Professor Duvenhage’s analysis shallow: Kgwele


Professor’s subjective and shallow analysis informed by his Broerderbond background and his dual advisory role to Provincial DA leader and Premier’s detractors.  

North West University Political Scientist, Professor Andre Duvenhage’s subjective commentary and shallow analysis of governance and political developments in the North West Province as published on page 10 of The New Age of Tuesday 28 January 2014 is largely influenced by his Broederbond background, his dual role as advisor to Democratic Alliance Provincial Leader Chris Hattingh and those working desperately to discredit Premier Thand Modise.

This dual role explains why there always a convergence between the DA and Premier Modise’s detractors within the ruling party.

In his quest to play to the gallery of public opinion against Premier Modise, Duvenhage who is behind Hattingh’s strategy of driving a wedge between the Provincial Executive Council led by Premier Modise and the leadership of the ruling party has consistently failed to appreciate the principle of separation of powers set in the constitution as it related to the three spheres of government, their interdependence and non-interference.

Like Hattingh, Duvenhage’s silence on Premier Modise’s onslaught against the corruption syndicate has been deafening and to the delight of Premier Modise’s detractors he consistently chooses to blame the existence of the two centres of power in the province on Premier Modise.
Duvenhage’s view that Modise has a Laisser-faire approach is prejudiced as it does not recognise the hands-on approach of the Premier that has resulted in properties which were lost to the provincial government being regained and Heads of Department, Executive and Senior Managers in the Provincial government and officials at municipal levels implicated in tender fraud and corruption being fired.
Surely the learned Professor should know that fighting fraud and corruption is part of the Premier‘s mandate to entrench good governance and ensure that resources meant to improve the lives of communities are not plundered with impunity by the Desperados he is sympathetic towards.
Like Hattingh, the good Professor in his myopic analysis is least concerned that no action has been taken in finalised fraud and corruption investigation referred to law enforcement agencies for those implicated to have their day in court.
Interestingly enough however is that Duvenhage confirms that the stalled investigation into the purchase of the official vehicle for official use by Premier Modise would be used by her detractors to cast a shadow on the Premier during the ruling party’s list process.

All those who have an agenda against the Premier are aware that state vehicles for some MEC’s were recently purchased with some in the same price range with the BMW 750 i purchased for the Premier due to extras that some MEC’s demanded but choose to turn a blind eye on these as the focus on discrediting the Premier serves the common agenda of the opposition in the province and the corruption syndicate.
As an invitee to the roundtable on the Mmabatho Airport City Development Project to be held on Friday to which investors from the UK will be participants, Professor Duvenhage does not need to be reminded that such initiatives, independent assessments and accolades of being the best performing province in housing delivery, drug availability at health institutions across the province and province with most improved matric results across the country are not achieved by provinces with Premiers with Laisser-faire approach those that operate within an environment where obstruction and defiance are used to cover-up the corruption syndicate.
The recent additional top up of R65 million to the housing budget that was redirected to the province from underperforming provinces by National Department of Human Settlements is not allocated to provinces with Premiers with Laisser-faire approach.-TDN
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Professor Duvenhage’s analysis shallow: Kgwele


Professor’s subjective and shallow analysis informed by his Broerderbond background and his dual advisory role to Provincial DA leader and Premier’s detractors.  

North West University Political Scientist, Professor Andre Duvenhage’s subjective commentary and shallow analysis of governance and political developments in the North West Province as published on page 10 of The New Age of Tuesday 28 January 2014 is largely influenced by his Broederbond background, his dual role as advisor to Democratic Alliance Provincial Leader Chris Hattingh and those working desperately to discredit Premier Thand Modise.

This dual role explains why there always a convergence between the DA and Premier Modise’s detractors within the ruling party.

In his quest to play to the gallery of public opinion against Premier Modise, Duvenhage who is behind Hattingh’s strategy of driving a wedge between the Provincial Executive Council led by Premier Modise and the leadership of the ruling party has consistently failed to appreciate the principle of separation of powers set in the constitution as it related to the three spheres of government, their interdependence and non-interference.

Like Hattingh, Duvenhage’s silence on Premier Modise’s onslaught against the corruption syndicate has been deafening and to the delight of Premier Modise’s detractors he consistently chooses to blame the existence of the two centres of power in the province on Premier Modise.
Duvenhage’s view that Modise has a Laisser-faire approach is prejudiced as it does not recognise the hands-on approach of the Premier that has resulted in properties which were lost to the provincial government being regained and Heads of Department, Executive and Senior Managers in the Provincial government and officials at municipal levels implicated in tender fraud and corruption being fired.
Surely the learned Professor should know that fighting fraud and corruption is part of the Premier‘s mandate to entrench good governance and ensure that resources meant to improve the lives of communities are not plundered with impunity by the Desperados he is sympathetic towards.
Like Hattingh, the good Professor in his myopic analysis is least concerned that no action has been taken in finalised fraud and corruption investigation referred to law enforcement agencies for those implicated to have their day in court.
Interestingly enough however is that Duvenhage confirms that the stalled investigation into the purchase of the official vehicle for official use by Premier Modise would be used by her detractors to cast a shadow on the Premier during the ruling party’s list process.

All those who have an agenda against the Premier are aware that state vehicles for some MEC’s were recently purchased with some in the same price range with the BMW 750 i purchased for the Premier due to extras that some MEC’s demanded but choose to turn a blind eye on these as the focus on discrediting the Premier serves the common agenda of the opposition in the province and the corruption syndicate.
As an invitee to the roundtable on the Mmabatho Airport City Development Project to be held on Friday to which investors from the UK will be participants, Professor Duvenhage does not need to be reminded that such initiatives, independent assessments and accolades of being the best performing province in housing delivery, drug availability at health institutions across the province and province with most improved matric results across the country are not achieved by provinces with Premiers with Laisser-faire approach those that operate within an environment where obstruction and defiance are used to cover-up the corruption syndicate.
The recent additional top up of R65 million to the housing budget that was redirected to the province from underperforming provinces by National Department of Human Settlements is not allocated to provinces with Premiers with Laisser-faire approach.-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

SAFA PRESIDENT WELCOMES PARTNERSHIP WITH NIKE


SAFA President Dr. Danny Jordaan has welcomed the news that Nike is to be the new technical sponsor of the South African Football Association (SAFA). 

“Nike has agreed to support South African football, from grassroots development to the national team,” he said. “It is an important step in the restructuring process underway at SAFA.”

 

“Nike, together with SAFA, will design and develop football kits for the men’s and women’s South African national football teams,” he said, adding that the partnership is a vote of confidence. “It is fitting that Nike has joined forces with us just at the time when things are about to change for the better and I want to assure Nike that its faith in SAFA will prove justified.”

“Nike will provide technical support for teams at all levels, a move that Dr. Jordaan enthusiastically welcomed.  “This is a significant time for South African football as we embark on a long-term programme of strengthening our structures, especially at grassroots level,” he said.
 

The agreement with Nike also provides SAFA with access to the Nike Football Training Centre in Soweto – a world-class training facility built by Nike in 2010.

 

“Access to Nike’s football training programmes will be very helpful to SAFA’s technical staff in their quest to identify and improve talented young footballers,” said Dr. Jordaan. 

  

SAFA CEO Dennis Mumble said the five-year partnership starts on 1 February 2014.

 

“Nike will supply performance and training kits, and match balls to all nine of SAFA’s national football teams, including the men’s senior and women’s senior teams; men’s under-23; men’s and women’s under-20; men’s and women’s under-17; men’s indoor football and men’s beach football,” he said.

“The news bring an end to uncertainty about which company would partner with SAFA and is extremely positive because Nike is one of the most well-respected sports brands in the world.” 

 

Nike will provide a limited edition kit for Bafana Bafana – the Men’s Senior National Team – for their international friendly match against Brasil in Johannesburg (FNB Stadium) on Wednesday, 5 March and all senior national teams competing until December 2014.-TDN
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NWest hosts Provincial Disability Rights Conference


Mahikeng-The North West Provincial Government through the Office on the Status of Persons with Disabilities (OSPD) in the Office of the Premier will be hosting a two-day Provincial Disability Rights Conference in Mahikeng as from Thursday.

The Conference, which will be attended by all major provincial role players, is scheduled to be held at Mmabatho Convention Centre, Mahikeng from the 30th – 31st January 2014.

Registration starts Wednesday 29th January 2014 from 14h00 until 19h30, at the venue.

Premier Thandi Modise says she is confident that the conference will provide a crucial platform for People with Disabilities to share their experiences with all sectors and map the way by which some of their challenges could be addressed.

“We are confident that delegates at this conference will emerge with a clear plan that will enable the province to accelerate implementation of the revised Job-Access Plan that is targeting employment of over 1 200 additional people with disabilities by the provincial administration within the next 7 months,” said Premier Modise ahead of the two-day conference.

The conference will also endeavor to create alignment between Disability Plans and the National Development Plan and generate a Five Year Disability Rights Plan for the Province. 

The National Development Plan (NDP) acknowledges that many persons with disabilities are not able to develop to their full potential due to various barriers, resulting in them often being viewed as being unproductive and a burden.
 

The NDP highlights the physical barriers, educational barriers, communication barriers and attitudinal barriers as challenges that needs to be addressed.-TDN
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Two died in a fatal accident in N West


By Obakeng Maje
Wolmaransstad-Police are investigating a case of Culpable Homicide after Vas Scoltz,18 from Ottosdal lost control of a Toyota Fortuner he was driving on the Wolmaransstad and Ottosdal road on at about 16:00.

“It is alleged that the driver and other two passengers were students at  Wolmaransstad High School. According to the information, the two boys, Japie Jonker (17) and  Willem Van der Mewe(18) died on the scene and the driver was airlifted  to the hospital in a serious and critical condition” captain Pelonomi Makau said.-TDN
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Vuselela college students embark on strike


By Obakeng Maje
Pudumong-Vuselela college students in Taung campus allegedly embarked on a strike after they showed their unhappiness regarding payments.

Most SA students in various universities are protesting after they demand a payment fees from NASFSA.

The Vuselela FET college in Taung campus experienced problems with their students latest year after they demanded the resignation of their principal.

Even though details are sketchy our crew will keep you posted, so keep captivated to your favourite newspaper for more details.-TDN
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Police: A woman’s body was heartless


By Obakeng Maje
Swartruggens- A body of a woman found mutilated in Swartruggens on Sunday and North West police confirmed the left lung a nd a heart were also missing.

North West police reported earlier that some bodily parts of a woman were allegedly cutt off.

Captain Pelonomi Makau said a decomposed body of a woman between the age of 26 and 30 was discovered by a passerby.

“The atrocity allegedly took place on Sunday and the body was discovered in the bushes behind a tarven at Swartruggens shopping complex” Makau said.

The breasts, her private parts were cut off and her lung and heart were also confirmed missing after post-mortem.

The body was cut open from the navel to the chest.

The atrocious event was condemned by North West premier Thandi Modise and urges community to help police in arresting perpetrators.

Police could not be determined if she was raped or not as her private parts were badly damaged.  The victim is unknown and police are appealing to anyone with information of a missing person to contact  Swartruggens  police station on 014 544 0002/ 082 575 8239. 

A case of Murder has been registered  and the suspects are still unknown.  

“Anyone with an information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect  should to contact Swartruggens police” said Makau.

The deceased was found half- naked wearing only a pink T-shirt and was without shoes or underwear. 

Investigation continues.-TDN
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Police: A woman’s body was heartless


By Obakeng Maje
Swartruggens- A body of a woman found mutilated in Swartruggens on Sunday and North West police confirmed the left lung a nd a heart were also missing.

North West police reported earlier that some bodily parts of a woman were allegedly cutt off.

Captain Pelonomi Makau said a decomposed body of a woman between the age of 26 and 30 was discovered by a passerby.

“The atrocity allegedly took place on Sunday and the body was discovered in the bushes behind a tarven at Swartruggens shopping complex” Makau said.

The breasts, her private parts were cut off and her lung and heart were also confirmed missing after post-mortem.

The body was cut open from the navel to the chest.

The atrocious event was condemned by North West premier Thandi Modise and urges community to help police in arresting perpetrators.

Police could not be determined if she was raped or not as her private parts were badly damaged.  The victim is unknown and police are appealing to anyone with information of a missing person to contact  Swartruggens  police station on 014 544 0002/ 082 575 8239. 

A case of Murder has been registered  and the suspects are still unknown.  

“Anyone with an information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect  should to contact Swartruggens police” said Makau.

The deceased was found half- naked wearing only a pink T-shirt and was without shoes or underwear. 

Investigation continues.-TDN
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Human remains found after crocodile attack


Sydney – Police reportedly found human remains on Tuesday in the search for a 12-year-old boy snatched by a crocodile in northern Australia, and scaled back operations to a body-recovery mission.

Police would not go into detail, but acting commander Michael White said they had found “evidence within the search area which strongly indicates the boy has died from the crocodile attack”.

“Further DNA testing will be conducted to confirm the identification,” White said.

“No specifics will be given in relation to the trauma or type of evidence located out of respect for the family.”

“This is now an investigation for the Northern Territory coroner and a brief will be prepared.”

Local media reports said the “evidence” cited by White was human remains.

Police on the scene said the operation had now entered a “search and recovery” stage following confirmation of the boy’s death.

“We’re looking for a body at the moment, it’s very sad,” a spokeswoman said.

Three crocodiles have been shot and cut open under a shoot-to-kill order for any crocodile larger than two metres sighted around Mudginberri Outstation, which is about 200km east of Darwin in the Kakadu National Park.

The boy was taken while swimming with friends in the Mudginberri Billabong on Sunday. A second boy, aged 15, managed to fight the creature off and received three stitches for deep bites on his right arm.

His wounds led rangers to estimate that the animal responsible for the attack was between two and three metres long.

The attack has rocked the small Mudginberri community of about 50 people who live outside the mining town of Jabiru.

“We are a very big family and a very close family,” an aunt of the missing boy told the Northern Territory News.

“Everyone is shattered.”

The attack has sparked calls for a crocodile cull by the local indigenous people, the Mirarr.

Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to seven metres long, weigh more than a ton, and are a common feature of Australia’s tropical north.

Their numbers have increased steadily since the introduction of protection laws in 1971, with government estimates putting the population at between 75 000 and 100 000.

Australian researchers launched the world’s first crocodile attack database, CrocBITE, last month, hoping to firm up anecdotal reports that harmful or fatal incidents are increasing.

Sunday’s attack in Kakadu is the 11th fatality recorded so far this year by the CrocBITE team, which is based at Australia’s Charles Darwin University.

The most recent death in Australia was in August last year, when a man was taken by a 4.7m crocodile as he swam across the Northern Territory’s Mary River. – AFP

Human remains found after crocodile attack


Sydney – Police reportedly found human remains on Tuesday in the search for a 12-year-old boy snatched by a crocodile in northern Australia, and scaled back operations to a body-recovery mission.

Police would not go into detail, but acting commander Michael White said they had found “evidence within the search area which strongly indicates the boy has died from the crocodile attack”.

“Further DNA testing will be conducted to confirm the identification,” White said.

“No specifics will be given in relation to the trauma or type of evidence located out of respect for the family.”

“This is now an investigation for the Northern Territory coroner and a brief will be prepared.”

Local media reports said the “evidence” cited by White was human remains.

Police on the scene said the operation had now entered a “search and recovery” stage following confirmation of the boy’s death.

“We’re looking for a body at the moment, it’s very sad,” a spokeswoman said.

Three crocodiles have been shot and cut open under a shoot-to-kill order for any crocodile larger than two metres sighted around Mudginberri Outstation, which is about 200km east of Darwin in the Kakadu National Park.

The boy was taken while swimming with friends in the Mudginberri Billabong on Sunday. A second boy, aged 15, managed to fight the creature off and received three stitches for deep bites on his right arm.

His wounds led rangers to estimate that the animal responsible for the attack was between two and three metres long.

The attack has rocked the small Mudginberri community of about 50 people who live outside the mining town of Jabiru.

“We are a very big family and a very close family,” an aunt of the missing boy told the Northern Territory News.

“Everyone is shattered.”

The attack has sparked calls for a crocodile cull by the local indigenous people, the Mirarr.

Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to seven metres long, weigh more than a ton, and are a common feature of Australia’s tropical north.

Their numbers have increased steadily since the introduction of protection laws in 1971, with government estimates putting the population at between 75 000 and 100 000.

Australian researchers launched the world’s first crocodile attack database, CrocBITE, last month, hoping to firm up anecdotal reports that harmful or fatal incidents are increasing.

Sunday’s attack in Kakadu is the 11th fatality recorded so far this year by the CrocBITE team, which is based at Australia’s Charles Darwin University.

The most recent death in Australia was in August last year, when a man was taken by a 4.7m crocodile as he swam across the Northern Territory’s Mary River. – AFP