Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs are out to halt Orlando Pirates’ dominance of the Carling Black Label Cup, says Amakhosi skipper Itumeleng Khune.
“People might think we’re not taking this competition seriously, but we do, and we’re going out to win this trophy since it’s the only one we have not won,” Khune said on Wednesday.
For more http://www.news24.com
Pretoria – Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has made several findings of misconduct against the former manager and other officials of the Free State’s Nala municipality.
“The Nala administration caused the state to lose an enormous amount of money resulting in mass action by the community,” she said in a report released in Pretoria on Thursday.
Her investigation followed a request by residents, who complained about a lack of service delivery.
Madonsela found that:
– A R70m flush toilet system was not connected even though the contractor had been paid, which she declared fruitless, wasteful expenditure, and financial misconduct;
– A bucket system supposed to work in its place was dysfunctional, leading to sewage being spilled “all over the place”, which was against the right to healthy and safe services;
– There were unfinished houses in Maranatha, but that this was the domain of the human settlements department. A total of R2.8m had been paid to the contractor by the Free State government to complete the project. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU)was currently probing the contractor to make sure the money was recovered;
– The Mabana School had a sewage spillage problem, but action the education department had taken action;
– A report by KPMG detailing problems in the municipality was not tabled timeously in council after it was received in 2010. In 2011, only the executive summary was tabled, which meant the municipality did not have enough information to work on;
– There was “manipulation of supply chain processes” and “abuse of process”;
– Poor communication between the mayor and municipality culminated in protests;
– A sewage plant was incomplete and non-operational because of maladministration;
– An incomplete park did in fact exist as alleged. The land was given to the municipality by the agriculture and forestry department, and it was up to residents to plant and maintain trees. However, this had not been communicated to locals, which constituted maladministration;
– A community hall was incomplete. The tender specifications had changed and did not fit the budget. The human settlements department had stepped in to allocate money for this;
– Municipal manager Chris Mokomela was paid a R90 000 bonus as alleged, but this was the result of a computer capturing error, and he proved he repaid the money;
– R2.8m was spent implementing the KPMG report, which residents had called for.
Most of the findings were violations of the Municipal Finance Management Act and the Constitution.
Madonsela said that during the investigation, the departments of co-operative governance and human settlements had put measures in place to rectify matters.
She recommended that the wasteful and fruitless expenditure be recovered, that the lack of capacity with project management be addressed, and that supply chain managers and bid committee members be properly trained.
Erika Celliers, counsel for the protector’s office, said former municipal manager David Shongwe was no longer employed by any municipality or government entity, and faced criminal charges.
– SAPA
Cape Town – President Jacob Zuma has signed five bills into law, his office said on Thursday.
These include the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Act, also referred to as the “spy bill”.
“The main purpose of the bill is to amend three acts of Parliament, which relate to security services and to repeal an act which had become obsolete due to the consolidation of the intelligence structures,” it said in a statement.
“The three acts being amended are the National Strategic Intelligence Act, 1994, the Intelligence Services Oversight Act, 1994, and the Intelligence Services Act, 2002.”
The bill was not without controversy, with the Right2Know Campaign (R2K) opposing it.
“While we welcome some of the amendments proposed by the [parliamentary] committee which, for instance, make it more difficult for securocrats to monitor lawful political activity, we remain concerned about the unregulated interception of foreign signals,” R2K said in a statement after the National Assembly passed the bill in April this year.
The dangerous weapons bill was also enacted. It empowers police to arrest people carrying dangerous weapons in public, including during protests.
Police officers will be given the discretion to decide whether there is a reasonable suspicion that a weapon could be used for unlawful purposes.
They will be able to crack down on protesters brandishing firearms, bricks, glass bottles, spears, or any object, which could be used to harm someone or damage property. The use of toy guns to commit a crime is also covered under the proposed law.
Other bills signed into law are the National Health Amendment Act, the Prevention and Combating of Torture of Persons Act, and the National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Act.
– SAPA
Cape Town – President Jacob Zuma’s intention to appoint a national director of public prosecutions (NDPP) was welcomed on Thursday by the Council for the Advancement of the SA Constitution (Casac).
“We trust the president will now appoint a fit and proper person as the NDPP before the end of August,” Casac secretary Lawson Naidoo said in a statement.
“The National Prosecuting Authority [NPA] is a critical component of the criminal justice system in South Africa, whose independence needs to be bolstered to restore public confidence in its ability to exercise its functions without fear, favour or prejudice,” he said.
Casac recently approached the Constitutional Court seeking an order that Zuma make the appointment within 30 days.
Naidoo said the organisation had written to Zuma before the application, on 31 May, asking him to make a commitment to hire a permanent head diligently and without delay, as required by the Constitution.
In the letter, it stated that if Zuma failed to appoint an NDPP within two weeks, Casac would consider approaching the court.
“It is regrettable that the president chose not to reply to this letter. Had he done so and made the commitment that he now has, we would have avoided the litigation that has ensued, Naidoo said.”
Zuma filed his answering affidavit in the court on Wednesday.
According to Casac, the affidavit reads: “I wish to state that I have been considering various candidates for the position of NDPP and, all things being equal and unless some unforeseen event occurs, I will appoint a permanent NDPP by the end of August 2013, if not sooner.
“I give such undertaking to this court in recognition of the presidential obligations under the Constitution.”
The NPA has been without a permanent chief since November 2011, after Menzi Simelane’s appointment was declared invalid.
– SAPA
Durban – Textbooks meant for schools in KwaZulu-Natal were found shredded and burnt at a warehouse in Empangeni, provincial education authorities said on Thursday.
They were to have been delivered to schools in the province by March, education MEC Senzo Mchunu said.
The books were discovered on Wednesday at a warehouse belonging to UTi Distributors, a company the basic education department had contracted to distribute textbooks in all provinces.
“We can’t help but suspect that there is a case of huge corruption on the part of the company in question,” Mchunu said.
UTi Distributors denied not delivering textbooks to schools in the province.
The company’s Africa divisions director Greg Saffy said in a statement about 100 school workbooks from the 2012 school year were found irreparably damaged and shredded at its Empangeni warehouse. He said no schools had been adversely affected and there was no evidence of “criminality” or “corruption”.
Mchunu said the department began suspecting something was amiss when, instead of distributing workbooks directly to schools, UTi decided to deliver workbooks to the offices of the Uthungulu district.
“That meant we had to incur unnecessary expenses where principals had to drive to the district offices to collect workbooks. This inefficiency happened more than once.”
The department investigated and found the textbooks in Empangeni. Mchunu said he had reported the matter to Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and police.
UTi said once it had identified the schools for which the damaged books were intended, the workbooks were replaced and delivered. The replacement was done within two weeks, and no schools were affected.
5 578 550 workbooks delivered
“UTi delivered 5 578 550 workbooks in KwaZulu-Natal in 2012, and have delivered 5 122 660 to the province for the 2013 school year,” Saffy said.
He said the company was conducting its own investigation. Once that was complete disciplinary steps would be taken if necessary.
Saffy said UTi would provide Motshekga, Mchunu and other relevant parties with an official report as soon as possible.
“UTi was appointed as a service provider to a Joint Venture (JV) with Paarl Media and Lebone Litho for the distribution of school workbooks,” he said.
Saffy said the JV agreed with UTi’s statement.
The African National Congress in the province condemned the non-delivery of textbooks.
“It is absurd that books which are of great value to our children could be disposed of in this careless way,” ANC spokesperson Senzo Mkhize said in a statement. He said this proved that some business people did not care about the development of the country and pupils.
“The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal therefore calls for a speedy police investigation so that the perpetrators of this unspeakable deed are prosecuted and blacklisted from doing business with any government department or public entity.”
– SAPA
Johannesburg – The family of Cosatu General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has pushed him to quit politics, as they fear his life is in danger.
ENCA reported that his family held a meeting to urge the union leader to leave both Cosatu and the ANC.
For more http://www.news24.com
BY Obakeng Maje
Zeerust- Three accused appeared before the Zeerust Magistrate’s court on Weednesday on charges of rape. The accused, Lethabo Mmokele (20) and Shange Sheiki (22) of Ikageleng still in custody and will appear again on 31 July 2013 for bail application.
“It is alleged that the accused were arrested for raping and assaulting a 24-year-old victim. According to the information, the victim and her friend were sitting and drinking alcohol at the local tavern with three unknown males (accused) at the weekend” Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said.
At about 00:00, the victim allegedly informed these unknown men that she wanted to go home and they promised to accompany her.
“Instead of taking the victim home the accused allegedly took the victim to a nearby cellphone shop in the area and raped her. It is alleged that a passerby came and rescued the victim after he heard the victim screaming for help” Mokgwabone said. Police said he (passer-by) immediately alerted the police and the accused were later arrested at various places at the township.
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_
By Obakeng Maje
The DA welcomes the possibility that the impasse in the Tlokwe Municipality in Potchefstroom may come to an end on Monday.
The inability of the Tlokwe Council and its committees to meet was this morning discussed during a public hearing conducted by the NW SCOPA. The Tlokwe Speaker, Barei Segotso, in maintaining her intolerable (ANC) partisan position gave no indications that she is prepared to convene a Council meeting – this position may continue for as long as the ANC remains a minority party in the Council.
“One of the reasons for her reluctance to convene a Council meeting is an overdue motion of no-confidence in the Speaker which must serve at the first Council meeting” DA Chris Hattingh said.
DA said it is clear that Segotso puts personal and party interest before community interest underlining her inaptness for the important position of Speaker.
“The DA will do everything in its power to restore stability and respect in the Tlokwe Municipality” Hattingh concludes.
Follow us on Twitter@Taung-DailyNews or @IceT_
By Obakeng Maje
The attempts of the North West Standing Committee on Public Accounts to conduct a public hearing was derailed this morning after the SCOPA chairperson, Patrick Chauke, referred to Cllr Maphetle Maphetle as the “Executive Mayor”.
The hearing, convened to interrogate the Forensic Investigation Report in which Maphetle and others are implicated in a number of findings, could not move beyond an initial question: “Who is the Municipal Manager in the Tlokwe Municipality?”
The reference to Maphetle as the “Executive Mayor” was the last straw for members of the public, including some expelled (former ANC) councillors who were in attendance. Vicious altercations ensued during which the chairperson and a former MEC were accused of theft, fraud and corruption.
The chairperson was repeatedly shouted down and threatened that the community will stand up against SCOPA and will start with protest meetings directed at SCOPA.
“The clear message from the community members present was that the NW SCOPA in its conduct this morning displayed a political bias in the factional infighting within the ANC”
“The DA is concerned with the conduct at the meeting as it impacts on the functioning of the NW SCOPA – a committee which carefully over years built a reputation for being a non-partisan and ruthless protector of public funds” DA Chris Hattingh said.
The Tlokwe Municipality incident damaged this reputation and also highlighted the fact that the factional divisions prevalent in Potchefstroom also thrives within the every facet of the NW ANC said Hattingh.
DA says, The reality remains that the main victims of the dog eats dog ANC infighting is the community who are being denied quality service delivery and in addition also now are being denied a probing into the expenditure of (their) public funds.
Follow us on Twitter@Taung-DailyNews or @IceT_
The Siya crew can reveal that Platinum Stars are the frontrunners to land Sibusiso Hadebe’s signature.
It was recently revealed by Soccer-Laduma that the nimble-footed player had parted ways with Golden Arrows, with indications that the 26-year-old was no longer in coach Manqoba Mngqithi’s plans for the new season.
For more http://www.soccerladuma.com
The Guardian 