Crime is Crime Corruption is Corruption Murder is Murder Rape is Rape Facts are Facts
Thursday, September 1, 2011
South African Justice?
September 1 2011
Police have launched a manhunt for a man accused of rape and murder, Gauteng police said on Thursday.
Clement Mbekwa Dlamini was released on bail by the High Court in Johannesburg but failed to appear again on Monday, said Constable Vincent Mashiteng.
Dlamini was arrested in 2008 on charges of murder, rape, armed robbery and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He was granted bail by the court in 2009.
Dlamini was between the ages of 35 and 45 and police believed he was in Witpoortjie in Gauteng, said Mashiteng.
Soldiers get R150m to Stay at Home
September 1 2011
Provisionally dismissed for abandoning their posts and “threatening national security” in a violent and allegedly illegal strike, nearly R150 million has now been spent on paying the salaries of 1 100 soldiers who have been ordered to stay at home.
The soldiers, the majority of whom are from Gauteng, were dismissed after they stormed the lawns of the Union Buildings two years ago, setting alight and stoning vehicles during clashes with police.
The soldiers embarked on their actions following demands for better wages and working conditions.
To date, according to the South African Defence Union (Sandu), R2m in legal fees has been spent by the Defence Department in keeping the soldiers at home with another R70m expected to be paid in salaries to the soldiers over the next year as the court case continues.
Sandu national secretary Pikkie Greeff. said: “It is ironic. The country is told that the soldiers are to be dismissed because they allegedly abandoned their posts, yet their posts remain vacant as they are kept at home on ‘special leave’, when instead they could be used constructively to defend the country.
“My question now to Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is how did this security threat suddenly disappear? Was the minister lying then or is she lying now about the so-called security threat these troops posed?”
He said she had insisted that instead of taking the matter through a military court, the process should be taken through a civilian court.
“When Sandu got a judgment in 2010 stating that the soldiers’ dismissal was unconstitutional, Sisulu applied for leave to appeal. In February this year that leave for appeal was denied which saw her turning to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein to appeal the dismissal of her original appeal.
“This process is going to take at least another year, which means that R70m will be spent in salaries on soldiers ordered to stay at home.
“On top of this millions more will now be spent on more legal fees, taking the total amount way beyond R200m which will be spent fighting this matter out. You can be guaranteed that either one of the parties will be unhappy with the decision from the appeals court which means this matter will go to the Constitutional Court, meaning that millions more will continue to be spent on a process, which if it had gone through the military courts, could have been resolved in a year,” said Greeff.
He said while the soldiers were staying at home the majority of their posts remained vacant.
“This is extremely demoralising. Every day these members ask when they can go back to work and every day we have to tell them not yet.
“The real kick in the head is that the ministry insisted that they wanted a more speedy process than the military court, yet here we sit two years down the line with this process having gone nowhere,” he said.
Greeff, lashing out at the Defence Department’s service commission established after the strike to look at working conditions within the defence force, said while pay scales had initially been brought into line with the rest of the public service, soldiers were once again lagging behind the rest of the country’s public servants.
“They continue to work in the same downtrodden conditions and atmosphere of threat and intimidation as before, with the department at a total loss about informing soldiers about their future pay and conditions of service.
“SANDF members have seen ample evidence that the so-called service commission is appearing more and more to be a gigantic scam aimed at extending undefined promises indefinitely.
“The commission, for all intents and purposes, is a dead horse that has started to smell. Parliament’s time has been wasted on legislating the service commission into being, with the department at a total loss of how to start it up or even to give it a semblance of functionality.
“Sisulu must get the department’s house in order or face the inevitable backlash of dissatisfaction and desperation that is growing within the ranks of the SANDF,” said Greeff.
Sisulu’s spokesman, Ndivhuwo Mabaya, said South Africa’s laws required that when people were suspended from their jobs they had to be paid their salaries until their disciplinary process was completed
“The case is before the supreme court and as long as it is still on, there is no reason why the soldiers should not be paid their salaries. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty and we have no reason not to pay their salaries.
“We are relaxed and will go to the Constitutional Court if needs be and will follow the laws of the country as we are a law-abiding institution.
Drop the charges - Malema
September 1 2011
Julius Malema has asked the ANC to drop three of the charges against him because they have “no substance”.
In a lengthy argument which dominated Wednesday’s disciplinary hearing proceedings, the ANC Youth League president’s legal counsel argued that the committee should dismiss the charges relating to:
* Malema’s comments last month that the youth league would set up a “command team” which would assist the opposition parties in Botswana to unseat President Ian Khama. The league leadership also called Khama “a puppet of the West”.
* Malema’s comments during a local government election rally in Kimberley where he labelled whites criminals, reportedly saying: “We must take the land without paying. They took ours without paying. Once we agree (that) they stole our land, we can agree (that) they are criminals and must be treated as such”.
* Comments he made in which he praised former president Thabo Mbeki, saying his departure from South Africa’s and the continent’s affairs had signalled an end to issues of the “African Agenda”.
It is understood that Malema’s legal team argued that his utterances did not constitute a breach of the ANC’s constitution because Malema was expressing an opinion held by the youth league leadership and its supporters.
His team also submitted that the league’s leadership had also apologised for its comments on Botswana and its head of state. The ANC’s prosecution rejected the application.
The hearing was postponed to Friday to allow the presiding officer, ANC NEC member Derek Hanekom, to make a decision.
The national disciplinary committee (NDC) said it needed time to “deliberate on the substantive issues raised by both parties”.
If Malema wins, he and his co-accused will only be left with one charge to answer – that of storming a meeting chaired by President Jacob Zuma early last month. Zuma was apparently unhappy about their action because he had instructed an ANC NEC member to inform Malema that he had postponed their scheduled meeting. Malema and his co-accused – deputy president Ronald Lamola; secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa; his deputy, Kenetswe Mosenogi; and treasurer Pule Mabe – allegedly ignored the official.
The disciplinary hearing of Floyd Shivambu was postponed to a later date, the NDC said.
Magaqa briefed Malema’s supporters outside Beyers Naude Square after the adjournment, saying: “There are lots of things happening inside, but we cannot brief you on them because they are internal matters.”
He also appealed to the crowd to maintain discipline when they return tomorrow. “We find hope, when we see you, during hard times. You bring hope to the leadership of the ANC Youth League,” Magaqa said.
Meanwhile, the Gauteng provincial government is to lay criminal charges against the youth league for damage to one of its buildings in the Joburg city centre.
A total of 18 windows of the Department of Roads and Transport were shattered when Malema supporters pelted police with stones and bottles outside the department’s offices on Tuesday.
It is understood the decision to lay criminal charges was taken at a high-powered meeting attended by the acting head of department, Stuart Lumka, and senior officials yesterday.
It was not clear whether Lumka’s political boss, MEC Ismail Vadi, was in the building during the attack. The departmental officials have started gathering video footage and photographs and other materials which could assist in the arrest and prosecution of the suspects.
Roads and Transport spokeswoman Octavia Mamabolo confirmed the meeting but would not confirm that a decision to lay criminal charges was taken.
Support for Malema appears to have lost momentum with a drastically reduced number of supporters arriving at Beyers Naudé Square yesterday. No violence was reported.
Black farmers selling land back to whites
2011-08-31
Black farmers have resold nearly 30% of the white farmland bought for them by the government, often selling back to the previous white owners, Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti said on Wednesday.
He said the government had bought about 6 000 000ha to date, of which nearly 2 000 000ha has been resold.
"The government bought land and handed it over to aspirant farmers who then sold it again, in many instances back to the original owner," Nkwinti said.
Nkwinti was speaking at Wednesday's launch of a long-delayed new draft reform policy that aims to overhaul lagging efforts to transfer farms to the black majority, with restrictions on private and foreign land ownership
The 11-page draft sets out the state's vision to transform land ownership patterns and will lay the basis for future legislation.
Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti reaffirmed South Africa's commitment to an open market system, where only willing private owners will sell to the state, but said the state planned to act on "distorted" pricing.
"There are no silver bullets to the resolution of the post-colonial land questions anywhere in the world," Nkwinti told reporters.
"In our country we wanted to solve it yesterday - it's not possible, such an emotive issue. So we think it's going to take a bit of time and it will require patience."
The draft proposes the leasing of state and public land, limits on private land, conditions and obligations for foreign owners, and communal tenure on land under traditional chiefs.
National asset
"Anywhere else, foreigners do own land but on strict conditions if they actually have that privilege of owning land," said Nkwinti.
"In our country as well, we have reached the point that we want to make sure that we take control of the national asset that is land. We've got to make sure that we do exactly the same as other countries are doing, to control the holdings of our land by foreigners in the interests of our country."
The state plans to keep buying white-owned farms to redistribute to blacks, but proposes tackling the sticky problem of pricing with a new land value office that will "level the playing field".
"The willing-buyer willing-seller model on its own, it's a problem, because it distorts the market," said Nkwinti, pointing to above market value prices.
"There will always be a willing-buyer willing-seller model working, except we want to make sure that some of the vagaries would be dealt with."
Redistribution efforts have largely failed so far with only 10% of redistributed projects productive - of 6.3 million hectares transferred - and Nkwinti said land reform targets were "slippery".
A previous bid to transfer 30% of farms by 2014 was unlikely as R40bn was needed to buy farms.
"I can't see us raising that kind of money to acquire the 30% we're talking about by 2014," he said.
The target had been "to transfer 30% of the 82 million hectares that is arable land in the hands of white commercial farmers to black emerging farmers," Nkwinti later told AFP.
"That's where you have a challenge - it's a fiscal issue as well as it's a qualitative, productive issue."
Sensitive issue
The proposed restriction on private land is a concern, said Annelize Crosby, legal adviser of the commercial farmers body Agri SA.
"We are very worried about the potential consequences of such a step because if you start interfering with that, there will be consequences," she told AFP.
"It's a very complex issue. I can see why it would be an attractive option for the ministry and government but I don't think they fully realise the possible consequences of such a step and just the complexity of it."
Last year, a quarter of the land buying budget was allocated to rescue collapsing projects, with 100% productivity now being targeted.
A land management commission is also proposed to advise, co-ordinate and regulate on land matters with subpoena rights and the power to seize or confiscate land gained corruptly.
Land is a sensitive issue in southern Africa where reforms in neighbouring Zimbabwe from 2000 saw more than 3 000 white-owned farms seized by militant supporters of President Robert Mugabe.
South Africa's much anticipated and delayed strategy will be open for public comments.
"We don't have answers, ready answers," said Nkwinti who said the "streamlined" document was meant to be a platform for discussion.
"We're looking for answers but we will search for answers together. What we have is a vision of where we should be going and the kind of institutions that will support that vision and make us actually realise it."
READERS COMMENTS
This is what happens when you just GIVE people, with no training, free land. Just because you're supposedly "entitled" to a piece of land doesn't mean you should just get it. Government should train these people before they just hand the land to them. I wouldn't know where to begin as a farmer, because I'm not trained to farm. You wouldn't give a rugby player a scalpel and say, "perform brain surgery because you're entitled to it". You would think that they had learned from Zimbabwe, but hey, lets give everyone their turn to screw things up.
There was a case in Natal of 'a sugar cane farm was ''sold'' under pressure to "new farmers". Huletts led them through the process for FIVE years, now you burn, now you harvest, now you plant new bits, now you fertiliser, etc etc etc. After five years the farm was all theirs. The sixth year? they sat on their bums and did nothing.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Black-farmers-selling-land-back-to-whites-20110831
Black farmers have resold nearly 30% of the white farmland bought for them by the government, often selling back to the previous white owners, Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti said on Wednesday.
He said the government had bought about 6 000 000ha to date, of which nearly 2 000 000ha has been resold.
"The government bought land and handed it over to aspirant farmers who then sold it again, in many instances back to the original owner," Nkwinti said.
Nkwinti was speaking at Wednesday's launch of a long-delayed new draft reform policy that aims to overhaul lagging efforts to transfer farms to the black majority, with restrictions on private and foreign land ownership
The 11-page draft sets out the state's vision to transform land ownership patterns and will lay the basis for future legislation.
Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti reaffirmed South Africa's commitment to an open market system, where only willing private owners will sell to the state, but said the state planned to act on "distorted" pricing.
"There are no silver bullets to the resolution of the post-colonial land questions anywhere in the world," Nkwinti told reporters.
"In our country we wanted to solve it yesterday - it's not possible, such an emotive issue. So we think it's going to take a bit of time and it will require patience."
The draft proposes the leasing of state and public land, limits on private land, conditions and obligations for foreign owners, and communal tenure on land under traditional chiefs.
National asset
"Anywhere else, foreigners do own land but on strict conditions if they actually have that privilege of owning land," said Nkwinti.
"In our country as well, we have reached the point that we want to make sure that we take control of the national asset that is land. We've got to make sure that we do exactly the same as other countries are doing, to control the holdings of our land by foreigners in the interests of our country."
The state plans to keep buying white-owned farms to redistribute to blacks, but proposes tackling the sticky problem of pricing with a new land value office that will "level the playing field".
"The willing-buyer willing-seller model on its own, it's a problem, because it distorts the market," said Nkwinti, pointing to above market value prices.
"There will always be a willing-buyer willing-seller model working, except we want to make sure that some of the vagaries would be dealt with."
Redistribution efforts have largely failed so far with only 10% of redistributed projects productive - of 6.3 million hectares transferred - and Nkwinti said land reform targets were "slippery".
A previous bid to transfer 30% of farms by 2014 was unlikely as R40bn was needed to buy farms.
"I can't see us raising that kind of money to acquire the 30% we're talking about by 2014," he said.
The target had been "to transfer 30% of the 82 million hectares that is arable land in the hands of white commercial farmers to black emerging farmers," Nkwinti later told AFP.
"That's where you have a challenge - it's a fiscal issue as well as it's a qualitative, productive issue."
Sensitive issue
The proposed restriction on private land is a concern, said Annelize Crosby, legal adviser of the commercial farmers body Agri SA.
"We are very worried about the potential consequences of such a step because if you start interfering with that, there will be consequences," she told AFP.
"It's a very complex issue. I can see why it would be an attractive option for the ministry and government but I don't think they fully realise the possible consequences of such a step and just the complexity of it."
Last year, a quarter of the land buying budget was allocated to rescue collapsing projects, with 100% productivity now being targeted.
A land management commission is also proposed to advise, co-ordinate and regulate on land matters with subpoena rights and the power to seize or confiscate land gained corruptly.
Land is a sensitive issue in southern Africa where reforms in neighbouring Zimbabwe from 2000 saw more than 3 000 white-owned farms seized by militant supporters of President Robert Mugabe.
South Africa's much anticipated and delayed strategy will be open for public comments.
"We don't have answers, ready answers," said Nkwinti who said the "streamlined" document was meant to be a platform for discussion.
"We're looking for answers but we will search for answers together. What we have is a vision of where we should be going and the kind of institutions that will support that vision and make us actually realise it."
READERS COMMENTS
This is what happens when you just GIVE people, with no training, free land. Just because you're supposedly "entitled" to a piece of land doesn't mean you should just get it. Government should train these people before they just hand the land to them. I wouldn't know where to begin as a farmer, because I'm not trained to farm. You wouldn't give a rugby player a scalpel and say, "perform brain surgery because you're entitled to it". You would think that they had learned from Zimbabwe, but hey, lets give everyone their turn to screw things up.
There was a case in Natal of 'a sugar cane farm was ''sold'' under pressure to "new farmers". Huletts led them through the process for FIVE years, now you burn, now you harvest, now you plant new bits, now you fertiliser, etc etc etc. After five years the farm was all theirs. The sixth year? they sat on their bums and did nothing.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Black-farmers-selling-land-back-to-whites-20110831
Malema 1 - Zuma 0
Thu 1 Sep 2011
by Shane
by Shane
So all that has been proved in the so called "hearing" against Malema and his cronies is that the ANC has no power over them and that they fear Malema and his cronies!! Well Mr Zuma you may as well throw in the towel!! There is no bouncing back from this!! You tucked your tail between your legs and ran away because you did not even have the balls to be present when the ANC took on Julius!! They burned pictures of you in the street Mr Zuma!! And you did nothing! And all the people who are supposed to have your back - well they did nothing as well!! Your goose is cooked!! Better you eat it while you can because soon you will be in shit street along with the rest of us.
I hope that the rest of South Africa realizes that along with this victory for Julius comes the fact that all the crazy rhetoric he spouts on a daily basis will eventually become facts of life in this now doomed country!! Nationalization of mines and banks, regime change for Botswana and of course shooting of as many Boers as possible!! All these things are now almost certainly going to take place simply because our so called leaders don't have the balls to take action against this little self styled dictator in the making!! Other countries will now stop investing in our country and our future because of Malema, leaving us in in the same or worse condition as Zimbabwe.
What will you do Julius when you have gotten rid of all the Boers? When all the intelligent people have left the country and taken their skills with them? When your only real source of income has left the country and left you holding the bag? South Africa will become another Zimbabwe, Somalia, Ethiopia, or any one of dozens of African countries that begs from the international community just to stay alive. In my opinion you are like a rabid dog and should be taken outside and shot for the good of everyone else! Look around you there is no such thing as an African country that is successful in any way at all without white people to pay the bills and maintain the country, I am not a racist but history does not lie? Do you really think all your followers will be dancing in the streets chanting your name when they are starving? No they wont they will be rampaging and baying for your blood and I for one will be toasting them and wishing them happy hunting!!
You know I actually agree with you - all the whites should pack up and leave, head back to Europe and America and as the last one leaves he should put off the lights and lock the door so that hunger and aids can do what they are meant to do - solve the worlds population crises!! And a couple of decades from now we will return to colonize Africa, but this time we will not force our religion, lifestyle, education or medical care on you, no this time we will know better and leave you in the bush where you belong!!
IRA 'aided' Anti-apartheid Bombing
29 August 2011
Kader Asmal, who was a close ally of Nelson Mandela, lived in Ireland for 27 years
The IRA helped carry out a major bomb attack against the South African apartheid government, according to a former ANC cabinet minister.
In posthumous memoirs, Kader Asmal, also claimed Gerry Adams was approached to provide IRA men to train ANC members in Ireland.
Gerry Adams
Professor Asmal, who was a founder of the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement, died in June aged 76.
Sinn Fein has so far not responded to the claims.
A law professor at Trinity College Dublin for 27 years, Professor Asmal was a founder member of the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement.
He returned to South Africa in 1990, and became Minister of Education after elections in 1999.
Delicate Task
In the book, Politics in my Blood, he recounts how he was approached in the late 1970s to help arrange training in Ireland for the military wing of the ANC known as MK.
"I was very keen, but it was a delicate task because it would of necessity involve the IRA," he said.
"None of us wished to place the ANC office in London in jeopardy or fuel the allegations of connivance between the ANC and IRA.
"I went to see the general secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'Riordan, who was a man of great integrity and whom I trusted to keep a secret.
Michael O'Riordan
"He in turn contacted Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein and it was arranged that two military experts would come to Dublin to meet two MK personnel and take them to a safe place for two weeks of intensive training."
Professor Asmal also claimed that the IRA had a significant role in an attack on a major oil refinery in South Africa in June 1980.
He recalled that at the time of the attack, he was "a strong believer in Irish independence and in a united Ireland".
However, he added that he never supported the IRA.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-14706470
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