Pretoria – Allegations in The Sunday Times of extravagant spending by Communications Minister Dina Pule will not stick, the department said on Monday.

The newspaper was continuing to peddle slander and salacious rumours in what appeared to be a desperate attempt to convict Pule in the court of public opinion, said departmental spokesperson Wisani Ngobeni.

“We believe there is an attempt to convict the minister and the department in the court of public opinion. We must be careful as South Africans,” he said.

Ngobeni said the department was not aware of the documents published in The Sunday Times as proof of Pule’s alleged R700 000 travels to Mexico and New York with her boyfriend Phosane Mngqibisa, her personal assistant, and a deputy director general.

“We do not know the source of these documents and we do not have these documents on our records. We are unable to express a view on documents which we do not have knowledge of,” he said.

Under investigation

The Sunday Times was well aware that the department and Pule could not publicly respond to the allegations, because they were being investigated by Parliament’s ethics committee and the Public Protector.

The newspaper published what it claimed was a departmental travel form, on which Pule stated that Mngqibisa was travelling with her as a “companion”.

In March, The Sunday Times alleged that Mngqibisa organised the appointment of his relative, Lulama Makhoba, to the post of SABC CEO.

– SAPA

Cape Town – A video clip has been posted to YouTube showing a Pretoria cyclist being manhandled in a roadside scuffle, apparently by a diplomat’s security guards.
For more http://www.news24.com

Three teams are tied on points on top of the fourth Q-Innovation quarter, while the position of likely title winners Kaizer Chiefs may surprise you!

Amakhosi are still top of the log as a whole, but have won just one match in five – a woeful run of form that sees them slip to 11th on the Q4 log.

FULL PREMIERSHIP LOG HERE

Chiefs do have two matches to play, however, as do SuperSport United, Orlando Pirates and Black Leopards.

However, as it stands Platinum Stars are still leading Q4 on goal-difference, with Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic equal with them on 11 points.

Bidvest Wits are close behind on 10 points, while University of Pretoria and Chippa United bringing up the rear.

Sundowns have jumped from 11th to second in just 12 days – an impressive leap, coming off the back of three wins, two draws and just one defeat, to Celtic.

The Brazilians run of form has also boosted them into the top eight on the full log for the first time this season, and they will hope a win against Wits seals their spot in the top half.

See all Q-Innovation logs compared HERE

At the other end of the table, Ajax Cape Town and Chippa’s recent resurgence is plain to see on the Q4 log, with the two relegation-threatened sides sitting in seventh and sixth, respectively.

Ajax, Leopards and Chippa can all still be automatically relegated, but on form the Cape sides look safer, much to the relief of fans in the province, who were facing a season without a team in the Premiership.

Follow me on Twitter @ProjectJennifer

Q4

Team

Played

Won

Draw

Lost

GF

GA

GD

Points

1

Platinum Stars

6

3

2

1

10

4

6

11

2

Mamelodi Sundowns

6

3

2

1

9

5

4

11

3

Bloemfontein Celtic

6

3

2

1

7

5

2

11

4

Bidvest Wits

6

3

1

2

9

6

3

10

5

University of Pretoria

6

2

3

1

11

8

3

9

6

Chippa United

6

2

3

1

8

7

1

9

7

Ajax Cape Town

6

2

2

2

10

9

1

8

8

Moroka Swallows

6

2

2

2

8

7

1

8

9

SuperSport United

5

2

2

1

4

3

1

8

10

AmaZulu

6

2

1

3

8

8

0

7

11

Kaizer Chiefs

5

1

3

1

5

5

0

6

12

Free State Stars

6

1

3

2

9

11

-2

6

13

Orlando Pirates

5

1

2

2

2

3

-1

5

14

Golden Arrows

6

1

2

3

5

9

-4

5

15

Maritzburg United

6

0

4

2

4

7

-3

4

16

Black Leopards

5

1

0

4

5

17

-12

3
For more http://www.kickoff.com

Kaizer Chiefs captain Itumeleng Khune tells KickOff.com that the imminent departure of goalkeeper coach Rainer Dinkelacker has left him feeling ‘very emotional’.

The 64-year-old has confirmed that he will leave the club at the end of the year because of family reasons and he has recommended his countryman Dennis Rudel to take over. Rudel is currently the goalkeeper coach at Germany’s regional League side VFL Wolfsburg II.

READ: Dinkelacker: It is time to go

Khune says he will forever be grateful to Dinkelacker for the sterling work the German has done at Chiefs over the years.

“It is an indescribable feeling. I’m very emotional at the moment after you mentioned his name,” Khune admits. “Jeez, I really have no words. I don’t know what to say about him.

“You know what he has done for me. You know what he has done for Kaizer Chiefs. You know what he has done for South African football. He has really nurtured the talents of goalkeepers who have even represented the country.

“He has taken goalkeeping to another level. I’m not gonna blow my own horn, but it is there for people to see what Rainer has done for me,” he says.

Khune adds: “I have been the number one for Chiefs and Bafana for the past four to five years and that is because of him. So all thanks to him for finding myself where I am.

“He is the best in the world and we will miss him.”
For more http://www.kickoff.com

South Africa confirm their participation in the Cosafa Cup in Zambia and will be bringing a decent squad.

Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund wanted to be able to take the strongest possibe team to the regional championship which starts in July if they were to participate.

READ: Safa to meet PSL over Cosafa Cup

Talks between the South African Football Association (Safa) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for the release of the best possible players for the July 6-20 competition have been positive.

Safa CEO Dennis Mumble says he is pleased with the outcome.

“We will have a competitive team going to Lusaka,” Mumble told reporters. “The meeting went well and we were able to find agree and there were firm commitments.

“Obviously [club] coaches would like to take their players to camp in the off-season, but it’s also important we honour our commitment to Cosafa and we are hopeful we will have a strong team going to Zambia.”

South Africa has been drawn to face the winner of Group A in the competition, which comprises East African guests Tanzania, Namibia, Mauritius and Seychelles.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

Johannesburg – The community of the Nkaneng informal settlement, near Marikana, in the North West, must seek “calm” after three fatal shootings in the area, the ANC said on Monday.

“The African National Congress… urges the people of Nkaneng to seek the restoration of peace and calm within their community, and to co-operate with the SA Police Service in restoring lawfulness and order,” spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.

On Saturday, two brothers were killed and two women were wounded at Nkaneng, outside Rustenburg, when a group of armed men, wrapped in blankets and wearing balaclavas, stormed into their shack.

Police responding to the scene were shot at when they passed Wonderkop.

They returned fire. No casualties were reported.

Amcu member killed

Also on Saturday, Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) North West organiser Mawethu Khululekile Stevens, 46, was killed at a tavern in Nkaneng.

Mthembu said the ANC condemned the shootings “in the harshest terms”.

“Marikana cannot be allowed to deteriorate into a bastion of lawlessness and the [ANC] urges the law enforcement agencies to act determinedly and with urgency to bring those involved in these crimes to answer before the judicial system.”

The party called for restraint in the spreading of rumours and unproved theories about the cause of the violence, as this could lead to further tension in the area.

Mthembu called on the police to ensure the crimes were punished, regardless of the identity of the killers or their motives, and to restore peace in the area.

SAPA

A team from the Department of Public Service and Administration is in the North West Province to monitor citizens’ access to information in line with Batho Pele Revitalisation Strategy. The team started its work on the first day of its three days monitoring exercise with visits to the Mahikeng Thusong Hospital, Lichtenburg State Veterinary Office and Mahikeng Provincial Hospital this morning.

The objective of the monitoring site visits that is targeting over 21 sites is to verify public and visible display of service delivery charters and standards at service sites across the province.

“The monitoring exercise will assist evaluate how far we have gone towards providing quality access to integrated service delivery with citizen’s engagement and participation and is a follow up to 

 deployment of Executive Authorities, Senior and Middle Managers to assess, monitor and follow-up on service delivery challenges towards a better life for All,” says Premier Thandi Modise.

Complaints management mechanisms, public and visible display of service delivery charter and service standards including statement of the citizen’s rights and statement of the citizen’s obligations in the dominant language in the area are some of the aspects that the team will be monitoring at more than 21 sites to be visited across the province.

Intervention programmes are to be instituted where there is non-compliance or where there is a need for improvement at the sites to be visited.

Similar visits were conducted in Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and Gauteng and will be followed up by unannounced site visits by the Minister of Public Service and Administration, Dr. Lindiwe Sisulu.

The father of a 19-year-old being treated for a minor concussion and severe bruising says he is determined to find out what caused her mother’s Jaguar to veer off the road and crash into the rocks at Bakoven near Camps Bay.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Swellendam – A Swellendam pastor is to appear in the Swellendam Magistrate’s Court on Monday charged with trying to smuggle drugs into a prison.

The man was among a group of clergymen granted access to Buffeljags Correctional Centre in Swellendam to perform spiritual rehabilitation of prisoners on Saturday. Correctional Services spokesman Simphiwe Xako said when the pastor was searched at the gate, prison officials alerted police who arrested him.
For more http://www.iol.co.za