South Africa P.I.G.

EXPOSED - Eksdom R3bn boo-boo

TRUE STORY!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ggw7dPR8ABNOqOlL_wuRWs72Ujqva5nfSV5VN66evZG3h4thJPdTSg2nt78ZAJExqsFqsmPWdDV2RcWF5HCHrK6YJSJz3qn9k8zBq5tjErFpTTHTl4BpVspc4GhyEn0FjHVRnJ8DWBUb/s1600/eskom-joke3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589068997842686418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ggw7dPR8ABNOqOlL_wuRWs72Ujqva5nfSV5VN66evZG3h4thJPdTSg2nt78ZAJExqsFqsmPWdDV2RcWF5HCHrK6YJSJz3qn9k8zBq5tjErFpTTHTl4BpVspc4GhyEn0FjHVRnJ8DWBUb/s400/eskom-joke3.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 374px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 235px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> This rates as a pretty big Boo Boo. Our local utility supplier ESKOM manged to blow up a 600Mw steam turbine during a routine overspeed test. They then tried to keep a lid on it by reporting it as a fire during routine maintenance. A comedy of errors has cost Eskom R3bn and severely compromised South Africa’s supply of electricity. This has emerged after last month’s massive explosion at the Duvha power station outside Witbank, Mpumalanga. The February 9 explosion ripped through one of the turbines at the power station, causing extensive damage to the station’s infrastructure and immediately removing 600MW from the country’s electricity supply. That amount can power a city the size of Bloemfontein during peak hours. It has now emerged that human error or lack of personnel caused the explosion, as it happened during a routine check. Eskom is investigating whether the control room at the station was unmanned when all its safety mechanisms failed during a maintenance test on February 9. It appears that there was nobody in the control room to activate the emergency mechanism, which would have shut down the turbine immediately. “We are worried that such a thing could happen again,” said Dirk Herman of trade union Solidarity. This showed that Eskom’s personnel network could not handle the immense pressure, he said. “Eskom’s investigation into the incident must be broadened to include an audit of the state of the network and the state of Eskom staff,” he said. Read full story here - <a id="ctl00_ctl00_MainBodyPlaceholder_Column2Placeholder_articleStatistics_rptMostRead_ctl01_lnkArticle" onclick="javascript: $j().geekGaTrackPage('UA-2092186-1','/outbound/news24/mostread/Eskom makes R3bn boo-boo');" href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Eskom-makes-R3bn-boo-boo-20110327">Eskom makes R3bn boo-boo</a>

EXPOSED - Eksdom R3bn boo-boo

TRUE STORY! This rates as a pretty big Boo Boo. Our local utility supplier ESKOM manged to blow up a 600Mw steam turbine during a routine o...

2:33 AM

'Eksdom blows up a turbine' cover-up lies

Eskom broken generator R3bn setback It will cost Eskom R3bn to replace the turbine generator that spun out of control and burst during a maintenance test near eMalahleni (Witbank). But almost worse than the monetary damage is the loss of 600MW in generating capacity for more than a year. It would take more than a year to replace the unit, said Hillary Joffe, Eskom’s head of communications. Unofficial sources reckoned it could take 18 months before a new unit, which would have to be ordered from and specially manufactured by French suppliers, could be put into operation. Photographs taken for the purposes of investigation of the damage shortly after the accident have since been widely published on the internet and show that the gigantic unit at Duvha, one of Eskom’s biggest power stations, was irreparably damaged by the explosion. According to Joffe, an overspeed test on the unit was conducted on the evening of February 9. The turbine generator unit normally spins at 3 000 revolutions a minute when it is linked to the national power grid and the network operated at its normal 50 Hz voltage level. But during the test the unit is disconnected from the national network. A valve controlling an enormous flow of steam to drive the turbine is then gradually opened to raise the pressure of the steam on the turbine. The speed at which the turbine rotates increases as the steam pressure rises. Joffe said the system has a bolt that starts to cut the rotational speed of the turbine as soon as it goes 10% over the design speed of 3 000 revolutions a minute. This time the safety mechanism failed for some other reason. (see below to find out what actually happened at Duhva) As a result the turbine spun faster and faster. The rotational speed increased too quickly for anything to be done before the enormous machine burst with a tremendous explosion, with debris scattering in all directions. The explosion ripped off several steel plates in the roof of the turbine hall. Pieces of shrapnel made hundreds of holes in the remainder of the 30-metre-high roof. - Sake24 Amazing how pics like these can get out even after Eskom put a blanket of secrecy around the whole incident ... Check out the holes in the roof - it's like a bomb went off - and that boken driveshaft lying on the floor is +-350mm diameter.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFjacD0Cq9gqYBXyMwO21qVf0mbMYgT8orgPqWGJcJ9ooByf8j40hBeiLbzw1G9kUPhMKjnymDzc0jOQMlIQZXKNdPTNWUuQ9WbEvCmV1QvG12FhmDhGNRevIFWxT266QiHNQkAZUaQwV/s1600/eskom-turbine.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586641558027128738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFjacD0Cq9gqYBXyMwO21qVf0mbMYgT8orgPqWGJcJ9ooByf8j40hBeiLbzw1G9kUPhMKjnymDzc0jOQMlIQZXKNdPTNWUuQ9WbEvCmV1QvG12FhmDhGNRevIFWxT266QiHNQkAZUaQwV/s400/eskom-turbine.bmp" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRbF-mS5GSNo7G4YnB5TKnM42WvWDOHk_R3F8m3AfJ1wepaGm0973xorzsTprBbBXKyx106othrBXix8Z0Pvyy8EmKKJ2oW8UsfMOF-S8IhI5JD3T1HiMJn4JsKx8sCjzkqEAfu0f4wCp/s1600/eskom-turbine01.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586643083097054498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRbF-mS5GSNo7G4YnB5TKnM42WvWDOHk_R3F8m3AfJ1wepaGm0973xorzsTprBbBXKyx106othrBXix8Z0Pvyy8EmKKJ2oW8UsfMOF-S8IhI5JD3T1HiMJn4JsKx8sCjzkqEAfu0f4wCp/s400/eskom-turbine01.bmp" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSDBZjDavNCdpNQb1YP2IKIPBzv0P9eZARg-LjjTYUCbWO0tF4N9TYfvJJmvRdxxMN7tXk3v2PiF5f3_vutVWsju6JvqDRl6ERDX97mISctLBBR8uz4jpYDrEs_bE_4CJcJJedi6wmJgR/s1600/eskom-turbine06.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586656089877117074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSDBZjDavNCdpNQb1YP2IKIPBzv0P9eZARg-LjjTYUCbWO0tF4N9TYfvJJmvRdxxMN7tXk3v2PiF5f3_vutVWsju6JvqDRl6ERDX97mISctLBBR8uz4jpYDrEs_bE_4CJcJJedi6wmJgR/s400/eskom-turbine06.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDRe8RPtnlZmP31ZZq6y0yvq5TpuHtkbMHN_FiD7AwDkxR93ZavWjwOFz06tyJZBidnjDoH56l6T4eNYi0hQhN30m27IhI5Ip2KIept3k79fl9Xvt3Yt7BfRBS0nkL5zoB6_0PKCZa-6O/s1600/eskom-turbine02.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586643564657182162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDRe8RPtnlZmP31ZZq6y0yvq5TpuHtkbMHN_FiD7AwDkxR93ZavWjwOFz06tyJZBidnjDoH56l6T4eNYi0hQhN30m27IhI5Ip2KIept3k79fl9Xvt3Yt7BfRBS0nkL5zoB6_0PKCZa-6O/s400/eskom-turbine02.bmp" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Qgo-Ifz0yxxYT-p4SkpszxhiqHHfE9P-DevhMn7OHVZAFBtmmFgEAf2c6_Y2EzVtClLlvIFL4Se2GxGzEI51K4WYvPUTtzvglrM2LPgTI1NyKJB74wmBM70MKz-S1MIXIIE1FbXqOd3E/s1600/eskom-turbine03.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586644158986761010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Qgo-Ifz0yxxYT-p4SkpszxhiqHHfE9P-DevhMn7OHVZAFBtmmFgEAf2c6_Y2EzVtClLlvIFL4Se2GxGzEI51K4WYvPUTtzvglrM2LPgTI1NyKJB74wmBM70MKz-S1MIXIIE1FbXqOd3E/s400/eskom-turbine03.bmp" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzCbB7Z1FY81KNHy3a19UX8Moqo6l2v8O_etGMtFcQDHH_Y3DsXGWlwgRzYY6KCc58pgGu4y58oEvyb18t0llNdmDBof-_gLW_1Oed8NqE3KYgdq7kUs9oDCH5qybnL6JbO5PUSglz4hQ/s1600/eskom-turbine04.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586644946409696290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzCbB7Z1FY81KNHy3a19UX8Moqo6l2v8O_etGMtFcQDHH_Y3DsXGWlwgRzYY6KCc58pgGu4y58oEvyb18t0llNdmDBof-_gLW_1Oed8NqE3KYgdq7kUs9oDCH5qybnL6JbO5PUSglz4hQ/s400/eskom-turbine04.bmp" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNONibHgK1TeUjhZr2WbYYTaOmEoHbJZO2M4yl_JIMVbA-5JJxZ-5jakCvDakGoV3THN_GNU4wiX7t41Mi1-4CXu0S5h1KLJlP6-4psCw9wR1DmmeddwsQTI9zceLVxWgY8K8K3xYWE6Di/s1600/eskom-turbine05.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586645888711829154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNONibHgK1TeUjhZr2WbYYTaOmEoHbJZO2M4yl_JIMVbA-5JJxZ-5jakCvDakGoV3THN_GNU4wiX7t41Mi1-4CXu0S5h1KLJlP6-4psCw9wR1DmmeddwsQTI9zceLVxWgY8K8K3xYWE6Di/s400/eskom-turbine05.bmp" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> ESKOM blows up a turbine - R3Billion later <blockquote> "So I found out what happened at Duhva. They were doing a test of the turbine overspeed protection system, and in short, the protection did not kick in. Conventional wisdom tells me that there should be a better way to test a protection system than to try and destroy the turbine and see if it feels like protecting itself, but that’s basically what they did. The turbine has a governor valve which controls the amount of steam coming into the turbine in order to keep it running at the right speed (3000 rpm for our grid frequency) and then it has a main isolation valve to shut the steam off completely. The protections systems (of which there are 3 independent systems, and a dude with his finger on the emergency button) are supposed to close this main isolation valve in a fraction of a second when the turbine overspeeds. So they get ready for the test, they dump a helluva lot of steam onto the turbine, speed starts going crazy, it went from 3000 RPM to 4500 RMP in ten seconds (they are generally only designed for 10 to 15% overspeed, all three protection systems should have kicked in by the time you get to 110%). Anyway, all three systems failed, and the dude with his finger on the manual trip button wasn’t at his post. So the result was a big bang, some fire and a lot of steam going where it shouldn’t go. Scary thing is Duvha has a shared turbine hall. All six units are placed in one long straight stripe, with no missile shield between them. And if you look at the third last pic you can see how big that shaft is, if that landed on another turbine it would have destroyed that too. They are very lucky they didn’t lose the entire station. So anyway, what gets reported in the news? “Unforeseen maintenance” at one of the units at Duvha requires it to remain shut down for 18 months. Understatement of the century in my book. But you shut off the containment ventilation system at Koeberg for one hour and a radiation alarm goes off, then it’s a front page news national crisis. I give up." </blockquote> Source: <a href="http://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/showthread.php?t=79395">http://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/showthread.php?t=79395</a>

'Eksdom blows up a turbine' cover-up lies

Eskom broken generator R3bn setback It will cost Eskom R3bn to replace the turbine generator that spun out of control and burst during a mai...

1:50 PM

No looting in Japan

The media are cautiously beginning to note that the earthquake/tsunami in Japan has not resulted in a single reported case of looting or even disorderly behavior. Dazed residents have gone back to smashed houses to salvage what they can, but no one worries about thieves. Thousands of homeless line up quietly and politely as they wait for emergency food and water <div align="center"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584421863287191474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU7tlLQ9hOYMZzymgL9ZFrr0mm8Sv1QpXEestUQFk-lyPhDmQnaoI1hoQlJp8qn78WMP3OIP08c7LgALVouaQohjMMprW1ATOqRwscSVxg6DnylBgrQNrUoC6gAIRSdK146ZSsZPrSnpL/s400/looting.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" />JAPAN : Orderley Disaster reaction - Japanese stand in line in front of a convenience store.</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584460766353743218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sFwIGxBHHzrnaOTr-U61UAdrmi6ERG_MnPTI86wsjFQ5pI55n0LpYay4L9hfJlha3Ri2guEEQep-qkhg5wqi8pX3Y57TWiHPxr1GI8vxhjiwLkDTbr7DYb0qiGbK4s7At58rI9mElnsk/s400/haiti-looting.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 262px; CURSOR: hand" /> HAITI : Looters fight for goods taken from a destroyed store in Port-au-Prince <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3Sj9I5GTIwuuT1YZxnjQZYiQngRHZoFNKONtKVKGfZ2L5QVppqBnxNP8x6PLrzil-aiFtZpC4gPc-2T0mBwbFmGZJbX1Pop7fzrmVoZSuWJcGUsmiXKIoFjIJ_bWh4iy1C-kny6LtLtk/s1600/haiti-food.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584463779827941490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3Sj9I5GTIwuuT1YZxnjQZYiQngRHZoFNKONtKVKGfZ2L5QVppqBnxNP8x6PLrzil-aiFtZpC4gPc-2T0mBwbFmGZJbX1Pop7fzrmVoZSuWJcGUsmiXKIoFjIJ_bWh4iy1C-kny6LtLtk/s400/haiti-food.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 360px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> HAITI : Savages swarm a UN aid convoy to grab at food and supplies in Petionville, Port-au-PrinceThe contrast with what happened after the Haiti earthquake last January or Hurricane Katrina in 2005 could not be more stark. In both cases, there was an almost immediate descent into savagery, with police officers joining in the looting. In New Orleans, evacuation centers became nightmares of violence and lawlessness, and the National Guard had to carry weapons on relief missions. In Haiti, tent cities for the quake victims became scenes of mass rape. <a href="http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/12/orderly-disaster-reaction-in-line-with-deep-cultural-roots/">The CNN news blog</a> story quotes two American “experts” on why the Japanese are so well behaved. Gregory Pflugfelder of Columbia University says it is because, unlike Americans, Japanese are not individualistic and care about the group. Merry White of Boston University says Americans loot and riot because of frustration over “alienation and class gaps.” Wrong. Incapable, as usual, of considering race, they cannot see that the greatest advantage the Japanese have is that they are not black. It is impossible—and I mean impossible—to imagine any black population anywhere in the world behaving like the Japanese. It is not just blacks. What if a catastrophe struck in Mexico or Indonesia or India or Egypt or Colombia? There would be widespread looting. Native relief agencies would make huge profits selling donated supplies rather than giving them away. Americans or Europeans who showed up with trucks of food would be mobbed. Human vileness would make the calamity vastly worse for the survivors. Prof. White says the real question is why Americans loot, not why the Japanese don’t. Wrong again. Virtually all people loot if the forces of order are knocked out, and it has nothing to do with “individualism” or “alienation and class gaps.” That is their nature. The “experts” are also wrong to talk about “Americans” as if there were only one kind. Everyone knows that if the lights go out there will be trouble in Detroit but not in Portland, and everyone knows why: Detroit is black and Portland is white. There would be trouble in Los Angeles, too. After the verdict in the Rodney King beating case, just as many Hispanics as blacks rioted. Would an all-white population behave exactly like the Japanese? There might be a bit of looting and profiteering, but not much. Most whites would help their neighbors, stand in line, wait their turn. And they would probably deal harshly with looters. Before they accepted millions of non-white immigrants, Northern Europeans would have behaved much like the Japanese. Swedes, Scots, Dutchmen, Germans, Danes—wherever they are still undiluted by immigrants they can be counted on to show courage, restraint, and dignity. But again, these peoples are exceptions. They are exceptions for reasons that are largely genetic but also cultural. Whites and north Asians have high average IQs, but also what could be called an “average personality” that is less psychopathic, more disciplined, more public spirited. We see this in every aspect of the societies they build, not just in how they respond to tragedy. Their societies have little crime, illegitimacy, littering, or graffiti. They have high levels of public order, trust, and courtesy. Only a few populations are capable of building such societies, and they are vastly superior to all others. That, of course, is why so many people from failed societies want to immigrate, but when they come in sufficient numbers they destroy what they came to find. Things would have been far different in Japan if the country had admitted large numbers of, say, Malays or Pakistanis. So far, Japan has wisely limited Third-World immigration, and can face a catastrophe with the conviction that all Japanese are united both in suffering and in the struggle to rebuild. Japan is far better prepared to face calamity than America or Europe because Japan has had the wisdom to remain Japanese. Jared Taylor, Special to AR News, March 14, 2011 Haiti Earthquake: 1 year later... <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584455602925918258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ultNy_lTS07bc1EGHevDKCiFeqRHikEW7XMbLCVM5pl-ihn_E0kLPIBSDhsVeRrpK_Baxmo_GAAgFlq2XmzMbClrweN1nbs5z4VtGi4UGh4Tw4r5H2kuFUsNlx8HBs63ur7MhWenK6zH/s400/haiti-pres-palace.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 310px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" />Haiti's quake recovery progress is 'at a standstill.' The Presidential Palace, still looks like it did right after the quake hit a year ago. The top photo shows it today and the bottom one is from Jan. 13, 2010. It's not clear when or if it will be rebuilt. The palace now stands as a symbol of how little Haiti has changed in a year. More than one year after the January 12, 2010 earthquake, the streets of Haiti still show the damage of the disaster, despite the outpouring of aid that followed the quake. Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince remains in ruins. Rubble has not been removed. Many businesses, homes and churches, including the Cathedral of Port-au-Prince, remain buried in rubble, and have come to symbolize precisely how little progress has been made towards reconstruction country-wide. Nearly 1 million people still live in makeshift shelters and temporary encampments. Unsanitary conditions, crime, exposure to harsh weather, joblessness and uncertainty remain the reality for most people.

No looting in Japan

The media are cautiously beginning to note that the earthquake/tsunami in Japan has not resulted in a single reported case of looting or eve...

2:13 PM

A vote for ... is a vote for Heaven

Zuma's Promise of Heaven... EISH !!!!! A vote for ANC is a vote for Heaven... <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582551233593197634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfum8b0PDDYVlTXg8JeAkWNKeH0DfneMpQCPwnnSkAG-vPdJHGg3ekhBLymdBYDHrk2j1s8qYeG2MVcQpU-KN0PW29YU6DA31VC7duMnfjtswswkzDCSqUM8d2vnojTiubCz8-ttZltrx1/s320/ANC-Heaven.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 281px; CURSOR: hand" /> ANC membership card GUARANTEES an automatic pass to HEAVEN! We HEAVEN GOT electricity, we HEAVEN GOT water, we HEAVEN GOT jobs, we HEAVEN GOT money AND we HEAVEN GOT roads... eish!!!

A vote for ... is a vote for Heaven

Zuma's Promise of Heaven... EISH !!!!! A vote for ANC is a vote for Heaven... ANC membership card GUARANTEES an automatic pass to HEAVE...

12:27 PM

Justice in South Africa? It's a sick joke

More than 20 000 firearms <strike>sold to criminals</strike> lost by SAPS since April 2004 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikln7qWciJdCXfkPhyphenhyphenTe6bmpeA8PW6iAs5KW-C1ZYXpQqCu4yBtKaSR6_8k4CvqS13rxAbi9Gra24IF0F3EJ6tbOjBORXT6o7FZcVX4wHXEAwKalXpdmU6bSG8tmGYp2qBsfJ_sdRfpzPc/s1600/cele-journalist.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582242645305933938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikln7qWciJdCXfkPhyphenhyphenTe6bmpeA8PW6iAs5KW-C1ZYXpQqCu4yBtKaSR6_8k4CvqS13rxAbi9Gra24IF0F3EJ6tbOjBORXT6o7FZcVX4wHXEAwKalXpdmU6bSG8tmGYp2qBsfJ_sdRfpzPc/s400/cele-journalist.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 278px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><a href="http://www.thestar.co.za/mps-warn-cele-and-top-brass-1.1038485?pageNumber=2">MPs GUN for SAPS top brass</a> Embattled national Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele and his top brass have been warned by MPs that lying to Parliament was a criminal offence as the department was grilled on its chaotic firearm controls. MPs came out guns blazing against police bigwigs for claiming, during previous committee meetings, that their management of firearms was under control. This followed a senior SAPS commissioner admission that there was really no system in place to monitor and safeguard firearms. Cele was not present during Tuesday’s meeting with the National Assembly committee on police. Chairwoman Sindi Chikunga said he had excused himself. Commissioner for visible policing at the SAPS, Joel Mothiba, said: “We really don’t have control of the environment (firearm controls) … we must point out that we do not have a system.” In response, angry MPs accused the police management of lying to them during previous meetings. ANC MP Annelize van Wyk said the committee’s patience with the department was wearing thin as it was not the first time information that had been provided was questioned and earlier statements disputed. “It’s a criminal offence to lie to Parliament. There will come a time when this committee has had enough of these half-truths.” DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard said: “The absolute top structure (of SAPS) had sworn to us on stacks of Bibles that a system was in place. Now you mean there’s no system? “Why have we been listening to top structure saying everything (was under control) … I don’t know how you even manage to apprehend criminals. I’m absolutely gob-smacked,” Kohler Barnard said. The SAPS on Tuesday presented its report on the safeguarding of firearms to the committee. Over the past seven years, 20 429 firearms were reported lost despite 12 control measures put in place. To date, the SAPS has recovered 4 810 of the guns and no steps have been taken against any officers. The department has 264 845 firearms. On the report, Chikunga said: “The report today, if you look at it and really think about it, it’s somewhat a fatal report.” Members expressed their concern about the statistics in the report because the national department had relied on the provinces to provide the numbers, with very few actual inspections of police stations. Van Wyk said, if the figures relied on information from the provinces, “I can say without a doubt that they are wrong”. Earlier, SAPS divisional commissioner of supply chain management Gary Kruser said he had only been notified of the meeting the day before the department was scheduled to appear before the committee. “So we had to put the presentation together in a rush.” Chikunga took issue with this, saying the SAPS had been handed the committee’s schedule in October. “It’s surprising that only yesterday people were told. I’m not sure what this means … I have a problem with the document being prepared one day before the meeting. Even if the national commissioner (Cele) could not come he should have prepared the people who came. (That it was) only prepared yesterday talks to the disorganisation on that level.” - Political BureauClick on link to see reader comments: <a href="http://www.thestar.co.za/mps-warn-cele-and-top-brass-1.1038485?pageNumber=2">http://www.thestar.co.za/mps-warn-cele-and-top-brass-1.1038485?pageNumber=2</a> 91,216 REPORTED MURDERS 2005-2010 - ONLY 27,648 IN PRISON FOR MURDER - 20 429 FIREARMS have been 'lost' in the police force since April 2004 and no steps have been taken against any police officers! Politicsweb note: The total number of reported crimes, according to the SAPS, between 2005 and 2010 for the following categories are: Murder, 91,216; Sexual crimes 335,941, Robbery 327,633, Robbery with Aggravating circumstances 599,743; residential burglary 1,253, 246. <a class="read_more" href="http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71656?oid=225314&sn=Detail&pid=71616">Read more</a> Source: <a href="http://www.politicsweb.co.za/">http://www.politicsweb.co.za/</a>

Justice in South Africa? It's a sick joke

More than 20 000 firearms sold to criminals lost by SAPS since April 2004 MPs GUN for SAPS top brass Embattled national Police Commissione...

3:50 PM

SA’s "Tunisia Day" Our 'Burning Man revolution'

Only a matter of time before the hand grenade explodes. The African National Congress is in a furious huff because Moeletsi Mbeki posited that a Tunisia-style revolt could happen in South Africa<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580043353490522466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeTG-nPiGEZ5CPEkpuwUM5lNd06khMZ_dlvhSSt1U94URznRpsQakEwKkhIfnn0pbzK8LE1G3XXJQI482SC034eJo3O757_xQlzYGZj6G9H-eul54dxeCWjaxa2B_OmEk3u23vC8Z8dGX/s400/tunisia-protest.bmp" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 281px; CURSOR: hand" /> The Tunisian Revolt - is it contagious?As the flames of revolution and dissent spread from Tunisia across the Maghreb and into the Middle East it is natural for everybody to take a look at their own countries and wonder whether or not they are next. Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Algeria, Libya and even parts of Iraq have seen uprisings. There are tremendous rumblings in Iran and Saudi Arabia. No country, it seems, is safe. The question of “who is next” has sprung up as far afield as England (struggling painfully with a buckled welfare state) and America. As the people of Ermelo and the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union took to the streets, even as the memory of last year’s public servant’s strike and the riots in Mpumalanga lingers – it seems natural to consider the likelihood of revolution in South Africa. Political analyst <a href="http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=133902">Moeletsi Mbeki reckons</a> it will be around 2020, when the industrialisation phase that China is undergoing ends. A slowdown in Chinese industrialisation will lead to a drop in demand for Africa’s commodities, leading to a drop in prices, which will eat into the GDP of commodity-rich countries like South Africa. At that point, South Africa’s welfare state will collapse and the poor will revolt against a government that is no longer able to feed them, predicts Mbeki. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KPsWvhjXV1JwhGTip8mj2kXSoRTJCSs7oJBNFNJV2LL-FDPZbQ0Y1zS8IWhQOa6khe-BwfYVtiQElrpmvhhy-fa60Dg_h4fZLFb6PhfmDd8VNU2FxJYNM96z9LWmDSK4oLadNw5YbPtJ/s1600/tunisia-game+over.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580044996071230914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KPsWvhjXV1JwhGTip8mj2kXSoRTJCSs7oJBNFNJV2LL-FDPZbQ0Y1zS8IWhQOa6khe-BwfYVtiQElrpmvhhy-fa60Dg_h4fZLFb6PhfmDd8VNU2FxJYNM96z9LWmDSK4oLadNw5YbPtJ/s400/tunisia-game+over.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> The ANC is <a href="http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=134436">not amused</a> in the least by this. ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu told BusinessDay, “Our fledgling constitutional democracy, which continues to make inroads in redressing decades of apartheid, cannot be equated with tyranny or stagnation in our growing economy, as Moeletsi insinuates.” The peanut gallery also had something to say. The ANC Youth League issued a statement of its own, saying, “The Tunisia-like protests will not happen in South Africa, because the ANC government has made profound progress in placing institutions, structures and virtues of democracy, which allow the people of South Africa to freely and fairly choose public representatives after every five years. “Besides entrenched democracy in South Africa, the ANC government is at the forefront of the attack in the battle against poverty, unemployment and starvation. The ANC government has since 1994 provided basic services to the people of South Africa, including water, electricity, sanitation, houses, roads, access to free education, healthcare, safety and security and many other basic social services needed for sustainable livelihoods,” the ANCYL statement said. Which is completely beside the point. Moeletsi Mbeki was referring to the fact that the ANC is using the welfare state to keep the poor at bay, not insinuating that we don’t have free and fair elections in South Africa, or a police force which kicks down dissidents’ doors at night. “People don’t eat democracy,” Mbeki is reported to have retorted. But since Mbeki raises several important points, which the ANC has so spectacularly failed to address, it is worth exploring the matter a bit. The government has been able to provide people with critical resources because of an erstwhile booming economy, aided greatly by high commodity prices. But it has largely failed to diversify the economy and, should the massive commodity price slump occur in 2020, we will be in serious trouble. In all likelihood the welfare state would collapse. But at no point in his analysis does Mbeki allude to the fact that South Africa, unlike Tunisia or Egypt, is actually a democracy where people get to vote out the parties they don’t like. We are seeing the trend towards that today. The ANC has already lost Western Cape. The people did not revolt there, they simply voted for another party. Its time to remind people that they need to go out on 18 May and Vote. It's our chance to end high unemployment, corruption, rising prices and, and ... Do it at the ballot box! Last Weekend to Register to Vote May 18! 2011 SA Municipal Elections- Register to vote this weekend 5-6 March There are local elections all over the country on May 18 and voters like you are going to make a difference. Every single vote counts, especially in the municipal elections. Make full use of the last voter registration this weekend, 5-6 March 2011 to ensure that your names are on the voters roll.

SA’s "Tunisia Day" Our 'Burning Man revolution'

Only a matter of time before the hand grenade explodes. The African National Congress is in a furious huff because Moeletsi Mbeki posited th...

4:12 PM

Rock the Vote - its your chance to make a difference!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGkOw1owwSH3rLwIIJg6i-MbppaCf6hzI14lD47S2Rud8EW8nEzTCdIsOVVMJeNMyigcHvrS0asigPDDJUoyaN_GfMOOY6lPXQGI1GIYemwe4skE5_7E2s0IjXs22v77p9d0yjsThghP7/s1600/vote-zuma.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579991811444364610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGkOw1owwSH3rLwIIJg6i-MbppaCf6hzI14lD47S2Rud8EW8nEzTCdIsOVVMJeNMyigcHvrS0asigPDDJUoyaN_GfMOOY6lPXQGI1GIYemwe4skE5_7E2s0IjXs22v77p9d0yjsThghP7/s400/vote-zuma.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 264px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> At a DA dinner the other night they said that if everyone who voted DA in the general election votes DA in the coming municipal election, the DA can take Joburg. This would mean the end of incompetence (definitely) and corruption (highly likely) and the total collapse of infrastructure and service delivery. Please try and get everyone you know to vote for the DA so we can also enjoy the excellent service delivery that Cape Town enjoys. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT!!! The ANC and DA had the same number of votes in one municipality in the last election – which the ANC won on the toss of a coin - SO ONE VOTE WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE. If you are sick and tired of potholed roads, burst water pipes, sewerage flowing down the roads and into our rivers, littered streets with overgrown verges and no street lights – VOTE DA – PLEASE! Joburg City Council have 80,000 outstanding queries regarding incorrect accounts!!! The system can be manually overridden, which probably accounts for all the incorrect bills being sent out and people having their electricity and water disconnected – even though their accounts are paid up to date. You need to sms your id number to 32810 to see whether you are registered....... and it takes 2 seconds. If you are not registered – PLEASE REGISTER!! Already registered to vote? We need your help getting others registered to vote. Please forward this message by copying/pasting it and email it to your family and friends asking them to register. Help us spread the word. Copy/past this message on your Facebook page or on Twitter: There are important elections all over the country this year and voters like you are going to make a difference. But you can't vote unless you are registered. Thanks and see you at the polls!

Rock the Vote - its your chance to make a difference!

At a DA dinner the other night they said that if everyone who voted DA in the general election votes DA in the coming municipal election, th...

2:56 PM

'Politicians' spending YOUR tax money

The next time you hear an SA politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you wanted the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579421992566663058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih00c5caTtcxRHe0VZZ9rNV-2u9ZdLdL5_CdNxpL9Hi5SBDMP40SZ7VFksJL-vwbtgb24RetZ2u7mbcmjmtnGHYcTONcE5vMWmqkQZes4r84j-Xylfj_vIPz1wYKVGz6m_kwC5IBGHg8Jr/s400/zuma-gravy.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 226px; CURSOR: hand" /> A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its press releases. A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet. E. A billion Rand ago was only 27 hours and 12 minutes, at the rate our SA government is spending it. Building Permit Tax Cigarette Tax Corporation Tax Income Tax VAT GST Fishing Licence Tax Food Licence Tax Fuel LicenceTax Petrol/Diesel Tax Hunting Licence Tax Luxury Tax Property Tax Service charge taxes Capital gains Tax Social Security Tax Road Usage Tax Local Tax Vehicle Licence Registration Tax Vehicle Sales Tax Workers Compensation Tax Not one of these taxes existed 20 years ago... And our nation was one of the most prosperous in Africa. We had absolutely no national debt... We had the largest middle class in Africa And Mum stayed home to raise the kids. What happened? I hope this message goes around at least a billion times. What the HELL happened ?????

'Politicians' spending YOUR tax money

The next time you hear an SA politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you wanted the 'politicia...

12:10 AM