Pic:By (Zandisile Luphahla)

Tears of joy were spotted on Leratong Park resident Patrick Meza’s face after he was given a brand new paraffin stove by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) in Kimberley yesterday.

A tearful Menza told The New Age that this was the beginning of a healthy lifestyle as he and his wife suffered from tuberculosis due to smoke inhalation from their old paraffin stove.

For more http://www.thenewage.co.za

Former NPA boss Menzi Simelane is part of a government team sent to the North West to help turn around embattled municipalities, eNCA reported on Friday.

Simelane lost his job as national director of public prosecutions after the Constitutional Court found his appointment by President Jacob Zuma was unconstitutional and invalid.

Tlokwe municipality, where ANC mayor Maphetle Maphetle was unseated last week, was on the list of towns to be visited by the team.

It would also attend to Madibeng, Maquassi Hills, Ditsobotla, and Matlosana.

North West Premier Thandi Modise this week asked the public service and administration department to help the troubled municipalities.

Department spokesperson Ndivhuwo Mabaya said the team would look at “reviewing organisational structures, departmental performance, and efficiencies” in the municipalities.

“The request from the premier is for us to assist in resolving immediate governance and administration challenges,” Mabaya was quoted as saying.

“The team is led by the [director general Mashwahle Diphofu]… and two of our advisers, Mr Silumko Sokupa and advocate Menzi Simelane, who will focus on addressing issues related to fraud, corruption, and maladministration.”

SAPA

Pretoria – A court application for miners wounded and arrested in Marikana last year was not about their legal representation, a government lawyer said on Friday.

“This case is not about the right to legal representation. This is a case about public funding,” Marius Oosthuizen told the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

He is representing President Jacob Zuma and Justice Minister Jeff Radebe in the matter.

Lawyer Dali Mpofu brought the urgent application in court on Thursday and argued the miners were entitled to legal representation at the State’s expense.

Mpofu, who is representing the miners at the hearings of the Farlam Commission of Inquiry, wants Zuma and Radebe to approve payment for the mineworkers’ legal team.

“Nobody said they can’t have legal representation,” Oosthuizen said.

“This case is whether the public purse should be opened up for the applicant.”

If the application was granted, it could set a precedent for public funding.

“This is something not to be rushed into in a matter of days,” Oosthuizen said.

The Farlam Commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 34 striking mineworkers shot by police on 16 August at Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana, North West.

It is also investigating the deaths of 10 people in strike-related violence the previous week.

SAPA

By Obakeng Maje

Schweizer Reneke-Two men sentenced to prison accused were sentenced 10-15 years in prison for robbery aggravating by Schweizer Reneke Regional court.

Teko Erens Baard (20), and Sello Lekgetho (21) were found guilty of robbery and sanction 10 and 15 years into prison respectively.

“Both suspects appeared before Schweizer-Reneke Regional Court on 03 July 2013 and were found guilty of Robbery Aggravating” captain Pelonomi Makau said. Teko Erens Baard was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment whilst Sello Lekgetho received 10 years imprisonment.

“It is alleged that the suspects robbed a 31-year- old victim off his two cellphones as well as an undisclosed amount of cash at Ipelegeng Township near Schweizer- Reneke after threatening him with a knife. 

The police said a victim managed to grab one of the suspects with the assistance of the community members while the other suspect fled.

“Police were summoned to the scene and arrested the suspect after they found a cellphone and cash in his possession. He gave the police the description of his accomplice who was arrested the same day during the night and found in possession of another cellphone” Makau said.

The two appeared before magistrate and were sanctioned.

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

 By Obakeng Maje

Atamelang-North West police arrested a Pakistan national who was found in possession of 39 Master cases of Sasha cigarettes worth R278 448 at Deelpan road in Sannieshof.

Abdul Hafeez was arrested on the 27 June 2013 and appeared briefly before Atamelang Regional Court.

Hafeez was subsequently arrested with his accomplice, but he was released because of lack of evidence.

Atamelang Regional Court sentenced Abdul Hafeez to five years imprisonment or R65 000. 00 for contravention of Section 80 (1) of Act 91/1964 of Customs Exercise Act, 1964 on Wednesday.

“The accused and his accomplice who are both Pakistan nationals were arrested in Sannieshof on Deelpan road on 27 June 2013.  However, the charge against the accused’s accomplice was withdrawn and he was released” colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said. Upon sentencing the accused, the court suspended four years or R40 000.00 for five years on condition the accused is not arrested or commit the same offence. 

“The accused paid R25 000. It is alleged that the accused was found with 39 Master cases of Sasha cigarettes to the value of R278 448.00 when arrested” Mokgwabone said.

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By Obakeng Maje

Kimberley-Four people died in a fatal accident this morning in Kimberley.

On Friday,at about 07:45 am there was a fatal accident on N12 near the Riverton/Langley turnoff involving a truck and a Nissan bakkie. 

The accident took place about 20 kilometres from Kimberley. 

“It is alleged that the truck was travelling towards the Northern direction of Kimberley when the head on collision took place” colonel donald Mdhluli said. There were four occupants inside the bakkie and one occupant in the truck. Three females, including a child, were certified dead on the scene. 

“One male from a bakkie is critically injured and was rushed to Kimberley Hospital. The driver of the truck escaped unharmed” Mdhluli said. 

The exact cause of the fatal accident is yet to be established. “It took about four hours to clear the scene. A case of culpable homicide is being investigated. The names of the deceased cannot be released until next of kin has been informed” police said.

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By Obakeng Maje

Klerksdorp-The City of Matlosana is planning a Mayoral Soccer Challenge for the 28th July at a cost of R2.4 million while expecting an income of only R192 000-00 from the event DA said.

Free State Stars, Bloemfontein Celtics, Platinum Stars and Super Sport United are to participate at an appearance fee of R300 000-00 per team.

The Oppenheimer Stadium which is in a dilapidated state will be used as venue.

The Deputy Director for Sport, Arts and Culture wants to secure broadcasting rights, source funding and co-ordinate the hosting of the four teams.

“With so little time left and no evidence of willing sponsors, the DA is concerned that Council funds will eventually be used to finance the soccer challenge” DA provincial spokesperson Tiaan Kotze said.   

Democratic Alliance said this is especially a major concern while the financial situation at council is in such a precarious state.

In the previous years the Mayoral Cup was played as an inter-ward competition but the ANC is known to become very extravagant when elections are coming up with the hope to buy loyalty and secure votes Kotze said.  

“They should however rethink this strategy as their target market are seeking service delivery and houses not exuberant soccer matches which will benefit only a few financially” DA said.

The DA will investigate the sustainability of such an event and oppose it if it is found not in the best interests of the community.

Follow on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Mahikeng-Councillors of the ANC-run Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality in the North West have removed speaker Tebogo Ramashilabele.

“We are going to have a meeting with the councillors [on Friday] to get their side of the story so we can determine what the situation is,” ANC spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said on Friday.

The Democratic Alliance in the municipality, which has its seat in Mahikeng, said it walked out of a council meeting on Thursday because it was clear it was focusing on “ANC factional interests driven by power hungry individuals”.

“We will not assist the ANC in their disruptive internal battles,” DA councillor Jacqueline Theologo said.

“Due to the inquorate council all decisions made in council would be deemed unlawful.”

This is the second municipality in the North West where African National Congress councillors have unseated one of their own.

ANC councillors voted to unseat Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle last week. On 2 July, DA councillor Annette Combrink was voted in as the new mayor, for the second time since November, unseating Maphetle.

On 3 July, the North West ANC’s provincial disciplinary committee expelled 14 of its councillors who voted him out.

However, the ANC is adamant that Maphetle remains Tlokwe mayor because it claims the council meeting, where he was unseated, was unlawful.

The party had applied to the High Court in Pretoria for it to declare the meeting illegal. 

SAPA

Johannesburg – South African mining unions and gold companies started wage talks on Thursday billed as the toughest since the end of apartheid, with demands for a doubling of basic pay set against collapsing bullion prices and shrinking profit margins.

The two-yearly negotiations normally take two months but this year’s talks are expected to drag out because of a vicious union turf war that sparked strikes last year in which producers lost billions of rands of output and some workers were killed.

“For us it’s about finding the balance between what is affordable and what the employees want,” said Elize Strydom, a senior executive at the Chamber of Mines, which represents firms employing 120 000 of the gold sector’s 140 000 workers.

This year the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), which represents 17% of the gold workforce according to the chamber, will join more established unions such as the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) for the first time.

Amcu’s clashes in the last 18 months with ANC ally NUM, historically South Africa’s most powerful union, have destabilised labour relations in the mines and across the economy.

Amcu has emerged as the dominant union in the platinum sector and its demands for gold mining companies to more than double the wages of entry-level workers forced NUM – normally a more conservative negotiator – to up the wage ante as well.

Coal industry wage talks will be conducted in parallel with those of gold but are likely to be far smoothe, with the Amcu-NUM rivalry not as evident in the sector.

Although nobody expects a settlement anywhere near Amcu or NUM’s demands, analysts doubt whether an industry in terminal decline can afford increases much above inflation, currently at a shade under 6%.

“They’re likely to settle about 3% above inflation but even 10% will hurt,” said David Davis, a gold analyst at SBG Securities in Johannesburg.

From its zenith in the 1970s, when South Africa was digging up 1 000 tonnes of gold a year, the country produced just 167 tonnes in 2012 – a consequence of the need to “chase the reef” ever deeper into the bowels of the earth.

South Africa’s mines operate at 4 km or more underground, a depth that imposes huge costs on companies that have also had to swallow a 25% fall in the bullion price since January as well as a sharp increase in the price of electricity.

A weaker rand, which lowers local costs, has given them a temporary lifeline but the industry argues that an overly generous wage settlement is unaffordable and will only result in job losses – something the ANC is loath to see less than a year before an election.

“Affordability is key because if we do not take that into account in the long run it will jeopardise work security,” Strydom said.

“It will jeopardise the life of the mines and it will be bad for the country because mining is still a key industry in South Africa.”

Despite steadily declining output, gold remains an important element of South Africa’s economy, accounting for 10% of all exports in 2012.

For more http://www.news24.com

Legendary South African marksman Calvin Petersen was suitably impressed by the talent on show at the SAB League National Champs.

The tournament is currently taking place in Stellenbosch, with the semi-finals underway on Friday (12 July 2013)– both kick off at 10h00 at the Idas Valley Stadium as Western Cape take on KwaZulu Natal, while Mpumalanga will clash with Limpopo.

Former Moroka Swallows and Durban Bush Bucks striker Petersen is at the tournament as part of the Castle Lager SuperStars XI scouting and talent identification project which has been ongoing for around eight months now.

This has seen an all-star team of professionals including Neil Tovey, Phil Masinga, John Tlale, John “Shoes” Moshoeu, David Nyathi and Petersen seeking to identify the cream of the crop in terms of young players shining in the SAB Leagues across the country.

In January this year a select group spent time together in camp in Stellenbosch (at the Stellenbosch sports Academy) and the High Performance Centre in Pretoria.

Friendly matches were played against Ajax Cape Town, Vasco da Gama, University of Pretoria, Cosmos and SuperSport United, with PSL and NFD coaches there to hunt for talent.

Petersen and the rest of his team are now hoping to uncover a few additional gems at the 2013 SAB League National Championships, and he is pleased with what he has seen over the last three days.

“I’m very excited – it’s a great initiative by SAB, where young players get exposure and where they have an opportunity to be seen by scouts, to maybe go on and play in a professional set-up in the PSL or the NFD.

“It has been very impressive, there have been quite a few players I think are good enough to go and play in one of the top divisions, because from what I have seen the standard is quite high this year,” he said.

As a respected and successful front man in his own playing days, Petersen has being paying special attention to the strikers on display at Idas Valley and has some advice for the youngsters.

“There are quite a few strikers here that I think could be goal scorers at the highest levels. But some of them are quite raw. They need to learn where to make their runs from, how to run off the ball, how to position themselves, their composure, getting into the box, allowing the midfielders to do their job.”