Mickeys

Pretoria – With only 93 days to go before the start of the 2010 World Cup, residents of Mamelodi-East near Pretoria during violent protests on Tuesday threatened to disrupt the tournament.

They are demanding that the government immediately supply them with houses, electricity, running water and flushing toilets.

“If the government could spend millions of rands and prepare for the World Cup so quickly, it’s a disgrace that people are still living in squalor in squatter camps,” Vusi Nkosi, a resident, said on Tuesday.

A schoolgirl armed with stones walks towards a police vehicle in Tsamayaweg, Mamelodi-East.

“The soccer means nothing to us because we won’t be able to watch it anyway, since we don’t have electricity.

“This time we will fight and toyi-toyi like the ANC taught us.”

Over 6 000 people live in seven squatter camps in close proximity to each other in Mamelodi-East.

Riotous residents have been blockading Tsamaya Road, Hector Peterson Street and Hans Strijdom Avenue with burning tyres and rubbish since 20:00 on Monday.

On Tuesday the police repeatedly tried to disperse the crowd by firing rubber bullets at them and firing live rounds in the air.

Several people were hit by rubber bullets.

Johannes Maheso, police spokesperson, said four men were arrested.

This protest followed similar demonstrations in Hammanskraal, Soshanguve and Brits.

Veronica Mphahlele, a community leader, said the government promised in 2000 that they would be given permanent houses and land of their own.

“It’s 10 years later and we’re still in the same position. All they do is send police to come and shoot at us.”

The residents are accusing council members, the police and the metro police of illegally selling land and houses intended for the poor to enrich themselves.

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Two women paramedics were attacked in Durban Deep, west of Johannesburg, while attending to a toddler who had suffered burn wounds, reports said on Monday.

Senior Superintendent Noxolo Kweza said the two women were called out to Durban Deep in Roodepoort on Friday night after receiving a call from a desperate mother that her 2-year-old son had been burnt.

The Star newspaper reported that the two paramedics drove to a pick-up point along Main Reed road where residents are often asked to bring their patients.

The mother, her son and two men, who are family friends, waited for the paramedics there. At one stage, the mother returned home to get a jersey for her son.

“While they [the paramedics] were busy with the child in the ambulance, three armed men appeared from the bushes, threatened the two men and told them to run away, otherwise they were going to shoot them,” said Kweza.

“The two men ran down the road and the suspects took the women into the bushes.

“They raped one woman and attempted to rape the other one.”

The two men, who ran away, alerted the police and accompanied them to the scene to search for the women.

The assailants fled when the police arrived on the scene.

Beeld newspaper said the three men fled in the ambulance, which was later found abandoned in the area.

The two women had not yet made statements to the police because they had been too traumatised.

Both women were admitted to the Life Flora Clinic.

The boy was not injured in the attack and was admitted to hospital for treatment to the burn wounds.

taken from News24

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has no authority to shield consumers from the full brunt of electricity price hikes by prescribing a cap on the increases municipalities pass on to domestic consumers, said Minister of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs Sicelo Shiceka.

Speaking during a briefing of cabinet’s governance and administration cluster in parliament, Shiceka stressed how dependent municipalities have become on the revenue they generate from electricity sales.

Any attempt, he said, to cap the increases they pass on to consumers would have a “fundamental impact” on local government.

“We are not going to leave this lying down. Municipalities cannot be suddenly told that they no longer have the income they had. Nersa has no locus standi on this matter,” said Shiceka, adding municipalities will also have to be transparent about how they calculate electricity fees.

While Shiceka has called a “very high-powered” meeting with Nersa to resolve this issue, his comments are at direct odds with those made by his cabinet colleague, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters. She has urged municipalities to heed Nersa’s recommendations.

While Nersa approved electricity fee increases of about 25% per year for the next three years, it recommended a much lower cap on the escalation municipalities could charge consumers (15% this year and 16.03% and 16.16% over the following two years).

The regulator also announced a “residential inclining block rate tariff structure” aimed at making bigger electricity users cross-subsidise the low-income domestic consumer.

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South African Film & Television Awards

On Saturday night (20 February 2010) the 4th annual South African Film and Television Awards took place at the State Theatre in Pretoria and almost knocked guests and viewers into a coma.

Despite the many complaints and criticisms last year about the ceremony being much too long and drawn-out, the exact same problem struck this year: except this time round lots of the nominees – and winners specifically – decided that it was more trouble than it was worth to actually pitch up.

Winners in numerous categories weren’t around to collect their Golden Horns and there was clearly no directorial plan as to what to do when it happened. A random selection of their fellow cast members shuffled in to try to save the show, emerging from an auditorium that thinned out as the hours went on and on and …. ‘zzzzz (to the backdrop of VERY bad dancers).

If you didn’t manage to make it through seeing who won, here are the nominees in the main television categories, with the winners in red:

DRAMA

Best Drama Series

A Place Called Home (T.O.M Pictures)
Sokhulu & Partners (Paw Paw Films)
The Lab (Curious Pictures)

Best Drama Mini-Series

Death of a Queen (Mud Hut Productions)
iZingane zoBaba (Paw Paw Films)
Noah’s Ark (Sidewalk Productions)

Best Director

Akin Omotoso and Rolie Nikiwe (A Place Called Home)
Tim Greene (iZingane zoBaba)
Barry Berk & John Trengrove (The Lab)

Best Actor

Ronnie Nyakale (Sylvester in A Place Called Home)
Patrick Shai (Moses Mokoena in Noah’s Ark)
Fana Mokoena (Jaws Bhengu in The Lab)

Best Supporting Actor

Terence Bridgett (Wong in Erfsondes)
Fana Mokoena (Officer Khobane in Hopeville)
Jabulani Hadebe (Mandla Dlamini in uGugu no Andile)

Best Actress

Shoki Sebotsane (Grace in Death of a Queen)
Jana Strydom (Kate Spencer in Erfsondes)
Linda Sokhulu (Pamela Thusi in Sokhulu & Partners)

Best Supporting Actress

Bongi Ndaba (Thembeka in iZingane zoBaba)
Nolwazi Shange (Precious in A Place Called Home)
Harriet Manamela (Ausi Dlamini in uGugu no Andile)

Best Ensemble Cast

A Place Called Home
Soul City
The Lab

Best Writing Team

iZingane zoBaba team
Sokhulu & Partners team
The Lab team

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The ANCYL does not want President Jacob Zuma’s support in its bid for nationalisation, it wants the support of the masses, its leader Julius Malema said on Thursday.

Julius Malema

“We don’t care who says what. Nationalisation will become the policy of the ANC,” he said during a memorial lecture at Johannesburg’s Wits University, commemorating former president Nelson Mandela’s release from prison 20 years ago.

“We don’t want Zuma’s or [Deputy Police Minister Fikile] Mbalula’s support… we want the support of the masses. If the masses say you are correct, we will march on,” Malema said.

On Tuesday, during debate on his state of the-nation address in parliament, Zuma told opposition parties nationalisation of mines was not government policy.

Malema, however, was determined to influence ANC branches to make nationalisation party policy, which would then filter into the government.

He was addressing a packed hall where he was received with thunderous applause and enthusiastic song and dance. Ahead of Malema’s address, his audience watched a video clip of an interview with Nelson Mandela, filmed shortly after his release from prison.

In the interview, Mandela said nationalisation was part of the country’s history and he did not understand how privatisation was being justified. It would benefit only those with the resources to buy into those industries, he said. Mandela said whites decided the only way to control the country’s blacks was to privatise.

In his speech, Malema described the current ANC leadership as “sweethearts”.

“Today they want to tell us they are the best thinkers and they can interpret the freedom charter better than Nelson Mandela.”

He said the struggle for today’s youth was for “economic emancipation”, to “take command of the economy from the hands of white males”.

“We must say here today, following the clip we played, in our lifetime we demand economic freedom.”

He again attacked former president FW de Klerk.

“We must never compare De Klerk to Nelson Mandela. De Klerk must be compared with [IFP leader] Mangosuthu Buthelezi, they served the same master.”

He extended his venom to Buthelezi and related how the IFP was funded by security forces. While the party leader was “forgiven”, his deeds were “not forgotten”.

Joining Malema on stage was ANC NEC member Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who remarked that Malema was “clever” to use archival information to back up his bid to nationalise mines.

“You are very clever, my grandson Julius… you went to collect archival matter on nationalisation of the mines. I wonder where you got it.”

Madikizela-Mandela responded to newspaper reports on her absence at Victor Verster prison in Cape Town last week to commemorate her ex-husband’s release.

“My family and I were not invited.”

Earlier, Malema described Madikizela-Mandela as “populist”, praising her contribution to the struggle at length.

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The Western Cape is to pass a law banning politicians from using blue-light convoys in the province, Premier Helen Zille announced on Friday.

In her state of the province address, she said this would apply to politicians from “any sphere of government”.

The only exception would be a genuine emergency.

“And being late for a meeting does not constitute an emergency,” she said.

Zille’s announcement follows outrage at the arrest this week of a University of Cape Town student who allegedly made an obscene gesture at President Jacob Zuma’s convoy as it passed him.

Scores of students on Thursday demonstrated in solidarity with the arrested Chumani Maxwele, all flashing the same raised middle finger.

Zille said law enforcement agencies were supposed to protect innocent citizens against power abuse.

Unfortunately, in South Africa there were cases where the police themselves were accessories to this abuse, she said.

When her provincial executive assumed office nine months ago, one of the first things it did was to instruct the police’s VIP protection services to stop using blue lights and sirens on ministerial vehicles unless in exceptional circumstances.

“We did this because we don’t believe that politicians should have special rights and privileges that other citizens don’t have,” she said.

“We share the public’s disgust at being forced off the road by blue light bullies escorting self-important politicians.”

Maxwele’s arrest and interrogation by the president’s protection officers was an example of such abuse.

South Africa was a constitutional democracy, not a police state, she said.

“We will therefore introduce legislation… to prevent any politician from any sphere of government using blue-light convoys and sirens in the Western Cape, unless a genuine emergency arises.”

This would be done in terms of the provincial government’s constitutional competencies for road traffic regulation.

Zille also announced planned legislation to prohibit employees of the province conducting business with it, except in strictly defined and transparent circumstances.

Tender rigging and conflicts of interest were one of the primary sources of corruption in all provinces, she said.

taken from News24

Bob Skinstad arrested

Cape Town – Chaos erupted at the V&A Waterfront on Monday when former Springbok captain and SuperSport presenter, Bob Skinstad, was arrested.

Journalists at the venue were quick to react, grabbing their tape recorders as they started firing questions at the two armed policemen who handcuffed Skinstad and escorted him into a police van.

The commanding officer refused to comment as to the exact charges, except to say “Mr Skinstad cannot be giving out free school shoes to children. Just imagine if every child thinks they should now have a pair of school shoes. And for free. What would happen? There would be dancing in the streets and that is not right. ”

An anonymous rugby fan in his late 40s, who was passing by at the time said, “I was shocked. Just the other day I was watching Bob on TV thinking what a likeable, decent guy he is and then I see him being dragged off in handcuffs by the police. It was terrible to see.”

Bob Skinstad in jail

It has since emerged that Skinstad, who prefers to be called Bob, is being charged with a “positivity” crime – using the media to raise awareness for the millions of schoolchildren who are subjected to the daily pain and humiliation of having to go to school without school shoes.  In fact, in most cases, children who do not have uniform or shoes do not attend school.

Says Bob: “What child wants to go to school when they know they will be teased, when they know that they will stand out? I believe every child has the right to own a pair of school shoes because it’s an important step in giving children a sense of pride and dignity, thus enhancing the child’s education.”

Determined to “walk the talk”, Bob started the “bobsforgood foundation” along with his good friend, Ron Rutland. The foundation is driven by a single concept – to put shoes on the seven million children in South Africa that do not have shoes. Bob is fully committed in providing beneficiaries with shoes made in South African, by South African women who were once disadvantaged themselves. It’s about supporting everything that is South African. It’s a win-win situation for children and our economy.

So serious is Bob about this issue, that he is willing to “go to jail” for the cause.

Over the next five days, Bob will be housed in a constricted jail cell at the V&A Waterfront’s Barrow Court in the shopping mall. He will be released from jail on February 20 when the next leg of his awareness campaign – Walk This Way – will begin.

Bob and his team will Walk This Way to nine key towns in the Western Cape and aim to provide over 5 000 shoes to underprivileged kids from pre-selected schools. The entire campaign is fully endorsed by Donald Grant, MEC Education, whose department helped the campaign organisers ensure they benefitted the neediest schools.

Bobs urges everyone to come to the Waterfront, have lots of fun, enjoy the event and support bobsforgood, saying, “If we all do our bit, no matter how small, I believe we can create a better South Africa – one step at a time.” Your donation can make a massive difference in a child’s life.

Visit www.bobsforgoodfoundation.org and donate online

Visit him in the V&A Waterfront’s Barrow Court from the 15th to the 20th of February where you can make a pledge to Bob

The public can give Bob’s team a call on 0861 00 BOBS

Or to send an EFT, Bob’s foundation bank account is called ‘bobsforgood’
Standard Bank Mowbray
Branch No: 024909
Account No: 075 221 381

taken from News24

The majority of South Africans say cellphone costs are excessive, the results of a survey released on Friday by TNS Research Surveys show.

The survey found 56% of metro adults said cellphone companies had not been charging a fair price for their services while 27% were satisfied with current rates.

The remainder – around 13% – gave a “don’t know” response.

Younger people were more likely to agree that prices were fair than were older people (33% for those under the age of 49 years compared with just 19% for those over 60 years) – as were those in the lower to middle income groups.

“The most critical are those in upper income groups,” the survey said.

The survey found there were also some differences by area, with West Rand and Durban people showing the highest level of dissent at 67% and 64% respectively.

While 27% feared if cellphone companies cut their charges, service would get worse, 47% disagreed – with 26% giving a “don’t know” response.

“Hence, about half the metro population do not expect service levels to drop – a clear indication that many people do see cellphone costs as iniquitous.”

People in Soweto and Bloemfontein were the most anxious about poorer service (45% and 50% respectively).

The wealthier were the least likely to expect a drop in service levels if costs drop where 55% expect no such drop.

In terms of area, people on the East and West Rand, Pretoria and Durban were the least likely to expect such a drop.

“Given the considerable mentions made in the media about cellphone costs and the interconnection fee, it is to be expected that many people will feel that costs have been too high,” TNS Research Surveys said.

“What is perhaps surprising is that as many as 27% feel that costs are fair, showing how much a part of people’s lives cellphones have become.”

However, it was the wealthier parts of society who were the most critical – and who expected the most in terms of continued service levels.

taken from Fin24

State of the Nation address By His Excellency JG Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, at the Joint Sitting Of Parliament, Cape Town.

11 February 2010

Jacob Zuma

Honourable Speaker; Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces; Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP; Deputy President of the Republic, Honourable Kgalema Motlanthe; Honourable Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa and all esteemed members of the Judiciary; Isithwalandwe President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela; Former President FW de Klerk; Our father, Former President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia; Former Deputy Presidents; Distinguished Premiers and Speakers of our Provinces;
Chairperson of SALGA and all local government leadership; Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders;
Heads of Chapter 9 Institutions; The Governor of the Reserve Bank; Special international Guests especially the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr Jean Ping; Former political prisoners and veterans; Members of the diplomatic corps; South African and foreign media;
Fellow South Africans,

Dumelang, molweni, goeie naand, good evening, sanibonani nonke emakhaya!

Siyavuya ukuba nani ngobubusuku bubaluleke kangaka.

I stand before you this evening, 20 years since President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela walked out of prison.

We have chosen this as the day to call this Joint Sitting of Parliament to deliver the State of the Nation Address, to celebrate a watershed moment that changed our country.

The release of Madiba was brought about by the resolute struggles of the South African people.

You will recall that the masses of this country, in their different formations, responded with determination to the call to make the country ungovernable and apartheid unworkable.

We are celebrating this day with former political prisoners who we have specially invited to join us.
We welcome in particular those who have travelled from abroad to be here, Helene Pastoors, Michael Dingake from Botswana, Mr Andimba Toivo ya Toivo of SWAPO in Namibia.

We are pleased to be joined by members of the legal team in the Rivonia Treason trial – Lord Joel Joffe, who is now based in London and Judge Arthur Chaskalson.

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A taxi driver was arrested on Wednesday after he was caught transporting 49 school children in a 16-seater minibus taxi between KwaZulu-Natal’s Mooi River and Estcourt, national transport department said.

Another incident..... believe it or not!

Heavily-armed men in police uniforms tied up a Mokopane (Potgietersrus) farmer and his family and repeatedly shocked them with stun guns on a farm this week.

The eight attackers also pulled plastic bags over the heads of Okkie Malherbe, 63, and his wife Emmerentia, 53, from the Olem agricultural concern on the farm Doelen. Malherbe’s granddaughter, Kaycee, 5, was hysterical during the attack.

Malherbe’s son, WD, 34, said the attack lasted about two hours, “but it felt like forever. There was murder in their faces.”

WD said he had come for supper on Tuesday evening at his father and stepmother’s. Shortly after 19:00, an Isuzu bakkie and a Toyota Corolla with a blue light on the roof, had stopped in front of the farmhouse.

Three of the eight men were wearing police uniforms. The rest were “neatly clothed, like detectives”.

“We thought it was the police and then I opened the door. They pointed semi-automatic machine guns at me.”

WD said the attackers told them they were police officers from Gauteng and were investigating illegal firearms.

His father asked to see identification and the men quickly waved about “a piece of paper and cards”.

“We could see these weren’t police IDs and said we were going to call the police. They then pulled on their Balaclavas.”

They asked for money and keys to the safe. The attackers tied up WD, his father and stepmother and also tied the hands of his sister, Zia, and her daughter Kaycee.

“They told me to lie on my face on the sofa. We weren’t allowed to speak and every now and then felt a firearm against the head.”
WD said the attackers shocked them, but not Kaycee, several times with stun guns.

The men took his father to a nearby building from where the family ran the Limpopo Meat Packers business. He gave them the keys to the safe. They took his shoes and pulled a plastic bag over his head. They took R120 000.

They attackers forced him back to the house and took him and his wife to their bedroom.

A plastic bag was also pulled over his wife’s head.

“They were choked. I felt like I was going crazy when I heard that but I couldn’t do anything,” said their son.”

Employees of the Malherbes who stayed in a flat near the main house, suspected something was wrong and activated an alarm.

“They fled when the alarm went off. They took my bakkie, but later left it on a farm road. My father and stepmother’s cellphones were also stolen. We feel vulnerable, what should you do if people with police uniforms and a blue light stop near you? How should you know who you can trust?”

Provincial police spokesperson superintendent Ronel Otto said a special task team had been appointed to look for the attackers.

taken from News24

East London – East London businesswoman Sandy Nienaber has still not been paid the R140,000 the taxman promised to transfer by Friday, the Dispatch Online reported on Monday.

SA Revenue Service

On Tuesday, Nienaber chained herself to a chair in the SA Revenue Service (Sars) offices to force them to give her the refund.

“They haven’t put the money in my account,” she was quoted as saying.

“They say they couldn’t because my accountant has submitted something new to Sars that hasn’t been processed.

She said they had promised her that the money would reflect in her account by Monday.

taken from News24

Johannesburg – Daleen Moll has received her first speeding fine – at the age of 91!

"I want to frame this," says Daleen Moll who has been trapped speeding for the first time - at the age of 91!.

She was trapped doing 113km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N12 near Harrismith on December 15.

Moll, a former social worker from Kempton Park, said she’d been driving a little faster than she perhaps should have to get to Port Shepstone for a holiday.

“It was hot and we wanted to get to the sea,” Moll said on Sunday.

She said while the long trip wasn’t a problem for her, she didn’t like driving on her own.

Her granddaughter, Juanita Kotzé, 21, was in the car with her and they’d taken turns driving. The other one had to be on the “lookout”.

Moll said she would be paying the fine at the end of the month.

The 91-year-old got two traffic fines on the same day in the 1990s, but she was let off the hook after writing to the traffic department.

Moll said she was very “blessed” that she could still drive at her age.

“I renewed my licence in 2008. I even passed the eye test. But there are no fingerprints – they said I was too old.”

Moll said she wouldn’t be renewing her licence in 2013.

“I’m scared they’ll tell me I’m too old to drive.

“I drive fast, but safely.”

taken from News24

East London – An East London businesswoman chained herself to a chair at the local SA Revenue Services offices this week to force it to refund her R140 000, the Dispatch Online reported on Wednesday.

South African Revenue Service

“I’ve been here so many times the security even knows me by name,” said Sandy Nienaber.

The R140 000 has been owed to her since she completed her 2008 tax returns, said Nienaber.

On Wednesday, she chained herself to a chair in the reception area of the Sars offices.

First she only drew a few curious stares from Sars employees, until a security guard arrived to try and remove her, drawing the attention of some senior managers who tried to assist her.

It may have paid off – the manager gave her a written agreement that the money would show in her bank account on Friday.

taken from News24

Reports this week claimed that Caster Semenya will indeed race in the local season, which starts in a few weeks. Health24’s FitnessDoc, Dr Ross Tucker comments.

Caster Semenya

As has been the case on numerous occasions in this ongoing saga, every day brings with it more denials and confusion.

First, the IAAF and Semenya’s own lawyers denied that any decision clearing her had been reached. To them, the matter is still under discussion and they will only comment once the decision is made.

Then ASA acted by distancing themselves from the issue, saying that it is a matter for Semenya and her family, and that they have not received any clearance from the IAAF.

Not suspended, and therefore eligible to compete

Legally, of course, the IAAF have not banned her.  No suspension was ever handed down, and so in theory, she can run, as ASA recognised at the recent launch of the local track season.

However, there is more to this than a simple legal issue, and were she to race locally, it would once again stir the hornet’s next of allegation and counter-allegation that erupted last year in August.

Unfortunately, people have not seemed to recognise that a failure of a ban is not necessarily an endorsement of her eligibility to compete.

Meanwhile, her coach has clearly decided that he will plan the season without factoring this in, and perhaps this is all he can do – the alternative is to sit around waiting for a verdict, by which time 2010 may be beyond salvation as a competitive season.

What’s best for Semenya?

So Semenya can go ahead and run, because legally, there’s no barrier.  Whether this is the best for her does not seem to factor in the decisions of those in charge.

Remember, prior to Berlin, the medical advice was that she should not run pending further testing, and this was specifically to protect her against the potential fallout.  That advice was ignored.

Now, five months later, a similar situation exists – there is no concrete reason why she should not compete.  But given the doubt, the enormous question mark over her, does it really make sense to put her back into competition?

Is it really in her best interests to run until the verdict arrives, or is the prudent, wise approach not to wait on that decision and then run without any questions at all (assuming this is possible)?

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