ATTACKS on the judiciary and the press group SA with other authoritarian regimes, former African National Congress (ANC) treasurer-general Mathews Phosa says.

Mr Phosa told delegates at a conference on SA’s role in the global race for Africa’s development on Thursday that the country’s leaders had to “stop attacking and vilifying the press and judiciary, as they are both key to our democracy”.

He is the first high-profile ANC leader to speak publicly against the attacks in recent weeks on the judiciary and “oppositionist” media.

SA had to take pride in having created institutions to protect rights and the Constitution, Mr Phosa said at the conference in Johannesburg. “The current game being played by our leadership is dangerous and has the potential (to destroy) everything that we have fought for,” he said.
For more http://www.BDLive.co.za

Vryburg – In line with the new strategy to deal with illegal occupation of houses which is rife in Bokone Bophirima, MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements, Collen Maine recently handed over the completed houses to legitimate beneficiaries in Extension 28, Naledi local municipality in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District.

These houses are part of the 1500 units and are the new generation of Breaking New Ground houses which have gutters, big windows with small window panes, aprons right around, kitchen with a sink, bath, hand basin and a toilet, smooth internal floor finish, basic electricity installation, ceiling and Chromadek roof sheeting. The project started last year in April.

The handing over ceremony coincided with the provincial government’s week-long Setsokotsane programme in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district.

MEC Maine said the Department’s quest to provide intergrated and sustainable human settlements, continues unabated. MEC Maine reiterated the commitment he made during the 2014/2015 Budget Speech “that human settlements will be used as a point of convergence to lead development and provision of social amenitities and economic activities particularly in as a contribution to the pillars of Agriculture, Culture and Tourism’’.

Also in Vryburg, MEC Maine also committed the Department to prioritising building proper houses to families whose houses where either demolished due to poor workmanship, got gutted by fire or families staying in inhabitable shacks.

‘Whilst we are aware of the fact that the waiting list is very long, we must be able to prioritise according to living conditions of our people”, he said.

He reiterated his stance to deal decisively with housing developers who built shoddy houses.

“We will not treat these developers with a cotton glove because they are hell bent on pocketing public funds yet deny the very same public access to decent houses. We will continue to come hard on them and even take it as far as having them blacklisted and they will never be able to do business in the province again’’, said MEC Maine.
-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

BY Obakeng Maje
Taung- North West Education and Sport Development MEC Wendy Matsemela will visit PH Mooketsi college on Thursday.

Matsemela embarked on a visit to all Winter camps across the province to oversee things around.
-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

BY OBAKENG MAJE
The owner of Mmabana Merriam Dikole crèche at Huhudi township outside Vryburg said the financial boost from government will allow her to expand the crèche to accommodate many children who have not attended any early childhood development centre in the area. Anges Mangqotywa who is also serving as a principal at the crèche said the handover of a cheque worth R153 000 by the authorities to her crèche is a major breakthrough to the management and staff of the crèche that has operated in a municipal building for 28 years.

“We are so grateful to the department of social development for the subsidy. It is a major breakthrough to us as management because we depend largely on the minimal fees that the parents and guardians pay for their children. Most of them are not working. As a result they default paying the fees which put the institution in a financial strain. We are so overjoyed to receive this large amount of money from government,” Mangqotywa said, adding that her love and passion for children has kept her going throughout the years that she operated a crèche in the area.

Her crèche, Mangqotywa said it provide early childhood lessons to 95 children from 0-4 years. Her aspiration is to have more children.
“I always encourage staff members here to love and respect all these children. By so doing we will see our intake increasing year by year,” she said.

During Setsokotsane service delivery blitz held in Naledi local municipality, North West MEC for Social Development Fenny Gaolaolwe led a team of social workers to the crèche and presented a cheque to the value of R153 000 to the management of the crèche. The money, Gaolaolwe said, will be paid out to the crèche on a monthly basis throughout the current financial cycle.

“The department has provided funding to 396 early childhood development centres across the province on a monthly basis to benefit more than 20 840 children in the previous year. The funding of these centres created 3 096 work opportunities to the unemployed practitioners. We will continue to monitor these centres and provide necessary interventions so that they meet the norms and standards required to operate an early childhood development centre,” Gaolaolwe said.

She said her department is guided by the National Development Plan Vision 2030 which directs that all children should enjoy services and benefits aimed at facilitating access to education, social care and safety.

Gaolaolwe said her department’s main focus is on extending early childhood services to children in far flung villages and farms by using fully equipped mobile ECD trucks.
-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

It was goals galore at on the first day of action at the 2015 SAFA U17 Boys National Championships, which is currently underway at the Nike Football Training Centre.

The tournament runs from 7-12 July, funded by the 2010 FIFA World Cup Legacy Trust.

This is the second year running that the event is held – won by Bidvest Wits, who are back again alongside invited club sides Mamelodi Sundowns and Mpumalanga Aces.

Nine matches were played and Sundowns were the biggest winners – scoring six without reply past the Eastern Cape. They followed up their good start with a 2-nil victory against Limpopo, who had earlier defeated Northern Cape by the same margin.

A total of 30 goals were scored on the first day of action, with Sundowns grabbing eight of those in two matches – Keabetswe Mokwena getting three to become the leading goal scorer.

North West came close as they won 4-2 against Free State, while the defending champions, Bidvest Wits, made their intentions clear with convincing 3-nil victory over KwaZulu Natal.

Earlier in the day Mpumalanga Aces made a remarkable come back from two goals down, but could not hold on and lost 3-2 to hosts Gauteng, while the Mpumalanga Province managed a 1-all draw against Western Cape.

The Cape derby between Eastern Cape and Northern produced no winner as they finished 1-all.

The last match of the day was The Battle of the East – Mpumalanga Aces vs Mpumalanga Province – but neither will be able to claim bragging rights as they ended in a 1-all stalemate.

Sundowns are odds on favourite to qualify for the last eight as they have amassed six points in Group A, closely followed by Limpopo on three points while Northern Cape and Eastern Cape are tied at one-point apiece.

In Group B the race to proceed to the semi-final seems to be between Wits and North West who are joint on three points each – but Wits has a better goal difference. Free State and KwaZulu Natal have not collected any points – all teams have played one match each.

Mpumalanga Aces is in danger of not making it into the last four after one draw and a defeat, which has left them with just one point at the bottom of Group C. At the top is Gauteng with three points after playing one match while Mpumalanga Province is second with two points from two games. Third is Western Cape.

Nine provinces are taking part in the tournament together with three invited club sides Sundowns, Aces and Wits – to bring the number of teams in the event to 12.

Group A Group B Group C

Mamelodi Sundowns Bidvest Wits Mpumalanga Aces
Limpopo North West Mpumalanga
Eastern Cape KwaZulu Natal Gauteng
Northern Cape Free State Western Cape

RESULTS:

Day 2 – Wednesday, 8 July 2015 (Group Stages)

Match No: Field

3. Mpumalanga Aces 2-3 Gauteng B
4. Mpumalanga 1-1 Western Cape A
1. M. Sundowns 6-0 Eastern Cape A
2. Limpopo 2-0 Northern Cape B
5. Bidvest Wits 3-0 KwaZulu Natal A
6. North West 4-2 Free State B
7. M. Sundowns 2-0 Limpopo B
8. Eastern Cape 1-1 Northern Cape A
9. Mpumalanga Aces 1-1 Mpumalanga B

(Find attached the latest log standings)

FIXTURES:

Day 3 – Thursday, 9 July 2015 (Group Stages)

Match No: Field Time

10. Bidvest Wits vs North West B 09h00
11. KwaZulu Natal vs Free State A 09h00
12. Western Cape vs Mpumalanga Aces A 10h30
13. Mpumalanga vs Gauteng B 10h30
14. Northern Cape vs Mamelodi Sundowns B 12h00
15. Limpopo vs Eastern Cape A 13h30
16. Free State vs Bidvest Wits A 15h00
17. North West vs KwaZulu Natal B 15h00
18. Gauteng vs Western Cape A 16h30
-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_