Kimberley – Despite the negative outcome of the Northern Cape 2011/12 audit report, some progress has been made, the ANC in the province said on Thursday.

Northern Cape African National Congress secretary Zamani Saul said the report showed improvement at the Unsombomvu and Francis Baard district municipalities.

Deputy Auditor General Kimi Makwetu released the 2011/12 consolidated report on local government audit outcomes this week.

He said the progress of municipalities and public entities towards clean audits had been slow, which was a cause for concern.

Interventions

The Northern Cape report indicated audit opinions of 10 municipalities were not included for the review period.

It stated the root causes for poor audit outcomes in the Northern Cape had been ignored by those responsible.

Although none of the municipalities reported on were able to obtain a clean audit, three municipalities – Frances Baard, Siyanda District Municipality and Kareeberg Local Municipality – were financially unqualified.

Makwetu said these municipalities stood a reasonable chance of moving to the clean audit category should they address some issues.

Saul said the provincial co-operative governance department had already started to help municipalities in distress before the report was released.

“The interventions are ongoing in those municipalities and we expect an improvement in the next financial year,” Saul said.

Earlier, Congress of the People spokesperson Pakes Dikgetsi said the local government situation would not improve unless the ANC removed “cadre deployment”.

“Unfortunately, the ruling party, with its policy of cadre deployment, prides narrow party political gain at the expense of clean governance,” he said.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Government should show commitment to the inquiry into last year’s Marikana shootings by paying the fees of the lawyers representing miners, the IFP said on Thursday.

It was a travesty of justice that the lawyers were still without funding, Inkatha Freedom Party secretary general Sibongile Nkomo said.

Dali Mpofu, representing miners wounded or arrested in the shootings, has taken the State to the Constitutional Court, asking that it pay for his legal team at the Farlam Commission of Inquiry.

He made a similar request in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria several weeks ago, but this was dismissed.

Nkomo said: “This seriously calls into question government’s commitment to this enquiry and whether they really want answers as to what went wrong on that fateful day.”

Government had committed itself to the commission, yet was reluctant to help those who participated.

“We need to understand government’s failures [at Marikana] and chart a way forward that will ensure that this tragedy never occurs again.”

Friday marks the first anniversary of the shootings at Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana, North West.

Thirty-four miners were killed on 16 August last year, when police fired at them while trying to disperse them from a hill where they had gathered.

Ten people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed in unrest during the preceding week.

– SAPA

Pretoria – The apartheid-era Bantu education system was much better than the current education regime, a Wits academic said in Pretoria on Thursday.

“It was far better in terms of quality than the education that our kids are receiving nowadays. That is where the problem is,” Rabelani Dagada, a lecturer at Wits Business School, told a debate on affirmative action.

“Affirmative action should be about empowerment. The best way to empower is not to take from those who have and give to those who don’t have. It won’t work.”

Dagada said South Africans could only be empowered through proper education.

“After 20 years of democracy, the education levels have plunged. It’s worse than the so-called Bantu education. The best way to do transformation, empowerment is to provide quality education.”

Former foreign affairs minister Pik Botha said South Africa, under the ANC’s leadership, had moved away from former president Nelson Mandela’s principles. He said the country’s affirmative action policies were mainly hurting the black majority.

“How much further down must all of us go before we say this is enough now? Our education is far behind, it is the worst in Africa, [but] it has the highest per capita expenditure.”

Botha said Zimbabwe’s education system was better than South Africa’s.

“When is this going to change? At state hospitals black patients must wait for three years for an operation.”

Botha said when Mandela became president, he was careful not to lose skilled white people.

“He said we must not lose the proficiency of the whites. They must not leave the public service, but they should help us to train people to achieve that same proficiency,” said Botha.

“They have now removed all those people.”

– SAPA

Plans are afoot to build a sophisticated multicultural city in Taung, North West Premier Thandi Modise announced during a meeting held with traditional leaders from Taung on Wednesday.

Premier Modise was accompanied by MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism Motlalepule Rosho, MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs Manketse Tlhape, the Executive Mayor of Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Tshoganyetso Tladinyane and the Mayor of Taung Local Municipality Kaone Lobelo.

The meeting was attended by Kgosi Kgosiemang Mothibi of Batlhaping Ba Ga Mothibi, Kgosi Tshepo Mankuroane of Batlhaping Ba Ga Phuducwana and Kgosi Nyoko Motlhabane of Batlhaping Ba Ga Maidi Traditional Councils.

“We want development, we think Taung can become a city, it will not be for the first time that a multicultural city is established,” said Premier Modise citing the Belgian city of Brussels as a good example of the sophisticated cultural city they envisage for Taung.

Modise also told the meeting that they will develop the place where the Taung Skull was discovered. The Taung Skull ranks among the most important early human fossils ever discovered. It is also believed to be the first hominid to be discovered in Africa.

“We must preserve our heritage sites and make sure that future generations know about these important archaeological discoveries in our province. It is part of the history of the province and it’s also crucial for scientific research,” said the Premier.

Modise reiterated that her administration in conjunction with the local chiefs will ensure that the local communities benefit from the number of projects that they have in the pipeline.

“Whatever development we do, we must always make sure that locals are the first beneficiaries. We want services to go to the people,” reiterated Modise.

Premier Modise also told the meeting that the provincial government wants to open a preparatory school for traditional leaders in the province. She said the school that will teach critical leadership and management skills is more likely to draw interest from other provinces across the country.

Most women resort to unhygienic practises just to survive the cycle because sanitary towels remain a luxury for millions of women in South Africa due to the high level of poverty and the commodification of the basic product.North West Premier Thandi Modise said after distributing towels to 300 girl-learners at two rural schools in Dryharts near Taung on Wednesday.

Premier Modise said that government is considering a sustainable and coordinated intervention targeting girl-learners because several sources have revealed that the majority of girls in Africa miss up to 50 days of schooling each year due to menstrual related challenges resulting with girl learners missing up to 300 days(almost a whole year) over a period of 6 years.

Modise expressed appreciation for the partnership and donation of sanitary towels received through MEC for Economic Development, Conservation, Environment and Tourism,Motlalepula Rosho from gambling licensees like Carousel Casino, Mmabatho Palms, Betting World, Zonke Monitiring and Phumela.

The Premier who was also accompanied by MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs Manketse Tlhape, the Executive Mayor of Dr Ruth Mompati District Municipality Tshoganyetso Tladinyane, the Mayor of Greater Taung Local Municipality,Kaone Lobelo and other senior government officials encouraged learners at Molehabangwe Middle School and Sekate Mahura Middle School to focus on their studies as a way to have a better future.

“It doesn’t matter where you grow up, the most important thing is to focus on your goal. You must abstain from sex. Be what you want to be because you determine your future,” said Premier Modise.

She also urged learners to report any form of abuse irrespective of who the culprit is.

“I urge you to report sexual offences where it’s a teacher, a fellow learner or anybody, notify the police,” added Premier Modise.

The Chairperson of the School Governing Body at Molehabangwe Middle School, Pelonomi Khumoeng said the donation of sanitary pads shows that the government cares about the youth particularly female learners who often face multiple challenges. “We are very happy that the Premier is here today because parents in our communities are very poor and often struggle to provide sufficiently for their children. This shows that our government cares because children at this school are beneficiaries of the school nutrition programme,” said the elated Khumoeng.

Katlego Sekgetho, one of the 140 female learners who received the sanitary towels Molehabangwe Middle School said she was excited that the Premier has chosen to come to their school. “I am so excited that the Premier came here to advise us about how to deal with some of the challenges that we often encounter without knowing who to ask,” said the grade 7 learner.

Realeboga Kalamore and Mokakale Boingotlo of Skate Mahura Middle School said they have been inspired by Premier Modise’s message.

“I am now more inspired than ever before to take my studies very seriously,” said the elated Mokakale who is in grade 9.

Neo Letlhogela, a reading coach and debate convenor who visits schools in the area three times a week to work with learners said the initiative will go a long way in empowering female learners. “I am so happy that the Premier has emphasised the importance of self-respect and I am confident that learners will take the advice seriously so that they don’t lose focus of their goals, said Lethogela.

Cape Town – Most of the Cape Town children who are wounded or killed from firearm-related incidents are caught in the crossfire, the majority being shot outside their homes, a local study has found.

The study, which was presented by Dr Tyson Welzel, a senior lecturer at UCT’s division of emergency medicine at Stellenbosch University on Wednesday, also showed that boys between six and 12 were at greater risk of being shot than girls of the same age group.
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Pretoria – Police have been placed at the heart of the drug surge that has taken over Brown Street and Marabastad, with residents, drug users and businessmen in the area claiming drug dealers roam free at the hands of corrupt police officials.

The Pretoria News has learnt that the notorious Brown Street is run by Tanzanian nationals who have high-level protection from police officials. It took two weeks for the Pretoria News to establish a trusting relationship with the infamous “nyaope boys”, who are feared, even by other smokers across the city.
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Pretoria – A police minibus used as a getaway vehicle, police demanding bribes, no visible policing, lack of professionalism and a general bad attitude, and attacks and victimisation of foreigners were just some of the concerns raised by residents in the west of Pretoria when they met the new station commander and various top police management as a community this week.
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Pretoria – The Tshwane Metro Police’s termination of their contracts has left 40 trainees so devastated that one of them came close to committing suicide.

According to fellow trainees, the woman – who had been training for more than a year to become a metro police constable – wanted to fling herself in front of an oncoming train after signing a termination letter. Friends rescued her from the railway tracks before she could carry out her plan.
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Durban – Today is the first anniversary of the death of three-year-old William Ratcliffe, but the alleged drunk driver claimed to have caused the crash in which he was killed is yet to go on trial.

Pensioner Robert Ian Gilmore, 63, is alleged to have driven through the intersection of Kingsway and Old Main Road in Amanzimtoti, crashing into the BMW that William was travelling in.
For more http://www.iol.co.za