Bloemfontein – More than 25.3 million voters will be eligible to cast a vote during the 2014 general elections, Chief Electoral Officer Mosotho Moepya said on Thursday.

Moepya has certified the voters’ roll, and some 25 390 150 voters will be eligible to vote in the national and provincial elections on 7 May.

This is 2 208 153 more – 9.5% – than in the 2009 elections.

Moepya said when the roll was compared with estimated voting age population estimates from Statistics SA, it showed a total of 80.8% of those eligible had registered to vote.

In comparison, registration levels stood at 80% in 1999, 84.6% in 2004, and 84.07% in 2009.

Provinces
Gauteng had the highest number of voters with over six million, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 5.1m, the Eastern Cape with 3.24m, and the Western Cape with 2.9m.

These four provinces made up almost 68% of all South African voters.

Women outnumbered men, with a total of 13.94m (54.9%) women compared to 11.45m (45.1%) men on the voters’ roll.

The roll also showed 49.57% of South Africa’s registered voters were under 40 years old.

The biggest age segment of voters was those between 30 and 39 years, followed by the 20 to 29-year-old group, and then the 40 to 49-year-olds.

Moepya said the certified voters’ roll was available for inspection at all the Independent Electoral Commission offices around the country.

– SAPA

Pretoria – Reeva Steenkamp suffered a “devastating” head wound, which would have made it impossible for her to scream, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria heard on Thursday.

“It was a terrible, serious, devastating head wound,” Barry Roux, for Oscar Pistorius, told the seventh State witness, radiologist Johan Stipp.

He was making the point that Stipp could not have heard a woman screaming in the early hours of 14 February last year.

“A person with that injury would not have been able to scream,” said Roux.

Stipp’s home, in the Silver Woods Country Estate, Pretoria, is near Pistorius’s. He testified that he woke up around 03:00 to what sounded like gunshots, then heard a woman screaming and then three more “bangs”.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel rose and objected to Roux’s phrasing.

He said it could not be stated as a fact that the first shot killed Steenkamp, thus making it impossible for her to scream.

Stipp was the first doctor to see Steenkamp’s body lying in Pistorius’s home.

Pistorius is accused of the murder of Steenkamp.

He is also charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, and two counts of discharging a firearm in public.

He allegedly fired a shot from a Glock pistol under a table at a Johannesburg restaurant in January 2013.

In September 2010 he allegedly shot through the open sunroof of a car with his 9mm pistol while driving with friends in Modderfontein.

– SAPA

By Obakeng Maje
Mahikeng- The North West will go down in history as the province that ushered
EFF into the political arena as a vanguard of the poor and the poor
working class, says Economic Freedom Fighters North West spokesperson Neo Moroeng.

“It is fitting that the province will once more host
another momentous event by hosting the last leg of EFF provincial
manifesto launch” said Moroeng.

The event is scheduled to take place on the 29 March 2014 at Montshioa
stadium in Mahikeng.

Moroeng said the Commander In Chief Julius Malema is to
address a full capacity crowd as Mahikeng will be turned into a sea of
red as fighters converge on the North West capital.-TDN
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While the national team licks its wounds in the aftermath, KickOff.com remembers Bafana Bafana’s worst defeats prior to South Africa 5-0 Brazil.

Last night Brazil inflicted our worst ever defeat since the country’s re-admission to international football in 1992, with the 5-0 being the first and only time South Africa have conceded five goals in a single match.

Previously the national team has conceded four goals in six different matches, and two of those came at the hands of the Nigerian Super Eagles.

16 August 1992
African Nations Cup qualifiers
Zimbabwe 4
Bafana Bafana 1
After our first three matches against Cameroon, in August 1992 Bafana Bafana got a reality check against Zimbabwe when they were hammered 4-1 in a match that saw Peter Ndlovu bagging a brace. The Zimbabwean media labelled Doctor Khumalo ‘Nurse Khumalo’ in Bafana’s first African Nations Cup qualifier. Bafana missed out on the 1994 African Nations Cup held in Tunisia.

10 October 1992
World Cup qualifiers
Nigeria 4
Bafana Bafana 0
Burly Nigerian striker Rashidi Yekini destroyed the Bafana Bafana defence and scored a second-half brace after Richard Owubokiri and Samson Siasia had opened the scoring. The match played at Surelere Stadium was also coach Stanley ‘Screamer’ Tshabalala’s last match in charge. He was replaced by Shakes Mashaba for the next game against Congo.

6 October 1993
International Friendly
Mexico 4
Bafana Bafana 0
Another Bafana Bafana coach – Augusto Palacios – bit the dust after the humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Mexico. The match kicked off at 06h00 SA time and by the time most people woke up, Bafana were already 2-0 down. A young Mark Fish made his debut at the age of 19, coming on for Donald ‘Ace’ Khuse.

3 June 2000
US Cup
USA 4
Bafana Bafana 0
Bafana Bafana conceded 10 goals in three matches played during the US Cup in June 2000. The first four of those goals came against USA and it was followed by a 4-2 defeat against Mexico just four days later. The last match against Ireland ended in a 2-1 loss and the team went home with their tails between their legs.

27 March 2002
International Friendly
Georgia 4
Bafana Bafana 1
Three months before the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan, Bafana Bafana played a friendly match against Georgia and Jomo Sono undermined the Europeans. Before they knew it, they were 2-0 down and Lesley Manyathela was sent off midway through the first half. At the beginning of the second half Thabang Molefe was shown his marching orders before Delron Buckley reduced the deficit with a well-taken strike. With 10 minutes remaining the Georgians added two more goals, making the scoreline 4-1.

31 January 2004
African Nations Cup, Group D
Bafana Bafana 0
Nigeria 4
Following the sacking of Shakes Mashaba as the Bafana Bafana coach, April ‘Bra Styles’ Phumo was given the responsibility of leading the team to the 2004 African Nations Cup. After winning the first match 2-0 against Benin, Bafana went into the match against the Nigerian Super Eagles with high spirits – but came out of it needing spirits.

5 March 2014
International Friendly
Bafana Bafana 0
Brazil 5
The less said the better.

—————————————

For an in-depth retelling of the 21-year history of Bafana Bafana, get your copy of BAFANA 21, on shelves now! Inside we detail the entire history of the South African national team, including a record of all 300 matches, under all 17 coaches, and all 36 captains! It’s your must-have resource for the national team.

For more http://www.kickoff.com

Bafana Bafana raised eyebrows when they took the field with 46664 branding on their jerseys in the match against Brazil last night, but SAFA insists that they did not violate any of FIFA’s rules.

It is well known that FIFA is against any form of branding on players’ jerseys for international matches.

During the tour of Cameroon in 1992, Bafana naively had ‘Castle’ on their jerseys and were reprimanded by world football’s governing body

And when Egypt took on Bafana in December 1998, they played with a branded shirt and also faced an inquest.

“It was a friendly match and everything was cleared before the game kicked off,” SAFA communications director Dominic Chimhavi tells KickOff.com. “Everything we did was above board and no rule was violated.”

KickOff.com also contacted FIFA for their view on the situation, but we are yet to receive a response.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

Majakaneng-An inter-governmental task team has been deployed to coordinate the
roll-out of relief efforts to about 150 household affected by flooding
due to heavy rains across several villages around Brits in the North
West Province.

A hundred houses and internal roads in Segwaelane are reportedly
affected by flooding as a result of heavy rains and the opening of
sluice valves at the Hartbeespoortdam which was overflowing.

A team from the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport is on
the ground to conduct inspections of all bridges in Segwaelane,
Majakaneng, Mothotlung,Oukasie, Maboloka, Bapong, Letlhabile, Mmakau
and Premindia.

Traffic officers have been posted to monitor danger roads to recommend
alternative routes to motorists.

The Madibeng Local and Bojanala Platinum District Municipality with
support of the Provincial Disaster Management has provided temporary
shelter, blankets and tents to the affected families.

South African Social Security Agency which is part of the Joint
Operation Centre that include the Department of Human Settlements,
Public Safety & Liaison and the South African Police Services has
started processing social relief of distress grants to the affected
families.
The Provincial Disaster Management Centre is on high alert as the
South African Weather Service has predicted more heavy rains in the
province over the next few days.-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
The Northern Cape SAPS Provincial Crime Prevention Office has kicked started
with crime prevention awareness in De Aar cluster. The awareness was headed
by the Provincial Crime Prevention Coordinator Colonel Kopeledi in partnership
with the Department of Road and Safety Liaison, Department of Education and
Northern Cape Liquor Board.

“The awareness started with a workshop on Northern Cape Liquor Act 2 of
2008, attended by designated police officers (DPO) from De Aar cluster. De
Aar cluster constitute with the Britstown, Sunrise, Hanover, Richmond, Victoria
West, Petrusville, Phillipstown, Colesberg, Norvalspont, Kuyasa, Noupoort and
De Aar police stations” Kock said.

“The purpose of the workshop was to ensure that there is
a uniform understanding on how to implement and execute the Northern Liquor
2 of 2008, in relation to matters pertaining to liquor licences applications
and law enforcement. It has come to the attention of the Northern Cape SAPS
Crime Prevention Office that, some of the taverns and other liquor outlets are not
complying with the liquor licences regulation” lieutenant Sergio Kock said.

It is expected of the Designated Police Officers to conduct regular inspections on
licenced liquor outlets, taverns and total close down of shebeens.

During another session School Safety Crime Prevention was extended to Umso
High School and Lowryville Intermediate School in Colesberg.

“This envisaged promoting safer school and preventing the involvement of young people in
crime. Encouraging an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach towards crime
prevention. Learners were also discouraged not to indulge themselves in drugs and
alcohol abuse which most of the times leads to unwanted pregnancy; rather they
must be involved in community projects which are relevant in building their future” Kock said.

Both schools welcomed police involvement in the safety of the learners in schools,
because most of the learners needs to be motivated not to carry sharp object on
school premises.-TDN
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Pretoria – Oscar Pistorius’s lawyer Barry Roux on Thursday apologised to a State witness for reading his cellphone number out in court.

“I hope Mr Nel relayed to you my apology, I did not realise the consequences,” Roux said in the North Gauteng High Court. He was referring to prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

“Thank you very much. Apology accepted,” the witness, Charl Johnson replied.

Johnson told the court this week that he was inundated with calls after Roux read his number out on Tuesday.

One was from a person accusing him of lying in court. He subsequently had to keep his phone switched off.

Roux continued questioning Johnson about notes he and his wife made about the screams and shots they said they heard from Pistorius’s townhouse in the early hours of 14 February last year.

Pistorius is accused of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

He is also charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, and two counts of discharging a firearm in public.

He allegedly fired a shot from a Glock pistol under a table at a Johannesburg restaurant in January 2013.

In September 2010 he allegedly shot through the open sunroof of a car with his 9mm pistol while driving with friends in Modderfontein.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The National Press Club on Thursday condemned the manhandling of journalists by the EFF outside the North Gauteng High Court

“The incident happened on Wednesday when a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters apparently tripped over the chain fencing on Church Square, hit his head, and died on the scene,” it said in a statement.

“Members of the media on the scene were, in a volatile manner, pushed away and threatened that their cameras would be confiscated and broken. Some were even abused with death threats.”

The incident happened while the party sought an interdict against having to pay a deposit to the Independent Electoral Commission when submitting lists of candidates for the upcoming elections.

The EFF took President Jacob Zuma, Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor, and the IEC to court. Political parties have to pay a deposit of more than R600 000 – R45 000 per province and R200 000 to fully contest the polls nationally.

On Tuesday, EFF leader Julius Malema said his party would not pay the amount.

The club said the incident could affect relations with the party.

“This incident does not auger well for future media relations with the EFF – how can you manhandle in this manner the very people you depend on to communicate your message to the broader population?

“The National Press Club condemns these actions, in a country where the fight for media freedom was long and arduous.”

– SAPA

Pretoria – The Association of Mining and Construction Union’s (Amcu) march got under way before noon in Pretoria on Thursday.

Hundreds of Amcu members were marching to the Union Buildings to hand over a petition raising their unhappiness about how government departments and mining companies have handled their strike.

They have been on strike at Impala Platinum, Anglo American Platinum, and Lonmin Platinum since 23 January to demand a minimum monthly salary of R12 500.

Marchers blew vuvuzelas and whistles as they marched down Struben Street to the Union Buildings.

They carried banners and flags as they sang union songs.

– SAPA