Johannesburg – White beggars in South Africa earn between R50 and R500 a day, the trade union Solidarity said on Tuesday.

A study conducted by Solidarity’s Helping Hand revealed that most beggars would like to work, but do not have the necessary education.

About 78 percent of beggars interviewed said they would like to work and 19 percent said they had not worked before.

The study conducted in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape was of perceptions and the reality of the lives of beggars.

Field workers interviewed beggars in November and December 2012.

Solidarity researcher Nicolien Welthagen said public comments on the union’s Facebook page showed that people believed beggars did not want to work.

“Many people wrote that they had offered beggars work, but that they had not wanted to do demeaning work,” said Welthagen.

“Furthermore, one or two of the beggars who did accept work had quit almost immediately, sometimes within a few days, and had started begging again.”

Almost 60 percent of the beggars had not passed matric.

A small group of 6.6 percent claimed they possessed a diploma and 13 percent said they had some form of a certificate.

Most of the beggars (57 percent) indicated that they were not married. A third (31 percent) were married and 12 percent were divorced. There were also couples (33 percent) who begged together even though they were not married.

Most beggars (83 percent) did not receive an allowance or any assistance from welfare or other organisations.

Sixty-three percent belonged to a church.

About half (51 percent) said they did not have any children, while a third (32 percent) had one child.

Only four percent received a children’s allowance and 94 percent of female beggars with children did not receive any allowance.

Most of the beggars indicated they had been begging for less than a year, while approximately 12 percent had been begging for more than 10 years.

Welthagen said the public believed that beggars were not interested in the work offered to them “because they can earn much more on the streets”.

The research was not intended to provide final answers or solutions to the issue of beggars, but to create more questions which could lead to further research, said Welthagen. – Sapa

By Obakeng Maje

Mmakau-A case of a 41 year-old man who allegedly kidnapped and kills a 11 year-old girl in Mmakau village near Brits was postponed.

Strike Paulos Thulore,41 appeared briefly at Brits Magistrate Court for kidnapping and murdering Ofentse mogale,11 on saturday.

The gruesome incident took place on saturday night when Thulore allegedly entered their neighbour’s house and kidnap a 11 year old girl police said.

“Police were called after Strike Paulos Thulore allegedly forcefully gain entry through the window at neighbour’s house” Captain Adele Myburgh said.

“He allegedly snatched a 11 year-old girl while sleeping in their room with her siblings. The mother of a victim was asleep with her boyfriend in another bedroom” Myburg said.

The parent of a victim realised that she was kidnapped and called the police.

Ofentse Mogale’s body was discovered by police later at her neighbour shack stashed under the bed.

Subsequently the man was arrested and he appeared before magistrate today at Brits Magistrate Court.

“His case has been postponed and he will remains in custody until 12 february 2013 where he will appear for bail applications” captain Adele Myburgh said.

Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), the world’s largest producer of the metal, has to be restructured to make it viable for the future, outgoing Anglo CEO Cynthia Carroll said on Tuesday.

The platinum sector was in crisis, facing enormous economic challenges, she told delegates at the Mining Indaba 2013 in Cape Town.

On Monday, Amplats reported a headline loss of R1.47 billion for 2012, a fall of 141 percent from the year before. It also announced it would not be paying a dividend.

The loss has been attributed to, among other things, the unprotected wage strikes that rocked the company’s mines last year.

Amplats has announced plans to retrench 14,000 workers, but recently postponed these to holds talks with government and labour.

Referring to “government and political parties” as partners, Carroll said a “defining context for the relationship between Anglo American and its partners in the months ahead will clearly be the consultation process in relation to our platinum restructuring proposals”.

While a conference platform was not the place to conduct such consultation, she wished to “make the position clear” on a topic that had attracted so much media coverage.

“The critical starting point is that the boards of Anglo American and Anglo American Platinum are totally committed to ensuring a sustainable platinum business for the future for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

It was a business in which Anglo planned to invest R100 billion over the next decade.

“But to do that we must make the changes necessary to make the business sustainable. We need to recognise and tackle the enormous economic challenges the platinum sector faces. This is an industry in crisis.”

Demand for platinum had dropped, and there was no sign of respite in the near-term future. At the same time, labour, energy costs, and other input costs had continued to rise relentlessly.

“As a result, margins have been squeezed dramatically and the sector has not been earning adequate returns. This is an unsustainable position.

“In the case of Anglo American Platinum, we have to restructure the business to make it viable for the future and in doing so to protect over forty-five thousand jobs.”

The question of how to restructure was one that required consultation with all stakeholders.

“As you know, we have made our proposals public as we are required to do as a listed company.

“We are targeting to create at least as many jobs as the 14,000 that may be affected by the restructuring. And that is on top of a target to re-deploy nine thousand of the employees who may be affected.”

Carroll said Anglo was “totally serious” in its intent to create jobs.

“We will provide high-quality training, as soon as it is needed, to enable employees to benefit from the re-deployment (sic) and new job opportunities we will create.”

She said restructuring was always painful and difficult.

“We value the opportunity to engage with our partners. Over the next sixty days, we will work collaboratively with the department of mineral resources and the trade unions to explore the way forward.

“And after that, the formal Section 189 consultation will resume for the following sixty days.

“In addition, we will continue to be active participants in the MIGDETT [the mining growth, development and employment task team] discussions about the challenges facing the platinum sector as a whole.

“These are all important processes, which we are approaching with good faith and with serious intent,” Carroll said.

– Sapa

By Obakeng Maje

The high police visibility on the N9 highway en -route to Colesberg led to the arrest of a 31-year old man and charged him for illegal possession of abalone in the early hours of morning at about 00:15am police said. 

“The police were patrolling on the high way when they spotted a suspicious looking white Nissan Hardbody bakkie driving haphazardly on the road” Lieutenant Sergio Kock said. 

Subsequent to that the police tried to pull it off the road, however the driver sped off and the chase ensued between the police and the Nissan bakkie. 

“The police managed to pull it off the road after the chase ensued. Upon investigation 58 refusal plastic bags filled with frozen abalone were found stashed in the back of bakkie” Kock adds. 

The estimated value of the abalone is R10 million.

“The suspect will appear tomorrow before the Noupoort Magistrate Court on charges of illegal possession of abalone” police said.

Premier Modise calls for united action to stop violence against children in Mmakau

North West Premier Thandi Modise has condemned in the strongest terms possible the gruesome murder of an 11-year-old girl from Mmakau village outside Brits and called for united action to uproot crime and violence against children in the area.“We commend police for the speedy arrest of the alleged perpetrator. While we understand and share the anger within the community, we appeal for calm and for the matter to be left up to our competent courts for justice to be done, Violence against children in Mmakau has to be stopped,” said Premier Modise.

The Premier welcomed the support from the Provincial Structure of the Progressive Women’s Movement South Africa which also called on the community to join hands to stop crime violence against children in Mmakau.

This is not the first time a girl has been found dead in the area. Ofentse’s friend Neo Ramoso disappeared in November and when her body was found three days later,the skin had been peeled off her face and some pasts of her body were missing.

According to police, the arrested suspect, a 41-year old neighbour had gained entry to the child’s home through a window and snatched Ofentse Mogale as she was sleeping with her younger sibling,9-year-old Neo early on Saturday.The child’s 40-year-old mother, Nkele Mogale was sleeping with her boyfriend in the other room and were woken up by screams from the girl’s sibling. By the time they got outside, the child was already gone. The matter was reported to the police who summoned the dog unit to assist in the search.

The body of the girl identified as Ofentse Mogale was found later that day in a neighbour’s shack, hidden under a bed. She had been strangled. Police were investigating whether the child was raped.

The suspect who is in police custody is expected to appear in the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court today, Tuesday to answer to charges of kidnapping and murder.

Cape Town – A Cape Town woman who refused to have sex with her husband for seven years is now suing him for a whopping R1.3 million – because he took a second wife.

In an interview, the husband said that he had been patiently waiting for his wife to fulfil her marital obligation, but claimed she always had an excuse ready for not sleeping with him.

Now the wife, who can’t be named for legal reasons, has left him.

And she wants to sue him for R1.3 million – because he took a second wife.

But the businessman, 30, said his money-grabbing first wife is not entitled to one blue cent – and that he will fight her all the way in the highest courts.

The bitter husband said his first wife, to whom he is still married, has turned their union into a mockery.

“For the first year of our marriage, her excuse was that she was bleeding continuously, she said it was because of the contraceptive she was on,” he said.

“After that her excuse was that she was too tense, or that she simply wasn’t ready, but she kept promising ‘tomorrow night’.

“I told her a man has needs, and what does she tell me? ‘I’m not ready, do what you have to do’.

“Now what do you make of that?”

For more details go to http://www.iol.co.za

Western Cape – Farmers who threaten that the new minimum wage in the sector will lead to job losses will lose their land, Cosatu said on Monday.

The trade union federation was responding to warnings from Agri-SA and Agri Western Cape that the increased minimum wage for farmworkers would lead to “restructuring”, including mechanisation of labour and decreased demand for unskilled labour.

Western Cape Cosatu secretary Tony Ehrenreich said: “The farmers who make these threats must keep on making these threats. The restructuring will happen and part of that restructuring will lead to them losing their land.

“If they can’t use it then they must lose it. They must go somewhere else. But this is a country now that understands that workers are an essential input, that their interests and their best futures must also be taken into account.”

He said the time for “old baasskap attitudes” was over.

By Obakeng Maje

Mmakau-A 41 year-old man is expected to appear briefly at Brits Magistrate Court after he allegedly killed a 11 year-old girl.

Ofentse Mogale,11 was asleep with her siblings when a man who is their neighbour entered the house.

He allegedly gained entry through a window and snatched her.

“It is alleged that a 41 year-old neighbour forcefully gained entry through the window. He allegedly kidnapped Ofentse Mogale” Philani Nkwalase said.

Police were informed and the body of the young girl was found hidden under a bed in a shack.

This gruesome event took place on saturday and the accused will appear before magistrate on murder,kidnapping and possible rape charges today.

A forensic audit should be conducted into the purchase of a Mercedes-Benz for the Tlokwe Municipality’s former mayor, the DA said on Monday.

“The DA will ask the Auditor General to look into this transaction and recommend ways for the exorbitant cost to be recouped so that money can be channelled to delivery projects in Tlokwe instead,” said Democratic Alliance MP Juanita Terblanche.

She said the vehicle, which cost R760,000 had not yet been delivered to the municipality because “luxury customisations” had yet to be installed.

Terblanche said the vehicle was bought for the use of former mayor Maphetle Maphetle.

Maphetle was replaced by the DA’s Annette Combrink in November after warring factions within the ANC filed a motion of confidence in him.

The DA continues to run the Tlokwe Municipality, even though the ANC is pushing for Maphetle’s reinstatement.

In January, the ANC North West said it would not rest until it reclaimed the leadership of the municipality.

Combrink uses her personal car, a Volkswagen Jetta, to fulfil her mayoral duties.

The municipality confirmed it had approved the purchase of the new car.

“There is nothing untoward with the matter as the item was budgeted for under the 2011/2012 [budget], that was passed in a full council session and [to] which [the] DA never raised any whimper of objection or displeasure,” said spokesman William Maphosa.

He said Maphetle had been using a vehicle which had been used by three mayors before him.

ANC Chief Whip Dakota Legoete said it was standard council procedure to continually renew its fleet of vehicles.

“If their mayor wants to drive her Jetta, we welcome that and applaud her, but they must stop making unfounded insinuations.”

Legoete also welcomed the DA’s call for the investigation.

-Sapa

Johannesburg – Gordon Igesund’s position as coach of the national team has not been threatened by Bafana Bafana’s elimination in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, according to the SA Football Association (Safa).

South Africa were knocked out in a dramatic penalty shootout defeat against Mali in Durban on Saturday night.

“Yes, we did set the objective for the coach of taking the team to the semi-final stage, but you have to aim high,” Safa president Kirsten Nematandani said on Monday.

“More important was the manner in which Bafana performed in the Afcon, improving to a level that exceeded our expectations since Gordon took over as coach six months ago.

“And if this level of performance is maintained, there is no reason why Igesund should not be entrenched as the Bafana coach for the 2018 World Cup.”

Nematandani said Bafana held their own against one of the top sides on the continent as they had played with a great deal of “skill, honour and determination” in their quarter-final clash on Saturday.

He said what Igesund had achieved thus far was worthy of a great deal of praise.

“I believe Igesund remains the best man in the country for the position of Bafana coach,” Nematandani said.

“We can only hope this continues as Gordon assumes the next critical challenge of taking Bafana to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.”

Nematandani said South Africa had already made the ongoing Afcon tournament a resounding success, but joined Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula in calling on the public to support the competition until the final on Sunday, in spite of the host team’s elimination.

“We must demonstrate our stature as true sportsmen, and support the semi-finals and final to the hilt no matter which teams make it to the finale,” he said.

“Ultimately we could be judged by this very factor.” – Sapa