South Africa P.I.G.

Cape Town bank clerk defrauds drummer

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR65L1WWs1iW_RE1eVHJ1Br338Lw5DVCuCuF4xocugtloFyouEpckFg11ylYJv16LA_JWCRLbh3A1EI08icPnPKRyD6_jWsJpv4COviNFFwBARDUUV24lRZmjlslgPnABXJ0jb7dBC6EA/s1600-h/cream-clapton.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240638067189844370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR65L1WWs1iW_RE1eVHJ1Br338Lw5DVCuCuF4xocugtloFyouEpckFg11ylYJv16LA_JWCRLbh3A1EI08icPnPKRyD6_jWsJpv4COviNFFwBARDUUV24lRZmjlslgPnABXJ0jb7dBC6EA/s400/cream-clapton.bmp" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Johannesburg - Legendary drummer Ginger Baker was taken to the cleaners after showering a bank clerk with gifts, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday. Lindiwe Noko, a bank clerk is accused of siphoning off half a million rand from Baker's bank account, the Paarl Regional Court heard. Baker, 69, lives in Tulbagh. He is best known for performing in the band Cream with Eric Clapton. The two met at the local First National Bank where he was a client and she was an employee, the newspaper reported. He was taken by the "intelligent" youngster and asked her to work for him after hours - doing his personal banking and administration. Now she stands accused of conning the rocker out of more than R420 000 in just eight months. Last year, Baker became suspicious when he noticed R8 500 had mysteriously been withdrawn from his account. The withdrawal did not reflect when he logged into his internet banking. He also discovered that R295 000 had been withdrawn - he sent an SMS to Noko who begged him not to report her. She had used the money to buy a brand new Golf GTi. Police found that she had transferred Baker's money to her account. Noko had reportedly deactivated the bank's iContact service - which notifies clients by SMS and email about account activity. Noko faced 27 counts of fraud, alternatively theft. She pleaded not guilty, the Sunday Times reported.

Cape Town bank clerk defrauds drummer

Johannesburg - Legendary drummer Ginger Baker was taken to the cleaners after showering a bank clerk with gifts, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday.Lindiwe Noko, a bank clerk is accused of siphoning off half a million rand from Baker's bank account, the Paarl Regional Court heard.Baker, 69, lives i…

31Aug2008

Zuma's costs: R10m and climbing

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq6upC8bODRyWUMkpOy8GR4d1g7m6sNs97tOKQwmwdTJ0sb38vKa_sxMwEMXmyq_j6u2bW7Qyh59FG3ItAcWzuX5u2ycfcx0el6eBQ1RRSfADTa4AcoCJ52X1i2BNSREWoa3PGlZBJ1w/s1600-h/ZumaGuilty.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240584488410126546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq6upC8bODRyWUMkpOy8GR4d1g7m6sNs97tOKQwmwdTJ0sb38vKa_sxMwEMXmyq_j6u2bW7Qyh59FG3ItAcWzuX5u2ycfcx0el6eBQ1RRSfADTa4AcoCJ52X1i2BNSREWoa3PGlZBJ1w/s400/ZumaGuilty.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>The state's legal bill for former deputy president Jacob Zuma - now ANC President - totals almost R10-million so far, according to the Presidency. "An amount of R9 676 176,21 has to date been paid in respect of legal costs in the corruption charges against the former deputy president," Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad said in written reply to a parliamentary question by Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille. Since the matter was struck off the roll in September 2007, no further request for payment for the Zuma legal team had been made over and above this figure. Asked what further sums the state expected to pay in this regard, Pahad said this was difficult to estimate in view of the fact that the trial had not yet started and Zuma's anticipated application to stay the proceedings. "It is difficult to determine the duration of the trial considering the postponements and other interlocutory proceedings which might arise." The fee might also be influenced by the size of the legal team representing him in court, Pahad said. In written reply to another question - by Len Joubert of the Democratic Alliance - Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Brigitte Mabandla confirmed the matter. "The legal representation in the corruption matter is provided as the State has a direct interest in the matter as it is alleged that the charges relate to the strategic arms procurement process entered into by the state. As a result of the direct interest of the state in the matter, the Presidency agreed to pay the cost of the legal representation in that matter subject to the condition that, in the event of a conviction in the case, the funds expended on the legal representation will be recovered from the accused," she said. - Sapa<a title="Zuma could get more state funding" href="http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20070621033727768C195367">Zuma could get more state funding</a> <a title="Taxpayers to fork out R10m for Zuma trial" href="http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=&fArticleId=qw1161798301844S216">Taxpayers to fork out R10m for Zuma trial</a>

Zuma's costs: R10m and climbing

The state's legal bill for former deputy president Jacob Zuma - now ANC President - totals almost R10-million so far, according to the Presidency."An amount of R9 676 176,21 has to date been paid in respect of legal costs in the corruption charges against the former deputy president," Minister in th…

31Aug2008

House robberies and violent crime on increase in South Africa.

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMg3x1VLsjjXseXWcZJxyeNYxYgvOOi2vT3kQoLCrHa5aHZsAM51SFnMBEaYlTuCzGM1naYhj8Wd45m8KOWr4Xq4RLQqAFuaj2eab5ZwCNXHinlYYonDYJhAs9u1WBVY29L5CI8CIZe2Q/s1600-h/house-robbery.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240324628203238546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMg3x1VLsjjXseXWcZJxyeNYxYgvOOi2vT3kQoLCrHa5aHZsAM51SFnMBEaYlTuCzGM1naYhj8Wd45m8KOWr4Xq4RLQqAFuaj2eab5ZwCNXHinlYYonDYJhAs9u1WBVY29L5CI8CIZe2Q/s400/house-robbery.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>House robberies have become as highly organised as cash-in-transit heists, and up to 95 percent of hits on homes are organised to the finest detail. The criminal gangs collect information on their targets, often soliciting information from domestic workers or private security companies. Then they observe the residents' movements, which can take them days or even weeks. And finally they choose a time of day in which they are pretty certain they can attack successfully. Some strike in the early evening when people are coming home and those inside the house will be preoccupied with supper or watching television. Others attack in the early hours of the morning when people are asleep and their alarms are not yet set off. But the most highly organised robbers know exactly what time will be the best to pounce. Institute for Security Studies crime expert Dr Johan Burger says that while the odd house robbery is opportunistic, most are well organised. "We can't say they are all carried out by a syndicate in terms of the police's definition of a syndicate, but they are definitely organised." <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH8QiP1ofY0fJ_3782G54a_qJaSkREjGNaOC3W_w7RufOe7a4IzwPY3LyjwRH97QifJRCgi7jfd6pZLqz_qnrHCZcjakskHzkK7dzpiwgfa-n__gerF6lhj8VdH2flOawhKfxWq6PqP4/s1600-h/elect-roundbar-bracket.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240399146721693346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH8QiP1ofY0fJ_3782G54a_qJaSkREjGNaOC3W_w7RufOe7a4IzwPY3LyjwRH97QifJRCgi7jfd6pZLqz_qnrHCZcjakskHzkK7dzpiwgfa-n__gerF6lhj8VdH2flOawhKfxWq6PqP4/s400/elect-roundbar-bracket.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Looking at crime figures in the past financial year, Burger says there were about 14 000 house robberies, and such robberies had been on the increase since they were first being recorded separately in 2002.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84KBs9mp5ZdjCob-a9mEz_621tCmtYoQxWbvP3_6oMRq94F2SmSS15FAiodhYvi459E4LOkiUkZdtnEVejeCI5XkNP_dCcilDxFjI4DBBF53k483yLQlP71gNzNMqhbEr0mSkcAJJoYE/s1600-h/Armed_Response_Jhb"></a>In comparison, house burglaries that take place when owners are not home have been on the decrease - but there has still been about a quarter of a million incidents in the past year. "The fact that house burglaries are on the decrease and robberies are on the increase shows that criminals are becoming more brazen and willing to attack when people could confront them. "There is evidence of target-hardening," adds Burger. "We have seen it with ATM bombings. In 2006 there was a surge in cash-in- transit heists, but as soon as the police target-hardened and put huge support behind beating the crime with intelligence and security improvements, the criminals changed their focus to ATMs." Similarly with house robberies, the more people protect themselves, the more the criminals will change their modus operandi. "In the past, criminals would steal big things, like clothing and bedding. "Now criminals are stealing valuable items that they can easily get rid of and that will fetch them a high price and attract the least attention," says Burger. "As people protect their homes more, it has motivated criminals to change how they carry out the attacks. "It is easy to surprise you in your house and force you to switch off the alarm and hand over the valuables and your bank PINs. It is more lucrative." <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_bIXSKovWr8ravMJ7-S9XkSrBAnIhQ7OPOo8Yzi40jnIxcIDmwiSqJK8_JjLOKsP4dKqPHYXOndc5iNePxoxdXN8XsHB1ifrR2lUK8wPbKAr9JdS4a6qHHP7GIcNZpisakI7LAWc1ZE/s1600-h/MAXIGIRL.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240329925170494338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_bIXSKovWr8ravMJ7-S9XkSrBAnIhQ7OPOo8Yzi40jnIxcIDmwiSqJK8_JjLOKsP4dKqPHYXOndc5iNePxoxdXN8XsHB1ifrR2lUK8wPbKAr9JdS4a6qHHP7GIcNZpisakI7LAWc1ZE/s400/MAXIGIRL.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Barbara Holtman, from Action for a Safer South Africa and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's crime prevention programme, agrees. "We have allowed criminals to take the lead in crime. We respond to what criminals do, and they innovate based on that. "The more we spend on private security, the more they innovate. "They expect resistance, they come in groups and they organise. They are prepared to meet fire with fire." Holtman adds that as criminals innovate, the crimes become more and more violent. "Before we had armed responses, they could break in when we were not there. Now that we have private security, they have to come when we are there. "People who would have indulged in opportunistic crime now arrive armed and expecting a violent confrontation." Holtman says it has become harder to commit opportunistic crime and therefore criminals have turned to organised crime, which is naturally more brazen. But she says the issue is not the brazenness of criminals but the way the community responds to them. South Africans spent R46-billion on private security annually.

House robberies and violent crime on increase in South Africa.

House robberies have become as highly organised as cash-in-transit heists, and up to 95 percent of hits on homes are organised to the finest detail.The criminal gangs collect information on their targets, often soliciting information from domestic workers or private security companies.Then they obse…

30Aug2008

Balfour's expensive car: Who's the rat?

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG29dIImjjDaOmttDnGV7YzzjBqXojx-rYU3rrm-dtX6tHftqR_mYAHyZBFrWNaYYwqW6JWlRIQhBGletYkVILq4pN-YpAWZn4CQbkelU3RXlKrRMcp_ojUftBymrXBCm8oQDyx6OYLWU/s1600-h/ngcondi.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240390136262761634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG29dIImjjDaOmttDnGV7YzzjBqXojx-rYU3rrm-dtX6tHftqR_mYAHyZBFrWNaYYwqW6JWlRIQhBGletYkVILq4pN-YpAWZn4CQbkelU3RXlKrRMcp_ojUftBymrXBCm8oQDyx6OYLWU/s400/ngcondi.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>While Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour is fuming over mysterious accusations that he did not declare a luxury car as a gift, the parliamentary ethics committee is still awaiting his explanation. The furious Balfour denied that his German sport utility vehicle was a gift. He has demanded to know the identity of the accuser in order to take legal action. His reaction, of going public, has also surprised some members of the ethics committee who made a discreet inquiry into the minister as a matter of procedure. On Thursday, Luwellyn Landers, who chairs the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members Interests, was bemused at the ministry publicly defending Balfour instead of answering their queries. Landers said all an MP had to do when contacted about a complaint was to respond to his committee which would then decide whether or not to pursue the matter. The committee had written three letters to the minister explaining the procedure that they followed but was still awaiting his official response, Landers said. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKsbBQZsBiedPmSB1kZqv2MyAl7iqrdkxOsc35sW_2P-wGizneW41mIKCBUusxhvNU7HTNzcG3BD1zS7TaLDhtL4xDrl5lhsppDChllGlWnwrJGyTWe0Sxdjs4SyragfTZE3LprrWy9w/s1600-h/VWTOUAREG.jpg"></a>Landers did not disclose the nature of the allegation against Balfour, but according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the minister's office, an unidentified complainant claimed that Balfour did not declare that he received a black Volkswagen Touareg as a gift. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvimr_odV8xmk_bNl9FjVPhOkQy8wLBv9IzMvnxeZssOM_fyTkJK54GmHeTaRZB-v-Gpb5N88zP-qXqdxU5G9ajS9BBmAA2WaxeTt0ErhF6O67JdnfXyYHS6ncEvXUoCNPOV7UlhxOm-8/s1600-h/vw-touareg_tdi_1.jpg"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdx9sEyiWXzGRovzxsA6v-qyYFBHsJPWZGVi4Ean4Pil_fEhLh_8BXHvjiU_a0E71utgVhIBZZqM4HDxgAVc9OkRDNTCohS8yRwd1odoPrfYWiRroLtkhOF6XBc9Ft6oktikg2Y_jaHNM/s1600-h/Touareg.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240395876490998322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdx9sEyiWXzGRovzxsA6v-qyYFBHsJPWZGVi4Ean4Pil_fEhLh_8BXHvjiU_a0E71utgVhIBZZqM4HDxgAVc9OkRDNTCohS8yRwd1odoPrfYWiRroLtkhOF6XBc9Ft6oktikg2Y_jaHNM/s400/Touareg.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Balfour says he has the paperwork to rubbish the allegation. After learning about the complaint, Balfour this week came out with guns blazing and the ethics committee faces a situation where a hopping-mad Balfour wants the name of his accuser. A senior Correctional Services official said that the minister had tried in vain to establish the name of the complainant. "It has not come out clearly who is the source of this. They (the committee) said your obligation is to respond to the allegation. He has responded that he wants to personally appear before the committee," explained the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. According to Correctional Services, the saga is playing out against a backdrop of intrigue at the department. "The past few days have been strenuous on the department of correctional services because of the divisive e-mails and articles sent by unknown, faceless individuals who seek to create division within the department. However, truth will prevail and everything will come afore," said spokesperson Bheki Manzini. Balfour apparently wanted to appear before the ethics committee which was scheduled to meet on Friday but will now only convene next week. The minister apparently planned to present the ethics committee with the documentation to prove that the accusation was baseless. In a statement, Balfour's office says that the minister had bought the vehicle in 2006 as his personal car and had fully financed it and personally been paying the instalments.

Balfour's expensive car: Who's the rat?

While Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour is fuming over mysterious accusations that he did not declare a luxury car as a gift, the parliamentary ethics committee is still awaiting his explanation.The furious Balfour denied that his German sport utility vehicle was a gift.He has demanded …

30Aug2008

Ailing hospital in Johannesburg a disaster

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7b9UIF5mnSFnA1cUdo3Bsped6mOeBydtqknQ-knzhl5bEhcGdRpZYTaGcu_AHxNiXydYr8huk1wvuEb5yCMcI7KEwwI4MB3wn9eNLjoE3KEXo0C24VcYQ-SrepcE9-slEi9-IJWg9Y1o/s1600-h/elevator-emergency.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240463889461259698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7b9UIF5mnSFnA1cUdo3Bsped6mOeBydtqknQ-knzhl5bEhcGdRpZYTaGcu_AHxNiXydYr8huk1wvuEb5yCMcI7KEwwI4MB3wn9eNLjoE3KEXo0C24VcYQ-SrepcE9-slEi9-IJWg9Y1o/s320/elevator-emergency.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>On August 10, a pregnant woman stuck in a broken lift at the Coronation hospital for two hours had to give birth in the lift. A contractor reportedly arrived 50 minutes later to repair the lift. Two days later, a mother who was due to have an emergency caesarean section after her foetus was in distress was forced to push instead because of a power failure. Her baby was stillborn. A paediatrician was called to help, but was trapped in the hospital's ward 16 behind an electronic gate because the key to unlock the gate couldn't be found. The latest incident is now under investigation by the Gauteng Department of Health. The hospital reportedly remained without electricity for about half an hour. Jack Bloom, the Democratic Alliance spokesperson on health matters, said the baby's cord was apparently stuck around its neck and it could not receive oxygen because the hospital was without electricity. "This is a tragedy, which could have been foreseen. It looks like equipment failure was a factor. What price do you put on a baby's life?" he asked. "Coronation is a troubled hospital. The MEC says there is a medical investigation into the death of the baby, but I don't think that's good enough. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp95JeyxGB1FF47-xFytVV_-MaLxgfkxcM2amA8k_cJY4qCgfg3XRF8IMQdGRtGKju3H9SGvh6-wq7SklZ2OMHtlZvoWnDzPnfIDusFljZdnI3P1230hk3ztMt5-9QZx_2G1P7cFjtR98/s1600-h/lift-washing.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240438483867556466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp95JeyxGB1FF47-xFytVV_-MaLxgfkxcM2amA8k_cJY4qCgfg3XRF8IMQdGRtGKju3H9SGvh6-wq7SklZ2OMHtlZvoWnDzPnfIDusFljZdnI3P1230hk3ztMt5-9QZx_2G1P7cFjtR98/s400/lift-washing.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>"Maintenance at the hospital is a disaster from top to bottom. There are always broken lifts, and heavily pregnant women have to trudge up the stairs. If it's not the lifts that are broken, the power back-up supply is not operational." Maintenance of the hospital falls under the Gauteng Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works. Its spokesperson, Alfred Nhlapo, said the back-up generator at Coronation Hospital was fully functional on August 12. "Allegations that the generator was dysfunctional are untrue," he said. This week, on a visit to the hospital, where corridors were swollen with pregnant women, hospital staff were overheard asking if the lifts were working. A lift was broken in the maternity wing. An apologetic Nhlapo said the department would install 200 new lifts at hospitals and certain provincial buildings by October. "The bulk of the infrastructure is old and derelict despite maintenance." Over 12 000 babies are born every year at Coronation Hospital, which Bloom said was "under enormous pressure". He blamed the collapsing infrastructure on the Public Works Department's cancellation of long-term maintenance contracts last June, replacing them with a call centre. Nhlapo said: "The department decided last year that instead of having one contractor dedicated to several hospitals, the call centre was a pool of contractors available around the clock - a huge improvement on the old system." But Bloom maintains: "The hospital is a disaster and needs a thorough overhaul. "The department should hang their heads in shame."

Ailing hospital in Johannesburg a disaster

On August 10, a pregnant woman stuck in a broken lift at the Coronation hospital for two hours had to give birth in the lift. A contractor reportedly arrived 50 minutes later to repair the lift.Two days later, a mother who was due to have an emergency caesarean section after her foetus was in distre…

30Aug2008

Thousands of suspended officials facing criminal charges costing South Africa millions

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCSxaN8cYauXRaiSPJoleWdUjysls1gJFlof4phbhOOaz1D7tbi23nXr_fOXJ0y51eB7HkdWyhA2K-OH3AxlPa1ASJv017wdlYZ3r1c1y0l5qRQMY2Pv-HUPxmXtYoKSS8XHaZcZ2C1o/s1600-h/corruption_who_cares_cover2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240303955944707986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCSxaN8cYauXRaiSPJoleWdUjysls1gJFlof4phbhOOaz1D7tbi23nXr_fOXJ0y51eB7HkdWyhA2K-OH3AxlPa1ASJv017wdlYZ3r1c1y0l5qRQMY2Pv-HUPxmXtYoKSS8XHaZcZ2C1o/s400/corruption_who_cares_cover2.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Suspended civil servants are costing the fiscus millions of rands each month - and some have been sitting at home on full-pay for more than a year. Others have been placed on special leave because they are facing criminal charges or because there are internal inquiries taking place. These public servants come from all tiers of government: from office cleaners to law enforcement officials to executives of parastatals. Yet, the exact number is unknown. Professor Stan Sangweni, chairperson of the Public Service Commission, said the commission did not keep statistics on how many civil servants fell into this category. The Department of Public Service and Administration, too, could not provide a figure for national departments, never mind provincial counterparts and municipalities. With no accurate statistics available, the price tag for the taxpayer is unknown - rather like a blank cheque. But, one thing is for sure, the sum is considerable. Senior officials, who command annual salaries ranging in the region of R1-million, are among those suspended. Top law enforcement officials drawing salaries while they remain outside the office include National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli, who was suspended last year and now awaits the decision of the Ginwala inquiry, and Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi, who will be on paid leave for some time because he has had his contract renewed - even though he is facing corruption charges. Ekurhuleni police chief Robert McBride has been on special leave with full pay for more than a year while on trial on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, defeating the ends of justice and fraud. In Cape Town, his counterpart, Bongani Jonas, has been suspended on full pay while the City of Cape Town conducts an internal investigation. Jonas is facing a charge of illegally changing his driver's licence. Meanwhile, corruption-prone government departments are footing the bill for thousands of suspended officials. The Department of Correctional Services suspended more than 500 officials during 2007/08, at a total cost of R15-million - and some cases took more than a year to resolve. The Department of Home Affairs suspended more than 100 officials in the first half of the year. Last year, Home Affairs suspended 189 officials in a six-month period. A third of these officials were dismissed The department has in the past struggled to conclude such cases, with some dragging on for years in certain provinces. Meanwhile, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has revealed that over the past three years his department spent R90-million on paying the salaries of suspended cops for a total of 12 723 working days. Some suspensions dragged on for more than a year, such as that of a senior superintendent in visible policing who was suspended for 638 days. A police inspector in Cleveland, Johannesburg, was suspended for 788 days on full pay. In the Western metropole of Cape Town, 29 senior police officers were suspended while five inspectors were suspended for 233 days in Kwazulu-Natal. The situation is no better in the military. Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota recently revealed that some defence employees had been suspended for almost six years and that suspensions over the past three years cost R10,9-million. Lekota said 42 South African National Defence Force members were currently suspended on full pay and that the average length of time for such suspensions was more than two years. A senior Land Affairs official sat at home drawing his full salary for more than three years. Parastatals suffer similar problems. At Armscor, a top official has been drawing a salary of over R1-million while the organisation sorts out her conflict with the CEO, who she says harassed her. Earlier this month, the media reported that in the impoverished Eastern Cape the provincial education department spent more than R5-million on the salaries and legal costs of senior staff who had been suspended for 18 months. They included a director who was suspended for booking former MEC Johnny Makhato on an economy flight instead of on a business-class international flight. Ghost employees are also still drawing salaries - including in the city of Cape Town. An employee of the solid waste department was admitted to Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital two years ago, but stayed on the payroll because nobody noticed he had not been at work.

Thousands of suspended officials facing criminal charges costing South Africa millions

Suspended civil servants are costing the fiscus millions of rands each month - and some have been sitting at home on full-pay for more than a year. Others have been placed on special leave because they are facing criminal charges or because there are internal inquiries taking place.These public serv…

30Aug2008

Well-known civil engineer executed by black gang

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdZnGW6FNVF7Sc4arRuZAbiRTQVUtL9JXyoBueaK36410b5bLt65AEJ5V3fHyXf9zr9N819X7kXLLevK_jyMow3CMW4AmO_5VbbxZnvt9bjGTBv1MevRDkei35mx17qbPRTuOzF4yvmQ/s1600-h/michelangelo.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240330305907423618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdZnGW6FNVF7Sc4arRuZAbiRTQVUtL9JXyoBueaK36410b5bLt65AEJ5V3fHyXf9zr9N819X7kXLLevK_jyMow3CMW4AmO_5VbbxZnvt9bjGTBv1MevRDkei35mx17qbPRTuOzF4yvmQ/s400/michelangelo.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Three black armed men shot and killed a well-known civil engineer in Gauteng, who had worked on Sandton City and the Michelangelo Towers. The three men apparently gained access to the couple's property through shrubbery, part of which borders the Union Buildings. "The three men then presumably gained access to the house through a bathroom window. They switched on the lights in the house, which woke the elderly couple," The men, who were armed with pistols, then entered the bedroom. "My husband sat up with a fright " the woman said. "The next moment one of them lifted his pistol. "My husband shouted, 'No!' and then the robber shot him on the left side of his chest. It's terrible. He shot him before they said or asked anything." The robbers then asked the elderly woman from Riviera in Pretoria where she and her husband kept their money, laptops and jewellery. The robbers took all the 65 year old woman's rings off her fingers, tied her up with rope and fled on foot about 45 minutes later, taking a TV set and more jewellery. The police are investigating a case of housebreaking and murder. No one has been arrested.

Well-known civil engineer executed by black gang

Three black armed men shot and killed a well-known civil engineer in Gauteng, who had worked on Sandton City and the Michelangelo Towers.The three men apparently gained access to the couple's property through shrubbery, part of which borders the Union Buildings."The three men then presumably gained …

30Aug2008

SA Cops open fire on robbery victims

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRTaSmqn0tytJ6NxIi3cpqEhqoM55bMDemjksHTOv2EdTKQ-n3BYcN49QmUlgiv80Zy1gxRcAQgwm0yi7cPV4cYU5K_NJWfkIecZYZAb3llIv6o4w4ZzAViHMhMAE0tLT3CF8YwBd-pM/s1600-h/Shooting.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240231202587011810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRTaSmqn0tytJ6NxIi3cpqEhqoM55bMDemjksHTOv2EdTKQ-n3BYcN49QmUlgiv80Zy1gxRcAQgwm0yi7cPV4cYU5K_NJWfkIecZYZAb3llIv6o4w4ZzAViHMhMAE0tLT3CF8YwBd-pM/s400/Shooting.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a title="Cops shoot fleeing owners, rapists run" href="http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20080829172329680C838161">Cops shoot fleeing owners, rapists run</a> A couple are fighting for their lives in hospital after being mowed down in a hail of bullets in a police reaction that went horribly wrong. The cops, responding to an emergency call about armed robbers in the couple's house in Meyersdal, Alberton, opened fire on the vehicle in which the husband and wife were travelling. The couple, who are in their 40s, were in the intensive care unit of Alberton's Union Hospital last night. The robbers got away, but not before gang-raping the couple's daughter. On Friday, the parents' bullet-riddled Land Cruiser stood in their driveway. They were shot on Thursday evening after they had reversed at speed out of the driveway of their house and failed to stop when challenged by police. Officers armed with automatic assault rifles opened fire. The shooting occurred about two hours after five robbers had broken into the double-storey house. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoUrFRADWHDxHtfvCfui9xDKvIjY9WOcWbwuzBgbVODDDMI9Ulf1FA_9fEeZjjd-VKOk8VgmMC8mmYtc5D3WqI7rRjUpoHCldlQHxEZEL7vlbq-nkHrKvTIUWTxKR266YgG87rw1a4CY/s1600-h/shooting_driver_long.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240231441336104210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoUrFRADWHDxHtfvCfui9xDKvIjY9WOcWbwuzBgbVODDDMI9Ulf1FA_9fEeZjjd-VKOk8VgmMC8mmYtc5D3WqI7rRjUpoHCldlQHxEZEL7vlbq-nkHrKvTIUWTxKR266YgG87rw1a4CY/s400/shooting_driver_long.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>According to police spokesperson Superintendent Eugene Opperman, the robbers had entered the house at about 9pm. They tied up the son, who was alone, and began ransacking the home, loading goods into the family's black Toyota RunX. When the daughter arrived home, the robbers overpowered her, tied her up and began raping her. Opperman said the parents then drove into the driveway, returning from a holiday. Police said shots were fired at the couple from the garage. "Someone in the house was able to press a panic button," said Opperman. When the security company phoned, they could hear a woman screaming and were told that a house robbery was in progress. They notified the police. "Police were in the vicinity and were able to respond quickly. They came with their lights flashing and in totally marked cars," explained Opperman. As police officers approached the house, they were fired at from inside, he said. They returned fire. As the police approached the house, said Opperman, the couple's white Land Cruiser came reversing from the garage at high speed, its headlights off. The 4x4 then sped down Izak de Villiers Street towards other police officers. Opperman said the officers had to dive for cover to avoid the speeding car. A police officer at the house on Friday said the Land Cruiser had been packed with luggage, which probably suggested to the responding police officers that these were the robbers with stolen goods.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWUkRmrpTxFLV93OdbpBdFiWBaS84zw05UjJmRkY5Vsj6Ks5UQkAVW8u76RU6nykaLwAS9GLz8HBQh20xLLMwB_XOmpOSu2n3JcoobWmyDjsV46oxkrC64ky1TipSOJtregDnPkj1njY/s1600-h/bullet_holes_decals_a.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240232064491060722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWUkRmrpTxFLV93OdbpBdFiWBaS84zw05UjJmRkY5Vsj6Ks5UQkAVW8u76RU6nykaLwAS9GLz8HBQh20xLLMwB_XOmpOSu2n3JcoobWmyDjsV46oxkrC64ky1TipSOJtregDnPkj1njY/s320/bullet_holes_decals_a.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>A resident, who lives just metres from where the incident occurred, heard what happened next. "Somebody said 'Stop, police', then shooting, tat tat tat tat," said the man, who did not want to be identified. The Land Cruiser finally came to a halt about 200 metres from the house. "Inside the car, a male voice said 'Are you police or metro?'. A lady was screaming inside the car. Then someone must have fallen on the steering wheel, because [the hooter] went on for 15 minutes," said the witness. A policeman, processing the crime scene yesterday, said the car had been hit 28 times. The windscreen had nine bullet holes in it and both the driver and passenger side doors were hit. The tyres were shot out.

SA Cops open fire on robbery victims

Cops shoot fleeing owners, rapists run A couple are fighting for their lives in hospital after being mowed down in a hail of bullets in a police reaction that went horribly wrong.The cops, responding to an emergency call about armed robbers in the couple's house in Meyersdal, Alberton, opened fire …

30Aug2008

The beginning of the end for South African sport?

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxS3lUb0Uo_EbJ6ZhcTrolYjHoYpWvIHfl39Kg5IhbtsbI8-xa7T3IEWP4v7vsSSxR3HuOMtQVe3SRKUp5aXus6Un7z3EAMdAl0ZS5qFXIVK5X2wJaOvAqVVUh_rrvNIh68D2BvNOt5I/s1600-h/next-wicket.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240060197867124770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxS3lUb0Uo_EbJ6ZhcTrolYjHoYpWvIHfl39Kg5IhbtsbI8-xa7T3IEWP4v7vsSSxR3HuOMtQVe3SRKUp5aXus6Un7z3EAMdAl0ZS5qFXIVK5X2wJaOvAqVVUh_rrvNIh68D2BvNOt5I/s400/next-wicket.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>It is not exactly the best time to be a South African! Our Olympians were horribly outclassed in China, Bafana Bafana are going nowhere fast under their new coach Santana, our all conquering cricket heroes are suddenly looking like school boys trying out for the third team and our World Cup rugby champions have delivered a performance so poor that we simply have to ask the question: is it going to be all downhill from here? Losing to New Zealand at Newlands is no disgrace but being convincingly outplayed and going down 19-0 most certainly is. “Was the 0-19 defeat to New Zealand a bad day at the office or the first signs that the glory days of the Jake White era were a thing of the past?” The Springboks looked shadows of their former selves as they once again tried to take on a Tri-Nations rival without a discernable game plan. The ball was turned over time and again as they either failed to support the carrier or threw wild passes, both of which gifted the grateful Australians more possession than they could have dreamed of. The final score of 15-27 was, if anything, flattering to the Boks. The Aussies should be kicking themselves for not grabbing a four-try bonus point, which may yet prove to be crucial in the final run in, but to defy history and win in South Africa was, no doubt, enough for Robbie Deans and his charges. One new coach has turned his country’s fortunes around whereas another must now face half-empty stadiums as supporters revolt against the demise of a team that celebrated a World Cup win on foreign soil just 10 months ago. WHAT HAS GONE WRONG? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MEvxS_iebsDBKNgLyiZ7p81Cx8NUpvkvR1m1Yl8iwKS3r19-Y752v4chBBAeTwZ8Z0fCZVXDfPCoiULoE6oxjBLe02P4s7tvYLLWnbdCmr4nFnfdJYggFARtUjOkRbw7vhyphenhyphen7VX4puwU/s1600-h/rugby-assol.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240060602393820546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MEvxS_iebsDBKNgLyiZ7p81Cx8NUpvkvR1m1Yl8iwKS3r19-Y752v4chBBAeTwZ8Z0fCZVXDfPCoiULoE6oxjBLe02P4s7tvYLLWnbdCmr4nFnfdJYggFARtUjOkRbw7vhyphenhyphen7VX4puwU/s320/rugby-assol.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> Well, first up, let’s acknowledge that taking over the reigns of a world-champion outfit is not easy. Just ask Andy Robinson, who stepped into Clive Woodward’s shoes after England won the Webb Ellis trophy in 2004. On that basis alone I always expected de Villiers to experience something of a “morning after” start to his Bok coaching career, so I chose to reserve judgement on him until he had a few games under his belt. However, the Boks’ past two performances make it impossible to sit on the fence any longer. This guy is stuffing up our rugby, big time. The players not only look lost on the field but they also look frustrated with everything from the referee to one another. When Steyn and Watson had that mix-up under the high ball in the final minutes, the latter’s reaction told the story of a team that started to crack last week but is now threatening to implode. De Villiers’s continued selection of Watson is, no doubt, one of the factors contributing to this discontent but the main problem seems to be his stubbornness in insisting on moving away from Jake White’s game-plan to create his own legacy. He is asking the players to perform outside of their comfort zones, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it is causing harm because they are now losing confidence. After riding the wave of being world champions, they are now demotivated and this is affecting their performances. When last has Schalk Burger been so subdued or Victor Matfield looked so unsure under kick-offs and in the line-outs?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm9R8PhAXqdctSz-GuxcF-2X8scbTp0GX61-hr00bVQ59dfFltdktFX7MN83t3nnC0yfeJLjc02xeW0XjlElWvinO9qB2mVXgJ-dkv6IrBMhwSIvKDoPuPrBoU-fWmOgqxDI8eFdm9u8/s1600-h/pic05160.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240306485820396082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm9R8PhAXqdctSz-GuxcF-2X8scbTp0GX61-hr00bVQ59dfFltdktFX7MN83t3nnC0yfeJLjc02xeW0XjlElWvinO9qB2mVXgJ-dkv6IrBMhwSIvKDoPuPrBoU-fWmOgqxDI8eFdm9u8/s320/pic05160.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>De Villiers has also made it clear that he will not be rethinking his strategy and changing course and that spells trouble for South Africa. The right response to the successive home defeats would be to go back to basics and to play to our strengths. Instead we are likely to get more of the same in Johannesburg next week. WILL PDV KEEP HIS JOB? Many would argue that he has not yet been given a fair crack at the job and that we should judge him only a year or so down the line. I, too, would subscribe to that theory if he wasn’t so obviously blind to what he is doing to our game. He won’t be fired, though. Let’s not forget that he was a huge underdog for the post (a 14/1 shot, to be exact) and that the man he beat, Heyneke Meyer, was virtually a unanimous choice for the job by local rugby experts. By sticking their necks out and appointing de Villiers, his employers simply have to stand by their man. We can expect to hear plenty of excuses and support for the coach when the media and supporters call for his head (as they will). Personally, my plea to de Villiers is to acknowledge his deficiencies, swallow his pride and turn to the likes of a Meyer or White for assistance. Let’s not forget that White himself brought Australian coach Eddie Jones into the Bok fold before the World Cup, a master stroke that played its part in our lifting the trophy.

The beginning of the end for South African sport?

It is not exactly the best time to be a South African!Our Olympians were horribly outclassed in China, Bafana Bafana are going nowhere fast under their new coach Santana, our all conquering cricket heroes are suddenly looking like school boys trying out for the third team and our World Cup rugby cha…

29Aug2008

LATEST TVB CANTONESE DRAMA - THE LEGEND OF DEMIGODS 搜神传

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCNTcDXV4XodX0ktpnwN4WzBh4Sc0L3PBbwXrpufYv5oF0ZHJO3bjl8hO_E_f_2BIe0aJA-dT64AY7OdVokHK-xa0pHEaIFIiZjvk7eJQPgeyLmbOpWVe7ifB04pzcHT_gU35k7IuI7LW/s1600-h/Demigods.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243243488143482066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCNTcDXV4XodX0ktpnwN4WzBh4Sc0L3PBbwXrpufYv5oF0ZHJO3bjl8hO_E_f_2BIe0aJA-dT64AY7OdVokHK-xa0pHEaIFIiZjvk7eJQPgeyLmbOpWVe7ifB04pzcHT_gU35k7IuI7LW/s400/Demigods.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9Jj2-z4Dt4yS6M9EQxrFYJTu7hiCubUX_GfpK3NipYEUtRpdxhx45I6cqvGkiBBY2gNuysnGsWxG2lVKsDzELztnTXgCL66FVIDUnQnTbA7GD56NBILplUmPamSZJn8TDS1zgWM1E0oY/s1600-h/06.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239770615548794898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9Jj2-z4Dt4yS6M9EQxrFYJTu7hiCubUX_GfpK3NipYEUtRpdxhx45I6cqvGkiBBY2gNuysnGsWxG2lVKsDzELztnTXgCL66FVIDUnQnTbA7GD56NBILplUmPamSZJn8TDS1zgWM1E0oY/s400/06.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iFehFtwWoVQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iFehFtwWoVQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> I would like to introduce the latest TVB Cantonese drama shown on Astro On Demand on18th Aug - 12th Sep Mon-Fri, 10.30pm. This is an very interesting legend based on a famous ancient novel of China. It5 is very entertaining and worth to watch. LEGEND OF THE DEMIGODS Premiering 18th Aug - 12th Sep Mon-Fri, 10.30pm Cast Cast Role Description Sunny Chan: An Hei 晏喜 Linda Chung: Gwai Choi-Chi 薊彩芝 Shek Kam-Dong's good friend. Benny Chan: Shek Kam-Dong 石敢當 Gwai Choi-Chi's good friend. Halina Tam: Mo Kik Tin Chuen 無極天尊 Grand Wizard Nancy Wu: Ka Lau-Loh 迦樓羅 Grand Wizard's follower. Stephen Au: Gon Cheung 干將 God of Sword Kara Hui: Cho Mong-Yau 草忘憂 Magical Herb Gwai Choi-Chi's stepmother. Charmaine Li: Shek Kam-Yin 石敢言 Shek Kam-Dong's younger sister. Casper Chan (陳思齊): Chiang Ching 蔣倩 Gwai Choi-Chi's good friend. Anderson Junior (安德尊): Wong Tai Sin 黃大仙 Heavenly God A classic fairy story infused with the latest CGI technology, It depicts a fight among human, the immortals and the evil spirits! Synopsis A classic fairy story infused with the latest CGI technology, It depicts a fight among human, the immortals and the evil spirits![1] Gwai Choi-Chi (Linda Chung) is seemingly an ordinary girl, except that luck seems to follow her and keep her out of trouble. As such, she has been nicknamed, Ho Choi Mui, or "Lucky Girl". Unknown to her, Choi-Chi's mother, Ho Choi Ma, is in fact a magical herb. When an evil spirit captures Choi-Chi, her mother's secret is revealed. In an attempt to save her, Ho Choi Ma turns Choi-Chi into a demigod. As a child, Shek Kam-Dong (Benny Chan) was constantly bullied. Wong Tai Sin, a wish-granting god, pities Kam-Dong and grants him extraordinary strength. However, with his strength, Kam-Dong has turned from victim to bully. An Hei (Sunny Chan) has an unusual illness; he is constantly tired and falls asleep randomly. Wong Tai Sin again tries to help the mortals by giving An Hei a sword possessed by a spirit (Stephen Au). Whenever An Hei gets in trouble, the powerful spirit of swordplay appears and fights off his enemies. One day, an evil wizard (Halina Tam) disturbs their quiet village and captures Ho Choi Ma. Together, Choi-Chi, Kam-Dong and An Hei travel across the continent to save Ho Choi Ma, making strange and magicial discoveries along the way. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmBHR8JENPApN1pXjeNbx4ontaE2ADarY3ZATArnK6OynX_yi64_YEaYAAb4bEMZwPPbAdQHGTarF4VvYDrk545iF1SkHdg-6JjQNeQ53cC9rziWMy8kk35NnOmvMfMlQ0l5CHBhRwTgo/s1600-h/01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239769705568366306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmBHR8JENPApN1pXjeNbx4ontaE2ADarY3ZATArnK6OynX_yi64_YEaYAAb4bEMZwPPbAdQHGTarF4VvYDrk545iF1SkHdg-6JjQNeQ53cC9rziWMy8kk35NnOmvMfMlQ0l5CHBhRwTgo/s400/01.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnVXf0iZqm3UkasEz_BiggA12SzOkEkw8crv4jz1rtY0g-qzoFf8EX_mjR7-14F3UzYgH2SYubbhe4t_Aox3ImQQk7Y58b0qWUE8i48oF0F6Kd135MG9wwYGEM_qJD51Uw61lxKDfpV18/s1600-h/02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239769713505007730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnVXf0iZqm3UkasEz_BiggA12SzOkEkw8crv4jz1rtY0g-qzoFf8EX_mjR7-14F3UzYgH2SYubbhe4t_Aox3ImQQk7Y58b0qWUE8i48oF0F6Kd135MG9wwYGEM_qJD51Uw61lxKDfpV18/s400/02.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmT45rnZZZ01gkfdDbZQK5iBsKRvisNx7X-gYmeTfn0nzRi_qSPPSHDenFljFf9ZWsHPj-7hYmqE-ERXoqtNhfcm9wWtBqrpLi3EFB1EzxjZJZk4kf6HIWR5fV98ptniYm5_wcWLQv7TCa/s1600-h/03.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239769718903330098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmT45rnZZZ01gkfdDbZQK5iBsKRvisNx7X-gYmeTfn0nzRi_qSPPSHDenFljFf9ZWsHPj-7hYmqE-ERXoqtNhfcm9wWtBqrpLi3EFB1EzxjZJZk4kf6HIWR5fV98ptniYm5_wcWLQv7TCa/s400/03.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEt-R19ue5C02Og2EsvDrqHXnv4ntc2HKJEInVpEjZkPeSe0Dg5z3W9hWDpyv1MxIqtsJaFdHqfN71tqFh0XUDOrIt8CxEENQWpFd4V40vv5Hf4fCzzyNrxkjkdOxyB8vL9fcGqc12uLX/s1600-h/04.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239769725923499778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEt-R19ue5C02Og2EsvDrqHXnv4ntc2HKJEInVpEjZkPeSe0Dg5z3W9hWDpyv1MxIqtsJaFdHqfN71tqFh0XUDOrIt8CxEENQWpFd4V40vv5Hf4fCzzyNrxkjkdOxyB8vL9fcGqc12uLX/s400/04.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir65RYgpEkAbJge1_8VxRrP3MKjCUhcMucYSe6askax60TcK5SaSDNDOkyrXMfaaw3FGNznccSYRrorvUnBNLJhE14pCdWcdYUwU0QbvPevOgb6WSufJkV9L6qLzsMn1X8_nSum-2NM4Iy/s1600-h/05.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239769731059928610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir65RYgpEkAbJge1_8VxRrP3MKjCUhcMucYSe6askax60TcK5SaSDNDOkyrXMfaaw3FGNznccSYRrorvUnBNLJhE14pCdWcdYUwU0QbvPevOgb6WSufJkV9L6qLzsMn1X8_nSum-2NM4Iy/s400/05.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMc2nIS2WEoDTzt635lPrSGsDkpiQ8s_42IMF1Y-n45M6rSZ0ADh3Vp1qJuBAZszWrzK78Bye97kHb8ddJUtHPjPPaVTgvrlI0XabJflYHiqGo21RaysYZZtSF8TsTMn0yRJjCF8F0hlo/s1600-h/07.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239770628332681042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMc2nIS2WEoDTzt635lPrSGsDkpiQ8s_42IMF1Y-n45M6rSZ0ADh3Vp1qJuBAZszWrzK78Bye97kHb8ddJUtHPjPPaVTgvrlI0XabJflYHiqGo21RaysYZZtSF8TsTMn0yRJjCF8F0hlo/s400/07.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl43mfNLGSIXQsWson0pU1O5BRpcM7FQl0q6GfCHby-5_nbMqKfCL5aYlX2PSXioDoBk2vzgewQIppctu-yVb-E5R5D8AtRdEoGkd6MTO3lhT8CuhT-DVtTddlG02v8oUSkBWSPIbbUsMp/s1600-h/08.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239770632006192818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl43mfNLGSIXQsWson0pU1O5BRpcM7FQl0q6GfCHby-5_nbMqKfCL5aYlX2PSXioDoBk2vzgewQIppctu-yVb-E5R5D8AtRdEoGkd6MTO3lhT8CuhT-DVtTddlG02v8oUSkBWSPIbbUsMp/s400/08.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pW8y0qcyw3SNtICSgPbE9U43Cy8v-2CQ2t_B-QP8cXfDkMNQzqFyTejxlYfljSAwnAHgwpyHF7wG1Rtbczp1E8EpX6pDOixyfNwh2WaCrMtWfsX68cGHR28ZGi-XWpwF-PLONNmAv4lS/s1600-h/09.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239770633201636562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pW8y0qcyw3SNtICSgPbE9U43Cy8v-2CQ2t_B-QP8cXfDkMNQzqFyTejxlYfljSAwnAHgwpyHF7wG1Rtbczp1E8EpX6pDOixyfNwh2WaCrMtWfsX68cGHR28ZGi-XWpwF-PLONNmAv4lS/s400/09.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dSrNbDR1KfBlqSQ5ty3yAw_7k-Le6iTti5wJhtNiYHoc6egBJo-5rICUq614LNthzfc-ZG8QMa4WqrhKQt6axM-5o3GSfSL2iK-wEsJaXC1N-mJMKWd8z6OW9FGESUBhFiNRg9iLPgHu/s1600-h/10.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239770644933839554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dSrNbDR1KfBlqSQ5ty3yAw_7k-Le6iTti5wJhtNiYHoc6egBJo-5rICUq614LNthzfc-ZG8QMa4WqrhKQt6axM-5o3GSfSL2iK-wEsJaXC1N-mJMKWd8z6OW9FGESUBhFiNRg9iLPgHu/s400/10.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7waQ3EnVj_2VROVRmK9dSFOY5MD8ufLuHFp_f-gOoPFzPvuPnAmB78zjSUN0L8vWLqE46Ky_ak4hJRi2o3zNLhOoIedaHDfU-Hw2SNFXuK5d_fkbnGADKsOy282y419QtNIco0Njs38L/s1600-h/12.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239771458058942146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7waQ3EnVj_2VROVRmK9dSFOY5MD8ufLuHFp_f-gOoPFzPvuPnAmB78zjSUN0L8vWLqE46Ky_ak4hJRi2o3zNLhOoIedaHDfU-Hw2SNFXuK5d_fkbnGADKsOy282y419QtNIco0Njs38L/s400/12.jpg" style="CURSOR: hand" /></a> Thanks to Astro

LATEST TVB CANTONESE DRAMA - THE LEGEND OF DEMIGODS 搜神传

I would like to introduce the latest TVB Cantonese drama shown on Astro On Demand on18th Aug - 12th Sep Mon-Fri, 10.30pm. This is an very interesting legend based on a famous ancient novel of China. It5 is very entertaining and worth to watch.LEGEND OF THE DEMIGODS Premiering 18th Aug - 12th Sep Mon…

28Aug2008

The "REAL" South Africa

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvs3PdLHH4mANmvxsrVg7yCodfIf9XWsuAZNobhHU6izIoqThOSCKNlLHJzMpL87E_vrMwYoX_h7uzeWrBDwEGsW8F4VUWx26OWHCLUeuZht8_T2Gz5vk9jz27aPYv9uYgc8SXzJ2PRY/s1600-h/Nihilism.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239640834710927938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvs3PdLHH4mANmvxsrVg7yCodfIf9XWsuAZNobhHU6izIoqThOSCKNlLHJzMpL87E_vrMwYoX_h7uzeWrBDwEGsW8F4VUWx26OWHCLUeuZht8_T2Gz5vk9jz27aPYv9uYgc8SXzJ2PRY/s400/Nihilism.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>By John Morse A stunning article appeared in the Daily Mail of October 30th. Written by Ross Benson, reporting first-hand from Johannesburg, it lifts the lid on the near-collapse of South Africa since white rule ended a few years ago. And how may one measure that catastrophe? South Africa’s regression towards primeval barbarism, which Benson details, is quite neatly summarised at the head of his article: “A woman is raped every 28 seconds, qualified doctors are leaving in droves, while beggars and goats have set up home in the marble foyers of derelict banks. South Africa today has become a nation on the edge of self-destruction.” Law and order have to all intents and purposes broken down in South Africa. Any sense of security no longer exists. Says Benson of the country’s crime:- “Farmers are butchered in their fields. The parks and beaches have become killing fields. Car-jackings with mind-numbing violence are a daily occurrence. The murder rate is running at 27,000 a year.” Benson then repeats the horrifying statistics for rape, of which more will be said. These figures, he comments, “breed the kind of fear that has you leaping at shadows, jumping red lights and climbing out of bed in the middle of the night to check, yet again, that you have double-locked the doors.” For you to protect your home even halfway adequately, it now seems that you need to pay an ‘armed response’ security firm. But whatever you do is never enough. One black businessman told Benson that he had lost count of the numbers of his friends who had been mugged. Everyone is in the firing line. No social gathering can take place without horror stories being exchanged. But at this point we get some hint of the censorship that hitherto has been mobilised to keep as much as possible of the truth from the public gaze (presumably an increasingly difficult task in the ever-worsening crisis engulfing the country). A white security man commented on the criminal mayhem: “It’s happening to your friends, your brother, his wife, your sister, your mother,” but, “it isn’t something you read in the papers or hear about on the television news any more.” Adds Benson: “He carried a gun, but he wasn’t fooling himself. He knew it could happen to him. In Mandela’s ‘Rainbow Nation’ the dream is running blood red.” Clearly, South Africa’s new ANC (African National Congress) Government is almost neurotically aware that the legitimacy of its rule is at stake here. Decline of a city Nowhere is the situation worse than in Johannesburg, where it is exemplified in all its worst manifestations. Benson gives a graphic description of how that unhappy city has declined. Here too, he comes courageously close to modern-day heresy in giving the White Man his historic due as the true creator of South Africa’s original productive infra-structure (a subject today largely taboo in a world sold on the ‘politically correct’ elevation of the non-European at the expense of the European), and also focusing on the White Man’s predicament now. In a striking characterisation of the city, Benson writes:- “Built on the largest seam of gold ever discovered, this was once the richest city in Africa, a gleaming steel-and-glass citadel rising out of the brown ocean of the Veld, a testament to the economic power (and perhaps the innate character? JM) of the white community that built it, but also an example of what can be achieved by hard work and individual enterprise.” And now? “the skyscrapers are still there,” he continues, “but the people who gave them life and prosperity have gone, driven out by hordes of squatters, beggars and illegal traders who bought Mandela’s promise of a ‘better life for all’ - and demanded instant delivery.” He continues:- “Barbecues made of old oil cans blaze in the marble foyers of what used to be the headquarters of banks and airlines. There are goats tethered in hallways. Corrugated iron huts have sprung up on the once-manicured lawns. “This is not an environment in which any respectable business person, be they black or white, can live or work - and most have fled.” Benson next proceeds to a grim and frightening account of what has been very rapid urban and social decay in the centre of a city in which I once lived and worked myself. Now, even big business is quitting a metropolis of which it was once the raison d’être. The country’s flag carrier, South African Airlines, has taken refuge in the distant outer suburbs. The big mining houses (which practically built the town) and even the Stock Exchange are to follow suit. It is evident they can hardly remain in a city centre in which it is unsafe for their employees to travel to and from work. Benson also reports that the Carlton Hotel has closed and sold all its contents, and “the Holiday Inn is a deserted fortress, its 800 empty rooms protected by reinforced steel shutters.” It is as if the London Hilton, the Dorchester and our other luxury hotels were to close down because order had totally collapsed, and the city had become uninhabitable! All this is the tale of one of the world’s major cities crumbling into chaos and dereliction, perhaps one day in the not too distant future to become as defunct as ancient Babylon. It is now impossible even to walk in any degree of safety to the South African Supreme Court building to get one’s case heard. The alleyways leading to it are prowled by muggers who, says Benson, “are not open to appeal.” Although the court still goes through the motions of administering the law, this has, comments Benson, “helped ease the backlog of cases” in a country where, as other commentators have noted, ‘affirmative action’ has led to the colonisation of the bench by magistrates who are illiterate, incompetent, corrupt and racially and politically biased, and routinely bail murderers and rapists back into the community to re-offend. Cases are never dealt with, crime explodes - no law, no order! Fear at night No wonder Central Johannesburg is now so much a place to avoid, especially at night. “As dusk falls,” says Benson… “… the streets start filling with prostitutes and criminals pushing drugs, and pills that turn a black skin white - before eventually killing you (if AIDS hasn’t claimed you first; up to 10 per cent of the population is carrying the virus and three quarters of the entire health budget will soon be spent on treating the incurable). “You can hear the occasional sound of gunfire rolling down from Hillbrow, by cruel coincidence Johannesburg’s first integrated neighbourhood.” To many, including me (who once lived in that very high-rise district), this does not seem so much of a coincidence. Implicitly referring to the consequences of ‘affirmative action’, Benson describes how… “… the police keep promising to move in and clean the place up; they never do, and if they did it probably wouldn’t make any difference: the Minister in charge of so-called security recently admitted to parliament that a policeman is three times more likely to commit a serious crime than an average member of the public.” Summarising his observations of Johannesburg, Benson comments:- “So much for the dream. This is the reality - and it is a shocking one, worse than I had anticipated. I have seen cities abandoned in war. This is the first city I have ever seen abandoned to the barbarians in time of peace.’ So what of the luckless Whites, themselves abandoned amid this chaos to the consequences of ‘multiracial democracy’? This, Benson makes clear, is not only a tale of de facto displacement by conditions of social chaos which white people find utterly intolerable; this in itself has caused mass white migrations. In Johannesburg those who opt to remain in proximity to the city have retreated to its northern outer suburbs. But there is a mass movement, in effect recoiling on the old pioneer routes, back to Cape Province, the region of South Africa in which Europeans first touched land. It is estimated that in five years 80 per cent of the country’s Whites will be clustered towards the Cape. Even in the Cape there is now a project to establish at least one urban area, some miles into the interior outside Cape Town, which will in practice be a fortified settlement. With property priced beyond what most Blacks, and quite a few poor Whites, could possibly afford, it is, at the size of Monaco, to be protected by a 33,000-volt fence and patrolled by armed guards. But in addition, fearful of lawlessness, the white population is also being harassed and persecuted by the law. As Benson comments:- “The government has lost the battle of the streets but they have control of parliament, and they have used their power to pass legislation aimed specifically at one ethnic group.” Instead of apartheid, there is now ‘affirmative action’, whereby Whites are de jure displaced from their jobs and deprived of their incomes to make way for Blacks, without regard for the latter’s qualifications or abilities, but purely on racial grounds in order to “redress past imbalances.” The result? Air traffic controllers are now being appointed who cannot read their instruments. According to Commissioner of Police George Fivaz, 30,000 of his officers are “functionally illiterate.” To supplement the facts quoted by Benson, one may add the purging of the health services over two years ago (as also reported at the time in the Daily Mail, by Peter Younghusband, the paper’s then South African correspondent) by the Minister of Health Nkosazana Zuma, who replaced district surgeons and doctors with Cuban recruits competent neither in the English language nor as medical practitioners. Working class whites thrown on scrapheap Working class Whites are now being dumped and paid a miserable dole to make way for Africans. Benson quotes the example of a bus driver sacked after 17 years service. For blue-collar Whites, “the economic trap-door has opened beneath them and dropped them below the poverty line. Unemployed and never likely to be employed, their children ragged and barefoot, dependent on benefits of £150 a month each, which is often not paid (the social services are being ‘re-organised - and there’s a sinister phrase!). Some families can no longer afford to feed themselves.” These now rely on church soup kitchens. Apparently, whilst the violently racist, anti-white politician Patricia De Lille says that Tony Blair has donated £20,000 to the home for sick children for which she works, “no-one,” says Benson, “is digging in their pockets to help poor Whites. They are off the end of Mandela’s rainbow, without a pot of gold in sight.” The Government in the new South Africa is intolerant of opposition. According to white Democratic Party opposition leader Tony Leon, “they want everyone to be ‘on side’. If you criticise them - and we do vigorously - they call you neo-nazi racists” (a strange epithet considering that Leon is Jewish). It seems that even Patricia De Lille - whose Pan-Africanist Party’s slogan is “One settler [i.e. white person], one bullet” - has been “battered by this accusation.” The cause? She has been taking the ANC Government and its Ministers to task for the stupendous corruption whereby they have turned themselves and their most privileged supporters into a new class of fat cats (all very typical of post-colonial Africa). Free school lunches promised by Mandela fail to reach the children; family allowances are not paid; council houses are so jerry-built they are virtually uninhabitable. But when these failures come under criticism as in the case of de Lille the response of the Government under the new president Mbeki is to threaten her with expulsion from parliament for being ‘racist’, and bring in legislation to outlaw criticism of a person’s ‘private life’ which might “impair their dignity.” De Lille asks where the money for these public projects went, and answers “into someone’s pocket.” There was corruption under South Africa’s ancien regime, as there is any country in the world under any government. But it was never, as it is today, on a scale sufficient to cause the collapse of whole areas of public administration. In a nutshell, then, thanks to Ross Benson, we now have an overview of the ‘New South Africa’ from which to take stock. What we see is a picture of vicious and exploding crime, of chaos verging on anarchy, of corruption and incompetence way beyond anything in the country’s past, and of the racial harassment and persecution of the white minority - the people who actually built the country in the first place, and without whom there would have been literally nothing for their successors to take over and bring to ruin. It is not a picture which those with their heads screwed on the right way did not predict, decades ago, as the likely outcome of majority rule - though such people were then, and would still now be, vilified as “right-wing, racist reactionaries.” or worse. Such a fate has come upon Ross Benson, who has been roundly denounced in sections of the South African media, according to a second article by correspondent David Jones, also writing from Johannesburg, published in the Mail two weeks after his own. Backlash The Mail’s own letters page witnessed a similar backlash of censorious intolerance in the week following the publication of Benson’s report. This response looked a little like a co-ordinated ‘write-in’ against Benson by aggrieved ANC supporters in Britain. This was in spite of Jones‘ characterisation of his piece as a “painfully accurate article about the demise of post-apartheid South Africa.” It is worth pointing out that neither Benson nor Jones have any record of being ‘racists’ or supporters of apartheid - something that ought to be self-evident, to those in the know, by the fact that they have access to the columns of a major national newspaper like the Daily Mail. [As stated at the beginning, this article was published on October 30th. The year was 1999. Why don't we hear more of these stories from the mainstream media?? -Editor-] Source: ELLIOT LAKE News & Views Blog <a href="http://elliotlakenews.wordpress.com/2007/11/2...">http://elliotlakenews.wordpress.com/2007/11/2...</a>

The "REAL" South Africa

By John MorseA stunning article appeared in the Daily Mail of October 30th. Written by Ross Benson, reporting first-hand from Johannesburg, it lifts the lid on the near-collapse of South Africa since white rule ended a few years ago. And how may one measure that catastrophe? South Africa’s regressio…

28Aug2008

Nigeria wants to be Africa's Super-Power... while South Africa sinks into total failure...

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotgqztmxP0ylUeQoxs6ZctuM-vG_jfCiGy0dBpaDOGHglN2WbOJl8DRkX1B94fvSoOpORC2xLFG73KbHRh0fL5br5JGLyazlZBQvWXYXGFj99Ty2UeLvbQc82nrMpojMD8o91Qg7nROk/s1600-h/african_dictators.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239586072674789250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotgqztmxP0ylUeQoxs6ZctuM-vG_jfCiGy0dBpaDOGHglN2WbOJl8DRkX1B94fvSoOpORC2xLFG73KbHRh0fL5br5JGLyazlZBQvWXYXGFj99Ty2UeLvbQc82nrMpojMD8o91Qg7nROk/s400/african_dictators.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>[My friend sent me this about Nigeria. The Nigerians seem to have vision & interest in becoming a great African nation, whereas South Africa is sinking downwards.] He wrote:- There was an interesting snippet on the SABC International this morning which ties in with what I have said previously. Nigeria has set a goal of becoming the world's 20th largest economy withing 12 years. It is currently ranked 40th. Now that is national vision. South African is ranked 30th but has no goal of raising its position. To achieve 20th Nigeria will have to pass contries such as Malaysia, Venezuela, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Norway, Hong Kong, South Africa, Thailand, Finland, Denmark, Greece, Austria, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Taiwan, Switzerland. Currently South Africa is the largest African economy with Nigeria second. Algeria and Egypt come in at around 50. With a position of 20th in the world (and Africa's largest economy) will come a claim to be the gateway to Africa which South Africa lays claim to, and a much increased international political clout. Can you imagine the investment which Nigeria is envisaging to achieve this. And all the while South Africa will be going backwards if it carries on the way it is at the moment!!!!! Article: <a href="http://www.africancrisis.co.za/Article.php?ID=33293&">Nigeria wants to be Africa's Super-Power... While South Africa sinks into total failure...</a>

Nigeria wants to be Africa's Super-Power... while South Africa sinks into total failure...

[My friend sent me this about Nigeria. The Nigerians seem to have vision & interest in becoming a great African nation, whereas South Africa is sinking downwards.]He wrote:-There was an interesting snippet on the SABC International this morning which ties in with what I have said previously.Nigeria …

28Aug2008

Eskom Power Crisis: lack of skills another factor

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREnnjGwm41OuiV0cv5lRIFg8_CxXfRgzdvlrQBxjKLTpKm95Wu7joPXeRvgt6rrY9nlOOeviWj_L1pcDMKy3ackwWX0OWGMFS6j7kF4FOP5ovBZazwjnnm2diZaOnzurTnDF0RI2BG8g/s1600-h/school_sex.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239308573148546946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREnnjGwm41OuiV0cv5lRIFg8_CxXfRgzdvlrQBxjKLTpKm95Wu7joPXeRvgt6rrY9nlOOeviWj_L1pcDMKy3ackwWX0OWGMFS6j7kF4FOP5ovBZazwjnnm2diZaOnzurTnDF0RI2BG8g/s400/school_sex.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> The electricity industry has been hit by a "chronic" shortage of engineers, the SA Institute of Electrical Engineers said in Johannesburg on Tuesday. "Eskom's current status doesn't only involve power generation issues and the failure of government to recognise the power problem - we must also take into account that the engineering skills shortage has contributed to the power crisis," said the institute's Ian McKechnie. He was addressing a conference entitled "A Constructive Response to the Power Crisis from the Mining and Metallurgical Industry". One of the factors that had to be considered was apartheid-era education, where skills were disproportionately developed in the population. There was also a world-wide demand for engineers. Another concern was the "deficiencies in the present school system" and the low number of pupils with maths and science marks high enough to study engineering. He added that the USA produced 380 engineers per million people, China 225, India 95 and South Africa only 45. Furthermore, McKechnie said, traditional artisan training had collapsed and the Setas were not making a sufficient contribution. Levels of artisan training had dropped from around 30 000 registered artisan apprentices in 1975 to an estimated 3 000 in 2006 - a drop of ten times. McKechnie said that in order to produce more engineers, technologists and technicians, it was necessary to "feed more students into the tertiary education system". The availability of lecturers and tutors however remained a significant challenge. In the 2007 matric results, only 25 415 students passed higher grade mathematics and 28 122 passed higher grade science. "Of this number, only 8 000 got a C aggregate or higher in higher grade maths - and this was the typical entry level for a university engineering degree, McKechnie said. Restructuring the electricity distribution industry to deal with the shortage was not the answer, he said. "The current trend of outsourcing within the electricity distribution sector, whilst possibly being an effective short-term solution, does little to empower the network owner and enhances the risks of unreliability and failure in the longer term." - Sapa

Eskom Power Crisis: lack of skills another factor

The electricity industry has been hit by a "chronic" shortage of engineers, the SA Institute of Electrical Engineers said in Johannesburg on Tuesday."Eskom's current status doesn't only involve power generation issues and the failure of government to recognise the power problem - we must also take i…

27Aug2008

Woman gang-raped, boyfriend shot execution style

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNe2Lu3qsyZy0dN6fQTBa3BsOiXi0bEk5lX7jLTaNBnc4JP1N1CGs-OuLDhs5myk6P1yOEmytEGOGZ0YPGTeDdcEfwYtI5sqNOmx9xgcW5MWYhO3hmqkPA7jxyR3hyphenhyphenhv4-Vwsm0ALEvo/s1600-h/gang-raped.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238769388798324498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNe2Lu3qsyZy0dN6fQTBa3BsOiXi0bEk5lX7jLTaNBnc4JP1N1CGs-OuLDhs5myk6P1yOEmytEGOGZ0YPGTeDdcEfwYtI5sqNOmx9xgcW5MWYhO3hmqkPA7jxyR3hyphenhyphenhv4-Vwsm0ALEvo/s400/gang-raped.bmp" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>A young woman enduring a horrific six-hour ordeal had to watch her boyfriend Steve Petersen being murdered execution-style before being gang-raped and dumped in the vicinity of Macassar. After two men had repeatedly raped her and then left her tied up in an open field near Macassar in the Helderberg area of Cape Town, the 23-year-old woman freed herself and went for help to the nearest house, from where the police were contacted. Mfuleni police station spokesperson Anneke van der Vyver said the men approached the woman and her friend in his dark blue Toyota Corolla early on Sunday while they were parked near Blue Downs magistrate's court. They demanded he hand over his vehicle and when he refused a scuffle broke out. The car owner, also 23, was shot once in the chest, Van der Vyver said. He died at the scene. She said the hijackers then drove away in the car with his woman friend inside and went to Macassar, where they parked in an open field, raped her, tied her up and and left her. She managed to untie herself at about 6am and ran to a nearby house, where the occupants called the police. She was taken for medical attention and trauma counselling, but was not taken to hospital. Van der Vyver said the woman was still too shocked to assist the police in compiling identikits of her assailants, but said one was in his 40s and the other in his 20s.

Woman gang-raped, boyfriend shot execution style

A young woman enduring a horrific six-hour ordeal had to watch her boyfriend Steve Petersen being murdered execution-style before being gang-raped and dumped in the vicinity of Macassar.After two men had repeatedly raped her and then left her tied up in an open field near Macassar in the Helderberg …

26Aug2008

Cosas defends Zuma march, calls for voting age to be lowered to 7

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWdyPlGhbvstKT5-8OP9zXs_nOn2xPN0F_zqYAJK25kzJIjsXsF6vo0Op1dmPGY6pDkqyDApbwM9afoYC3C57SaT_3gV5vadUi38MzVuYd3eFunyMfrrC9Ffu93ifEJnXNMMtLYFo2uA/s1600-h/SABLACKCHILDRENPROTEST.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238864613763207922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWdyPlGhbvstKT5-8OP9zXs_nOn2xPN0F_zqYAJK25kzJIjsXsF6vo0Op1dmPGY6pDkqyDApbwM9afoYC3C57SaT_3gV5vadUi38MzVuYd3eFunyMfrrC9Ffu93ifEJnXNMMtLYFo2uA/s400/SABLACKCHILDRENPROTEST.bmp" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>JOHANNESBURG. The Congress of South African Students has defended last week's action in which it forced schoolchildren to leave their classes and march in support of Jacob Zuma, saying that education was no longer a necessity in South Africa. "Many of us don't have a secondary education," said a Cosas spokesman, "and it hasn't hurt our chances of getting high-paying jobs in Government." Hundreds of schoolchildren were rounded up by Cosas in township schools around Johannesburg and taken by bus and train to the city centre where they protested Zuma's innocence by sucking lollipops, braiding each others' hair, and writing inspirational messages about Beyonce Knowles in TipEx on their blazers. Spokesman Facebrick Ndlovu dismissed criticisms that the march should have taken place on a Saturday instead of a school day, and also that Cosas was squandering taxpayers' money. "I have personally been told by many of our child cadres that they felt the march was a success largely because it happened on a school day," he said. "In fact they have demanded that Cosas stage a similar march every Friday, and perhaps some Thursdays as well, in order to fully enflame their patriotic zeal." He added that the pupils had also asked for "donuts, maybe a DJ, and a jumping castle, also to increase their awareness of the injustice facing Comrade Zuma". "As for the issue of the funds we used, we will not apologize. The people who pay tax are mostly those who have passed Matric, and clearly this is not our demographic. "Nobody even vaguely connected with Cosas has passed Matric, or come close on a second or third attempt, and we are determined to uphold those traditions in the coming years." He conceded that most of the children had not known why they had left their schools or what the march was about, but he denied that disrupting their exam preparation was helping to produce a generation of uncritical voting fodder. "Even if I knew what a fodder was, I would deny this," said Ndlovu. "We are simply helping nurture and develop new skills that are in desperately short supply in this country." He said that these skills included "voting for Msholozi and writing protest manifestos in TipEx on the doors of public toilets". Meanwhile Cosas has called on the government to lower the voting age to 7. National Chairperson Einstein Sodwana said that children needed to "have the burden of education lifted from them so that they can be free to fully engage in the revolution". "If our Grade One's can vote, why expend resources on controversial and damaging activities like teaching them how to read or do sums? "In our view we need a much more nurturing education system for our little ones, whereby all they do at school is Show And Tell. "We show them a picture of Msholozi, and tell them to vote for him." source: <a href="http://www.hayibo.com/">http://www.hayibo.com/</a>

Cosas defends Zuma march, calls for voting age to be lowered to 7

JOHANNESBURG. The Congress of South African Students has defended last week's action in which it forced schoolchildren to leave their classes and march in support of Jacob Zuma, saying that education was no longer a necessity in South Africa. "Many of us don't have a secondary education," said a Cos…

26Aug2008

ANC plans march for Zuma to police stations

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhii4Ttb21nBLt99O0DDt4QFF3pZIs76xNQdRd-gVddIBVZwRjVWBpr4Oz_NihPDGE5wvhkF_KSwOdh4YVCH4PoPxegn-8RcotUqJotOzkkO-dbIhv2_xIb1B4Ar3n45-afJsKTwiaKM/s1600-h/ZUMA_285246_t.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238905902206075874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhii4Ttb21nBLt99O0DDt4QFF3pZIs76xNQdRd-gVddIBVZwRjVWBpr4Oz_NihPDGE5wvhkF_KSwOdh4YVCH4PoPxegn-8RcotUqJotOzkkO-dbIhv2_xIb1B4Ar3n45-afJsKTwiaKM/s400/ZUMA_285246_t.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Supporters of embattled ANC President Jacob Zuma will march on sixteen police stations in Durban on Friday to demand that the charges against their leader be dropped. At a press conference in Durban on Tuesday the ANC's eThekwini regional secretary John Mchunu said party members would march on the stations and hand over a memorandum. The marches will be followed a week later by pickets outside and where possible inside eleven magistrate's courts in the greater Durban area. Mchunu said picketing would take place outside the buildings and where possible inside the relevant buildings. "It is not our intention to disrupt. Our intention is for everybody to hear our grievance," said Mchunu. Following the protests outside the court buildings, a protest is planned for September 10 outside the National Prosecuting Authority offices in Durban. On the night before Zuma finds out whether Judge Chris Nicholson has ruled in his favour to have the decision to charge him declared unlawful, protesters will converge on Pietermaritzburg's Freedom Square (formerly Market Square) to stage a night vigil. A press release issued earlier on Tuesday by the ANC's eThekwini region read: "We can no longer be spectators while our president is being lynched. It has become clear that Billy Downer and (Anton) Steynberg are waging a political battle using the state instrument." Downer and Steynberg are the two prosecutors handling the Zuma case and the two were part of the team that secured the conviction of Durban businessman Schabir Shaik on charges of corruption and fraud involving Zuma. The press release also called for the reopening of the arms deal probe and for assistance to be rendered to authorities overseas, including Germany and the United Kingdom, where cases of bribery are being investigated in relation to the arms deal. - Sapa

ANC plans march for Zuma to police stations

Supporters of embattled ANC President Jacob Zuma will march on sixteen police stations in Durban on Friday to demand that the charges against their leader be dropped.At a press conference in Durban on Tuesday the ANC's eThekwini regional secretary John Mchunu said party members would march on the st…

26Aug2008

R50 Billion Eskom BALLS UP!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6PW4_4aP25BIxku6d5Q9e5famVNqsdOLYeN6pGVCylygWD6NdREJ15-px6_p-NbKOPRkH739dQ9gMRrsRC6MnFwWB6_BjB4YmUpOJRELf6Kon5_Mp5GlPe3WtDdU6KPo5801I7KWOrA/s1600-h/alecerwin.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238775392989797474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6PW4_4aP25BIxku6d5Q9e5famVNqsdOLYeN6pGVCylygWD6NdREJ15-px6_p-NbKOPRkH739dQ9gMRrsRC6MnFwWB6_BjB4YmUpOJRELf6Kon5_Mp5GlPe3WtDdU6KPo5801I7KWOrA/s400/alecerwin.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> Johannesburg - The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on Tuesday estimated the cost of the energy shortage to be about R50bn. Speaking at a conference on the mining and metallurgical industry's response to the power crisis, Nersa CEO Smunda Mokoena said the economic impact of load shedding had been costed at R75 rand per kWh. "The supply shortage caught South Africa by surprise," said Mokoena. A Nersa inquiry found that Eskom had responded appropriately and speedily to the power supply shortage towards the end of 2007 and going into 2008. But while Nersa was aware of low reserve margins, that the mothballed plant and low lead time open-cycle gas turbines were being commissioned, and that the low demand mid-summer period would be used for maintenance, the regulator was unaware of the increased unplanned outages and dwindling coal stocks leading up to the virtual blackout in January. What Nersa has identified is a potential conflict of interest between the generator of electricity and the system operator, which is effectively responsible for ensuring system security. "We are very sceptical that current procurement is being done by Eskom, not by government," said Mokoena. Procurement of generation capacity, including that from independent power producers and co-generation, should be managed and coordinated by a professional agent independent of Eskom, he said. "The sooner we establish an independent power procurer the better," Mokoena added.

R50 Billion Eskom BALLS UP!

Johannesburg - The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on Tuesday estimated the cost of the energy shortage to be about R50bn.Speaking at a conference on the mining and metallurgical industry's response to the power crisis, Nersa CEO Smunda Mokoena said the economic impact of load shed…

26Aug2008

Licensed to kill in lawless South Africa

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeJzgsfQxhG9GqI3PZr3Yz1OMXOQv9Ws4Ph2LdeRCyArRQuEncHmtbVP9pTDZW2YaX4sRjSLp1KN8cITI2OmdaIkuGAXG2JlBmq6jD7itmH5fNdSSqxbEcdHp8kczMgiocX0YzYPwN5s/s1600-h/security+guards+strike+020.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238617265186856258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeJzgsfQxhG9GqI3PZr3Yz1OMXOQv9Ws4Ph2LdeRCyArRQuEncHmtbVP9pTDZW2YaX4sRjSLp1KN8cITI2OmdaIkuGAXG2JlBmq6jD7itmH5fNdSSqxbEcdHp8kczMgiocX0YzYPwN5s/s400/security+guards+strike+020.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>One hundred and thirty-three murders - 69 of which were committed more than two years ago - and as yet not one murder conviction. A disgraceful fracas in the Johannesburg city centre, with Metro police closing off part of a highway and exchanging live gunfire with policemen, yet, two months later, no charges have been laid. These are just two scenes from a society in which lawlessness has apparently become the order of the day, rather than safety and security. 'We have so many cases of selective law enforcement that the wheels have come off' <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SjRxgcItJ7eA9L5ItrELMMl58pEW_l_NtgipXl5pJx6CkB5fXUS0VP1mMvUW_iRHOVyAkLstjcTjOKCcrx1rT43TCveDGqIUHdsZQ2yX0XsZ58UQKa22OdeMCtywtq6no5TQ2rbUXdQ/s1600-h/2523578806_b6a6e2c6c2.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsOPiM2lBUM8hMo1toy4-xrlfF4c9dt8AY5J6DTbh1td0u9yq-aOebjKLpxl5UhLwa7hkeFNte40WBZCSIZU1onRqD3vO2ums2UE7CyOXno5Lt3268R-eZEvK3KyJup15ksg-YmFzy44/s1600-h/security+guards+strike+15.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238565973839863186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsOPiM2lBUM8hMo1toy4-xrlfF4c9dt8AY5J6DTbh1td0u9yq-aOebjKLpxl5UhLwa7hkeFNte40WBZCSIZU1onRqD3vO2ums2UE7CyOXno5Lt3268R-eZEvK3KyJup15ksg-YmFzy44/s400/security+guards+strike+15.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Johan Burger, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, said: "If we continue being a lawless society, which is what we are doing, we are well on our way to anarchy. The point is that, as admitted by Johnny de Lange, the deputy minister of justice, the system is not working. "The second point is that, if the law is broken, then the authorities must act. But we have so many cases in this country of selective law enforcement that the wheels have come off in general." <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-T88FQ3gZELF4ZN3bmOOxqoepDPnDeiDS3X2gkuVbc89bU9DIJvt57oAoXBduZbkevctkKUjob_8eiHV3eYpviyo1IH6dBE6R-zwmeLeHJr4HvNBa7rZIrEUpVTbvepX4OKYwmqoewA/s1600-h/security+guards+strike+15.jpg"></a> The Sunday Independent this week attempted to find out what progress had been made in four high-profile incidents that occurred in the past few years - the police fracas, the deaths of 69 security guards during a strike in 2006, the murder of two Johannesburg Metrobus drivers during a strike in 2007, and the xenophobic violence in Gauteng.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-T88FQ3gZELF4ZN3bmOOxqoepDPnDeiDS3X2gkuVbc89bU9DIJvt57oAoXBduZbkevctkKUjob_8eiHV3eYpviyo1IH6dBE6R-zwmeLeHJr4HvNBa7rZIrEUpVTbvepX4OKYwmqoewA/s1600-h/security+guards+strike+15.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Z9Eq5VqTD3xUDYtmYHTYAjCNAEwm8Kacvic-grX4vYoB1fEK0uYYtTO62l8fGjiTrwg_Gmfg2yrENg-bOZTg1zRYzGNXPlJ8htTfCU9e7TXH_AqG1E_kPXUb2V83t-HulP9OD9p4CQ0/s1600-h/saps_xeno_mob.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238566785440929714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Z9Eq5VqTD3xUDYtmYHTYAjCNAEwm8Kacvic-grX4vYoB1fEK0uYYtTO62l8fGjiTrwg_Gmfg2yrENg-bOZTg1zRYzGNXPlJ8htTfCU9e7TXH_AqG1E_kPXUb2V83t-HulP9OD9p4CQ0/s400/saps_xeno_mob.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsOPiM2lBUM8hMo1toy4-xrlfF4c9dt8AY5J6DTbh1td0u9yq-aOebjKLpxl5UhLwa7hkeFNte40WBZCSIZU1onRqD3vO2ums2UE7CyOXno5Lt3268R-eZEvK3KyJup15ksg-YmFzy44/s1600-h/security+guards+strike+15.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-T88FQ3gZELF4ZN3bmOOxqoepDPnDeiDS3X2gkuVbc89bU9DIJvt57oAoXBduZbkevctkKUjob_8eiHV3eYpviyo1IH6dBE6R-zwmeLeHJr4HvNBa7rZIrEUpVTbvepX4OKYwmqoewA/s1600-h/security+guards+strike+15.jpg"></a>No one has been convicted of murder in connection with the deaths of the 69 security guards who died during the security guards' strike between March and June 2006. Many of the guards, who were accused of being scabs during the strike, died in the network of railway lines that connect Pretoria and the East and West Rands with Johannesburg. Most were flung from trains. But many were also shot or severely assaulted. Superintendent Eugene Opperman, a spokesperson for the South African Police Service, said this week that there had been "a few" convictions for assault and intimidation in connection with the murders. 'Where the unions are involved, there are not going to be charges brought' <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoLDW30lG6ZAzr0QnL4cmI1u6Mk_PFZHoi6LmSxrwAkHymWeRIOBTNOGmqk9oqXpPbXqxS_ZGrgoAJ3LT7YHqTJRIWWpvhC22WHZ5UdAAvds0MxCnWgm5cgarF7MTCUIXxjmCxnMpb-k/s1600-h/sapsblackviolencesa.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238593004764041618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoLDW30lG6ZAzr0QnL4cmI1u6Mk_PFZHoi6LmSxrwAkHymWeRIOBTNOGmqk9oqXpPbXqxS_ZGrgoAJ3LT7YHqTJRIWWpvhC22WHZ5UdAAvds0MxCnWgm5cgarF7MTCUIXxjmCxnMpb-k/s400/sapsblackviolencesa.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>A June 2007 statement by Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini, the Gauteng police spokesperson, said that, "by May 29 2006, 11 suspects had already been arrested across [Gauteng] and they were facing charges of murder, attempted murder and assault with grievous bodily harm". But Opperman confirmed this week that no one had been convicted of murder. "In cases, like these, where many were killed mainly by being thrown off trains by their supposed colleagues, it's very difficult to make murder charges stick," he said. No charges have ever been laid for the March 2007 murders of the two Johannesburg Metrobus drivers, who were found burned beyond recognition in Kagiso on the West Rand, during the Johannesburg bus drivers' strike, a senior official of the Johannesburg metro said. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRS1HlQVWY089bnjv56cNPNalJOJMqVIZvJO5r1UGQxAGMwCwP65y-r6eFJOjWjK2z4_RNe2stHgeQk6fHmstABYK5nAQBb6P5jpU5M0im0Rww_PELPlUdkSfiOU-11luh3ytDOLugOVM/s1600-h/SAPS-joburg-BURN10c.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajKQThUsJwrC9A_SeV2avG5g78c5VN-wvQKskVCTfK1cA4U5maG7OzRmfa7JQq-p0_lOMQjpSwdK4XE5xLJazlH-J2ohlfFpXA2jTSPGjOX8v-AplK7Ct5FGGOuWh5UxdNEK2WvM05oo/s1600-h/_1924142_safrica_staggie3_ap.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BsABJ_eV9lMLyC0749QgTt7_UumE4UNADGaPXYk2JeljK_v956XSivl7xe2LA_Ia1XoxlcTvzON3uIXkc4f4Hln9w4JD1agNyQI9yxvNIFN1B2D3QisTwqzD8kSBxvVb5ZXFsYYjnA8/s1600-h/saps_xeno_escort.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240410007650206866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BsABJ_eV9lMLyC0749QgTt7_UumE4UNADGaPXYk2JeljK_v956XSivl7xe2LA_Ia1XoxlcTvzON3uIXkc4f4Hln9w4JD1agNyQI9yxvNIFN1B2D3QisTwqzD8kSBxvVb5ZXFsYYjnA8/s400/saps_xeno_escort.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>"The thing is, where you have political involvement, where the unions are involved, there are not going to be charges brought," said the official, who asked to remain anonymous. "That's the way it is. You can forget about it." There was better news regarding the 62 people murdered during the xenophobic violence in May. A number of cases have been prepared in connection with the xenophobic murders. But none has come to court yet and Tlali Tlali, the spokesperson for the national prosecuting authority (NPA), was unable give any firm dates for trials. Tlali said that 56 cases relating to xenophobic violence were "trial ready", but had been postponed for further investigation and bail and legal aid applications. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHK8keTdX4Mn6xKApB-ZkRFVSce6h42DCrLAW2_MXpWbV2KJ6MMT-AK701eA4v6paUlVesb2gftXJDFpQ1MI8bVJwytr3hyphenhyphentXEX3Vbl_WpeRnIH4-ZzSCQbDZrgCdQ7tjl_fU1h6KX7HY/s1600-h/SAPS-MOB-VIOLENCE.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238595738249219810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHK8keTdX4Mn6xKApB-ZkRFVSce6h42DCrLAW2_MXpWbV2KJ6MMT-AK701eA4v6paUlVesb2gftXJDFpQ1MI8bVJwytr3hyphenhyphentXEX3Vbl_WpeRnIH4-ZzSCQbDZrgCdQ7tjl_fU1h6KX7HY/s400/SAPS-MOB-VIOLENCE.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>In addition, said Tlali, there were 351 cases, involving 1 331 people, that were pending. But they were not trial ready yet. The charges listed by the NPA for the xenophobic violence had theft, robbery, rape, public violence, house breaking, assault, inciting public violence and arson appended to them - with murder low down on the list of the charges.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTH8Mf7iDMy42anncdl3bWO2Q4bNapB6L4msRJyGuikgLNxchgkTI-HdrgeXACOFt1-5nMlpVYX3MjB_qKbznjlRa9v6lMV_Zyd3JkByCV0xuFUN-rjlqSOIyjfODAX07j1cGuDeHaVs/s1600-h/xenophobe5.jpg"></a>Regarding the fracas on June 25 this year, when 400 striking Johannesburg metro policemen blocked off part of a highway and had a gunfight with police service members, Wayne Minnaar, the spokesman for the Johannesburg metro police department, said that the department would hold a press conference this week at which it would be announced whether the incident would be dealt with internally or by the NPA in open court. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQhpU9wn9ifbBRYMxmXtYNR7qrqtpYuWV68SDk7OcD8Xe3LU4DqszetaWRIPSblBqsZ5pXUEU5_8ApnqTiZf9DLpzAMaJK9bOMa4PdvmOprNijsZke0z-lgGXw0STl4hrmemo2pvTKOM/s1600-h/strike-sa.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSheB6QpIyyfsO8MDKRgVwqv6luwGXSE3q6mayCwhKmKscjL8hGCtfo8MBmaYyeEBYzifIAxPfhZB7IsQYotV6MqCgpmNcKMAKF-zNe_dAP27Lg17lgmX4RGPBYBNgmel7hGIqV0I1jII/s1600-h/jmpd2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238615256041192274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSheB6QpIyyfsO8MDKRgVwqv6luwGXSE3q6mayCwhKmKscjL8hGCtfo8MBmaYyeEBYzifIAxPfhZB7IsQYotV6MqCgpmNcKMAKF-zNe_dAP27Lg17lgmX4RGPBYBNgmel7hGIqV0I1jII/s400/jmpd2.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Opperman confirmed that a decision was imminent on how the charges against the striking metro police would be dealt with. "[It] could be that it will be an internal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHP27VyW_tKUn1-aaOo7l3nprdNwmnT84mUDcufJ77gkgJOPH59PNnqcN7rywXcbg2d119HjVIHRXS6VkSK3mXMfPrDgVdpy63vZXM5S6Lb_sBaNlQOPuWjVbujirGnfQLNuB_hx_-TM/s1600-h/sapsblackviolencesa.jpg"></a> matter," he said. The Sunday Independent has contacted Charles Nqakula, the minister of safety and security, a number of times since Thursday midday, asking whether he had any additional information about any of the four incidents, and asking him to comment on justice being delayed being tantamount to justice denied. But the minister had not responded by the time of going to press.

Licensed to kill in lawless South Africa

One hundred and thirty-three murders - 69 of which were committed more than two years ago - and as yet not one murder conviction.A disgraceful fracas in the Johannesburg city centre, with Metro police closing off part of a highway and exchanging live gunfire with policemen, yet, two months later, no…

25Aug2008

State-owned Transnet faces R20-billion claim over Cape land sale

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05lLKB_3FezOuVnw2G_QxylXjlBZrHZBWHtz_JBYe3KbAhFhRSXd9Hc2WpIfyuG1Wjoz-xOgxeYGMQ2XOZ4OB_7-z_9vgSj_yogjP-wwM3YpB4fECQVnoyeWTgeEwliYMDl3Qpbzs4VQ/s1600-h/300975781_b4ebb021b8.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238053058159088962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05lLKB_3FezOuVnw2G_QxylXjlBZrHZBWHtz_JBYe3KbAhFhRSXd9Hc2WpIfyuG1Wjoz-xOgxeYGMQ2XOZ4OB_7-z_9vgSj_yogjP-wwM3YpB4fECQVnoyeWTgeEwliYMDl3Qpbzs4VQ/s400/300975781_b4ebb021b8.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Transnet secretly sold prime Cape Town coastal land and a vast sea area when it offloaded the V&A Waterfront for R7-billion to investors from London and Dubai. Now the parastatal is frantically lobbying MPs in a bid to block legislation that would make coastal land public property. The much-vaunted sale of Cape Town's major tourist attraction in 2006 included the transfer to the new owners of 22km of coastline and 90 square kilometres of sea, stretching from Table Bay to Robben Island. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfgs3P6AJOcj-5GB6wp1TiFnfLWOD1qeXaS0GZHDyKxtqrpH1DzHAwJLLHCbxM9RcDR-tSefZ9hmOgqGrY7WH-eZ9nsKo46s7CxLkA3ilvGwd6e3usaLKezwU6BhNgqmWbtH927thSQI/s1600-h/300975781_b4ebb021b8.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPfX_aWPDwFLeYllfo8WH0rpuIrRoPl0eMHcINtH5dyzwgnkJXBE5MMMM_dh_ZhM8euVvPLhs3BD-fRjvaFMIDVsZwut65w3rn5ugROtqbGaq5hbyui6Ltxm8cYOdfydP4j_4P6H0Nz8/s1600-h/Waterfront3.jpg"></a>The new owners are Lexshell, which is owned by Istithmar PJSC, an investment arm of the Dubai government, United Kingdom investor London & Regional, and a local black economic empowerment group.If the integrated coastal <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPfX_aWPDwFLeYllfo8WH0rpuIrRoPl0eMHcINtH5dyzwgnkJXBE5MMMM_dh_ZhM8euVvPLhs3BD-fRjvaFMIDVsZwut65w3rn5ugROtqbGaq5hbyui6Ltxm8cYOdfydP4j_4P6H0Nz8/s1600-h/Waterfront3.jpg"></a>management Bill is approved, Transnet faces a potential R20-billion claim from Lexshell for failing to fulfil its contractual obligations. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-koY2hYjFcVFn99s-G-9u5X5K-fd84ePNOyF_djKsBUuIrO1MZhEw1ORb-2otaS7u838P8GsmPEyjqii5IeDt2O4gtE41ns0tq5dTm0b5OVU3shmo71GWKuv5_UdsGR6_MOtJSNNQkE/s1600-h/oltablebay.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238068826625835810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-koY2hYjFcVFn99s-G-9u5X5K-fd84ePNOyF_djKsBUuIrO1MZhEw1ORb-2otaS7u838P8GsmPEyjqii5IeDt2O4gtE41ns0tq5dTm0b5OVU3shmo71GWKuv5_UdsGR6_MOtJSNNQkE/s400/oltablebay.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Lexshell's plans include a residential marina development (the Granger Bay Marina) to be developed on the western side of the Waterfront. Transnet spokesperson John Dludlu said he could not comment on potential financial losses. “It is difficult to comment on the value of any potential claim against Transnet should it not be able to honour its contractual obligations,” he said. “However, it is most unlikely that any claim against Transnet would succeed if it is prevented by law from honouring its obligations in respect of reclamation.” He insisted that the parastatal had obtained approval to dispose of the Waterfront and was “not obliged” to disclose details of the sale agreement to anyone. - Sapa

State-owned Transnet faces R20-billion claim over Cape land sale

Transnet secretly sold prime Cape Town coastal land and a vast sea area when it offloaded the V&A Waterfront for R7-billion to investors from London and Dubai.Now the parastatal is frantically lobbying MPs in a bid to block legislation that would make coastal land public property.The much-vaunted sa…

24Aug2008

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Licensed to kill in lawless South Africa

State-owned Transnet faces R20-billion claim over Cape land sale

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