Cape Town – It is an “honour” to have South Africa’s land reform process compared to what happened in Zimbabwe, Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti told MPs on Friday.

“[President Robert] Mugabe is reversing what the British did to the people of Zimbabwe. It’s an honour,” he said in the National Assembly following an often angry and emotion-filled debate on his department’s 2013/14 budget.

Nkwinti was responding to remarks made earlier in the House by Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald, who warned the minister he was “playing with fire” by whipping up emotions on the land issue.

“You are creating insecurity. I want to say to the honourable minister, you are creating a typical Zimbabwe situation.

“You are busy, before the election, to blame whites and apartheid [for the land situation],” Groenewald said.

Nkwinti told Groenewald he was right.

“You were right… about whipping up emotions, just like Zimbabwe. Yes, President Mugabe is the president of Zimbabwe, and here we have President Zuma.

“But he [Groenewald] says we’re like him [Mugabe]. That is a praise, by the way.”

At this point, Nkwinti was interrupted by loud cries and heckling from opposition benches.

The minister responded to these by repeating he considered the comparison with Zimbabwe to be praise for the work government was doing on land reform.

“Yes, it is praise… he [Groenewald] says we’re like Zimbabwe. That is praise, thank you very much.

“It’s an honour. It is an honour. What did you expect?

“Would you have been happier if he [Groenewald] had said, we were like the British colonialists who killed South Africans to take our land? Would that have been an honour?” Nkwinti asked, to loud cheers from ANC benches.

Achilles heel

Earlier, he spelled out government’s aims on land reform and the future of South Africa in this regard.

“The Mangaung conference of the ANC has given us very clear instructions on this – go and change the skewed land ownership pattern in South Africa so that we can have black people taking control of the economy of the country,” Nkwinti said, to loud acclamation from ANC MPs.

The emotive tone of the debate was sparked earlier by outgoing Democratic Alliance MP Atholl Trollip, who fired a final stinging broadside against rural development and land reform officials.

“Your departmental staff are the Achilles heel of your department,” he told Nkwinti

“Regrettably, due to the shocking work ethic of your staff, I leave here with the queries I inherited from my predecessor – and those that were generated during my time in the portfolio — mostly unanswered.”

Trollip is leaving Parliament to take up a seat in the Eastern Cape legislature. He took over as DA spokesman on rural development and land reform last year, after losing his position as parliamentary leader to Lindiwe Mazibuko.

Delivering his last speech, he told Nkwinti his department was failing.

“This department is failing to meet its enormously important mandate. This regrettable state of affairs could not come at a worse time… the centenary of the passing of the 1913 Native Land Act.”

He told MPs the minister had conceded that 90 percent of the department’s land reform programme projects had failed.

“This failure has provided those that prey on the resources of the state easy access to a source of ready cash.

“The so-called recapitalisation programme, set up to resuscitate commercial farms that this department has allowed to fall into unproductive disrepair, has become a veritable cash cow for corrupt officials and their cohorts.”

Failing black farmers

Trollip suggested Nkwinti focus on the “facts” in agriculture. These included that the contribution of agriculture to South Africa’s GDP had dropped from 9.1 percent in 1965, to less than two percent last year.

“[Further], the number of commercial farmers has gone from 100 000 to 36 000 in 15 years.

“These are the people that feed the nation, who employ hundreds of thousands of people. But they are disappearing,” he warned.

Trollip suggested Nkwinti was failing emerging black farmers.

“This is your responsibility, and you are failing them dismally. If you are honest, honourable minister, you will have to admit you are not producing new, competent commercial farmers, or competent small-scale farmers through the land reform programme.”

Other important facts constraining the department’s ability to deliver included successive qualified audits by the auditor general; financial irregularities that had prompted an SIU investigation; huge claims against the department resulting from negligent and slipshod legal proceedings; and, persistently high levels of irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure amounting to R83.4 million in 2011/12.

Trollip said his experience of interacting with department officials had been one of frustration “as a direct result of ineptitude, carelessness, lack of Batho Pele, lack of professionalism, lack of integrity, and blatant dishonesty”.

He then took his farewell.

“Honourable members, it has been an honour serving with you only when we were honest with each other,” he told MPs.

– SAPA

Mamelodi Sundowns new signing Sibusiso Khumalo says his move to Chloorkop was not motivated by money but by the desire to improve his soccer career and to face new challenges.

Khumalo is expected to start his new career at Sundowns on July 1 after serving Moroka Swallows for more than five years since arriving as a 14 year-old.

The midfielder tells KickOff.com that he can’t wait to wear the yellow and blue colours of Sundowns next season.

“It wasn’t about money to join Sundowns, my intention to leave Swallows was motivated by my desire to face new challenges,” Khumalo says.

“I have been at Swallows for a long time and I needed a new environment to grow as a player.

“I think the move to Sundowns will give me a chance to compete with the best players and then I will be able to judge just how good a player I am,” he adds.

Khumalo is likely to compete with the likes of Ezrom Nyandoro, Hlompho Kekana and Thamsanqa Sangweni for a central midfield position at Chloorkop.

“I am not afraid of competition. This is another reason I joined Sundowns because I wanted to compete with the best players,” he says.

The 22 year-old adds that he is sad to leave the Dube Birds as he really enjoyed playing for them.

“I am sorry to the Swallows supporters for what has happened. The move happened so fast but the club will always remain special in my heart as it contributed a lot to my soccer career,” he adds.

Mamelodi Sundowns new signing Sibusiso Khumalo says his move to Chloorkop was not motivated by money but by the desire to improve his soccer career and to face new challenges.

Khumalo is expected to start his new career at Sundowns on July 1 after serving Moroka Swallows for more than five years since arriving as a 14 year-old.

The midfielder tells KickOff.com that he can’t wait to wear the yellow and blue colours of Sundowns next season.

“It wasn’t about money to join Sundowns, my intention to leave Swallows was motivated by my desire to face new challenges,” Khumalo says.

“I have been at Swallows for a long time and I needed a new environment to grow as a player.

“I think the move to Sundowns will give me a chance to compete with the best players and then I will be able to judge just how good a player I am,” he adds.

Khumalo is likely to compete with the likes of Ezrom Nyandoro, Hlompho Kekana and Thamsanqa Sangweni for a central midfield position at Chloorkop.

“I am not afraid of competition. This is another reason I joined Sundowns because I wanted to compete with the best players,” he says.

The 22 year-old adds that he is sad to leave the Dube Birds as he really enjoyed playing for them.

“I am sorry to the Swallows supporters for what has happened. The move happened so fast but the club will always remain special in my heart as it contributed a lot to my soccer career,” he adds.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

It has emerged that the photographs that were taken from the murder scene in paralympian Oscar Pistorius’s house are not the official ones that investigators took.

Police spokesperson Phuti Setati says they are investigating the origin of the photos. “The origin of the photo’s in question is not known to the police. However, we wish to indicate that our investigation in this matter is on track and won’t be distracted by this kind of tactics. And will look into the matter with a view if it warrants any investigation,” says Setati.

The pictures of the murder scene where paralympian Pistorius shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day have been broadcast on an international television station.

The more than three minute insert shows several pictures taken at the scene, including the toilet door through which Pistorius shot Steenkamp. The picture of the toilet door show bullet holes beneath the level of the door handle, a missing door panel and a pool of blood next to the toilet.

Other pictures show a trail of blood down the stairs, blood smears on the stairs, blood spatters against the wall next to the stairs and drops of blood on a light coloured sofa.

Pistorius says he shot Steenkamp by accident as he thought she was an intruder and when he realized his mistake he tried desperately to save her life. The prosecution says he knew there was a person behind the door and had the intentions to kill when he fired the shots.

Pistorius was released on a R1 million bail and will appear in court again next week.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

KwaZulu-Natal intends closing more than 1000 schools in the province, the National Freedom Party claimed on Friday.

Party spokesperson Nhlanhla Khubisa condemned the purported closure as unwarranted.”This paints a gloomy picture of the state of education in our country and in the province,” said Khubisa.

Provincial education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the NFP lacked information on the transformation of schools and was malicious. He said the NFP had a political agenda.

Mahlambi did not elaborate. Khubisa said more schools needed to be built in the province, and the education department lagged behind in providing classrooms.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

A task team in Mpumalanga has established that there are more than a 100 illegal schools operating in the province. The team consists of officials from different provincial departments.

It is probing the cause of deaths of initiates in the Nkangala district. Preliminary findings show that the initiates died of excessive bleeding, dehydration and hypothermia.

Earlier this week the ANC in Parliament turned down some political parties’ call to appoint an independent commission of inquiry into the cause of the deaths.

Mpumalanga provincial cabinet spokesperson, Madala Masuku, says the PEC has resolved that regulatory measures should be put in place.

“The schools haven’t been shut down because in the initial process. They have set up what they call the Ingoma forum and each time there are challenges to manage the situation. What they have agreed upon was that no because the initiates are already there and the process is actually going.

“What we need to do is to extend the monitoring of the situation to those particular schools that we have identified and currently that’s what the departments are actually doing to assist all those particular schools. So that we don’t experience any other deaths,” says Masuku.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Kimberley – Cope Member of the Provincial Legislature, Pakes Dikgetsi, has expressed shocked and horror at the brutal killing of a 10-month-old baby, allegedly at the hands of her father.

“The man who should have protected her from violence is the one who so violently killed her. We condemn this terrible crime in the harshest terms possible,” Dikgetsi said in a statement.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund says Itumeleng Khune should work on his temper, now that he has been appointed as permanent captain of the national side.

Igesund said on Friday he had spoken to Khune, who is known to lose his cool with match officials, and told him to dial down his temper.

“To be a great captain he just has to calm down in certain situations,” Igesund said at a Bafana training session in Germiston.

“Sometimes he loses his temper, but I’ve spoken to him about that and a lot of things.

“There’s hundreds and hundreds of captains, there’s only a few great captains.”

The Bafana coach ended speculation on the Bafana captaincy by naming Khune as permanent skipper ahead of a friendly international against Lesotho on Sunday, and World Cup qualifiers against Central African Republic and Ethiopia.

“Let me take this opportunity to say that Itu is the captain of the national team from now on,” Igesund said.

The coach was unsure, however, whether Khune would play in Maseru this weekend, confirming either Senzo Meyiwa or Wayne Sandilands could be given the gloves.

“Well I’m not sure he’s going to play at this stage,” he said.

“If I decide to rest him or use him, there will be a stand-in for the day of the match, but it won’t be changing on a regular basis.”

Khune, the captain of Premiership champions Kaizer Chiefs, said he would have no problem stepping up.

“It humbles me as a person and it will improve my leadership skills,” Khune said.

“It’s a heavy responsibility. In the past games the players have responded well from what the coach has told me to tell them. I’m happy, but again I’m humbled.” – Sapa

Cape Town – Anonymous Facebook confession sites are going viral as thousands of university students confess their most intimate thoughts.

The craze started with the Facebook page UCT Confessions, which allows students to post messages anonymously using a code via Google.

UCT Confessions has amassed over 10 000 Facebook likes in just over a week.

The site guarantees it will publish confessions on its page. “Submit your confessions or stories. Nothing you submit will be traced back to you,” it states.

UCT confession 1043 reads “I’ve had a crush on the same girl since my 1st year. 4 years on and I’m so deep in the friend zone, I don’t think I can get out” 

Confession 929 was more controversial: “I think I have kissed just as many girls as I have guys…”.

Many are inappropriate for publication, and concerns have been raised that the nature of the confessions may damage the reputation of the university.

According to the Cape Argus, the creators want to remain anonymous, but said they wanted a platform where students could be heard anonymously: “Not everyone wants to associate themselves with their opinion”.

Three other university confession sites have subsequently been created, with Rhodes Confessions, UWC Confessions, and Shit Maties Say each having more than 1 000 Facebook likes.

News24

Johannesburg – About 300 cars were taking part in the “drive slow” protest action on Johannesburg freeways, trade union federation Cosatu said on Friday.

“I think there’s about 300. So far so good, our target was 100 and we’ve exceeded that,” Congress of SA Trade Unions Gauteng secretary Dumisani Dakile said.

“It shows the level of support we have,” he said.

The motorcade was on the R24 in Kempton Park around noon.

A number of drivers have joined the protest, including the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC).

Cosatu is staging the drive-slow protest against e-tolling on Gauteng freeways.

The “drive slow” was expected to move from the R24 to the R21 North and then make a U-turn back onto the R21 South and return to the R21, R24, N12, and the N3 South back to Katlehong, where the meeting point was.

SAPA