Orlando Pirates leave for Tunisia on Wednesday night ahead of their CAF Champions league second-leg semifinal clash against Espérance de Tunis. The Buccaneers had a visit from the Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula prior to their departure.

The Sea Robbers know they need goals against Esperance. After a goalless draw at home, the Buccaneers need a scoring draw or a win to advance to the finals. And to give them some encouragement, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula decided to pay them a visit.

Mbalula says, “It is important for Pirates. It is important for South Africa. It is important for the whole nation. You are the only team in history that brought us the star – the dominance in the African continent by the countries in the north. Today, you are standing up to them on our behalf and in that way, we know that South Africa shall rise and we will come to be respected by nations in the world and in the African continent.”

And his words did not go unheard. Pirates Coach Rodger De Sa says, “It’s nice to be recognised, you know, to be honoured in this manner. For these people to take their time and see the importance of it, it’s good for us, it’s good for the players and everybody gets well motivated by it.”

Pirates have won this prestigious trophy before, back in 1995. Despite being a stone’s throw away from the final, the players need to focus on this match only.

The Buccaneers will travel to Tunis via Dubai, and are scheduled to arrive in the capital on Thursday evening.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Wheelchair Tennis South Africa received the biggest recognition at the SA Sports Awards nominees announcement on Wednesday.

US Open quads champion, Lucas Sithole has been nominated for the SA Sports Star of the Year, alongside last year’s winner Chad Le Clos.

The awards function will take place at Sun City next month.

The public will vote for the Sports Star of the Year, who will walk away with R1 million and a brand new car.

Olympic gold medalist Le Clos faces stiff competition from Sithole, PSL Footballer of the year Itumeleng Khune, and SA Cricketer of the Year Hashim Amla.

Mapaseka Makhanya, whose only success was in local marathons, completes the nomination list.

Sports Minister, Fikile Mbalula says: “These are the flowers of the nation that people have come to follow and basically support them. So, if you ask me about the product on Wednesday, I could not have asked for more.”

Sithole, the first African man to win a US Open title of any kind, is also up for Sportsman of the Year with a disability.

The nomination of his coach, Holger Losch, for the Coach of the Year, caps Wheelchair Tennis South Africa’s glorious year.

“I was surprised when I was nominated for the Sports Star of the Year, I was not expecting it really. However, I am happy to be nominated with those guys, they are big sports stars of South Africa, they are big icons to the youth. I am very honoured.”

SASCOC’s President Gideon Sam acknowledged that there are deserving athletes who didn’t make the final list.

Cyclist Daryl Impey, the first South African to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, should feel hard done by.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

The self-confessed murderer of North West Finance employee Ivy Molefe says he brutally killed her as instructed by his three co-accused, who had promised to pay him.

Thabo Thamaga was giving evidence at the North West High court in Mahikeng on Wednesday. He says they drank lot of liquor before the killing plan was executed.

Molefe was first hit with the back of a firearm before being chopped while lying on her back on a flat rock. She bled excessively which ultimately made her dizzy and unconscious.

Thamaga says during the killing he was so drank that he mercilessly killed Molefe at Burmansdrift farm, outside Mahikeng.

In April 2012, Molefe’s decomposed body was found three weeks after she had gone missing.

Four suspects, Lizabeth Mosweu, Penny Tatushi, Thabo Thamaga, including Molefe’s husband Klaas Molefe were arrested in connection with her murder.

The trial continues.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Bakkies laden with zinc plates, poles and a variety of building equipment were by yesterday rolling in to the new found settlement of Tambo Square to the near east of the West End cemetery. The Sol Plaatje municipality had initially been violently opposed to squatters occupying the reclaimed mine soil dump site and deployed the South African police to discourage squatters from the vacant land. – See more at: http://www.nctimes.co.za/squatters-invade-land-in-tambo-square/#sthash.BsdR0eIM.dpuf

The final countdown to the matric finals has begun! There are only a couple of days left before the Class of 2013 sharpen their minds and change their lives. As they get ready to write their final examinations at the end of October, Geleza Nathi and SABC Education television show gives learners the opportunity to revise everything they need to know moments before they step into exam venues.

Broadcasting live from October 21 at 5am on SABC1, Geleza Nathi brings some of South Africa’s top teachers to go through typically challenging questions to help learner with any last minute preparation they might need.
”Geleza Nathi is Mzansi’s number one study buddy. Every morning the show provides learners with support needed in their subject revision for exams. Learners are encouraged to send their probing questions to the Geleza Nathi facebook; these will be answered during the live recordings” says SABC Education commissioning Editor Fani Matsebane.

Additional educational support from the Geleza Nathi teachers will also happen live on facebook the evening before learners write their exams. Messages of support for the Class of 2013 can also be sent to facebook to stand a chance of winning awesome prizes.
Tune into Geleza Nathi, Mondays to Fridays from 5am to 6am only on SABC1, facebook: search for Geleza Nathi.
For more http://www.potchefstroomherald.co.za

The Ikageng Cemetery has been turned into a playground and footpath by community members living near the cemetery.

School children and elders take shorter routes through the cemetery every day to reach their destinations quicker.

Most disturbing are the vandalised tombstones which are very expensive and an important memorials for families who lost their loved ones.

The cemetery is in dire condition as there are no gates or security guards and it is not maintained by the municipality. An angry community member, Mr Bethuel Mokotedi, went to the cemetery and paid his respects to his ancestors on September 23, when he was shocked at by the condition of the cemetery.

“Where is the respect for the dead? We are paying thousands to bury and erect tombstones for our beloved families. We pay fees to the Tlokwe Municipality for the maintenance and service but this is what we get in return. Ikageng Cemetery is not maintained and looked after compared to the Potchefstroom cemetery.”

The question that many community members want an answer to is ‘Who is responsible for the vandalised tombstones?’ In the former executive mayor, Maphetle Maphetle’s budget speech earlier this year, he stated that council had a budget of more than 1 million to upgrade all the cemeteries, but to date nothing has been done.

By the time of going to print no response had been received from the municipal spokesperson, Mr Willie Maphosa.
For more http://www.potchefstroomherald.co.za

MMIC is the company in which members of the Potchefstroom community bought shares in the shopping mall development, as was facilitated by the Tlokwe City Council when it sold the land to the developers years ago.

During 2010, Atterbury bought the Mooirivier Shopping Mall from its developers, and the agreement was made that in line with the original commitments to the city council, the community company will be allotted shares in Atterbury by the developers.

Atterbury, which is to change its name to Attacq (Atterbury Acquisitions Ltd.) was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on the October 14.
For more http://www.potchefstroomherald.co.za

Johannesburg – The department of social development (DSD) is failing to register child offenders, the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said on Wednesday.

This had emerged in an investigation prompted by a complaint last year, said SAHRC spokesperson Isaac Mangena.

The complaint had included a consideration of the accuracy of the Child Protection Register (CPR) over a specific period of time, and whether it reflected all the offenders convicted of committing crimes against or involving children, he said.

“Such persons need to be recorded as being unsuitable to work with or have contact with children.”

Under the Children’s Act, the DSD was obliged to maintain and update the CPR.

The SAHRC had found court officials were not properly trained to carry out functions necessary to enable the DSD to fully update the register, said Mangena.

The DSD was also experiencing severe resource constraints which affected its ability to maintain and implement the register.

“[We] found that the failure [of the DSD] to properly implement the CPR weakened the framework for the protection of children and resulted in a violation of section 28 of the Bill of Rights,” said Mangena.

Section 28 states that every child has the right to be protected from neglect, abuse or degradation.

The DSD, the department of women, children and people with disabilities, and the justice department were included in the investigation.

Mangena said the SAHRC had recommended the DSD and justice department provide it with reports detailing their problems implementing the CPR and how these could be improved.

The DSD has denied receiving any report from the SAHRC on the matter.

“The department has not been given the report by the SAHRC and is hearing this for the first time from the media,” said DSD spokesperson Lumka Oliphant.

“[We are] therefore unable to comment on the findings,” she said.

– SAPA

Mbombela – Two men accused of murdering a Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) employee with a hammer three years ago were found guilty by the Nelspruit circuit of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday.

Justin Fanyana Malambe, 41, also a KMIA employee, was found guilty of robbing and murdering Nonkululeko Thandi Khoza at her home in Dwaleni Trust outside White River on 21 May 2010.

His co-accused Sibusiso Wonder Phelembe, 29, was convicted of the robbery, the murder and of raping Khoza.

Justice Daisy Molefe postponed the case to Thursday for arguments in mitigation of sentencing.

The court heard on Monday that Khoza’s half-naked body, with injuries to the head and chest, was discovered by relatives in her bedroom.

On Wednesday, Molefe said Malambe’s defence had applied for him to be acquitted on all counts, arguing that the State had failed to prove its case.

“The court has decided against this application,” she said.

“The report from the DNA laboratory has found that the sweat found by the experts on the hammer handle used in the murder, has positively implicated the accused in the murder.”.

Molefe found that Malambe was linked only to the robbery and murder charges.

“The court has found that there is no evidence linking the accused with the rape charge. The accused did give his blood for the DNA tests, but no evidence has positively linked him.

“He is therefore acquitted only on the rape charge, but is found guilty on the robbery and murder charges,” Molefe said.

She said Khoza’s cellphone had led the police to Phelembe.

“The accused was also linked to the rape charge after the DNA tests came back positive. There is no evidence on how the cellphone was taken from the deceased.

“There is also no evidence on whether the sex between the accused and the deceased was on agreement,” the judge said.

Molefe said she was satisfied with the argument of prosecutor Kenneth Mashile that there was a prima facie case against Phelembe.

“The court has not heard the version of the accused. I am satisfied there is a prima facie case against him. All evidence including DNA results from the laboratory have linked him positively in all three counts and he is therefore found guilty as charged,” she said.

– SAPA

Cape Town – MPs, including at least one Cabinet minister, are to be named and shamed for failing to disclose their business interests on time, Parliament’s ethics committee said on Wednesday.

The 2013 Register of Members’ Interests was released during a committee meeting. It lists the business interests, sponsorships, gifts, property, travel, pensions and other financial interests of MPs.

During the meeting, it emerged that 59 MPs had missed the 23 August deadline.

Parliament’s members’ interests registrar Faziela Mahomed said there were a further three MPs who had not handed in their disclosure forms at all.

They included two MPs who were ill, and disgraced former communications minister Dina Pule, who was suspended from Parliament before the deadline.

Mahomed recommended to the committee that the three be given an extension to complete their forms.

The other 59 politicians would not be given any grace, with MPs from all parties wanting them to be sanctioned for the late disclosures.

The African National Congress’s Gerhard Koornhof said all MPs had been sent letters and text messages reminding them to submit their disclosure forms before the deadline.

“The 59 that did not submit in time, I propose that their names be published in the ATC,” Koornhof said.

The ATC (Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports) is a parliamentary document published daily.

Democratic Alliance MP Anchen Dreyer agreed and said the ethics committee had to flex its muscles in dealing with non-compliant MPs.

“I’m taking a tougher line… in the case of ex-minister Pule. She was suspended three days before the deadline, but she’s known all along the deadline is coming,” Dreyer said.

“It’s ironic that the very case for which she appeared [before the committee on misconduct charges] had dealt with her wrongful submission on members’ interests.”

Truth

On Pule’s non-submission, committee chair Ben Turok said he was not as focused on her missing the deadline.

“The issue for us is, is she going to comply honestly? Whether it’s a week later or a week earlier is of little interest. What interests me is, is she going to tell us the truth?” Turok said.

Pule was suspended from Parliament in August after the ethics committee found she had failed to declare that her romantic partner Phosane Mngqibisa materially benefited from the sponsorship of last year’s information and communications technology event, the ICT Indaba, which her department hosted in Cape Town.

Inkatha Freedom Party MP Koos van der Merwe defended Pule, saying the matter was “buried” and that words like dishonesty should not be used as she was an “honourable member and we must accept her integrity”.

He was not so kind when it came to the MPs who missed the disclosure deadline.

“I think the chair of the committee should write to each one of the 59 reading them the riot act,” Van der Merwe said.

Reprimand

Turok’s co-chair, Lemias Mashile, said that instead of writing to the MPs, he would insist that Parliament’s presiding officers reprimand them.

Mahomed told the committee she had heard from a male Cabinet minister who was among those who had sent in their disclosure form late. She did not name him.

“We received a letter saying that he had not received the form… He was just very furious and he wanted us to prove [that we sent him the disclosure form],” Mahomed said.

ANC MP Modjadji Mangena said this was no excuse for making a late disclosure.

“Every year, Sars [SA Revenue Service] doesn’t write letters, but you know you are suppose to submit those [tax return] forms. Why can’t they [MPs] learn without being told that we are supposed to do this? Even that minister, I’m sorry to say that, he is lying.”

– SAPA