Pretoria – A secret Financial Services Board report has found Kopano ke Matla, Cosatu’s investment arm, has plundered millions of rands from an employee provident fund.

According to the Sunday Times, this latest development is likely to heap more pressure on suspended federation leader Zwelinzima Vavi, who is also a board member of Corruption Watch.

The report states that Vavi was alerted to the problem in 2010 but chose not to act. Instead, along with Cosatu president, Sidumo Dlamini, he apparently sanctioned a R2m settlement to make the matter go away.

FSB investigators found that Cosatu officials plundered the retirement savings of 400 000 former Bophuthatswana employees. Over three years, more than R123m was paid to Kopano companies – R53m of that to Nasieyah Basadien, the managing director of Kopano Employee Benefits (KEB), a company under Kopano ke Matla.

News24

The conduct of the police officer who is alleged to have raped a Sannieshof woman while on duty is a betrayal of his oath of office and calls for his speedy arrest, said North West Premier Thandi Modise in expressing shock and condemning the despicable and heinous act.

“The heartless and opportunistic criminal who preys on the vulnerable and the weak should have no place within the ranks of the police service and in our society as he has not only compromised the name of the police service but also tainted its image within th broader society that looks up to police officers as protectors,” underscored Premier Modise.

“It is courageous women like the victim in this case who come forward to reclaim their dignity and amplify the call for united action against the scourge of rape in our courts that should inspire others to break their silence and speak out against perpetrators,” added Modise.   

It was reported in the media that a North West policeman raped the 29-year-old woman on Thursday, after tricking her into believing he was going to assist her with the case of her Tanzanian boyfriend, who faced charges of housebreaking.

According to police, the officer took the woman to his grandmother’s house and allegedly raped her three times.

It was also alleged that the officer asked the woman for money to assist her in the case.

Though the police officer is said to be still at large, the matter has also been reported to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.

Johannesburg – Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula on Saturday denied putting pressure on the justice system to arrest former National Youth Development Agency chairperson Andile Lungisa.

“I am shocked and dismayed at Andile Lungisa’s unprovoked attack and diatribe against me,” Mbalula said in a statement.

He was responding to allegations made by Lungisa and his lawyer after his court appearance at the Specialised Crime Court in Johannesburg on Friday. Mbalula vowed to testify before the courts about events that involved Lungisa in the R Kelly saga.

Lungisa was arrested along with his wife Ursula Sali, Thabo Shogolo, and Xolisile Guquza for allegedly accepting and sharing among themselves R2.5m paid by the arts and culture department for the Nelson Mandela Sports Day concert.

They allegedly promised that United States singer R Kelly would perform at the concert, but he did not.

The three were arrested after handing themselves over to the Hawks on Friday. After being granted bail, Lungisa launched a scathing attack on Mbalula and accused him of instructing the prosecution to oppose bail.

He claimed Mbalula was waging an old vendetta against him arising from his opposition to Mbalula’s nomination as African National Congress secretary general at the party’s elective conference in Mangaung last year.

Lungisa claimed that since then, Mbalula had, among other things, ensured his removal as ANC Youth League deputy president.

Mbalula refuted the claims and said it was laughable for Lungisa to believe he had power within the ANC.

“His claims that I have an axe to grind with him because he opposed my candidacy as secretary general of the ANC at the Mangaung conference, are at best laughable, and at worst smack of blatant political opportunism.

“Lungisa is no kingmaker in the ANC and to suggest that he wields such political power to sway the fate of individual leaders is nothing short of delusions of grandeur,” he said.

Mbalula said it was unfortunate that Lungisa chose to drag his name into what was clearly a criminal matter in an attempt to add a political flavour for expediency.

“I find it rather nave to the extreme for Lungisa to suggest that I brought pressure to bear on the law enforcement agencies to charge and arrest him because of some political differences.”

Mbalula said the merits and demerits of the case was something that should be ventilated before the courts where his innocence or guilt would be proven.

He said Lungisa’s antics were laughable and clearly demonstrated calculated actions of an individual who seeks political refuge from his situation.

Mbalula said he was weighing his options on whether to sue for defamation.

SAPA

Johannesburg – More than 2000 residents of Kanana Section in Hammanskraal were on handed title deeds on Saturday.

“I want you to regard this piece of paper as another step towards your total emancipation and economic freedom, it must be kept in a safe place as proof of ownership,” Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said in a speech prepared for delivery.

He was accompanied by the deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Elizabeth Thabethe.

He further announced the development of a central business district in the Temba area.

Ramokgopa said the work which started in 2008 was bearing fruits.

Thabete congratulated the move to develop a town centre in the area.

She said the establishment of a bigger development node in Hammanskraal was long overdue.

“As the department of trade, we will support SMME [small, medium and micro-sized enterprises] development, supplier support, investment promotion and incentives for anyone who wants to bring money and keep jobs in Hammanskraal,” she said.

The City of Tshwane has recently purchased the former University of Pretoria land in Hammanskraal for the purposes of releasing it for private retail development projects aimed at resuscitating the economy of the area which has been in the decline in the last 15 years.

SAPA

Johannesburg – The DA will raise over R150 000 in relief donations for those whose shacks burnt down in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg, the party said on Saturday.

“The reality of devastating fires is all too common for people who live in settlements like Cleveland,” Democratic Alliance Gauteng premier candidate Mmusi Maimane said in a statement.

“These people, who on a daily basis struggle to get ahead, are left to face the dangers of fire, with little protection from the government.”

New building materials and clothing would be donated to those affected by the fire.

Over 100 shacks were gutted by a fire at the Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland on Thursday. Between 200 and 300 people were displaced.

Maimane visited the area on Saturday.

He said he was running for Gauteng premier because he believed he could change the state of affairs in the province.

“I believe we can create hundreds of thousands of jobs that can give people an opportunity to improve their living circumstances.”

“I pledge to improve emergency service response time. And I pledge to improve material support for those affected by fires,” said Maimane.

SAPA

Durban – Despite “lots of acts of intimidation” many people were still turning out for DA rallies in their hundreds, party leader Helen Zille said on Saturday.

“The intimidation remains the same and in many instances it’s getting much worse, but what is new is that people refuse to be intimidated and that is really important,” she said at the Ntuzuma community hall in KwaZulu-Natal.

Zille claimed that at two events earlier this week in the Eastern Cape, African National Congress supporters had attempted to prevent two DA rallies from taking place – one near Mthatha and another at Fort Hare University in Alice.

“The ANC is intimidating us more and more because they are scared that they are going to lose.”

“They are very worried about the way the DA is growing, very worried indeed. The more worried they get the more intimidation we will see.”

She said the DA would not back down in the face of intimidation.

Zille praised the police whom she said had upheld the party’s democratic right to hold meetings.

She said she saw no reason why the DA could not win control of the eThekwini Metro [Durban] in the 2016 local government elections.

Zille said the party won 23% of the vote in 2011 and had been in a similar situation in Cape Town before it gained control of that municipality in 2006.

“KwaZulu-Natal must be the place for the most opportunity for a coalition. All things are possible here.”

She received a rousing welcome from supporters in Durban’s Ntuzuma area.

Zille, who arrived in the Lindelani area of Ntuzuma was welcomed by about 100 supporters in blue shirts before she visited the homes of two disabled people living in RDP housing.

Hand written banners with the slogan “Zille, Our Only Hope” were waved as supporters danced in the street.

Dean Macpherson, the DA’s deputy chairperson for the eThekwini region said Zille visited the two disabled people because she wanted to hear from them how they had received their RDP houses that did not have water.

Zille promised Nono Ntuli, 72, that she would take her plight to the province’s Premier Senzo Mchunu.

Zille received another warm welcome at the Ntuzuma community hall.

The hall was packed with about 400 people wearing blue T-shirts.

Zille’s visit to the area comes the day before the ANC’s opening rally of its 2014 election campaign on Sunday.

Kwamashu and Ntuzuma have for the past decade been ANC strongholds, although in the 1990s the Lindelani area was an Inkatha Freedom Party stronghold.

SAPA

Johannesburg – The ANC’s Gauteng branch on Saturday said it accepted the national executive committee’s decision to nullify its provincial general council (PGC) held in July.

“The PGC will be reconvened on 30 November 2013,” ANC Gauteng spokesperson Dumisa Ntuli said in a statement.

“The preparations for the PGC will be undertaken together with ongoing election campaign work in Gauteng.”

BDlive reported that in July there was widespread disbandment of structures such as the ANC Youth League.

The NEC found the PGC was unconstitutional because branch general meetings were allegedly not convened.

SAPA

Pretoria-Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela on Friday congratulated Mr Senzo Mchunu on his election and subsequent swearing-in as the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal last week, vowing to work together with him to entrench good governance in the affairs of the provincial government.

The Public Protector also extended a laudatory message to Mr Mxolisi Nxasana and Adv. Vasantrai Soni on the commencement of their service this week as National Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of Special Investigating Unit (SIU), respectively, following their appointments in August. She welcomed the appointment of Judge Bernard Ngoepe as the country’s first Tax Ombud.

“We pledge to partner with them on matters of mutual interest regarding the promotion of good governance in state affairs,” the Public Protector said.

The Public Protector recently signed a response protocol aimed at expediting investigation processes in cases involving high-ranking officials and office bearers in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government with former Premier, Dr. Zweli Mkhize.

The Public Protector has previously partnered with the SIU in investigations, and can, in terms of the Public Protector Act, refer matters to the National Prosecution Authority in the event her investigations point to the commission of criminal offences. She is on record encouraging organs of state to establish internal complaint-handling mechanisms such as sector-specific ombudsmen.

The Public Protector further bade farewell to Dr Mkhize and former Deputy Minister of Justice, Mr Andries Nel, who has since been appointed Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

“We’ve had a fruitful partnership against maladministration with Dr Mkhize and Mr Nel,” she said, adding that her office looked forward to working with Mr Nel and Minister Lechesa Tsenoli on local government matters.-TDN
Source: Public Protector’s Office
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A truck parked next to the road to deliver blankets

Potchefstroom – The social development department has started delivering blankets in the Tlokwe wards where by-elections are to take place later this month, the DA said on Friday.

“Only days after the (African National Congress) launched their plans for the final round of Tlokwe by-elections, the department of social development started its own vote-buying efforts,” Democratic Alliance constituency head for Tlokwe Juanita Terblanche said in a statement.

“The blankets were distributed from (an SA Social Security Agency) truck, coincidentally parked close to the home of an ANC councillor.”

She said sources within the department had alerted the DA about the blanket campaign, and that another food parcel handout campaign was to be held.

This is the third time the department has been accused of buying votes in the municipality ahead of a by-election.

However, the department continued to deny the claims and said the handing out of food parcels and blankets was part of its Project Mikondzo, a service delivery improvement initiative to improve access to the department and its entities.

DA MP Mike Waters has asked for an investigation into Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, who has said she will look into the distribution of food parcels in Tlokwe.

Terblanche said it was not right for the government to use state resources to benefit a particular party’s campaigns.

“This blatant abuse of state resources for party political campaigning must end.

“It is indicative of the ANC’s desperation to regain Tlokwe,” she said.

Sapa

Johannesburg – Former National Youth Development Agency head Andile Lungisa and three others were granted bail in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Friday.

Lungisa, Thabo Shogolo, Xolisile Guquza, and Ursula Sali are accused of defrauding the arts and culture department.

Lungisa and Shogolo were granted bail of R10 000 each, while Guquza was released on R5 000 bail. Sali was released on a warning.

“The release comes with conditions. You have to hand in your passports to the investigating officer and you must not contact the state witnesses,” Magistrate Jeremy van Vuuren said.

“You cannot write letters, e-mails, sms’s, and when you see them on the streets you can’t shout at them.”

The matter was postponed to 30 October.

Lungisa and his co-accused were arrested on Friday morning on charges of fraud and money laundering. He handed himself over to police.

Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramaloko said the arrests related to R2.5m paid by the arts and culture department for the Nelson Mandela Sports Day concert.

The four allegedly lied to the department and promised they would have R Kelly perform.

At the time of the concert, the department said it had entered into negotiations with the promoter of the R&B singer’s recent tour to South Africa.

It was subsequently announced that the star was on the bill for the music concert that would follow the day’s sporting events.

However, it was discovered that R Kelly’s management had been unaware of the agreement, and he had departed the country as planned.

– SAPA