With just four weeks left before the South African Women’s National team, Sasol Banyana Banyana take on Cameroon in their opening group match of the African Women’s Championship (AWC) in Windhoek, preparations for the AWC have now entered home stretch.

Having massacred neighbours Botswana 10-0 at Royal Bafoken stadium in Phokeng at the weekend, Vera Pauw’s charges now take on Cote d’Ivoire in another international friendly match on 24 September 2014, at the Moruleng stadium in Rustenburg. The match kicks-off at 15h00.

Banyana Banyana players were given two days rest after the match and assembled again on Tuesday to begin preparations for the Cote d’Ivoire encounter.

As she continues to streamline her final squad, coach Pauw has dropped midfielders Chantelle Esau and Tina Selepe.

She however, encouraged the two to keep working hard as there were huge prospects for them in the future.

“These are great players with wonderful skills, however I have to cut the squad down to 21 players, but these players will be considered as backup should we encounter injuries in the final weeks of preparation for the Championships,” said Pauw.
-TDN
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Cape Town – National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete is a “player” for President Jacob Zuma’s ANC, the DA said on Tuesday.

Calling on MPs from all parties to support a motion of no confidence in the Speaker, Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane said Mbete had a conflict of interest.

“Let me be clear, this motion is not personal. This is not about Baleka Mbete. Honourable Mbete is a competent member of this House. She’s a former deputy president. She has her flaws, but we respect her as an experienced politician.

“What this motion is about is about the office she holds in the ANC, and what it means to holding the office of Speaker.”

Mbete could not serve as a leader of the ANC and a neutral Speaker.

“The conflict of interest is untenable.”

Mbete had been deployed as Speaker to ensure Zuma did not have to face any tough questions.

“She came here not as an honest referee, but as a player for President Zuma’s ANC. She sold out this Parliament to her masters at Luthuli House,” Maimane said.

National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete gave little away in the form of emotion as opposition party MPs tried to pass a motion of no confidence in her.

Mbete – seated next to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa – folded her arms and sat listening to Maimane accuse her of protecting President Jacob Zuma from being held accountable.

She showed very little emotion as her integrity came under attack.

SAPA

Cape Town – Parliament’s communications portfolio committee has unanimously resolved to recommend the suspension of SABC board chairperson Ellen Tshabalala, pending the outcome of a probe into her qualifications.

The decision was taken during a committee meeting on Tuesday following a briefing by a senior legal advisor to Parliament.

“The appointing authority is the president and therefore if there are any intentions by the committee to suspend the chairperson, the committee would have to write a recommendation to the House for the House to pass a resolution recommending her removal pending the outcome of the inquiry…” legal advisor Ntuthuzelo Vanara said.

The final decision on whether Tshabalala would be suspended for allegedly lying about her qualifications lay with President Jacob Zuma.

MPs from parties across the political spectrum reached consensus on the matter.

“In view of the explanation now, I think let’s follow the legal process… recommend to Parliament for suspension…” said African National Congress MP Lerumo Kalako.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said given there was “overwhelming prima facie evidence” against Tshabalala, and that the possibility existed that she could “interfere with board processes” were all good reasons for her suspension.

“I think it might be in everyone’s best interests that she is suspended so there can be no retributive action taken in the run up to this process we are conducting in Parliament,” said DA MP Gavin Davis.

Economic Freedom Fighters’ MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi agreed.

“We need to inspire confidence in our people that we take our country and its citizens serious and that justice must be seen to be done,” Ndlozi said.

MPs also agreed that the inquiry would be open to the public, after an ANC MP suggested the committee “manage information” coming out of the process.

Last month, committee chairperson Joyce Moloi-Moropa was criticised for barring journalists from a meeting where Tshabalala’s alleged transgressions were discussed.

This time around she committed to a transparent process, saying: “Consensus reached. It will be open.”

Tshabalala is due to appear before the committee on September 25 when the inquiry is due to start.

City Press in July broke the story about Ellen lying about her qualifications.

She stated on her CV that she had a BCom degree from the University of South Africa (Unisa).

Tshabalala also claimed she held a post graduate degree in labour relations.

Unisa has since stated their records reflect she has neither of the qualifications.

SAPA

Cape Town – The debate around a no-confidence motion for parliamentary speaker, Baleka Mbete, has drawn crowds outside of Parliament.

The Democratic Alliance has proposed the motion and has criticised Mbete’s abilities as a Nation Assembly speaker.
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North West- The ANC in the North West will contest all the by-elections that will take place on Wednesday in Tswaing ward 6, Matlosana ward 7 and Greater Taung ward 24.

“Our candidates have been registered and are confirmed by the IEC as ANC candidates. Our election machinery is well prepared and oiled for the forthcoming by-elections in all wards that we will be contesting” ANC North West secretary Dakota Legote said.

Legote said the people of North West know the good the ANC continues to do to better their lives on a day to day basis.

Our people will prove us right tomorrow and help us to move South Africa forward by ensuring our overwhelming victory during these by-elections. We will be building on our victory in this by-elections to prepare for the 2016 Local Government elections and therefore
call upon all members and supporters of the ANC and our alliance partners to ensure an overwhelming victory for the ANC in these by –elections” he said.
-TDN
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Polokwane- The new Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane will host the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2015 qualifier between Bafana Bafana and Congo Brazzaville.

The all-important clash will take place on Wednesday, 15 October 2014, five days after the two teams clash in the Congolese coastal city of Point Noire on 10 October.

Kickoff is at 20h05.

But before the Polokwane clash, South Africa will travel to the notorious Point Noire stadium for a meeting with the same Congo (Brazzaville) on Friday, 10 October 2014. That encounter is scheduled to kick off at 15h30.

The Point Noire match will be Bafana Bafana’s third in the qualifiers following clashes with Sudan whom they crushed 3-0 and Nigeria (0-0).

Next week coach Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba is expected to announce his squad for the Congo clashes.

“I am glad to take the match to Polokwane. The people of Limpopo have never disappointed whenever Bafana Bafana play in Polokwane and we expect another bumper crowd on 15 October,” said coach Mashaba.

After two rounds, Bafana Bafana lie second with four points from two games while Congo is leading the pack with six points folllowing wins over Sudan and Nigeria.

The Super Eagles are third with one point, while Sudan are bottom of the table with no points.

Bafana Bafana still have to travel to Nigeria for a return leg against the Super Eagles.
-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Galeshewe- Police have offered a reward of R50 000 for any information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of a murder suspect.

“It is alleged that in November 2013, a 88-year-old Galeshewe woman was raped and murdered. No arrests have yet been made in this case. The deceased , Agnes Galehole was found naked in her house in Bella Street Galeshewe” colonel Priscilla Naidu said.
-TDN
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Pietermaritzburg – A 24-year-old woman made a brief appearance in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, charged with the rape of her husband.
For more http://www.news24.com

Johannesburg – Zimbabwean farmer Crawford von Abo, who suffered huge losses in land grabs in his home country, has been attacked on his Free State farm, Beeld reported on Tuesday.

Seven armed men attacked the 82-year-old farmer in his kitchen on his farm in Bothaville on Sunday morning.

He was hit over the head and tied up alongside his 79-year-old wife Bibi, and three farm workers.

Their assailants made off with money and cellphones.

“Luckily I have never in my life been scared, I just get angry,” said Von Abo.

“I am the very ‘die donner in’ [angry]…”

He said he told one of the farm attackers who threatened to slit his throat that he was not scared of him.

In 2011, Von Abo lost a court bid in South Africa to secure an order against the Zimbabwean government to pay him compensation after he became the victim of land grabs.

Von Abo had built up a large farming enterprise over 50 years in Zimbabwe, but was left penniless when his 14 farms were virtually destroyed by land invasions.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Several legal organisations on Monday said they were concerned by the threats and personal attacks directed at Judge Thokozile Masipa who presided over the trial of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius.

The Legal Resources Centre, Section27, and the Centre for Child Law said the wave of criticism directed at Masipa personally in relation to her judgment had resulted in her requiring police protection.

“Some of the remarks may even border on hate speech, defamation and contempt of court. These comments allege that Judge Masipa is corrupt, and or that her gender and or race rendered her incompetent in appropriately applying the law to the evidence presented,” the group said in a statement.

Masipa acquitted Pistorius of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp who he shot dead through a locked toilet door at his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day last year.

He alleged to have mistaken her for an intruder.

Pistorius was instead found guilty of culpable homicide.

The legal organisations said while it was understandable that many people may disagree with the judgment, it condemned the attack on her which it labelled unacceptable and inappropriate.

“[The attacks] serve no purpose but to undermine her judicial capacity,” the groups said.

“Judge Masipa’s gender and or race should be an irrelevant consideration in opinions on her judgment of the Oscar Pistorius trial or any other cases she adjudicates. Her decision last week required a considered application of the law in relation to the evidence presented by both parties.

“Whether male or female, black or white, the process would have been the same. It was her decision to make and she made it.”

The three groups said threatening Masipa because she is black because she is female should not be tolerated in the current constitutional framework, where equality and non-discrimination are of paramount importance.

SAPA