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Man arrested after stabbing cop with spear


Rustenburg – A man has been arrested for stabbing a policeman with a spear at Freedom Park near Rustenburg, North West police said on Thursday.

Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said police where conducting a cordon and search operation on Wednesday night aimed at stabilising the area prior to the elections.

“During the operation, one suspect was arrested after he stabbed a police official with a spear in the chest,” said Ngubane.

He said the police was saved by his bullet proof vest.

The arrested man was found in possession of a knife and dagga.

“He was arrested and charged with attempted murder, possession of dangerous weapon and dagga. He is expected to appear in court soon.”

During the arrest, the man fought with police and injured himself.

He was now in hospital under police guard.

During the police operation, sticks, iron rods and self-made sharp weapons were seized. The police also recovered counterfeit DVDs.

Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen Zukiswa Mbombo said criminal behaviour and unruliness would not be tolerated.

“Intimidation and lawlessness will be rooted out especially to ensure safe, free and secured elections,” she said in a statement.

Mbombo said police were still looking for people behind the torching of a municipal building and two houses in Freedom Park last Sunday.

The house of ward councillor Tiego Makopo and the speaker of Rustenburg municipality, Boipelo Marekoa-Kodongo, were torched. Shops and an ATM were also looted at the time.

SAPA

Teach DA a lesson: Nzimande


Polokwane – SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande on Thursday lambasted opposition parties during his speech at Cosatu’s May Day rally in Polokwane.

“In the DA black people are only good enough to go march on the street but not good enough to go to Parliament,” he told thousands of people at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

“On the 7 May [elections] let us teach the opposition a lesson.”

Referring to Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters, he called on people to vote for the African National Congress and teach a lesson to the “tenderpreneurs who have stolen our colours”.

A tenderpreneur is a politician who seeks self-enrichment by trying to get government contracts.

“Let our youth not be fooled… Only the ANC will empower our youth.”

Nzimande called on the working class to close ranks around the ANC.

“The working class must be present.”

Earlier, Nzimande arrived at the stadium with President Jacob Zuma and Congress of SA Trade Unions’ president Sidumo Dlamini.

The crowd cheered for the leaders and chanted Zuma’s name.-Sapa

Endless strikes don’t help: Zuma


Polokwane – Endless strikes are not in the country’s interest, President Jacob Zuma said in Polokwane on Thursday.

“Unions must be alive to the realities that endless strikes are not in the interest of the workers and not in the interest of the economy,” he told thousands of people at Cosatu’s May Day rally at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

“Constructive engagement means listening to each other, appreciating what is possible and what is not, and acting in good faith and never resorting to blackmail as a negotiating tool.”

He said everyone had a responsible to continue educating society that with rights came responsibilities.

“In exercising our hard-earned rights, we must put the interest of the country first.”

Earlier, the crowd cheered and chanted Zuma’s name as he walked a lap around the pitch when he arrived. He was flanked by Congress of SA Trade Unions’ president Sidumo Dlamini and SA Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande.

The 40 000 seat stadium was half-filled with members of the African National Congress in yellow party T-shirts and alliance partner members in red shirts.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union has been on strike at the country’s major platinum mines for almost three months.

Zuma warned workers that exercising their right to strike should never degenerate into anarchy.

“The methods of engagement employed by trade unions must always appreciate that we now have a democratic government, put in place by an overwhelming majority of our people, most of whom are workers.

“On the same measure we call on the business sector to respect the rights of workers and pay them decent wages in line with the relevant legislative framework.”

Zuma said this was particularly relevant in the mining sector.

“I think we should all agree that the time has come for the situation on the mines to change.”

– SAPA

A ‘naked’ man died while praying at Taung Dam


CrimeTapeSmall
By Obakeng Maje
Taung- A man allegedly died after he slipped through the stairs at Taung Dam in Taung.

According to our eyewitness, the atrocity took place on Wednesday at around 12:00 pm where a man wearing ZCC uniform came to the shores of the dam and climbed on top of a rock.

“We went fishing on Wednesday with friends and after sometime, a man between 40-45 years came across and greeted us. He went straight to the dam and stand on a rock” said our mole.

It is alleged that a man stripped naked and was screaming in prayers. He allegedly begged for forgiveness from God. The other couple who also visited the Dam came to him and advised him to dress and told him God has indeed heard his prayers.

“The man walked down the steps and he slipped. He got off the ground again and tied himself with white ropes. He walked down the stairs and slipped again” she said.

Our crew called police to confirm the incident, but colonel Emelda Setlhako said the Communication Officer in Taung cluster is not working as is a holiday.

“We have not received any news regarding that matter as we have not received crime report from other clusters, but I will make sure I give you full details tomorrow morning” Setlhako said.

The man allegedly rolled onto the rocks and died. He succumbed to injuries. Police and Emergency Service were called.

Even though the information surrounding the man’s dead is sketchy, more information will follow after our investigation.-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Modise urges businesses to let workers vote


Rustenburg – Farm workers will be able to vote in the national election, North West premier Thandi Modise said in Rustenburg on Thursday.

“We have engaged farmers to allow farm workers and dwellers to vote. If they do not we told them we will act,” she said a Congress of SA Trade Unions’ May Day rally.

“We want to appeal to big business to allow the workers to exercise their hard-fought right to vote.”

She said workers’ rights in the Rustenburg area were being violated.

“We have observed that hard-won rights are violated day in and day out in this region.”

No organisation or political party should stop workers from going to work or vote. – Sapa

SANDF soldiers wounded in DRC attack


Johannesburg – Three SANDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously, during an attack in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the defence force said on Thursday.

“One of the armed groups in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo launched an attack on one of the South African company operating bases on Wednesday… during the early hours of the morning,” spokespersonCaptain (SA Navy) Jaco Theunissen said in a statement.

The seriously wounded soldier was taken to a hospital in Goma. The other two sustained minor injuries and were being treated at the same hospital.

The SANDF soldiers stood their ground and defended their position “with great courage and determination”.

The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC launched a counter attack with a reaction force supported by attack helicopters. Its outcome was not yet known.

SAPA

Baxter throws in the towel


By Obakeng Maje
Johannesburg-Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter could not help but show a disappoint face after his team was derailed in their attempt to narrow the gap between them and log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs played to a draw in their a ‘must win’ game against relegation-bound Free State Stars. All look well after former Mamelodi Sundowns striker Katlego Mphela headed home a rebound and put Chiefs in a pole position.

Stars Thabo Moloi’ s goal came in handy only seven minutes remaining. Chiefs is now sitting on 57 points while log leaders Sundowns have 61 points and have their one hand on the trophy.

Sundowns need to win their game against Supersport on Tuesday to put the tittle beyond defending Champions reach.

“If Mamelodi Sundowns will not win the trophy that will be disaster. We lost the game that we were suppose to win at all cost” Baxter said.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane said last week that he would like to wait and see how things sum up. He said someone will cry at the end of the season and evidently it seems surely is not the one to shed tears.-TDN
Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

Tshwane gives EFF another chance


Tshwane gives EFF another chance
2014-04-30 20:18
Johannesburg – The EFF will have another opportunity to make its planned rally at an Atteridgeville Stadium a legal event, the City of Tshwane said on Wednesday.

This was after the city said earlier the Economic Freedom Fighters had lost its chance to hold a rally at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.

The city said this was because the party failed to attend a meeting with the Tshwane events joint operations committee (JOC) earlier in the day.

City spokesperson Blessing Manale said the meeting would be rescheduled for Friday at 10:00.

The EFF would need to provide documents, including a venue permission letter, event overview, disaster management plan and public liability insurance to the events JOC.

On Tuesday, the EFF approached the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to challenge the city’s decision to withdraw permission for the use of the Lucas Moripe Stadium.

The municipality initially granted the EFF permission to use the stadium but then withdrew it.

The party said in court papers it had already spent R5m on the rally when the agreement was unilaterally cancelled.

Judge Sulet Potterill removed the EFF’s application by agreement between the parties, saying it appeared that the dispute between them had gone away.

In the earlier statement, Manale said the EFF’s failure to attend the meeting meant that the party’s planned rally was “non-compliant and illegal”.

This was because the city’s facilities could not be insured for the event, should it take place without the events JOC’s approval.

Manale said that if the matter was not resolved in the meeting on Friday, the city would ask the High Court to hold the party in contempt of court for “propagating public defiance of the process ruled by the High Court”.

The EFF could not immediately be reached for comment.
-Sapa

Cope: ANC is misleading people


Pudumoe-The African National Congress is trying to mislead people into thinking there was an exodus from the Congress of the People, the party said on Wednesday.

“There is a particular role that the governing party is playing,” Cope deputy president Willy Madisha told reporters in Kempton Park, outside Johannesburg.

He said 19 Cope members who left the party last week, joined the ANC simply because they wanted jobs.

“They want jobs…that is why they left Cope. Those people were not on our election list”.
The ANC has said there was an exodus from Cope.

“The resignation of 80% of the Cope caucus is reflective of the malaise that beset the party from inception and its failure to practise democracy, thus relying on courts to determine leadership,” said ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu in a statement.

“The ANC welcomes the former Cope members who will be campaigning for the movement as this is their natural political home.”

Madisha said the ANC was parading people who had left Cope on television “to give people an impression that Cope was falling apart”.

“Those people are being paraded over and over at several ANC election campaigns to mislead people,” said Madisha.

Cope spokesperson Kgaugelo Moxwale said Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa had tried to persuade him to join the ANC.

“Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said people like me were wasting time in a dying party, I should join the ANC and be properly rewarded,” said Moxwale.

Cope national spokesperson Johann Abrie said on Monday that most of the 19 were “unemployable outside politics”.

“They were very, very happy to collect huge salaries based on their association to Cope and waited until the last week to change… that speaks volumes about the character of those people.”

Cope is a breakaway party, formed when former president Thabo Mbeki was forced to resign in a power struggle with Jacob Zuma as head of the ruling ANC.-Sapa

Call me what you want: Vavi


Johannesburg – Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi on Wednesday hit back at critics unhappy with his support for the ANC by saying he speaks as a representative of his organisation.

“I am not an individual but a general secretary of all 19 Cosatu-affiliated unions and must be bound by the decisions taken by the collective even if I was not present,” Vavi said during a memorial lecture in tribute to former Congress of the SA Trade Unions president John Gomomo in Port Elizabeth.

“If I was to do the opposite then I would no longer be a general secretary whose role must be to unite all Cosatu unions.”

He dismissed his critics, suggesting “those calling me a sell-out for stating this may just as well continue to call me names”.

Vavi said that Gomomo would “be appalled” at the inequality of South Africa today.

“Our attempts to make the second 10 years of democracy a decade for the working class and the poor has largely failed.”

Gomomo would have said that advances had been made to ensure that the post-1994 South Africa was “far better” than pre-1994.

“He would have praised the ANC-led government for these advances.”
However, Vavi said Gomomo would also want historical documents such as the Freedom Charter and Reconstruction and Development Policy to be used as measures of progress.

Vavi said that the “biggest task” leaders in the country faced was to ensure “radical economic transformation under the leadership of a reconfigured tripartite alliance”.

Vavi also made mention of Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report into the spending at President Jacob Zuma’s homestead in Nkandla.

“The… Nkandla report is just the latest exposure of outrageous profiteering by service providers and gross maladministration by state officials and lack of oversight by political representatives.”

He said that while Cosatu continued to support its allies, “Cosatu should never stop speaking honestly about the state of the working class 20 years into our celebrated democracy…

“We must never be threatened into silence when we see the triumph of individualism and selfishness amongst the leadership and membership of our formations.”

The Sunday Times last week published a report that Vavi had said he would abide by his federation’s decision to campaign for the ruling party ahead of the general elections, but that his support would not be unconditional.

Cosatu has announced it would back the African National Congress manifesto, largely based on the National Development Plan which Vavi opposed.

Vavi told the paper he was bound by Cosatu’s central executive committee decision to back the ANC even though he believed that supporting the party’s election manifesto amounted to the labour movement “committing class suicide.

“I have said there has to be a condition. Please don’t expect me to say unemployment of 34.1% is a good story to tell, I will refuse…No one must ask us to lie,” Vavi was quoted as saying at the time.

Vavi returned to work at Cosatu House this month after eight months of being on suspension, following the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg’s ruling setting aside his suspension.

Cosatu’s biggest affiliate and Vavi’s staunchest backer, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA, has called on its members not to support the ANC in the 7 May elections.

The Star last week reported that Vavi had told a group of shop stewards in Cape Town that he did not owe Numsa for having made calls for him to be reinstated.

“It is wrong to say the resolution of Numsa must bind Vavi… and Numsa is not arrogant to tell me I must abandon Cosatu,” he was quoted as saying.

“It does not work like that.”