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Dinokana Water reticulation project to alleviate water shortage for rural communities-Premier Modise 


Dinokana-A twenty-two million water reticulation project that is to alleviate water shortage and provide portable drinking water to over 23 000 households in Dinokana village outside Zeerust was launched by North West Premier Thandi Modise on Monday.

“We are bringing water to you to restore your dignity and ensure that every household has access to clean water. Water is a very important commodity, but is also a very scarce resource that must be preserved,” said Premier Modise in her keynote address that also paid tribute to the community for the role it has played in the liberation struggle.
 

“You were patient and did not advance entitlement for providing a safe route for many of our freedom fighters who passed through your village and the heroic pass revolt of the Bahurutshe women to demand services which you rightfully deserve,” highlighted Modise.

She said the first phase of the water reticulation project involves piping of 48 kilometers will also empower local communities through job creation and skills transfer.

The entire project to eradicate water shortage in Dinokana be rolled out in phases requires R140 million.

The Premier said that Setlagole and Maquassi are to also benefit from her legacy projects interventions allocated R150 million in the current budget to address water and sanitation challenges they are facing.In his remarks, Kgosi Keobusitse Israel Moiloa of the Bahurutshe Ba Ga Moiloa Boo Ramotshere Traditional Authority said that it was gratifying to see government responding to the issues he had raised during his inauguration.

He said that the project should assist resuscitate the agriculture projects which had collapsed due to lack of water and also open opportunities for mining and other development projects.

Sixty-two year-old Martha Lepele said the provision of water is a very important step which will bring much relieve to the communities because they had been relying on tanks which were not always reliable.

Voicing his appreciation, 92 year- old Jonas Molefi said he was very happy with government’s effort and commitment to deliver services to people especially those people in rural areas such as Dinokana.

In supporting the project, Mayor of Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality, Councillor Afrika Thale urged communities to look after the water infrastructure and to assist monitor that there are no illegal connections.

The event attended by close to a thousand people was part of the celebration of the National Water Week aimed at raising the importance, awareness and understanding of water issues and challenges.-TDN
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Public losing interest in Oscar


Johannesburg – As the Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial entered its third week, media coverage and public interaction about the court proceedings had dwindled, a data report revealed on Monday.
According to media monitoring company Data Driven Insight (DDI), President Jacob Zuma and his Nkandla homestead had dominated the headlines in the last 24 hours, ending at 16:00 on Monday, with the Paralympic athlete’s trial taking the third place.

In the first week of the trial, Pistorius’s trial dominated 43.12% of the media coverage, 35.99% in the second week but was down to 20.89% in the third week.

Pistorius is on trial for the murder of his law graduate and model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

He shot her dead through a locked bathroom door at his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day last year. He alleged to have mistaken her for an intruder.

DDI’s report stated that witnesses Michelle Burger and Darren Fresco’s testimony generated the most conversation online and in the news.

Burger, who was the first witness to testify in the trial, had dominated coverage with 12.95%.

She lived in the complex next to Pistorius’s and testified about how she was woken up by screams followed by the gunshots coming from Pistorius’s home.

Fresco, who was a friend of Pistorius, had taken 10.21% coverage of the trial.

He testified about how he had taken the blame for Pistorius after the athlete fired a gun under a table in a packed Melrose Arch restaurant in January last year, grazing the foot of another friend of theirs. Pistorius claimed it was an accident.

Fresco also testified about how Pistorius had fired a gun through an open sunroof of a car as they travelled with Pistorius’s ex-girlfriend, Samantha Taylor.

This was shortly after the trio had been stopped by a police officer for speeding. Upon searching the car, the officer reprimanded Pistorius for leaving his loaded gun on the car seat.

While scores of South African media houses have been closely following the trial, DDI claimed that the United States, Germany, United Kingdom and Australia were covering the story more than local media.

The data was compiled from 6.2 million social media platforms which included blogs, forums, social networks and commentary.

It also included data from 60 000 global online newspapers, 2 000 South African print publications and 66 radio and television stations.

SAPA

Lucky lotto winner could score R40m


Johannesburg – A R40m jackpot is up for grabs for lotto players, the National Lottery said on Monday.
One lucky player could win the multi-million jackpot on Saturday, said Duduzile Ndendwa, spokesperson for Gidani, the company that operates the lotto.

She said since the beginning of March R30m jackpots had already been won.

A KwaZulu-Natal winner walked away with R12.1m on 5 March and on 19 March a player from Gauteng won R21m.

The lotto had turned 14 on 1 March, and to celebrate its birthday, some R70m was offered in jackpots this month.

SAPA

EFF Malema Visits Ngaka Modiri Molema District


Mahikeng-On the eve of the North West Provincial Manifesto launch, we have come almost full circle in terms of preparation to host fighters and communities from across the North West.

“On the 25 March 2014 the Commander in Chief will honour Ngaka Modiri Molema with a four day visit, addressing mass meetings across the district before the Manifesto Launch on the 29 March 2014” EFF commissar Ouma Nkitseng said.

The CIC’s programme stands as follow:

Ditsobotla Local Municipality

DATE : Tuesday, 25 March 2014
VENUE : Itsoseng Community Hall, Itsoseng
TIME : 11H00 AM

DATE : Tuesday, 25 March 2014
VENUE : Ghanas Sports Ground, Phola Lichtenburg
TIME : 13H00 AM

DATE : Tuesday, 25 March 2014
VENUE : More Sports Ground, Coligny
TIME : 16H00 AM

Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality

DATE : Wednesday, 26 March 2014
VENUE : Sports ground, Shuping Stadt
TIME : 13H00

DATE : Wednesday, 26 March 2014
VENUE : The Cross (Intersection at Centre of the village), Gopane
TIME : 16H00

DATE : Wednesday, 26 March 2014
VENUE : Dinokana Tribal Office Hall, Dinokana
TIME : 17H45

Ratlou Local Municipality

DATE : Thursday, 27 March 2014
VENUE :Moshawane Community Hall, Moshawane
TIME : 10H00AM

DATE : Thursday, 27 March 2014
VENUE :Logageng Community Hall, Logageng
TIME : 13H00

DATE : Thursday, 27 March 2014
VENUE : Tshidilamolomo Tribal Office, Makgori
TIME : 16H00

DATE : Friday, 28 March 2014
VENUE : Green Central Primary School (cover ground), Madibogo
TIME : 10H00AM

Tswaing Local Municipality

DATE : Friday, 28 March 2014
VENUE : Matshelapad Sports ground, Delareyvile
TIME : 12H00

DATE : Friday, 28 March 2014
VENUE : Vrisgewagte Sports Ground, Vrisgewagte
TIME : 15H00

DATE : Vrisgewagte, 28 March 2014
VENUE : Ottosdal Stadium, Ottosdal
TIME : 17H00

-TDN
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Rustenburg driver in court after pre school deaths


By Obakeng Maje
Rustenburg-A 27 year-old driver who allegedly killed three kids appeared at Rustenburg Magistrate Court on Monday for reckless driving and culpable homicide.

Qawukeni Lwandile,27 who was transporting Little Put pre and primary school children allegedly ingnored the stop sign and other motorists where they stopped at railway crossing to give way for the oncoming train.

12 children where travelling in a Toyota Avanza and the train ploughed on the car.

“An 8 year-old boy was allegedly killed instantly and other two children died at hospital on their arrival” colonel Sataba Mokgwabone said.

Other victims were taken to Tabane hospital where they were later discharged including the driver.

The gruesome took place last week Thursday at around 14:30.

“The case was postponed until 2 April 2014 and the suspect will remain in custody” Mokgwabone said.

The vehicle allegedly got stuck on the railway level crossing and the oncoming train hit and dragged it resulting in the immediate deaths of victims.

“The police are also investigating why 12 children were being transported in a vehicle which is not certified to carry passengers as a taxi and also look at charging the driver with overload as well Contravention of the National Road Traffic Act” police said.

Mokgwabone said the police would like to send a stern warning to all vehicle owners and parents who allowing their children to be transported in unsuitable vehicles as learner transport.-TDN
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Premier Modise to launch new provincial number plate system  


Klerksdorp-A new number plate system with advanced technology and security for the North West Province’s vehicle population of over half a million vehicles is to be unveiled  by Premier Thandi Modise this morning.

“The rationale, unique features of the new number plate system, benefits to motorists, local distributors, embossers and law enforcement will be outlined at the launch” Lesiba Kgwele said.

The event at which Premier Modise will co-officiate with MEC for Human Settlements-Public Safety & Liaison, Nono Maloyo.

The launch is scheduled to be held as follows:
Venue : Rio Casino Hotel (Klerksdorp)Date : Tuesday 25 March 2014
Time : 9H00
-TDN
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Zille warns on equity regulations


Cape Town – New employment equity regulations will, if implemented, have a “profound” impact on jobs in the Western Cape, Premier Helen Zille warned on Monday.
Tabling a R1.02bn budget for her department of the premier in the provincial legislature, she told members the region’s demographics were “very different from the national figures”.

The province was seeking legal opinion on whether certain sections of the Employment Equity Act and the draft regulations were lawful and constitutional.

“Speaker, as we should all be aware, [Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant] introduced draft regulations for the amended Employment Equity Act, which have raised serious concerns for us as the Western Cape government.

“The regulations specify how an employer’s compliance with employment equity should be determined. If these draft regulations are implemented as they currently stand, they would have a profound impact on employment in the Western Cape…”

Once the legal opinion was received the province would announce further steps it planned to take.

“It goes without saying that we are committed to achieving equitable representation in the Western Cape government, and indeed are doing so in large part.”

Last month, the labour department published the employment equity regulations for public comment.

Oppositions parties have spoken out against them, saying they will, if implemented, exclude minority groups from jobs.

‘Verwoerdian-style population control’

Earlier this month, DA MP Kenneth Mubu described the new regulations as “draconian”, and an “attempt to bring back Verwoerdian-style population control”.

They would also have a “devastating” effect on job creation.

“Companies that employ more than 150 people will have to use the ‘national economically active population’ demographics for three upper levels [top and senior management and professionally qualified], and an average of national and regional demographic for the three lower levels [skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled technical] as a guide when determining targets,” he said at the time.”

The Freedom Front Plus, the Congress of the People, and the IFP have all expressed concern about the constitutionality of the regulations.

According to Mubu, the regulations will “have a major impact on employment in provinces like the Western Cape, Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, where the provincial demographics are very different from the national demographics”.

He said members of minority population groups – such as the coloured and Indian communities – would be denied employment and promotion, and “might even face retrenchment simply to meet these skewed and arbitrary quotas”.

On her department’s 2014/15 budget, Zille on Monday said this had increased by almost 14% over the previous year.

“The department’s budget for the 2014/15 financial year is R1 027 754 000 – which is a 13.8% increase compared to the 2013/14 adjusted budget.”

The increase would support “a much-needed capacity boost” to meet the expanded demand on the department’s services.

SAPA

Malaysia Airlines plane went down over the Indian Ocean, no survivors


Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak said new satellite analysis showed the last location of Flight MH370 was in a remote location far from any possible landing sites.
Razak announced on Monday that the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared over two weeks ago crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

New satellite analysis from Britain had shown that Flight MH370, with 239 people on board, was last seen in the middle of the Indian Ocean west of Perth, Australia, he said in a statement.

“This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites,” Najib said.

“It is, therefore, with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”

Najib added that the families of those on board had been informed of the developments.

His comments came as an Australian navy ship was close to finding possible debris from the jetliner after a mounting number of sightings of floating objects that are believed to parts of the plane.

The objects, described as a “grey or green circular object” and an “orange rectangular object”, were spotted on Monday afternoon, said Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, adding that three planes were also en route to the area.

Flight MH370 vanished from civilian radar screens less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing on 8 March. No confirmed sighting of the plane has been made since and there is no clue what went wrong.

Attention and resources in the search for the Boeing 777 had shifted from an initial focus north of the Equator to an increasingly narrowed stretch of rough sea in the southern Indian Ocean, thousands of miles from the original flight path.

Debris spotted

Earlier on Monday, Xinhua news agency said a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft spotted two “relatively big” floating objects and several smaller white ones dispersed over several kilometres.

Over 150 of the passengers on board the missing plane were Chinese.

In a further sign the search was bearing fruit, the US Navy was flying in its high-tech black box detector to the area.

The so-called black boxes – the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder – record what happens on board planes in flight. At crash sites, finding the black boxes soon is crucial because the locator beacons they carry fade out after 30 days.

“If debris is found we will be able to respond as quickly as possible since the battery life of the black box’s pinger is limited,” Commander Chris Budde, US Seventh Fleet Operations Officer, said in an emailed statement.

Investigators believe someone on the flight shut off the plane’s communications systems. Partial military radar tracking showed it turning west and re-crossing the Malay Peninsula, apparently under the control of a skilled pilot.

That has led them to focus on hijacking or sabotage, but investigators have not ruled out technical problems.

Faint electronic “pings” detected by a commercial satellite suggested it flew for another six hours or so, but could do no better than place its final signal on one of two vast arcs north and south.

Reuters

I am scared of you sometimes- Reeva


Pretoria – Oscar Pistorius’s girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp told the athlete she was sometimes scared of him in a text message nearly three weeks before he shot her dead, a North Gauteng High Court  in Pretoria heard on Monday.

“I’m scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you react to me,” Steenkamp said in a message after the athlete thought she had flirted with another man, the court heard.

Police cellphone analyst Captain Francois Moller began testifying on Monday afternoon.

He gave evidence on phones given to him after Pistorius shot Steenkamp dead on Valentine’s Day last year.

After being sworn in, Moller said he was given four cellphones – two Blackberries and two iPhones, and two iPads and a Macbook computer on 15 February by investigating officer Warrant Officer Hilton Botha.

Botha was taken off the case and later resigned.

Steenkamp texted: “You make me happy ninety percent of the time and I think we are amazing together… but I am not some other bitch… trying to kill your vibe…

“I’m the girl who fell in love with you but I’m also the girl who gets side-stepped when you are in a shit mood… I get snapped at and told my accent and voices are annoying.”

The message began: “You have picked on me excessively… I do everything to make you happy and you do everything to throw tantrums… ” The line was part of a lengthy Whatsapp text she sent him on 27 January where she expressed concern over his behaviour at a lunch they had attended, which she said they had to leave early because of him.

CNN reported that according to the messages, Pistorius apparently was upset about Steenkamp speaking to another man at a party.
“I watched you touch his arm and ignore me. Clearly I was upset,” Pistorius messaged Steenkamp.

Tasha’s shooting

In another text message, about the shooting at Tasha’s restaurant, extracted from Steenkamp’s cellphone, Pistorius had asked her “not to say a thing”.

Pistorius is also charged with firing a gun in a public place, at Tasha’s restaurant in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, in January 2013.

“Angel, please don’t say a thing to anyone, Darren told everyone it was his fault. The guys promised they wouldn’t say anything,” Moller read from a WhatsApp message Pistorius sent to Steenkamp on 11 January 2013 at 15:03.

He allegedly asked his friend Darren Fresco to take the blame for the shot that went off.

Pistorius and Steenkamp exchanged a few messages, before she replied: “I won’t always think before I say something, just appreciate that I’m not a liar.”

As Moller read other, longer messages between the couple that revealed conflict between the couple, Pistorius bowed his head and cried quietly.

Pistorius has been charged with murder and contraventions of the Firearms Control Act. He allegedly fired the shot at Tashas, and on 30 September 2012 he allegedly shot through the open sunroof of a car with his 9mm pistol while driving with friends in Modderfontein.

AFP

Shoddy interpreting mars trials


Pretoria – The state of interpreting in South Africa has been a topic of discussion since the day fake sign language interpreter Thamsanqa Jantjie took the stage at FNB stadium during the memorial service for Nelson Mandela.
For more http://www.iol.co.za