Johannesburg – Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will not vote for the ANC, he wrote in an opinion piece carried by the Mail&Guardian on Friday.

“I have voted for the ANC, but I would very sadly not be able to vote for them after the way things have gone,” he wrote in a piece for Prospect magazine, which was carried by the Mail&Guardian.

“I am not a card-carrying member of any political party,” he said.

Tutu said there was a need for change in the country.

The African National Congress had been “very good” at leading the country in the struggle to be free from oppression.

“They were a good freedom-fighting unit. But it doesn’t seem to me now that a freedom-fighting unit can easily make the transition to becoming a political party.”

He said the “first thing” the next elected Parliament had to do was to change the electoral system so one was elected on the basis of the constituency, and would be accountable to the electorate.

“Those in Parliament are accountable to their party first rather than the electorate.”

Tutu wrote that although the country had the capacity to be one of the most vibrant countries in the world, it had the most unequal society in the world.

“We can’t hold our heads up with pride when you think of the levels of violence in our country.”

He wrote that South Africans were “amazing”. They had been committed to freedom during the political struggle, and had been ready to lay down their lives.

“But now one can point to so many instances of corruption, of unaccountability,” he wrote.

“Seeing how standards have dropped is so galling, because it seems to give ammunition to those who would say: ‘we warned you that once you had a black majority government you would see a steady decline in standards’.”

– SAPA

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has apologised for seeing red in the Nedbank Cup semi-final, explaining that a personal tragedy sparked his actions.

Baxter was sent of by referee Victor Gomez in the match against United FC on May 4 for abusive language, and will have to watch Amakhosi’s final two matches from the stands.

The coach explains that he heard the news that a player at his former club had passed away before the match, putting him under psychological stress.

“I was probably over-emotional on the day after receiving the news of the death of my goalkeeper at my former club AIK in Stockholm, Sweden,” Baxter tells kaizerchiefs.com. “Ivan Turina died in his sleep on the 2nd of May, the news that shattered not only me but my whole family and sent shock waves in Swedish football.”

However, the coach also adds that he believes his dismissal was harshly awarded.

“It was at the end of the game and I had not been warned before this incident,” he says.

“At the end of the day I take responsibility for my actions. I would like to apologise for my action to the referee and I regret that this happened – although it was in the heat of the moment.”

Chiefs are top of the Premiership log. Their final two League fixtures are against SuperSport United and University of Pretoria.

For more http://www.kickoff.com

While the race for the Absa Premiership title continues this weekend, football fans in the Free State are eagerly gearing up for the derby between Bloemfontein Celtic and Free State Stars.

Both teams are looking to end the season on a strong note to ensure that they can secure a top eight finish.

Celtic are in fifth spot at present, while Stars are eighth, but only three points separate the two rivals. And there are also a couple of teams hovering just outside the top eight that could be ready to pounce should any of the current incumbents slip up.

The points on offer are of course vital, but for the players, and even more so the supporters, Saturday’s clash at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein will be very much about pride and bragging rights.

And Phunya Sele Sele fans will know that in their captain Thabo Nthethe, they have someone who will be prepared to die out on the field to make sure that they go home happy.

The 28-year-old Bloemfontein-born defender is green and white through and through, having spent his entire career with his home-town club after having made his PSL debut back in 2004/ 2005.

The Bafana Bafana centre-back is hopeful that his side can add another derby scalp to the current campaign – Celtic have already beaten Stars twice this season.

“Stars beat us in the league, but then we went on to beat them twice in cup competitions. So hopefully we can continue where we left off in those games, and get another win on Saturday.

“We are in good form now, and we are targeting a top four finish, which we could achieve by winning our last two games,” he told PSL.co.za.

Nthethe says that the derby fever is tangible in Bloemfontein, and he understands how much this one means to the fans.

“Everyone is talking about the game. Everybody wants to be at the stadium for the match, there is a great vibe around town at the moment.

“Its always good walking out in front of our home fans, but for this game there is something extra in the air, you can feel it when you get out onto the pitch,” he explained.

The two clubs have played in 43 league derbies since 1986. Ea Lla Koto currently hold the advantage, with 14 wins to Celtic’s 12, while there have been 17 draws.

The last 10 league encounters ended as follows:

2007/08 Stars 1-0 Celtic Sibisi

2008/09 Celtic 1-0 Stars Mensah (og)

2008/09 Stars 5-1 Celtic (Makola, Mofokeng, Batabaire (og), Madimabe, Ngcobo; Schalkwyk)

2009/10 Celtic 2-2 Stars (Olomu 2; Richartz, Nkhatha)

2009/10 Stars 0-1 Celtic (Segolela)

2010/11 Stars 0-1 Celtic (Chenene)

2010/11 Celtic 1-0 Stars (Mthembu)

2011/12 Celtic 1-0 Stars (Spandeel)

2011/12 Stars 2-1 Celtic (Wome, Masehe; Bacela)

2012/13 Stars 1-0 Celtic (Nomandela)

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

PAMPIERSTAD: The Pampierstad SAPS are investigating cases of murder, armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition which allegedly took place on Saturday 4 May 2013. A group of men entered a local tuck shop and allegedly robbed the 28 year-old owner at gun-point from an undisclosed amount of cash and groceries. Upon fleeing they ran into Mr Isaac Pico (25), a neighbour who came to investigate the noise. He was shot in the head and died on the scene. Seven men were arrested at their homes in Pampierstad the next day. Police also found the firearm allegedly used during the crime. The seven suspects are James Thladi (23), Malebo Mahadika (22), Serami Bosvark (21), Lebogang Pilane (24), Olebogeng Ndineni (19), Otsile Monamudi (20) and Dumisani Mocumi (23). They appeared before the Pampierstad District Court, but the case was remanded to 14 May 2013. The men are also linked to another recent armed robbery as well as an attempted armed robbery in the area. The Pampierstad police were lauded for the swift arrests and the community for their assistance with information in this regard. Police request that information regarding the incident be forwarded to Detective Captain Lesang Moratiwa at 082 443 8640

For more http://www.kathugazette.com

A cloud of sorrow hung over the graduation ceremony for the human and social science faculty at North West University Mafikeng Campus yesterday following the death of Lesedi Motsamai.

Lesedi was set to graduate with a BA Communications degree but she died in a tragic accident on Sunday while preparing for the occasion.

She hailed from Gaara-Gaetsalwe village in Makgobistadt, outside Mahikeng.

News of her death was received with shock and sadness by the university community and members of the public.

Campus Rector Prof Dan Kgwadi told those who attended an earlier graduation on Wednesday that the university had decided to call a family member to receive Lesedi’s certificate.  

The Marketing and Communications department at the university expressed the institution’s condolences to the Motsamai family and indicated that the university shared the grief.

Lesedi’s funeral is set for Saturday in Makgobistadt.

For more http://www.thenewage.co.za 

Bafana Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund leaves for Cairo, Egypt tonight (Thursday, 9 May 2013) to attend a symposium to analyse the 28th and 29th Editions of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations (Gabon and Equatorial Guinea 2012 and South Africa 2013).

The gathering will take place from 11 – 13 May 2013 in the Egyptian capital and will be attended by coaches whose countries participated in the two Editions. Also in attendance will be the continent’s Technical Directors.

Igesund will be among the coaches that will make a presentation about football on the continent and will share his experience with other top coaches from across the African continent.

“I am hoping to represent South Africa well and show the outside world that we were and are always great hosts. But most importantly, I will promote our league structures and showcase how strong it is. I will talk about Bafana Bafana in relation to the AFCON tournament; what was missing from the whole tournament, not just our national team but what I think should be improved overall,” said Igesund.

Also invited to the top notch seminar is Spain’s head coach Vicente del Bosque, who is expected to share some of his experiences with the delegates.

Igesund will travel together with SAFA’s Acting Technical Director, Ms. Fran Hilton-Smith.

She will be among Fifty-four (54) Technical Directors in attendance at this ground breaking event. 

“I feel honoured to be attending this event and hope to draw lots of knowledge from this momentous gathering. I also intend implementing my findings from this conference at junior national team level. I am happy that we have been given an opportunity to attend this meeting of soccer greats from our continent,” said Hilton-Smith.

“Although I was not directly involved with our own national team, I worked with the team that helped put together the CAF Technical Report for the past tournament. In Egypt we will look at the methods and the formula successful teams use in tournaments so that we can in turn use this back home for our junior national teams,” said Hilton-Smith.

The duo returns to South Africa on Wednesday, 15 May 2013.

Senior National Team coach Gordon Igesund has described as “excellent” news of Bafana Bafana climbing six places in the latest FIFA/Coca Cola World Rankings released on Wednesday, 9 May 2013.

South Africa has moved from 62 to 56 in the world rankings, while also breaking into the top 10 on the continent.

Bafana Bafana now lies on number 9 in Africa.

”That is excellent, it’s good news really. It shows we have put in the hard work and made serious progress. Building a solid side is something that takes time but it’s a clear indication that we are on the right track, we have made great strides,” said Igesund.

“This emphasises the importance of rankings. It shows that every match we play is affected whether positively or negatively. Therefore, we should take every match we play seriously. It is very critical that when we play in any match or tournament, we must have our best squad to ensure that we get positive results so we can continue the climb.”

The Bafana Bafana mentor says rankings should not be taken lightly as they play a key role.

“Come big tournaments like the World Cup, if we are not placed higher on the rankings we will not be seeded and we will end up meeting big guns in the event affecting our chances of progressing further. 

“So it is important that we strive to be high up among the best. We have an obligation and responsibility to the fans to be in the top 20 in the world and among the best three on the continent – that is our mission. I am glad that we are working towards that direction,” added Igesund.

Cote d’Ivoire is still leading the pack on the continent, followed by Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Algeria. Completing the top 10 are Tunisia, Zambia, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea.

On the world rankings, Spain is still on top, along with Germany, Argentina, Croatia, Portugal, Columbia, England, Italy, Netherlands and Ecuador.

The next rankings will be released on Thursday, 6 June 2013.

Top 10 in Africa

Ivory Coast                   (12th in the world)

Ghana                           (22nd)

Mali                              (26th)

Nigeria                          (28th)

Algeria                          (35th)

Tunisia                          (41st)

Zambia                          (46th)

Burkina Faso                 (50th)

South Africa                (56th)

Equatorial Guinea           (61st)

The 20- year jail sentence given to a North West man by the Itsoseng Regional Court for the rape of a six-year-old should sent a strong message to perpetrators of sexual office against children that those who rob innocent childen of their childhood will face the full might of the law, North West Premier Thandi Modise said on Thursday.

“We welcome the jail term as it served justice on the perpetrator who betrayed the trust that the little girl had on him as a chorister who sang with her father in the same choir. We call upon parents to conscientise their children against the danger of accompanying people known or unknown to them anywhere in their absence or letting them into their homes in their absence,” said Premier Modise.

According to police, Peter Monoto, 23, had gone to the girl’s house on April 29 last year and asked for her father. The girl’s parents were not at home at the time. Only the victim and her two siblings aged, seven and nine were at home.

Monoto is said to have requested the girl to accompany him to her parents. The girl obliged as did not suspect anything as she trusted him.

North West Police Spokesperson Captain Pelonomi Makau alleged that instead of proceeding to where her parents were, the convicted man took the victim to his friend’s house and raped her.

After he raped her, he took her back to her house and left her outside.

“An hour later the victim’s parents arrived and found their daughter sitting outside the house crying,” Captain Makau said.

“The victim explained to her parents what happened. Her parents took her to the police station and she was taken to the local hospital, where the doctor confirmed the rape