William Bulwane

The new face of the provincial ANC, William Bulwane (WB) who has advanced from regional and municipal structures to run  the affairs of the ruling party in the province has experienced some turbulence along the way. Public Eye reporter, Tselane Moiloa (PE) had a chat him about ways in which the party will renew itself and attract back members who have lost faith in it.

PE: Could you tell us about your political background and how you got involved in the political game.

WB: I am the product of struggles in the communities we come from. I grew up in Tumahole, Parys and schooled in the area. As you grow up, you get politicised by other students who were there before you and at the end of the day you see that there is a need to also fight. The struggle was informed about what we wanted and what we did not want. With all of this I also had a strong church background – where you met characters like Frank Chikane. You also found yourself so deep into the politics (of the day) that you ended up in exile because of that involvement in that struggle. I was in Zambia for about four years.

PE: When did you come to the forefront as spokesperson?

WB: After the death of comrade [Teboho] Sikisi, I was approached by the premier to come and work with him as the spokesperson but I did not want to because I did not know what it entailed to be in that position. At that time, I was Speaker at Metsimaholo Municipality and I was very comfortable, until I was persuaded otherwise and I accepted the job. I resigned as Speaker and I still remember – it was the 9^th of Februar9 2009 when I came to work at the Premier’s office as the spokesperson. I have enjoyed and fallen in love with it. I was doing the best I could to ensure that the image of the premier and government is maintained. In that office, we are support system for the premier to succeed.

PE: With regards to your new job, what does it entail?

WB: Being the secretary of the ANC is like being a CEO of a company – you will be managing the ANC. We have 319 branches that we must give management to. We will be giving management to the structure of the ANC, to the office of the ANC because it has staff; give political leadership to the cadres deployed in government – your legislature, your Free State caucus in parliament in Cape Town and also assisting with ensuring that cadres deployed in government are able to do their work diligently and that service delivery is happening. Our aim is to ensure that the ANC is still in power and gets to another 100 years.

PE: You come into this office when things are shaky for the ruling party, with division being a big factor right now. Now, as the new CEO, what are you going to do to turn things around and get a united front?

WB: Firstly, we must acknowledge that there is a problem, and go back to the foundations of the very same organisation that puts you into power, that organisation being the African National Congress. What are we saying as members of the ANC about the image of the African National Congress? How do we carry the principles and the beliefs of the ANC forward? Key and central being the principle of unity, because unity is paramount to the ANC. How do we bring everybody on board to say ‘Let’s unite the ANC’? That is the task also given by the president when he closed the conference at Parys – to try and get those comrades who did not come to the conference and unite the ANC in the province. The task ahead is to get into each and every branch of the ANC to discuss a united vision of the ANC.

PE: Could you please just elaborate on that?

WB: Yes, we must unite the ANC, but we must not make the mistake of leaving the ANC constitution in this regard as we move forward. There are those we still have to discipline, and that is what I mean when I say the constitution has to apply. There are disciplinary processes which have to apply to those that will be identified, but I cannot say who they are now. There are those that will be disciplined and there are those we will engage so that they come back to the ANC and work. They are still our members – we cannot be forgiving people who went to COPE and then we don’t forgive those who have wronged (but remained members). I must indicate that we are wielding those positive results – myself and the former secretary Sibongile Besani, we are working very well in terms of advice here and there. He was also part of the delegation that went to Gallagher Estate for the policy conference, representing the Free State. We are trying to say ‘everybody come’. We will talk to everybody we feel we need to talk to. At the end of the day, we must move forward with each and every member who is ready to come to the party. Those who do not want, we will apply the constitution.

PE: And what will happen after the application of the constitution?

WB: Those will be the issues of the disciplinary process but they are entrenched in the constitution. Once any decision is taken by the DC, it will be up to a political structure what do we do now.

PE: You just spoke about ‘those who have wronged the ANC’. Those on the other side of the fence may also say they have been wronged by the ANC. What does this blame game solve?

WB: We saw prior the provincial conference tendencies that are un-ANC taking place. Ordinary members of the ANC went to BGMs and you would see police vans and Nyala’s; people were beaten – they were not ANC. Anybody who was involved in such tendencies, those are the ones who wronged the African National Congress, irrespective of which side you were on. Those were wrong tendencies, and everybody who has done those things has to be brought to book. Now there is the tendency of burning houses of those comrades who went to the ANC conference. We cannot accept that. We have issued an instruction to the MEC of police ‘Do everything in your power, use all your state resources to get to the bottom of this’ because this is thuggerism. These are thugs. You cannot have people leaving in fear in this democratic South Africa. Once we allow that, we are going to allow a situation where we will be having no-go zones for others. ‘These people can’t go in there because it is a stronghold of so-and-so. So the police must do their job and responsibility, arrest those criminals. It is malicious, damage to property.

PE: If you are saying the MEC should use all state resources to solve the case of three houses belonging to three ANC members, wouldn’t that be seen as the party using its power whereas there are numerous other cases which remain unresolved? How would you counter that assertion?

WB: I think we have envisaged a free society, and as entrenched in the Freedom Charter there shall be peace, security and comfort. We are still living those principles. Those three people must enjoy that security and comfort wherever they are. Anybody who is tampering with that must be brought to book.

PE: Earlier, you said you are going to go to branches to talk about unity. How are these talks going to translate into action?

WB: The PEC gave us a programme on Monday that will make sure the PEC touches every corner of the 319 branches of the ANC and ensure that the ANC leadership is able to visit every branch and talk to ANC members.

PE: What will happen after that? Will it be just talk?

WB: We will talk with those branches of the ANC and rehabilitate and monitor the progress – that being whether we are progressing in ensuring that the ANC moves with speed to heal all these differences we went through as we approaching the conference.

PE: How easy or difficult is your job going to be in the Free State to bring about organisational renewal and faith in the party?

WB: We have developed recommendations to the conference. We are also saying we must look what are the things that will make us closer to the people and make sure they have trust in us. There are a number of things that make our people not have trust in us – corruption, nepotism – they are done by individuals of course not the ANC, but they have impacted negatively to the image of the ANC. You also need to up that image – your conduct.

PE: With regards to the new PEC, what are you going to do that has not been done in the past?

WB: As the PEC was sitting [on Monday], part of the things we said we must do is to do things differently, so that people can see that there is an ANC here. Majority of us were members of the old PEC, we know where we have relaxed so we are saying this time we must put more effort. That is why we said we must develop an invigorous programme that will take us to December. We will occupy each and every space that we have not. There were negative things said about the ANC, and we have allowed that image about division in the Free State that says ‘there is this group that supports Dukwana, there is this group that supports Magashule’; we have never used the media to demystify those things and put things into perspective. We just concentrated on the branches and said ‘leave the media, we are not run by the media’. But now we need to occupy that space and inform the community. We need to inform the community to say that the dust has settled, here is the direction, this is the reality of the situation and the ANC must go this way. Key and central, what we agreed upon yesterday as the PEC is to move with speed in ensuring that we have a political school in the province. We need to politicise our members, we need to develop cadres of the ANC.

We are also going to programmatise the social fibre in our community and deal with it vigorously – that is women and child abuse, because we have left that to social groups and the department dealing with that. We said that we need to occupy that space because it is ours as the ANC.

By Tselane Moiloa

BLOEMFONTEIN – Lack of funding and insufficient social workers in the province has made it difficult for government to fully dispatch services to rural areas, analysts have said.

As a result, non-governmental organisations have stepped in to help communities on the edges of better developed urban districts.

“We have witnessed many nonprofit organisations collapsing and many others teetering on the brink of collapse due to a combination of lack of financial support and inadequate funding to the sector from the traditional funding agencies, public sector and government. This situation is exacerbated by the lack of and the inability of the nonprofit sectors to financially sustain itself through generating its own income,” the national ministry said.

The Free State department of social development currently employs approximately 354 social workers, while subsiding 1443 Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) of the total 4400 in the province at a tune of R363 million, MEC Sisi Ntombela said.

These are the groups which bear the brunt, yet have said cannot reach more places due to budget constraints, which also led the NPOs asking to be part of policy and budget making processes in the future.

One of the organisations which have had flourished even though they have had problems is the Emelia Active Learning Centre in Batho location, Bloemfontein, which caters for children with disabilities. The centre provides day care to 20 children with disabilities, with a team of five skilled workers.

Services rendered include active learning programmes for children who cannot go to formal school during the day, different forms of therapy and fosters better social interaction between children with disabilities and their families.

“I must admit that we are not doing enough for the disabled people,” Ntombela admitted during the Free State leg of provincial dialogues between the ministry and the sector on Wednesday, July 4, in Bloemfontein.

The department made a commitment to improve these relations, which was welcomed by Ruth Blood, the regional manager of Autism South Africa in Free State and Northern Cape.

“I hope that the promises made today come into fruition because we really need a commitment from the department. I always tell people that early detection [of autism] is important, and there have been instances where they came back after their children’s condition is confirmed by doctors and ask for help but we cannot always offer it due to lack of resources,” she said.

However, funding problems deter the work of the groups, according to both the department of social development and NPOs.

Nonetheless, some smaller organisations littered around the province have tried to cope with limited funding.

In 2005, a few women in rural Reddersburg started an organisation to fight women and child abuse in the area.

Khala Garing of the Khatelopele Women Against Abuse organisation believes they have made strides in this regard, despite the challenges they have faced and the lack of cooperation from the men in the community.

“We can certainly say things have changed in Reddersburg regarding abuse, because the statistics used to be really bad,” Garing said.

The centre, situated in a small building in the township of Matoporong, offers counselling services to survivors of domestic violence and helps parents and guardians apply for children’s identity documents and birth certificates.

Besides the financial straits which many of the NPOs in the province face, Garing said men are not forthcoming with their problems and lead them to aggressive behaviour, which is based on the prejudice that they will not confide in women.

“The men in our area do not want to volunteer; some want the stipend first and some say that they will not bring their problems to a group of women and when that happens we refer them to social workers whom they are more comfortable with,” she said.

Ntombela and the deputy-minister for social development Maria Ntuli heard that stipends are a common problem among the groups.

The provincial dialogue saw numerous groups from the five districts in the province presenting their challenges and recommendations to government. One of the binding factors across the board was members who were questioning whether they would ever be employed in the department and that they wanted a salary not just a stipend.

The stipend currently ranges between R700 and R1300. Ntuli and Ntombela bemoaned this, saying that when people started their respective organisations, it was primarily out of love and the desire to help their communities.

“Some people here do not understand NPOs – you are not a business person, you are assisting the community. It is as though some people are only interested in the money and not changing lives,” she criticised.

However, Garing countered that they still need to survive; hence they were questioning employment initiatives and salaries.

“We started these organisations, but we also cannot be volunteers for the rest of our lives,” she said, echoing the views of many other representatives who were present.

Free State was the third pit-stop of the provincial dialogues which have already been to Limpopo and Western Cape. When all provinces are concluded, the ministry will host a summit in August where these issues will be further discussed and resolutions decided upon regarding things like subsidies, stipends and budgets.

“These dialogues have been a learning curve,” Ntuli said.

“For one, there are big differences between NGOs in town and those in townships – from the infrastructure to the training. We will focus on the funding, challenges, training and the integration of black and white NGOs,” she continued.

Ntuli also said while the concerns about emerging NGOs and similar organisations were noted, people also needed to realise that those which are doing well cannot just be dumped.

“The differences are there between the haves and the have-nots. But at this point, I cannot say we must leave those that are doing well to fend for themselves; we just have to strengthen and support the others,” Ntuli concluded.

By Libuseng Nyaka

Bloemfontein- Six senior officials in the Cooperative Governance, Department of Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) have been suspended from work until October 31 to allow investigations into alleged maladministration and corruption.

The officials were being investigated for the manipulation of the individual subsidy system, the allocation lists of contractors, advance payments to the contractors, poor or non-inspection by technical staff, said Cogta Media liaison officer Ntai Mokhitli.

The six officials are Mamiki Mokhele Chief Director Housing Programme Management, Coyney Twala Director Priority and Interventions programmes, Fifi Makahaotse Housing subsidies and development, Kaizer Maxatshwa, Housing Development planning and monitoring, Kabelo Koloi Director Management and technical services and Loyiso Ndenze Director Informal settlement and land tenure.

Mokhitli would, however, not say how much money was involved in the alleged corruption stating that the investigation would establish the amount.

He said the investigation followed MEC Olley Mlamleli’s warning that the department would get to the root of the challenges within the department and that whoever was found culpable would be dealt with harshly irrespective of whether the culprit is an official of the department or a service provider.

In a letter signed by the then head of department Gift Mokoena dated October 25, 2011, the department admitted that hundreds of contractors were owed money.

Several contractors were engaged by the department to build low cost houses or RDPs.

While Free State DA spokesperson for Cogta Peter Frewen welcomed the investigation he said it was long overdue.

“The DA had previously brought this matter to the attention of the former MEC , that there had been houses across the Free State as well as building materials that had been purchased in February 2011 with the amount of R360 million,” he said.

Adding, that the Department also needs to be held accountable for R1 billion allocated for housing in the 2011/2012 financial year which the department had failed to account for.

…As learners die at the illegal Initiation school

By Molefi Sompane

BOTSHABELO – Parents of the four initiates who allegedly died at the hands of their instructors and colleagues are demanding answers from owners of the initiation school while they ponder their next step.

The parents interviewed said the way in which their children had died was heartrending, and should be probed thoroughly although this will not bring back their children.

“It is still unclear how my son died but I trust that the law will take its course. We would rather accept that our son is no more and move on with our lives than go through a painful legal process,” said a parent who wish to remain anonymous.

Two instructors and the owner of an initiation school in Botshabelo who allegedly incited other pupils to beat four boys for refusing to undergo traditional initiation rituals have appeared in court on murder charges.

Lehlohonolo Hlabatau, Mojalefa Tjhapi and the owner of the unregistered school Daniel Hlabatau, 27, were arrested on Saturday, June 30 on allegations of murder and appeared in the Botshabelo

Magistrates court on Tuesday, July 3.

The case was postponed to allow the trio to apply for bail.

The four deaths have left family members and relatives devastated.

Melato Molelengwane an uncle of one of the dead initiates said his nephew had gone to the initiation school without the consent of the family but had changed his mind and had wanted to discontinue.

“The information we got is that he wanted to abandone the initiation so they beat him up accusing him of being a coward. Both teachers are said to have ordered other initiates to beat him,” Molelengwane said.

She said family members would decide what course of action to take after the funeral. “We will see whether there’s something we can do or not. But that decision will be taken after the funeral,” she added.

The Khuzwayo family said all they needed was to know how their son Kamogelo died. “We are waiting for the autopsy,” his sister Thembi said.

Police spokesperson Consolation Mokwale said on Monday, July 2 that police were  tipped off about the beatings and responded promptly.

“Police followed up the information to the school where they found another two bodies lying on the ground,” she said.

“The initiation school had registered about thirty prospective initiates. Eleven of them were taken to Botshabelo hospital with serious injuries on their bodies,” Mokwale added

She said the teachers allegedly assaulted the boys and burnt them with a hot iron on their buttocks if they did not follow instructions.

Police requested anyone who might have a child at the Botshabelo initiation school to come forward or call Detective Captain Molly Mbelekane on 082 339 9221.

By Tselane Moiloa

BLOEMFONTEIN – The provincial African National Congress (ANC) will start a political school for its members before the end of the year, newly-elected secretary William Bulwane has said.

“The political school was one of the resolutions taken by the Provincial Executive Committee at the first meeting we held on Monday, July 2. Our focus in this term will be to look at things we have not achieved in the past, and try to get that right. We will occupy those spaces we had not and a political education will be one of those aspects” he said.

Although the school is a concept the ruling party hopes to see to fruition, the logistics are yet to be determined. This includes the criteria of the members who are to attend, the curriculum and the people who will teach the members.

These finer details will be decided when a task team including deputy-chairperson and Executive Mayor of Mangaung Thabo Manyoni returns from a benchmarking mission in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng at the political schools in these provinces.

The two provinces currently have political schools. In 2010, the party said it would establish a national school in Parys, which at the time was expected to take three to five years to complete.

“The second approach is to develop a national ANC Core Curriculum, which can be implemented through different methods of delivery and adapted for different layers of the organization. The core curriculum outline was adopted at a national political education breakaway session in October 2009 and consists of ten modules: history; tools of analysis; economics; theories of development; organizational theory and practice; the state, governance and constitutionalism; African and international relations; and revolutionary ethics. A curriculum committee was established, responsible for the development of these modules,” the National Executive Committee (NEC) said at the time.

“We have a responsibility of politicising our 80 000 membership (in the Free State). All problems we have been riddled with in the ANC are because people do not understand the rules and laws of the ANC…Other people do not join the ANC, they join individuals and do not grow politically,” Bulwane said.

The ANC’s political schools came into the limelight late last year when former ANC Youth League president Julius Malema was ordered by the NEC to attend the party’s political school before he was finally suspended this year for insubordination charges against president Jacob Zuma.

By Molefi Sompane

SASOLBURG – Noma Mongali (not her real name), 23, still remembers how badly she was assaulted and raped by a group of men in her township of Zamdela.

“I still don’t believe that I am still alive. They beat me up and took turns to rape me,” she said.

She had been at the local tavern when one of her attackers solicited sexual favours from her and plied her with alcohol. But Mongali paid for the few drinks with more than she had bargained for. She was pounded and gang raped.

“Things turned for the worse when the friends insisted that I accompany them to a shack owned by the group”

Mongali said her “suitor” had connived with his friends to attack her in a shack in France Informal settlement.

“After the ordeal it was hard for me to walk, sit or sleep. Luckily, they didn’t realize I had a phone.  So I called my friend who came in her boyfriend’s car to collect me,” said Mongali crying.

She is now living with HIV/Aids and a daughter conceived during the rape.  She believes that alcohol abuse played a key role in her ordeal.

“I fell pregnant and got infected.  If I had not been drinking, I would not have been assaulted,” she sobbed.

Mongali said she now hated alcohol.   “I also hate those who gave me this child, but I am relieved the gang got sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.”

The assault on Mongali is one of between 25 and 30 cases of rape that are reported in Zamdela, Sasolburg, Northern Free State every month.

The crime rate in Zamdela surpasses other towns in the Fezile Dabi District despite the recent launch of an anti-drugs campaign at which the MEC of Social Development Sisi Ntombela appealed to the public to stop the scourge of drug.

At the launch Ntombela said: “We need to stand together and stop drug usage in our communities because there are a lot of bad things influenced by them. I appeal to the churches and communities to support measures that stop drug use.”

Another young lady Seipati Ngobe, said her brother, Mohlalefi was arrested for raping a child in Zamdela two years ago.

She said the family had tried to discourage him from smoking marijuana.

“Mohlalefi did not want to listen to us when we asked him to stop using dagga.  Peer pressure earned him a prison term and he had to suffer the consequences alone,” she said.

But Rasta Melkitsedek dismissed the notion that marijuana sets off violent behaviour in an individual.

“It’s a lie that marijuana changes someone’s mind. I have been using it for a while and I haven’t been violent. Those who engage in criminal activities plan these things before they use it. Maybe some other drugs do but not marijuana,” he said.

Nthabiseng Malakwane rubbished claims that alcohol leads to violent behaviour. “I believe that people do things intentionally and blame alcohol. These people resort to silly excuses for their bad behaviour.”

But police spokesperson Peter Kareli said achohol played a big role in encouraging criminal conduct.

“It is true that most of the rape cases are a result of liquor as often you find that a victim or assailant would have been coming from a tavern and meet their assailants on the way home,” Kareli said.

Last Sunday, June 17 Fezile Dabi Executive mayor Moeketsi Moshodi implored men to stop abusing women.  “As fathers we need to show our daughters, sisters and partners that we care about them.  We need to take care and safeguard them from rape that is on the increase in our areas,” the mayor said.

He condemned those blaming unemployment for committing rape.  “It is cowardly to rape because you are unemployed. What about those drinking? Does liquor cause them to rape? We need to take charge of our communities and make them free walking zones.”

…while victims accuse cops of inaction

By Molefi Sompane

THABA NCHU – Police have recovered looted goods worth hundreds of thousands of rands and have arrested over 100 people suspected of raiding foreign-owned shops in Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo following a two-week pillaging orgy in the precinct.

Convoys of law enforcement agents have descended on the dormitory towns to quell the raids, pursue looters and protect migrant businessmen now sequestered under heavy guard at police stations and make shift shelters.

Although the actual value of looted property could not be ascertained, unofficial estimates put the figure at several million rand.

While politicians have been careful not to label the attacks xenophobic, witnesses say the bulk of the victims were immigrants, mainly of East African stock.

However, some South African businessmen of Asian extraction were also caught up in the raids that have attracted condemnation from both government and civil society and left at least two people dead.

Bands of people, including children as young as seven, joined in the attacks which started on the evening of Sunday, July 1 at Zone 1 in Thaba Nchu and had spread to other townships the next morning.

A businesswoman from Philippines who owns a clothing firm in Unit One said she lost goods and property amounting to R2.5 million.

“They burned the factory, stealing 18 sewing machines, Jewelleries and amount of money. I was held hostage, however, I am happy to be alive,” said the businesswoman who asked not to be named.

Local police stations were still littered with cupboards, wardrobes and couches which were confiscated and taken there for identification by owners.

Shop owner, Rebuil Islam lost over R70 000 in damages, and said he was disappointed the police did not stop the looters.

“I lost about R70 000 to the looters and the helpless police officials had just come to allow people to take our things,” Islam said.

“I am still disappointed in our government. Police did nothing to help us – they also took our stuff, saying we must only take important things,” he added.

MEC for Police in the province Butana Khompela said local police had to enlist services from Bloemfontein and Welkom’s Tactical Response Teams (TRT) to calm the situation. The central business district in Thaba Nchu was closed early this week as the lootings spread to town.

“Those responsible will answer for their actions. Their cases will be heard after a week or two because all the police are keeping guard against further attacks,” Khompela said.

He also said the police were going house-to-house to recover the items, and were also helped by residents who pointed out culprits. However, Khompela denied that the attacks were fuelled by xenophobia, but they were criminal activities.

Police spokesperson Tseko Mokhatle confirmed the police action.

“We are confisticating all the things taken from identified suspects. However, some of them we picked up on the streets were they had been abandoned,” he said.

Islam suffered the looting despite his marriage to a South African woman.

His wife said: “I hate the fact that I am a South African. I am still haunted by the screams and shouting of the looters. I want to go somewhere else – this has taught me that people are cruel, they were even insulting me that I am an opportunist who is married to a foreigner.

“I don’t know how I must keep living among the community that does not appreciate us. My children are traumatised…they always cry at night and they don’t sleep at all screaming that those people are coming,” she added.

Rajee Imrad, a South African of Indian descent, who owns a hardware store, said police stopped the security officer who guards the property from shooting the looters.

“He fired two shots and police came and took him away saying they were saving him from looters. But they could not stop them from taking my goods. I have lost so much and I am confused about whether every Indian is a foreigner, because it seems as if the target was all the people not speaking the local language. Government is included in this situation. And it has to investigate the matter,” he said.

Imrad said the incident has left their three workers without jobs.

“All of our workers are without jobs and they are relying on the police to provide safety so we can kick-start the business,” he said.

With all fingers pointing at police failure to provide adequate security, Mordekai Niang from Senegal said 95 immigrants were provided with accommodation at a local high school.

The matron in charge, who asked for her name to be withheld, said: “Some are still confused. They keep on saying they have been betrayed by locals; that out of all people Thaba Nchu has disappointed them.”

She said due to the intimidation taking place in Botshabelo, authorities have asked for more space for 300 more people.

“I have stopped the transportation of more people due to the insufficient space,” she said.

Government, non-governmental organisations and the private sector are assisting with food and blankets to the people.

The unrest started in Botshabelo, 15 kilometers from Thaba Nchu, last week after the municipality destroyed shacks belonging to some informal traders.

Police in Botshabelo arrested more than 150 people between Wednesday, June 27 and Friday, June 29 for allegedly looting foreign owned shops in a fresh wave of xenophobic attacks on foreign immigrants.

Attackers looted and destroyed about 28 shops and torched three in Botshabelo while in Boithuso area looters damaged 17 shops, according to police.

By Palesa Lekeka

Minister for Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande

BLOEMFONTEIN - Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande has taken management at the Central University of Technology (CUT) to court to smooth the way for administrator Professor Stanley Ridge to assume office at the troubled institute.

“We asked them to explain issues that were raised in 2011 but they lied to us. The assessor went in and told us that we had not been told the truth. It is my job as minister to protect tax payers’ money,” Nzimande said in an interview with SA FM.

He said that CUT management had barred the administrator from entering campus which has been sealed off and is heavily patrolled by guards from a private security company.

“We will not rest until the university has been cleaned up. We do not like this as we are wasting a lot of tax payers’money but we will now  wait for the court to adjudicate,” said Nzimande.

The institution beefed up security for two weeks ago in a last ditch attempt to keep the administrator at bay.

“This matter is in litigation, therefore CUT cannot comment at this stage,” said the institution’s spokesperson, Dan Maritz.

Earlier in the week, The New Age reported that a member of the now dissolved CUT council Shadrack Cezuka, said beleaguered Vice-Chancellor and Professor Thandwa Mthembu, did not have the consent of the council to challenge Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande in court using university funds.

This is after Mthembu stated in an interview with Public Eye a month earlier that he would challenge the allegations tabled in independent assessor Professor Julian Smith’s report to the Minister.

“The report is there and is public and the only way to change it is to go to court to argue that it is neither here or there and obviously one has to be very careful when in the process of doing that,” Mthembu had said.

Cezuka said he and some council members want it to be known that they were “not opposing” Nzimande.

He told TNA that council had learned “with disgust” that Mthembu had paid law firm Phatshoane Henney Inc half a million rand after they told him that it would be wrong.

“I was appalled when he brought in private security on campus on Monday last week to bar administrator Ridge from entering,” he said.

Maritz said that Cezuka was no longer part of council and that he had resigned over three months ago.

He would, however, not confirm or deny whether Mthembu was acting alone in his legal war or was working in tandem with the council.

Cezuka said that in a meeting on Tuesday, July 3, Mthembu and some of the members of council had refused to budge, which resulted in a lengthy meeting in the council chambers between Ridge and officials from the department, Mthembu and the council.

Maritz, however, denied any knowledge of such a meeting or its outcome.

A week ago management issued a written statement explicitly rejecting the administrator’s appointment and stating that they would not permit him to commence his duties until such time the court of law had ruled on their application.

“Council’s legal advisors have been instructed to proceed with appropriate legal action, including an application, as resolved, and are attending to this matter urgently,” the statement said.

CUT’s woes began when the independant assessor’s report and recommendations were gazetted by the Minister.

The Vice Chancellor was accused of mismanagement, intimidation of staff, unfair labour practises and financial mismanagement, among others which Mthembu dismissed as “sweeping allegations”.

Smith recommended that CUT be placed under administration, the Vice-Chancellor Thandwa Mthembu placed on special leave while the University Council is dissolved.

By Libuseng Nyaka

VILJOENSKROON – A Welkom family is living in fear after a series of mysterious fires scotched its property at three different locations in June.

The hapless family has moved from house to house and even sought refuge in a community hall to escape the stalking fires to no avail.

Albert Golosa, his wife Makgala and five children are now living in a community hall after their second house was engulfed by fire this week.

All the furniture including beds, lounge suits and kitchen appliances were destroyed in the fires.

A dumbfounded Golosa said: “We are living in fear because we do not know the cause of the fire, and why is it persistently following us burning each house we move into.”

The freakish fires have burned Golosa’s two four-roomed houses and a community hall that they are currently staying in.

“The fires target beds – starting from the side of the pillows. The first fire attack which occurred on June 6 did not scare us. We thought maybe children had caused it. It burned the kitchen and our bedroom and all the furniture. The second fire attack in the second four-roomed house started around 4 pm and burned the lounge suits and other furniture.

“I had just arrived from the fields where I worked when I heard a big bang inside the house followed by thick smoke. I rushed into the burning house but the fire had already spread from the sitting room to other rooms; sofas and beds had been burned to ashes. Neighbours came to our rescue but could not do anything as the blaze was too strong,” Golosa said.

The third fire attack occurred at the community hall, but luckily they have fire extinguishers and some neighbours were also quick to react saving all borrowed and donated blankets and furniture.

Golosa’s employer Jaap Steyn, owner of Galastam  Maize farm – scene of the first fire, did not want to speculate on the cause of fires.

“I do not know what could have happened; there is no electricity or anything which could cause fire. It is a mystery. But it is surprising that a bed that I have lent them did not burn during another attack at the community hall. When I gave them, I said it will not burn because it was given out of love,” he said.

Elizabeth Maine, a neighbour suspects the fire was caused by one of their neighbours.

“It is a mystery, but no one can come here and bewitch us, it must be someone around us who is causing this to us. We are six families that live here under this farm. .

Besides the community donations of blankets and food, the Mayor of Moqhaka Mantebo Mokgosi organised prayers and a cleaning ceremony by traditional healers in an effort to expel whatever is causing the fires.

Western Cape premier Helen Zille has asked President Jacob Zuma to deploy SA National Defence Force members to gang-ridden areas

In a letter sent to the Presidency, she asked for troops to be sent at once to Lavender Hill and Hanover Park on the Cape Flats, which had both seen a “serious spike” in gang-related deaths.

“While the SA police service have deployed extra resources to these areas, gang violence has continued unabated. It is clear that the current situation is beyond the capacity of the SAPS to control,” she said.

“They need the support of the SA National Defence Force to restore order in these suburbs while they proceed with the task of investigative policing.”

At least 23 people, including seven children, had died as a result of gangs in recent months.

In her letter, Zille said the deployment of the SANDF in gang hotspots over December had seen a marked improvement in safety levels.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula were sent copies of the letter.

Some organisations, however, question Zille’s plan.

The Provincial Community Policing Forum Board told the Cape Times Zille had been “police-bashing” for the last two weeks, which showed gangsters that there was no unity.

“Police should not always be blamed. There are residents protecting gangsters. I don’t think we are here to show the world we have bad policing, something Zille seemingly wants to show. It undermines policing in the country,” chairman Hanif Loonat said.

The Institute for Security Studies was quoted in the newspaper as saying the army could be sent in only under exceptional circumstances, such as when public order broke down, or state security was threatened.

Senior researcher Johan Burger said provincial police should be dealing with the gangs. If they struggled, they should ask national police commissioner Riah Phiyega to have resources called in from other provinces. – Sapa

By Tselane Moiloa

Free State Premier Ace Magashule

BLOEMFONTEIN – Free State premier and ANC chairperson Ace Magashule was put under the spotlight on Tuesday, July 31 on SABC 2’s Morning Live Business Breakfast, where the politics of the province were scrutinised by the country in the hour long session.Public Eye has compiled some of the themes Magashule discussed.

No tolerance to corruption and irregular spending

A few weeks back, the media reported that six senior officials in the department of Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements had been suspended pending investigations on irregularities and alleged corruption and maladministration.

The department said investigations would continue until October, with the premier adding at the business briefing that they“cannot say someone is guilty [of corruption] without proving it”.

The department has been in the spotlight for failure to complete houses and toilets in parts of the province, while communities have cried foul about contractors who just leave without word. The department has said it will complete unfinished houses this year. Magashule added that councillors in every ward should verify the number of houses which need to be completed.

Asked about the incomplete houses which are currently under investigation by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, Magashule said none of the houses were built during his administration, but were the legacy of premiers before him.

“We must recover money from contractors who said they have completed the houses when they had not,” he added. Many communities have complained about work which has been abandoned mid-way by contractors, while the road infrastructure of the province is in a state of  disrepair in some districts.

The province was thrust in the limelight again for failing to pay contractors an approximate R60 million for working on roads, forcing the Sanyati Business Group into liquidation and loss of jobs for many people.

Service delivery to be speeded up

Magashule said the provincial government has responded to service delivery concerns, admitting that “there are towns in this province where there is no water”.

He said apartheid was one of the explanations for the disparaging service delivery in Free State, saying that 18 years is not enough time to root out 300 years of colonialism and apartheid.

“We are not just thinking about today hence we have the vision 2030 [for the province]; but people are still going to say 2030 is too far,” he said.

Political parties and analysts have added their voices to the idea that the service delivery protests are politically fuelled, following the recent power struggle within the provincial ANC structure between Magashule and the Mxolisi Dukwana led faction.

“All those who are not happy will try and destabilise the party. Sometimes we make people leaders, without them having proper leadership skills,” he said.

The auditor-general Terence Nombembe (pictured left) released a report on municipalities last week, painting a picture of a system dogged by incompetences and misusage of over a billion rands.  Magashule said that the persisting problem in many Free State municipalities is the lack of skills and the historical legacy of grouping poor areas together, making it hard for them to survive.

“You can put me there; put a minister there, a director general in Xhariep. Some municipalities are not viable. There is no tax base, no revenue. What can they do? You can bring the best and we can be compliant, but they are not supported,” Magashule posed.

Outsourcing in government

The provincial government has also committed to curtailing outsourcing of security from the private sector, and would rather opt for in-house personnel. In this regard, 700 security personnel are expected to start work at different government departments in August. While this was met with applause from the audience, a security officer employed by a private firm asked about the repercussions this had for him and his peers as it could mean unemployment. However, Magashule said the important factor in this case is the creation of permanent employment.

“I sympathise with our companies, but remember that the trade union movement says no to outsourcing… and most of these people are not employed permanently anyway…As government, we need to make a choice,” he said.

Approached with the claim that private companies are more efficient than government employed security personnel, Magashule countered that “not every private company is professional”.

More  outsourcing measures had been put on the table by different departments during the respective budget speeches earlier this year in the form of cooperatives.

The department of social development would in future purchase school uniform and shoes from cooperatives; while Magashule said similar efforts should be exploited for government officials’ uniforms. While statistics released on Tuesday, July 31, indicate that unemployment in the country has decreased just below 25 percent, job creation is still a big issue in provinces. Concern has also been raised over the number of youth leaving the province for better opportunities.

However, the premier said about 98 percent of contractors working on projects in the province are local; but also that there was nothing wrong with people who come to seek opportunities in Free State.

Cadre deployment and tenders

Magashule echoed similar ideas as the party’s general-secretary Gwede Mantashe that there is no problem with cadre deployment, if skills are and qualifications are not overlooked.

“There is nothing wrong with cadre deployment as long as we look at skills,” Magashule said.

He also rebuked claims that tenders were centralised in the premier’s office, adding that people must “come out and say which tenders have been centralised” in the department.

“Tenders are dealt with by the various departments.

“But I believe in centralizing some of the transversal services like anti-retro virals. Millions of rands have been saved when the ARVs are bought by central government,” Magashule said.

On her visit to the province on Monday and Tuesday, July 30 and 31 respectively, Madonsela said allegations that officials were being suspended for refusing to follow instructions that contracts be awarded unlawfully, and without proper procedures being followed, would be investigated.

Job creation starts with education

The campaign theme for this week – education for jobs – has been chosen for good reason. Education is every individual’s key to unlocking the door of opportunity.

Bantu education did more to exclude black South Africans from the economy than any other apartheid policy. And the tragic reality of the new South Africa is that so many of our young people remain frozen out of the economy because of inferior schooling.

According to the World Economic Forum, the quality of our state education system ranks 133 in the world, out of 142 countries. This explains – better than anything else – why more than half of young South Africans are unable to find work.

Why is our education system in a crisis?

It is not because of a lack of funding. South Africa has one of the highest rates of government investment in education in the world, with allocated expenditure on education reaching R 207 billion for the 2012 to 2013 financial year.

The education crisis has several inter-related causes:

• Generally poor management of the system as a whole, particularly time management, with most children receiving far less dedicated teaching and learning time each year than required to complete the syllabus;

• poor quality teaching (although there are many outstanding teachers in our country). This is a particular problem in crucial “gateway” subjects such as mathematics, science, and english as a second language;

• low-levels of accountability among teachers, school principals and education officials;

• the supply of quality schooling falls far below the demand. In other words there are too few excellent schools and a high demand for excellent education; and

• inadequate access to high quality teaching and learning resources – especially good text books – for most learners and;

• lack of diversification of the curriculum so that children can gain the skills that will align with the demand of economic growth sectors.

The DA’s Plan for Growth and Jobs contains a number of proposals that will give young people the educational opportunities and the skills they need to get a job. These policies would form the nucleus of our education policy if we were given the opportunity to govern South Africa.

The DA would like to introduce performance-contracts for principals and their deputies, setting academic targets for each school, testing every grade 3, 6 and 9 learner for literacy and numeracy, ensuring that every child has a quality text book in every subject and by building more schools and classrooms where they are needed.

Our specific proposals are organised according to three central themes: Quality, Access and Accountability.

In order to improve the quality of teaching and improve education outcomes, the DA will:

Introduce a scarce skills allowance for teachers that will supplement the salaries of teachers who possess scarce subject knowledge or who produce excellent results in poor schools. This will create a financial incentive for teachers to specialise in subjects such as maths and science, and encourage talented teachers to apply for positions in schools situated in economically disadvantage areas.

Introduce training workshops for teachers during school holidays to improve their teaching skills in literacy and numeracy. Workshops will draw on international best practice teacher training and will be followed up with annual testing of literacy and numeracy skills of primary school learners, in order to refine literacy and numeracy strategy.

Build additional specialised maths and science secondary schools that focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. These schools will feature highly trained teachers and specialist facilities such as computer labs, mathematics study rooms, physics and chemistry labs and technology centres.

Implement an Improved Outcomes Strategy for Grade 12s in underperforming schools. The strategy will include setting targets for improvement, providing learner and subject-specific support and training in study skills, as well as the implementation of tutoring and telematics programmes.

Expedite independent school registration by amending Section 46(1) of the South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996, which concerns the relevant conditions for the registration of independent schools, to include provision for an ‘interim registration status’ in order to expedite the registration process, but retain appropriate measures to assess quality. This will introduce more competition into the sector and improve the range of choice available to parents and learners.

In order to improve access to quality education for poor South Africans, the DA will:

Build additional classrooms at high-performing schools in order to accommodate more learners. This will increase capacity at these schools and ensure that more learners from a diversity of backgrounds are given increased opportunities to gain entry into successful schools thereby broadening access to high-quality education.

Ensure each learner has a textbook for each subject that they are taking. In 2011, the Western Cape Government made the unprecedented commitment that over the next three years all children from Grades 1 to 12 will receive a textbook in every subject that they are taking.

Through smart planning, such as negotiating excellent prices for textbooks directly with publishers and implementing an online ordering system, the Provincial Education Department is able to achieve better value for money and therefore accelerate the rollout of ambitious textbook provisioning plans.

The DA believes that the same commitment should be made to learners across the country and that this could be achieved by similar smart planning.

Institute a nation-wide bursary scheme to assist 50 000 academically talented learners from low-income families access high quality primary and secondary school education with a view to expanding the programme to an additional 20 000 learners each year by 2015.

In order to improve accountability and governance in the education system, the DA will:

Introduce performance targets for schools, based on each school’s previous best performance. In the Western Cape, for example the Provincial Government has implemented the School Improvement Plans (SIPS) system. This is an online management tool that requires schools to set targets for improvements for each grade.

These improvement targets are determined by principals in consultation with the relevant district office after careful analysis of the Grades 3, 6 and 9 literacy and numeracy test results, the Annual National Assessment results, the National Senior Certificate results, internal test results and data available on areas such as absenteeism. The DA believes that a similar system should be rolled out on a national level.

Implement a system of performance contracts for school principals and their deputies to ensure that school management is directed towards achieving learner outcomes according to the performance targets described above.

Principals must take ownership of these targets. If they are achieved, principals should be rewarded, if not they should be held accountable.

Introduce minimum qualifications for school principals, including minimum experience and tertiary education qualifications. All new principals will be required to meet these requirements.

Introduce regular teacher testing in the subjects they teach in order to determine subject knowledge and competence. This serves two purposes: (i) providing much-needed data on subject knowledge deficits so additional training and resources can be directed to fix the problem; and (ii) introducing an incentive for teachers to constantly monitor their subject knowledge and ensure that it is up-to-date.

Introduce new teacher strike legislation that makes teachers’ right to strike subject to certain limitations.

It will include provisions requiring that terms and conditions be set through consultation and agreement between government, unions and school governing bodies before a strike may legally take place; that the rule ‘no work, no pay’ be strictly enforced; that individual teachers who engage in violence, looting, vandalism and intimidation be criminally charged; and severe penalties – such as stiff fines – must be imposed on unions if their members engage in violence, looting, vandalism and intimidation.

Every child has the right to a decent education that will unlock the job opportunities still denied to so many.

The time has come to put in place a new plan for education that puts the rights of the learners above everything else and makes the classroom the focal location of education policy.

Working for jobs and working for change starts with overhauling our education system. - Helen Zille is the leader of the Democratic Alliance.

Terence nombembe

I have never been bitter about the amount of tax I pay as a citizen. Being such a small section of our society, belonging to the taxpayers club is a coveted position, I never take my fortune for granted.

However, after reading some “highlights” from the auditor general’s report on local government, I can’t help but feel as though my tax contributions are being poured into a bottomless pit of gluttony and greed, despite being presented on a daily basis with evidence of the importance of that contribution.

Thirteen municipalities of 343 spread across four provinces received a clean audit, and not a single metropolis (including City of Cape Town) received a clean audit for the 2010/2011 period. Lack of financial controls has been cited as one of the main impediment, with many officials deemed insufficiently competent. Topping the list of risks was the noticeable issue was supply chain management and service delivery reporting.

The Auditor-General, Terence Nombembe, said that “the slow progress towards clean audits in local government is underpinned by three prominent causes, which includes a lack of consequences for poor performance and transgressions at more than 70% of auditees”.

Rewarding bad behaviour

I’m stuck. I’m at the corner of stupefied and angry street, knowing that neither road will take us to more productive pastures in this country.

The consequences of tax evasion in South Africa are swift and severe. The consequences of corruption and maladministration are not. The current system demands our tax money timeously and consistently with such incredibly efficiency that one is tempted to be proud. Yet that money lands in the pockets of the genetically and socially connected, while national governments pretends to have its hands tied behind its back.

Public systems reward bad behaviour through the visible lack of consequences especially at the highest levels of government. When civil society does manage to exert enough pressure, officials are often reshuffled, rarely suspended, rarely fired.

I’m tired of being shocked, angry, saddened. I have no more left of that in me. I hear the choruses of “do something”, in fact I’m often the choirmaster, but I don’t know what that “something” is. While we ponder on that something we can do immediately to stem the tide, a dark cloud gathers above us.

Gross inequalities

Our contributions are being eroded, rarely reaching those who need them the most. Corruption is extending the gross inequalities, with reports that South Africa has overtaken Brazil as the most unequal society in the world.

But beyond taxes, corruption erodes democracy. It creates deeper class divisions as individuals compare their lot against that of others, while managing to tip-toe around the issue of dealing with the government directly.

Meanwhile, demagogue leaders exploit the situation by blaming richer classes for the economic disparities while conveniently neglecting to mention their contribution towards the waning state of affairs. Those stuck in abject poverty are more prone to associating the failure of government with the failure of the political system. The democracy that is meant to bring free houses, free education, free basic services is failing, not the transient government in place.

Dejected and defeated

I remember how hopeful we were as young children in our racially inclusive English medium school (the irony is not lost on me). Our teachers promised that South Africa would follow a different path to the African nations that had gained independence before it since we’d had the providence of learning through observation rather than experience. How naïve they were, how arrogant we’ve all been.

I’m a dejected and defeated citizen without a single solution to this aggressive cancer that eats away at my liberties. I am angry at the incompetence at local government, yet fearful of the prospect of national government encroaching and recentralising power. It’s far too soon to be crying for the beloved country again. - Zama Ndlovu is a management consultant, managing director of Youth Lab, writer, activist, and anything else you’d like her to be.

By Molefi Sompane

Brutus Mahlaku

SASOLBURG – Few municipalities have benefited from the leadership of a mayor who has a passion for an educated youth to spearhead development as Metsimaholo Local Municipality  has from Mayor Brutus Mahlaku, who believes that South Africa can only prosper with an educated young workforce.

From his illustrious career as an educationist, the 44-year-old civic leader’s impressive credentials give one the impression that Mahlaku is a jack of many trades who also has a yearning for improving the lives of those he is in touch with.

So passionate is the mayor that during Mandela Day celebrations, Mahlaku spent his 67 minutes doing what he had done for some time – teaching Grade12 learners of Kaho Botjha Secondary School.

“I have been out of class for many years but it was so good. I could not sleep as I prepared the whole night,” Mahlaku said.

“We need engineers and we will continue to work hard to help our people with all of what they need. But we need to strengthen our plan to help students who will be able to study as engineers and other professions which we did not have a chance to study in the past.”

Mahlaku matriculated at Pheellang Secondary School in Parys and started his tertiary education at Mphohadi College of Education in Kroonstad where he graduated with a Teacher’s Diploma.

He attained a Further Diploma in Education at RAU and has two outstanding modules from the same institution to complete his Bachelor of Education.

He started working at Cedar Secondary School in Sasolburg as an educator and became Head of Department at the same school in natural sciences. He later joined Metsimaholo Local Municipality as a manager.

His spokesperson Gino Alberts was all praises for the young mayor, describing him as development oriented.

“Our mayor is a visionary; he has succeeded in transforming the lives of our people. He does what our people want and ever since he occupied his office, Mahlaku has delivered lot of things that we are proud of,” he said.

“The Mayor has all the experience needed to help run the municipality. He has worked as municipal manager and this experience helps us achieve our goals,” Alberts added.

Mahlaku also holds a Certificate in Change Management from Vaal University Technology.

After completing the course he enrolled with the North West University and graduated with a Certificate in Project Management.

Mahlaku also completed a Certificate in Executive Municipal Management at the University of the Free State and his Honours Degree in Development and Management Studies at the North West University.

“Studying is exciting and it is a good thing as it helps one when deployed in other big positions and assists when you want to grow yourself.

“In the future it will be difficult as only people with certain qualifications will be given jobs. We need to be an educated nation,” he added.

After graduation, Mahlaku  moved to Mafube Municipality in Frankfort as a municipal manager but joined Lejweleputswa District Municipality in Welkom as Director of Social Services soon after.

Like any other ANC cadre deployed by the party, he is not new to politics as he joined politics during his high school days in 1985. While working as an educator he joined the South African Democratic Teacher Union(SADTU) and occupied different leadership positions in the union, COSATU (Federation) and also the SACP.

He also occupied different leadership positions in different sports organizations and is also a qualified soccer referee.

He added that: “I love soccer and I trust that it is one of the few sporting disciplines that unite our people. We have to participate in other sports not only soccer. I enjoyed my time when I officiated certain matches.”

Mahlaku also holds different leadership positions in the African National Congress at branch and regional level.

He is currently a member of the REC in Fezile Dabi region and was appointed a Head of Elections (Fezile Dabi Region) for the local government elections in 2011.

By Tselane Moiloa

ANCWL President Angie Motshekga

BLOEMFONTEIN – About 5000 women are expected to walk the route laid out by Charlotte Maxeke and other activists in 1913 in protest of pass laws for women.

The women will walk from Waaihoek to the city centre on Saturday, August 4, before the official renaming of Maitland Street in honour of the first president of the Bantu Women’s League, which gave way to the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL).

Charlotte Maxeke Street will be the first named after an African woman in the province, which ANCWL president in Free State Sisi Ntombela said should make women proud.  The trail-blazing Maxeke has already lent her name to the former Johannesburg Hospital, now known as the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

This is befitting of a woman who has been recorded in history books as the first African woman in the country to graduate from university, after completing a Bachelor of Science degree at Wilbeforce University in the United States.

Maxeke has been described as a staunch anti-apartheid and women’s rights activist who fought against inhumane social conditions for African women.

“This is the first street that will be named after a woman in the province, and that is very important. Not just any woman, but one who fought for the liberation of women and lead a march against pass laws in 1913. Many people think 1956 was the first march by women, but it actually goes back to 1913 in Bloemfontein,” Ntombela said on Tuesday, July 24.

While the march from Waaihoek will be led by the Women’s League, the crowd is expected to be composed of women from different church groups, civic organisations and different political parties.

Ntombela said the renaming, where president Jacob Zuma and premier Ace Magashule will cut the ribbon, will go down as a historical moment for Free State women.

The unveiling will be followed by the fifth annual memorial lecture at the University of the Free State, which embattled basic education minister and ANCWL president Angie Motshekga will attend.

“All these people will be here to celebrate the legacy of a great woman,” Ntombela said, who also used the opportunity to congratulate newly elected African Union commissioner Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on her recent victory.

She dispelled the idea held by some that the AU’s gain is South Africa’s loss.

“There are many women who can do great work in cabinet, and they should also be given the chance. I actually hope the position [of Minister of Human Affairs] will be given to a woman, because we also would not to lose the representation of women in parliament,” she said.

Maxeke was born on 7 April 1874 and died on 16 October 1939. Meanwhile, three streets which were to change will retain their names following a council meeting in Mangaung on Wednesday, July 24.

Paul Kruger Avenue, Haldon Road and Curie Avenue will remain unchanged. They were to be renamed OR Tambo, Walter Sisulu and Govan Mbeki respectively.

“There were certain proposals of names that we were not satisfied with. Given the fact that some of these names have no apartheid history, we engaged with the executive mayor in this regard,” Democratic Alliance caucus leader, Werner Horn said.

“Everyone but the Freedom Front Plus voted for the amendment. However, we also opposed the changing of Eeufees Road to Kenneth Kaunda Road because he is not a local but the ANC did not want to compromise,” Horn added.

By Libuseng Nyaka

Moloi Ralentsoe

BLOEMFONTEIN – Prison escapee and suspected armed robber Moloi Ralentsoe has broken his silence and accused police of torturing him when he was in their custody.

The smooth-talking Ralentsoe who claims to have reformed and found God dismissed official claims that he was arrested after crossing illegally into South Africa.

Ralentsoe said overzealous officers bundled their case when they abducted and illegally brought him to South Africa after he had surrendered himself to police in Maseru after learning that South African police were looking for him.

“When I learned that the South Africa police were looking for me, I handed myself to police accompanied by my lawyer Haae Phoofolo. We were only expecting the South African government to apply for my extradition which I was going to challenge,” Ralentsoe told Public Eye in an interview on Wednesday, August 1.

Ralentsoe said he was transferred to Mafeteng police station but was not pleased with the decision because he knew Mafeteng police are notorious for assaulting suspects.

After two days in Mafeteng, he was transferred to Tsupane Police Station near the South African border.

During the transfer Ralentsoe said he said was continuously screaming because he was aware that he was being taken to South African. Lesotho police gagged him and blindfolded him to muffle his protests.

At the border post between Lesotho and South Africa, Ralentsoe said he the blindfold was removed and he saw a South Africa police van parked on the Lesotho side. Close to it were five South African police, three in civilian clothes while two wore police uniforms. Ralentsoe identified Captain Mochesela as one of the officers.

Ralentsoe said he was driven to Wepener police station where he was ordered to sign a form but he refused to sign.

“This was not my first arrest in South Africa. I was aware they wanted to charge me as an illegal immigrant which I was not because I was abducted. Police started assaulting me to coerce me to sign the form but I refused. They later wanted to know who had assisted me to escape on my way to the High Court and I told them no one had,” he said.

Wepener police did not charge him with illegal entry but instead sent him to Bloemfontein to answer charges of escaping from lawful custody.

He said he was kept at Park Road police station while waiting to appear before magistrates.

“There I asked to call and notify my family where I was but the request was turned down. One of the police officers sympathised with me for the ill-treatment I received when I told him that I had escaped from prison but had been kidnapped back here. He allowed me to phone and I called my uncle in Deep Level to tell my family that I was at Park Road. My wife came to see me but she was told that my visits were over,” he said.

Ralentsoe claimed he was tortured even while in holding cells at the magistrate court.

“I entered the courtroom bleeding from the nose but Magistrate Majosi was not even bothered when I requested medical help.

When I protested in court by remaining silent and unresponsive to her questions about legal representation she remanded me in custody at Grootvlei Prison for another seven days where prison warders insisted I should see a doctor first before taking me in.

“My return to Grootvlei after escaping provoked anger among some prisoners who challenged me to fight. I resisted their taunts because I was aware it was just a trap”.

At Grootvlei Ralentsoe learned how to read and write and converted to Christianity.

“It is in prison that I repented and accepted God’s mercy which I shared with other offenders” he said.

Born in a poor rural area, Ralentsoe said he never received formal education. He worked as a shepherd in return for a heifer at the end of each year. Ralentsoe said it was the hostile reception he got when he went into an urban setting that changed him.

“Boys of my age treated me like trash. They did not want to associate with me, and from there I started being defensive and heartless.”

Founding members of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the former military wing of the African National Congress, received military service medals from President Jacob Zuma on Thursday.

“Many have been inspired by the veterans of the past,” Zuma told a military parade and guests at the Bloemspruit Air Force Base.

It was the first medal parade to be held since the inception of the department of military veterans.

The parade was dedicated to MK’s commanders and fighters of the Luthuli detachment who fought in two wars against Rhodesian Forces, alongside their ZIPRA comrades in Zimbabwe, in charting a way to the new South Africa.

“They are men and women who served or still serve South Africa with commitment, loyalty, and dedication.”

Zuma said some of them had experienced the pain of liberation wars in the fight against colonialism in the Southern Africa region.

Many were now out of uniform, but continued to serve and fight for the success of the country.

There were many more unsung heroes in city shops, on the streets, and on farms – ordinary citizens who had decided to fight apartheid.

He said the sacrifices made by the men and women honoured should not be forgotten.

“People died for it.”

It was good to see so many veterans at the parade, some nearly forgotten while the rest of the country enjoyed the freedom they fought for, he said.

Two categories of medals were handed to veterans present at the event or to representatives of their families. – Sapa

By Molefi Sompane

SASOLBURG – Metsimaholo Local Municipality on Wednesday, July 25 suspended its Supply Chain manager Basie Motlou again, two months after he returned to work from an earlier suspension.

Motlou won an earlier case against his employer, leading to his short-lived re-instatement.

It is alleged the municipality effected changes in his department during his absence forcing him to take orders from a new boss.

Matters came to a head following differences between him and the Municipality’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Motshidisi Mokwena over the independence of the Supply Chain Management.

Motlou confirmed on Thursday, August 2 that he wassurprised to have been suspended twice in a row.

“I am still surprised; it was two months ago when I won the case against the municipality but immediately I am suspended again,” he said.

Insiders said Motlou no longer enjoyed senior official status. They said he is the victim of political infighting which has resulted in someone else getting his job.

“He was stripped of his power of delegation,” the insider said.

Municipal spokesman Gino Alberts said on Friday, July 27 the matter was now being dealt with by the office of the Mayor and the Municipal manager.

“It is true that he has been suspended but the matter is still between the employer and employee. We are not in a position to talk about this matter before it has been finalised,” he said. Although Alberts could not give reasons for Motlou’s suspension, a source close to the case said: “He is suspected of granting his friends business from which he gets a certain percentage after.  This is the second time he has found himself in the dock but the accusations are just unproved hearsay.”

The insider added that both Motlou and other senior officials have been targeted: “Most of the senior officials are targeted in an internal investigation to nab corrupt officials but that is a ploy to replace them.”

Alberts could not confirm the allegations.  “There is nothing like that here. This matter is between employee and his employer.

That is why the municipality has suspended him with full benefits while the investigations are underway.”  He believed that once the matter has been dealt with, Motlou will return to his job. “I must say that his suspension was done fairly as the first one and he understood the terms of it.”

But Public Eye has learnt that the suspension could be linked to a wider investigation launched following a damning report released by Auditor General Terrence Nombembe which revealed gross maladministration in some councils.

It is understood the decision to suspend some officials was taken at a meeting of Fezile Dabi ANC members in Parys two weeks ago.

Member of the ANC Regional Executive Council and Chief whip at Metsimaholo, Thandi Soetsang was not available for an immediate response.

By Tselane Moiloa

ON THE RAMPAGE: In this file picture, taxi operators brandish weapons during a protest march

LADYBRAND – Simmering tension between rival taxi associations could explode into open warfare if steps are not taken to force the belligerent sides to observe a court order barring them from using a lucrative make-shift rank near the Maseru Bridge, where an estimated 12 000 people pass during peak hour seasons.

Angry members of one of the two major rival taxi associations in Ladybrand, some 130 kilometres south of Bloemfontein, have threatened violence if the Manyatseng Taxi Association is allowed to occupy the controversial taxi rank also known as the Border Box.

The latest turn of events in the long-running feud between the Mohokare Taxi Association and Manyatseng Taxi Association comes after Manyatseng entered into a contract with the new owner of the Platbergsdrift farm where the Border Box is located, granting them rights to operate from there.

The 428-hectare farm was sold for R4.25 million to Eternal City Trading CC to the chagrin of Mohokare members who felt they should have been offered the farm first before the former owner placed it on the market.

“We had been working there for about 30 years under the previous owner, Iris Thornhill. When she sold the farm, she didn’t tell us. At the same time, we were paying money into her account, but all of a sudden we received a letter from Eternal City Trading. We did not know who he was as he didn’t introduce himself to us,” Molupe said.

That is when the two groups went to court, which was won by Mohokare.

“We then received an order that we should vacate the area and we opposed it in court. The court told him that the matter was not an urgent matter. When we were supposed to settle it in court, they asked for an out-of-court settlement, which our attorneys advised us to take. As part of our conditions of the settlement, we agreed that there would not be any taxi association which would operate in the border box until the new owner decided on which organization should operate in there,” he added.

Molupe said most members of his association have not been working, while some have sold their taxis because they cannot operate.

“The department deregistered our association and said our taxi rank was not a designated area, which is the border box and that is when we took them to court. We won, and they returned our registration and our rank, but they still failed to give us permits and did not honour the court order. We were refused permits, operating licenses and the ability to renew our licences.

“We have been trying by all means to follow the law and do things correctly. Right now, we feel it is appropriate that the community must be made aware of the situation,” he said.

Molupe said the effect of the processes has dented their businesses and personal lives.

“My house and Quantam taxi have been repossessed. This is even more painful because I had already paid about R77 000 for the taxi,” he continued.

The Mohokare association said only two of their members still have permits and are operating legally. They initially had just over 27 taxis in their stable.

“They are taking away our rights. There must be action to show that we do not agree with what is happening,” added the association’s general-secretary Tshepo Lesalaisa.

Mohokare has threatened violence because of the contract between Eternal City Trading and Manyatseng Taxi Association, which they argue favours one side.

According to the contract, Manyatseng was supposed to have occupied the Border Box from on July 1 2012. However, this has not happened because they fear that more attacks would be carried out on their members if they moved from the mouth of the bridge.

Government agencies are located at the bridge where travelers between the two countries are processed.

The vice chairperson of Manyatseng, Charles Letutu said: “It is true that we have an agreement with the owner of the land and we are ready to move at any time. However, we cannot move because we fear there may be violence. Three of our taxis have already been burned so we do not want to risk it.”

Although the associations do not see eye-to-eye over control of the Border Box, both sides are waiting for the MEC for Transport, Butana Khompela, to give them a definite spot from where they can operate.

“We do not know who to turn to for help because the government has still not said anything. As far as we know, government has bought land by Maseru Bridge and there were plans of how the rank would be. We were told there was already money for the rank.

“Border box was just someone’s property. Government has no responsibility in this case. Due to the chaos at the bridge, we understand that we can park our empty cars at the Border Box. We lease the land just to park our empty taxis. The owner does not want a taxi rank there. It can only be a taxi rank if they have agreed with the government. But he said he will not let out the area as a taxi rank,” Letutu said.

The Manyatseng representative also rubbished claims that some of their members are fronting for government officials.

Letutu said: “That has been doing the round for a long time. But anyone who is saying that should produce prove this fronting.”

By Tselane Moiloa

340ml Band

BLOEMFONTEIN – The first Sunday of every month has been given a new look on the Second Avenue social scene, where fast-paced house music has given way to the mellow poetic sounds of live musical acts at Bloemfontein’s Oolong lounge.

The Dojo Listening sessions were created by well-known local rapper Obakeng Moroe and Dj Emisang“Emisan 5th letter” Mpholo have evolved into mini-book club-cum-gaming sessions which may be fused into dance and ongoing poetry shows for like-minded youth.

Moroe, who is affectionately known as BigBux, said the idea was borne out of a desire for a scene which would accommodate people with other musical interests besides house.

“We wanted to create a musical and artistic scene and bring live acts to Bloemfontein which you would not normally see because people perceive it not to be a fruitful market. In Bloem, the one thing you get mostly is house…We are hip-hop first,” said Moroe.

“Wherever you go it is house. I am a hip-hop, soul, and jazz head…So I decided that it’s one of two things: It was either I’m going to wait for someone to do something or I’m just going to try something, so I took the luxury,” he added.

Interestingly, the name was borne out of a desire to teach enthusiasts more about the music genre, while engaging those who are already followers of the Love Movement, as the sessions have been termed.

“Basically, the Dojo is where people go and learn martial arts. What we do is teach people parts of the art they do not really know. The type of music we play there is not stuff you will always hear on radio or catch every time you switch on the TV. The basis of what we do is hip-hop but it is not to say we only accommodate hip-hop…we have had a show with Love Glory,” the rapper said.

Since its inception on June 12, 2011, some of the acts which have graced the Oolong stage include rappers Mo’ Molemi, Zubz, Reason, female MC Ms Nthabi, The Fridge and the recently formed LoveGlory. There are plans to bring more acts like 340ml and Tumi Molekane.

While the sessions have been popularised through different social media and word-of-mouth, the pair has had its fair deal of challenges.

“All this has been out of our own pockets. And there is always the pressure to do better and bring bigger acts,” Moroe said.

He added: “People thought we are going to play some heavy ‘can’t listen to it in front of my mom type of stuff’. There’s never a grey area. People don’t think of artists like Dwele, Eric Robertson, your Raphael Saadiq and that’s the type of stuff we play. When people went there trying to find out what the Dojo is about that is what they found out. That is another way we sold the Dojo.”

On a good Sunday, at least 200 people throng the club, although experience has taught the owner that January, February and November, December are not good times for gigs.

“Part of it is pure luck, to be quite honest. But even when things are bad, we have gained such a following that people do not want live acts, but just the music and company. It is all about the kind of space we have created,” he added.

The Dojo will host Cape Town hip-hop artist Dj Raikwo on Sunday, August 5, with the first international act Ian Kamau from Canada will headline next month’s event.

“What we are saying is stop plugging in your MP3 player, because that’s what we all do. Come out and listen to the music and enjoy it with other people. Music is about sharing. You cannot be an artists and just chill alone. The obvious thing for us as artists is to share.

“It starts off your month on a great note, you know and makes the gig worth it,” Moroe said.