma was anything but a “broken man” as he was labelled by DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane in a fiery speech on Tuesday.

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

Cape Town – Cabinet has condemned the disruption of the State of the Nation address as an insult to those who laid down their lives in the liberation struggle, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said on Thursday.

“Cabinet condemns the unruly and un-parliamentary conduct of some members of Parliament during the opening of Parliament,” Radebe told a briefing following Cabinet’s regular fortnightly meeting.

For more http://www.news24.com

Johannesburg – Sibanye Gold [JSE:SGL], the biggest producer of the metal in South Africa, intends to become energy-independent “over the next few years” as state utility Eskom struggles to supply the economy with enough power.

The company is considering investing in solar power and building its own coal-fired plants of 200 megawatts to 600 megawatts to reduce reliance on “inconsistent and increasingly expensive” electricity, the Westonaria, South Africa-based company said in a statement on Thursday.

The investment in solar power would cost about R3bn ($258m) and generate 150 megawatts, Sibanye said. The company’s overall demand is 500 megawatts, it said.

The company’s so-called headline earnings rose 14% to $69.7m in the six months through December from the preceding six-month period, it said on Thursday. Gold production increased 23% in the six-month period to 877 400 ounces. For the full year, headline profit declined 46% to $130.9m from 12 months earlier.

For more http://www.news24.com