Reeva `cowered` behind toilet door

JUDGE SLAMS ZUMA’S SPY­TAPES DEFENCE
INSIDE
iMAG
P2
9 771016 396005 >
UNITED!
HOW TO
CATCH
A KILLER
BAFANA, BOKS DO IT FOR
MADIBA
MANDY WIENER ON
SEE SPORT
THE SCIENCE OF CRIME
City Press
SA’s award-winning Sunday newspaper
www.citypress.co.za | 18 August 2013 | R13.00 (incl VAT) Namibia: N$13.00
SPY REPORT ‘RUBBISH’
Vusi Pikoli and others pour scorn on ‘revelations’ that Vavi and key SA figures are paid to advance US interests
CARIEN DU PLESSIS
and SABELO NDLANGISA
[email protected]
[email protected]
A lot of rubbish!
That is how Advocate Vusi
Pikoli, the former national
director of public prosecutions,
has described a rogue
intelligence report that
implicates him, suspended
labour federation Cosatu general
secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and
other high­profile South
Africans in being paid to
advance an American agenda.
Vavi released copies of the
report on Friday, which he said
was a “total fabrication” and
proof that his suspension was
politically motivated.
This is at least the fifth
intelligence report that has been
circulated and has caused havoc
in the governing ANC alliance in
recent years. (see page 4)
Vavi was suspended this week
after admitting to having sex in
his Cosatu office in January with
a woman he appointed to work
for the trade union federation.
Several of the high­ranking
figures mentioned in the 19­
page intelligence report have
dismissed it as “rubbish” and a
“smear”.
Pikoli, who is mentioned in
the report as having consulted
with US agency the National
Endowment for Democracy
(NED) on President Jacob
Zuma’s corruption prosecution
and as having advised Agang
SA, dismissed the report.
He said he did not know there
was something called the NED.
The NED is an agency that
gets money from the US
Congress for distribution to pro­
democracy nonprofit
organisations worldwide.
It features prominently in the
report, where it is alleged the
organisation is working
undercover to overthrow
governments in Africa.
Pikoli, whose name also
featured in the 2006 ANC hoax
Advocate Vusi Pikoli
‘‘
It is false from
A to Z. People
who run
intelligence to
destabilise
countries mix
falsehood with
the truth
– FRANK CHIKANE
spy emails, said he wanted an
investigation into the origins of
the report before he could
decide on a course of action.
Former ANC treasurer­general
Mathews Phosa, who is
mentioned as having met with
Association of Mineworkers and
Construction Union (Amcu)
president Joseph Mathunjwa,
described the report as “crazy”
and a “smear”. He said he had
never spoken to Mathunjwa.
Economic Freedom Fighters
leader Julius Malema’s first
reaction to the report was:
“Mxm, sies.”
The report alleges Malema
received R50 000 and a promise
from Mathunjwa to pay his
legal bills.
“There’s nothing there to
comment on. Nothing. I don’t
know why Vavi’s giving that
thing attention,” he said.
Frank Chikane, the former
director­general under the
Thabo Mbeki presidency, also
dismissed the report as false,
saying it was meant to stop
people like him from fixing what
is wrong with the country.
He is alleged to have received
financial support from the NED,
also for one of the two tell­all
books he wrote, and to have
advised Agang SA leader
Mamphela Ramphele.
“Everything they say about
me is totally false. I am not
handled by anybody, especially
the Americans. I have no
dealings with Agang and
nobody has spoken to me.
“It is false from A to Z.
People who run intelligence
to destabilise countries mix
falsehood with the truth. This
one did not even do that. This
type of thing can cost people’s
lives,” said Chikane.
Advocate Guido Penzhorn,
who is tipped to become the
head of the Special
Investigating Unit, said he had
never heard of the NED.
The report alleges that he gets
money from the organisation.
City Press was told that Vavi
only learnt about the “rogue”
spy report that implicates him
as a plotter against the
government a week ago.
Vavi has described the report
as a “fabrication” with “all the
hallmarks of being the work of
rogue elements in the
intelligence community”.
He claimed it was circulated
by Cosatu president Sdumo
Dlamini “to smear and destroy”
him.
See page 4
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Oscar Pistorius at
his bail hearing.
His case is
scheduled to go
on trial in
March next year.
The Paralympian
is due to make a
brief appearance
in the Pretoria
Magistrates’ Court
tomorrow
|| PHOTO:
HERMAN VERWEY
Reeva
‘cowered’
behind
toilet door
ADRIAAN BASSON
[email protected]
Reeva Steenkamp was
crouching behind the toilet
door in Oscar Pistorius’
bathroom when she was shot
dead on Valentine’s Day.
That will be the state’s case
against the Paralympian when
the case goes to trial on March 3
next year.
The state will try to show that
Steenkamp was hiding from Pistorius,
fearing for her life, when he shot her
through the toilet door.
Pistorius will make a brief
appearance in the Pretoria
Magistrates’ Court tomorrow
before the case will be
adjourned next year.
The case is set down to
be heard by the North
Gauteng High Court from
March 3 to March 20.
The police’s case docket
was handed to Pistorius’
lawyers this week. This was
confirmed by his attorney,
Brian Webber.
Contained in the docket is
Reeva Steenkamp
a postmortem report revealing the
extent of Steenkamp’s injuries and
forensic bloodstain pattern analysis.
City Press was reliably told that the
analysis is consistent with Steenkamp
being in a crouching position when she
was shot in the head, hip and arm.
This confirms the theory of former
investigating officer Hilton Botha,
published by Vanity Fair in June.
Botha told the magazine, based on
his inspection of the crime scene, that
he believed the former model was
“cowering in the toilet with her arms
crossed, which would account for why
one bullet had gone through her fingers
before entering her arm”.
He further stated that bullets had
struck Steenkamp on her right side,
“which meant that she was not sitting
on the toilet but probably crouching
behind the locked door”.
Botha said he believed Pistorius had
fired at the door from less than five
feet away. The postmortem report
reveals that Steenkamp’s skull was
“crushed” by the impact of the bullets
from Pistorius’ 9mm Parabellum pistol.
Because of her extensive head
wounds, the police initially considered
that the athlete may have assaulted
Steenkamp with his cricket bat, which
was found bloodied on the crime scene.
But results from the forensic
laboratory analysis have now confirmed
that the damage was caused by the
bullets’ impact from a short distance.
In an affidavit submitted during his
bail hearing in February, Pistorius said
he heard noises in the bathroom and
“felt a sense of terror rushing over me”.
He grabbed his pistol and shouted for
the “intruder” to get out of his house.
He realised the “intruder” was in the
toilet and felt trapped. Pistorius fired
shots at the toilet door “and shouted to
Reeva to phone the police”.
When she didn’t answer, he “bashed”
open the toilet door with his cricket bat
and found Reeva “slumped over but
alive”. The state disputes Oscar’s version
and said it was a planned murder.
» The state planned to add two
more charges to Pistorius’ indictment
tomorrow, but decided against it after
objections by the athlete’s legal team,
who will now make representations to
the National Prosecuting Authority.
The charges of the reckless and
negligent discharge of a firearm relates
to a shooting incident at Tashas
restaurant in Melrose Arch, northern
Joburg, and an alleged incident during
which Pistorius fired shots through the
sunroof of a moving car while driving
with his ex­girlfriend, Samantha Taylor.
Taylor will testify for the state.
See page 3
2
City Press || 18 August 2013
‘‘
News
IN TODAY’S SECTIONS
VOICES
SELMOR MTUKUDZI:
ON MY OWN
On the web
www.citypress.co.za
PLUS
VOICES
– Charles Darwin, the father of evolution
NEWS
BUSINESS
SPORT
ANALYSIS
» HOW DOES
IT FEEL TO BE
SECOND
» SPEEDING IN
HAKSKEEN PAN
» PUSHING
THE BIKE TO
THE LIMIT
UNDER THE GREEN
BLANKET OF MARIKANA
An American monkey, after getting drunk
on brandy, would never touch it again,
and thus is much wiser than most men
THE
TROUBLE
WITH
SQUEEZED OUT BY A
BIGGER POWER
GOLD
WHO WILL BE THE DON
OF UK FOOTBALL?
Judge slams Zuma’s defence
With president’s lawyers under fire, NPA gets ultimatum to hand over electronic version of ‘spy tapes’
CHARL DU PLESSIS
[email protected]
Marikana: One year on
» Multimedia: On the koppie near
Marikana, Xolani Nzuza, the
second­in­command to the Man in the
Green Blanket, recounts his memories of
the August 16 2012 shootings.
PLUS: Julius Malema steals the show during
the Marikana commemoration service.
Let the games
begin!
» The changes,
troubles and
hopes of some
of the top teams
in the English
Premier League
» Twitter: www.twitter.com/City_Press
» Mobile: m.citypress.co.za
» Facebook: facebook.com/citypress.co.za
» iPad: Get our iMag app
Look at me, I’m a
human leopard
A tattoo artist has covered himself in
more than a thousand spots to become
half man, half big cat.
The man, who calls himself Larry Da
Leopard, prowls the streets wearing little
more than a loincloth. Born Lance
Brieschke, Larry was disowned by his
family for 10 years after making the
radical decision to ink his body.
The artist from Austin, Texas, even
took the painful decision to tattoo his
genitals.
Larry, who refers to himself as a
“manimal” – half man, half animal –
says he has no regrets about his choice
of design.
He said: “I’m proud of my tattoos.
When I look in the mirror, I like what I
see. My leopard tattoos have given me
special leopard powers like seeing in the
dark, running really fast and hunting at
night.” – orangenews.uk
Press Council
City Press subscribes to the South African
Press Code that prescribes news that is
truthful, accurate, fair and balanced.
If we don’t live up to the Code please
contact the Press Ombudsman:
» 011 484 3618 (phone)
» 011 484 3619 (fax)
» [email protected]
» www.presscouncil.org.za for Press Code.
The council’s constitution, Press Code
and Complaints Procedures can be
downloaded from the Press Council’s
website, www.presscouncil.org.za or may
be requested in writing from the Press
Ombudsman’s office. City Press readers
can send comments or suggestions to
[email protected]
(Fax) 011 484­3619.
SUBSCRIBE
GET CITY PRESS
DELIVERED TO YOUR
DOOR EVERY SUNDAY
SEND AN EMAIL TO
[email protected]
OR SEND AN SMS TO
42987
A judge has for the first time
commented on former acting
prosecutions chief Mokotedi
Mpshe’s controversial decision to
drop charges against President
Jacob Zuma.
And Judge Rammaka Mathopo
of the North Gauteng High Court
didn’t mince his words as he
lambasted Zuma’s lawyers for
not properly arguing why the
so­called “spy tapes” should be
kept confidential.
In a strongly­worded judgment
on Friday, Mathopo gave the
National Prosecuting Authority
(NPA) five days to hand over an
electronic version of the tapes
and transcripts thereof.
These tapes were used by
Mpshe to justify his decision to
let Zuma off the hook in 2009, of
which only selected excerpts were
made available to the media.
Mathopo ruled that he “failed
to understand (Zuma’s) assertion
that the disclosure of the
transcripts would affect his right
to confidentiality or privilege”.
He further said: “It has not
been contended by any of the
parties that Mpshe referred to
anything more than a discussion
by certain officials of the NPA on
the question whether the charges
would be brought before the
African National Congress
Polokwane conference.
“The excerpts of the transcripts
which formed part of the record
and which Mpshe extensively
referred to in his address (to the
media) specifically related to the
timing of the charges.
“I fail to see how the discussion
on the timing of charges would
impact on the integrity of the
charges (against Zuma).”
This is the first time a judge
has commented on Mpshe’s
decision.
Zuma’s advocate, Kemp J
Kemp, had argued that the
“spy tapes” were part of the
confidential representations
Zuma made to the NPA.
This argument was based on
the fact that it was Zuma’s
lawyer, Michael Hulley, who
came to the NPA with the tapes.
The tapes were intercepted
telephone conversations between
former NPA head Bulelani
Ngcuka and former Scorpions
boss Leonard McCarthy, which
Mpshe suggested were evidence
of political interference in the
timing of corruption charges
against Zuma.
In his statement issued at the
time, Mpshe said the discussions
constituted an “intolerable
abuse . . . which compels a
discontinuation of the
prosecution”.
Kemp argued that it was
irrelevant that the NPA had
obtained its own copies of the
tapes from the National
Intelligence Agency.
But Mathopo did not buy this
argument on Friday.
“Mpshe together with his team,
rightly or wrongly, came to the
conclusion that the integrity of
the prosecution was
compromised and the charges on
the basis of what he regarded as
an abuse of the process by
certain officials.
“It is desirable that the
transcripts be produced to test
and properly contextualise
whether the decision of Mpshe
was based on rational grounds
or not,” the judge said.
Mathopo also ruled that
internal NPA documentation –
including a memorandum by
chief prosecutor Billy Downer on
why Zuma should be prosecuted
– must be made available to the
DA’s lawyers on a confidential
basis.
If they disagree over whether
any of these documents form
part of Zuma’s confidential
representations, they will be
allowed to contest this before a
judge in chambers.
City Press understands that
this evidence could be key to
showing that Mpshe’s decision
was not rational.
James Selfe, the chairperson of
the DA’s federal executive,
yesterday said the party was
“very relieved and very excited”.
He further said: “It’s been a
very long battle and they have
put up incredible hurdles at every
point . . . Now we can hopefully
get down to the business of
finding out if this was a valid
legal decision or one of absolute
political expediency.”
Presidency spokesperson Mac
Maharaj did not respond to a
request for comment.
Bulelwa Makeke, the NPA’s
spokesperson, said no decision
whether to appeal the judgment
had been made yet.
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
Rape in the news this week
A 25-year-old
3 suspect
has been
arrested in connection
with the rapes of a baby
girl and young boy in
Ceres, Western Cape,
police said on Thursday
Two men are being
sought after a woman
was raped and robbed
in George, Western
Cape, police said on
Tuesday
A Western Cape
police captain will
appear in the Wynberg
Magistrates’ Court on
Monday for allegedly
raping a prostitute, the
Independent Police
Investigative
Directorate said
3
Senior ANC member Tony Yengeni leaving the Cape Town Central Police Station
Monday after his arrest in the early hours of Sunday || PHOTO: LERATO MADUNA
‘Drunk’
Yengeni
refused
to blow
JULIAN JANSEN
of last Sunday.
He was behind the wheel of a
white Maserati GranCabrio,
which is one of two Maseratis
registered in his name.
Yengeni was initially bust,
it has emerged, not because the
Metro officer thought he may
have been drinking, but because
the white Maserati had no front
number plate.
According to waiters, the
flamboyant and stocky Yengeni
is a familiar face at Cubana Bar,
which is right across
from where
[email protected]
Tony Yengeni allegedly refused
a Cape Town metro police
officer’s order to blow into a
Breathalyser.
The head of the ANC’s
political school – who is
responsible for instilling the
party’s cadres with a strong
sense of ethics and a deep
desire to serve the public – was
caught driving
allegedly drunk in
the early hours
women, has been
sentenced in the
Bethlehem Circuit Court
to nine life imprisonment
terms, the National
Prosecuting Authority
said on Thursday
Former Grand Slam
1 doubles
champion
Yengeni
was driving
a Maserati
GranCabrio
like this
one
FOR THE RECORD
Bob Hewitt (73) was
charged in the
Boksburg Magistrates’
Court with two counts
of rape and one count of
sexual assault of minors
in cases that date back
to the early 1980s
In KwaZulu-Natal,
1 two
men have been
1
1
sentenced to lengthy
prison terms for rape.
Nhlanhla Dlamini (19)
was sentenced in the
KwaDukuza Regional
Court to life in jail for
raping a 10-year-old girl
in March. On Tuesday,
the same court
convicted and sentenced
22-year-old Mfanafuthi
Ntombela to 45 years’
imprisonment on three
counts of rape
Due to a printing error
last week, the article
about Julius Malema’s
visit to Nigerian
prophet TB Joshua did
not appear in all
editions. If you want
to read the full story,
please go to our
website,
www.citypress.co.za,
and search for “Juju’s
prophet predicts
bloody revolt”.
If you do not have
internet access, contact
us on Monday
(011 7139623) and we
will send you a copy
of the paper. City
Press regrets the
printing error.
City Press || 11 August 2013
‘‘
News
The ever more sophisticated weapons piling up in the arsenals of the
wealthiest and the mightiest can kill the illiterate, the ill, the poor and
the hungry, but they cannot kill ignorance, illness, poverty or hunger
– Cuban leader Fidel Castro
State pulls out of Limpopo
Administrative team reports provincial government is ready to take over again, but there are still ‘serious issues’
SIPHO MASONDO
and SABELO NDLANGISA
[email protected]
[email protected]
Cabinet believes Limpopo’s
government is ready to stand on its
own again – but the man who headed
the administration says the province
is still “overwhelmed” by serious
systemic issues.
City Press has learnt that Cabinet
this week received a report from the
team appointed to administer the
province two and a half years ago,
which says Limpopo is out of the red.
Performance Monitoring and
Evaluation Minister Collins Chabane
said Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting
received a report from the team that
has in effect been running the
province in terms of section 100(b)
of the Constitution since December
2011.
Chabane said the team and
Limpopo’s leadership would soon
hold a meeting to discuss “a way of
handling the remaining issues”.
Chief administrator Monde Tom
cautioned that while a lot of work
had been done, some serious
systemic problems remained,
particularly around procurement and
the provision of infrastructure.
“The spending on infrastructure is
low. The delivery of road
infrastructure is not working well.
Their roads agency has major
challenges.
“Public Works doesn’t have
(enough) capacity. They need to build
technical know­how. Supply chain
and the provision of major services is
also a problem. The province is
overwhelmed by these,” Tom said.
Another of the tasks remaining is
holding to account the provincial
government officials whose
misconduct – and criminal actions –
led to Limpopo’s financial collapse.
President Jacob Zuma’s government
took over the administration of half
the provincial government after
Limpopo overspent on its bank
overdraft by R750 million and asked
National Treasury for an extra
R1 billion to pay its bills in 2011.
At the time, then premier Cassel
Mathale and his allies dismissed the
intervention as a political move.
Cabinet’s move to cut the apron
strings will give newly appointed
premier Stanley Mathabatha much
more control of his government.
Mathabatha has taken the reins at a
time when the administrative team’s
report reveals that “the cash status of
the province is (now) out of the red”,
said Chabane.
The administrators may be packing
their bags soon, but Limpopo will
remain firmly on their radar.
“By the time the national
government leaves, we need to ensure
there are systems in place to sustain
the progress made,” said Chabane.
“Even if Limpopo is out of
the woods, national government
will (still) provide further assistance.
“Section 100 remains until the
discussion with the province has
‘‘
I don’t see any
sense in that . . .
Talk to me
another time
– LUMKA YENGENI
4
A Free State man,
1 who
raped various
1
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Ú
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The damage
R750m
100m
The amount that was overspent by the Limpopo provincial
government. The province asked national government for a
R1 billion bailout and was placed under administration
90m
Premier Stanley Mathabatha
‘‘
Pretoria didn’t
want to hand the
administration back
to Cassel Mathale,
who screwed it up
in the first place
– SOURCE
taken place.” Tom said the
interministerial committee that ran
the administration would pay
Mathabatha and his executive team a
visit “soon” to discuss both the
remaining issues and an exit strategy.
He added that Cabinet would have
the final say on this strategy and the
date of the administrators’
withdrawal.
A public works department source,
who declined to be named, said the
intervention team could have been
withdrawn much earlier.
“Pretoria didn’t want to hand the
administration back to Cassel
Mathale, who screwed it up in the
first place.”
Section 100(b) allows for the
complete takeover of provincial
departments’ powers.
The source said national
government would remove this in
three months’ time and replace it
with a more limited intervention for a
further three months.
The source said there was a feeling
that the team had achieved much of
what it had set out to do when it was
sent to Limpopo in December 2011.
The removal of the team, said
the source, was also Zuma’s way of
telling Mathabatha he has faith in
him and trusts him.
On Wednesday, Mathabatha
announced that the administrators
had succeeded in rescuing the five
departments that had been placed
under administration.
Another source in the department
of health, which works closely with
the administrators, confirmed the
intervention team was preparing to
hand over to the provincial
government.
In the department of health, the
source said, there had been many
improvements.
“But we still need to monitor the
implementation of systems. They still
need our support. We can’t just leave
them to their own devices.
“Patient billing, procurement and
record management are the biggest
outstanding matters. We are far from
getting these right.”
The biggest achievements in the
department of health, the source
said, were:
» Sorting out the asset register in all
clinics, district and provincial
hospitals. “We now know what
facilities and assets we have.”;
» The establishment of a checklist to
be complied with before service
providers are paid; and
» Ensuring that patients at hospitals
have enough food.
Arms deal commission chair Judge Willie Seriti at the inquiry’s hearing on Monday || PHOTO: MUNTU VILAKAZI
80m
Arms deal commission
set to shut public out?
CHARL DU PLESSIS
and ATHANDIWE SABA
70m
[email protected]
[email protected]
Significant portions of the arms
deal commission of inquiry could
be held behind closed doors.
On Monday, the commission
postponed its public hearings
after the department of defence
requested urgent meetings to
discuss the issue of the
declassification of documents.
A defence source said the
department believes the
commission is in possession
of hundreds of thousands of
unsorted documents, which a
City Press investigation has
confirmed. The source said the
department may be forced to
apply for certain parts of the
hearings to be conducted in
camera if the declassification
issue is not resolved.
Also of concern to the
department is the fact that it
has not yet been told if some
of its witnesses will be implicated
in criminal behaviour during the
court hearings or if they will be
warned of potential criminal
liability.
City Press understands that the
department intends to rely upon
the Constitutional Court’s
judgment in a case related to the
Truth and Reconciliation
Commission case in which the
60m
50m
40m
court stressed the importance of
amnesty in ensuring the truth
about apartheid atrocities was
revealed.
This could very well see
significant portions of the
commission’s hearings being
hidden from public scrutiny.
It could also mean that
commission chairperson Judge
Willie Seriti might prevent certain
witnesses from being cross­
examined, which is within his
powers in terms of the arms deal
regulations.
The regulations also make
provision for the final report to
be sent directly to President
Jacob Zuma, who will decide
whether to release it.
Another stumbling block for
the commission has been the
overwhelming amount of
evidence related to the arms deal.
More than 3 million pages of
documentation related to the
arms deal investigations have
allegedly not been scrutinised by
the commission.
A source with knowledge
of the commission’s work
said Seriti had hoped that
witnesses would come forward
voluntarily to testify, but that this
has not happened.
These latest revelations come
after the commission was rocked
by the resignation of Judge Frans
Legodi as one of its three
commissioners.
This was in the same week that
legal researcher Kate Painting
confirmed that she had quit the
commission in March because of
a so­called “second agenda”.
In a statement released to
the Mail & Guardian, Painting
said “fear is a common theme at
the commission and any
noncompliance with the
second agenda is met with
hostility”.
The term second agenda was
first used by attorney Norman
Moabi, who also quit the
commission in January.
Moabi said the “second
agenda” was based on the
clandestine preparations of
documents and briefs that
were being handed over to
evidence leaders, a process which
was closely presided over by
Seriti.
Siphiwe Dlamini, spokesperson
for the department of defence,
said the department was still in
discussion with legal advisers
about the process of declassifying
documents.
“The process of declassifying
documents is a complicated
affair. You can’t just wake up and
declassify documents,” he said.
Dlamini agreed that there were
about 1.5 million records the
department was in the process of
declassifying and refused to be
drawn into discussing others that
have not been recorded.
“The department is dealing
with the records, which will
be used during the commission
and nothing else,” he said.
THE HEIGHT OF ALL THE DOCUMENTS STORED ON A CD
AND GIVEN TO THE ARMS DEAL COMMISSION
Malema visits Nigerian
‘prophet’ TB Joshua
30m
20m
10m
6m
1.75m
Young people will start a huge and
violent revolt in South Africa – but first,
youth leader Julius Malema will receive
blessings from the Nigerian soothsayer
who prophesied this.
Malema and fellow Economic Freedom
Fighters leaders left on Friday to visit
Nigeria’s most famous – and one of the
wealthiest – charismatic preachers, TB
Joshua.
They will pay him a “spiritual visit to
meet and create friendship with this son
of Africa and his congregation, and ask
for blessings for the journey ahead”,
according to a statement issued on
Friday.
Their visit, which ends on Thursday,
comes after Joshua told his Synagogue
Church of All Nations congregation on
the outskirts of Lagos on July 28 that
South Africa could expect a bloody
revolt.
“In the nation South Africa, the
country South Africa, the nation of South
Africa ... We should help them in prayer.
I’m seeing huge revolt. Huge one. Revolt.
And it will be very serious. You pray for
your nation, South Africa. Huge. Revolt.
Julius Malema
The youth will come out, and begin,
there will be a huge protest here, shoot,
some people are killed. Certain people ...
some people are killed. Revolt. South
Africa,” he said, gesticulating wildly.
The prophesy came alongside
predictions of a plane crash in Asia and
unrest in his own country.
Joshua, whose church also has a
branch in Johannesburg, is famous for
his prophesies, faith healing and
humanitarian work.
He has landed in hot water before for
an unusually accurate prediction of the
Nigerian preacher TB Joshua
death of his friend, the late Malawian
president Bingu wa Mutharika, last year
of sudden cardiac arrest.
There was suspicion about the
preacher’s ability to have foretold the
event with such accuracy and some have
even suggested Joshua had a hand in
Mutharika’s death.
Former visitors to Joshua’s Lagos
headquarters include Zulu King Goodwill
Zwelithini, Zimbabwe’s former prime
minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, and late
Ghanaian president John Atta Mills.
– Carien du Plessis
Yengeni was
stopped.
But they
say he had not
been at
Cubana that
particular
evening.
City Press has
learnt that a Metro
officer spotted Yengeni
driving on Buitengracht Street
in Cape Town’s city centre
without a front number plate.
When he was pulled off on
Somerset Road, Green Point,
and asked for his driver’s
licence, the officer became
suspicious, a source with close
knowledge of the incident told
City Press.
Yengeni was asked to blow
into a Breathalyser. He allegedly
refused, but after back up was
called, the source claimed, he
complied.
It is against the law to refuse
to give a breath or a blood
sample if an officer of the law
asks a motorist to give one.
Yengeni allegedly tested three
times higher than the legal
breath alcohol limit, registering
0.69mg of breath per litre of
alcohol on the test.
Blood samples were taken
from Yengeni at the provincial
anti­alcohol centre in Athlone
and sent to a forensic
laboratory.
The legal blood­alcohol level
is 0.05mg per 100ml, while that
of professional drivers, like
truck and bus drivers, is
0.02mg per 100ml.
Yengeni’s blood­alcohol
results are expected in a few
months’ time.
He spent the night in the
police cells and was released
the following day and is due
back in court on March 4
next year.
Yengeni owns two Maseratis –
last year’s GranCabrio model
and a silver GranTurismo –
as well as a VW Polo and a
Mini registered in his name,
an impeccable source has told
City Press.
Yengeni did not respond to
several calls and SMSes this
week.
In response to questions,
his wife Lumka said that she
would not ask her husband to
confirm.
“I don’t see any sense in that.
I’m going now. Talk
to me another time,” she said.
Called for comment about
Yengeni’s alleged drunk driving,
the ANC said it was
a private matter and that the
governing party would not
comment.
Yengeni was convicted of
fraud in 2003 for failing to
declare a discount on a
Mercedes­Benz ML 350 he
received from an arms dealer.
He served just four months of a
four­year sentence.
His cars have landed him in
trouble with the law before:
» In January 2007, he was
released on parole, and was still
on parole when he drove his
black BMW across the middle
island on Voortrekker Road in
Goodwood, Cape Town. He was
charged with drunk driving but
acquitted.
» In 2011, it was reported that
insurance giant Sanlam had,
since 2005, paid out nine
claims for damage to Yengeni’s
cars. The cars included a
Mercedes­Benz, a BMW M5,
and 2009 BMW X5 and X6
models.
City Press || 18 August 2013
3
‘‘
News
BIÉNNE HUISMAN
[email protected]
Oscar Pistorius eased his tender
nerves during a seaside jaunt in
the run­up to his court
appearance tomorrow.
The athlete escaped what his
uncle Arnold described as the
“jail he’s been living in” to go
kayaking and enjoy meals with
friends in the coastal town of
Hermanus last weekend.
Pistorius let off steam a
week ahead of his scheduled
appearance at the Pretoria
Magistrates’ Court, which is
likely to be packed once again
with journalists from across
the globe.
It is expected that the
paralympic athlete will be served
an indictment, and that the
matter will be postponed.
On Tuesday, the police
announced that they have
finished their investigation into
model Reeva Steenkamp’s death
at Pistorius’ house in February.
The Paralympian star tried
to slip under the radar in
Hermanus – a Western Cape
town famous for whale watching
– but was spotted by locals, who
divulged details in hushed tones.
Last Saturday, the star hid
behind sunglasses and a beanie
while tucking into a meal at
Tapas, a trendy eatery
overlooking the old harbour
in the heart of the town.
Tapas serves delicacies
including wild Cape rock oysters
on crushed ice at R20 each and
grilled aubergine for R57. The
restaurant’s mantra is “to eat,
drink and be merry”.
Pistorius visited the owner of
Tapas, Rick Oosthuyzen, whose
son Leroy is dating the athlete’s
sister Aimee. “Oscar just needed
to get away from it all,” said a
Hermanus resident who did not
want to be named.
“He chilled with Leroy and
friends at Tapas on Saturday,
and Leroy went back to Jozi
with him in the week.”
Leroy Oosthuyzen works at
Investec Bank in Joburg. Aimee
No whales for Oscar
Oscar Pistorius and his sister Aimee leave the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court after his bail hearing in February || PHOTO: NELIUS RADEMAN
He visited Hermanus for a ‘break’ before his court appearance
is an assistant lecturer at the
University of Pretoria.
Aimee burst into tears at
Pistorius’ first court appearance
days after the shooting in
February. She was there with her
father Henke, her brother Carl
and their uncle Arnold.
This week, Arnold Pistorius
said his nephew went to
Hermanus “to take a break
from the jail he’s living in”.
Pistorius did not see any
whales on a kayaking trip that
left from the town’s old harbour
on Sunday. Herman de Vries of
Walker Bay Adventures said:
“His group was unlucky, they
didn’t see any whales. There
were the usual seals and sea
birds, though.”
De Vries declined to elaborate
on the athlete’s demeanour: “I
was very surprised to see him.
But he’s just another paying
The restaurant where Oscar had a
meal || PHOTO: KEVIN PETERSEN
On the web
www.citypress.co.za
Aimee and Oscar Pistorius on the
cover of the February edition of Sarie
Follow our on­day coverage from court
tomorrow at www.citypress.co.za/news
and on Twitter @City_Press
customer and I really can’t
elaborate, you know.”
Reeva Steenkamp would have
turned 30 tomorrow.
This week, Steenkamp’s
cousin, Kim Martin, who lives in
Cape Town, said the family had
decided not to grant interviews
at this painful time.
Martin met Pistorius over
lunch at the Ons Huisie
beachfront restaurant in
Bloubergstrand just a month
before the shooting.
“At the time, Reeva said she
had something important to
tell me . . . But well, she never
got round to it,” Martin said.
Pistorius’ spokesperson,
Anneliese Burgess, said
tomorrow would be a “very
difficult and dreadful” day for
the athlete and his family. She
said they did not want to
comment at present.
He’s pretty loud and, of course,
extremely good­looking – Proud dad
Prince William, boasting about three­week­old son
Prince George at a country fair in Wales
Elysium’s cast
turning heads
Neill Blomkamp’s new movie,
Elysium, is cleaning up at the
box office in America. It topped
the rankings, raking in
$30.5 million (R307 million) last
weekend.
But moviegoers are talking
about more than just the action
on the big screen, where a
select group of people live on a
space settlement called Elysium
in the year 2154, in conflict with
everyone left on Earth.
The actors and their beautiful
partners turned heads at the
film’s world premiere on
August 7 at the Regency Village
Theatre in Los Angeles – and at
each of the glamorous premieres
that followed.
South African star Sharlto
Copley and his girlfriend, Tanit
Phoenix, enjoyed as much
attention as Matt Damon and
his wife, Luciana Barroso.
Damon plays the lead role
with Jodie Foster,
Matt Damon plays the lead role in
Neill Blomkamp’s new movie, Elysium
while Copley, of District 9 and
The A­Team fame, steals the
show as a South African
mercenary with a heavy Joburg
accent.
On Monday, the actors and
their partners were at the
Australian opening at Event
Cinemas in George Street,
Sydney, and they are currently
in Seoul, South Korea.
Copley (39) and Phoenix (28),
herself an actress and well­
known name in modelling
circles, recently bought a house
together in Los Angeles.
They moved to America last
year.
Phoenix was born in Durban
and has promised to celebrate
Christmas in KwaZulu­Natal
this year. She currently
features in films Spud 2: The
Madness Continues and
Death Race: Inferno.
After she finished filming
her movies, she took time off
to tour the world with Copley
while he films his movies.
Copley and Phoenix have
been a couple since 2011
after he broke off his 13­year
relationship with Melanie
Haasbroek. – Karin Burger
Sharlto Copley and Tanit Phoenix
at the Australian premiere of
Elysium || PHOTOS: BRENDON
THORNE / GETTY IMAGES
4
City Press || 18 August 2013
NEWSFLASH
News
The military judge who will determine how long US soldier Bradley Manning (25) will go to prison for the
biggest breach of classified data in the nation’s history said she found that his acts were ‘wanton and
reckless’. He was found guilty of 20 criminal counts, including espionage and theft – Reuters
From page 1
Vavi was told about the
contents of the spy report at the
funeral of the former deputy
president of the National Union
of Metalworkers (Numsa) Phil
Bokaba in Ga­Rankuwa last
Saturday.
It was only after this that he
asked for a copy of the report,
which he claimed was circulated
by Dlamini.
This came ahead of
Wednesday’s Cosatu central
executive meeting, which
decided that Vavi should be
placed on “indefinite leave”.
A union source told City
Press that Numsa president
Cedric Gina gave Vavi a copy of
the report, but Gina denied it.
“I have never received that
document, so I could never pass
it on,” he said.
Dlamini refused to talk about
the report, saying Vavi was
taking the matter to court.
Vavi claimed Dlamini had seen
the report in May already when
he named the NED as an
organisation facilitating the
creation of “capable opposition
movements” to defeat the
current government.
Cosatu is, however, still in two
minds about whether the report
is true or not.
Cosatu’s first deputy president
SPY REPORT ‘RUBBISH’
Tyotyo James said the report
would be discussed this week.
“I don’t want to say what the
report has done or not done
until we meet and consider our
view as a collective,” he said.
A trade union official who
attended Wednesday’s meeting
claimed no Cosatu leader took
the report seriously.
Another union official said the
report surfaced at a time when
Cosatu was gripped by paranoia
and said it had fed “long­term
suspicions” about Vavi and his
Numsa allies. He said these
suspicions were fuelled by
revelations that DA leader Helen
Zille had tried to recruit Vavi.
“For those who push an
agenda, it is a minefield. There
has also been a feeling that the
general secretary (Vavi) is no
longer comfortable in the
alliance setup.
“The ANC doesn’t take kindly
to criticism. It just closes ranks
because it is a liberation
movement and that’s how it is
wired. For the ANC not to sink,
it has to throw a heavyweight
overboard,” he said.
ANC secretary­general Gwede
Mantashe refused to comment
on the report, saying “whether I
have seen it or not seen it, that
is none of your business”.
An ANC source, however, said
the party was concerned about
the report and its place of
origin because it has elements
of the Browse Mole report,
which was used to discredit
Zuma ahead of the ANC’s
bruising 2007 Polokwane
conference.
“It (the report) is likely to
take up a large portion of next
week’s (ANC national working
committee) meeting. It is very
worrying,” the source said.
A member of Cosatu’s central
executive committee said Vavi’s
decision to challenge his
suspension in court was likely
to harden attitudes among those
who wanted him to be ousted
from the federation.
State security spokesperson
Brian Dube didn’t want to
comment.
“Vavi said he will approach
the office of the inspector­
general of intelligence to have
the matter investigated and we
will have to wait for that
process,” he said.
Former Limpopo premier
Cassel Mathale, who is also
mentioned in the report, said
the document was “not worth
commenting on”.
He denied that he had a
meeting with Mathunjwa where
he pledged his support to
Amcu.
Agang SA yesterday tweeted:
“Not a single word of truth in
the #vavireport. Reads more
like bad B movie spy script.”
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
‘Bogus’ intelligence report’s wackiest 10 claims
1 As a means of
influencing them,
Constitutional Court justices
Johann van der Westhuizen,
Johan Froneman and
Dikgang Moseneke get
money from the National
Endowment for Democracy
(NED) via accounts in the
Cayman Islands
2 Former directorgeneral in the presidency
Frank Chikane is being
“handled” by Freedom
House Southern Africa
director Karl Beck. He got
funds for a book through
the NED and is helping
Agang SA with policy
6 Mamphela Ramphele’s advisory
co
committee on Agang SA consisted of some
of the following people: AfriForum lawyer
Willie
Wi Spies, former prosecutions head Vusi
Pi
Pikoli, businessman Moeletsi Mbeki, Cosatu
general
ge
secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, media
bosses
Justice Malala and Trevor Ncube,
bo
University
Un
of the Free State rector Jonathan
Jansen
Ja
and sacked human settlements
minister
Tokyo Sexwale
mi
7 Agang SA got
R500 million from the NED
3 Former Scorpions
prosecutors are planning to
reunite to start investigating
President Jacob Zuma on
corruption charges again to
build a case “that will
eventually nail him” and force
him to step down. The media
is in on this project, and ANC
deputy president Cyril
Ramaphosa is funding this in
conjunction with the NED
5 Businessman Fana
Hlongwane and a
Zimbabwean were procuring
arms on behalf of a group
undergoing “crack
commando training” in
insurgency, intelligence,
guerrilla warfare and first
aid in Zimbabwe
4 Public Enterprises
Minister Malusi Gigaba’s
adviser, Siyabonga
Mahlangu, is being handled
by the NED. Besides talking
to the Gupta brothers, he
also conveys instructions
from the NED to Gigaba on
tenders, boards and
“newspaper purchases” by
parastatals
8 The NED worked on
sowing dissent and
insurgency in Marikana a
year before the shootings,
and also helped inflame
service-delivery protests
and xenophobic violence
9 Mining union Amcu boss
ss
Joseph Mathunjwa was
backed by sacked Limpopo
premier Cassel Mathale and
was also trying to win over
Economic Freedom Fighters
leader Julius Malema, former
ANC treasurer-general
Mathews Phosa and metalworkers’ union Numsa
general secretary Irvin Jim
Graphics24
Conspiracy nation: Five
‘plots’ that rocked SA
SABELO NDLANGISA
[email protected]
The decision to suspend labour fed­
eration Cosatu boss Zwelinzima
Vavi was taken by a smaller caucus
of union general secretaries and
presidents because they wanted to
avoid putting the matter to a vote.
A union leader who attended the
meeting told City Press that, of the
13 unions in good standing, eight
were in favour of suspension, while
the National Union of Metalwork­
ers of SA (Numsa) and the
Food and Allied Workers’ Union
favoured a disciplinary process that
excluded suspension.
The SA Clothes and Textile Work­
ers’ Union, the Democratic Nursing
Organisation of SA and the SA
Municipal Workers’ Union wanted
the central executive committee
(CEC) to defer the meeting so that
they could take a mandate from
their members about what should
be done in the wake of revelations
about Vavi’s sexual misconduct.
Provincial secretaries and chair­
persons were left out of the meeting
that made the final decision.
A union leader said Vavi’s deci­
sion to release information about
the grievance filed against him
by the woman who initially accused
him of rape, and his decision to
address meetings of the SA Demo­
cratic Teachers’ Union hardened
attitudes against him.
Others within Cosatu agree his
decision to bring on the court
challenge will strengthen the hand
of critics who want him gone.
“Our (initial) approach was to say
‘censure him because what he did
was wrong, maybe give him a final
warning, but not dismissal’,” the
union leader said.
Another source who attended the
meeting on Wednesday said the
Cosatu leaders wanted a decision to
be taken by consensus as it was
clear Vavi’s supporters were out­
numbered, and to avoid deciding
the issue by a ballot.
By this time, Vavi had already
been asked to leave the meeting.
10 Amcu boss Joseph
Mathunjwa
Ma
gave Julius
Malema
a cheque of
Ma
R50
R5 000 and told him he
has
ha people who can help
with
wi his debts and legal bills
1 HOAX EMAILS: Surfaced
around 2006, creating an
impression of ANC leaders
plotting against then party
deputy president Jacob
Zuma. Internal party inquiry found the
emails to be false
2 BROWSE MOLE REPORT: Leaked to
Cosatu in 2007 before ANC’s Polokwane
conference. It alleged SACP boss Blade
Nzimande arranged a meeting between
Zuma and Libyans for funding
to destabilise SA and topple
then president Thabo
Mbeki. Originated from the
Scorpions
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi is fighting his suspension || PHOTO: ELIZABETH SEJAKE
How Cosatu avoided
voting on Vavi
General secretary put on ‘special leave’ without proper procedure
On the web
www.citypress.co.za
The full ‘bogus’ intelligence report,
and five startling revelations Vavi
made this week. PLUS: Readers
debate whether Vavi’s suspension
was a result of his own idiocy or
a political conspiracy:
www.citypress.co.za/politics
“Satawu (the SA Transport and
Allied Workers’ Union) was saying
we will not be intimidated by people
who want to break away from the
federation. (Numsa’s Irvin) Jim had
already left, and (Numsa president
Cedric) Gina also walked out of the
meeting of presidents and general
secretaries.
“It was the caucus of presidents
and general secretaries that
decided. In any event, (National
Education, Health and Allied
Workers’ Union general secretary)
Slovo (Majola) was clinical about
what type of action should be taken.
These guys want him gone either
way,” he said.
Jim told City Press that he left ear­
ly because he needed to catch a
flight to Eastern Cape, but denied
that Gina left the meeting early.
A memorandum that acting
Cosatu general secretary Bheki
Ntshalintshali circulated to the
federation’s provincial secretaries
and affiliated union secretaries on
Thursday said the meeting felt it
was necessary to put Vavi on
“special leave”.
“In the view of the special CEC,
it was necessary to place the general
secretary on this leave of absence in
the light of the nature and the seri­
ousness of his conduct in this mat­
ter, its consequential effect on the
3 GROUND COVERAGE REPORT:
Declassified by former crime intelligence
boss Richard Mdluli in 2010 and
discredited former police commissioner
Bheki Cele. Was said to be drafted at a
time when Mdluli became aware of a
renewed investigation into murder
allegations against him. It claimed Cele
was part of an anti-Zuma faction that
included then human settlements
minister Tokyo Sexwale,
Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula
and Arts Minister Paul
Mashatile. They denied the
allegations
4 MEIRING REPORT: Defence force
head Georg Meiring handed it to then
president Nelson Mandela in 1998. It
alleged an organisation called Front
African People’s army and
some SA dignitaries were
plotting to kill the president
and judges, and take over
Parliament. Found to be a hoax
5 MBEKI PLOT: Cyril Ramaphosa,
Tokyo Sexwale and Mathews
Phosa were accused of
plotting to topple Mbeki in
2001. Then safety and
security minister Steve
Tshwete confirmed national
intelligence agencies were investigating
the three, but the claims were untrue
Graphics24
federation and the seniority of his
position. The CEC felt that this was
in order to ensure a thorough and
proper
investigation,”
wrote
Ntshalintshali.
On Friday, Vavi said he would take
his suspension up with his lawyers
as the matter was political.
Report on Rwanda a flight of fancy
The so­called “intelligence
dossier” that implicates
Zwelinzima Vavi in subversive
political activities is riddled with
ludicrous assertions and
inaccuracies.
The report carries a section on
the activities of the Rwandan
National Congress (RNC), an
organisation opposed to the
authoritarian rule of Rwandan
president Paul Kagame.
The report alleges that the
RNC and Vavi are funded by the
same organisations, allegedly
the National Endowment for
Democracy and the World
Movement for Democracy.
The dossier alleges that the
RNC has a military wing that is
being trained by the
International Law Enforcement
Agency in Botswana. The
agency is an international police
academy run and funded by the
US state department, but the
National Endowment for
Democracy and the World
Movement for Democracy use
the agency as a front, says
the dossier.
The RNC was formed almost
three years ago after a former
Rwandan army chief of staff,
General Kayumba Nyamwasa,
fled to South Africa, where a
Kagame death squad allegedly
hunted him down and shot him
in the stomach. Several
Rwandan agents are currently
on trial in Joburg for attempting
to kill Nyamwasa in June 2010.
THE
GLARING MISTAKES IN THE DOSSIER
» DOSSIER
One of the covert leaders of
the RNC is Rwandan­based Dan
Munyuza. He facilitates the
entry and exit of RNC cadres.
» FACT
Munyuza is Kagame’s head of
external military intelligence and
has been implicated in the
court case as one of the
masterminds behind the
shooting of Nyamwasa.
» DOSSIER
Another secret leader is
Wilson Gumisiriza.
» FACT
Gumisiriza is a brigadier
general in Kagame’s army and
very close to the president.
» DOSSIER
One Francois Bangamwabo is
the head of the RNC in Namibia
and Protais Mpiranya the head
in Zimbabwe.
» FACT
The RNC doesn’t have offices
in Namibia or Zimbabwe.
» DOSSIER
Xavier Ngabo is a team
leader of the RNC, first on
Johannesburg’s East Rand and
now in Mozambique.
» FACT
Ngabo lives in Kigali in
Rwanda. He used to live in
South Africa, but has never
been to Mozambique and is a
firm supporter of Kagame. A
South African television crew
filmed him in Kigali in April this
year, where he spoke about his
support for the government.
» DOSSIER
The International Law
Enforcement Agency has trained
at least 85 RNC cadres in
Botswana who are awaiting
deployment in Rwanda.
» FACT
The agency is a US state
department project. The
department has close links with
Kagame and supports his
government. In fact, in June this
year, Rwanda sent policemen to
the agency in Gaborone for
training. – Jacques Pauw
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
Another
delay for
arms deal
commission?
ATHANDIWE SABA
[email protected]
The arms deal commission is
scheduled to resume this week,
but the declassification of more
than a million pages of evidence
has not yet been completed by
the defence department.
Siphiwe Dlamini, the depart­
ment’s spokesperson, would
not confirm whether the proc­
ess had been completed, but
said declassification was not a
simple, one­off event.
“This process could never
take two weeks. But on Monday
(tomorrow) we will put our case
before the commission and say
how far we are,” he said.
He added that the department
did not want to delay the pro­
ceedings any further.
Two weeks ago, the commis­
sion was adjourned in part to
give the department time to
complete the declassification.
According to insiders, the de­
partment had to sort through
1.5 million pages of evidence.
Last week, City Press report­
ed that there were still more
than 4 million pages of arms
deal evidence gathered by the
former Scorpions unit that the
commission had not read.
After publication, the com­
mission announced that it had
appointed a service provider to
scan the documents.
Sources say that because the
declassification has not been
completed, it may obstruct how
defence department witnesses
testify.
The first section of the com­
mission’s hearings concerns the
reasons for buying the weapons.
Sources said there was a real
possibility that defence wit­
nesses might refuse to answer
particular questions that are
based on secret documents.
Dlamini said there were three
things the commission wanted
to know from the department:
the rationale behind buying the
arms, the budget and how the
equipment had been used.
“If anything to that effect is
in unclassified documents,
then we will indicate it. We’ll
discuss the way forward with
the commission chair and he
will decide,” added Dlamini.
The commission’s William
Baloyi said that all these issues
would be discussed tomorrow.
Both refused to be drawn into
whether another postpone­
ment was on the cards.
City Press || 18 August 2013
5
‘‘
News
HOME AT
LAST FOR
PIPPIE
EUGENE BOTHA
[email protected]
A smiling Pippie Kruger looks
up as her mother and I walk
through the door and she calls
out “Mama!”
Hugging her daughter on her
lap, Anice asks her: “Waar is
Papa?” The little girl’s eyes
light up, she smiles, looks
around and says “Papa!”
A normal interaction between
a mother and child, perhaps,
but not for Pippie.
Not long ago, specialists
predicted that she would never
smile, her voice would never be
heard and her hands would
never reach out to a loved one.
“They said she would never
recover and would just be a
vegetable,” says Anice. “But
look at her now”.
Pippie’s exuberant personality
forces one to look past her
scars. She suffered third­degree
burns to 80% of her body after
a container of fire­lighting gel
exploded and enveloped her on
New Year’s Eve in 2011.
Doctors gave her a 10%
chance of survival. She suffered
a series of strokes, during
which she suffered brain
damage and had to be
resuscitated four times in her
first few months in hospital.
But she flatly refused to die.
Pippie became the first South
African recipient of
revolutionary skin graft
technology in which the new
skin was grown from her own
cells. Her slow and painful road
to healing began.
Anice moved from the family
farm in Lephalale, Limpopo to
Johannesburg to be closer to
her daughter. The city has
served as their home for more
than a year.
Her husband, Erwin,
continued farming and Pippie’s
baby brother, Arno, remained
behind with his grandparents.
At the end of next month
Healing takes courage, and we
all have courage, even if we
have to dig a little to find it
– Musician Tori Amos
Doctors said she’d end up a
vegetable, but the five­year­old
fighter is now well enough to
go back to the family farm
‘‘
We really want
to help other
parents who are
going through a
similar ordeal
– ANICE KRUGER
they will finally be going home.
Pippie’s progress has been
nothing short of miraculous.
This week, she was able to
speak, sit upright on her own
and stand up against a table.
She’s also fond of stringing
large beads on a rope.
She has the nose of any cute
five­year­old and clear skin
around the rest of her body is
pushing back scar tissue.
Most remarkably, the skin on
Pippie’s ears is also healing
beautifully.
“Even the holes for studs in
her ears have reappeared,” says
Anice, showing off Pippie’s
brand new ears with their
dangling earrings.
The little girl has also
become something of a
celebrity after the launch of her
biography this week. Last week
she and Anice flew to Cape
Town for the launch and the
little girl has been revelling in
all the attention, unfazed by the
throngs of people.
“Gagga” (gross) is Pippie’s
comment on Cape Town. “It’s
because it was cold and rained,”
laughs Anice.
Now they will be going home
to sunny Lephalale.
Pippie’s family will swap
Thanks to Pippie Kruger’s remarkable recovery, her mother, Anice, and her family are getting their lives back on track || PHOTO: ELIZABETH SEJAKE
houses with her grandparents,
who live on the same farm. The
larger house was adapted for
Pippie’s rehabilitation needs,
with a gym and heated salt
water pool where other burn
victims can come for treatment.
“We really want to help other
parents who are going through
a similar ordeal,” says Anice.
Despite all the good news,
Anice remains realistic about
the challenges that lie ahead.
For the foreseeable future,
they will have to spend a week
each month in Johannesburg for
specialised rehabilitation.
And just as Pippie needs to
heal, so too does the family
that stood beside her.
“Eighteen months away from
everybody does take its toll,”
says Anice. She and Erwin
work on their marriage by
going on date nights now and
again.
Pippie’s brother Arno, who
remained behind with his
grandparents, adores Pippie
and is very protective of her,
says Anice. “He wants to hold
her, he wants to bathe her, he
wants to give her her bottle.”
Pippie mimics what he does.
“He loves to fall off his bike,
shouting ‘val’ (fall). The other
day Pippie fell from the bed
and also said ‘val’,” laughs
Anice.
Anice’s bond with little Arno
is very strong. “It is as if we
have never been apart.”
And Erwin’s bond with Pippie
is just as solid.
“When he is around, she only
has eyes for him. Then I do not
count at all,” says Anice.
Pippie is looking forward to
going home because her dog is
there, and she was given a
small pony to help with her
rehabilitation. But most of all
she is looking forward to
getting down and dirty in the
sandpit, like any other kid her
age. This was unimaginable a
year ago.
“But we will have to play
when it’s dark. Pippie’s not
allowed in the sun,” says Anice.
When I leave, Pippie smiles
and extends her little burnt
hands and arms to me. The red
nail polish on her small fingers
brings a lump to my throat –
not from pity, but from
admiration for one of God’s
very special creatures.
Get up to 2.5% back on your purchases
*
at Clicks from UCount
Rewards
To join SMS UCount and your name to 32001
Standard SMS rates apply. Free and bundled SMSs do not apply.
R
E
W A
R
D
S
*Terms and conditions apply.
Authorised financial services and registered credit provider (NCRCP15). The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (Reg. No. 1962/000738/06). SBSA 145308E 08/13
Moving Forward is a trademark of The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited.
Moving Forward
TM
6
City Press || 18 August 2013
NEWSFLASH
News
Four Kenyan police officers were shot dead in the border county of Garissa when 40
heavily armed men, suspected of belonging to Somali militant group al­Shabaab,
attacked a police post, a senior regional government official said on Saturday – Reuters
Advocates body backs leaner JSC
General Council of the Bar
signals its support for a
private member’s bill
submitted by the DA
CHARL DU PLESSIS
[email protected]
The influential body that
represents South Africa’s
advocates has come out in
support of a constitutional
amendment that would reduce
the power presidential and
political representatives have
in appointing judges.
The General Council of the
Bar, which governs the
advocates’ profession in South
Africa, has signalled its
support for a private member’s
bill submitted by the DA.
The Constitution 19th
Amendment Bill, if passed,
would drop four political
appointments and two
presidential representatives
from the Judicial Service
Commission (JSC).
The bill was tabled in
Parliament by DA MP Dene
Smuts as a private member’s
bill on Tuesday.
In its submission on the bill,
which it tabled this week
before Parliament, the General
Council of the Bar says that
“although the JSC is a
compromise between a
political and a legal­
professional model for the
appointment of judges, at
present the JSC is very large
and its membership is fairly
heavily weighted in favour of
politicians”.
“A smaller body with a finer
balance of interests is
preferable.”
But while the council
supports Smuts in reducing
the size of the commission, it
disagrees with her on changes
and additions to the criteria
used when judges are
appointed. The section of the
Constitution that governs the
requirements for the
appointment of judges and the
way the commission goes
about its business has
frequently been the subject of
controversy.
In its submission on the bill,
the council says it doubts
whether it is necessary or
desirable for the Constitution
itself to elaborate on the
requirement for a “fit and
proper” person.
“The Constitution is an
instrument for the long term.
“A generally stated
requirement allows for its
application to be adapted to
meet changes in circumstances
over time.”
In its submission to
Parliament, the University of
Cape Town’s Democratic
Governance and Rights Unit
agrees it “may not be possible
to enshrine these aspects of a
strong appointments process
in a constitutional amendment”.
“If – without making any
insinuations about past or
present members of the JSC –
those members are not
committed to appointing
competent, independently
minded judges who are
committed to upholding the
Constitution, then such judges
will not be appointed,
regardless of how carefully the
Constitution is amended.”
Smuts’ bill is based on
conclusions drawn in the
National Development Plan,
which recognises perceptions
that the commission is “too
large to function effectively, and
(is perceived) to be hamstrung
by political interests”.
Chief Justice Mogoeng
Mogoeng has previously
defended the commission
against allegations of political
interference in its work, citing
foreign jurisdictions where the
appointment of judges was
“politicians’ work”.
But Dr Karen Brewer, the
secretary general of the
Commonwealth Magistrates’
and Judges’ Association, which
has conducted research on the
topic, earlier this year told the
Commonwealth Law
Conference in Cape Town that
the best model for a judicial
appointment body had “no
members of the executive or
legislature whatsoever”.
» See City Press online for a full copy
of the bill
JSC: Before and after the Constitution 19th Amendment Bill
KEY:
=
Representatives of the
judiciary and legal profession
=
Representatives who potentially owe
allegiance to the president or the ruling party
=
Judge president of
the Supreme Court
of Appeal (SCA)
One judge president
(JP) designated by
the judges president
Free State JP
Frans Kgomo
Lex
Mpati
Two practising advocates nominated
from within the advocates profession
Minister
Jeff Radebe
Two practising attorneys nominated
from within the profession
Judge
president of
the SCA
One teacher of law
designated by
teachers of law
A vacant position
previously occupied
by Izak Smuts
CP Fourie
Six persons designated by the National Assembly (NA)
Deputy
home affairs
minister
Deputy
correctional
services minister
Fatima
Chohan-Kota
(ANC)
Ngoako
Ramatlhodi
(ANC)
Four permanent delegates of the
National Council of Provinces (NCOP)
Peace
Mabe
Matlala
Boroto
Tjheta
Mofokeng
Mninwa
Mahlangu
Compiled by: Charl du Plessis
Ben
Sibanyoni
(ANC)
Busani Mabunda
One judge
president
Two
practising
attorneys
?
McCaps
Motimele
[email protected]
Cabinet minister
responsible for
administration of
justice
Chief
justice
Mogoeng
Mogoeng
SIPHO MASONDO
AFTER
BEFORE
Chief
justice
Opposition party
representatives
Professor
Engela Schlemmer
Two
practising
advocates
at least three must be
members of the opposition
Koos
van der Merwe
(IFP)
Nick
Koornhof
(Cope)
Hendrik
Schmidt
(DA)
One teacher
of law
Justice
minister
Four persons designated by
the president
Advocate Ishmael
Semenya(chairperson
of the General Council
of the Bar)
Advocate
Vas Soni
Advocate
Dumisa
Ntsebeza
Andiswa Ndoni
Four persons designated by the NA,
two from an opposition party
Two persons designated
by the president (only to
be present when appointing ordinary judges)
EduSolutions
‘donated’
R250 000
to Sadtu
Two delegates from the
NCOP, one of whom
must be a member of
an opposition party
RUDI LOUW, Graphics24
The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu)
has admitted receiving “donations” from
corruption­implicated company EduSolutions.
City Press can reveal that in 2010 African
Access Holdings, the parent company of
EduSolutions, donated about R250 000 to
Sadtu in KwaZulu­Natal for the union’s matric­
enrichment programmes in that province.
City Press understands that African Access
and Sadtu signed a memorandum of under­
standing in 2010 in which the parties “agreed
to cooperate” on a number of issues, including
the donation of funds.
Both Sadtu and African Access deny there
was anything untoward in the contract.
Mugwena Maluleke, Sadtu’s national
secretary, and his KwaZulu­Natal counterpart,
Mbuyiseni Mathonsi, said they knew about the
existence of such a memorandum. Maluleke
promised to show a copy to City Press, but had
not done so by the time of going to press.
EduSolutions is at the centre of the contro­
versial R320 million tender to deliver text­
books to Limpopo schools last year. The firm,
which acts as the middle man between the
department of basic education and schools,
is led by former government employees. It has
lucrative contracts to deliver textbooks in Gau­
teng, KwaZulu­Natal and Mpumalanga.
Mathonsi said as part of the union’s matric­
enrichment programmes in KwaZulu­Natal in
2010, about 344 000 documents needed
printing. “We requested African Access and
other partners to assist. African Access was the
major sponsor. They communicated straight
to the service provider for the printing of the
material as part of their corporate social
investment programme.”
Mathonsi said the union was well aware
that EduSolutions was contracted to the
provincial department of education when they
approached African Access.
“We had decided African Access should be
among those whose doors we knocked on.
There was never a secret about that ... and
there is no conflict of interests at all.”
Moosa Ntimba, one of EduSolutions’
directors, said African Access didn’t give the
R250 000 directly to Sadtu.
“We didn’t give them any money. It was
paid to the service provider who printed the
documents they needed.”
He denied that this constituted a conflict
of interest. “We all know procurement is han­
dled by the department of education. I really
don’t see why you have issue with us donating
money for the betterment of matric results.”
Mathonsi added that with the help of
African Access in 2010, KwaZulu­Natal’s matric
results improved dramatically. In 2009 the
pass rate was 61%, but in 2010, the results
improved to 71%.
The union received assistance from African
Access only in 2010, he said.
City Press || 18 August 2013
7
News
DJ Cleo’s ‘busy’
single rejected
Maskandi master Phuzekhemisi is incensed by a Gagasi FM’s decision against air
the track he collaborated on with DJ Cleo || PHOTO: ROBERT TLAPU
NGWAKO MALATJI
and ZINHLE MAPUMULO
[email protected]
[email protected]
Award­winning artists DJ Cleo
and maskandi star Phuzekhemisi
are hopping mad after their hit
song Mbizo Rocker was banned
by KwaZulu­Natal’s Gagasi FM.
The station hit mute on the
smash hit about two weeks ago –
because, according to its
managers, the song is “too busy”.
It’s the first single from
DJ Cleo’s latest album,
Eskhaleni 9, and is a remix of
Phuzekhemisi’s hit, Imbizo.
It’s been on heavy rotation on
other radio stations countrywide,
but Gagasi FM isn’t impressed.
News of the banning was
revealed in a series of email
exchanges between the station’s
music compiler and on­air
presenter Zanda Mthembu;
DJ Cleo (real name Cleopas
Monyepao); and DJ Cleo’s
record label, Universal.
DJ Cleo and Universal wanted
to know why the song wasn’t
being featured on the station’s
playlists.
Mthembu responded on
August 2, saying she was
“currently investigating”.
In an email dated August 5,
she broke the bad news.
“They (presumably the station’s
management) said it’s too busy,”
was her terse response.
DJ Cleo is furious and has
accused the station of sabotaging
him because of jealousy.
“What do they mean the song
is ‘too busy’? I use the same
format used by other artists,”
he said.
“I’m so disappointed because
as artists we strive to produce
the best quality sound our
audience can consume but
these people keep on pulling
us down.
“It’s sad indeed, but I have
come this far despite all the
resistance and jealousy I have
encountered in the past. My
real supporters keep me going
and I’m grateful to all the
compilers and radio stations
that support me,” he said.
Phuzekhemisi said he was
baffled by the decision.
“Alex Mthiyane, who presents
the (station’s) breakfast show,
recently played it with other new
songs and listeners were asked
to vote and it was voted the
best,” the maskandi muso said.
“If it was busy as they are now
saying, listeners would not have
voted for it. Also, what does
‘too busy’ mean?”
Gagasi FM’s programme
manager, Vukile Zondi, defended
the station’s decision not to
include the song on its playlists,
and insisted it was not a ban.
“The song in question was
submitted for playlisting and, as
per procedure, it was reviewed
along with other songs. It
was rejected by our playlist
committee for not being
strong enough,” Zondi said.
“The song was described as
‘too busy’ in a conversation
Artists baffled and riled by Durban radio
station’s decision to pull the plug on their work
between one of our music
department personnel and a
Universal staff member.
“The official reason was that
it was not strong enough. Also,
we don’t ban songs as we have
no power to do so because we
are not a ‘watchdog’ authority.
“I cannot comment on why
other stations are playing the
song as we differ in many ways
including our strategies and
target markets to name a few,”
Zondi said.
“However, this song has only
been submitted once and we
allow resubmissions because
there are many reasons for a
Brought to you by Telkom, the leader in fixed Broadband.
5GB
Internet
Free
data
• Wi-Fi modem
• 3G Dongle
• 500MB Once-off Telkom
Mobile Internet data
• Weekend and evening calls
(Telkom-to-Telkom)
– up to an hour per call*
• Installation for new customers**
A man gets up close with one of the large pots in which traditional beer is brewed
in Swaziland. The brews have kept Swazis hydrated during a commercial beer
shortage || PHOTO: THOMAS GININDZA / AFRICAN EYE NEWS SERVICE
Swaziland’s
beer fears over
It’s been a tough, thirsty couple
of weeks for beer­drinking Swazis.
Swaziland Beverages shut down
its brewery in Matsapha, near the
city of Manzini, two weeks ago
to complete a R60 million face­lift.
This has left beer lovers with no
access to Castle brand beers, which
Swaziland Beverages produces.
The beer blackout saw many
Swazis turning to traditional
home­made beverages.
“When the brewery shut down . . .
Swazis couldn’t stay thirsty. As long
as there is some kind of liquid boil­
ing in a pot they can throw some­
thing in to give it a buzz,” said
Charles Matsebula, a Manzini
school teacher and aspiring
anthropologist.
Traditional brews, which are al­
ways available from urban neigh­
bourhood sellers and at any rural
homestead, became popular again.
Some homesteads fly a scrap of
white cloth high on a pole or stick
outside to show customers they
have supplies.
“Swaziland has one of the world’s
highest birth rates and alcohol is the
lubricant,” said Thab’sile Dube, a
health worker and rural health
motivator.
Includes
• Up to 1Mbps ADSL
• landline rental
Telkom simple
r399
month-to-month
Touch tomorrow
1179592_ENG_39 x 7
[email protected]
But there’s a dark side to
home­made brews. Just last week,
three people died after consuming
such alcoholic concoctions.
They were members of a Chris­
tian Zionist sect who drank a
home­made brew as part of a
religious ceremony.
Traditional beer brewing does not
require a permit, although the sale
of any alcoholic beverage requires a
retail licence. Homes and home­
steads where the beer, known local­
ly as tjwala, is sold are invariably
unlicensed.
This has led to occasional health
crises when brewers seeking more
kick for their brew add nontradi­
tional ingredients.
Amos Ndwandwe, the son of a tra­
ditional brewer in Matsapha, re­
called: “My uncle added some radio
batteries to his brew once and every­
one got sick. No one went blind, but
that happens in other places.”
Luckily, the commercial beer
shortage is over.
Swaziland Beverages’ technical
director Likhetho Mokhatla this
week told parched journalists at a
press conference the revamp was
complete.
“We will begin with Castle Lager
because half the beer sales in Swazi­
land are this brand,” Mokhatla said,
adding that the production of Han­
sa Pilsener and other brands would
follow. – African Eye News Service
The station claims that the track by DJ Cleo is ‘too busy’, but is it also too
political? || PHOTO: THUSOETSILE SEBOTHO
A home that’s a
Wi-Fi hotspot.
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
THOMAS GININDZA
song being rejected on a given
week and approved in another.”
Universal’s finance director,
Tony da Silva, was hopeful that
Imbizo still had a chance to
feature on Gagasi FM.
» Hear the “too busy” Mbizo
Rocker track for yourself at
www.citypress.co.za/entertainment
call 10213
click telkom.co.za
Visit a Telkom Store
*Normal per-second tariffs will apply for periods exceeding one hour.
**Subject to infrastructure and customer availability. New customers only.
Standard Telkom Terms and Conditions apply. Prices are VAT inclusive. Prices and information correct at time of going to print. While stocks last. Telkom Calling Plans Terms and Conditions and Telkom Internet
Terms and Conditions apply. Visit telkom.co.za for full terms and conditions that apply. E&OE.
P/M
8
City Press || 18 August 2013
News
– Former US president Ronald Reagan
THE GOOD
A clean, darling little town
B
ordered by the Atlantic
coast on the west and the
Cederberg mountain range
to the east, the 12 towns
and villages in the
Swartland municipality are surrounded
by vineyards, wheat fields and olive
groves cultivated on rolling hills.
Dry and hot in summer, the
landscape changes drastically between
seasons and by August the roads are
bordered with arum lilies. In
September, wild flowers coat the
fields in patchworks of orange, white,
yellow and blue.
It’s close enough to Cape Town so
many residents travel daily to work
there, but the towns of the Swartland
municipality – which received a clean
bill of health this week from the
Auditor­General – remain rural and
rustic.
In Darling, in the heart of the
municipal area, children walk to their
friends’ houses. On summer
weekends, the smell of braai wafts
down the streets, replaced in winter
by the aromatic smell of wood
burning in the hearths.
On Sunday mornings, burly farmers
and their families attend the NG Kerk.
The smaller English­speaking
population chat in groups as they
stroll home from the Presbyterian
Church, which holds a much less
prominent space in the town, while
in the township, hymns are belted
out by evangelical gospel choirs.
Life in the old “whites­only” side of
town, west of the railway line that
separates it from the township, is one
‘‘
THE BAD
The best minds are not in
government. If any were,
business would steal them away
The consolidated general report on the local
government audit outcomes is a weighty tome
that makes for almost entirely depressing
reading. Outgoing Auditor­General Terence
Nombembe released the report this week –
and reminded South Africans of the mess the
nation’s municipalities are in. City Press
visited one of the nation’s best performers,
Darling, and one of its worst, Mthatha. What
emerged was a real tale of two cities
I
Municipal audits at a glance
Top performers
1 Steve Tshwete Local Municipality (Mpumalanga)
three successive clean audits
2 Waterberg District Municipality (Limpopo)
two successive clean audits
3 Umtshezi Local Municipality (KwaZulu-Natal)
clean audit
4 West Coast District Municipality (Western Cape)
clean audit
5 Swartland Local Municipality (Western Cape)
clean audit
The bottom of the barrel
A view from the top of Darling, one of the 12 towns and villages in the
Swartland municipality || PHOTO: WEST CAPE NEWS
of small­town comfort. East of the
railway line, where more than two­
thirds of the town’s 10 000 residents
live, poverty, unemployment and
domestic violence make life less idyllic.
But it is still much safer than Cape
Town’s urban townships and is home
to a number of artisans who have
moved there to escape the violence
of places like Manenberg.
Sophia Mkwambi, who works in the
kitchen of a health food restaurant
in Darling and has lived on the east
side for 18 years, says: “There is
crime, but it’s not very high. Everyone
knows everyone, problems are shared,
neighbours help each other.”
Mkwambi, who lives in a newly
built state­subsidised house with her
husband and three children, believes
the town is well run. “We used to
complain about the lack of tarred
roads and potholes, but they’ve been
improving the roads.”
There is also no informal
settlement in Darling.
In the old part of the township,
Mkwambi explains, shacks sometimes
pop up in the back yard of new
state­subsidised houses, but as soon
as they do and a neighbour
complains, an inspector comes around
and the shack is demolished.
The streets of the township are
“always clean”, she says. Residents
are employed as cleaners on three­
month contracts as a way of
spreading jobs around among families.
Mkwambi even approves of the
municipality’s tough stance on rates.
If you don’t pay by the due date,
your power is immediately cut off.
There are subsidies available for
indigent households.
Mkwambi knows of households
earning less than R1 100 a month
that get water for free and can buy
electricity units at a subsidised rate.
“I really enjoy Darling. I won’t
move,” she says. – Steve Kretzmann
1 Moqhaka Local Municipality (Free State)
four successive disclaimers
2 Sekhukhune District Municipality (Limpopo)
four successive disclaimers
3 Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (Mpumalanga)
four successive disclaimers
4 !Kheis Local Municipality (Northern Cape)
four successive disclaimers
5 Mahikeng Local Municipality (North West)
four successive disclaimers
Climbers
1 Mogale City Local Municipality (Gauteng)
qualified to unqualified
2 Amajuba District Municipality (KwaZulu-Natal)
qualified to unqualified
3 Tlokwe Local Municipality (North West)
qualified to unqualified
4 George Local Municipality (Western Cape)
unqualified to clean
5 Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (Limpopo)
disclaimer to qualified
Falling fast
1 //Khara Hais Local Municipality (Northern Cape)
unqualified to disclaimer
2 Thabazimbi Local Municipality (Limpopo)
unqualified to disclaimer
3 Abaqulusi Local Municipality (KwaZulu-Natal)
al)
unqualified to disclaimer
4 uPhongolo Local Municipality (KwaZulu-Natal)
unqualified to disclaimer
5 Mantsopa Local Municipality (Free State)
qualified to disclaimer
Source: Office of the Auditor-General
The tarnished jewel in the crown
Graphics24
n the days after the King Sabata
Dalindyebo municipality received a
disclaimer of opinion from the
Auditor­General, it was business as
usual in the streets of Mthatha.
Which is to say the rubbish went
uncollected, robots weren’t working,
large sections of the town were without
power from Thursday afternoon until
Saturday and the number of streets
riddled with potholes far outweighed
those that were pothole­free.
Mthatha, the former capital of the
Transkei homeland, is the seat of the
municipality that received its second
disclaimer in as many years.
The poor audit result came as no
surprise to Mthatha’s residents.
Mcebisi Mqikela is scathing:
“Nothing works in this town. There are
constant electric outages and water
pipes burst every day. It’s unsavoury to
live in this town – so unfortunate
because it has so much potential.”
Nelson Mavuma (65) has lived in
Mthatha since 1981 and the changes
he’s seen over the years have been for
the worse, he says. “The people of this
town have been reduced to squatters.
If you have a property in Mthatha
there is no difference between you and
a person in a squatter camp. It’s all a
mess,” says the father of five.
The town’s decaying infrastructure
simply can’t support Mthatha’s ever­
growing population. The crown jewel
of the hated homeland system has lost
its shine. “In all the years I have lived
in this town, at the moment it is at its
worst state ever and there is no hope
in sight,” adds Mavuma.
Residents say Mthatha is dirty, crowded, poorly serviced and badly
managed. The Auditor­General agrees || PHOTO: FELIX DLANGAMANDLA
“We pay rates, but are getting
nothing in return. It’s daylight robbery.
It makes me very angry.”
Graham Alexander, the chairman of
the Mthatha Ratepayers’ Association,
agrees with this assessment. “It’s very
difficult to get rate statements. We
don’t know what is happening to the
budget and politics interferes with the
day­to­day running of the municipality.”
On the streets are filth and dissent.
In council chambers it’s chaos.
On Thursday, a special council
meeting was called in a bid to remove
speaker Funeke Dondashe. It was
adjourned without a decision because
it was declared unconstitutional.
Chief financial officer Nomthandazo
Ntshanga is embroiled in a battle with
opposition parties that want a court to
rule she doesn’t meet the minimum
requirements to hold her position.
Money is a big worry for the
municipality. The audit team found it
racked up R179.8 million in
unauthorised expenditure and
R119.4 million in irregular expenditure.
Mayor Nonkoliso Ngqongwa referred
questions to municipal spokesperson
Sonwabo Mampoza. “All I can say is
the municipality is working on a plan,”
said Ngqongwa.
Mampoza said: “We are working on
an improvement programme. We want
to do better than in previous audit
outcomes, where we got a disclaimer,
and bring services to our people.”
King Sabata Dalindyebo is not the
only municipality in the Eastern Cape
to earn an appalling audit this week.
The province’s local government and
traditional affairs MEC, Mlibo
Qoboshiyane, instructed his
superintendent­general, Stanley
Khanyile, to call an extraordinary
meeting with all Eastern Cape mayors,
municipal managers, financial officers
and supply chain managers who
received adverse findings from the
Auditor­General. – Lubabalo Ngcukana
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
ADVETORIAL
SAMA – BONITAS HOUSE CALL
Water outage could
close Rhodes
Rhodes vice­chancellor Dr Saleem Badat with his back to a towel­clad Kelsey­Rae Lawrence || PHOTO: CHARLES MACKENZIE
South African medical doctors are among the best in the world.
They have been pioneers in the medical fraternity for years.
Through astute leadership, ground-breaking innovation and sheer professionalism,
they have surely lived-up to their pledge to care for others.
Leading the way in acknowledging and celebrating their excellence is Bonitas Medical Fund,
Letting our doctors know that:
We admire them, We believe in them, We commend them, We respect them and We Thank them!
“Seriously?! This is supposed
to be fixed!”
It’s been two days since
Abigail Butcher marched to the
Grahamstown municipal offic­
es as part of Rhodes Universi­
ty’s protest about continued
campus water outages. It’s been
a day since the water supply was
restored to Butcher’s residence,
Livingstone House. It’s been
12 hours since it went off again.
Butcher stands in the shower,
soap and shampoo in her hand,
yelling at the dry shower head.
She used it yesterday for the
first time in 10 days.
“It’s like living up Kilimanjaro
here,” she fumes.
Staff and students at Rhodes
University took to Graham­
stown’s streets on Wednesday
to protest the latest, nine­day
water outage that left 46 resi­
dences and other parts of the
campus high and dry. The city’s
Joza township has been without
water for far longer – three
weeks and counting.
The problem started after at­
tempts to repair a broken pump
failed. On Wednesday, Yoliswa
Ramokolo , the municipality’s
spokesperson, said a problem
with the pump’s motor had been
fixed.
Now there was a problem with
the device which turned the
pump on and off, depending on
the water level in the tank, Ram­
okolo said.
“Maybe by the end of the
week the system will be work­
ing. At the moment, water
trucks are taking water to all the
affected areas.”
In an open letter to the Maka­
na Municipality handed over on
Wednesday,
Rhodes
Vice­
Chancellor Dr Saleem Badat la­
mented its “utter failure . . . to
deal effectively and efficiently
with the crisis”. He also warned
that Rhodes was on the brink of
shutting down due to growing
health concerns.
Badat, flanked by about 200
angry staff and students – one
of them wrapped in a towel and
with another towel around her
head – handed the letter to Gra­
hamstown Mayor Zamuxolo
Peter.
On Thursday, water was brief­
ly available – but it ran out rapid­
ly. By late yesterday, the hilltop
residences at Rhodes were still
without water, and Joza re­
mained dry. The municipality
could not be reached for com­
ment.
Since the water outage,
Butcher has had to beg showers
from her friends. “I make my
BBM status ‘Who’s got water?’
and the first person to answer
gets me,” she says. – Stuart Thembi­
sile Lewis
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Ruffalo a vocal critic of fracking
Follow Mark Ruffalo on Twitter and
it’s clear the Oscar­nominated actor
cares about more than just his latest
role on the big screen.
His feed is peppered with news
stories about soldier­turned­whistle­
blower Bradley Manning and
statements of
support for actors’
unions in nations
like Turkey.
But the issue
concerning
Ruffalo –
Congratulations to all our winners!!!!!!!
whose latest film Now You See Me
opened in South Africa last weekend
– the most is fracking.
Last year, Water Defence, a
nongovernmental organisation that
Ruffalo co­founded, joined forces with
Treasure Karoo Action Group in South
Africa. The actor holds a nonexecutive
director’s seat on their board to help
raise funds and awareness.
Ruffalo has described fracking as
“the dirtiest, slimiest, most arrogant
and negligent act you can imagine”.
Before the release of his latest film,
he spoke about his stance on fracking
and how he has seen households in
areas where it occurs suffer with
contaminated water.
“It happens where I live (in upstate
Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo
|| PHOTO: WWW.DIGITALFUSION.NET
New York), so it’s my community too,”
he said. “That’s where I want to raise
my kids. We’ve made these
connections in South Africa and
worldwide, and I think we have the
biggest environmental movement
we’ve seen in the world in the past
30 years.”
Blockbuster fans may think Ruffalo
shot to fame overnight by bulking up
to play the Incredible Hulk in the
third­highest grossing film of all
time, The Avengers, but he’s been
hard at work for years.
The pinnacle of his career before
The Avengers was his Oscar­nominated
turn in the 2010 indie gem The Kids
Are All Right.
The film also earned him awards
from the British Academy of Film and
Television Arts, the Screen Actors’
Guild as well as an Independent
Spirit award. – Nadia Neophytou
City Press || 18 August 2013
9
‘‘
SA airport queen
We fly, but we have not ‘conquered’ the air.
Nature presides in all her dignity, permitting
us the study and the use of such of her forces
as we may understand – Adventurer and author Beryl Markham
News
Google’s top queries about women
spreads her wings
Google celebrates Women’s Month with SA’s Top-searched Women
“This year South Africa is second worldwide
searching for ‘women’s day’, outranked by India,”
says Google’s spokesperson for sub-Saharan
Africa, Julie Taylor.
“Last year we took first place, with some South
Africans searching for quotes to celebrate the
occasion.”
The researchers used Google Trends, a “publicly
available tool that displays relative search volume
across geographies, time periods and queries”,
says Taylor.
It is not clear who was doing the searching, as the
data is “anonymised”, Taylor explains – so
researchers could not determine whether mostly
men, mostly women or a combination of the two
are searching for powerful women and issues
that affect women.
These were the most frequently searched
women in SA between August 2012 and
the first half of August 2013:
2
3
Black Female Celebrities
1
Khanyi Mbau
1
2 Bonang Matheba
3 Lira
4 Sophie Ndaba
5 Dineo Ranaka
6 Nonhle Thema
7 Kuli Roberts
8 Unathi Msengana
9 Khanyi Dhlomo
10 Thandiswa Mazwai
Leading Female Politicians
1
Mamphela Ramphele
2
After King Shaka triumph, it’s off to tackle Brazil’s World Cup project
PADDY HARPER
Bongiwe Pityi
is directing
key work on
Brazil’s
biggest
airport as the
South
American
country
prepares to
host the
soccer World
Cup next
year
[email protected]
Moving an international airport
60km to a new home on the eve of
the world’s biggest soccer tourna­
ment should provide enough
adrenaline to last a lifetime.
But Bongiwe Pityi, who is the
deputy director of airport opera­
tions for Airports Company SA
(Acsa), is ready for another adven­
ture: she is taking her World Cup
experience to 2014 hosts Brazil.
Pityi is guiding Brazil’s biggest
airport, Guarulhos International
Airport near São Paulo, through a
massive upgrade and extension
ahead of next year’s June 12 kickoff.
When Pityi and her team moved
Durban International to its new
home at King Shaka, they made
South African aviation history.
It was down to the wire. After ardu­
ous preparation, the move happened
in eight hours and Acsa’s team was
ready for the first flight at King Sha­
ka, four minutes ahead of schedule.
Their work won Pityi an award last
month in the State­Owned Enter­
prises category of the prestigious
CEO Magazine’s awards for South
Africa’s Most Influential Women in
Business and Government.
Now her focus is firmly on replicat­
ing her success in Brazil.
Acsa is a third partner in Guarul­
hos International Airport, which
holds a 20­year concession contract
with Brazil’s federal government to
run the Guarulhos airport, and up­
grade its passenger and cargo
terminals.
Pityi’s job is to run this process
while keeping the existing airport
running – a major juggling act of
people, aircraft and facilities.
“An airport is a complex structure
involving various organisations,
processes, facilities, systems and
equipment,” she says.
“When additional facilities are be­
ing built at an airport, we undertake
this work in a live environment while
processing the same number of air
traffic movements and large vol­
umes of people passing through
hourly.”
Last month’s award gave her a
chance to visit home.
Back in São Paulo last week, she
reflected on the particular challeng­
es of her Brazilian assignment.
“Prior to my relocation to Brazil,
I had not been exposed to Brazilian
Portuguese,” she says.
“I am taking lessons, but given the
fast pace of the project, I continue
to rely on a translator.”
Not many people in São Paulo
speak English, she explains, but “the
people are extremely friendly and
gravitate easily towards foreigners.
This makes up for strained commu­
nications.”
Pityi is a serious team player, with
a reputation for being able to moti­
vate people around projects and
ideas.
She’s also not scared to get
her hands dirty and spent almost the
entire two years of the King Shaka
project working from a builder’s hut
wearing boots, overalls and a con­
struction helmet.
“Everything we achieved at King
Shaka was a team effort. I am merely
the face of the team. This task is the
same: a team effort of which I am a
member.”
Shehasnoillusionsaboutthetough
months ahead of the World Cup.
“I love football. In 2010, I watched
only one match at a stadium as I had
to be at work most of the time. The
same is likely to happen here in Bra­
zil. I will be very lucky if I get the time
off to watch a few live games.”
3
DRAFTFCB/10009821/E
Health, education, employment, harassment and
motherhood. That’s what tops the list of what SA
wants to know about women on Google,
according to the search engine’s researchers.
1
2 Helen Zille
3 Lindiwe Mazibuko
4 Dina Pule
Get double the data on
SA’s widest 3G network
5 Angie Motshekga
6 Naledi Pandor
7 Patricia de Lille
8 Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
9 Lindiwe Zulu
10 Lulu Xingwana
Golden Girls of Sport
1
1
Caster Semenya
Get this iPad mini deal and connect, share, and download even more
with your additional data.
2
2 Sunette Viljoen
3 Penny Heyns
3
iPad mini Wi-Fi Cellular
16GB
R279
RUDI LOUW, Graphics24
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Randy in Zurich?
Head to the drive­in
The Swiss government has
opened a sex drive­in in
Zurich.
Prostitution is legal in
Switzerland and this raunchy
initiative is a bid to monitor
the sex trade in the country’s
capital.
News agency AFP reported
this week that the drive­in,
which will be officially
unveiled during a ceremony
on August 26, will consist of
nine partially enclosed
booths.
Zurich first revealed its
intention to open the “sex
boxes” in November after
residents approved the plan
in a referendum vote, AFP
reported.
It described the setup as
being similar to a car wash.
Drivers must first pass a
checkpoint, where they will
negotiate a rate, before
driving to one of the nine
booths.
Each sex drive­in is
equipped with an alarm so
workers can immediately
notify the authorities in case
of emergency, and security
guards and social workers
will also be on site.
The booths will be open
daily from 7pm to 5am.
Women working at the
drive­in will be required to
pay for a permit and medical
insurance, along with a
nightly tax fee of five Swiss
francs (R54).
“The big difference is that
until now prostitution has
been in the public space,”
Michael Herzig of Zurich’s
social welfare department
told Swiss Radio last year,
according to The Telegraph.
“Now we are going to
change this.
“We will move it from the
street to a private space in an
old industrial area that
belongs to the city.
“This gives us the
possibility to define the rules
of prostitution in the area.” –
Staff reporter
PMX24
On Standard MyGig 1
12am to 5am
vodacom.co.za
R202
Once-off SIM
& connection
Offer valid until 8 September 2013
Standard terms and conditions apply. Data tariffs are subject to signing a 24-month Vodacom Contract unless otherwise stated. Please visit vodacom.co.za for full terms and
conditions. Night Owl promotion excludes Top Up customers. Please refer to vodacom.co.za for full promotion terms and conditions, as well as the in-bundle and out-of-bundle
data rates. All pricing includes VAT. Data transfer speed is not guaranteed and is dependent on network availability and device capability.
10010107JB/E
MY DAUGHTER
BECAME A PROFESSIONAL
MUSICIAN AT
- IF ONLY FOR A DAY
9
“My daughter has always been passionate about music. I remember her using the furniture in
our house as her drums until we bought her a real set. Old Mutual took her to the Johannesburg
Philharmonic Orchestra, where she got to play with them and experience her dream, 15 years
before it comes true. I’m glad we started saving for her education early.”
We all have dreams. The only way of making them real is by planning for them. Contact your Old Mutual
Financial Adviser or your broker, or call 0860 60 60 60 for advice on an education plan for your child.
Let us join you through every stage of your life journey, from today.
Magauta Mokoena – Old Mutual Customer
Old Mutual is a Licensed Financial Services Provider.