Pretoria – It was quiet outside a Pretoria hospital on Saturday where ailing former president Nelson Mandela spent a seventh day receiving treatment for a recurring lung infection.

Local and international media were camped outside the two entrances of the Mediclinic Heart Hospital, in Pretoria.

Family members arrived at the hospital shortly after 11:30 in two separate cars.

Security remained tight with police officers searching vehicles before they entered the hospital.

Mandela was admitted to the hospital last Saturday, after his condition deteriorated at about 01:30.

A group of people aged between seven and 23-years-old, from the Speed Taekwondo club in Pretoria, brought flowers and placards with the South African flag and their names to the hospital on Saturday, to wish Mandela a speedy recovery.

“We are here for Madiba because he is sick in hospital and we want to wish him to get well soon,” 10-year-old Connor Harley said.

Seven-year-old Marnus Calitz said he loved Mandela. His sister, Denice, 10, said: “I hope Madiba gets well soon.”

The group did a few routines for the media outside one of the entrances to the hospital.

“We came here to celebrate Madiba. He has done so much for us and we wish he gets better,” 14-year-old Junior Mdakane told reporters.

Aman Adam, 10, said: “We wish Madiba all the best to get well soon.

Placards stuck up next to the hospital sign read: “We need you Tata Madiba” and “Get well soon Tata” with balloons and flowers on the gate.

On Friday, Mandela’s former wife and MP Winnie Madikizela-Mandela visited with her daughter Zindzi. His granddaughter Tukwini and three other relatives also visited.

The presidency had described Mandela’s condition as “serious, but stable”.

President Jacob Zuma, accompanied by African National Congress Treasurer General Zweli Mkhize, visited him on Thursday.

“Madiba’s health continues to improve but his condition remains serious,” Zuma said in a statement issued afterwards.

– SAPA

Mineworkers who were held underground at Anglo American Platinum’s (Amplats) Thembelani mine in Rustenburg have been released, the company said on Saturday.

“All is normal. Our employees resurfaced early evening last night and received medical attention to ensure all were in good health,” said Amplats spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole.

According to the company about 2400 mineworkers were being prevented from exiting the shaft on Friday.

“We confirm that this is as a result of the suspension of four shop stewards for inappropriate behaviour which is against our behavioural procedure,” Sithole said at the time.

Earlier, French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the workers were staging a sit-in strike over the suspension of four union leaders.

“They don’t want to come out from underground because they want their leadership’s suspension lifted,” Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) official George Tyobeka was quoted as saying.

The four Amcu leaders suspended were reportedly accused of submitting fraudulent membership applications in an attempt to inflate union membership numbers.

Amcu and its rival union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), have been struggling for dominance at the mines, which has resulted in violent strikes and assassinations.

Last year, the police shot dead 34 miners at Lonmin’s neighbouring mine in Marikana.

Eight NUM members were recently suspended at Lonmin for alleged union membership fraud.

The Amplats tension happened as Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe was meeting union and mining companies on Friday to find a solution to the instability which has troubled the sector in the past months.

-SapaMineworkers who were held underground at Anglo American Platinum’s (Amplats) Thembelani mine in Rustenburg have been released, the company said on Saturday.

“All is normal. Our employees resurfaced early evening last night and received medical attention to ensure all were in good health,” said Amplats spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole.

According to the company about 2400 mineworkers were being prevented from exiting the shaft on Friday.

“We confirm that this is as a result of the suspension of four shop stewards for inappropriate behaviour which is against our behavioural procedure,” Sithole said at the time.

Earlier, French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the workers were staging a sit-in strike over the suspension of four union leaders.

“They don’t want to come out from underground because they want their leadership’s suspension lifted,” Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) official George Tyobeka was quoted as saying.

The four Amcu leaders suspended were reportedly accused of submitting fraudulent membership applications in an attempt to inflate union membership numbers.

Amcu and its rival union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), have been struggling for dominance at the mines, which has resulted in violent strikes and assassinations.

Last year, the police shot dead 34 miners at Lonmin’s neighbouring mine in Marikana.

Eight NUM members were recently suspended at Lonmin for alleged union membership fraud.

The Amplats tension happened as Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe was meeting union and mining companies on Friday to find a solution to the instability which has troubled the sector in the past months.

-Sapa

Bafana Bafana go into Sunday’s CAF Group A top of the table clash full of confidence, following their 3-0 win over the Central African Republic (CAR) last week Saturday.

Tomorrow, South Africa will be welcomed by Group A leaders, Ethiopia, for a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Addis Ababa and defender Anele Ngcongca is confident that Bafana can take their winning momentum into the tie.

Ngcongca believes that if play attacking football against the East Africans, they can secure all three points and go top of the group.

“We will attack them. Our plan is to go at them and create as many chances as we can and score goals, which can win us the game. It doesn’t mean if we attack we will expose ourselves.

“We have to attack as a team and defend together as well, so that we don’t give them any chance to open us up. We need to be strong both in attack and in defence,” Ngcongca concluded.
For more http://www.soccerladuma.com

Bafana Bafana have survived the early potholes in their 2014 World Cup qualifying journey, but on Sunday, the road splits.

Victory away against Ethiopia allows South Africa to continue plotting the path to Brazil, while defeat will see the focus steer into another direction: the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, and the 2018 global showpiece in Russia.

The dismal start to South Africa’s qualifying campaign, with drab draws against Bostwana and Ethiopia leading to Pitso Mosimane’s axing, have thankfully been supplemented with a double over the Central African Republic.

Five goals scored, none conceded.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

The Democratic Alliance says it will write to the Portfolio Committee of Justice and Constitutional Development to seek clarity about the move by the National Prosecuting Authority to redeploy prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach.

On Thursday, the NPA wrote a letter to Breytenbach advising her that she will be moved from the Specialised Commercial Crimes Unit to the office of the acting National Director. The latest development comes after Breytenbach was acquitted of all charges by an NPA disciplinary hearing.

The main charge against Breytenbach was failing to act impartially when she investigated the Kumba Iron Ore/Sishen and Imperial Crown Trading mining rights issue.

The DA is fuming over the move by the NPA to redeploy graft buster, Glynnis Breytenbach.

The parties’ Debbie Schaffer says: “The DA is extremely concerned at the latest development given that Glynnis Breytenbach was involved in high profile and controversial cases”.

The move to redeploy Breytenbach came just a day after the NPA filed a motion of notice with the Labour Court, seeking an order that will see the senior prosecutor fired. Constitutional law expert, Professor Shadrack Gutto, believes the NPA has no case against Breytenbach, “I think it’s going to be very difficult case for the NPA”.

In the latest development, Breytenbach’s lawyer says the NPA is pursuing more investigations against her.

For more sabc.co.za

Journalists who have been parking their cars opposite the main entrance of a Pretoria hospital where former president Nelson Mandela is being treated, have been told to find alternative spots.

This as Mandela spends his 8th day in hospital where he is being treated for a recurring lung infection.

Tshwane metro police officers have told journalists that they have received instructions from their directors that no one should be allowed to park opposite the main entrance on Park Street, an entrance mostly used by Mandela’s visitors.

Meanwhile, security continues to remain tight at both entrances of the hospital.

President Jacob Zuma visited the statesman on Thursday night, but it is understood that no-one saw him arrive or leave the hospital premises.

After visiting Madiba, Zuma released a statement appealing to people to keep Madiba in their thoughts and prayers.

Madiba was admitted on Saturday last week to treat a recurring lung infection.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Deputy minister of Military Veterans, Thabang Makwetla says his ministry has budgeted R300 million to honour and support the families of all fallen struggle heroes in the country.

Makwetla was speaking at Freedom Park in Pretoria, where he handed over the remains of the ten MK members, who died during the struggle in the 1980’s, to their families.

“As the leadership of ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe, we are here to be reminded that true patriotism in South Africa is actually of very quality because those have set the standard so high that when we talk of patriotism we are talking of individuals who are prepared to give their all for the good of all South Africans”, said Makwetla.

The remains of the 10 Umkhonto we Sizwe veterans, who were handed over to their respective families in Pretoria on Friday, will be reburied at their respective homes across the country on Saturday.

Some of the activists were killed in the Battle of Mutale near Thohoyandou in March 1988. Others include the Mofolo 3, who were killed in the operation that was run by Soweto security police who disguised themselves as MK members in Soweto in July 1989. Dumisani Nkabinde is a member of the Nkabinde family who was amongst the recipients of the remains.

“It has been 25 years, we have been looking, lot of things has happened, people have been born and also died , people who were supposed to be with us right here, right now. I feel that we should give thanks to organisations and the people, I think they have been brought home eventually”.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Johannesburg – Nelspruit Medi-Clinic will appeal against a decision by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria that it was liable for damages suffered by a man who was admitted in hospital with malaria, the Citizen reported on Saturday.

George Vermeulen, 45, of White River, was admitted to the hospital in a critical state in May 2007, after being diagnosed with malaria following a trip to Mozambique.

He developed pressure sores on his heels and his lower back. A septic wound formed on his lower back that was so large his doctors could put a fist inside it.

Judge Billy Mothle granted Medi-Clinic leave to appeal against his ruling last year.

He had ruled that the hospital was liable for the injuries sustained by Vermeulen, due to negligence of the hospital and its nursing staff.

Vermeulen instituted claims for damages of almost R4m for his pain, suffering, disability and medical costs.

Mothle said the matter was of substantial importance to Medi-Clinic as it affected the conduct of its business in various other hospitals with the potential to attract liability claims.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Three men were arrested on Friday after an armed robbery in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

A 10-man gang attacked security guards dispensing cash at a pension payout point at 09:15, said police spokesperson Jay Naicker.

“One security guard was shot and injured, and the suspects took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled on foot to a… bakkie, which is presumed to be their getaway vehicle,” he said.

Police, responding to the robbery, saw the bakkie and gave chase, returning fire when the robbers shot at them.

The robbers then abandoned the car and got into a minibus taxi.

“The police continued pursuing the robbers [who were] in the… minibus taxi, and the gun battle between the police and robbers continued,” said Naicker.

The taxi stopped and two men got out and opened fire on the police with automatic weapons.

Police returned fire and arrested both men.

One of them was wounded. The other was unharmed.

The police seized two rifles, an Uzi submachine gun and a money box.

They also confiscated the bakkie and another car believed to have been used in the robbery.

They continued pursuing the minibus taxi, which was stopped in Shongweni.

“The driver was arrested in Shongweni and was found in possession of a shotgun,” Naicker said.

“The police recovered some of the money boxes inside the [minibus taxi]. The security guard shot by the robbers was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition.”

Bakkie reported stolen

Naicker said it was later established that the bakkie used by the robbers was reported stolen in Phoenix earlier in the week.

He said the firearms seized would be sent for ballistics testing to determine whether they had been used to commit any other crimes.

The wounded robber was under police guard in hospital.

He and the other two men arrested would be charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and theft of a motor vehicle.

They were expected to appear soon in the Mpumalanga Magistrate’s Court.

– SAPA

Soweto – President Jacob Zuma hit out at critics of his ANC government as he went on the campaign trail on Friday in Soweto ahead of 2014 elections.

Zuma went door-to-door in Orlando, a day after he visited Nelson Mandela in hospital.

Zuma used the occasion to slam critics who allege he has mismanaged the economy and allowed labour unrest to fester.

He launched a robust defence of his administration, accusing people of forgetting the scale of the problems he faces.

“They’ve forgotten that this government is trying to fix problems that have been there for centuries,” Zuma told students at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus.

Schoolchildren and university students sang songs wherever he went, waving ANC flags.

“Get well, Mandela, get well!” was a popular chant as the country’s Madiba marked a week in hospital for a recurrent lung disease.

The DA, meanwhile, prepared for a big rally in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The ANC won 65.9% of votes in 2009 polls.

The DA took 16.7% in the previous national elections, but their representation in Gauteng province shot to over 33% in municipal vote in 2011.

The state looks set to be a battle ground at the next election.

AFP