North West municipality placed under administration

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The running of the JB Marks municipality, which has been at the centre of corruption allegations, will be taken over by the provincial government.

North West provincial government has confirmed that the JB Marks municipality has been placed under administration following a decision from the province’s executive committee, News24 reports.

The JB Marks municipality was formed following a merger of the Tlokwe and Ventersdorp municipalities, which caused protests – one of which saw the Ventersdorp municipal traffic building torched – and was opposed by Ventersdorp residents.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) legally opposed the merger in the high court in Pretoria.

The municipality has been plagued by corruption allegations which saw it undergo a complete shut down at the end of last year, over issues including its failure to deliver on a N14 development project promised to them since 2006.

PSL LODGE APPEAL OVER DOWNS SANCTION

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THE PSL have lodged an appeal against the League disciplinary committee sanction meted to Mamelodi Sundowns.Sundowns were ordered to pay a fine of R250 000 instead of being docked precious points for fielding an ineligible player.

The PSL disciplinary committee had been found guilty of fielding Wayne Arendse while ineligible to play in their Absa Premiership fixture against Bidvest Wits on 7 October.

But it appears the League are of the view the punishment was not commensurate with the transgressions and are seeking relief.

They want the appeal to be upheld and sanction of awarding the match to Wits with a 3-0 goal advantage instead of the monetary fine.

  • Daily Sun

Ramaphosa to visit flood victims

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JOHANNESBURG – President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit storm-affected communities in KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Ramaphosa has expressed sadness at the loss of life and damage to property.

The president returned from a working visit to Egypt on Tuesday, where he attended an emergency African union Troika summit.

The summit was convened to discuss the political and security situations in Sudan and Libya.

Source: eNCA

Northern Cape police intensify search for missing two-year-old

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Police spokesperson Captain Olebogeng Tawana said the kidnapping happened on Saturday, allegedly by a man who tried to rape her mother.

Northern Cape police continued the search and rescue operation for a missing two-year-old child who was snatched allegedly by a man who attempted to rape her mother.

Police spokesperson Captain Olebogeng Tawana said the kidnapping happened on Saturday.

“The child has not been found yet, the [SA Police Service] SAPS Team intensified the search,” Tawana said.

“However the suspect appeared briefly before the Barkly West Magistrate’s Court today, on four accounts of attempted rape, house breaking with intend to steal, house breaking with intend to assault and kidnapping.”

Tawana said he was remanded in custody and would apply for legal aid on Wednesday.

– African News Agency (ANA)

Girl, 11, found raped, murdered and dumped in North West pit toilet

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The body of an 11-year-old girl has been retrieved from a pit toilet after she was allegedly raped and murdered in Gopane near Zeerust, and two men have been arrested in connection with the crime, North West police said on Sunday.

The body was retrieved on Friday and identified as that of Tlhalefo Mego, who was reported missing on April 3, Captain Aafje Botma said.

“It was alleged that the girl, who stayed with her cousin, left the house on Sunday, 31 March 2019 to visit her friend in Gopane village. According to information received, the girl’s cousin also left their place later to go to the other section in the village.

“The girl’s cousin arrived back home and found that a window was broken. She later discovered that the girl was not there. She allegedly went to sleep hoping that the girl will return home. The girl was ultimately reported missing on Wednesday, 3 April 2019 after she failed to return home,” Botma said.

Police launched an investigation and a joint search with members of the community commenced.

“During the investigation, information was received that the girl was allegedly killed and her body dumped inside a pit toilet. The body was successfully removed from the pit toilet in the morning on Friday, 5 April 2019.”

Two men, aged 24 and 25, were arrested later on Friday and were due to appear in the Lehurutshe Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of murder and rape, Botma said.

African News Agency (ANA)

Chiefs responds to Khune video, refuses to rule out internal probe

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Picture by: http://www.soccerladuma.com (Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune)

Kaizer Chiefs has not yet investigated the circumstances surrounding a video of injured goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune partying hard – but the club has not ruled out the possibility of an internal inquiry.

The video went viral after being posted on social media. A seemingly inebriated Khune and friends are seen refusing to do what they were being asked to do as they were about to leave Moja Café in Soweto.

The goalkeeper‚ who has been ruled out of action for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury‚ is seen in the video waving his bank card while his friends ask for a speedpoint machine.

“We want to buy this bus and Moja [Café]!” screams Khune in the video as he and his friends are ushered out of what appears to be a bus.

Amakhosi spokesperson Vina Maphosa said the club “does not have a comment at this stage” and could not disclose whether or not the player would face an internal investigation.

Every matter regarding Kaizer Chiefs that is in media circulation is scrutinised internally, whether it is viral or not, and this one will not be an exception,” Maphosa told TimesLIVE.

“What if we find out after sitting through it that actually it is not necessary for the club to discuss this further internally, and I have already said in the media that the issue will be discussed internally? I can’t do that. We don’t want to preempt anything at this stage.”

Khune could not be reached for comment.

The video has divided opinions on social media. While some have slammed Khune for “keeping bad friends”, others have defended him by saying that the goalkeeper is only human and was just having fun on a night out with friends.

In response to a Twitter user who warned Khune to rethink the company he keeps, the Bafana veteran promised that he is not spiralling out of control.

“I won’t fall, my friend,” he tweeted.

Premier Soccer League clubs continue to be troubled by ill-disciplined players who abuse alcohol and other substances, often spending vast amounts of money on partying before retiring as paupers.

Source: http://www.timelive.co.za

Mabuza urges Hawks to ‘move speedily’ in the North West

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Deputy president David Mabuza has urged law enforcement officials to “move speedily” when dealing with alleged impropriety and wrongdoing in the North West.

The deputy president said this in an oral reply to questions from members of Parliament.

He was asked whether reported divisions and instability within the leadership of the ANC, as recently highlighted by the ruling of the Gauteng High Court in the matter between the former premier of the North West, Supra Mahumapelo and the ANC, have an impact on the rolling out of public employment programmes and service delivery in general.

The North West has been mired in troubles, most notably in the months leading up to August 2018, when Mahumapelo was stripped of his powers by the ANC’s NEC following violent protests by communities that demanded that he resign.

The deputy president sought to allay the concerns of South Africans and the members of Parliament by outlining the progress made by the inter-ministerial task team in stabilising the situation in the platinum-rich province.

According to Mabuza, all necessary interventions were implemented, such as ensuring “effectiveness of internal governance structures is enhanced”, “strengthening of financial controls, governance and accountability within the provincial government” and the implementation of “sound financial management systems” as well as the appointment of a new premier and provincial executive.

The deputy president went on to mention that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation was handling 46 cases of theft, fraud and contraventions of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004 in relation to government contracts in the North West.

Expanding on the concerns of opposition MPs surrounding the cases law enforcement agencies were dealing with, Mabuza said that “all we can say is that we are urging them to move fast on these cases so that we can see action.”

He continued that “as soon as these cases are in court, then people are able to see that there is progress. So we are urging our law enforcement agencies to also move speedily in terms of attending to these cases.”

Source: http://www.news24.com

BREAKING: Phahlane arrested on new charges linked to R86m blue lights tender

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Khomotso Phlane

Former acting police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane has been arrested – this time on new charges stemming from an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) investigation into an R86m blue lights tender.

Along with Phahlane, Major General Ravichandran Pillay the head of SA Police Service (SAPS) supply chain management, was also nabbed early on Friday morning.

They are expected to appear in the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court later on Friday morning on charges of fraud and corruption.

The charges stem from a 2016 tender awarded to Instrumentation Traffic Law Enforcement, owned by millionaire Vimpie Manthatha.

Last year, IPID arrested former Gauteng police commissioner Deliwe de Lange, national divisional commissioner in charge of supply chain management, Lieutenant General Ramahlapi Mokwena, Brigadier James Ramajalum and Gauteng deputy police commissioner Nombhuruza Napo on charges of corruption, fraud, forgery and uttering in connection with the same case.

De Lange was granted bail by the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in November 2018. Manthatha is Accused Number One in the matter, which was postponed to March 2019.

Phahlane and Pillay are expected to be joined to the De Lange case after making their first appearances.

Manthatha’s company, Instrumentation Traffic Law Enforcement, was awarded a contract to supply and install blue lights, sirens and radios in SAPS vehicles. Manthatha allegedly supplied fraudulent tax clearance certificates to SAPS in tender documents.

De Lange and her co-accused, who will all plead not guilty, are alleged by the State to have “failed to take the necessary steps to disqualify Instrumentation [Traffic Law Enforcement] and thereby misrepresented to the accounting officer of the SAPS and/or National Treasury that they did not have a duty to ensure the winning bidder was not awarded the contract to supply the equipment as it was not tax compliant and/or submitted fraudulent tax certificates.”

In 2011, The Star reported that the “Blue light prince, Manthatha, travelled around with his own blue light escort of Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) vehicles.

He denied this, saying he had an arrangement with the JMPD to get an escort when he hosted foreign dignitaries.

Phahlane’s woes

It is not the first time Phahlane will find himself in the dock as a result of alleged corruption involving tenders awarded by the SAPS.

In February 2018, Phahlane and his wife, Beauty, were charged with corruption, fraud and money laundering for accepting hefty kickbacks, including vehicles, allegedly in exchange for the awarding of lucrative forensic equipment supply tenders to Forensic Data Analysts, owned by Keith Keating.

In December 2017, IPID investigators raided the homes of Keating and Phahlane following nearly a year of investigation.

However, in November 2018 charges against Phahlane were provisionally withdrawn in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.

It is not immediately clear when or if these charges will be reinstated.

READ: Secret report reveals how Panday ‘bought’ the cops

In 2015, News24’s sister publication The Witness reported that Pillay, who is overall in charge of police procurement, faced possible disciplinary action for his alleged links to controversial Durban businessman, Toshan Panday.

Pillay was provided with a rental car, paid for by one of Panday’s companies, which he used while on official police business.

Panday has been accused of paying for gifts to various KwaZulu-Natal top cops in exchange for millions in SAPS tenders.

Source: http://www.news24.com 

Pule Mabe calls ‘media leaks’ about his position ‘interesting’

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Pule Mabe 2

The ANC’s spokesperson claims the media appears to have learnt of his ongoing suspension before he did.

After ANC insiders revealed on Tuesday that the party resolved on Monday evening at a national working committee meeting to remove both of its spokespersons in the wake of rape and sexual harassment allegations against them, Pule Mabe said he first learnt about it through the media.

It is now understood that Dakota Legoete will continue as the acting spokesperson for now until the cloud of accusations surrounding Mabe and Zizi Kodwa clears.

Last week Mabe was meant to have been reinstated as the party’s spokesman after an internal inquiry found him not guilty of sexual harassment. His personal assistant, Kgoerano Kekana, however, subsequently expressed deep dissatisfaction at both the way the inquiry had been conducted and its findings.

The ANC is understood to now have decided not to reinstate him in his job after Kekana apparently opened a criminal case against him.

Mabe released a statement on Tuesday that stated “for the record, at the time of issuing this public statement, such a matter had not been brought to my attention”.

He said he had subjected himself to all the party’s internal processes and had maintained his innocence throughout, which he continued to do.

“The ANC subsequently issued a statement clearing me of any acts of sexual harassment.

“Soon afterwards, the complainant embarked on a door-to-door to various media houses to publicly state her displeasure about a process initiated at her own request. It is understandable for a matter such as this to attract media attention because sexual harassment is a serious matter and leaders are expected to be exemplary at all material times.

“As an advocate of press freedom myself, I will never take issue with journalists for doing their work, especially in our country where some amongst us are ‘newsroom agents’ and probably conduct teleconferences with news desks before diary meetings – a hard reality.”

He said he had restrained himself from making any public statements, but now had to speak to protect himself and his family from further humiliation.

“I have never sexually harassed anyone and will subject myself even to the highest court in the land to prove my innocence.

“I will not allow my name to be used to pursue nefarious agendas whose sole motive is character assassination. Even during the hearing, I have been available to answer every question that might have arisen.

“For the sake of our society and given the magnitude and seriousness of allegations of sexual harassment, I will be writing to the [ANC] to request that they make the transcripts of the grievance panel proceedings in the form of oral and written evidence available for public consumption.

“I have avoided to fall for conspiracy theories when the rumour mill suggested that some of our members in our [national executive committee] will reject the outcomes of the hearing. It did bother me because the truth will never change.

“If the latest media leaks are anything to go by, then the latest developments are interesting.

“I have always had faith in my organisational leadership structures to always act rationally, objectively and fairly.”

He said he’d asked the ANC to extend his leave so he could recover from the “strain” of the whole episode.

Mabe also thanked his church in Soweto for the support and counselling he’d been given.

Source: http://www.citizen.co.za 

ANC tells Zizi Kodwa and Pule Mabe to ‘step aside’ amid sex allegations

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The ANC’s national working committee (NWC) has decided its spokesperson Pule Mabe and acting spokesperson Zizi Kodwa, who has been in that role since last month, should “step aside”.

The two have faced allegations of sexual violence, with Mabe being accused of sexual harassment by his former personal assistant Kgoerano Kekana, while claims of rape have been made against Kodwa, who is also head of the ANC’s presidency office.

The NWC met on Monday following a meeting by the party’s top 6 officials.

Although the ANC has cleared Pule, remember that his matter is not closed. His former PA went to the police,” said a member of the NWC, who asked not to be named.

Mabe’s PA, who has expressed some dissatisfaction with how the ANC handled her sexual harassment complaint, has already indicated she would be taking more steps, including approaching the CCMA.

“Zizi just simply can’t continue in this role, given these claims, how would he be able to assist? You must also remember he is not a spokesperson. He was acting, only Dakota (Legoete) will continue there” said the ANC insider.

Over the weekend, the ANC’s deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte confirmed the party received a letter laying a complaint of rape against Kodwa. She said the party had advised the complainant to take her issue to law enforcement agencies.

Kodwa has vehemently denied the claims, labelling them as factional. He also said he would be consulting with his lawyers on a way forward.

News24 attempted to get hold of Kodwa but his phone was switched off, while calls to Mabe went unanswered.

Source: http://www.news24.com