Johannesburg- Captain of the South African Men’s Under 17 National Team (Amajimbos) Nelson Maluleke believes they have what it takes to beat Tanzania.

The two nations meet in a 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier on Friday, 18 July at the Azam Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Kickoff is at 15h00 South African time.

“The coaching staff has been working hard to prepare us thoroughly for this match. We went to Lesotho and Botswana as individuals because we had just met but now we are playing as a unit as the results showed. I believe we now know each other better and that gives us confidence that we will do well,” said Maluleke commonly known as Xavi among his teammates, named after Spanish and Barcelona midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez.

For most of the players in the Amajimbos squad it was the first time they crossed the border out of South Africa when they went to Botswana and Lesotho, and it helped in preparing them mentally for Tanzania.

“Going to Lesotho and Botswana was a worthwhile exercise. We had never played in front of away opposition fans before and that helped us mentally to ready us for the crucial clash against Tanzania. We have now settled in well in the team and continue from where we left off in our last match in Botswana. All of us want to play in the World Cup and we know the path to realizing that dream starts with these qualifiers. That is why we have to do well from the beginning,” added Maluleke.

Should Amajimbos proceed to the third round, they will face either Egypt or Congo who will also play their first leg tie this weekend.

Egypt defeated Sudan with an aggregate 7-3 victory to set up a clash with Congo, who received a bye into the second round just like South Africa.

The top four sides in Niger will represent Africa at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile.

South Africa is yet to qualify for a FIFA tournament at this age group in the Men’s section, but Basetsana, the Women’s U17 National Team, played at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.
-TDN
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Ganyesa- A 9-year old boy who was allegedly electrocuted by the shop owner at Ganyesa outside Vryburg will undergo the second psychological assessment, North West MEC for Social Development Fenny Gaolaolwe said on Wednesday.

“I confirm that the boy will today undergo the second psychological assessment following the ordeal that took place in May. I hope that a series of emotional therapy that the boy will go through add dividends to his mental state,” MEC Gaolaolwe said, adding that her department will continue to support the family of the victim by rendering post-trauma counselling.

It is alleged that the boy whose family resides near Disipi filling station at Ganyesa was handcuffed and choked by a shop for alleged theft of packet of zimba chips in May.

The boy was allegedly choked with an electric wire for three hours while handcuffed to the burglar bar doors of a filing station.

Case was postponed to 22 August while police continue with the investigation.-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Mahikeng- The office of the Presidency released a statement relating to his State of Nation Address which stipulated his plan for cleaning all towns in the country in preparation for the celebration of the International Nelson Mandela Day on the 18th of July. 

In this press release the office of the Presidency is referring to the planned cleaning of the Mahikeng town by using the old Apartheid Regime name of MAFEKING. 

“The DA in the North West demands that President Zuma apologise to the nation and the residents of Mahikeng for using this hurtful and derogatory name” DA Tiaan Kotze said.
-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Galeshewe- Northern Cape police are on the lookout for a murder suspect(s) following the discovery of a 43-year-old man’s body on 2011-09-24. 

“At around 07:00, the body of Mr Petrus Phillips Marais was found by a passerby in the veld next to Barkly West Road, opposite Supermix in Galeshewe. Marais sustained multiple stab wounds to his body” lieutenant Donald Mdhluli said.

Marais’s White Hyndai One Toner Truck was also hijacked but later recovered.

Police are appealing to the public to assist them in their investigation. 

Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect(s) of this heinous crime to contact Detective Sergeant Attie Browers on 053-8076000(c) or 082 469 0138(c).

Crime Stop can also be contacted on 08600 10111 or SMS’s sent to 32211. -TDN
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Mahikeng- The ANC in the North West will be engaged in a series of programmes throughout the province in honour of comrade Nelson Mandela as part of marking international Mandela day.

“The programme will include memorial lecture on the legacy of Isathalwande/Seaparankoe comrade Nelson Mandela and a clean up campaign led by ANC Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, NEC,PEC and REC`s members on 18 July 2014 at Mafikeng Local Municipality” ANC North West spokesperson Oupa Maatla.

A detail of the full programme is as follows:

DATE: Thursday, 17 July 2014-07
TIME: 16H00
VENUE: Rusternburg Civic Centre

Deployee: ANC National Spokesperson, Comrade Zizi Kodwa
DATE: Friday, 18 July 2014
TIME: 08H00
VENUE: Mafikeng Local Municipality

Deployee: ANC NEC, PEC and REC`s led by Deputy President, Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa.-TDN
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Johannesburg – Public Protector Thuli Madonsela needed to be shown more respect, retired Gauteng judge president Bernard Ngoepe has said.

Disrespect for institutions created by the Constitution was impeding South Africa moving forward as a country, he said.

In a speech released to Sapa on Tuesday, Ngoepe, speaking at a law firm’s anniversary celebrations on Saturday, said South Africa needed a culture where the Constitution was respected.

“How come that, in a country like this, we undermine and disrespect, for example, decisions and the post of the Public Protector?” he said.

“We need to have a culture in terms of which we respect the Constitution and those institutions which have been created by the Constitution…”

This would help realise the dream of a true democratic South Africa, with lawyers still needed to help South Africa realise this dream.

This was as South Africa still had a long way to go to leave its painful past behind.

“If, as people say, we do have the best Constitution in the world, which I’m not so sure about if that is the case, how come that we are a nation with the worst divide between the rich and the poor?”

If South Africa had the best Constitution in the world as was often said, Ngoepe asked why was it that the executive was not held to account for the things that it did.

“Where, if the fault does not lie with the Constitution, where does it lie?

“I don’t want to sound disrespectful, they say the law is an ass, but perhaps it’s not the law which is an ass, maybe the fault lies elsewhere.”

If South Africa had the best Constitution in the world, why were there such high levels of corruption and no appropriate action taken to remedy the situation?

Ngoepe said if South Africa had the world’s best Constitution, how come “somebody could find your piece of land and put up a shack there and says: ‘Unless you offer me alternative accommodation, I am not moving’?”

If South Africa’s Constitution was indeed the best, it needed to be asked why the country had very poor health facilities, as countries poorer than South Africa were doing more with less.

“I have warned you that don’t be in a hurry to kill the lawyers, we still need them, clearly, when we have got these challenges. But of course lawyers alone cannot remedy all the illness,” he said.

“Clearly the road is too long, clearly we still need the services of lawyers for a long, long time to come.”

SAPA

Pretoria – The government has repeatedly apologised for the death of Marikana miners, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard on Tuesday.

Former police minister Nathi Mthethwa was cross-examined at the inquiry’s public hearings in Pretoria by Advocate Dali Mpofu for the arrested and injured miners.

“Why is it that representatives of the state, like yourself, find it difficult to apologise, to say they are sorry for the massacre?” Mpofu asked.

“You don’t think that the rules of common decency and batho pele [people first] demand from you that where responsible for the deaths, justified or unjustified, that you apologise to the people affected?”

Mthethwa said the government was looking forward to the conclusion of the Farlam inquiry to get to the facts about what transpired at Marikana.

“We are here on a fact-finding mission, when the results come out and they point to the state, I don’t think there will be anything which will make the state not to apologise when it should apologise.

“There will be no qualms from the state, if the state has to apologise.”

Mthethwa said remorse had to be shown in the matter, particularly to the people who died.

The inter-ministerial committee went to Marikana and apologised for what happened, Mthethwa said.

“Ministers apologised.”

Mpofu asked Mthethwa to repeat the apology.

Mthethwa said: “We know that it is not going to heal people immediately, but we are remorseful. It should never happen again.

“We are pained with what happened and we apologise [for] the lives that were affected by this because it was not supposed to happen.”

Mpofu said: “Well, you don’t want to give a straightforward apology. You can just say ‘we are sorry’.”

Mthethwa responded: “No, don’t be sensational. I am saying it for the second time, we apologise for what happened.”

Mpofu retorted: “No, listen here, minister, you are just a witness when you are sitting there. This is not a cabinet meeting.”

Mthethwa, now arts and culture minister, was police minister when 34 people, mostly striking Lonmin mineworkers, were shot dead in a clash with police in Marikana, near Rustenburg, North West, on 16 August 2012.

More than 70 were wounded, and another 250 arrested at the company’s platinum mining operations.

In the preceding week, 10 people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed. The commission is investigating the 44 deaths.

SAPA

Durban – A specialist psychiatrist giving evidence in the murder trial of former Blue Bulls rugby player Joseph Phindile Ntshongwana said he was “flabbergasted” by the earlier testimony of a psychologist, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban heard on Tuesday.

Dr Bertram Brayshaw was one of the psychiatrists who assessed Ntshongwana in the wake of his arrest for allegedly committing four murders.

The victims were hacked to death with an axe, with one man’s head decapitated, while another was found hanging by a thread.

Brayshaw told the court he had read that psychologist, Professor Abubuker Gangat, called by the defence in January, had said Ntshongwana was suffering from a delusional disorder.

“I disagree a great deal with it,” Brayshaw said.

“We reserve the words delusional disorder for people a bit different, usually of an older age.

“People function pretty well, but delusions are beliefs that have no basis in fact. These people don’t usually get involved in crimes.”

He had seen more than 1 000 cases and only a very few crimes had been associated with mental illness.

None of those suspects had denied the crimes, stating they felt they were doing the right thing.

Ntshongwana in comparison said he had no recollection of the offences, which Brayshaw said he did not “find convincing”.

It was very unlikely that he had amnesia over the four months, the period in which the alleged murders took place.

It was clear Ntshongwana had a history of mental illness and according to the medication found in his bedroom after his arrest, he had not been taking his medication.

When Brayshaw assessed Ntshongwana, he did not have information about the alleged offences, but having learned about the evidence, he felt the accused probably would have known that killing people was wrong.

There was no connection between Ntshongwana’s mental state and the alleged crimes, he said.

Brayshaw said Gangat had testified that a delusional disorder never went away “and this is not so”.

Gangat had further mentioned the disorder may affect memory, with the opposite being true, as people with delusional beliefs had unusually sharp memories, Brayshaw said.

Bradshaw, who found Ntshongwana suffered from a schizo-affective disorder of the bipolar type, considered the Ntshongwana highly intelligent.

Ntshongwana has denied murdering Thembelenkosini Cebekhulu on 20 March 2011, Paulos Hlongwa two days later, Simon Ngidi the next day and an unidentified man some time that week.

He has also pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted murder, kidnapping and raping a woman in November 2010 and assault with intent to do bodily harm.

SAPA