Johannesburg – DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko wants an investigation into whether President Jacob Zuma misled Parliament about the upgrades to his Nkandla homestead.

“I have today written to the speaker of the National Assembly Max Sisulu to request that an urgent resolution be placed on the agenda… which would establish a full-scale investigation into whether… Zuma misled Parliament,” she said in a statement on Friday.

“I will also request that all documentation, including the public works task team report, into… Zuma’s private residence be submitted to the National Assembly without delay to form the basis of this investigation.”

Earlier, the Mai l& Guardian reported that the public works department released 42 files with over 12 000 pages on the Nkandla upgrade to the newspaper.

They were released following a request for information, under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, about public spending on Zuma’s private residence in KwaZulu-Natal.

The request was submitted a year ago and pointed out that the act obliged the department to redact parts of the requested information related to security, while making the rest available.

The documents were released to the newspaper two weeks ago, and related to bid evaluations, needs assessments, contracts awarded and their values, and to whether costs were allocated for public or private accounts.

‘Top secret’

The public works task team report was declared top secret and closed to public scrutiny.

The files provided to the newspaper contained numerous references to documents or annexures which were not disclosed.

The Mail & Guardian reported that there appeared to be no security-related basis for their redaction.

There was nothing in the Nkandla files that could not have been publicly disclosed, except for how senior officials and politicians “scrambled” to meet deadlines set by Zuma, and how short-cuts were taken in tendering processes.

Money was also shifted from other programmes to accommodate the unbudgeted spending.

The Mail & Guardian reported that the cost of the Nkandla homestead ballooned from R27.8m in 2009 to a projected total of about R270m by October 2012.

The official expenditure as of June this year was reportedly R210.5m. This did not appear to include bills yet to be paid.

The newspaper further reported that Zuma was expected to pay five percent of the security-related improvements. It said a top-secret March 2011 memorandum split the bill by allocating R203m to the public purse, and R10.5m for Zuma’s account.

Important info missing

Mazibuko said the newspaper’s report showed that Zuma had omitted important information when questioned by Parliament about the upgrade.

“These reports show that he was not merely a bystander as he claimed in his reply to my parliamentary questions on 15 November 2012,” Mazibuko said.

She quoted Zuma as saying in Parliament: “My residence in Nkandla has been paid for by the Zuma family. All the buildings and every room we use in that residence were built by ourselves as a family and not by government.

“I have never asked government to build a house for me, and it has not done so. The government has not built a home for me.”

Mazibuko said the magnitude of the newspaper’s revelations on Friday brought the office of the president into “massive disrepute”.

“Parliament must take urgent action and send the message that corruption at any level will not be tolerated,” she said.

Presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj declined to comment.

“You say the request was sent to the speaker. The speaker can respond to that matter. There is no need for us to respond to that matter,” he said.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Nearly 15 years ago Nelson Mandela was unperturbed by his own death, telling a dying teenager that he had lived his life to the full.

The video dating from 1998, broadcast by American news channel CBS on Thursday as Mandela remained in critically ill in hospital, showed the towering South African statesman visiting a 15-year-old, also named Nelson.

“Understanding the fact that I’m near the end, I remain optimistic with my morale very high, because I’m saying I have lived my life,” the statesman, then 80, told the teen, who was dying of brain cancer.

‘Optimistic spirit’

In the amateur video the boy, his head shaved, smiled shyly from his bed at the peace icon, who wore one of his colourful trademark shirts.

Posters of cars adorned the wall next to where the then-president sat holding a teacup.

“If your spirit is not optimistic, your morale is not high, medicine is not very effective,” the then president said.

The boy died under three months after the visit.

Broadcast as the 94-year-old nears one month in hospital, the words carry added poignancy.

According to court documents from Mandela family lawyers, filed nine days ago, doctors believed Mandela was in a “permanent vegetative state” and they advised his family to turn off his life support machine.

South Africa’s presidency has since said his condition has improved and on Thursday denied he is in a vegetative state.

– AFP

Tlokwe councillors who voted to unseat former mayor Maphetle Maphetle should be applauded, Agang SA said on Friday.

“Agang SA deplores the firing by the ANC of councillors who stood up against an incompetent ANC mayor of Tlokwe,” Mamphela Ramphele’s newly-establish party said in a statement.

“We applaud these men and women for standing up and saying ‘enough is enough’.”

On Tuesday, Democratic Alliance councillor Annette Combrink was voted in as the new mayor for the second time since November.

DA North West leader Chris Hattingh said 29 councillors of all parties, including the African National Congress, unanimously voted to return Combrink to the position of mayor.

The North West ANC’s provincial disciplinary committee said on Wednesday 14 ANC councillors who voted to unseat Maphetle were expelled from the party. The expelled members would be removed as Tlokwe councillors.

While the DA was in charge last year, it asked for a forensic investigation into irregularities at the municipality. The probe found the council irregularly bought Maphetle a R736,000 customised Mercedes-Benz. Maphetle was also allegedly abused the municipality’s disaster management fund and poverty relief fund. It was recommended in the report that formal disciplinary action be taken against him and other officials.

Agang SA on Friday said this was another case of deployment in the public service gone “horribly wrong”.

“Rather than disciplining wrongdoing, there is a tolerance of corruption in the narrow party interest, rather than putting the rights of citizens first. South Africa needs more politicians guided by duty and conscience who can speak truth to power, even to their own,” it said.

-Sapa

Over seven hundred and six million rand has been allocated to address sanitation backlog within the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, the Executive Mayor, Councillor Louis Diremelo reported at the North West Provincial Basic Services Acceleration Summit in Rustenburg on Friday.

According to Diremelo’s report presented on the last day of the two- day summit, 5485 households in Moretele Local Municipality are beneficiaries of theR255 million sanitation projects that are under construction in eleven wards.

Six thousand VIP’s and 4000 waterborne toilets project is to be rolled out in Klipgat in Madibeng Local Municipality. The intervention includes the rehabilitation of 4 waste treatment works funded through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant. Two hundred and forty-four million rand has been allocated for the project.

Other projects to address the sanitation backlog are underway in Moses Kotane, Kgetleng Rivier and Rustenburg Local Municipalities.
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The Free basic services programme should be accelerated by municipalities as a safety net for the poor, North West Premier Thandi Modise said in her closing address to the two-day Provincial Basic Services Acceleration Summit that ended in Rustenburg on Friday afternoon.

Premier Modise said that local government should be effective in taking development directly to the people and prioritise development that is sustainable and that helps to reduce poverty.

“The character of a developmental state that we envision as a nation is the creation of a local government system that is responsive, efficient, effective and accountable. We need to improve public confidence in our municipalities in the province as a critical step towards attracting investment by increasing the pace and improving the quality of basic water, sanitation, electricity and housing services” stressed Modise.

The Premier highlighted that though the province has achieved the Millennium Development Goals for sanitation provision, it needs to intensify work towards universal access by next year.
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The South African Senior Men’s National Team Bafana Bafana will play two international friendly matches in August in honour of former South African State President, Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

Bafana Bafana will take on reigning African Champions Nigeria in the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Wednesday, 14 August 2013.

This match will be followed by yet another interesting clash against Burkina Faso (who placed 2 nd in the 2013 AFCON) in the Nelson Mandela Sport & Culture Day at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, 17 August 2013
.

Other activities on the day will see an Italian Masters team locking horns against the South African Legends. This will be followed by the Bafana Bafana match against Burkina Faso. Then the Springboks face Argentina in a Test match at the same venue. The day will conclude with a concert late in the evening, also at the FNB Stadium.

“It is a great honour for us to be associated with such a huge and significant, and also highly important project for our former State President. When we got the invite to be part of this venture, we did not hesitate as Madiba has made a selfless sacrifice for the nation” said SAFA President Kirsten Nematandani.

“We are obviously mindful of the fact that the former President is not well in hospital. We can only wish him all the best for him to come out and be among us so he can continue to inspire us as he has done for many years. This event shows that no one can unite the country quite like he has, and we are proud to be taking part” said President Nematandani.

Bafana Bafana Head Coach Gordon Igesund, is expected to announce the squad for the two matches soon after his return from the COSAFA Cup tournament in Zambia.
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The Tlokwe City Council’s Acting Municipal Manager has been served with a letter terminating his services as the battle continues between the DA and the ANC over who the rightful mayor of the city is.

The City Council has confirmed that the Municipal Manager was given a letter terminating his services, a day after a council meeting was held which elected Annette Combrinck of the DA as executive mayor.

City spokesperson, Willie Maphosa, says the letter was issued by the MEC for local government and traditional affairs in North West.

“He has been served with the letter from the MEC, but this is not related to what happened on Tuesday. It’s purely a procedural matter. He was appointed on a six-month-term contract and it expired in February. Yesterday, he was served with a letter to indicate that his term has expired.”

The Department of Local government and Traditional Affairs was not available to comment on the matter.

On Thursday, 14 ANC Councillors in the Tlokwe City Council at Potchefstroom in the North West were expelled from the party. This after the councillors had voted with the DA on Tuesday to oust former Tlokwe Mayor Maphetle Maphetle following a similar motion of no confidence in him in November last year.

The ANC had restored him to office in between, but the DA’s Annette Combrinck was re-elected on Wednesday.
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A small group of Save Our Schools campaigners, who have gathered outside the Western Cape High court, was disappointed to learn that judgment in the final review application in the province’s school closure matter will not be delivered on Friday.

The review was heard last month in the matter between the 17 schools earmarked for closure and the Provincial Education department.

An initial court roll circulated to attorneys, indicate that judgment in the matter would be heard on Friday but court officials say that this list should not have been sent out, and was meant only for judges schedules.

Judgment was reserved in June and no date has been set.

The group of supporters include members of school governing bodies, parents and the teachers union, South African Democratic Teacher’s Union (Sadtu).

Initially 27 schools were earmarked for closure but this was later revised to 20. The schools are arguing that the department did not follow proper procedures, and that the public participation process was flawed.

The department cited dwindling learner number, under performance and poor infrastructure, among others as reasons for the proposed closures.
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Johannesburg – Bafana Bafana have been dealt another blow with four more players withdrawing from the national squad to take part in the Cosafa Cup tournament in Zambia.

The fresh alterations to the squad mean coach Gordon Igesund has had to make a total of 13 changes to the original list of 20 players selected to do duty for South Africa at the southern region tournament. They open their campaign in a quarterfinal fixture next weekend.

Musa Bilankulu of Wits was replaced by Platinum Stars captain Vuyo Mere on Friday, Lance Davids from Ajax Cape Town made way for Edward Manqele of Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs’ Mandla Masango was included in place of Luyolo Nomandela of Free State Stars, and Mzikayise Mashaba of Wits was called up as a replacement for William Twala of Orlando Pirates (formerly Chippa United).

Bafana media officer Matlhomola Morake said three of the players – Bilankulu, Twala and Davids – withdrew as their clubs said they were returning from injuries.

“Nomandela is injured, and the other three, the clubs said the players were coming back from injury so they were deemed unfit,” said Morake.

Igesund was forced to make nine changes to his original squad earlier in the week after clubs opted not to release players.

Kaizer Chiefs had five players selected but they were later withdrawn, while the SuperSport United duo of Ronwen Williams and striker Kermit Erasmus, Bloemfontein Celtic defender Thabo Nthethe, who was to captain the squad, and Mamelodi Sundowns defender Tebogo Langerman were also removed.

Igesund said they were facing a stiff challenge in Zambia with an understrength team.

“We need to be competitive there,” said Igesund.

“There were so many players pulling out for whatever reasons and so many not available so it is becoming very tough.”

Bafana squad:

Goalkeepers: Siyabonga Mpontshane, Wayne Sandilands.

Defenders: Bevan Fransman, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Sibusiso Khumalo, Vuyo Mere, Lehlohonolo Nomyane, Buhle Mkhwanazi, Tshepo Gumede.

Midfielders: Mandla Masango, Lerato Chabangu, Sibusiso Msomi, Hlompho Kekana, Edward Manqele, Jabu Shongwe, Ruzaigh Gamildien.

Strikers: Katlego Mashego, Mzikayise Mashaba, Lebogang Manyama, Thabani Mthembu.
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