By: Ramosidi Matekane

The political history of the Free State remains scattered and housed in various institutions which do not enjoy any formal relationship with the ANC, and this makes it

difficult for the ruling party to preserving its rich political activism.

Speaking at the launch of the ANC Oliver Reginald (O.R.) Tambo Political School of Leadership over the weekend at the Monate Nate Lodge in the Free State, the principal, Dr David Masondo, said such a situation was not desirable.

The ANC was birthed in the Free State.Masondo told over 70 trainers gathered

for launch of the school that the greatest threat posed by not properly coordinating the political heritage of the ANC is that it will be lost or distorted.

He said efforts to promote the progressive agenda of the ANC could be throttled by those opposed to transformation of the lives of the formerly disenfranchised masses across the country.

“It is on the basis of this reality that we must establish a provincial archive and/or library for storage and preservation of our collective political history for the current and future generations,” Masondo indicated.

He noted the material which will be stored in the archive would only be used for reference and research and cannot be borrowed out to ensure it does not get lost.

The principal said the task of the school’s sub-committee is to identify activists and people who took part in the various political and historic moments in the Free State, with a view to visit them and record their versions orally. The committee is headed by ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) member Mamiki Qabathe

Masondo said the committee would work with identified credible institutions in the country to document this narrated history for a deeper understanding of the various roles played by different stakeholders in the Free State.

Quarterly, there will also be regional political education training for the ANC, the party’s youth and women’s leagues, as well as its regional executive committees.

“Political education and training remains

Free State Province

YOUR RELIABLE SOURCE OF NEWS

FREE STATEFree - Gratis - Mahala www.theweekly.co.za

Free State Province

Copy No: 586

www.theweekly.co.za

Free - Gratis - Mahala

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT: (051) 446 4720 Email: beryl@theweekly.co.za

11 - 17 October 2019

Collect and preserve party history, says Masondo

MANANA SPEAKS OUT AGAINST WOMEN ABUSE

PAGE - 2

Qabathe to head sub-committee on political education

NEED TO DEVELOP AGRICULTURE RESEARCH CAPACITY

PAGE - 5

Let’s preserve history . . . Dr David Masondoa key and strategic component for any revolutionary movement, without which it will face grave political and organisational challenges to its detriment,” added Masondo.

“In order to avoid negative political repercussions, there will be quarterly regional political education training targeting the regional leadership of the ANC, its leagues as well as alliance partners.”

The ANC is of the view that this will safeguard it against possible political oxidation in its structures while promoting political steadfastness in adherence to the core

values of the party.The movement has noted that political

education subcommittees and trainers in the province remain a strategic platform through which political education and training work of the ANC must find expression.

The party urged the trainers to always improve and sharpen their collective understanding of its politics. To ensure this happens, there will be bi-annual workshops intended to harmonise the provincial approach towards political education.

The workshops will also serve as a platform for sharing best practices and assessment of

collective progress for the Free State.The co-ordinator of the OR Tambo Political

School of Leadership in the Free State, Sello Pietersen, told The Weekly in a post launch briefing that there would also be mass-based town political education trainings, inductions, and workshops.

He said the 54th National conference of the ANC in Nasrec, Johannesburg acknowledged the need to engage in a massification programme of political education across all the branches.

“Additionally, it also directed that audit processes will include evaluation of the actual

work undertaken by the branches, particularly in relation to the developed and adopted programmes of action by the various branches,” he noted.

The programme will focus on two main aspects; members and branch induction.

Pietersen added ‘The know your branch programme’, is also on the cards and is intended at ensuring that each branch of the ANC in the Free State compiles its brief history, with particular focus “on the history behind the name of the branch as well as the political activism emanating from it”.

I’M GOING NOWHERE, SAYS MAIMANE

PAGE - 9

ANC POLITICAL SCHOOL LAUNCHED IN FS

News2 The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019

8 Genius LocciCP Hoogenhout and Maretha Maartens StreetLangenhoven ParkBloemfontein9300

T: (051) 446 4720 - F: (051) 446 4723 Email: newsroom@theweekly.co.za

If you have a story that you would like us to inve stigate or report send us an e-mail with your contact details and phone number to: newsroom@theweekly.co.za

The Weekly

Code of Conduct

This newspaper has committed itself to reporting news which are truthful and accurate and publish comments which are fair, with the highest standard of journalism as provided in the press code of South Africa. Should you have any complaints with our newspaper, please report it to our Editor at newsroom@theweekly.co.za. The Weekly is published by Letlaka Media

All correspondence must include the name, address and phone number. The Editor reserves the right to accept or reject letters.

By: Neo Ntsele

Former higher education and training deputy minister Mduduzi Manana who resigned from his position two years ago following allegations of women abuse has turned a new leaf.

The ANC National Executive Committee member yesterday spoke strongly against women abuse, urging men to stop this social ill.

Manana was speaking at Motheo TVET College Hillside View in Bloemfontein where his Mduduzi Manana Foundation (MMF) donated motor vehicle components to artisan students.

With violence against women and children spiralling out of control in the country, Manana urged men to make a pledge and stand up against femicide.

“As you may recall how I stepped down from my position, I wish that no other man commit the mistake that I committed two years ago. I say today, as men we must commit to protect our women and children and never rape, kill or lay hands on them because we were born of women, raised and groomed by women. We must love and forever cherish our women,” he said.

“We have seen the recent killings of women and children in the country and we don’t want these kind of behaviour to continue, so we as men we must learn to co-exist with women with

respect and love. We must protect them.” Manana was making his fourth visit to the

college as part of an ongoing relationship aimed at addressing the shortage of technical skills in the country.

The former deputy minister said it was his wish to contribute towards changing how TVET colleges are perceived so that more youth enrol with them instead of making universities their first priority.

“We believe in vocational educational training (practical teaching), and as a foundation we are simply here to renew the call made by our government to lend a helping hand by calling on everyone to play a role in developing our education,” he noted.

“The foundation has come to give opportunities to students so that they no longer blame apartheid and poverty but instead, grab this opportunity with both hands and make something out of themselves,” he added.

Manana also called on business people to come in and support TVET colleges so that they can produce more artisan students, because their skills will be the back bone of growing the country’s economy.

Motheo TVET principal, Professor Dipiloane Phutsisi thanked Manana’s foundation for their generous donation and said she hopes their

SAA Technical does not use fake parts on aircraft it services, the airline’s board of directors said yesterday.

The board issued a statement in response to a Sunday Times report on a Mango flight’s emergency landing at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg in September.

A preliminary “serious incident report” by the Civil Aviation Authority highlighted a defective replacement motor with a service history that “could not be determined with certainty”.

In a statement issued by SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali, the board said: “We wish to assure customers that all components and parts are procured from approved suppliers and all supporting documentation complies with CAA requirements on components.”

The board also denied claims by SAA’s legal, risk and compliance executive, Vusi Pikoli, that the airline had been infiltrated by an international crime syndicate that had looted hundreds of millions of rands through questionable tenders, including the supply of possibly suspect parts.

“It is untrue that there is a known international crime syndicate that has infiltrated SAA or SAA Technical that is responsible for tender manipulation and/or corruption at SAA or SAAT,” the statement read.

Pikoli told the Sunday Times the Hawks and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had revived organised crime and serious corruption investigations at the airline. These stemmed from nine audit reports that were previously suppressed, he said.

A “massive” investigation involving international law enforcement and aviation regulatory authorities was under way into a sophisticated syndicate “which includes senior SAA procurement executives”, Pikoli said.

Hawks and SAA sources said those under investigation included US and French aviation supply and maintenance companies, including their staff in SA.

The SAA statement did not explain why the CAA’s preliminary investigation of the Mango incident on September 2 had struggled to determine the history of the motor that failed.

“The component ... was legitimately procured from the original equipment manufacturer [OEM] of Boeing 737-800 aircraft,” its statement read.

“SAA Technical received the part from the manufacturer on August 5 2019. It was fitted on Mango’s aircraft on August 7 2019 and failed after 96 flights and 125 hours of operation.

“We are awaiting feedback from the OEM, to whom the failed component has been returned to establish the cause of the component failure. Mango and SAA Technical are providing the required assistance to the CAA in progressing their investigation.”

The board said none of the independent oversight audits Mango had performed over SAA Technical had produced any concern over traceability of parts.

-Timeslive

We don’t use fake parts: SAA

By: Ramosidi Matekane

Police, roads and transport MEC Sam Mashinini has urged government departments to be worth the promises they make to the people, saying anything less would not be tolerated.

He was speaking in Senekal, Matwabeng over the weekend during the official opening of a new multimillion traffic control centre, expected to create jobs and ignite the economy of the town.

“We must be a government that has integrity

and that means we must stay true to our word. A promise to our people is a commitment that must be fulfilled,” noted Mashinini.

The MEC said the department of police, roads and transport must work around tirelessly in order to deliver state of the art facilities in the province.

“We are going to work around the clock to ensure that we build world-class infrastructure in the province and these include clinics, schools, hospitals, community centres, police stations and many more.”

Mashinini also undertook to speedily complete refurbishment work on 14 roads across the Free State.

He cited the construction of the traffic control centre, which is housed on the N5 going through to Senekal, saying such initiatives are good instruments in advancing the fight against the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment amongst communities.

Young people from the area formed the bulk of those employed during the construction phase of the project.

We must stay true to our word: Mashinini

relationship continues to grow and prosper. “I’d like to pass my gratitude to MMF for

selecting our college among those that are expected to produce good leaders to take our

country to greatness. May our relationship with the foundation grow and prosper into something big. We will forever cherish this moment,” added Phutsisi.

The MEC indicated the Senekal to Venter would be completed this financial year, and once construction work begins more locals would be engaged.

Premier Sisi Ntombela who also attended the event called on Free Staters to be at the centre of developmental programmes in their areas.

Ntombela said local contractors must be central figures in road projects because the province has capable people who have extensive knowledge and expertise in the construction industry and these must be put first.

“Our communities must the primary beneficiaries of development in our province,” she noted.

Turning new leaf . . . Mduduzi Manana

Manana speaks out against women, child abuse

By: Ramosidi Matekane

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) in the Free State has come out strongly in defence of its new method of grant payments to beneficiaries.

This is after a study commissioned by advocacy group Black Sash lambasted the new system as an inconvenience to recipients and focusing on those in living in rural areas.

In response, Sassa says Black Sash seem to have interviewed only dissatisfied beneficiaries in its study and ignored the whole lot who benefit from the new payment system.

At the core of study is concern over the scrapping of over 80 percent of the cash pay-points which used to be functional when the grants were still being paid by Cash Paymaster.

The relationship between the agency and the company came to an end in 2017.

Grants are now being paid out by the SA Post Office (SAPO) and Sassa Free State said it is proud that since this started the agency has managed to save over a billion rand for the fiscus.

Sassa Free State communication officer Sandy Godlwana indicated while the Black Sash study point to lack of recourse for beneficiaries who experience challenges receiving their grants, the truth is that it takes only less than 14 days for the agency to resolve any grant related queries.

“The study interviewed only inconvenienced beneficiaries as if there is not a single beneficiary whom the current system of multiple payment channels works for, and this is questionable,” noted Godlwana.

She explained the new relationship entered

into with the SAPO sought to bring control of social grant payments under government. The new model provides beneficiaries the option to receive their grants directly into their own personal bank accounts, or through the Sassa card.

Godlwana said while the old system used to pay grants by Cash Pay Master proved convenient to beneficiaries since they got their money from designated points, this also gave rise to unintended consequences such as unauthorised deductions.

She added in revising its payment model, Sassa took into account issues raised by beneficiaries and interest groups, including Black Sash.

“It is unfortunate however that the Black Sash study was done without an input from

Sassa, which could have clarified some of the misconceptions contained in it.”

The communications officer said the study does not distinguish between beneficiaries using the Grindrod green card to collect their grants from those using the new Sassa card and the green card.

“Instead, a wrong assumption is made that all beneficiaries interviewed use the Sassa card,” she explained.

The study, she added, further incorrectly states beneficiaries need affidavits signed at police stations to receive recourse, saying this is not true since these are filled at Sassa offices with the assistance of its officials.

To improve grant payment services at Post Offices, Sassa and SAPO established a steering committee to improve infrastructure, sitting for the elderly, as well as fast and efficient service.

The new Sassa card can be used to pay for almost anything except for debit or stop orders off the account, Godlwana pointed out.

“This provides greater flexibility and convenience for social grant beneficiaries, while at the same time providing protection from unscrupulous financial service providers,” she added.

To show appreciation for the new payment method, indicated Godlwana, almost 700  000 beneficiaries have since migrated to it since its inception while only 200  000 still wait for payments at cash pay-points.

In its study conducted in partnership with the University of the Western Cape, Black Sash claimed the decommissioning of Sassa’s pay point system has had a negative impact on social grant recipients.

The study found that the cost of accessing grants has increased for all beneficiaries and this could be attributed to several factors, including transaction fees, transportation costs especially in rural areas, long queues, an unreliable system that is often offline, and an inadequate supply of cash to pay grants.

Moreover, it discovered that rural beneficiaries appear worse affected by the decommissioning process, as there is not always access to SAPO branch, a retailer, or ATMs in their vicinity.

Happy with progress. . . Sassa Free State communication officer Sandy Godlwana, with then minister social development minister Bathabile Dhlamini

Sassa defends new payment systemFiscus saved about R1 billion, says agency

News 311 - 17 October 2019 The Weekly - Free State Province

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

The Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA) has pledged support for veteran actress Vathiswa Ndara.

This follows her open letter to the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, to intervene in cases where actors are not getting paid what’s due to them.

CCIFSA national secretary general Ayanda Roda said Ndara’s letter was a stark reminder of what befell the Generations 16 artists.

“This along many other sagas proves that our performers are on their own without the protection of law and industry regulations,” he said.

Roda said the context of the letter poses a challenge to CCIFSA, whose vision is to transform the cultural and creative industries, ascertain economic benefits accrue to practitioners and have a good working relationship with the government.

In addition, the organisation also seeks to exposes the historical anomalies of the industries which the democratic government inherited post-1994.

Roda noted issues of actors being underpaid was a serious problem that has long been on the cards. Former president of CCIFSA and Bloemfontein born actor, Tony Kgoroge was the first to speak out on the matter before he was shown the door by MNET at the time.

“It is time that artists in this country stand up for their rights, the attitude of I am fine with what I’m getting must come to an end. It is time artists start thinking about the industry and not individuals,” he urged.

While some people are divided over the letter, which accuses the Fergusons of exploitation, actor Anga Makubala, also known as Naaqmusiq,

has added his voice and broke it down.Citing Ndara’s case, he explained that as an

actor one gets paid R80 000 once for five weeks, and then after they have to find another job.

The star, who currently acts on SABC3’s flagship soapie, Isidingo wrote: “The 80k is once off! After the five weeks, you have to go find another job as an actor. That 80k will run out while the producers are making millions off the artists’ talent. Why is everyone thinking it’s 80k a month? Did no one read the letter?”

Actress Kgomotso Christopher wrote,

“Good morning to everyone...except those of you trying to justify the continued exploitation of artists and crew, and those in power refusing to sign the #PPAB...it’s Tuesday and still #IstandWithVatiswa.”

Another veteran actress, Florence Masebse also weighed in and wrote: “Victimisation is rife. Those who dare speak their truth in the arts are often ostracised. There are many who want to scream out their version of the prevalent exploitation. Scary, unbelievable stories. They are afraid. Understandably so. #IstandWithVatiswa.”

Maletsatsi attempts to get confirmation of a worrying rumour.    Boniswa has a shocking reason for not wanting a colleague in Johannesburg. Dintle is pained to have come full circle. Lindiwe has a plan to save her family. Grace sees Boniswa in a compromising situation and has a slip of the tongue in front of Yvonne.

Tau agrees to something he never thought he would. Bulelwa is shocked to hear where Mazwi is off to. Lucy’s efforts are ruined when the wrong person says the wrong thing at the wrong time. Crazy J will do whatever it takes to secure his ‘new’ future, even lie to Lesedi. Cosmo is put on the spot at work. Boipelo’s letter shocks the Diales into silence. Two long-time enemies toast to their success. Smanga has a secret... Feeling your baby kick for the first time can be an overwhelming experience in more ways than one.

Odirile’s desperation turns deadly. Matshidiso and Tumelo are determined to prove that Lazarus is scamming the people of Kweneng. Odirile is terrified to learn that it was Sello who was poisoned and not Tshego.  Matshidiso and Goitseone struggle to apologise to Lazarus and Mme Naledi. An angry Tshego throws her weight as the first wife and has the Royal Healer kicked out of Sello’s hospital room. Lazarus’s healing powers continue to heal even the barren as Sello’s life hangs on the balance.

Chumani is disturbed by Boniswa’s insistence that he not kiss and tell. Hlengiwe is horrified by the prospect of Dintle’s possible elevation.

News 33 - 9 November 2017 The Weekly - Free State Province

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

Popular actor and producer, Thapelo Mokoena has vowed to help talented up and coming entertainers get their first gig in the cut-throat industry.

Mokoena who’s the son of Mike Mokoena, owner of Premier Soccer League club Free State Stars based in Bethlehem, said there was a lot of talented people who deserved to be given a chance but were being overlooked in the entertainment circles, thus leading to recycling of talent in the industry.

Through his talk, #BookYourFirstGig, Mokoena will share with budding entertainers practical skills and tools to help them secure their first show.

Speaking to The Weekly on Tuesday, Mokoena noted in his line of work as a producer, he had come across talented people who do not make it through auditions simply because they just did not know how to audition.

“This concept was born from interactions I had have with various people. On an average day, I’d have people stopping me in malls, restaurants and other public spaces asking how they too can get their big break. It frustrates me that I never have time to share all that I want to share with them, because I always like to engage,” Mokoena explained, adding the talk is the first of many to come and also part of a bigger picture.

“It all starts here. We are starting from the bottom with a dream, where the playing fields are levelled. Anybody can just get up and go try. We are helping you pack the right tools and carry the right weapons, so you can go book your first gig. We are on a mission to empower African artists and to guide them on how they can establish solid careers,” he noted.

Mokoena has roped in industry heavyweights who will also share how they got their big break -- Terry Pheto, Warren Masemola, DJ Sbu Leope and Sthembiso Khoza, among others.

He said “We should be having the #OpenUpTheIndustry conversation every day because that’s what grows the value of our industry. Opening the industry goes beyond just performances -- from distribution all the way down to acting. Also, how you see yourself as an artist matters -- do you see yourself as just a local artist, or a global artist? Artists ought to open up their mind-set, and then once they have done so they will start attracting things that are out there.”

Unable to confirm whether the talks will rotate across different provinces in the country to enable interaction with up and coming artists in their respective areas, Mokoena noted, “The idea did cross my mind but that’s something that we one will have to look into and see if its viable or not.”

By: Thina Tuoane

Free State artist Morwesi Sebiloane has been nominated for this year`s SABC Crown Gospel Awards.

She is the first female gospel artist from the province to receive a nomination for Classic of All Times for her infectious song ̀ Modimo Fela`.

The muso will strut the red carpet in her Urban Zulu designed outfit at the Durban ICC, 26 November live on SABC 1 at 8pm.

“I still don’t believe that I have been nominated. I was alone in my room when I received the news; I didn’t know if I should scream, cry or shout,” said Sebiloane.

Born in Thabong, Welkom the vocalist began her musical journey at a very young age imitating artists such as Brenda Fassie, PJ Powers and Yvonne Chaka Chaka. She was discovered at the tender age of 17 by the choir master of The True Happiness wHere she went on to be the lead vocalist and has been unstoppable ever since.

Her second award album `Another Level` which was released in 2014, won her the Best Gospel Artist Awards in 2015 at the Golden Bean Free State Music Awards.

Sebiloane, who left a well-paying management position at the Free State Government to heed to the music calling, said it was a worthy sacrifice as she continues to reach new heights.

Her nomination comes at a time when she is busy in the studio finishing her upcoming project. This is a great achievement for the artist who admits her journey in the music industry has not been an easy one. She attributes her strength to prayer and a strong belief in the word of God.

“I look forward to be accompanied by at least three buses full of fans and plans are underway to make this a successful journey,” noted Sebiloane.

The gospel sensation said her dream is to travel across the country through her music and spread a message of hope.

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

With the prestigious Feathers Awards around the corner, Free State will be chanting support for their own, in hope that they bring the awards home.

Athlete Wayde van Niekerk and local entertainer Nonhlanhla ‘Skolopad’ Qwabe have earned themselves nominations.

Van Niekerk who broke Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old 400m world record to sensationally win an Olympic gold at Rio 2016 will in battle it out with Proteas fast bowler Kagisho Rabada in the Sportsman of the year category.

The local lad will have an uphill task against Rabada who gained two slots to reach a career-best third position among bowlers in the ICC Test Player rankings after his player of the match performance against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein, which helped complete a 2-0 win in the two-Test series.

The performance sees Rabada ranked 3rd best bowler in the world after James Anderson

of England and Ravindra Jadega of India at 2nd position.

Skolopad will take on her rivalry, Zodwa Libram, known in the entertainment industry as Zodwa Wabantwu in the socialite of the year category. Also nominated in the category is the self-proclaimed queen of Gqom Babes Wodumo and Mampinsha.

Victory for controversial Skolopad will be massive as she finds herself battling the country’s top entertainers, all who are from Kwazulu Natal, Durban.

While she might not as big as Zodwa Wabanthu, Skolopad has created a name for herself in the industry which a few years back did not event give her a wink – until the yellow dress she wore to last year’s Metro FM awards nearly broke the internet after going viral.

Speaking ahead of the awards ceremony, Skolopad said it would be a huge honour for her to reign supreme on November 9, particularly as many don’t expect her to win.

“It will be justice for me to win on Thursday.

A part of me feels it would be justice because a lot of people don’t expect me to win or see me worthy of the award so it would be poetic justice for me,” she said politely.

Wabanthu also expressed her desire to win, confidently saying the award had her name written all-over it. “I’m not worried about winning. I have this one in the bag already so unlike other people am not even stressing about it,” said the confident Wabanthu in a telephonic interview with The Weekly on Tuesday afternoon.

Musician of the year award is another major category that fans will be eagerly watching. The category sees Amanda Black, Lady Zamar and Kwesta going head to head. No doubt this will be one of the mostly highly competitive categories as all three artists had a big year with the release of their debut albums.

The ninth instalment of the Feather Awards will be held on November 9 at Kyalami’s Theatre on The Track.

GENERATIONSMazwi ruins the mood for everyone. The information in the stolen file gives AK an idea. The two runaways have no other option but to sleep on the streets. Zitha wakes up to a startling discovery. Smanga blurts out the truth about Rori’s paternity. Sphe is shocked by what the blood tests reveal. Nolwazi is getting fed-up with her best friend’s attitude. Mpho gets beaten up. Nandi panics when she hears someone picking the lock … Gog’Flo gets even deeper into sports betting. Vuyo finds out Getty lied to him. AK makes it clear he’s not backing down. Mazwi is shocked to hear what his PI suspects. Namhla is floored by what Smanga suggests. Will Fana do the unthinkable to protect his family?

News 36 - 12 October 2017 The Weekly - Free State Province

Jack’s secrets are causing major tension in his family. Tau is not happy about what he sees at a restaurant. Mazwi tries too hard and ends up ruining things. Zach finds out about James’s well-kept secret. Wandile tries to listen in on a clandestine meeting. Things get tense when Nolwazi asks broke Getty for rent. Cosmo isn’t happy to hear what Gadaffi wants him to do. Zitha is nervous about admitting she’s a JMEC shareholder. AK plays his trump card. Mpho is being influenced by the wrong man in the wrong way. Molefe’s revelation leaves the Mabasos reeling. An unexpected kiss catches both parties by surprise. Fana’s warnings about not acting hastily fall on deaf ears. Nandi is horrified to find Jack bloodied and lifeless on the floor. Getty and Mrekza come to blows.

Zodwa snubs Skolopad GENERATIONS

100%

Let’s get dancing . . . Warren Masemola in Tjovitjo

100%

Let’s get dancing . . . Warren Masemola in Tjovitjo

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

Dancer and socialite Zodwa “Penty-less” Wabantu has found herself on the wrong-side of social media once again, this time for refusing to take a picture with Skolopad at this year’s recent Feather Awards nominations party held in Johannesburg.

Wabantu who is expected to grace the City of Roses tomorrow (Saturday) at The Thoughts Night Club criticised her follow entertainer Skolopad, accusing the star of being an infant in the industry and seeking attention with “stupid ideas”.

Asked why she refused to take a picture with Nonhlanhla “Skolopad” Qwabe, Zodwa said, “I’m not threatened by Skolopad. She is still crawling in this game. We are in a very fast industry and don’t know what tomorrow holds for us, so it’s time to make money. Skolopad forgets that we are ageing and when the opportunity lands on your lap you grab it with both hands. I’m not

here to play games but to make money.” Zodwa added that she planned to leave the

industry in 2019 to “buy a house, car and fall pregnant,” and was not interested in taking part in publicity stunts.

However, the dancer immediately found herself under heavy criticism from fans who accused her of being a joke and hypocrite, while others suggested her refusal to take pictures with Skolopad was driven by jealousy.

A fan, Matshido Hlalane tweeted, “Skolopad might be an infant, but she’s an infant that doesn’t flaunt her pun**i for all to see. Fact!”

Hlalane went further to point out that Skolopad was making her through entertainment and working as a nurse.

Miss Fabulous Dee took to Facebook to share her thoughts and said, “Zodwa is the last person to talk about publicity stunts when that’s all she’s been doing from day one. What the hell is this b*tch talking about?” Thato Mbuso and Lesedi Moroka said Wabantu’s

Controversial dancer unapologetic... Zodwa Wabantu who is expected to rock Bloemfontein remains unapologetic for her refusal to take pictures with Skolopad at this year’s Feather Awards Ceremony

utterances were as result of bitterness. “The game has a new player and others are bitter that they no longer occupy the spotlight alone. Go Skolpad,” Moroka tweeted.

However, in a telephonic interview with The Weekly, Wabantu said she was not threatened by Skolopad or any other entertainer for that matter. She noted, “I am not here to play nor am I here for stupid publicity stunts. Mine is to make money and that is what I am doing, period.” Asked whether her statement suggests that the Qwa-Qwa born entertainer, who’s also a nurse by profession was not making money, Wabantu snapped, saying, “Look here buti, I am talking about me and not other people. I don’t know or care whether they are making money or not. I am simply telling you that Zodwa Wabantu is making money.” Reflecting on the negative comments that rocked various social media platforms accusing her of being jealous and bitter now that she’s no longer the dominating headlines alone, Wabantu retorted, “I could really care less what people say or think about me. If I cared I would not have stayed for so long in this industry. People are allowed to say and think whatever they like about me, it does not bother me. I have nothing to be jealous about. She is doing her thing and I am doing me. End of story.”

The entertainer, who will be making her debut in Bloemfontein expressed delight coming to the City of Roses, stating that she was looking forward to having fun and entertaining her fans on the night. “We are going to have a crazy, crazy night. I can’t wait to see and meet my friends in Bloem.” Kelly Khumalo, who also graced the awards, indicated that the industry was big enough for both parties.

Khumalo was later seen posting pictures of herself and Skolopad at the ceremony. Wabantu and Skolopad will battle it out for top honours in this year’s Socialite of the year category. Also included in the group is South African’s most successful businesswoman, Basetsana Khumalo (Top Billing), who is tipped to walk away victorious.

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

It’s hardly a secret that since re-opening its door, TRT Carwash has emerged as one of the top hotspots in the city’s nightlife and has managed to draw the who’s who to its shores – thanks to its wide variety of local and alternative acts.

This Saturday and Sunday, the joint will host its first two-day festival of local bands, appropriately called Summer Explosion Weekend. The depth and variety is highly impressive for an all-local roster, anchored in alt-house/deep house but also stretching to hip-hop and commercial house across 26 acts scheduled to perform.

Organiser and owner of the popular nightlife spot, Michael Mochini who has remained devoted to the city’s music culture and live scene, wants to help it grow even further.

Explaining the concept, Mochini said the point is to prove the all-local concert is a solid and practical one for the city, and make sure all the artists get paid.

Mochini who needs no introduction in the entertainment industry rubbished claims that despite the positive reaction the event has received on various social media platforms (Twitter/ Facebook and Instagram) the exclusion of national acts could hamper its success. Previously, the multi-award winning South African House duo group Black Motion had been eyed to be part of the concert only to be dropped at a later stage.

Responding to the views, Mochini said, “This concept is not only solid and practical, but importantly it is development based.”

He expressed delight in the improvement shown by local artists in not only fighting for their spot locally but nationally as well with some of them getting their singles played on national radio stations such as Metro FM, regarded as the country’s biggest commercial station.

“They are solidifying their spot in the entertainment industry and they are getting the attention they deserve and that is major news for our guys locally and a step in the right direction for musical culture,” he pointed out.

The remark follows the inclusion of Kamogelo Modise’s single Happiness feat Blaq Dutch recently played on Metro FMs Urban Beat Show which airs Fridays from 22:00 – 01:00 am. Popularly known as Dj Dice, his song was highlighted as one of the bangers by South Africans legendary DJ and Godfathers of house music, Christos Katsaitis.

Local is lekker... Deep house DJ Dice and Hip-Hop Tmani expected to rock the two-day Summer Explosion Weekend at TRT Carwash

Summer Explosionis here!

Reflecting on the show which is without a national act, Mochini said: “Part of the reason why you see other provinces are ahead of us is because they are not afraid to have major summer festivals with no A-list headliners but their own local artists. This has done worked wonders for them and part of that is because they were not afraid to promote and expose their own, a gamble that promoters not only in Mangaung but in the province have failed to do.”

However many promoters continue to argue that while festivals hope to offer entertainment to revellers, there was also the business side of it, hence the inclusion of national artists to draw larger numbers to various events across the province.

The soft-spoken Mochini refuted the logic, indicating that hundreds of festivals across the country have been successful without a single A-list muso. “The debate has no substance and throughout our annual festival held in Clocolan, we’ve proved that year in and year out. Local

artists are the way to go,” he said.“Nightlife spots in the city are packed week in

and out and there’s never a single national artists on their card, it’s all local. So where is this notion/concept or belief that an all local card would not be a hit with revellers while we see its impact,” he quizzed.

Among those scheduled to entertain fans expected to grace the event are Dixie and Zille, Urban Pipper, Tmani, The Saw, Mageza, Lady Dee, Dice, King Nation and Surprise the DJ.

“We’ve brought the best of the best and we’re certain that revellers will have a night to remember,” Mochini noted.

Dj Mageza expressed delight in the change, stating that it was refreshing that local acts are now being afforded to their rightful place not only at clubs, but major festivals as well.

“It’s long overdue and that fact that is finally happening is something we should all celebrate,” he said.

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

It was the most eagerly anticipated birthday celebration of the year and it did not disappoint.

Hundreds of revellers graced The Bottling co. at Ficksburg a fortnight ago for Mochini’s annual celebration which more than lived to expectations.

Buoyed by a solid line-up, the more than 500 revellers were treated to a night of magic as DJs brought the house on fire, leaving them in disbelief and wanting more.

Among the DJs that gave the fans their money’s worth were Caba Cannal, DJ Virus, Marvel and The blues. Surprise the DJ, a well-known commercial DJ stole the night with his one hour set as he dropped back to back hits much to the delight of the fans.

“It was a tough crowd and I certainly didn’t expect the response but it feels good because it means am on the right path. It was a truly a humbling experience,” he said.

DJ Leegody, one of the rising stars in the entertainment industry, was not to outdone along with hype-man and popular radio presenter, Shaun Dihoro. Known to locals as King of Gqom, Leegoy - despite a rather brief set - proved why he was deserving of the title as he made sure that kept revellers on the dance floor following Surprise the DJ’s awesome set.

“Nothing is more pleasing that seeing fans happy and as entertainers that’s our sole responsibility and achieving that whenever we are afforded the platform is super awesome,” said

Legoody calmly. With the mood set an all-time high, DJ Finzo who needs on introduction in the entertainment industry, could have delivered a profound set but was not par as he crossed from his usual house to African pop and Hip-Hop which are not his forte. However, Mr. Short and Sweet as he’s affectionately known, still got the right tick from his loyal fans who took to Facebook to express their delight.

“Finzo…Wow,” wrote Lerato Nthipe who travelled 52 km from Fouriesburg to be part of what was a memorable night for revellers.The night was not without hiccups as The Saw, a local group from Ficksburg which since its introduction in the entertainment has been a hit, did not perform for unknown reasons.

Addressing the matter, Michael Mochini, organiser and founder of the annual festival which continues to deliver top class entertainment to small towns extended his apology for The Saw’s non-performance. “People paid their hard-earned money to see their favourite DJs and to have one of them not perform is really unfortunate. It was not a deliberate decision but there were reasons which cannot be disclosed publicly as to what transpired. We do however apologise and we’ll find a way to make it up to our fans.’’Mochini expressed delight towards the night’s main acts for delivering beyond expectations, stating that this was a testimony that locals DJs in the province have indeed upped the bar.

Fete hits the right cord

This week’s Diva is 21-year old Julia Leaha. The sizzling hot up-and-coming Marquard-born model is carving herself a niche in Joburg’s dog-eat-dog modelling industry.

CUT launches whistle-blower hotline

continues to page 9

Stars eye Feathers AwardsIn high hopes . . . Local entertainer Nonhlanhla ‘Skolopad’ Qwabe hopes to win her first gong at the Feathers Awards to be held at Kyalami’s Theatre on The Track.

By: Martin Makoni

Dealing with the loss of a loved one often leaves some people devastated and not knowing how to pick up the pieces and continue with life. They become vulnerable, ready to believe anything including things they know to be impossible.

But this is usually as a result of not allowing one enough time to understand the loss and be ready to accept that the inner pain is inevitable and can be healed if you allow the healing process to unfold.

“How high the moon” which opened at Pacofs on Wednesday night last week and ran till Saturday explores the hidden emotions people often try to suppress after losing someone close and resort to a life of make-believe as a way of dealing with the pain, and yet induce more emotions in the process.

Staged on a simple set with a cast of three, the story chronicles the life of a man named Thabo, played by Mlungisi Tshomela and his daughter, Lerato, acted by Boitumelo Mohutsioa. The two are dealing with loss and unable to handle grief following the death of the mother, Pretty Mokoena.

Lerato doesn’t want to accept that mother

is dead and so does Thabo. They convince each other that she is coming back. In dealing with the loss, the two become obsessive of each other and they don’t want to leave each other’s side, thereby creating tensions between them.

The daughter does not want her father to date because she feels that another woman would take her mom’s place. The daughter decides to be her mother, Pretty.

Through a spiritualist, Thandi, played by Nomveliso Tshabalala, they are advised that if they keep calling her and talking to her she will be back. They believe it and try it but to no avail.

The story is an emotional journey of a family in denial and trying to find a way of releasing their inner pain.

The play is written by Monde Jack Mayephu and directed by Mpho J Molepo assisted by Oscar Motsikoe. Costume designer is Tshegofatso Martin while the set and lighting are done by Oscar Motsikoe. The entire cast and technical crew are from the Free State.

Malepo, a renowned actor and director said the idea for this approach was to give a chance to local artists to work with established artists to give them more exposure.

“We don’t want the so called big artists to be

known as people who come from a particular place,” said Malepo in an interview on the opening night of the play.

“I only came here with a script and said I wanted to work with a local cast and crew. It has worked. We only had two weeks to rehearse instead of the standard four. This is raw talent. These actors have achieved what most established actors would only do after a four week rehearsal. I am really impressed,” he added.

Turning to the play, Malepo said he was trying, together with the writer, to explore an aspect they felt theatre was not really touching on.

“You know, everybody has lost someone close to them at some point. While people may talk about it, we don’t really talk overcoming those emotions. So, when I sat with the writer, we said we needed to do something theatre was not really doing.

“We wanted to explore how one can deal with suppressed emotions, known as catharsis. The idea was to see how two or more people dealing with loss can support each other and release that inner pain. The play was inspire by that urge and what to do when one experiences loss,” noted Malepo.

FS cast in emotional family drama

Gospel sensation nominated for Crown Awards

Beside herself with joy . . . Morwesi Sebiloane hopes to come out tops at this year`s 10th edition of the SABC Crown Gospel Awards

Mokoena shows novices ropes of the trade

Twenty-two year old Leena Gxalaba of Bloemfontein is business management at one of the local private colleges. She describes herself as an outgoing person who is fun to be with with.

THE THRONE

Twenty six-year old Nandi Selogelo enjoys watching movies and listening to RnB and gospel music. She works for one of SA’s leading financial institutions

SCANDAL

GENERATIONS

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

Award-winning artist Sechaba Pali says he makes no apologies for what he said on Sunday before he was removed from the stage during a gospel show at Macufe.

Pali - who is well known for throwing tantrums as much as he is for his talent - drew the ire of gospel music lovers when he said he could not perform for peanuts.

Scheduled as one of the headliners, the controversial Pali took to stage after Thoko Nogabe, much to the delight of fans. However, their excitement was short-lived as he was hauled off the stage by Lesedi FM presenter Lefa Pheto, who was MC on the day.

Pali was removed after said, “These people expect me to perform live having paid me only R17  000, yet these fake pastors who are on stage and other artists are paid more than me.”

The musician’s microphone was immediately cut and he was escorted off stage, angering gospel music lovers who threw beer cans on stage, even splashing the MC with beer. However, Pheto kept his cool and managed to get the crew under control.

Commenting after the incident, the department of arts and culture said Pali’s rant was uncalled for and projected a negative picture about the event.

The artist is lying, said Thabang Stakes, who is responsible for art performances.

“He negotiated R75 000 and that was agreed on. It was further agreed that he would be paid 20% deposit, which amounts to 15k and the rest would be paid when he gets to the venue, which was R60 000K. All that happened,” noted Stakes.

The problem, according to Stakes, started when Pali wanted to use backtracks for a live band fee, which was something that

was not agreed on. “The contract was very clear and straight

forward; it was to be a live band. The musician even emailed his technical riders,” added Moleko, who further questioned why the musician would send such knowing very well the agreement was for a live band.

Despite the explanation, Pali mainted that some local artists were still being underpaid.

“I make no apologies about what I said. I am one of those artists who are underpaid and I know many others but they are afraid to speak out of fear of victimisation, hence it continues to be a trend,” said Pali.

He noted that while everyone could not be paid the same, it remained important for artists to be paid accordingly.

“We might not all be at the same level, but that does not mean others should be exploited for the benefit of others,” he added.

Things have to change: PaliNo apology… Gospel sensation Sechaba Pali maintains his stance over the underpayment of local artists at Macufe

Weighed in on debate . . . Sizwe Dhlomo

A week after TshisaLIVE revealed that the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA) had received objections to Moja Love’s controversial reality show, Uyajola, the channel has reportedly announced that the show will be taking “a break”.

The series, based on American TV series  Cheaters  and hosted by rapper Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye, made headlines last week after an episode featuring violence and strong language sparked outrage. 

In it, a woman assaulted her husband for allegedly cheating, and the woman he was

allegedly cheating with joined in. The man did not receive help until later in the altercation. 

Speaking to TshisaLIVE, Moja Love spokesperson

Lindiwe Mbonambi confirmed that the

show had b e e n taken off

air from t h i s

Sunday. 

“Uyajola 99 is on a production break as the series have ended. Channel will announce when the series will be back on air.”

She said the decision to halt production had nothing to do with recent complaints against the display of violence and strong language.  

“It doesn’t mean that it is the end of the show because of people’s complaints to the BCCSA. The production  company has chosen to take a short break from filming as they have been doing it for some time,” explained Mbonambi.

BCCSA registrar Shouneez Martin confirmed the commission had received complaints about the show relating to gender violence, violence and language.

She said the BCCSA had sent broadcaster MultiChoice, which airs the Moja Love channel, the complaints and was awaiting a response.

MultiChoice group executive for corporate affairs Joe Heshu confirmed the broadcaster had received a complaint and said it was working with Moja Love to respond to the BCCSA.

“MultiChoice can confirm that it has received a complaint from the Broadcasting Complaints

Commission of SA (BCCSA), with regards to the recent episode of  Uyajola 9/9, which aired on independent channel Moja Love on Saturday, 28 September 2019.

“Whilst we do not exercise editorial control over third-party channels,

which have fully independent editorial and content policies,

we are in discussions with the channel about this particular

complaint and will respond accordingly to the BCCSA,” noted Heshu. -Tshisalive

Uyajola takes break amid complaints

Dhlomo dragged for ‘defending’ FergusonsSizwe Dhlomo found himself in the midst of a Twitter storm on Monday evening when he was accused of defending Connie and Shona Ferguson, owners of Ferguson Films, against allegations of mistreating actors.

Sizwe weighed in on claims contained in an open letter by  iGazi  actress Vatiswa Ndara to arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa on Monday.

Responding to a tweet saying actors were generally exploited, Sizwe said the industry was broke.

“In a lot of ways, this is true but also the industry is broke if we’re being honest. Cats just won’t tell you that.”   

A follower then said the Fergusons were part of the problem.

Sizwe told the fan the couple had taken a

risk and if people wanted to be bosses they must “pay the cost”.

“Sho, I hear that and I don’t even know the Fergusons but from what I’ve seen, they took all the risks. Quit their jobs at SABC to build their own thing. If cats want to be bosses, they must also pay the cost ke. Not to say that people must get exploited kodwa,” Sizwe added.

While some agreed with Sizwe, many slammed him for defending the power couple and said he was blind to the mistreatment many actors in Mzansi faced.

Meanwhile,  iGazi  actor Anga Makubalo applauded Vatiswa for speaking out. He also said the show may soon be recast.

Actress Pearl Thusi said mistreatment was the reason she had not worked on a local production in years.

Florence Masebe, a strong advocate for actors’ rights in SA, said more brave voices were needed, but warned that those who spoke up were often victimised. -Timeslive

Exploitation of artists must come to an end, says Roda

Enough is enough… CCIFSA National Secretary-General Ayanda Roda.

News4 The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019

R5m robbery suspect found in

Department to discuss commonage challenges

Four sentenced to life for killing mine manager

The Mangaung Metro Municipality is an employer of choice, committed to the principles of the Employment Equity Act N0. 55/98 as amended and here now invites suitably qualified persons to apply. The appointment and/or promotion to the below stated positions will be done in line with MMM’s equity targets.

Applicants, who wish to be considered for a post, must e-mail/submit their applications with complete details and comprehensive CV’s directly to the address indicated against the particular post. Applicants must please indicate their employee number on their CV’s. Applicant may also call on the relevant telephone number as provided for more information.

AN INCOMPLETE APPLICATION WILL DISQUALIFY AN APPLICANT

Certified copies of highest educational qualifications must accompany applications. Please note: No applications will be considered if the above-mentioned documents are not attached. Please note that if you do not receive any correspondence from this organisation, regarding your application, within 30 days after the closing date of this advertisement, you should regard your application as unsuccessful.

Application forms are also available during working hours from libraries in the Mangaung municipal area.

(The Municipality does however reserves the right to adjust the number of appointments according to its resources and/or requirements)

PLEASE NOTE THAT CV’S/APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

INTERNSHIP - PROJECT MANAGEMENT (Ref. No. E03/01)DIRECTORATE HUMAN SETTLEMENTSTwo (02) Internship Opportunities SALARY: Stipend of R 7,500-00 per month

Qualifications and Experience:

Grade 12 with tertiary qualifications in Civil Engineering and a Code B or EB Driver’s License. Any experience will be an added advantage.

Core Description: The successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

• Taking measurements and samples on site to make sure that the work and the materials meet the specifications and quality standards;

• Being familiar with legal requirements and checking that the work complies with it; familiar with GCC and SANS requirements on projects;

• Ensure work is carried out to the client’s specifications, standards and schedule;

• Ensure correct materials and workmanship is used;

• Ensure good quality work outputs;

• Site presence and attendance of Site Meetings;

• Vigilance in the inspection of work done by the contractor;

• Check compliance with health and safety legislation and bring any shortfalls observed to the attention of the person(s) concerned;

• Keep detailed records of various aspects of the work including progress and delays;

• Check progress in line with Programme of Works;

• Advising of difficulties being encountered or likely to be encountered;

• Work in collaboration with members of the Project Team and clients to ensure projects, both pre and post contract, run smoothly and objectives are achieved;

• Should not issue out site instructions on site; and

• Take minutes and type reports and letters as per request.

Additional Requirements:

• Computer literate to be able to prepare and write reports;

• Proficiency in at least two (2) official languages of service of MMM;

• Knowledge of GCC and SANS requirements on projects

• Good interpersonal skills;

• Planning and organizing skills;

• Administrative skills and attention to detail;

• Able to think independently, analyse and draw conclusions and articulate own ideas; and

• Ability to function under pressure.

INTERNSHIP – INFORMAL SETTLEMENT (Ref. No. E03/02)DIRECTORATE HUMAN SETTLEMENTSSeven (07) Internship Opportunities SALARY: Stipend of R 7,500-00 per month

Qualifications and Experience:

Grade 12 with tertiary qualifications in the built environment or administration and a Code B or EB Driver’s License. Any experience will be an added advantage.

Core Description: The successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

• Capture and screening of subsidy application forms;

• Register of housing disputes brought to the office;

• Open and update of erven files and registers;

• Take minutes and type reports and letters as per request;

• Attend to all housing queries at help desk;

• Handle telephone and verbal inquiries on various Housing Programmes;

• Operate office machines and equipment, such as photocopiers, scanners and facsimile machines;

• Sort and distribute incoming mail and process of outgoing mail; and

• Conduct field work when required to do so.

Additional Requirements:

• Computer literate to be able to prepare and write reports;

• Proficiency in at least two (2) official languages of service of MMM;

• Knowledge of GCC and SANS requirements on projects

• Good interpersonal skills;

• Planning and organizing skills;

• Administrative skills and attention to detail;

• Good communication skills; and

• Sense of responsibilty.

Please note that if you do not receive any correspondence from this organisation regarding your application within 30 days after the closing date of this advertisement, you should regard your application as unsuccessful.

The Municipality reserves the right not to make any appointment.

GM: Human Resource ManagementPO Box 3704BLOEMFONTEIN9300

Telephonic Enquiries: 051 – 405 8517

OR e-mail: employ@mangaung.co.za

OR submit to the following libraries during office hours:

Adelaide Tambo Public Library - Mangaung Library - Fichardtpark Library - Lourierpark Library - Trevor Barlow Library - BP Leinaeng Library - Bainsvlei Library - Botshabelo Library - Thaba Nchu Regional Office- Ikgomotseng Municipal Office - Morojaneng Library Dewetsdorp Library - Wepener Library - Thapelong Library (Van Stadensrus)

We thank all applicants for their interest.

Issued by MMM Communications www.mangaung.co.za | FB: Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality Official Call Centre – 0800 111 300

MANGAUNG METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY EXTERNAL VACANCY BULLETIN – NO. 03/2019 FOR OCTOBER

2019CLOSING DATE: 25 OCTOBER 2019

CITY MANAGERADV. TANKISO MEA

METRO MUNICIPALITY METRO MUNISIPALITEIT LEKGOTLA KA MOTSE Staff Reporter

The Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) will today host the first ever Commonage Summit in Bloemfontein.

The summit, which brings together commonage farmers, municipalities, financial institutions and various agricultural stakeholders will be held at the Monate Nate oa Phokeng Lodge in Bloemspruit.

In a statement, DARD spokesperson Zimasa Leputla said the meeting is aimed at sharing best practices and technologies for proper management and sustainable maintenance of commonages across the province.

“Delegates will make inputs towards a commonage policy that will create an enabling environment for local municipalities to develop by-laws to regulate, control and protect the use of municipal land leased to commonage farmers,” read part of the statement.

Current challenges facing commonage farmers relate to the lack of infrastructure, proper animal handling facilities, improper fencing and watering facilities, amongst others.

The meeting will also see the launch of the Provincial Online Producer/Farmer Register for smallholder farmers in the Free State.

The register is expected to help address the problem of inaccurate, misrepresented and outdated statistics of farmers across the province.

“It is fundamental for the department to have reliable statistics and information trends about the farmers; track the impact of agricultural support amongst beneficiaries so as to inform better planning and decision making process,” added the statement.

Through this system, a farmer can access relevant information on specific subject around his/her local area or district and advertise their produce for free including the agricultural implements that can be rented as well as access to various reports relating to the agriculture in the country.

“Farmers without computers or smartphones will be assisted by the respective extension officers because this project is initiated to create user profiles for all farmers to be on government’s email domain,” explained the statement.

Staff Reporter

The Free State High Court sitting in Kroonstad on Tuesday sentenced four of the six men involved in the killing of a Phakisa Mine manager to life imprisonment.

Judge Celeste Reinders sentenced Rethabile Mohlabane, 27, Pitso Mokeki, 37, Thabeso Khoase, 37, and Motlalepule Ramakoane, 36, for the 2017 murder of Simphiwe Kubeka, who was regional manager for Tshepong and Phakisa mines in Odendaalsrus.

Mohlabane and Mokeki were also found guilty on two counts of possession of illegal firearms and one count of illegal possession of ammunition, respectively. These were taken together for purpose of sentencing and the duo got an additional two years in prison each

Another suspect, Kefuwe Serobanyane, 22, was found guilty of two counts of illegal possession of firearms and sentenced to two years in prison.

The sixth accused, Nyasha Nyamunda, 23, was convicted of kidnapping and extortion. He was given four years.

According to the evidence presented in court, on 26 September 2017, the accused together with some illegal miners held Agnes Ditsoane, a mine employee, captive underground.

They informed Kubeka that Ditsoane would not be released unless they return money and cellular phones belonging to illegal miners that were confiscated by mine security officials.

They also demanded that Kubeka give an instruction to mine officers to cease security operations against the illegal miners.

Ditsoane was released the following day.The illegal miners, the accused, and

one Lehlohonolo Thethe conspired to murder Kubeka.

Khoase, who was also employed at Phikisa mine acted as a middle man between the illegal miners and the assassins. Thethe pleaded guilty to a count of murder last year and was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

The court heard that Mohlabane, Mokeki, Khoase and Ramakoane waited for Kubeka

at the gate of the mine on 28 September 2017 with the intention of killing him, armed with weapons and ammunition.

Kubeka was driving in his vehicle exiting the Tshepong mine premises when he was shot multiple times by Thethe who was with Mohlabane. Mokeki and Khoase were in a getaway car which was driven by Ramakoane. Kubeka died at the scene.

Arguing in aggravation of sentence, state prosecutor Advocate Johan De Nyschen requested the court not to deviate from the minimum sentence as prescribed by law as the defence had failed to advance any compelling and substantial circumstances for imposition of a lesser sentence.

“Aggravating circumstances in this case far outweigh the mitigating factors and there could be no justification for the court not to impose the minimum sentence as prescribed by law on the accused involved in the killing of Kubeka. Kubeka was a law-abiding citizen who had to pay with his life for trying to stop illegal activities at the mine. This was a contract killing and our courts regard contract killings as serious offences,” said De Nyschen.

Justice Reinders concurred with the prosecutor that imposition of lesser sentences would bring the administration of justice into disrepute.

A Malawian suspect who was wanted for a business robbery which took place in Plettenberg Bay last month, was found hiding in a closet in Johannesburg. 

More than R5million had been allegedly stolen during the robbery. 

The suspect’s car was traced through the license plate recognition cameras and he was found in Dowerglen, Edenvale on Tuesday.

He was allegedly found in possession of explosives, police said.

Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Lungelo Dlamini confirmed the arrest, but he could not give more details on the Plettenburg Bay robbery.

He said the incident was being investigated by the police in the Western Cape. 

According to the Gauteng Department of Community Safety Head of Department, Yoliswa Makhasi, police traced the vehicle to Edenvale on Tuesday afternoon and a backup was summoned to the scene. 

She added that upon arrival, police found a

lady who allegedly told them that the vehicle, a silver grey Land Rover Discovery, belonged to her 35-year-old boyfriend who was not at home at the time.

Police searched the house and found the suspect in the closet and proceeded to search the vehicle that was parked in the property and found eight blasting cartridges and one electrical detonator. 

Makhasi said the suspect was arrested and charged with being in possession of explosives. -Star

Zuma to deliver lecture on land, economyBy: Ramosidi Matekane

Former President Jacob Zuma is on Saturday next week expected to be the key note speaker at a political lecture in Fezile Dabi on addressing the skewed racial ownership patterns over land in the country and the economy.

Zuma was supposed to have visited the area on September 19 but the lecture had to be postponed as it clashed with his planned visit to Zimbabwe for the burial of that country’s former president Robert Mugabe.

The lecture will be held at the Rautenbach Hall in Kroonstad.

The former president has confirmed that he will be talking to young people in Kroonstad on the day, where he is expected to lead debates on free education policy, land, and the economy, at the invitation of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL).

Msholozi will be accompanied by the provincial chairman of the ANCYL, Makalo Mohale.

The lecture is expected to draw a diverse audience of young people from the league and the neighbouring Flavius Mareka Tvet College.

ANC Youth League regional secretary Andile Mlambo told The Weekly that Zuma was chosen to speak to the youth as he is the “champion of free education and radical economic transformation.”

Mlambo noted Zuma’s visit is part of a build-up programme by the ANCYL for a total shutdown of Flavius Mareka Tvet College over what he claimed is its transgressions against the right of students to learn.

“As the youth league here we are planning a total shutdown of the Tvet College because they continue to deny students education on the basis of unpaid registration fees and the scandals involving the National Student Aid Fund Scheme,” he said.

He added the league felt Zuma was the best person to unpack the concept of free education to them since he is the one that signed it into law

To unpack issues . . . Former president Jacob Zumabefore vacating office.

“The former president will be speaking to young people about what free education exactly means. The rights of students continue being violated by the management of Flavius Mareka Tvet College even though government said education is free.”

Mlambo also pointed out that political freedom delivered to South Africans in 1994, which was without economic freedom, is hollow.

Zuma will also talk to the skewed land ownership patterns in the country, which according to Mlambo still favour the minority at the expense of the majority.

Meanwhile ANC NEC member Malusi Gigaba was in Xhariep on Thursday where he delivered the 75th O.R. Tambo Memorial Lecture at the Pheladiphetlhu in Edenburg.

Gigaba was also accompanied by Mohale on his visit to the town.

News 511 - 17 October 2019 The Weekly - Free State Province

Construction System

Innovative Thermally Insulated Load Bearing Light Weight Fast Construction

• Residential Units• Villas & Bungalows• Multi Storey Apartments (up to medium rise buildings)• Extension to existing buildings and penthouses• Offices• Industrial & Commercial Buildings• Hospitals• Hotels• Agricultural Facilities• Boundary & Retaining Walls• Road WallsEconomies of Scale & Advantages During Construction:• Less Material on site• Less Wastage of Material• Less Heavy Machinery and Equipment on site• Less Man Power• Less Dust During Construction• Less Noise During ConstructionBenefits:• Lightweight Construction System• Faster Erection Process• Energy Efficient Building• Monolithic Structure• Anti-Seismic Construction• Thermal Insulation which satisfy 2020 EU Directives

• U-Value for EVG-3D-G Wall Panels– 0.7W/m K• U-Value for EVG-3D-S Wall Panels– 0.4W/m K

• Fire Rating of up to 4 hours• Acoustic Insulation• Easy and Fast Installation of Mechanical and Electrical Services• Same lifespan of conventional building• Ballistic tested

Bullet resistant as speci�ed.

• BNG Houses (RDP)

• Agrément SA 2017/554• FIRELAB (Fire resistance)• NHBRC (registered)

Certi�ed by:

EVG construction system, can be used to build:

2

2

• Fire Retardant

Shotcrete

• Thicknesses of 50, 100 and 150 mm

Galvanised welded-wire Cover Mesh

Galvanised Steel Diagonals• 3.8mm wire diameter

• 50 x 50mm mesh x 3.0mm wire diameter

• Fire Retardant

Shotcrete• Applied on-site using a shotcrete pump

• Concrete thicknesses on either side vary from 40 to 80mm

EPS – Expanded Polystyrene

Unit 8 - Genius Loci Office Park, 6 CP Hoogenhout Street, Langenhoven Park, Bloemfontein, 9300.Tel: (+27) 51 446 4720 Cell: (+27) 71 462 7030 Fax: (+27) 51 446 4723 E-mail: tumi@evgafrica.co.za

EVG 3D Africa (Pty) Ltd

Need to develop agriculture research capacityBy: Martin Makoni

South Africa needs to urgently develop its research capacity in agriculture if it wants the sector to grow and have more players, particularly black farmers, playing an active role, agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza said.

“If agriculture has to play a dynamic role in economic growth, we need a strong research capacity such as in the Agricultural Research Council,” said Didiza when she addressed the third Agra-business transformation conference hosted by the African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) in Bloemfontein on Monday.

“Appropriate funding levels are critical. We appreciate that there are those who may wish to create new centres of agricultural research and utilise private sector funding. It is important that as the public sector we strengthen and support our institutions because theirs is also to protect the public good and expand its reach to those who may not afford what private sector institutions charge,” she noted.

The theme for the conference was: “Farmers growing South Africa: Creating jobs and trade opportunities.”

The minister said given that access to resources remain a challenge in the agricultural sector, the use of information and communication Embrace technology . . . Minister Thoko DidizaContinues on page 6

technologies could assist farmers improve production.

She said the sector continues to evolve and it is therefore important for both established and emerging farmers to embrace technology in order to improve production.

“Access to land, water, finance, research, technology, infrastructure, mechanisation, agro-logistics and markets remain challenges that we must continuously address. Climate change and its impact ought to be taken into consideration by anyone who participates in agriculture in order to conserve and protect the environment for future generations,” she explained.

While commending AFASA for hosting the annual event which looks at ways of transforming agricultural business, she said the dialogue needs to translate into actions that can be measured.

Didiza said the challenges faced in the past by the majority of those from the historically disadvantaged background still remain although the scale may be different and urged the conference to come up with more sustainable recommendations for change.

“Our administrative capability as a state is a bedrock of a successful and sustainable agricultural sector that can contribute to the economy. For example, if we are to position agriculture as a competitive sector of the economy we will need a very strong bio-security

News6 The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019

By: Ramosidi Matekane

More than 200  000 revellers are expected to descend on Bloemfontein for the Mangaung Cultural Festival (Macufe) finale.

The annual cultural fiesta comes to a climax with the main festival featuring American songstress Deborah Cox.

The department of economic, small business

development, environmental affairs and tourism (Destea) said the economy of the province stands to benefit immensely from the festival.

Destea communication officer Kgotso Tau said in a press statement on Wednesday the economic spin offs from the event are a confirmation that indeed such events are the natural driver of tourism.

“It is for this reason that government has

introduced the Visitation Economy of similar events throughout the country in order to boost business activities during such occasions,” noted Tau.

He said: “Enterprises including restaurants, hotels, bed and breakfast outlets, filling stations, and entertainment places are expected to benefit from the festival.”

Destea MEC Makalo Mohale and minister will

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

The ongoing Macufe is set to reach its climax over the weekend as revellers are set to experience more excitement, with today’s Divas and Main concert to be headlined by renowned international musician Deborah Cox.

Cox who arrived in the country yesterday, will share the stage with some of South Africa’s top artists including the sensational Lira, Thandiswa Mazwai, Lady Zamar, and Tshepo Tshola.

Speaking ahead of her highly anticipated performance, Cox expressed excitement over her visit to the country and performing for thousands of fans.

“I am really happy to be back in South Africa and to share the stage with incredible women and those fans that have been in my corner for a very long time,” said Cox in an exclusive interview with Radio 2000.

The Canadian-born musician said her return

also provides her with an opportunity to share the stage with the country’s top musos, and a chance to collaborate with some of those on the card with her.

“Having been in this business for so long as a woman and having solidified my spot, I feel that I am now ready to reach out to other women and help them grow and claim their stake in this tough industry. I feel am ready for that and am more than willing to make it work,” she noted.

Sport, arts, culture and recreation MEC Limakatso Mahasa expressed satisfaction with how this year’s show has progressed.

Mahasa said despite a few hiccups, the festival has been amazing, with large attendances for various shows.

“It’s been an amazing ride so far. With three remaining main activities, we are certain to have an amazing festival, one that we will be proud of as a province,” she added.

Macufe expects roaring business

There’s need to develop agriculture research capacityContinues from page 5system that will ensure protection from threats of animal and plant disease.

“Equally our research capability and economic intelligence need to be strengthened so as to be able to identify markers for exports. Our agricultural manufacturing base needs beefing up to ensure that value addition takes place in a variety of sub-sectors and identification and development of industrial crops that can support broader manufacturing such as hemp. Dynamic financial services including insurance products remain a critical element if we are to grow,” said the minister.

She also told the meeting that her department was working closely with the department of trade and industry in identifying new foreign markets and expanding existing ones for the country’s agricultural goods.

Provinces have also been working with the national government in the identification of market opportunities.

“In the past weeks we have observed the export of live sheep to the Middle East from the Eastern Cape. We have been in discussion with Chinese businesses who would like to import more agricultural products from our country. We have engaged the poultry and the sugar industries in order to develop a master plan for these sectors

as they are going through challenges that may require strategic repositioning,” said Didiza.

These in depth engagements were expected to give government an insight to the state of the agricultural value chain as well as the weaknesses in the country’s laws and implementation.

When the three-day conference opened on Sunday, mining magnate Patrice Motsepe said he was working with banks to come up with a multi-billion fund to support agriculture and related industries.

He said the fund is expected to unlock opportunities for black farmers and give them preferential access to loans.

“The farming industry is at a very critical stage… and the involvement and participation of black people is important. There is a huge sense of urgency to make sure we have sustainable black farmers in the industry,” noted Motsepe.

The founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals also said several meetings have already been held with different stakeholders to work out the modalities for the fund which will be launched soon.

“You cannot build an economy, you cannot build a future for all our people if there’s an insignificant participation in ownership, access and involvement from black farmers,” he said.

Ready to dazzle … Renowned musician

Cox to rock City of Roses

Call Centre - 0800 111 300Call Centre - 0800 111 300Issued by MMM Communication www.mangaung.co.za | facebook: Mangaung Metropolitan Official

Executive Mayor Cllr Olly Mlamleli

Invite

The Execuve Mayor Cllr. Olly Mlamleli invites developers (Architects, Planners & Engineers) to a meeng .

The meeng details are as follows:

Date : 15 October 2019Time : 10:00Venue : Indaba Auditorium

Call Centre - 0800 111 300

Call Centre - 0800 111 300Call Centre - 0800 111 300Produced by MMM Communication www.mangaung.co.za | facebook: Mangaung Metropolitan Official

METRO MUNICIPALITY METRO MUNISIPALITEIT LEKGOTLA LA MOTSE

Executive Mayor Cllr Olly Mlamleli

Pay Your RatesPay Your Rates

Residents, Business and Government are urged to pay for municipal services

for the City to discharge and deliver quality services.

be interacting with visitors during the festivities to establish their experiences, preferences, places and activities they enjoyed the most during their stay.

They will also ask revellers for their input on what improvements they would want to see when they return to the province.

“One of the activities included for the benefit of visitors in Bloemfontein is open bus tours at scheduled intervals around Mangaung metro providing a ‘hop-on hop-off service’.

Visitors can also enjoy themselves sightseeing at the Planetarium, Nelson Mandela statue, Naval Hill Maphikela House, Waaihoek Museum Church and many other tourist attractions around town.

Tau said the media will be among the first to board the open air bus today (Frid) for a first-hand experience of the transport initiative.

He noted a socio-economic effects study

carried out by the Centre for Development Support (CDS) of the University of the Free State (UFS) two years ago shows that Macufe attracts no less than 140 000 revellers each year.

The visitors spend no less than R91 million in expenditure in Bloemfontein while expenditure by locals brings the total spent during Macufe to about R150 million.

This year alone, the department hopes the festival Macufe will see more than 200  000 visitors from outside of the province.

The executive mayor of Mangaung metro, Olly Mlamleli, has welcomed revellers to the City of Roses and assured them of a pleasant stay.

She advised those driving to take extra caution along Moshoeshoe Road where construction is underway.

Police will also be out to ensure everyone’s safety.

News 711 - 17 October 2019 The Weekly - Free State Province

 P.O Box 20, Zastron, 9950

Tel: 051 673 9600Fax: 051 673 1550

E-mail: info@mohokare.co.zawww.mohokare.co.za

TENDER INVITATION

Vision“We shall be a consistent municipality, with a natural

base, offering the highest quality of life for all”

AIDS KILLSwww.mohokare.gov.za

Bid Number Description Evaluation Criteria

Tender Document Price (Non-refundable)

Compulsory BriefingSession

Contact person(Technical)

Contact person(SCM)

Closingdate and time

SCM/MOH/19/2019

Supply and Delivery of Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment

80/20Functionality:N/A

R 500, 00 23 October 2019Zastron Town Hall12h00

Ms. D. Matsoso084 014 5824

Mr. P.M Dyonase061 665 3227

01 November 2019Zastron Town Hall14h00

PAYMENTS CANNOT BE MADE AT THE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OFFICE BUT CAN BE MADE AT THE FOLLOWING PAYPOINTS

· Zastron Offices (Cashier point)

ALTERNATIVELY, DIRECT OR ELECTRONIC DEPOSITS TO THE MUNICIPAL BANK ACCOUNT:ABSA Bank, Account no: 4052654487, BRANCH CODE: 334 632, REF: SCM/MOH/19/2019

AVAILABILITY OF DOCUMENTS: 23 October 2019- 12h00 Zastron Office ALL BID DOCUMENTS TO BE COLLECTED AND SUBMITTED AT”Mohokare Local Municipality, Zastron Offices, Tender box

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

1. Valid original tax clearance certificate must be attached 2. In the case of a JV valid and original tax clearance of all parties must be attached. 3. Certified copies of Company Registration Certificate reflecting names and identity numbers of active shareholding must be attached, except for sole traders and partnerships 4. In the case of a JV certified copies of Company Registration Certificates reflecting names and identity numbers of active shareholding of all parties must be attached. 5. In case of a JV a copy of a JV agreement. 6. Municipal rates and taxes certificate not older than 90 days or a lease agreement showing who is liable for municipal rates between the lessor or lessee (if the lessee is responsible for municipal rates and taxes certificates not older than 90 days). 7. In the case of a JV municipal rates and taxes certificates not older than 90 days or lease agreement showing who is liable for municipal rates between the lessor or lessee (if the lessee is responsible for municipal rates and taxes certificates not older than 90 days) of all parties must be attached. 8. All supplementary/compulsory forms contained in the bid document must be completed and signed in full. 9. All bidders must be registered in the Centralised Supplier Database (CSD) of National Treasury before closure date. 10. Other requirements are listed in the tender documents.

PLEASE NOTE:

1. Section 217 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa requires an organ of state to contract for goods or services in accordance with a system which is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost effective. 2. No bid(s) will be accepted from a person who is in the service of the state. 3. The following shall not be considered: - (i) Tenders received after the closing date and time determined here-in. (ii) Tenders of which the envelopes have not been duly marked for identification. (iii) Telegraphic, faxed and telephonic tenders or those completed in pencil. 4. The lowest bid/proposal will not necessarily be accepted and the Municipality reserves the right to accept where applicable a part or portion of any bid or where possible accept bids or proposals from multiple bidders OR the Municipality does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender and it reserves the right to accept any tender wholly or partially. 5. Municipal Supply Chain Management Policy and Preferential Procurement Framework Act no 5 of 2000 and its Regulations will be applied (bidders(s) who fails to submit an original or certified copy of a BBBEE certificate will forfeit BBBEE points). 6. Bids that are invalid, non-responsible in terms of Clause 7.2.14 of the Supply Chain Management Policy will be disqualified at the opening of the bids. 7. In the case where the bid valid period is not indicated in the bid document the bid validity period shall be 120 days form the closing date of the bid. The municipality will only communicate the outcome of the bid with the successful bidder.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

All bids should be deposited in the tender box at the Mohokare Local Offices, Hoofd Street, Zastron by not later than 14:00 of the closing date stated above. The envelope must be CLEARLY MARKED: SCM/MOH/19/2019 (Supply and Delivery of Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment): Tenders listed in the National Treasury’s Register of Defaulters will be automatically disqualified.

Mr. S SelepeMunicipal Manager

MANTSOPA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY(Incorporating: Ladybrand, Tweespruit, Excelsior, Hobhouse & Thaba Patchoa)

PUBLIC NOTICE Reference no: Enquiries: Mr K.G MATSEKANEVerwysingsnr: Navrae:Bosupi: Patlisiso: Notice is hereby given that the municipality intends to reallocate the sites in Dipelaneng which were never occupied and remained vacant and or abandoned since 1999, therefore, beneficiaries of the following sites are hereby requested to report in person to the Hobhouse Municipal Office at No.38 Muller Street in Hobhouse within 21 days which is from today, 11 October 2019 until 15 November 2019.

The reporting time is from today, 11 October 2019 until 15 November 2019 between 10h00 until 15h00, the affected open sites are as follows:

6, 90, 91, 97, 98, 127, 141, 142, 148, 188, 189, 202, 203, 227, 236, 238, 266, 279, 311, 325, 564, 594, 675, 678, 638, 639, 654, 701, 743, 744, 762, 775, 782, 791, 474, 540, 832, 335, 849, 872, 879, 903, 909, 914, 920, 921, 923, 937, 945, 946, 985, 1002, 1025, 1044, 1137, 1150, 1206, 1210, 1213, 1219, 1237, 474 and 238

Anyone who fail to claim his/her allocated site within 21 days (not later than 15 November 2019) is hereby notified that the municipality will reallocate the site to the next beneficiary appearing in the Dipelaneng housing waiting list. Beneficiaries are also directed to erect residential structures within 90 days from Tuesday, 15 November 2019, failing which the erven will be reverted back to the municipality to reallocate to the next person in the waiting list.

All enquiries may be directed to Mr Tseliso Potele during office hours in Hobhouse Municipal Offices at No.38 Muller Street in Hobhouse.

ISSUED BY THE MUNICIPAL MANAGER

T.P MASEJANEMUNICIPAL MANAGER

Physical Address: 36 JOUBERT STREET, LADYBRAND, FREE STATE

By: Neo Ntsele

Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) has finally paid its short skills learnership students after a three-month drought of no-pay.

The students got their two months’ stipends on Friday last week and are expected to receive their final amount when their class attendance register is submitted later this month.

CETA initiates skills projects and learnerships aimed at improving and developing South Africa’s human resources, including a construction workforce whose skills are

recognised and valued in terms of the National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF).

It offers a three-month skills development programme for the youth countrywide and now has a short skills programme. The learnership which is being undertaken by youths in Zastron started in July and expected to end between 10 - 15 this month.

The skills training includes painting, occupational health and safety, and construction management.

Nkosi Buyeye a student at the CETA learnership residing in Zastron, expressed his

By: Martin Makoni

The Free State department of health yesterday encouraged the youth to seek help when stressed in order to avoid the risk of complicated mental health problems which could affect their lives in the long term.

Free State head of mental health Nomsa Leshotho says young people are vulnerable to mental health problems and should not take a chance when they are not sure of their condition.

Leshotho said this in an interview with The Weekly yesterday following a street festival held in Batho, Bloemfontein as part of activities to commemorate World Mental Health Day.

“The campaign was aimed at creating awareness and empowering community members on how to improve their mental wellness through exercises and relaxation therapy,” noted Leshotho.

“We were targeting all members of the community during the campaign but we had a special focus on the youth who did some performances. We had an art exhibition and musical activities where people were able to sing and share poetry around mental health. The aim was to strengthen prevention, promotion, early detection, and rehabilitative programs at the community level,” she added.

World Mental Health Day is set aside to

CETA finally pays students

FS urges youths to seek help when depressed

Cosatu back students demand for safetyBy: Ramosidi Matekane

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the Free State has come out in support of demands for more safety raised by students belonging to the Congress of South African students (Cosas) and the South African Student Congress (Sasco) in QwaQwa.

The students marched to the local Phuthaditjhaba police station and presented a memorandum calling on law enforcement agencies to ensure their safety.

Cosatu provincial spokesman Monyatso Mahlatsi said they were fully behind the demand by the students.

“Cosatu Free State supports the march led by SASCO and COSAS to raise awareness on the plight of the students studying in QwaQwa,” noted Mahlatsi.

He added the union also mobilised its members to support the march as it believes students deserve better protection and security.

QwaQwa is home to a number of former teacher training colleges, the University of the Free State branch, Tvet colleges and boarding

schools which cater largely for students from outside of the area and who live in lodges and rented places.

“We believe that the students deserve protection as they study to be able to usher in a new era for our country which would see economic growth and full employment,” said Mahlatsi.

Cosatu also called on its members to take a few hours from their work to join the march, which it deemed important in supporting the students who might become part of the union in future.

Mahlatsi said the union also supported efforts to eradicate gender-based violence, which is spiralling out of control across the country

“We call on the government to protect the citizens who voted it into power by mobilising all resources at their behest to address this national crisis,” he urged.

Meanwhile, Cosatu also announced that its affiliates in the private security industry have rejected employers’ latest wage offer and are set to declare a dispute with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and

Arbitration (CCMA).The nine unions, which are represented in the

national bargaining council, met with employers at the beginning of the month for two days for a compulsory mediation process as per the industry protocol on salary hike negotiations.

The employers had previously offered the unions a mere 1.1% wage hike, which unions rejected outright.

Cosatu said in real terms the hike offered by the employer translated to 23c per hour for Grade C officers – who are the lowest paid category.

A further five percent was later added by the employer as an offer to the workers, but this too was rejected by unions who have vowed to accept nothing less than a salary adjustment to R7 500 for Grade C officers, R8 000 for Grade B and R8500 for Grade A officers.

The federation said unions will now declare a dispute with the CCMA, a move that will get the two parties together to negotiate under the supervision and guidance of the body.

When that fails, said Cosatu, a strike action will be the only viable option for unions. Backing students’ march . . . Cosatu provincial spokesman Monyatso Mahlatsi

promote mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.

It was first celebrated on October 10, 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organisation with members and contacts in more than 150 countries.

In South Africa, October has been declared Mental Health Awareness month with the objective of not only educating the public about mental health, but also to reduce the stigma and discrimination that people with mental illness are often subjected to.

The focus for this year is on suicide prevention with the theme: “40 seconds of action”. Global statistics indicate that every 40 seconds, someone loses their life to suicide.

The theme was crafted to raise awareness of the scale of suicide around the world and the role that people can play to help prevent it.

A study conducted by the SA Stress and Health (SASH) in 2009 indicated the Free State has a prevalence rate of 37.5 percent for mental disorders.

According to the report, about 21.5 percent of the people in the province suffer from anxiety disorders while 14.6 percent had mood disorders. A further 15.5 percent were said to be subjecting themselves to substance abuse.

South Africans are four times more likely to commit suicide compared to the global average.

Overall, the Free State came to the second after the Western Cape which had a prevalence rate of 39.4 percent for all mental disorders.

Media reports have quoted the South African Society of Psychiatrists as saying there is an estimated 18 suicides across the country daily.

The organisation says suicide is preventable, but gaps in South Africa’s public and private healthcare system need to be closed in order to

reduce the risk.An estimated 400 million people worldwide

suffer from mental or neurological disorders or from psychosocial problems. These include disorders related to alcohol and drug abuse.

Like physical disorders mental and brain disorders vary in severity. Some mental health conditions can be defined as transient, or an acute stress disorder while others can be periodic like bipolar disorder, characterised by periods of exaggerated elation followed by periods of depression.

Some people suffer from long lasting and progressive mental conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Other conditions include: schizophrenia, dementia, depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder.

disappointment at the non-payment which went on for almost three months as he said that it did not only taint CETA’s reputation but might also demotivated students from joining the learnership next time.

“Zastron is a poor town and CETA’s skills development project is something that will change our lives for the better. However, the non-payment of stipends demotivated us because it was difficult to attend when you know your toiletries have ran out,” said Buyeye.

He added: “It’s not about money but what made matters worse was the fact that we were told to expect our money in the first month but when the second month went by without receiving any payment some students decided

to stop attending classes.”Another student, Thabo Ramohodi,

expressed his disappointment over the late payment but said that he’s determined to complete the learnership after the last two months’ payment.

When asked by The Weekly the reason for the late payment, CETA acting chief operating officer Innocent Ngezi said it was due to the high number of learners the organisation has to fund countrywide.

“There is a partnership between CETA and UIF to implement short skills programmes as well as learnerships countrywide and it involves a high number of learners. We started with short skills programmes (three months duration) and

learnerships (12 months duration) will start soon. The amount of money for this project is high due to the high number of learners involved and it took time to make sure that payments are made without mistakes,” explained Ngezi.

He noted payment for the first two months will be done at the same time for sites where the invoices for July and August have been submitted.

“The payment for September will follow when all the attendance registers have been sent and analysed,” he added.

Students are expected to receive their last payment based on their class attendance as stated in their contracts with CETA.

News8 The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019

I have raped 29 women, girls since 2010, suspect tells court

Hawks raid former mayor Gumede’s plush Durban homeMembers of the police’s special investigating unit, the Hawks descended on the plush Durban North property of former eThekwini Mayor, Zandile Gumede yesterday to seize assets related to a dodgy R208 million tender within the Durban Solid Waste (DSW) department that she is facing corruption charges against.

The properties of two other people connected to the tender were also raided by the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Agency’s Asset Forfeiture Unit where sports cars and other assets were taken.

Gumede was not at the Illchester Avenue property in Durban North when the police arrived. Attempts were being made to reach her to serve her with a notice to attach her assets.

Gumede, who was recently relieved of her mayoral position by the ANC is currently in facing fraud, corruption and racketeering charges, along with nine other people in the Durban Commercial Crime Court.

The charges stem from an investigation by the Hawk’s National Clean Audit Task Team (NCATT) investigation at the eThekwini

Municipality that also saw DSW deputy head, Robert Abbu and the city’s supply chain manager, Sandile Ngcobo arrested in relation to the tender.

The other suspects in the matter are, Hlenga Sibisi, 43, Mzwandile Dludla, 24, Sinthamone Ponnan, 55, Sithulele Mkhize, 38, Bongani Dlomo, 53, and Prabagaram Pariah, 61.

According to reports the Hawks had launched the investigation into Gumede following a forensic investigation into the awarding of a contract to hire and clean chemical toilets.

A forensic report, compiled by Integrity Forensic Solutions which had been commissioned by the council’s own City Integrity and Investigations Unit, found that Gumede, Mthembu, and three officials orchestrated a tender scam which saw eThekwini pay R25 million to hire and clean chemical toilets for six months. The same council had previously paid R3 million to hire the same toilets for three years.

The report found that Mthembu, Gumede and three other officials had a hand in the scam.

Gumede has vehemently denied the allegations. -Daily News

Cape Town to sign deal with Russian ‘sister’

Normal rainy season expected in FS

I’m best candidate to lead DA: Trollip

By: Martin Makoni

The Free State could receive normal rains by the end of this month to early November as long term projections point to a good rainy season for the province, the South African Weather Service says.

Weather forecaster Tonie Rossouw told The Weekly in a telephone interview yesterday that it’s not really unusual that the province has experienced a dry start to the summer season as this was indicated in the long term forecast for the province.

He said there is also possibility of above normal rains in the province in the second half of December, going into the latter part of the rainy season next year.

“Yes, we have had a dry start to the summer season but the rains are coming,” said Rossouw from the Bloemfontein weather office at the

Bram Fischer International Airport.“We should expect normal rains at the end of

October into November. That should be enough rains to allow farmers to put crops in the ground. The long term forecast is looking quite good,” he added.

Rossouw was however quick to warn that the province could experience very high temperatures midsummer, going into the second half. Temperatures could shoot rise up to 37-38 degrees celsius around December.

“The province could experience some heatwaves this summer but the potential for rain remains quite high. It should be a good season for the farmers but the initial rains won’t be enough to fill up the dams. We can only expect more rains in the second half of the season,” he said.

According to Rossouw, the north eastern

parts of the province should be the first ones to receive the rains going at the end of this month before the central and western Free State get rains around November.

“There should be rain in all parts of the province, starting with the eastern parts. As for the rest of the county, the forecast is also good. The Western Cape should get above normal rains. But the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape will remain dry in the first half of the rainy season. They receive most of their rains in the second half of the season.

“I know farmers in those areas are already struggling with their livestock because there is no grass. The farmers there need help because the situation is likely to remain the same until the second half of the season. We hope things change in those areas because the weather can change anytime,” noted Rossouw.

DA heavyweight Athol Trollip has upped the ante as the race for the party’s second-in-command heats up, saying he is the right man to root out factionalism and ill-discipline within its ranks. 

Trollip, his former party leader Helen Zille, deputy chairperson Thomas Walters and deputy chief whip Mike Waters are vying for the powerful position of federal council chairperson, which will be vacated by the outgoing James Selfe.

Although the four names are in the hat, the contest is fast shaping up as a two-horse race between Zille and Trollip.

The bullish Trollip on Tuesday announced he had made himself available because of his “great affection for this party” and his belief that the DA “represents the only realistic alternative to the failing ANC”.

“The challenges the DA is facing are centred on factional interpretation of what we are trying to achieve, which is ‘one SA for all’ based on ‘freedom, fairness, opportunity and diversity’. Factionalism occurs when there is weak leadership and ill-discipline. I believe I can strengthen both,” the DA federal chairperson said.

With calls mounting for embattled DA leader Mmusi Maimane to step down, Trollip - a strong ally of Maimane - said that was just politics.

“The tallest trees always collect the most

wind. However, I draw the line at personal attacks and faceless attacks in the media - it’s simply cowardly and reprehensible.

“Mmusi Maimane was elected at a DA congress and he will have to be replaced at a congress if a majority of party delegates want that. No group of individuals will remove a DA leader through the media. That would be chaos and we are not a party of chaos,” he said.

Trollip indicated he was confident of getting enough votes when Selfe’s successor was elected next Friday. “I fancy my chances against Zille. There’s a Greek saying that one shouldn’t step in the same river twice. She resigned as leader of her own volition and handed over. There’s a time to come and a time to go and she’s had both.”

But Zille, who is on record saying she helped grow the so-called black vote in the DA, said she was contesting “because I have the experience, skills, institutional knowledge and capabilities to unify and stabilise the DA as we approach the crucial local elections of 2021”.

She noted, “I have been a unifier and consolidator for the DA before, in highly complex and divisive situations, and managed to stabilise the situation in the interests of the party.”

While most of the media attention has been on Zille and Trollip, Walters and Waters have been quietly campaigning for what would be

seen as a surprise should either of them get the thumbs-up.

For Waters, the party’s liberalism is key to regaining lost electoral ground.

Asked if he thought the DA needed a new leader, Waters said: “We need a new direction. If we reconnect with the voters though our classical liberal values we can, I believe, turn the party around and ensure growth at the ballot box.”

So what makes Waters the perfect candidate for the key position?

“The general election results as well as the subsequent by-election results clearly indicate that there is a disconnect between the party and the voters. It cannot be that since the May general election we have lost one third of all the seats we were defending.

“Clearly, something has to change. We need to go back to our core classical liberal principles of non-racialism. We need to drop racist policies such as BEE, which only benefit a very small number of people while millions are in abject poverty. We need to become the party of opportunities and aspiration,” he added.

Walters declined to comment. “I do not campaign in the media but towards delegates. I look forward to a good contest with three great candidates, colleagues and human beings.”

Cape Town mayor Dan Plato is heading to St Petersburg in November, expecting to return from Russia with love.

Plato’s three-day trip to the frozen north - St Petersburg’s lowest recorded November temperature is -22°C, and the average for the month is 2°C - will include the signing of a sister-city agreement with Cape Town.

He hopes the R165,000 trip will boost culture, investment, tourism and the film industry in both cities.

Cape Town and Russia’s second city have been “sisters” since 2001 but “relations have become dormant in the past few years”, said a report to the mayoral committee.

Plato’s trip, with Albert Ntsodo, chair of the city council economic opportunities committee, is intended to revitalise it.

The politicians will be accompanied by officials from Cape Town Tourism and Wesgro, the provincial trade and tourism promotion agency.

Marina Reyskens, of the city manager’s office, told mayoral committee members one of the main areas of discussion between Plato and his counterpart, St Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov, would be cultural exchanges.

“Specifically they will discuss how Cape Town could help in hosting the world-renowned St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Cape Town ... and the potential hosting of the Cape

Town Philharmonic Orchestra in St Petersburg in the near future,” said Reyskens.

St Petersburg, on the Gulf of Finland, has three cargo ports, a cruise liner port and shipbuilding yards, said Reyskens, and “valuable lessons and insights” would be exchanged at talks with the St Petersburg Port Company.

The mayor would meet potential investors in sectors including oil and gas, construction, shipbuilding, technology, pharmaceuticals and textiles.

The mayoral committee heard that Plato’s business class flight will cost R65,000, while Ntsodo is flying economy for R19,000. -Timeslive

Weak leadership costly . . . Athol Trollip

A 33-year-old man charged with the rapes of no less than 60 women and girls - the youngest three 12-year-old girls - has pleaded guilty to raping 29 of his victims.

Plea proceedings and the charge sheet read out against Bongani Given Thulani Lucky Masuku on Wednesday at the North Gauteng High Court, sitting at the Benoni Magistrate’s Court, revealed a dark tale of a home burglar and serial rapist who was part of a gang that targeted homes around Soshanguve in Pretoria, as well as Winterveld, Itsoseng and Ikageng in North West.

After forcing entry into homes, members of the gang would take turns raping the youngest women or girls while assaulting, shooting and robbing other relatives.

Masuku’s crime spree started in 2010 and ended last year when he was caught in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria.

The Star understands that some of Masuku’s accomplices were nabbed and jailed, while he evaded police and continued terrorising communities.

He cut a lonely figure in court on Wednesday, where he opted to admit to the crimes he

remembered committing.Masuku listened attentively and sought

clarity about some of the crimes he was charged with. At one point, he asked why the charge sheet did not entail addresses of where he allegedly committed the crimes.

After it was explained to him that some of them were committed in open spaces, he seemed to recall and pleaded guilty.

Proceedings were expected to continue yesterday as the 126 counts detailed in a 68-page charge sheet against Masuku were just too many for the court to go through in one day. He was expected to plead to more rapes, aggravated assaults and attempted murders.

Masuku also faces a count of murdering an off-duty policeman in January 2018. The policeman was walking home with a woman when he was shot and left to die in a veld, while the woman was raped.

Police arrested Masuku after a tip-off that he had been spotted in Atteridgeville. They had been looking for him since 2015, after his accomplices were brought to book. -Star

Ramaphosa sets up new councils to fire up economyPresident Cyril Ramaphosa used the first sitting of his presidential economic advisory council to announce that he will soon be appointing two more councils - one on investment and another on state-owned entities.

On Wednesday, Ramaphosa met with the 18-member panel at his Tuynhuys offices in Cape Town.

In his opening remarks, the President said he hoped the economic advisory council would direct its efforts towards practical solutions to the complex and pressing challenges facing the economy.

“Our economy has lost its competitiveness, ranking 82nd among 190 countries in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index. Business confidence has reached historic lows,” said Ramaphosa.

He did not detail what the function of the investment advisory and SOE councils would be, or whether it would be different to the investment envoys he appointed.

Ramaphosa also detailed some of the focus areas and interventions that his administration has embarked on.

“Our work towards an effective visa regime for tourism and high-skill immigration is underway,” he said, citing the abolishment of the law calling for  unabridged birth certificates of children travelling to South Africa, visa waivers, the simplification of visa requirements for countries such as China and India, as well as the piloting of the e-visa system.

On spectrum release, Ramaphosa noted regulator Icasa had begun the process to license this spectrum.

On youth unemployment, he said he has set up a project management office in the presidency to coordinate an integrated and comprehensive youth employment strategy.

“Engagement with organised business on the Ease of Doing Business Roadmap has begun,” Ramaphosa told the advisory council.

“Invest SA has commenced work to improve key indicators, such as starting a business, registering property, dealing with construction permits, paying taxes and trading across borders,” he added.

New advisory councils . . . President Cyril Ramaphosa

Revitalising relations . . . Mayor Dan Plato

Ramaphosa said cabinet was discussing the Integrated Resource Plan, which deals with government’s energy strategy and policy, and will be soon be released.

Cabinet will also soon hear a paper detailing government’s approach towards power-utility Eskom.

“This is a very important exercise because it consolidates all the work by Eskom’s board and management, government departments and the various task teams advising government to turn around our electricity entity and to reform energy markets,” said Ramaphosa, adding that it will help bring Eskom to financial and operational stability.

The South African Investment Conference, expected to take place in November, will hear updates on the department of trade, industry and competition’s effort to develop industrial strategy masterplans, as well as a planned Infrastructure Fund.

“Much work is being done to improve confidence and regain credibility and trust by implementing those reforms that already enjoy support and have been under discussion for some time,” added Ramaphosa. -Timeslive

News 911 - 17 October 2019 The Weekly - Free State Province

Joburg mayor slams IRRJohannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has slammed the Institute for Race Relations (IRR), saying it has a “racist strategy” and it admires “the evil apartheid past”.

This after the institute called for South Africans to pressure the DA to “expel racist leaders, stamp out corruption, stop race-based policies, break off its alliance with the EFF, and appoint good leaders”.

In a series of tweets, Mashaba said the “DA has been hijacked by a far right-wing organisation”.

He said the IRR statement was “extremely concerning” and it suggested that the DA “should not associate with other blacks organisations”.

Mashaba also accused the IRR of damaging the party and DA leader Mmusi

Maimane’s leadership.In response to Mashaba tweets, IRR’s

spokesperson Michael Morris said Mashaba was “misguided”. 

“Herman Mashaba is misguided in thinking that the IRR’s long-standing argument for non-racialism is motivated by racist impulses.

“On the contrary, the IRR has invested considerable resources over a long period in crafting alternative measures to replace existing ineffective (race-based) empowerment policy,” Morris told TimesLIVE.

Morris noted the resources were crafted with a view to “overcome the disadvantages millions of poor South Africans are still burdened”. 

“Our view is that SA’s success hinges on the

Duduzane serves state with letter of demandFresh from stating his side of the story before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, Duduzane Zuma has served the state with a letter of demand with summons set to follow. 

Appearing at the commission, Zuma Jnr denied allegations that he was corrupt.

Zuma Jnr, who now spends most of his time in Dubai after suffering perceived political persecution in the country, has already served court papers to the state for two malicious prosecution. 

According to his attorney, Rudi Krause, an experienced litigator specialising in criminal law, general litigation and asset forfeiture at BDK Attorneys in Johannesburg, Zuma has already served a letter of demand to the state and the next step would be determining the amount they want as compensation from the state.

The two letters pertain to his arrest in July last year when he landed at OR Tambo International Airport to bury his late brother, Vusi Zuma. At that time he was arrested for alleged corruption after former deputy finance minister, Mcebisi Jonas, claimed that he and the Guptas offered him a bribe of R600 million for the finance minister job at Treasury. 

His arrest sparked an uproar when he was dragged to court in iron chains to

his hands and feet. Unable to prosecute Zuma Jnr, in January

this year the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) provisionally withdrew the charges saying it wanted Jonas to first appear before the Zondo commission.  

And in the second case, Zuma Jnr was tried for culpable homicide for a February 2014 car accident where Zimbabwean national Phumzile Dube died. 

However, in July this year, the Randburg Magistrates Court acquitted him, with Magistrate Tebogo Thupaatlase saying one of the witnesses of the state was unreliable and saying the state failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. 

Speaking to Independent Media on Tuesday, Krause said:  “We have already served a letter of demand and we will issue summons in due course.”

He added that the next step would be to determine the damages payable to Zuma Jnr “in the next 2-3 days”.  

Speaking at the commission, Zuma Jnr said he would be taking legal action against the state.

He said he felt aggrieved by the ordeal, telling Zondo he would most definitely take legal action for his wrongful arrest.

“The reason for that is, as you found out on the charge sheet there has not been a complaint,

I’m going nowhere, says Maimane

Taking on the state . . . Duduzane Zuma

Unfazed . . . Mmusi Maimane during his visit to Komani

Confident, calm and seemingly unfazed by the calls for him to step down, embattled DA leader Mmusi Maimane on Monday said he would not resign as he had been elected by delegates at an elective congress - and not by individuals.

In arguably his toughest week at the helm of the official opposition, Maimane seemed focused when he embarked on an oversight visit in Komani.

There have been growing calls for him to resign following the party’s poor showing at the general and provincial elections, with former leader Tony Leon reportedly one of the party leaders who have asked Maimane to step down.

Maimane told  DispatchLIVE  that no particular individual selected a leader or deselected a leader in the DA.

“It is the congress that elects leadership. It is the congress of the people of the DA who are committed to the vision of SA for all, who elect leaders.

“There I sit in the organisation where delegates and citizens, who are committed to

that vision, are working towards it,” he noted.DA members braved rainy weather to go

with Maimane on his visit to Louis Rex Primary School in New Rest township and Joe Slovo informal settlement.

Pressed by journalists, he said the upcoming DA council meeting was not an elective congress.

“We are going to be electing the executive chair of federal council, a leader who is going to work for that vision of delivering a SA for all, which must ensure that the DA continues to be diverse and entrenched in communities such as these ones,” explained Maimane.

He said no single individual, whatever their view, was able to take a stance to remove him.

“I stand strong in implementing the resolution of the congress. It was that congress that gave us a mandate and we are going forward,” he added.

Responding to a question on whether Helen Zille contesting for the post of federal chairperson was an attempt by some in the party to improve declining membership and poor performance at the polls, he replied that there

were four candidates for the position, including Zille and federal chair Athol Trollip.

“As the DA, we are giving people chances to stand. But my focus is not on who contests. It is on building the organisation. No one is going to be special. Our vision is to build the organisation. You will see in this congress the DA is going to come out of it with one view,” he said.

Maimane said the DA would discuss the issues raised by the people of Joe Slovo and the principal of Louis Rex in both provincial and national parliaments.

The DA leader also met Twizza owner Ken Clark, who raised water and service delivery issues facing the municipality.

Joe Slovo resident Boniswa Nelani came to Maimane’s defence, calling on those who wanted him removed to let him finish his term.

“We are happy with the work he has done and we hope they will allow him to finish his term,” she said adding they would remove him when they felt that he was not doing his job.

“Maimane deserves more.” -DispatchLIVE

freedom and prosperity of all South Africans, but will elude us so long as lingering disadvantage remains unaddressed.

“Our proposals focus directly on disadvantage wherever it occurs, rather than on race,” he said.

Mashaba’s response comes after the IRR suggested last week that the DA should replace Maimane with a white candidate.

TimesLIVE reported  that DA members, including John Steenhuisen to Phumzile van Damme, lashed out at the institute, saying it should consider forming its own political party or join the DA.

“The DA has noted the obsessive preoccupation that the IRR seems to have with the DA’s internal political and ideological conversations.

“This preoccupation has been increasing over the course of the past year or two,” the party said. -Timelives

so in my limited knowledge of how things work it is as if there’s no complaint, there’s no charge. So, someone has to explain exactly what’s going on,” he added. -IOL

ANC activist Nombewu dies

Election no guarantee for government job: KZN ANC

ANC activist Priscilla Nombewu passed away at age 89 last week at the 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria.

She was an activist from the Eastern Cape, who was a member of the party’s underground struggle following its banning by the apartheid government, and was instrumental in the hiding of arms, ammunition and guerillas.

The stalwart of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) is perhaps best known for her involvement in a 1956 march for women’s rights, at which the phrase “Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo” (“You strike a woman, you strike a rock”) was popularised.

On August 9 1956, over 20,000 women of all races marched in unison to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to hand over a petition to apartheid prime minister Hans Strijdom.

Other actions she participated in the Ciskei

bus boycott of 1983, the resistance to the GJ Koornhof forced removal bills, and the formation of the Release Nelson Mandela campaign.

Nombewu was secretary of the ANC’s consumer boycott structure as well the first general secretary of the National Women’s Associations’ Border Region, which later became the East London Women’s Associations. She was its first general secretary.

Two of her three children became members of Umkhonto weSizwe and joined the armed struggle in exile – the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF) Brigadier-Generak Siseko Nombewu and Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality councillor Mkhuseli Nombewu.

A memorial service for Nombewu will take place tomorrow at the Nondlwana Methodist Church in Mdantsane, NU 8, near East London in the Eastern Cape. -Citizen

The  African National Congress (ANC)  in KwaZulu-Natal has told its members that being elected to the party›s regional structures does not guarantee a spot in the provincial government.

This comes as the party in the province finalises plans for conferences in four regions, including the country’s biggest region in eThekwini.

Eyewitness News  has learned that former eThekwini Mayor  Zandile Gumede  wanted to make a comeback as the party’s eThekwini chairperson.

It’s being reported that Gumede’s supporters want her elected as ANC eThekwini regional chairperson so that she could be deployed to the

provincial legislature.But the party’s provincial secretary,

Mdumiseni Ntuli, said this was not always the case: “We would like to discourage comrades who, in one way or the other, believe that there is going to be a direct relationship between the outcome of the national conference and the position of the leadership in the municipality. That is not going to happen.”

Ntuli noted the ANC in the province wanted to hold elective conferences in eThekwini and three other regions by December, but the final dates would be confirmed once discussions had concluded with Luthuli House. -EWN

Case politically motivated . . . Dudu Myeni

Former SAA board chairperson, Dudu Myeni, says her ongoing court case was politically motivated. 

Speaking exclusively to Independent Media on Tuesday, Myeni said that while she respects the fact that her matter is before a court of law, she feels aggrieved that she was being targeted. 

Myeni was responding after she failed to show up at the Pretoria High Court where she has been dragged by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse and the SAA Pilots’ Association (SAAPA), who want her to be declared a delinquent director, thus effectively preventing her from being a director in any company.

Firing back, Myeni said her proximity to former president Jacob Zuma was the reason why she was being persecuted. 

“This is political. The only reason I’m being targeted is that I’m the chairperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation. My suspicion is that I’m attacked because of my proximity to President Zuma,” she claimed.

Taking aim at SAA, which she wants to fund

her legal bill using an insurance it has for its directors, Myeni said their behaviour was raising questions.

She used the case of Khaya Nqula, a former SAA chief executive who left the airline under a cloud in 2009 and alleged the struggling airlines company funded his legal battles. 

“Khaya Nqula had a case and SAA paid his fees, they are refusing to pay mine. Why?” Myeni asked. 

A combative Myeni said she reported the alleged corruption at SAA to parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (SCOPA).

“I would have expected that all chairpersons to be called because SAA losses are historical. 

“Why do they not call the boards, the ministers and the executive?... This matter is before a judge so I don’t want to make pronouncements. But I reported SAA corruption to SCOPA. I have my own suspicious on why they want me to charge me.” 

-IOL

I am being targeted: Myeni

News10 The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019

Prasa incurs R26bn in irregular expenditureAuditor-general Kimi Makwetu has detailed the extent of the rot at the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), finding that the troubled state-owned company has incurred R26bn in irregular expenditure.

The situation is so dire that minutes of board meetings were not adequately recorded, in contravention of the Companies Act.

Doubts also remain about Prasa’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Prasa, which is responsible for delivering rail services, a key ingredient to boost productivity and stimulate economic growth, has over the years been engulfed in allegations of corruption and mismanagement. This as the country’s rail services continue to flounder, with Cape Town rail lines being the hardest hit.

In Prasa’s delayed 2018/2019 annual report tabled in parliament on Tuesday, the auditor-general slapped the state-owned company with a disclaimer - the worst possible audit outcome. It received a qualified audit opinion in the prior year.

Annual reports should be tabled in parliament by September 30 in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act.

In a letter tabled in parliament on Tuesday, transport minister Fikile Mbalula said the Prasa annual general meeting concluded with the adoption of the annual report on September 26, and the auditor-general requested three days

to read and finalise the report before tabling it in parliament.

The report only reached the ministry office at end of business on September 30 “which was late in terms of submission”, Mbalula said.

In the annual report Makwetu said Prasa did not maintain complete governance records, including minutes of meetings of the board, its subcommittees and executive committee. This, he said, has had a negative effect across the audit as resolutions and other decisions taken could not be confirmed.

“The lack of governance records … is a matter of significant concern and requires urgent intervention,” Makwetu noted.

Minutes provide evidence that directors have met their statutory and regulatory obligations. It is therefore important that the minutes of board meetings are drafted in such a way as to demonstrate that the board members have observed their responsibilities to the company and complied with their legal and regulatory duties, Chartered Secretaries Southern Africa says.

Makwetu said the financial statements contained a significant number of material misstatements resulting in a disclaimer of opinion being expressed. This was despite an external consultant being engaged to compile the statements.

The group did not have an adequate system

for identifying and disclosing all irregular expenditure and there were no satisfactory alternative procedures that could allow the auditor-general to obtain reasonable assurance that all such expenditure had been properly recorded.

He was thus unable to determine the full extent of the adjustment necessary to the balance of irregular expenditure stated at R26.2bn (R23.4bn in 2018).

Makwetu also said he was unable to determine the full extent of the adjustment necessary to the balance of fruitless and wasteful expenditure, stated at R333m. The figure stood at R1bn in 2018.

In the annual report, board chair Khanyisile Kweyama said the board had put in controls to stabilise the organisation and had taken remedial action, including disciplinary action, against those found to have flouted corporate governance regulations. It had also instituted civil litigation and criminal proceedings to recover monies lost by Prasa due to irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure and the awarding of unlawful contracts.

Kweyama indicated Prasa still faces a huge cash shortfall on its operational expenditure budget, which has accumulated over several years, caused by rising operational costs, declining revenues and a stagnant operational subsidy.

Total revenue was R13.7bn at the end of the financial year, compared with total expenses of R15.5bn.

The government subsidy has been increasing according to the inflation rate, while the group’s own revenue has been declining due to the lack of maintenance, vandalism and theft of assets, Kweyama said. -Businesslive

Old Mutual has made an impassioned plea to the high court, saying the potential imprisonment of board members – if they are found guilty of contempt of court for not allowing ousted CEO Peter Moyo to return to work – would be “excessive and inappropriate”.

Old Mutual was responding to Moyo’s application at the high court in Johannesburg to declare the insurance group’s 13-member board to be in contempt of court for blocking him from returning to his office three times.

Moyo has been prevented from resuming his duties as CEO despite the court ordering twice that he should be temporarily reinstated as CEO since his firing on June 18, following a “breakdown of trust” between him and the board, chaired by Trevor Manuel.

In court papers dated Tuesday, Old Mutual’s head of legal Craig McLeod says the imprisonment of the insurance group’s non-executive directors (or board members) would be an “inappropriately harsh punishment and certainly not warranted”.

In August, Moyo asked the high court to censure the conduct of Old Mutual board members by declaring them to be in contempt of court because they “failed” to comply with a court order that reinstated him as CEO. A contempt of court offence relates to being disobedient or disrespectful towards a court of law regarding its judgments/orders.

If the high court finds members of Old Mutual’s board to be in contempt of court, they might face hefty fines or imprisonment. Moyo is pushing for the latter, saying board members need to argue in court why they should not be committed to imprisonment for six months or a period determined by the court.

McLeod argues that the insurance group’s directors have “at all relevant times” handled the axing of Moyo in a manner that they believe is “in good faith” and “in the best interest of Old Mutual”.

He adds that Old Mutual board members have not acted in their personal capacities but rather discharged their fiduciary duties as directors – thus their imprisonment, which is a personal sanction, would not be appropriate.

A more appropriate sanction, if board members are found guilty of contempt of court, would be, among other things, a suspended sentence, a fine or a warning.

“It is respectfully submitted that if the court finds that the respondents [Old Mutual board members] have acted in contempt of court, then, in the circumstances of this matter, remedies of this nature would be adequate,” McLeod says in the court papers.

But Moyo believes the “failure” by Old Mutual to reinstate him “amounts to self-help, anarchy, and unlawfulness”.

“The Old Mutual board was not permitted to ignore and fail to implement a court order simply because it does not agree therewith or because it is uncomfortable with such implication,” Moyo recently said in his contempt of court application.

He noted Old Mutual’s conduct in opting to “willy-nilly ignore a court order” undermines the dignity of the court and contravenes section 167 (5) of the constitution, which provides that “an order or decision by a court binds all persons to whom it applies”.

Moyo is also vexed that Old Mutual fired him again - issuing him with a second notice on August 21 that terminated his employment contract with the insurance group. The first

termination notice was given to him on June 17.Moyo contended his second firing is another

count of contempt of court.However, McLeod says Moyo’s employment

contract was lawfully terminated by the second notice “in a manner permissible in law” as it was “logically and legally” distinct from the first termination notice.

The difference in the second notice, he says, was that the notice stated that his continued employment relationship with Old Mutual was “untenable” since Moyo sued the insurance group for unfair dismissal and won.

“The directors had reached the conclusion, in the course of the litigation that ensued following the giving of the first notice of termination, that irrespective of the outcome of that litigation, a continued employment relationship with Mr Moyo had become untenable and that, consequently, it was in the best interest of the company to give further notice to terminate his employment,” says McLeod in the court papers.

Old Mutual reiterated that Moyo is still not allowed to return to his office even though he “may be obliged to tender his services”.

This is because Moyo has been paid R4 million by Old Mutual for his six months’ notice, and in doing so, the insurance group believes it discharged its primary obligations to him after terminating his employment contract.

“He has accepted the payment and has not tendered to reimburse Old Mutual. He cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time,” the company said.

The contempt of court hearing is expected to be heard in November. -Citizen

Pleading for leniency . . . Old Mutual board chairperson Trevor Manuel

Old Mutual pleads for board members not to be jailed

Mantashe reassures coal producers on IRP

School violence is a huge concern, basic education minister Angie Motshekga told parliament on Tuesday.

Motshekga, speaking at a joint sitting of the portfolio committees on basic education and police, said there was a particular concern around bullying.

“Bullying remains a major challenge as it most often occurs in the classroom, generally in the absence of a teacher. The rate of bullying is high in terms of international standards, and poorly managed schools tend to have more incidents of violence,” she noted.

The joint sitting was aimed at tabling reports to the two commissions on the measures taken to address the safety of pupils and teachers in schools. 

“Studies have shown that where communities take ownership of their schools, the rate of violence is low. School violence most often occurs on school premises, but it also takes place on the way to and from schools. Bullying is increasingly taking place online and with the use of mobile devices,” the minister said.

Just this week, two fatal incidents were reported at South African schools - one in Sebokeng on Monday, and another in Mossel Bay on Tuesday.

Dr Granville Whittle, deputy director-general at the basic education department, told parliament the national school safety framework remained their primary strategic response to school violence.

“It is based on a social ecological systems model, which locates the school within its broader community. It relies on collaboration and partnership. South Africa joined the Safe to Learn global campaign to end violence in schools, in partnership with Unesco and Unicef,” he said.

The education department indicated its partnership with the departments of justice and social development ensured improved vetting of teachers and other staff, and the establishment of a national school safety steering committee with related government departments and social partners to better coordinate safety interventions.

“In collaboration, the department has also embarked on interventions aimed at addressing hotspots for most-at-risk schools. Some of the measures include improving the built environment, such as considering learner safety when planning school infrastructure, as well as the closure of taverns and liquor outlets close to schools, in partnership with the department of trade and industry, SAPS and the South African Local Government Association,” the department said.

It pointed out learner support agents (LSAs) would be provided at all hotspot schools, along with the provision of counselling services to victims and perpetrators of violence and abuse.

Motshekga said community involvement was critical and parents needed to play their part and support schools.

“Our main problem is learner on learner violence, which is taking place inside the classroom, so the issue of security guards and the police are welcome. But the key challenge is what learners do to each other,” she added.

The department said it would also implement specific programmes for boys, without neglecting the efforts to address the continued vulnerability of girls and improve access to sports, arts and culture and other extra-mural activities.

The police said school-based crime prevention would be intensified and the collaborative agreement with the department of basic education would be revised to make it more effective. -Timeslive

School violence a huge concern, says minister

Concerned . . . Minister Angie Motshekga

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has assured coal producers that the government would accommodate them when it adopts the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for cost-effective and clean energy supply.

Mantashe told the Windaba 2019 annual conference in Cape Town on Tuesday the promulgation of the updated IRP was imminent. 

He reiterated that the IRP underscored South Africa’s continued commitment to invest in renewable energy as part of the energy mix to connect 20GW of renewable power to the grid by 2030.

“There is no reason for the sector to go to war for space. Space is created in the IRP,” Mantashe said.

“Our energy policy is premised on an energy mix as diverse as coal and wind, among others. Coal, imported hydro, nuclear, wind, solar, biomass, storage and energy efficiency are the technology options that have been weighed on their respective merits.  “We must disabuse ourselves of the polemic to pit renewables against coal and nuclear, and vice versa. We should exploit our vast coal deposits through technological innovation,” he noted.

Last week, Mantashe met with coal firms that supply Eskom to reduce coal prices in a bid to lower energy costs and boost the mining sector.

Mantashe and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan have also asked independent power producers (IPPs) to drop electricity tariffs.

Eskom has been paying R2.02 for the weighted average tariff per kilowatt-hour IPPs in the first round of contracts, but selling the same units for 90 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The latest IRP draft made a provision for 9 980MW of wind energy and 7 474MW of solar PV, which makes up a total of over 17.5GW of new capacity of renewable power by 2030.

Mantashe also assured the wind energy market that it was part of the solution.

He said since the inception of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (Reipppp), the government had successfully increased the contribution of clean energy from 0 percent in 2010 to more than 4.5 percent within five years. The Reipppp programme has procured 3 366MW from 36 independent wind power producers between 2011 and March this year.

“The introduction of wind and other renewable energy technologies offers an exciting prospect for the development of our energy-starved rural areas. Isolated communities, where the deployment of grid infrastructure is difficult and costly, can be electrified,” he added.

“Grid security can also be improved simply by diversifying the generation points through smaller generators spread across the South African landscape.”

South African Wind Energy Association chief executive, Ntombifuthi Ntuli, said a strong political will had been a crucial ingredient in the achievements in the wind energy generation.

“Besides strengthening our overall energy security, the South African wind energy sector has attracted R80.6 billion worth of investments since 2011, of which foreign direct investment accounted for R13.2bn,” Ntuli said.

“The value of the leadership demonstrated by the government at the moment cannot be understated - it is directly driving the return of investor confidence.” -BusinessReport

NEWS11 The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019

CCONVERSATIONS

TO ACTRESS ACCUSES FERGUSON FILMS OF

EXPLOITATION

PAGE 12

PAGE 16

ACTRESS JAXA BUBBLES IN NEW LOVE

PAGE 12

ONE ON ONE WITH DR VUYO MAHLATSI

REMEMBERING SA’S FALLEN WORLD WAR II HEROES

Mothers ‘stigmatised’ because HIV status recorded on baby health cardsMothers whose children’s HIV status is disclosed in their Road to Health Booklets see it as a violation of their privacy and their right to dignity, respect and freedom.

HIV-positive mother of a two-year-old, Thandi Zondo* says she finds the practice unconstitutional.

“What is being done is disturbing because if you are not prepared to disclose your status, you shouldn’t be exposed like this.”

Zondo says it’s the reason most mothers, such as herself, are not comfortable sharing their children’s health cards even though they are needed in creches and by Home Affairs.

“I do believe that a child’s card has to be confidential; it has to be between the mother and a health worker. But sometimes that isn’t happening. You can’t always be there to take your child for immunisation, especially if you’re a working mother.”

Health workers give this free booklet to every mother after they’ve given birth in both public and private health facilities. It contains an infant’s health information, including immunisations and the health of the baby at every clinic visit. In many public

schools, parents are requested to produce their children’s health booklet when registering them for the first time.

Jabu Mwelase* says: “I thought it was only my son’s card, a mistake done by the hospital, but when I did the research I found out this is done in all hospitals and clinics. They tick the HIV positive box purposely.”

When she asked a nurse about it, she was told it was for the sake of the child’s health.

“I find it difficult to send my nanny to a clinic with this booklet because my status is revealed so it isn’t private anymore,” she adds.

When her son is due for his immunisation, Mwelase takes a day’s leave from work so she can take him to the clinic herself.

“I wish the Department of Health could find another way of writing kids’ clinic cards because we’re not all ready to reveal our HIV status yet.”

Sindi Mhlongo* says even though she is HIV negative, she has seen many mothers’ cards indicating their status. Mhlongo says women at the clinic would borrow one another’s’ cards intentionally to see if the HIV positive box was ticked or not.

“I think the National Department of Health is being ignorant about this and it has been happening for years, but nothing is being done, there is no confidentiality anymore,” says Mhlongo.

The National Department of Health Child, Youth and School Health acting chief director Dr Lesley Bamford says they have received a small number of complaints in the past about this issue. However HIV status remains an important cause of death in young children, she says.

According to Bamford, in order to provide appropriate healthcare for children in South Africa, the healthcare worker needs to know which children are HIV positive so that these children can get the services that they need.

About the mother’s status, she says:“The information recorded on the card

is included so that the child can receive treatment that is required to ensure that the child does not [get] HIV. We regard this as part of the process of normalising HIV infection. So one is balancing the mother’s right to privacy and the child’s right to receive the care that they need.”

Bamford says all records written on the

card are confidential between the child’s parents and a healthcare worker, but this hasn’t stopped some institutions from asking for the card as part of application processes.

“We have worked closely with the Department of Home Affairs to ensure that the Road To Health Booklet is not required for any official purposes, which is the official policy, although there may be cases where officials don’t follow the policy correctly.”

Proof of immunisation is also required at school entry, but Bamford says they should only get a copy of the immunisation page, not the entire booklet.

Public health nurse and HIV specialist Siboniso Nene says the aim to record statuses on the clinic card is for the continuation of care, which is good, but may have adverse implications.

“Currently as a country, we have failed to destigmatise HIV. We should not have these problems if HIV is treated as a social chronic disease.

“The department should relook at it and come with cards that protect the status of both parents and child since we still have HIV stigma and discrimination in our society.” -Health-e News

A lot of our young people, when they talk about ‘we still live under apartheid’ - it’s nonsense. Young people go to school, go to university

- their parents go to work and come home, they’re not arrested under the pass laws,” said struggle stalwart Denis Goldberg on Sunday in Cape Town.

At an introduction to an exhibition titled Forgotten Liberators, he said young people needed to understand their history, the history of South Africa and where we find ourselves in a political climate of hatred and intolerance.

The exhibition was brought to South Africa by the Denis Goldberg Legacy Foundation. The exhibition is housed at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation at the Old Granary Building in Cape Town. It will be on until the end of the year.

Subtitled Third World in World War II, it focuses on not only the six million Jews killed

during World War II, but the 20-million black people, homosexuals, gypsies, communists and the conscripts of the “Third World” - soldiers who came from the colonies to help the Allies fight in the war.

“We need to be reminded of our history, that the people in the colonies provided 90% of materials for World War II, including the costs, and millions of people from the colonies died of starvation to enable the major powers of the world to sort out the world between them,” he said and added, “today young people don’t talk about it, they don’t know about it and we need to remind them.”

Goldberg said at the exhibition he had questioned why, after seeing an exhibition in Germany, there was little to no representation of the 80,000 black South Africans and the 40,000 Cape Coloured/Malay soldiers who fought in World War II, alongside white soldiers. “There were 200,000 soldiers from South

Africa in World War II, but actually there were 330,000 soldiers - they just left out the 80,000 Africans and another 40-50,000 others of Coloured, Indian, Malay and the Cape Clora, many of whom died in battle, and they just let them out, as if they’re not part of it.”

In a poster behind Goldberg, an exhibition piece stated “soldiers segregated by race in their camps and even in death. In Libya, black and white soldiers were killed in a battle at Sidi Rezegh. They were buried in a common grave. South African Army Headquarters ordered they were to be immediately exhumed and buried in segregated graves!”

This Goldberg recalls, is one of the stories he heard during an exhibition in Cologne, Germany, then had it translated into English and brought to South Africa with research undertaken over 20 years.

“There’s a story told, that in 1943, the South African Fifth Infantry Brigade was fighting forces of field marshal [Erwin] Rommel of Nazi Germany and our soldiers

were mauled. And in the desert heat, they buried their dead - white, black, coloured overnight. When headquarters in Pretoria heard about it, they ordered the bodies dug up and separated by race. In the middle of a war against Nazi racism - where (does) this stupidity, this inhumanity come from? People fought and died as equals… with great heroism, lost their lives and they’re just written out of our history - that’s what this exhibition is about,” said Goldberg. Goldberg knows all about segregation and inhumanity by the apartheid regime as he was part of the Rivonia Trialists who were charged and imprisoned on charges of terrorism. He was jailed for 22 years. He and Andrew Mlangeni are the last remaining trialists -  the others, including Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki and Ahmed Kathrada have all since died.

The introduction to the exhibition is part of the birthday celebrations of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu this week. -DM

Honouring SA’s heroes . . . . Struggle stalwart Denis Goldberg

12 The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019ENTERTAINMENT

Send your event info to editor@theweekly.co.za before 12:00 on a Wednesday.

ZiwaphiYour weekend entertainment guide

She’s set to star in a new soap about a makoti – and if her hunky new man has his way, wedding bells may soon ring in real life for Tina Jaxa.

It’s no secret that the actress has been unlucky in love – her messy break-up with husband Prosper Mkwaiwa was well documented in the media. In 2015 the businessman died of an undisclosed illness. At the time of his death Prosper was legally married to Tina but was in a traditional union with musician and socialite Tina Dlangwana.

Now, it seems, Tina may have found her happily ever after in the beefy arms of Generations: The Legacy actor Fuzile Mahamba. They’ve been dating for six months and she couldn’t be happier.

“I’ll never give up on love based on previous love relationships that didn’t work out because I don’t live my life from a point of fear,” she points out.

Her marriage to Prosper, she says, and everything that’s happened in between, was all meant to bring her to this point in her life.

“I see everything I went through as part of what was meant to happen to me. I had to learn to love myself first, wholeheartedly. I know who I am as a person, I believe in God and I’m here today because of good and bad experiences I went through.”

Tina and Fuzile kept their relationship under wraps until friends leaked a video of them cuddling in the bedroom to a tabloid newspaper.

Tina, who has always been very candid about her private life, says she wishes news of the relationship was better handled.

“I understand that I’m an actress and my fans, the media and my work intertwine. My issue is that all stakeholders need to be sensitive about how information is put out because we have kids, families and careers to sustain,” the actress says.

Now that the secret’s out, however, she wants people to know that only once they love themselves will they find love in the arms of someone else.

As she puts it: “You are who

you’re looking for.”With a year to go before Tina turns the big

5–0, she’s been doing a lot of introspection. Earlier this year the actress told us she was “on a spiritual journey to self-actualisation” and hadn’t touched alcohol, meat or dairy products for two months. She’s a changed person and the person who has helped her find inner happiness is her spiritual teacher, Swami Vishwaparanthapananda.

Recently, she wrote online that her Swami was going overseas, but Tina wears a ring to remind her of his teachings. Her spiritual teacher has helped change her mindset, she says. “When you change how you look at things, a lot of things start making sense and you have a positive mindshift.

“I’ve had it hard because I refused to learn some lessons the easy way, so most of my life lessons, such as self-love, were learnt the hard way.”

The hard lessons, however, made her a tough cookie. “I’m highly resilient and I don’t give up easily,” Tina says.

“My dad was a warrior in a sense – he used to tell me if a man says something to me, I need to rephrase the question and ask him to repeat himself.

“I didn’t know what he meant back then but now I know he was teaching me never to be taken advantage of and to stand up for myself in every situation, especially in love,” she recalls.

She’s learnt to value herself and her new man knows her worth too. “Tina is a strong woman who’s ready to take a bullet for her loved ones,” Fuzile tells us.

“She’s loving and knows how to keep her family warm. I love and respect her, and I know that she does too. We’re like friends who share everything together.

The relationship has become pretty serious but “we’re currently taking things one step at a time and putting God first,” Fuzile says.

“She has all the qualities I need in a woman and, God willing, I would like to spend the rest

of my life with her.”Tina met Fuzile, 40, at OR International

airport after she had dropped her ID, according to newspaper reports. Fuzile picked it up and tapped her on the shoulder to return it. Later, when the actors realised that they were seated next to each other on the same flight, they struck up a conversation.

“At first I wasn’t sure because I wasn’t really into masculine guys with a big moustache,” Tina told Sowetan Live.

“I saw him as a fan who was just starstruck but he kept on pressing until I gave in.”

The younger man’s persistence has paid off but Tina isn’t in a rush to walk down the aisle. She refuses to base her happiness on an event, marital status or a feeling, she says.

As happy as her new man makes her, Tina’s responsible for her own happiness.

“We are quick to react and label our partners’ behaviours as inconsiderate, without turning the situation and looking at it from their perspective,” Tina says.

“We tend to have unrealistic expectations of our partners and forget that we are mirroring each other, through good and bad personality traits, while trying to find our own rhythms.”

She and Fuzile seem to have found their rhythm and are dancing to their own beat. They’re happily in love and the key is to take each day as it comes.

“If the train is moving, let it move; if it stops, let it stop,” she says laughing.

The free-spirited actress has always done things her way. “I live my life with no regret and judgement and believe that whatever happens is meant to be,” Tina notes.

“I’ve experienced expensive learning curves because some of my life lessons I had to learn over and over again until I got the lesson. I believe there’s no right or wrong in how one lives their life, just consequences to our actions and the decisions we make.” -Drum

Actress Jaxa bubbles in new loveLocal actress and model, Omuhle Gela is the newest face to join Mzansi Magic’s  The Queen  and according to her, viewers are going to love her role.

Taking to her Instagram page, she announced that she’ll be joining the popular show, and hopes that viewers enjoy her role as Khumbuzile, as much as she enjoys playing her. 

“As we continue to thank God for the blessings. I’m on my favourite show. See you this week on @the_queen_mzansi. Hope you like her,” she wrote.

S p e a k i n g to  DRUM, the 29-year-old actress didn’t want to reveal too much about her character but did tell us

New love . . . Tina Jaxa

Gela cherishes new role on ‘The Queen’

Trying to find love a second time around isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve compiled a five-step plan to help ease you back into dating…

You’ve recently got over that two-timing rat, got divorced or are finally coming to terms with losing a treasured loved one far too early. Your friends and relatives are telling you it’s time to start looking for companionship again, and you almost feel ready. However, you haven’t dated in years and think that you’re totally out of touch when it comes to this sort of thing; you don’t want to look a fool and simply don’t know where to start. So, here is a list of the top five ways to start making it work for you….

Start by  deciding on what you want. What

would make you happy? Whether a friend, a companion or a new lover, you need to decide what you want. Until you know what makes you happy or what you miss, e.g. laughter, watching old films with someone or just having a companion to walk the dog with, then you can’t move forward.

Then  settle on how you are going to date. Via friends, through online dating sites, through events such as speed-dating or simply by being bold enough to chat to someone new at a supermarket.

Write down  exactly what you are looking for. Do you want a funny man, a petite lady or a caring partner that will get on with your

How to find love againwhole family? Are you interested in intellect and matters of the mind, or somebody to laze on a beach with? Compatibility is the most important thing about dating. Most internet dating sites will have a service which can help match you with the right person.

Think about making a decision on how you want to correspond with your date. When you finally do contact someone, would it be better to meet them face to face or start with an email or phone call to get to know each other better?

Put it into practice.  Once you have made all of the above decisions then you should be ready to start. Whether you opt for speed dating or online dating there is someone for everyone out there, and if after a few months nothing has happened and you grow impatient, then move on to the next form of dating. Variety, after all, is the spice of life…

Enjoying new role . . . Omuhle Gela

Social media is still reeling after veteran actress Vatiswa Ndara’s open letter started circulating, detailing how local talent is often exploited by production houses and broadcasters who allegedly underpay them. On Monday, Ferguson Films - which is co-owned by television power couple, Connie and Shona Ferguson - was at the centre of social media lambasting production houses and broadcasters for underpaying talent. This comes after Ndara called out the production house for wanting to underpay her for shooting what was going to be the third season of the popular drama series, Igazi.

In the open letter she shared on social media, addressing the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, the actress revealed that the production house had offered to pay her R110 000 before tax for five weeks of production.

This, she later explained in an interview, would amount to R82 500 after tax, meaning she was getting an estimated R6 350 per episode for the 13-part series. Moreover, she highlighted that whenever there’s a discussion about the talents’ rate, producers often say “there is no money”; however, looking through their social

media pages, their lifestyles tell a different story.After posting the open letter, many social media users took to Twitter to lambast the production house. One social media user said, “I don’t have any problem with the Fergusons or any black child to live anyhow they so wish and can afford to. I just don’t want them to exploit their own. Shona and Connie can go live in heaven… but please don’t exploit others while at it.”

Many social media users joined in on the conversation, including acclaimed actress, Florence Mosebe, who said, “We need more voices [that have had enough] to call out the mess in the South African television industry. Thank you Vatiswa Ndara for your bravery. We have to stand with you. All of us.”

The Queen actress, Rami Chuene, supported Vatiswa under the currently trending hashtag #IStandWithVatiswa.

Many likened Vatiswa’s open letter to a thread Rami had created in September 2019 under the hashtag #SHOWMUSTGOON, highlighting the unfair treatment and conditions that South African actors and crew have to work under.

There were also other tweeps who stood with the Ferguson family as they were being involved in the issue.

Complaining . . . Veteran actress Vatiswa Ndara

To actress accuses Ferguson Films of exploitation

Khumbuzile is a hidden love child who’s just trying to have a relationship with her father. 

“Khumbuzile is someone’s love child, no one knows about her because she’s the only child who was hidden by her father. She’s basically all about family and she’s trying to get to know her siblings as well,” she says. 

Like all actors, Omuhle had to audition for the role, and the process never gets easier.

“I still get super nervous when I have to audition for a role, this wasn’t different at all. I initially auditioned for a different role, but I didn’t get it because I look a bit too young for it. So, I was called for this one instead, and I’m so grateful for how everything turned out. They took months to give me a response after my audition, so I thought I didn’t get it,” she laughs.

She loves every character she plays because they all challenge her and bring out something new in her, but the one thing she admires about Khumbuzile is how independent she is.

“She’s such an independent young lady, she’s studying for her honours and is just very self-sufficient, I love that!”

Are there any similarities between Omuhle and Khumbuzile?

“Yes, quite a few. But mostly how feisty we both are, apparently,” she chuckles. “And she’s very strong, I see a bit of myself in her.”

The three things Omuhle thinks the audience will love about Khumbuzile are: “Firstly, she’s very stylish, very swaggy young woman, they’ll love that. Also, she’s got a bit of an attitude, she brings some spice, and she brags a whole lot,” Omuhle says. –Channel24

ENTERTAINMENT 1311 - 17 October 2019 The Weekly - Free State Province

IF YOU WANT US TO COVER YOUR EVENT PLEASE CONTACT US ON: editor@theweekly.co.za

MOVES, RAVE, AND REDDEN

The King… Whenever he’s in the mood, he’ll show up on the dance floor and this past weekend was no difference as he owned the dance floor.

Oh nooo… Saleman had the entire crowed in stiches throughout his 30min set. And he proved why he was the show stopper on the night. Oh nooo!

Yellow yellow… Claunice William showed up in a yellow dress and had a few heads turning, including our beloved Pastor who shall remain nameless for eternity. Oh father Gawd. Night life is a crazy thing.

Black girly… Boitumelo Lehlabi was in class of her own. Moghel was on some easy two step roll that really left us stunned for a minute. She was oozing with confidence too. We liked it!

Who’s this… Apart from making fun of my photographer, Tieho Khakhau was the second best act on the night. Or was it Mashabela? No, it was Skhumba. Ey, look it’s confusing now. Geez. One thing for certain Khakhau our brother, we are expecting an apology for our photographer. LOL

ANALYSIS14 The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019

EXPR

ESSI

ON

S“As you may recall how I stepped down from my position, I wish that no other man commit the mistake that I committed two years ago. I say today, as men we must commit to protect our women and children and never rape, kill or lay hands on them . . .”

Former higher education and training deputy minister Mduduzani Manana speaking at Motheo TVET College Hillside View in Bloemfontein yesterday

Sassa Free State communication officer Sandy Godlwana responding to a study commissioned by advocacy group Black Sash lambasting the new Sassa grant payment system

w w

The Weekly

Cartoons by Zapiro from https://www.zapiro.com

Editorial

“The Black Sash study interviewed only inconvenienced beneficiaries as if there is not a single beneficiary whom the current system of multiple payment channels works for, and this is questionable.”

“Political education and training remains a key and strategic component for any revolutionary movement, without which it will face grave political and organisational challenges to its detriment.”

ANC Oliver Reginald (O.R.) Tambo Political School of Leadership principal Dr David Masondo speaking at the official launch of the school in Bloemfontein

The reporting on the recent ANC NEC statement was no different: it came out in its usual leaden ANC-speak, the press conference was uneventful and the commentary afterwards pedestrian.

But buried quite far down in the nine-page statement was a remarkable game-changer, with major implications for the future of our energy system. It is worth quoting in full:

“The NEC affirmed the approach of a balance between national development goals and global obligations with regards to climate change, particularly in the energy sector. The Integrated Resource Plan should articulate the lowest-cost option for the future energy mix for South Africa, with increased contributions from renewable energy sources. The NEC agreed to develop a strategy on a just transition to a low-carbon path of development that takes into account the interests of workers, communities and broader society. This should include such new technologies as fuel cell applications which require platinum group metals (PGM) which South Africa has in abundance.”

Read carefully: climate change acknowledged, the IRP must articulate the “lowest-cost option” for our “future energy mix”, and the NEC is going to develop a just transition strategy!

The decision that the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) must articulate a lowest-cost option is seemingly nebulous and obvious, but it is a major game-changer. It is a repetition of the same idea that appeared a few weeks ago in the National Treasury policy document on an economic strategy for South Africa - but that was not ANC policy, it was merely a proposal in a Treasury document. Now it is the ANC policy. Why is this such a big deal?

Well, the reason why we have not been able to approve an updated IRP since 2010 is that there was no consensus about what the future energy mix should be precisely because the cost was not the dominant criterion.

Back in 2010, the government signed the World Bank loan to build Medupi, subject to the condition it would also build a Concentrated Solar Power plant for $100-million (which never happened).

Despite the incredible arrogance and certainty of the World Bank modellers who assured the Minister of Finance at the time, Pravin Gordhan, that this was a good deal, it was a deal that was totally unjustifiable because there were cheaper alternatives, and it is the deal that has landed Eskom and the country in a serious debt crisis. Eskom’s debt is now 9% of GDP. Knowledgeable experts, including myself, warned then that the World Bank models were flawed.

Then, during the Jacob Zuma years, energy policy was manipulated to justify Zuma’s determination to force through a signed deal with Vladimir Putin to build a fleet of Russian nuclear power plants. Again, the cost seemed irrelevant. Nuclear energy is the most expensive form of energy. No Russian nuclear power plant has been built on budget and in time. However, Zuma’s nationalist political project required a big and shiny iconic mega-project to legitimise the notion of “radical economic transformation”.

The draft IRP that was supposed to be approved at the most recent Cabinet meeting recommends an energy mix that is not the lowest-cost option. The CSIR did the modelling work for the IRP and recommended a lowest-cost option. This effectively meant investing in renewables, not coal and definitely not nuclear. The end result, as reflected in the IRP, would be 70% of the nearly 400 TWh needed by 2050 would be supplied by renewables. No new coal-fired power stations would be needed. The other scenarios are, of course, also presented.

The lowest-cost option did not suit the policy-makers, resulting in an arbitrary policy decision by the Department of Energy to cap renewables at 40% for most of the other scenarios that were considered - all of which are more expensive, with the scenarios that include nuclear being the most expensive. In other words, the department does not favour a lowest-cost option. It favours an option that includes additional coal-fired power stations, plus renewables supplying the rest.

The obvious question is this: why does the lowest-cost option result in no new coal-fired power stations, no nuclear and a massive expansion of renewables?

Milk Macufe for all, not just for some…

OPINIONMARK SWILLING

It’s that time of the year once more when the national spotlight falls on the Free State province because of the annual Mangaung Cultural Festival (Macufe) celebrations.

In theory it is the time when the province should be showcasing its beauty and raking in millions in rands parading its people, their talents, special abilities, productions, clothing and artefacts wear, hospitality, entertainment and the general landscape of the area.

However in reality it means the repetition of the year in and out events and sequence of happenings that it is bound to be monotonous and boring for anyone making their third trip to the city of roses for this mega event.

Without taking anything from the marketing and gigantic steps the festivities have made since the inception of this concept more than two decades away, it remains to be seen how this magnificent establishment will reinvent itself in order to be meaningful to the changing times and cultures.

It cannot be correct that the cultural festivities of this town are summed up in a comedy show, a hip hop performance, and a main musical festival and a soccer derby, closed case.

It is a serious omission on the part of the organisers of this show not to research deeper into what the province can offer and to add this to the programme of events for the show.

In all honesty one cannot be expected to use their attendance of the Macufe festival in its present form and come back to claim that they have an understanding of the culture in Mangaung.

Far from it, the event has moved from being a cultural display of Mangaung to being a purely business transaction which gives high prominence to acts from outside of the province while snubbing local talent.

This can be seen through the price tag which artists and performers from outside come here with, a far cry from the peanuts that are thrown the direction of the local acts which are forever incensed over lack of funding and support.

While Macufe itself is a brand that has stood the test of time, a fact proven by its popularity across the country and beyond as well in neighbouring countries, its positive effects will forever remain in the shadows of history if the benefits do not trickle down to the people that matter the most, which are the poor locals.

With high unemployment in the province, one would have imagined that the event will now for once feature economic opportunities available and market these to potential investors who will be here on fun trips for Macufe.

Indeed a semi-formal to casual business exchange programme between those with entrepreneur flair and monied capitalists from elsewhere could do some trick in ensuring that some form of local empowerment does happen at the backdrop of this much touted event.

Local dress makers and designers ought to get a share of the slice of the Macufe cake, traders, manufacturers, car mechanics and washers, eateries, liquor stores, even churches for some of the religious ones that might need to visit the Wesleyan church where the ANC was formed for a service prior to heading off to the soccer match on Sunday.

In essence a Macufe guide book which lists service providers that have been cleared and endorsed by the organisers can do the trick in ensuring that a significant injection of funds is made in the province during this time.

With a guide, revellers to this province will know where to go for a morning African cuisine breakfast in the township where they can also have their car cleaned at the same time.

They would certainly know where to seek help locally when they encounter car mechanical challenges or need an urgent bed for the night.

Point here is that the organisers cannot leave revellers to this event in limbo through non-considerate and poor planning when it comes to making crucial day to day decisions with economic spin offs.

A guide will be a bible for them on where to go and where to find it.

Not knowing about a township based medical centre that operates 24 hours because it’s not listed in the Macufe guide book could mean life or death for someone not from around.

It cannot be correct that the only motive for the hosting of this event is maximising profit for the few, while leaving crumbs on the floor for the many.

For benefits of Macufe to multiply, organisers need to act promptly and have honest, open and frank discussion on how to integrate all the important economic players from the townships into their planning, the hospitality industry, the retail, food and beverages.

This should create synergy and common purpose in turning this mega fest into a milk cow for all and not just some.

ANC’s energy statement a real New Dawn for SA

Continues on page 15

The answer is simple: renewables now cost 60c/KWh over the life cycle, while coal costs R1.30/KWh and nuclear is between R1.70 and R2.80/KWh. Former Eskom CEO Matshela Koko and his funded social media army will pump out fake news claiming that renewables are more expensive (in order to keep alive the nuclear option for their paymasters), but they are wrong.

They are referring to the levelised cost of renewables over the four bid windows, and back in 2011 renewables were more than R3/KWh. That is no longer true. But we are still paying those old prices now. That is what technological learning is about - costs go down over time thanks to innovation. The facts are indisputable: renewables are the lowest-cost option. This is what the ANC NEC has effectively accepted.

By adopting the lowest-cost option policy this past weekend, the ANC NEC has effectively endorsed the lowest-cost option in the IRP which provides for no new coal-fired power stations. This really is a massive game-changer, and yet it went unnoticed by the media. Telling South Africa that it must break its addiction to coal is like telling the Catholic Church to convert to Protestantism. For many South Africans, this really is a cultural shock - we think that if you can’t dig it out of the ground and ignite it with a match, it simply can’t fuel the economy.

Well, the world is changing. The President knows this very well. In the message he sent to the Climate Summit in New York last week, he made it clear that South Africa wants a just transition to a renewables-based economy. His ministers in attendance, Barbara Creecy and Naledi Pandor, said the same thing. The ANC NEC statement has now endorsed this position, making it clear that the next step is for the ANC to work out what the just transition looks like.

ANC NEC must fire Makhura

OPINIONSIPHO MABASO

The now two-term Gauteng premier David Makhura was in July this year instructed by the national executive committee (NEC), the highest decision-making body of the ANC, to fire one male MEC from his provincial cabinet to make way for a female replacement.

This is part of the ANC’s policy to advance gender parity in all its structures, in line with resolutions of its 2017 national conference in Nasrec, Joburg.

The ANC policy, propagated by the ANC Women’s League, to have 60% of female MECs in any of the eight provinces where the premier is male, except the Western Cape where the main opposition DA governs, is good for our country.

It advances women empowerment, which is a constitutionally entrenched obligation in terms of Section 9 of the constitution - known generally as the

equality clause - that no citizen should be denied of opportunity by virtue of their sex or gender.

Makhura has not implemented as instructed by the ANC. He should be fired for not only his refusal to implement a resolution of his party, but for also acting in a manner which is clearly unconstitutional.

Promoting women empowerment is a constitutional obligation of every citizen, especially leaders within the public sphere. The private sector usually follows the

government example on such matters.It is therefore disheartening that

Makhura has not yet been relieved of his duties and demoted by the ANC.

Makhura, true to the patriarchal mentality, has essentially baulked at the instruction to replace one man in his cabinet with a woman.

The Gauteng premier has implied that all the men in his cabinet are so capable that no woman can match their ability, much less surpass it.

Women are the majority in our country. They comprise 51% of the population and certainly the majority of registered voters. There are more women who graduate from universities in South African than men.

There is no shortage of women professionals and politicians who may replace any man on the Gauteng provincial government in a blink and perform better.

The excuses Makhura has thus far, proffered for his primitive ideology about women leadership, are trite. The ANC Women’s League must put immeasurable pressure on him to implement the resolution of the ANC NEC or resign forthwith.

We must stand up against the premier on this. He is wrong.

There are, of course, those who think that coal mining jobs must be protected by building more coal-fired power stations so that the coal mines can stay open. This idea is now totally outdated. The coal-mining sector faces two big challenges: energy costs and carbon taxes. The cost of energy for the average coal mine as gone up from 11% of operating costs to 25% in a decade. And there is no security of supply, and no way of knowing whether costs will drop.

The carbon tax means coal mines pay carbon taxes on the energy they use, which is why many are building renewable energy plants. The Minerals Council has made it clear, they need cheap energy and energy that is lower-carbon to reduce their carbon taxes. What is going to deliver both of these? Of course, renewables! With cheaper decarbonised energy inputs, coal mines can be re-oriented to export coal. The greenies might not like this, but it is a reality that may actually convince the minister of minerals and energy to support renewables going to scale.

What it means is South Africa’s century-old coal industry becomes decoupled from energy production. The era of the mineral energy complex is over.

But let’s be pessimists for a moment. Let’s assume that there are some power players who do still think that a lowest-cost option includes investing in more coal-fired power stations. And let’s assume that the pension industry will have a legal right to oppose the imposition of prescribed assets to force them to invest in what everyone knows will be stranded assets within a decade or two - coal-fired power stations. Then we need investors. But who is investing in coal these days?

As far as sources of funding are

ANALYSIS 15The Weekly - Free State Province11 - 17 October 2019

“We must be a government that has integrity and that means we must stay true to our word to the people. A promise to our people is a commitment that must be fulfilled at all times.”

MEC Sam Mashinini speaking in Senekal, Matwabeng over the weekend during the official opening of a new multimillion traffic control centre

Agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza addressing the third Agra-business transformation conference hosted by the African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) in Bloemfontein

EXPR

ESSI

ON

S

“Access to land, water, finance, research, technology, infrastructure, mechanisation, agro-logistics and markets remain challenges that we must continuously address. Climate change and its impact ought to be taken into consideration by everyone . . .”

ANC must make good on its talk of economic reform

The ANC is an interesting beast. Over the past 18 months, NEC statements have not always been economically coherent. Six weeks ago, finance minister Tito Mboweni released a growth plan for the SA economy that proposed to increase South Africa’s growth rate by 2.3 percentage points per year.

There was nothing groundbreaking in the plan – though it did tread on a lot of previously sacred ground. The most contentious area was the increased private sector participation in the energy, telecoms and transportation sectors.

In the latest NEC statement, the ANC did not directly refer to the finance minister’s plan, but unequivocally supported all the key areas the plan had highlighted. More interesting were the explicit references that “public-private partnerships, especially in aviation and energy and other areas, will be critical”.

It went on to say that “There is a renewed appreciation by the NEC of the roles of the private sector and labour as key partners for growth.” In ANC speak, this is the most private-sector-friendly statement we have seen in some time. A far cry from WMC.

The statement was equally clear on the energy sector, noting that “the restructuring of Eskom and dealing with Eskom’s unsustainable financial position” were priority areas.

In the Q&A, Mboweni emphasised that the Treasury discussion paper had gained the NEC’s support. He also took the opportunity to criticise the culture of non-payment for services, pointedly referencing outstanding payments to Eskom by municipalities. The head of the ANC’s economic transformation committee, Enoch Godongwana, muddied the waters a bit by noting that while the NEC supported the Treasury’s

OPINIONNAZMEERA MOOLA

OPINIONSIZWE MCHUNU

ANC’s energy statement a real New Dawn for SA

Letters to the EditorWRITE TO: newsroom@theweekly.co.zaFAX: (051) 446 4723

The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject letters. Pseudonyms may be used, but must be clearly marked as such. All correspondence, including emails and SMSes, must include your name, address, and a phone number. Preference will be given to shorter letters.

Is there room for a language-based university? Should a language be used to perpetuate racist agendas? Just when a university is supposed to be a leveller in our society, an institution that closes the gap between the rich and the poor, should we unearth another form of racism by allowing an Afrikaans-only university?

The answer is: no way. I and many South Africans are not opposed to Afrikaans, the Afrikaner culture and its trappings. But we will never support those who want to hijack this language, just like they did during the dark days of apartheid, to conceal their hatred of a democratic South Africa.

To make matters worse, those involved in

building this Afrikaans- only university have a horrible history of anti-transformation. They defend the apartheid flag, support the music of Steve Hofmeyr, despise affirmative action and only represent Afrikaans speakers in labour disputes and challenge any promotion of blacks in labour matters.

The post-apartheid education policy is based on the Constitution, and among its objectives is the redressing of past imbalances and the addressing of education based on race.

The democratic government’s most dramatic strides towards equalising institutions of learning by dismantling 15 distinct departments of education and creating a single non-racially based

one came in the early heady days of democracy.Our goal was straightforward and attainable.We wanted to excise the most blatant excesses

of apartheid education by officially doing away with racially divided institutions of learning and a white-supremacist curriculum.

Over 25 years into our democratic dispensation, any school district, university or tertiary institution that wishes to short-change students is anathema to our society and a disgrace to the Constitution of the republic.

It is a pity that even under a democratic state, we are still being insulted and the overwhelming majority of our people, still live in squalor, not out of their own making but because of the

Afrikaans university is a bad idea historic injustices of apartheid education. It is those living in informal settlements and rural areas without skills that need this university. But they will be excluded because they do not speak Afrikaans.

I am sustained by my conviction that non-racialism is not wrong and that we are better off together than being a divided nation.

So the insults that I am a racist will not stick. I fought for non-racialism even when racism was unleashed with brutality, and revenge would have been a better and easier option.

I have since taken Afrikaans lessons to demonstrate that I am not against the language. My daughter also went to an Afrikaans school that accommodated other languages. So the shallow calls that I hate Afrikaans are baseless and meaningless.

To forgive apartheid beneficiaries for their sins should not be equated to stupidity but with that we sacrificed our happiness so that our country, not a language, should prosper.

I fully support multilingualism where all languages are protected and developed, not only the language of the haves and the rich, while the have-nots and the poor can only be taken care of by the state.

The opening of this language-based university, especially a language that was used to oppress us, is not good for the future of our country.

Imagine if we were to render services on the basis of who speaks which language rather than who is a South African. God help us all.

* Panyaza Lesufi is Gauteng Education MEC

proposals, public comments would be included in the final version and that some areas – notably labour – would be dealt with in other fora. If we could take this NEC statement as a reliable guide of government’s willingness and likelihood to implement reforms, South African bonds (and arguably domestic equities) are trading at the wrong price. This plan should lower fiscal risks and thus lower borrowing costs in the economy. It should result in higher confidence, higher growth and ultimately higher tax revenues.

Unfortunately, we have seen too many promises of reforms. We need to see this commitment from the ANC translate into tangible action. More than a year ago, the ANC’s

growth and recovery plan promised an expedited visa system for tourists to South Africa and the sale of spectrum, among several other measures. There has been little progress on any of these. Until tangible actions are taken, Godongwana’s comments will be taken as an indication that a lot more consultation is needed – and implementation is far away.

The Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) is due on 30 October. At the current run rate, it looks as if tax collections will be at least R50-billion short of the February 2019 Budget projections in the current fiscal year. There is little room to increase taxes, as the recent tax hikes have resulted in much less extra

Continues from page 14

I write to you as a patriotic and concerned citizen of South Africa.

As I pen this letter, I do so with the understanding that this past month (September) could well have been a terrible one for you and your party (DA). I say this because in this month South Africans learned that your party is not as clean as you want us to believe.

We learned of many issues that are unquestionably detrimental to the image of your party. Many of these issues were in the public domain, but perhaps let me list them so that you are clear which issues I am referring to. Some of the headlines included:

The DA’s proportional list councillor of Rand West City Local Municipality being arrested for alleged business robbery. In KwaZulu-Natal, particularly around my hometown Pietermaritzburg, we learned that your DA had let its Msunduzi councillor, Rooksana

Ahmed, off the hook for failure to disclose her criminal record (as required) to both the DA and council. I guess this is just the inclination of the DA in KZN not to act against a selective troop of individuals when charges are levelled against them. No matter the evidence placed on the table, the leadership shall always selectively cover up for them.

You and James Selfe (the DA’s chairperson of its federal council) will recall that a similar case of an undisclosed criminal record against the current leader of the DA in KZN was swept under the carpet. Another headline that dominated the street poles of Pietermaritzburg was: “Racism row in DA”.

This story was based on a shocking exposé by the DA’s ward 25 councillor, Melika Singh, who wrote to you for intervention after three years of being subjected to painful racism. I remind you that all the councillors in KZN who have

ditched your party happen to be black, coloured or Indian.

This letter serves to humbly ask you to come clean to South Africans about the benefits, gifts and donations that you have received since you became the leader of the DA and since you became a member of the National Assembly. It is also a request for you to subject yourself to a lifestyle audit as you have always sought to hold others to the highest standards and ethics.

I can’t help but recall an open letter you once penned to our deputy president, Honourable David Mabuza. You wrote: “Firstly, I’d like to commend you for agreeing in Parliament to subject yourself to a lifestyle audit. Given the magnitude of the allegations that have accumulated during your time in the Mpumalanga provincial government - many of them set out in great detail recently in the New York Times - it is crucial that South Africans know the truth.”

In the same spirit, I hasten to say the allegations about the ownership of “your” Cape Town residence and subsequent U-turn, of you renting the said property, need to be put to rest.

I, for one, don’t buy the narrative suggesting it was a mistake on your part to include the

property in the members’ declaration record/parliamentary register as being your own property. Who in his right mind would ever forget whether or not he/she owns a particular property? Was this not in a way a lie that is tantamount to deliberately misleading of Parliament and South Africans?

It thus is paramount for you to come clean regarding the property in question. As it is now public knowledge that the Claremont, Cape Town, home in which you and your family live is owned by Durban businessman Wessel Jacobs, many questions arise.

Could it be that Jacobs is one of the many prominent white businessman financially supporting you and the DA? Is there no benefit, gift, sponsorship etc. that you may have received from Jacobs that you need to declare to Parliament? Surely you should by now have realised that divulging the exact rental you pay and proof thereof will somewhat help in putting this matter to bed.

Why can’t you do just that? Should we conclude that your rent is also sponsored? It has also emerged that part of your reason for not living in the parliamentary accommodation made available for you is because of death threats you have received. It is also concerning that you have not been able to indicate when or whether or not you ever reported the said threats, and what the nature of the threats was.

The media has also drawn a very perturbing

link between yourself and Steinhoff. The allegations and your admission that you led the DA’s campaign while being chauffeured in a Toyota Fortuner SUV that was sponsored by Steinhoff ’s Markus Jooste, leave much to be desired.

In simple terms, you and the DA are the direct beneficiaries of Steinhoff ’s fraud and irregularities.

Again you have an opportunity to come clean in regards to whether or not you received any other sponsors, gifts, benefits etc from Steinhoff and Jooste and if you ever declared/disclosed any of the said benefits to parliament.

It appears that the writing is on the wall for exposés of the opposition party and leader capture. Mmusi, are you and the DA captured?

Would you open yourself and your party to any form of scrutiny in this regard?

Mmusi Maimane, would you be willing to avail yourself for a lifestyle audit and an investigation of gifts, sponsorships, benefits etc that you received in your capacity as a public representative/member of South Africa’s National Assembly, and never declared or disclosed to Parliament?

* Mchunu is a former DA KwaZulu-Natal provincial leader and currently a senior member of the ANC in KZN. He is writing in his personal capacity.

Mmusi, are you and the DA captured?

tax revenue than had been projected. Cutting expenditure involves below-inflation wage increases for public servants or job cuts. Both will be difficult to achieve.

At 1% annual GDP growth, the current revenue and expenditure forecasts lead to an unsustainable debt trajectory over the medium term. Therefore it is critical that growth rises, boosting revenues. Given the historical disappointments on reform implementation, we need to see some tangible progress on reforms ahead of the MTBPS to make it credible. First up is the Eskom White Paper, which is due before the MTBPS. Should it deliver on the NEC’s indication of an upcoming break-up of Eskom and makes room for the private sector, it could be a big spur to SA confidence – and South African asset prices.

Scepticism will remain, and delivery will be key. But it will be a really big step in the right direction.

Nazmeera is Head of SA Investments at Investec Asset Management.

concerned, according to the highly respected Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, some of the largest financial institutions in the world had announced by February 2019 that they are withdrawing from investments in coal

These are summarised by category below, but include some of the most well-known brand names, such as World Bank, European Investment Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Finance Corporation, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, KfW (Germany), BNDES (Brazil), FMO (Netherlands), AFD (France), Allianz, Lloyds, Swiss RE, Munich RE, Nippon Life, Morgan Stanley, Societe Generale, BNP

Paribas, ING, Deutsche Bank, ABN Amro, HSBC, Barclays, Standard Chartered, Banco Santander, Rabobank and many others.

Since February 2019, a dozen or so more financial institutions have made similar commitments, as have some of the major mining companies. The exit from coal mining by South 32 via a sale for $1 to Seriti would only be because long-term Net Present Value calculations reveal that these mines will soon be stranded assets. Indeed, according to a report on South Africa’s coal industry by the Climate Policy Initiative funded by the World Bank, French Development Bank and DBSA, South Africa faces the threat of stranded assets during the period 2013-2030 worth $120-billion, or $1.8 trillion. Stranded

assets are quite simply assets that cannot generate the required returns on investment.

It follows that if South Africa wanted to replace its current coal-fired power stations that must be decommissioned with new ones, the funding required will be almost impossible to source. And even if it was sourced, the cost of capital would be extremely high. The result would not be cheap energy.

This contrasts with renewables. Total annual investment globally in renewables has exceeded the investment in fossil fuels every year since 2009. By 2019, total investment in renewables was nearly $300-billion, which is double the total invested in fossil fuels and nuclear combined. Renewables are the fastest-growing energy sub-

sector. The world is changing. Even in the US, with a coal champion as president, renewables are about equal to coal now. Germany is planning to close all its coal and nuclear power stations.

In short, this is why the reference in the ANC NEC statement to “lowest-cost option for the future energy mix” is not just a lot more humdrum. It is a game-changer of note.

It will mean slightly adjusting the IRP before it is adopted to reflect a preference for the lowest-cost option. It will mean upscaling the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme and reinforcing the Independent Power Producers Office (IPP Office), including opening the fifth bid window with immediate effect. And it will mean positioning the

Development Finance Institutions to play a lead role in an investment programme to construct the renewables infrastructure that will be required, including grid modernisation.

The total investment required just for the renewable energy plants only would be about R500-billion over 20 years. This, in turn, will catalyse much larger investments in South Africa’s biggest industrialisation programme since 1994, thus fulfilling many of the other commitments described in the ANC NEC Statement.

Wake up, everyone. Buried within those seemingly innocuous words - “lowest-cost option” - is a real new dawn for South Africa.

Mark Swilling is Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Development at the School of Public Leadership of Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

ENTERTAINMENT

One on Onewith Dr Vuyo Mahlatsi

The African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) this week launched its transformation barometer, a special tool to measure the state of transformation in the country’s agriculture sector. The new tool which was kick-started during the organisation’s annual Agri-business Transformation Conference in Bloemfontein is expected to help inform government and business on the steps required to accelerate change and ensure more black farmers actively participate. The Weekly’s Martin Makoni asked AFASA President Dr Vuyo Mahlatsi for an over of the conference and how the transformation barometer was expected to bring change. Makoni also asked Mahlati about some of the high potential sectors which farmers could consider in agriculture and the support available for production and access to markets. Excerpts:

The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019CONVERSATIONS16

‘It is no exaggeration to say that we are a sick society’Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng last week released the annual report of the South African judiciary 2018/19 at a time when outrage over gender-based violence is leading many to call for increasingly harsh and immediate penalties for crime.

But Judge Mogoeng avoided any populist endorsement of this sentiment - instead advocating more nuanced approaches to prosecution and arrests which might seem counter-intuitive in the current climate.

He warned, for instance, that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should not rely on conviction rates as a performance yardstick.

Prosecutors, Mogoeng said, “don’t convict. Judicial officers do”. 

The role of prosecutors is to “present cases and even support an acquittal where the interests of justice would be served by doing so. Not to pursue a conviction at all costs”.

The Chief Justice asked police “to consider arrest and detention only when it is essential to do so” as a way to free up magistrates and courts to finalise trials.

He also said that although imposing “firm” sentences in cases involving gender-based violence was a “major deterrent factor”, it was not the most effective form of deterrence. He said international research had proved that the best deterrence was achieved through “certainty or predictability of detection, prosecution and conviction if the evidence allows”.

The issue of gender-based violence had clearly been foremost on the Chief Justice’s mind, however, as he proposed a suite of measures

designed to improve the South African judicial system’s handling of such cases.

These included a public awareness campaign to inform the public on how to report incidents of such violence, and measures to ensure that the “discouraging and humiliating” features of reporting are minimised.

Mogoeng called for specially trained individuals to manage every part of the process, from investigating officers and prosecutors to judges and interpreters. Training these officials specifically in issues around gender-based violence, the Chief Justice suggested, will allow them to handle these cases “with the expertise, sensitivity, professionalism and special competence they deserve”.

But Mogoeng also pointed out that by the time police and courts take on these cases, society has already failed their victims.

“The criminal justice system deals only with the symptoms or offshoots of what really lies at the heart of a deeply troubled society,” Mogoeng said. 

“Broadly speaking, it is no exaggeration to say that we are a sick society. Our sickness is responsible for this atrocious behaviour and must be properly diagnosed for effective medication or treatment to be dispensed and for the sickness itself to be permanently uprooted.”

The Chief Justice also sought to draw attention to the strain placed on judges and magistrates by having to deal with such cases.

“The stress on judicial officers which, as a result of some of the traumatising cases like rape, murder, difficult divorce matters that we have

to handle and attacks of all kinds by aggrieved litigants or similarly situated people and others, requires the introduction of a judicial wellness or stress-management programme,” he said. “It cannot be left to an individual judicial officer to fend for herself or himself.”

While Mogoeng did not directly address recent allegations by the EFF that the South African judiciary is “captured”, he said all allegations of corruption against judges are closely examined.

Mogoeng acknowledged, however, that “neither the JSC nor the chief justice has the legal authority to peer into the bank accounts” of judges: something he said should be maintained out of respect for legal due process.

The Chief Justice also conceded that six cases of alleged misconduct involving judges have yet to be resolved, because of “a series of legal challenges that led to inordinate delays that nobody could have done anything about”.

When it comes to the composition of the bench, Mogoeng said that there are still too few female judges, particularly at senior levels in the higher courts.

The report reveals that racial transformation of the judiciary has been more successful: the majority of judges across the superior courts are now black African (114 out of 246) though white judges are still disproportionately represented, at 82.

While the release of the annual report provided an opportunity for Mogoeng to ruminate on the general state of the justice system, its primary purpose was to disclose the

performance of the courts over the past year.The best-performing courts in terms of

efficiency were revealed as the Electoral Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal, though the former has relatively little to do: only four cases came before it over the 2018/2019 period.

Justice generally moves slowest in the Labour and Land Claims courts. But the worst-performing court of all is one of the least busy: the Competition Appeal Court managed to finalise just four out of seven cases over the past year. The Labour Court in Johannesburg is also the worst offender when it comes to reserving judgments for more than six months, with 37 of such judgments outstanding as of 31 March 2019.

The Constitutional Court failed to meet its target of finalising 80% of cases before it over the period under review, managing 76%. 

This, Mogoeng said, was due to the court’s status as the point of final appeal on all matters — resulting in a hefty workload — and the “increasingly complex matters, including those of a highly political character” brought before it.

Not all the delays in finalising cases are due to judges. One factor singled out by the Chief Justice’s report as critical is the ongoing failure to fill vacant positions within the NPA.

“The 665 posts for prosecutors which remain vacant will weaken court performance even more,” the report warns.

Mogoeng’s most scathing critique was reserved for officials from the Department of Public Works when it comes to the upkeep of judicial buildings.

“I am not aware of any department serviced by [Public Works officials] that has expressed overall satisfaction with their performance,” Mogoeng said.

“I believe the time has come to examine very closely the commitment of these officials to discharging the responsibilities they are paid for in line with the basic values and principles governing public administration.”

He expressed gratitude, however, to Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille for her “conscientiousness and deliberate speed” in intervening to address the failings of errant officials.

One of Mogoeng’s preoccupations since taking office has been the digital upgrading of the judicial system. He expressed enthusiasm on Thursday that progress is being made in this regard. Information relating to the progress of cases will be made available online, with a pilot programme to be rolled out in Gauteng.

“Smartphones and iPads would then be the tools we use to check on the performance of any of our courts, anytime, regardless of where in the world we might be,” he said.

Mogoeng also dropped an intriguing hint as to an attempt to “capture” the judiciary by an unnamed person offering funding towards the courts’ digital migration.

“I was approached by somebody offering R600-million so that we can modernise, but I know that person, I know that institution,” the Chief Justice said.

“I rejected it with the necessary contempt, because that is how capture happens.” -DM

How would you describe the outcome of the third AFASA Agri-business Transformation Conference, did you achieve your set goals?

Absolutely. The conference had a special focus on job creation and trade promotion. So, the bigger issue around it, in terms of objectives, was to showcase the capabilities of black farmers in terms of what they produce and their contribution to the economy. The conference presented a commodity plan for the next 10 years. The commodities we were looking at include grains, livestock, wildlife, poultry and other crops. The idea behind that was mainly to align land reforms with commodity growth because we believe that the growth, from an agri-sector perspective, has to be through a commodity approach. So, what we did was to list the commodities found in different areas and analyse their growth patterns as well as the opportunities that exist. We also looked at the challenges presented by droughts and climate change. We got quite a comprehensive picture of the situation and this will allow us to plan for the future.

What are some of key achievements that you can point to from this conference?

The conference allowed us as black farmers to check how much the industry has transformed. Our approach focuses mainly on the policies and on the implementation. This however is not only limited to the public sector in terms of government, we focus on the private sector as well. We look at each and every commodity and each and every province in terms of the extent of transformation of the industry. Of particular importance is ensuring that new entrants are being enabled by the ecosystem to grow as well as accessing the markets and finance. Quite often people tell us they support transformation and they show us a few black faces. We are not talking social responsibility. We are talking about transformation that is sustainable and ensuring the viability of the farmers. We have a programme for the youth, we have a programme for women. These are programmes are aimed at ensuring that we address the issue patriarchy from a land ownership perspective, we address the issue of race as well as the issue of spacial inequality. But gender equality to us, is central to that.

How do you plan to utilise the information gathered at the conference to improve the situation of black farmers?

The beauty about the information that we

have now is that we can now link that with an area-based approach in terms of a district or a given area and then align that with production. That alignment prepares us to be more systematic in supporting the farmers.

The conference also saw the launch of the transformation barometer, what is it and how is it expected to work?

This is a very important tool to help us determine the progress of transformation in the agricultural sector. Of particular importance is the involvement of black farmers in the sector and the availability of land. We need to be very clear about what we are measuring and this barometer is an ideal instrument for that. We had quite some robust engagement on this by the different stakeholders at the conference. We were not just gathered there to complain that government is not doing this or that. We were focusing the conversation on what could be done to improve the situation. So, out of that dialogue, we came out with clarity on the challenges and as well as a clear vision on how we move forward.

How effective will the transformation barometer be compared to other mechanisms

used before?It is essentially a tool to measure progress in

the agricultural sector across the value chain. It’s important to note that this is not just a tool to determine who is not transforming. It’s a tool to assist with policy reforms, training and financing, among others. It’s looking at what’s happening in the sector on a wider scale and how to improve it. For example, about 84.7 percent of the land in the Eastern Cape is grazing land, so the issue is, how is government transforming to ensure that land is used more effectively. We also look at who are the players? How transformed are they across the value chain and we also include the auctioneers. We want to know why black farmers are struggling to get a good price for land. This could mean we need to train more black auctioneers as well. We then look at the best practices out there, who is doing the right thing that we need to emulate?

Emerging farmers usually struggle to identify the ideal crops for their respective areas what are some of the crops they could consider for potentially good returns?

We recently started working with DIAGEO

to promote growing sorghum. We are pushing mixed cropping because of the ever changing climatic conditions. Farmers can no longer rely on one thing. We are experiencing droughts a bit too often now. You need to introduce a more creative way in terms of use of land. So, for this season, we have a collaboration with DIAGEO, an American company, for sorghum production. We are working with them to get 3 600 hectares under sorghum. So, those are some of the new opportunities that have come up. On the vegetable side, there are vast opportunities in the European Union for asparagus. We are also working with research institute, ARC, on the new cultivars that we can grow here given the recurrent droughts. We are also looking at cannabis as a potential crop for good returns. There is a good market for our sheep and goats in the Middle East and India. We are preparing for that. We urgently need more abattoirs which can handle goats. There is great potential for local farmers. Basically, it’s a very strategic, systematic and healthy situation.

But as we speak right now, how well are black farmers doing, particularly those in AFASA?

Notwithstanding the challenges, we are seeing growth amongst farmers. We are seeing people exporting and there is growth in citrus farming. We see them exporting to China and other areas. So, in a sense, the narrative is shifting. What important for people to appreciate

about the conference is that the farmers paid for themselves. The conference was specifically funded by the farmers. The farmers paid a fee to attend. There was no government transport. They paid for their own transport. I think it is important to highlight this because these are the people working to ensure that the dream of commercialisation is possible among black farmers. What we are sitting with right now is a nightmare of commercial production from food and other sectors which continue to be racialised. But in a sense, the capabilities demonstrated at the conference, confirmed that with the right support, we can change the face of the economy for everybody, both black and white.

This is obviously something that has been talked about for a long time but change seems to be taking much longer than expected, how best can the country realise this change?

It is in the interest of the country that we deracialise the economy. It is also in the interest of the country that we engender the economy and all the other challenges including having people with disabilities actively participating in the mainstream economy. The youth focus is also an imperative for us because youth unemployment is a crisis. But what excites us about youth in the agricultural sector is that they have appreciated the use of technology much more than us the older ones. It is something we believe will help agriculture grow. The youth should be allowed to play an active role in this.

CONVERSATIONS 1711 - 17 October 2019 The Weekly - Free State Province

OPINIONTSHILIDZI MARWALA

OPINIONVICTOR KGOMOESWANA

Spirit of Biko - save us from xenophobic attacksThe recent flare-up of hate crimes targeted mainly at foreign migrants raised concerns that South Africa had slid back to the era of xenophobia. The fact that we still have many people who think the Berlin-drawn borders are “Moses and the prophet,” means we should pause and reflect.

Personally, when I think of Nigerians, I only think of mentors. When, for instance, I enrolled for a degree at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, US, in 1991, one of the first people I met was my former schoolmate at Mbilwi High School in Venda, Limpopo. Joseph Makhari was my senior at the renowned school. The second person I met was Dr Adeyinka Adedeji from Nigeria, who had come to do a PhD in chemical engineering. 

That was while I was studying for a degree in mechanical engineering, and Adeyinka was my mentor. He introduced me to all the people in his laboratory. If I wanted African food I visited Adeyinka. If I wanted to listen to Yvonne Chaka Chaka, I visited Adeyinka. I was a PhD student because of Adeyinka.

Later, when I went to Cambridge University to do a PhD in artificial intelligence, I met Dr Adekunle Adeyeye, a Nigerian who was a postdoctoral fellow in engineering. He

too became my mentor. When I think of excellent mentors of the calibre of Adeyinka and Adekunle, I cannot help but think of just how ‘too soon’ Bantu Steve Biko left us. In an era like this, when we tend to hate people just because they were not born in our country, when xenophobia occasionally rears its head, we need Biko’s thoughts and leadership.

Xenophobia is perhaps the wrong word to characterise what is going on in our country. Xenophobia, strictly speaking, means fear of foreigners. You cannot be violent towards those whom you fear. Despite the manifestation of this phenomenon through violence, one of the enduring narratives is that foreign nationals are taking away our jobs.

However, it is not all foreign nationals that are targets, but those from sub-Saharan Africa. So this phenomenon in South Africa is more self-hate than xenophobia.

It is important, in dealing with hate crimes against foreign nationals, to look at the underlying factors that, though real, may not be obvious. This violence against African migrants is about the failure of our economy to transform. South Africa’s official unemployment rate, currently at 29%, is among the highest in the world. This number excludes millions of

NHI poses no threat to the private sector

Nigeria, SA have no other choice but to collaborate

REMGRO chief executive Jannie Durand, in an interview published in a leading business newspaper last week, took a dim view of the incoming National Health Insurance (NHI), calling it “vague” and a potential threat to the company’s investments. The investment company has a stake in the private hospital group, Mediclinic.

Unfortunately, a group whose companies have significant interests in medical aid scheme administration managed care and brokerage services should have misgivings around the introduction of universal health care.

The view expressed that the private sector “has shown that it can run health facilities much better and cheaply” opens itself up to challenge. Looking at the recently released findings of the Health Market Inquiry (HMI), his misguided view is inaccurate and disingenuous, to say the least.

It is laudable that private sector role players, particularly those linked to the health sector, concur that the government needs to improve health care.

However, given that there has been a need for several investigations into ballooning private health care costs - including by the South African Human Rights Commission and the Council for Medical Schemes Section 59 investigation - clearly, all is not rosy.

It is fallacious and utterly misleading to portray the private healthcare sector as being highly efficient, cost-effective and value for money. According to the authors of the HMI, the South African private health care market “is characterised by high and rising costs of medical scheme cover”.

This sector continues to experience challenges where private hospitals and specialists are amongst the top cost drivers. Medical

schemes’ increasing rates continue to spiral above the Consumer Price Index, creating affordability barriers.

Private sector critics of the NHI continue to red flag the potential for corruption, abuse and maladministration, which are legitimate concerns that the government has since introduced measures to mitigate.

However, the private health care sector has significant challenges in this regard. Various inquiries into the health sector, including the HMI, point to among other things, rampant fraud, wastage and the abuse of resources, conflict of interest, anti-competitive behaviour, failures in accountability, market concentration and an upsurge of member complaints.

Market concentration is particularly problematic as it has the potential to crowd out or dilute the benefits of the economies of scope and scale, especially for those schemes which are not able to exercise strategic purchasing for the benefit of their members.

The issue of cost-benefit to the country as a whole is another area of concern that needs to be addressed. Total healthcare spending (inclusive of both private and public) is the third-largest item of government expenditure.

In the 2017/18 financial year, it accounted for 32% of total spending by provincial governments. As a share of our GDP, it accounts for 8,8%.

And yet, as President Cyril Ramaphosa noted at the launch of the Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum, there is “a fundamental disjoint between what we are spending on health care and the health outcomes for our citizens”.

* Busani Ngcaweni is head of the Policy Unit in the Presidency while Nondumiso Khumalo is on secondment as a health economist in the NHI War Room in the Presidency.

OPINIONBUSANI NGCAWENI & NONDUMISO KHUMALO

planes were supposed to have flown droves of Nigerians home, Buhari demonstrated the ability to go where needed most. The mudslinging was becoming destructive. Shops were attacked in Nigeria in September in what was evidently a retaliatory strike for what South Africans were doing to Africans in the name of fighting crime and defending jobs.

Labelling every drug dealer and human trafficker Nigerian was offensive, and accusing

South Africa of turning its back on those who had supported its defeat of apartheid was unrealistic and misleading.

However long it takes, tensions must be resolved objectively and comprehensively to make the African Continental Free Trade Agreement dream come true; we need that badly.

* Victor Kgomoeswana is author of ‘Africa is Open for Business’, media commentator and public speaker on African business affairs

Africa’s deferred destiny hinges on sound intra-African relations, especially bilateral congeniality between top member states like these two. Sadly, the Abuja-Pretoria nexus has been riddled with sideshows and squabbles over things not worthy of countries in a region supposed to be the world’s last economic frontier.

Writing in a South African Institute of International Affairs journal in 2013, Dr Oladiran Bello and Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari characterised the value of solid Nigeria-South Africa relations by saying: “When Nigeria and South Africa co-operate, they are more likely to deliver continental public goods, including economic development, peace and security.”

This was following the return visit to South Africa by then president Goodluck Jonathan

in May that year. Bello and Hengari at the time bemoaned the degeneration of bilateral relations from what they termed Mandela’s “principled stance against Sani Abacha’s dictatorship in the 1990s” to “close and effective engagement” during the Mbeki-Obasanjo decade, to “a low point, with the two continental powers unable to reach agreement on the chairmanship of the AU Commission in 2012”.

Although entrepreneurs and companies have done business in each other’s country, it would be an understatement that the situation described above has continued to deteriorate to the point where Nigerian nationals in South Africa were seen attacking police. During the latest attacks on foreign nationals from the rest of Africa, one would have been forgiven for thinking Nigerians

exist solely to sell drugs and commit fraud.Social media went berserk, with video

messages of hate between the nations, including threats of Boko Haram descending on South Africa, as if that were Nigeria’s national army. In the din of all such Afrophobia, it is easy to overlook the volume of trade between the two countries and the crucial role they both play in holding Africa together.

Figures from Tralac.org state that 46% of Nigeria’s intra-African exports end up in South Africa. While world imports between 2017 and 2018 rose by 26%, “intra-African imports increased by 25% - imports of petroleum oils (not crude) increased by 18%”, with imports from South Africa soaring by 24%.

By coming to South Africa hardly a week after

people who are unemployed, but have given up looking for work. When people are in an economic wilderness, they look for scapegoats, and the people who are different to them usually become victims.

This difference may manifest itself through nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or race. In the wake of the Great Depression of the 1930s, in Germany the victims were Jews, and the consequence of that was a particular type of genocide named the Holocaust.

In today’s South Africa, the scapegoats are the African migrants, and at the top of the pyramid are the Nigerians. Just as it was not the Jews who were the source of the economic problems of the 1930s, it is not the African foreigners that are the source of South Africa’s economic problems. 

As South Africa, we need to be more organised and build a capable state that can manage migration and grow the economy. To economically prosper, South Africa needs to move away from ideological postures and choose policies that work, based on data as evidence. When Deng Xiaoping was modernising China and he encountered criticism, he said: “It does not matter if the cat is black or white if it catches mice, it is a good cat.” When Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni produces an economic document to move us from the economic quagmire, instead of us criticising him for actually putting up a plan, we have to study the proposals, scientifically evaluate them and correct them if necessary, to save South Africa.

This so-called xenophobia is also about the unfinished formation of our national identity. Mzala Nxumalo, one of the foremost thinkers of the 1976 generation, wrote quite extensively about the centrality of the national question in the formation of a democratic society. When Madiba led us to liberation and united us as one nation, we intended to build a South Africa rich and united in its diversity. We reversed that Balkanisation of South Africans along the racial and ethnic lines, which was the core soul of apartheid. We dismantled the bantustans which were intended to divide our people along ethnic lines. Apartheid was meant to divide, and Madiba tried to unite us.

However, did Madiba succeed in uniting our nation? Do we as South Africans at the very least understand ourselves, who we are, and where we are going?

“Madiba, sold us to white monopoly capital,” says a Themba on my Facebook account. No, Madiba did not sell out, but he initiated the unity project, which is fundamental in building a capable and caring state. The principal responsibility of our generation is to make this united South Africa work. However, united South Africa will succeed when we base it on economic inclusion and prosperity. This united South Africa will succeed if we base it on social cohesion, inclusion and the safety of our communities, including the total elimination of gender-based violence. 

This so-called xenophobia is because of the failure of the modern African state. The failure of African governments has meant there is a push on Africans towards the nodes of economic success in Europe and South Africa. According to the International Organisation for Migration, in 2019, 10,308 Africans entered Europe as refugees by the dangerous sea in makeshift boats as compared to 12,318 people in 2018. During this same period, 234 people died in 2019 compared with 466 in 2018, while crossing the Mediterranean.

Why are Africans risking their lives to cross to Europe? Because African countries have spectacularly failed to create secure economic, social and political environments for our people to prosper. Postcolonial Africa has collectively failed to industrialise, and consequently, economic development has stagnated. 

It is, nevertheless, not all gloom and doom.  The African continent today has a total purchasing power parity gross domestic product (GDP) of $6.7-trillion, and a population, largely young, of 1.2-billion people. As African countries,

we should capitalise on this economic progress to resolve the rural versus urban economic divide, execute sound economic policies and eliminate poverty from our society.

Xenophobia is about the failure of our education system. If there is one area where we can do significantly better, it is education. According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, sub-Saharan Africa has a literacy rate of 64% compared with 70% in the west and south Asia, 71% in Oceania and 99% in developed nations. We are trailing behind the rest of the world. According to Elizabeth Weybright and her co-researchers, 60% of children who begin school in South Africa never complete high school. Of those students lucky enough to complete high school and go to university in South Africa, 40% drop out before graduating. 

The failure in our school system means a considerable percentage of our population is excluded from the formal economy. When well-educated Africans immigrate to South Africa, and appear more successful than the locals, this results in jealousy. Uncontrolled jealousy is dangerous!

Given that xenophobic attacks have happened, what do we do? President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent envoys, which included former minister Jeff Radebe, Dr Khulu Mbata and ambassador Kingsley Mamabolo, to the rest of the African continent to apologise on our behalf about the xenophobic attacks. Leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters Julius Malema

also apologised to the rest of Africa on this matter. It is essential that in these difficult times, South Africa repairs its relationships with the rest of the African continent.

The decision to send envoys to the rest of the African continent, even though it is not universally accepted in South Africa, was the correct one. In this regard, it is essential to note what Kwame Nkrumah said in 1963 at the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, the forerunner of the African Union, when he advised that as Africans “we must unite now or perish”.

For the sake of African unity and in recognition of our common humanity, we must stop these pogroms at their source. It is true that as a nation we have economically, politically and socially underperformed and in many ways we are victims of our failures, but we cannot be victims of economic underperformance and perpetrators of violence at the same time. We ought to galvanise our society to reconstruct its fundamentals with due care. As we reconstruct our society, let us remember what Kwame Nkrumah advised us when he said “as never before we want thinkers, thinkers of great thoughts. As never before we want doers, doers of great deeds”. 

Marwala is a professor and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg. He deputises President Cyril Ramaphosa on the South African Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

ENTERTAINMENT The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019BUSINESS18

Massive investment . . . Minister Ebrahim Patel

Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel has launched a taxi manufacturing expansion plant in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, to the tune of half a billion rand, the department said on Monday.

The plant expansion is part of the Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) Hiace Ses’filikile Plant.

Patel said the investment of almost R500 million is another vote of confidence in the capability of the South African automotive industry and the KwaZulu-Natal economy.

“Manufacturing is the largest contributor to economic output in the province, supporting more than 350,000 direct jobs,” he pointed out.

Patel encouraged the automotive industry to prioritise the local production of vehicles in line with the automotive master plan and to look at electric and hybrid vehicles in future expansion plans.

“Last year, government and stakeholders adopted an automotive master plan, aiming to achieve 1 percent of global vehicle production by 2035, increase from current 600,000 units to almost 1.4 million units a year and increase Iocal content from the current 39 percent to 60 percent.

“The master plan is targeting to double employment in the value chain from current levels to about 240,000 and also to achieve at least level 4 BEE status from 2021,” Patel said.

The minister indicated that localisation must be a driver of development and opportunity, noting that localisation builds a country’s manufacturing footprint.

Since TSAM’s localisation programme began, Patel said more than 80,000 taxis have been assembled locally by Toyota and by another smaller assembler.

“The increased level of local content is an important part of the vision for the industry and

will increase the participation of more South Africans in this thriving sector of the economy. 

“It is also a practical implementation of the commitment Toyota made at the investment conference last year,” the minister added.

TSAM and chief executive, Andrew Kirby said in terms of the South African automotive masterplan (SAAM), local automotive value addition needs to be exponentially increased.

Kirby noted that TSAM is committed to supporting the SAAM, and has therefore proactively increased the local value addition of the Hiace Ses’fikile from 38 percent to 44 percent.

“This localisation has added R422 million per annum local value addition to the economy. Even more encouraging is the fact that we’ve been able to create an additional 80 jobs in the process.”

Kirby also announced the start of the company’s export operations to support local assembly in Kenya of Hilux. 

“TSAM is embracing the direction of local assembly, and has therefore invested close to R20 million for the establishment of our packing plant to support this knock down business. 

“Start of production in Kenya will be later in October 2019 and customers in Kenya will benefit by being able to buy their vehicles at a more competitive price,” Kirby said.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said plans were underway to develop an automotive supplier park in the south of Durban.

Dube-Ncube indicated the environmental impact assessment (EIA) on the site has been completed, adding that the provincial government is committed to ensuring that local communities are beneficiaries of the supplier park. -ANA

The Federation of Unions of South Africa on Tuesday urged employers to comply fully with the requirements of the National Minimum Wage Act, in a message marking the 12th  anniversary of the World Day for Decent Work.

The new wage law compels all employers in the formal non-agricultural sector to pay their workers a minimum wage of R3,500 a month. The minimum wage for farm and domestic workers has been pegged at 90 percent and 80 percent of those in the formal non-agriculture respectively.

In a statement FEDUSA, South Africa’s second-largest labour federation, said complying with the requirements of the national minimum wage would transform the circumstances of an estimated 6.4 million people.

It was also in line with the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC) drive to overcome gender discrimination at work

and promote meaningful participation in the economy by women and other marginalised groups in society, under the theme ‘Investing in Care economy for Gender Equality’.

FEDUSA cited research by ITUC showing that although care work - performed by women in more than 80 percent of the cases studied - was central in freeing up millions of people to do their day jobs by looking after small children and the elderly, it was generally low paid work, physically and emotionally demanding, carried out in conditions of insecurity, inadequate training, poor career prospects and in some cases, in conditions of near slavery.

“South Africa’s decent work country programme agenda is also not being helped by the private sector’s failure to honour their ... commitments of halting retrenchments in order to turn around the unemployment crisis which has seen nearly 30 percent of the workforce out of a job,” FEDUSA said. -ANA

Taxi manufacturing plant to boost KZN economy

Sept vehicle sales encouraging

There’s light at end of tunnel, saysv

New-vehicle sales hit their highest monthly level of 2019 in September, raising hopes that a prolonged period of market misery could finally be coming to an end.

Whether one month of relative stability signifies a turnaround, however, remains to be seen.

Figures released on Tuesday by the department of trade & industry show that new-vehicle sales fell 0.9% in September from a year earlier. That’s a quarter of the aggregate decline so far this year. By the end of September, the motor industry had sold 398,341 vehicles - 3.5% lower than in 2018 at the same stage. Car sales were down 4.9%, from 272,604 to 259,135.

September’s sales total of 49,191 vehicles

included 33,139 cars, of which 27% were bought by the car rental industry. The total may have fallen just short of 12 months earlier but it was the best month of 2019 so far.

Ghana Msibi, WesBank’s executive head of the motor division, said that even dealers still “bleating” about miserable market conditions must feel some relief.

He noted the industry at large should be pleased by the numbers and hope they are the start of a trend. Economic trends such as GDP growth, stable interest rates and CPI figures within the target range could all stimulate consumer and business confidence.

“If the country can sustain these conditions, the motor industry should enjoy some relief to

Rebuilding trust and credibility is key to saving state arms manufacturer Denel, according to the company.

Denel announced a R1.9 billion operating loss and a 36% drop in revenue in the 2018-2019 financial year.

“The decline in our reputation has also had a draining impact on our financial position,” it noted.

Despite maintaining an investment-grade credit rating, the company’s spokesperson Pam Malinda said the recent results reflected another “very difficult” year with revenue, but added that both the board and management were optimistic of the state entity’s future prospects and of a return to financial sustainability.

After being embroiled in maladministration

and state capture allegations involving associates of the Gupta family, the company suffered major financial losses, which even hit its employees earlier this year when the struggling manufacturer announced it would only able to pay a portion of its employees’ salaries in June and July.

This led to a fierce legal battle between the employer and trade union Solidarity, which approached the courts to force the company to make good on unpaid statutory payments.

“Denel is emerging from a period associated with allegations of state capture, financial irregularities and serious lapses in corporate governance,” said Malinda. “This had a debilitating impact on all areas of business and negatively affected business relationships with

partners, suppliers and stakeholders.”In addition to turnaround strategies to iron

out its governance and financial issues, the arms maker was in the process of a complete overhaul, making new partnerships and restructuring.

Denel was expecting revenue to pick up in the medium term, with projections showing a moderate growth in revenue from R3.86 billion in 2020, R5.4 billion in 2021 and R7.14 billion in 2024.

Denel claimed to have secured a solid order backlog of R18 billion, which covered roughly four years of sales revenue.

It also had its sights on a “winnable pipeline”’ of R30 billion over the next four months. -Citizen

Motsepe to establish fund for black farmersMulti-billion rand fund . . . Patrice Motsepe

SA’s emerging black farmers are set to benefit from a multi-billion rand fund businessman Patrice Motsepe wants to establish.

The billionaire, who is the African Rainbow Minerals chair,  said at the African Farmers Association of SA (Afasa) agribusiness transformation conference in Bloemfontein at the weekend that the fund will focus on assisting those in agriculture, agribusiness and related industries.

“We need black farmers to be part of sustainable, commercially viable and profitable enterprises. When we do that we will build a future for all of our people,” he said.

Motsepe described land as a “deeply emotional issue” among South Africans, adding: “You will never be able to take the politics out of the land.”

Afasa president Dr Vuyo Mahlati could not immediately be reached for comment.

Agriculture is one of the key sectors of SA’s embattled economy. Its contribution to the GDP fell from 4.2% in 1996 to 2.4% in 2018, while its value jumped from R50.5bn to R74.2bn over the same period.

Agriculture, land reform and rural

development minister Thoko Didiza said the government needed to have a strategy for youth and women development in agriculture.

“In addition, we have a responsibility to revitalise restituted land back to production as well as support farmers settled in agricultural state land and those in our communal areas who have acquitted themselves as farmers even where land scarcity remains a challenge,” noted Didiza.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his state of the nation address in June, announced that R3.9bn would be allocated to the Land Bank over the medium-term budget period for the benefit of black commercial farmers.

Ramaphosa said at the time that the funding was aimed at expanding agriculture and agro-processing sector by supporting key value chains and products, developing new markets and reducing our reliance on agricultural imports.

In 2018, the agricultural economy contracted 4.8% year-on-year due to poor summer grains harvest as a result of drier weather conditions.

On Monday, FNB Agriculture information and marketing head Dawie Maree said increased collaboration between smallholder farmers will enhance sustainability and profitability.

“This could include buying inputs together and having the power to negotiate discounts on bulk sales,” he pointed out.

On the controversial land reform debate, Maree said land expropriation without compensation “is one of the key risks” for the industry.

“There is very little that farmers can do to mitigate this. We have to work around it. We consider the new policy on land a risk for agriculture but are not overly concerned at this stage. We do expect more clarity around March next year.”

In July,  the National Assembly agreed to re-establish a multiparty ad-hoc committee to initiate and introduce legislation amending section 25 of the constitution, or the property clause.

The proposed amendment of the constitution is meant to ease expropriation of land without compensation to address skewed land ownership patterns dating back to apartheid and colonial eras.

The re-established ad-hoc committee is expected to report to the National Assembly by March 31, 2020. -Businesslive

Emigration-driven home sales upEmigration-driven house sales and higher municipal residential development approvals have contributed to a 36 percent surge in houses for sale in the year to end September, compared to the prior year. 

An FNB Residential Property Barometer for September showed that flats and townhouses dominated the activity in the market during the period.

FNB property analyst Siphamandla Mkhwanazi said that the barometer also showed that emigration increased to about 15 percent, year-to-date, of all homes coming on to the market for sale, which was statistically “significant” considering it was double the figure of 3 to 4 years ago.

The data does not consider the reasons for this trend.

In the first quarter, the FNB Estate Agents Survey showed that emigration-driven sales accounted for 14.2 percent of residential property sales.

“There is still robust supply of new stock, as well as emigration-related sales. On the other hand, inbound demand (from foreigners buying property in South Africa as well as from South African expats buying property locally) remains comparatively subdued,” said Mkhwanazi.

RE/Max Estate Agents said in a statement that a US company, Pew Research, had found that the most popular destination for South African expats in 2017 was the UK, followed by Australia and the US.

The actual number of people emigrating are hard to come by. The FW de Klerk Foundation in August estimated that about 3 000 people were leaving South Africa each month.

The foundation warned that if the figure accelerated, it would result in serious consequences for South Africa’s tax and skills bases.

Streso Financial Consultants chief executive Eric Streso said recently: “The last few months have left South Africans reeling. A volatile and

unstable economy, concerns around government corruption, recently crime at an unsurpassed high and soaring prices, are leaving citizens disheartened and concerned about their future.

“Although there are no exact figures, it is clear that droves of skilled people are emigrating each day.” 

Mkhwanazi said the barometer showed that the residential property market was recovering, but house buying demand remained low.

The FNB Residential House Price Index third quarter growth edged up moderately to 3.7 percent, up from 3.4 percent in the second quarter.

“While price growth remains below inflation, mild improvements in demand and progressive mortgage lending have supported the residential property market in the third quarter of 2019. 

“However, depressed labour markets continue to weigh on household finances, which poses a threat to sustained demand growth,” he said. -BusinessReport

Employers urged to comply with minimum wage

the end of the year.”Only once in 2019, in April, did vehicle sales

exceed those of 2018 - and that was followed immediately by a 5.7% year-on-year drop in May. But in a market where the monthly collapse has been as big as 13.3%, relief at September’s performance is understandable.

However, Mike Mabasa, CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA, urges caution.

“Consumers and businesses will continue to delay purchasing decisions on big items such as new vehicles until there is greater economic stability all around and they are more optimistic about their economic future. Though the economy grew in the second quarter of the year off the first quarter’s very low base, the underlying pace of activity remains weak,” he said. -BusinessDay

SPORT 1911 - 17 October 2019 The Weekly - Free State Province

SPORT ONTHAPELO MOLEBATSI

SPORT ONTHAPELO MOLEBATSI

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is regarded as one of the best leagues in Africa and it is imperative that they also do what the best in the world do.

It is, therefore, time for our league to consider introducing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). By so doing, we will minimise errors that are committed by the match officials week-in and week-out.

There’s a lot at stake in the elite league.Coaches end up swelling the ranks of

the unemployed because of the poor calls by match officials. Clubs miss out on silverware because the referees get it wrong.

Granted, VAR will not solve all our problems but it will minimise the errors which often lead to the firing of coaches and loss of trophies.

On Monday, the assistant referee flagged Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for offside against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the English Premier League.

Yet that decision was reviewed and the verdict from the VAR confirmed that it was a legitimate goal.

Arsenal would have lost two points were VAR not in use in the English Premier League. But fortunately, it is active in England.

Tottenham Hotspur was also saved by the VAR in the second game of the season against Manchester City.

Gabriel Jesus netted at the death but there was a handball prior to the goal and VAR spotted it and the goal did not stand. No doubt City fans cursed the introduction of this technology, but there can be no denying it is a fair way to adjudicate contentious incidents in the game.

The game between Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu was the talk of the town last week at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi.

Headlines, though, were not about Chiefs sitting at the summit of the table but were dominated by controversy. Bongi Ntuli and Ovidy Karuru both found the back of the net but were judged to have been in an offside position when they received possession of the ball before scoring.

The fans were divided as some felt that those were two legitimate goals and others felt that the referee made the correct calls. It was two close calls. The first goal appeared to be spot on while the second one was questionable.

Baroka FC were also victims to this recently as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Amakhosi. Lazarus Nkambole was offside when Khama Billiat spotted him. The Zambian was denied by Elvis Chipezeze but the ball rebounded into the path of Lebogang Manyama who slotted into an empty net.

Nkambole should have been flagged for offside but the match officials missed it. Baroka lost three points. VAR would have spotted that.

Our product is growing each and every day.

This past weekend we witnessed a six-goal thriller between Orlando Pirates and Cape Town City at Orlando Stadium.

So, let us not allow the referee’s decisions to spoil the growth of the PSL.

Obviously match officials are human beings and they will make errors, which is understandable, but we have means that can help us avoid mistakes. Why not use it? They are doing it in England, Spain, Italy, and Germany. As one of the best around, we must also follow.

VAR needed to eliminate ref mistakes

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

Clapham High School from Gauteng are the 2019 under-19 Kay Motsepe Schools Cup champions and they will take home R1 million prize money, to be spent on legacy projects at the school.

Clapham convincingly beat Siphokuhle Secondary School from Mpumalanga 8-1 in the final to be crowned the winners of the trophy, sponsored by the Motsepe Foundation and Sanlam.

The match started with Siphokuhle on the attack and they scored first within 10 minutes via an excellently taken free kick that found the back of the net.

Clapham rose to the challenge and came back to level the score not long afterwards and from them on it was Clapham all the way. They ended the first half with a 4-1 lead and scored another four goals in the second half.

Clapham showed their class from the start of the tournament winning all their round robin matches and taking maximum points from the

group stage. They knocked out Khula Senior Secondary School from Mpumalanga 3-0 in their semifinal clash to meet Siphokuhle in the final.

This is the second successive year that Clapham has won the tournament.

“Every year you face different challenges so it feels like it is your first time of winning; it is always a great feeling,” said excited coach, Mike Mangena

The former Mamelodi Sundowns player also noted, “I felt the competition was tougher this year. We had to work harder, but at the end we kept looking for opportunities and this is what helped us win. We stuck to what we know best and we outclassed our opponents based on our scientific approach to the game.”

He added: “When I was a professional most of the effort in training was placed on the physical side of the game; to be at your best for the 90 minutes. But the modern game is a lot different. At the end of the day it is a combination of the psychological, technical and tactical preparations. You need to outsmart,

outrun, outsprint the opposition and we did this very effectively this year. I urge all schools to look at this aspect of the game as there are many very talented players, but it’s about how you read the game and find the best solution and take the necessary technical or tactical actions needed to win matches.”

Asked how he felt when Siphokuhle went 1-0 up quickly Mangena chuckled, “It was a repeat of last year and it happens in a lot of the games we play, but we work well under pressure. This gives the boys something to look forward to. It is not new for us to be behind and we responded by showing our fighting spirit.”

Free State’s Unitas High School was their toughest opposition, admitted Mangena. “They are an academy and we know them well as we play against them regularly, so we knew it was going to be a tactical game and we were lucky to beat them 2-0.”

Clapham also walked off with all

Deserving champs… Clapham High School from Gauteng are the 2019 under-19 Kay Motsepe Schools Cup champions

Clapham crowned Motsepe Schools Cup champs

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

Lefebre Rademan from Kovsie Netball was voted Varsity Netball Player of the Tournament after receiving the most public votes for the 2019 edition.

She received three accolades in total - one FNB Player of the Match and two Wimpy Moment Maker prizes. This is the second time in Varsity Netball history that a same player has won both awards.

Three captains were nominated for the prestigious prize of the best student netball player in 2019 - Jeanie Steyn of the Madibaz, Monique Reyneke from NWU and Lefébre Rademan from Kovsies.

Reflecting on her achievement, Rademan said: “It’s been a tough outing for us. I would have loved for us to have won the tournament. Walking away with both trophies would have made me complete.

“However, am happy with my individual performance and the fact that it’s recognised by others. I’ve hard work over the years to improve my game and seeing how I’ve developed over the

past few years has been fulfilling,” she noted. Rademan (attack), Reyneke (defender), and

Steyn (goalkeeper) received the most votes from the participating coaches who had to nominate a player from one of the other seven teams.

Reyneke has bagged seven awards in the 2019 competition thus far – two FNB Player of the Matches, two Wimpy Moment Makers and three MTN Pulse Interceptors.

Steyn walked away with an incredible five MTN Pulse Interceptor honours in her seven matches.

Steyn, with 25 interceptions, is third on the overall list of stealing opposition’s possession. Reyneke is fourth with 24 interceptions.

Rademan has shot 154 from 189 attempts for a goal average of 81.4% which is the fifth-highest average for players with 150 attempts or more. Her 16 goals during the Powerplay is the highest in the competition.

It is the seventh year a Kovsies player features among the three finalists for the Player of the Tournament. NWU has had six nominees, Tuks five, Madibaz two and Maties one.

Seal of approval … Kovsie Netball’s Lefebre Rademan scoops the second consecutive player of the tournament award.

Another nod for Rademan

New bosses… New Proteas Netball coach Dorette Badenhorst alongside her assistant Dumisani Chauke.

the individual player awards and Mangena was named the coach of the tournament.

The top goalscorer award was shared between Tlotlego Pitso and Riandre Vries, both from Clapham who each ended with eight goals from four games. Pitso is the team captain and Clapham head boy.

“I played in the tournament last year and am one of the senior players in the team this year,” Pitso said. “When we were a goal down in the final, determination and hard work is what counted, and I needed to lead from the front. I really enjoyed the tournament. I like to be an inspiration to the youth. When I noticed that many of the players from other schools lacked motivation, I encouraged them to push themselves to the limit. It is tough at the bottom, especially in the rural areas back home and I encourage them to play their best as there are scouts here and you never know what will happen,” he concluded.

Other awards:Goalkeeper of the TournamentSfundo Jaba (Clapham)Player of the Tournament Riandre Vries (Clapham) The third/fourth place match was won by

Khula Secondary School from Mpumalanga who beat John Ramsay High School from the Western Cape 1 - 0

Prize moneyFirst Prize: R 1 Million: Clapham High

School (GP)Runner-up: R600 000: Siphokuhle Secondary

School (MP)Third Prize: R500 000: Khula Senior

Secondary School (MP)Fourth Prize: R400 000: John Ramsay High

School (WP)

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

Dorette Badenhorst finally landed her dream job this week after she was announced Proteas Netball head coach.

Dumisani Chauke will be her assistant.The former Baby Proteas coach was assistant

to Australian mentor Norma Plummer at this year’s Netball World Cup in Liverpool where the national side finished fourth.

Reaching the semi-finals, the Proteas produced their best result at the World Cup since South African won silver at the 1995 edition. The Proteas suffered a comprehensive 58-41 defeat to England in their bronze-medal match.

Badenhorst, who had a successful six-year stint with North West and the North-West University (NWU) before she moved to Gauteng at the end of 2017, said she had applied for the position before but never received the nod.

“It is a great privilege and honour to coach the SPAR Proteas team. It is not going to be easy, especially in the first three months playing in three big competitions,” Badenhorst said.

Netball SA president Cecilia Molokwane said the coaches would be signed on a contract but they would give them time to find their feet.

“We also need to be fair to give them time from 2019 to 2023 to make sure they deliver a team that can represent the country very well,” Molokwane said in a statement.

“As Netball SA and as a country, we believe it was time that a South African led the team especially as we are going to host the 2023 World Cup.”

Badenhorst and Chauke will have to prepare the team for the upcoming Africa Netball Cup in Cape Town champion which will be held between October 18 and 22 before the three-Test series against England at the end of November in the Mother City.

They face their biggest challenge in January when they will be involved in a four-nation series against England, Jamaica and world champion New Zealand.

“It is a great opportunity and a challenge for us to build on what Norma did for our country ensuring we go forward making sure we become better in world netball,” Badenhorst noted.

“Working with Norma in the past four or five years, I got a lot of confidence because what we do is not that much different. We think the same and we have the same mindset in certain things.”

Badenhorst indicated one of their first strategic tasks was to expand the pool of talent that can represent the Proteas. “We have to go out there and identify more players, our pool of players are not big enough, we definitely need more depth,” she added.

“We need that second team that is at the same level as the Proteas, and that is a goal for us as a management team.”

Badenhorst lands her dream job

SPORT The Weekly - Free State Province 11 - 17 October 2019

Page 19

20

Page 19

Clapham crowned Motsepe Schools Cup champs

Badenhorst lands her dream jobReaching the semi-finals, the Proteas produced their best result at the World Cup since South African won silver at the 1995 edition. The Proteas suffered a comprehensive 58-41 defeat to England in their bronze-medal match.

CHEETAHS STILL ON WINNING PATH

The match started with Siphokuhle on the attack and they scored first within 10 minutes via an excellently taken free kick that found the back of the net.

By: Thapelo Molebatsi

Toyota Cheetahs captain Ruan Pienaar has admitted he enjoyed his side’s massive 63-26 win over his old club Ulster in PRO14 Rugby action on Saturday, but warned

his teammates that they would meet a different Ulster side in Belfast later in the competition looking for revenge.

Pienaar played 141 times for Ulster and carved an indelible mark on the club’s history in his time there, and while his team scored nine tries to record their second impressive victory and keep their unbeaten record, he cautioned that they would need to improve ahead of a showdown with unbeaten Munster on Friday night.

“If you score 60 points, it is hard not to be happy. But we are chasing high standards in this team and while the scoreboard shows we played well, there are definitely things we can work on. It is the second game and while it is going well, it is important to remember what we need to work on,” he noted.

“We have a tough game against Munster next week and then we have a tough tour. For us it is important to work on the standards we have set for ourself and consistency.

“To get that momentum with the team is for me personally great. I have a bunch of friends at Ulster and it was nice getting one over them but we will work hard for the turnaround to face Munster on Friday.”

Pienaar said he had enjoyed catching up with his former teammates, but said there would be

Consistency is everything… Toyota Cheetahs captain Ruan Pienaar calls for team consistency ahead of their international tour.

Ready for action… Kaizer Chiefs players George Maluleke and Bernard Parker

Chiefs will use Macufe invite fruitfully: MotaungBy: Thapelo Molebatsi

“We are honoured to once again be invited to play in the Macufe Cup,” says Kaizer Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung.

“It’s all about bringing the much-needed social cohesion for the people. We need some time off the mainstream football to entertain people in a celebratory atmosphere,” said Motaung.

Kaizer Chiefs will take on Bloemfontein Celtic in the annual iTau Macufe Cup on Sunday, 13 October at the Free State Stadium. Kick off is 15:00.

The friendly match was launched last Friday at a function held at Naval Hill in Bloemfontein.

“We will use this invitation fruitfully as an opportunity to keep the players sharp,” revealed Motaung. “This is also an opportunity for some of the players to get a run. We have a solid squad to compete in any event.”

The match is being played during the FIFA international break.

Motaung noted, “The coach is still working on some combinations for consistency. Some players have not had a chance to play. It is still early in the season with only eight matches played in the league. This means we are still in the preparation phase for the long journey in the league. Most importantly we will use this game as a way to minimise the effects of the FIFA break on the momentum of the team.”

The match concludes the 10-day long Mangaung African Cultural Festival.

MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreational Limakatso Mahasa welcomed the participation of Chiefs in the Macufe festivities saying: “We are happy to have both teams taking part in Macufe - in particular Chiefs. With their supporter base they will bring the much-needed injection to the economy of the Free State. But we would like the Cup to remain in the City of Roses.”

Tickets are on sale at Computicket, Shoprite and Checkers outlets nationwide for R50.

no favours done when the teams meet in the return game in Belfast later this season.

“I was pretty relaxed and met up with some of their guys for a coffee. For me it is always fun to

play against friends of yours and old teams; it was the same against the Sharks in the Currie Cup.

For us, it is important to work on the standards we have set for ourselves and consistency when we go on tour, says Ruan Pienaar

I have great memories and had a great time at Ulster,” he added.

“I guess it was mixed emotions running out against them. I’m glad we got the win but they’ve already said it is round one and they will be waiting for us. It will be a different story in Belfast. But for now Munster is next up for us and we need to get a result.”

Pienaar said while Ulster struggled with the altitude, it shouldn’t take away from some of the impressive tries his side scored. Anthony Volminck’s hat-trick and a brace by Rhyno Smith electrified the contest as the Cheetahs were never troubled in the game.

“Altitude definitely played a part but in saying that we were pretty accurate at stages and we were tough to contain. We made some good decisions and ran some good lines. When we broke the line we managed to take those opportunities,” he recounted.

In Port Elizabeth, the Isuzu Southern Kings were disappointed with their result after leading the Irish side Munster early in the second half, before losing out late in the game 31-20. Kings’ coach Robbi Kempson rued missed opportunities for the second week in a row.

“Again it was missed opportunities - we had two try-scoring opportunities in that opening 20 minutes that we didn’t convert. I wouldn’t say we panicked but we didn’t convert. That is a minimum of coming away with 10 points and that would have helped with the scoreline in the game.

“If you aren’t taking your opportunities then you are going to be on the back foot. And in this competition and particularly against a team like Munster, you aren’t going to win games,” Kempson said.

But while he was disappointed he took positives out of the game. “I think it is the first time in the history of the Southern Kings that we didn’t get a yellow card. We got a turnover scrum and stopped their mauls, so there is a lot of positives to take out of it. From our attack perspective, we train hard and it doesn’t seem to play itself out on the field, so in that respect we are disappointed, but we can’t fault the effort.

“The energy was a bit flat in the heat. Our intention was to lift intensity in the heat because they wouldn’t be able to cope with that, but we didn’t do that. Perhaps we were slightly off in that, particularly at the start,” he added.

The sides will swop opposition this week with the Cheetahs hosting Munster on Friday while Ulster will travel to Port Elizabeth to take on the Kings.