Saving Cyril: Molewa accused of meddling

09 NOV 2012 00:00 - NELLY SHAMASE, MATUMA LETSOALO Water Affairs Minister Edna Molewa allegedly intervened to prevent action and possible prosecution of mining companies linked to Cyril Ramaphosa. OUR COVERAGE Much hangs on Ramaphosa's next step Ramaphosa: The ANC's prodigal son returns Mangaung: Four contenders for second place MORE COVERAGE Molewa: Hunting brings much to South Africa's economy It was discovered that they operated without water licences, government sources told the Mail & Guardian. More than five companies owned or partly owned by Ramaphosa are listed by the water affairs department – among 46 mines across the country – as having operated without water licences. They include Shanduka Graspan Colliery, Shanduka Bankfontein Colliery, Shanduka Coal Middleburg, Umcebo Mooifontein Colliery and Umcebo Nowesco (Brakfontein). Two senior departmental officials this week confirmed to the M&G that the department took the Shanduka Group of companies to court and even referred the matter to the National Prosecuting Authority for prosecution for operating without valid water licences that regulate the use and treatment of large volumes of water by mining companies. But it was Molewa's intervention that ensured that her department and the Shanduka Group of companies settled the matter before it was heard in court. "The minister made it very clear that she did not want the matter to go to court as it would cause an embarrassment for Ramaphosa. She said if the matter went to court it could even cost her her job [as minister]. She instructed officials in the department to find a way of settling out of court," said a government official, who asked not to be named. Read more: Legality of operations a grey area if old-order rights exist Nigel Adams, director of compliance, monitoring and enforcement in the department, said it went to court in a bid to force companies under Shanduka to stop operating. Instructions "We issued predirectives and asked them [Shanduka] to produce proof that they have the authority to use water. We were not happy with their representation. They were supposed to explain to us why we should not take action against them, but they failed," said Adams. Although Adams said senior officials in the department updated Molewa on a regular basis about developments on the matter, he rejected claims that she had intervened to protect Ramaphosa. "The minister never gave us instructions. We kept her informed about the developments. She [only] gave us her opinion. That, for me, is not an intervention," said Adams. The department's chief director for legal services, Anil Singh, said the decision to settle out of court came from her unit, not the minister. She said the department initially took the matter to court and laid criminal charges against Shanduka. The case was later dropped after the parties settled out of court. Singh did not explain why the unit decided to settle, nor did he give details of the settlement. Approached for comment about the alleged intervention by Molewa, her spokesperson, Mava Scott, said: "The department cannot confirm such 'intervention' rumours." When approached by the M&G later, Molewa avoided direct questions regarding her intervention. "What about Patrice Motsepe [whose company, Harmony Gold, is also among the companies that have been operating without water licences]? We come from the same area [in North West]. When we deal with companies, it is not about who owns them. It is about our environmental mandate. I never knew that Cyril had something to do with those companies until the deputy minister [Joyce Mabudafhasi] in the department issued instructions that they [Shanduka companies] must stop operation," said Molewa. Concomitant action She questioned why the Shanduka Group of companies should be singled out for scrutiny when there were many other companies operating without licences. "It can't be right that we separate Shanduka Group because Cyril's name has been in the news because of Marikana. That will be unfair. We are dealing with all the companies the same way," Molewa said. Ramaphosa, who has been nominated by some ANC branches to take over the party's deputy presidency during its conference in Mangaung in December, recently came under fire for allegedly using his political influence to instruct Cabinet ministers to take firm action against striking workers at Marikana. It was revealed during the Farlam commission of inquiry, which is taking place in Rustenburg, that Ramaphosa called for concomitant action to address the criminal acts of the striking miners. An email exchange between Lonmin's management referred to Ramaphosa's interaction with the minister for mineral resources and the police. The emails were allegedly sent 24 hours before 34 miners were killed by the police. Molewa's alleged intervention could raise the ire of other mining companies that were closed down or given hefty fines for operating without water licences. Shanduka Coal's chief operating officer, Zirk van der Bank, said the department had issued a notice of intention to issue directives against the company early in 2012. Updating and revising "To protect its legal position, the company indicated its intention to launch an urgent application [against the department for failing to issue licences on time]. The company maintained that it had provided all information necessary to facilitate consideration of its water-use licences and had made every effort to fully comply with any and all requirements of the department to date," said Van der Bank. "The application was not heard, however, because after consultation with the department a timeline was agreed on the processing of the water-use licences and they were subsequently processed and issued." He said the Shanduka companies that had since obtained water licences included Graspan Colliery, Middelburg Townlands Colliery and Norwesco (Brakfontein). Shanduka Coal had taken over operations already in existence since 2006 and had embarked on a process to obtain the necessary water-use licences, he said. "The first licence applications had already been submitted by the previous owners and Shanduka Coal continued with the process of updating and revising the water-use applications in line with the department of water affairs guidelines. The department had a significant backlog in processing water-use licences across the industry due to the determination of the reserve and resource-quality objectives, which are a prerequisite for the issuing of a water-use licence. As such, institutional constraints at the department of water affairs impacted negatively on the efforts of Shanduka Coal, and the mining industry as a whole, to acquire water-use licences timeously," said Van der Bank. Molewa said that, since she had taken over as minister, the water license backlog had shrunk from about 4 000 to just more than 40. Nelly Shamase works for ­AmaBhungane, the M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism Mail & Guardian - - - - - COMMENTS BY SONNY Show us one member of the ANC who ever acted within the law and we will let you enter PARADISE! NOW YOU CAN SEE WHY OUR DRINKING WATER IS ALLOWED TO GET POLLUTED BY TOXIC ACID WATER FROM LOCAL MINES? This is one of the reasons why the ANC should disappear from our landscape! CYRIL Ramaphosa is no angel from heaven! The SA trade unions must catch a 'wake up call' now that the truth about Marikana is being told! Why should any employee be forced to be represented by a trade union who is in bed with the employer anyway? The time has now come for Zuma and kin to be counted out of politics! How many Broederbonder's are in bed with Zuma? Are all the above possibly founder members of the new SANC political party of SA? GOD please come to the rescue of South Africa!

Hawks' spokesman suspended

Hawks' spokesman suspended
After making a controversial reference to prison rape on Twitter.
Hawks' spokesman McIntosh Polela has been suspended three weeks after making a controversial reference to prison rape on Twitter, police said on Thursday.

"He has been suspended. We won't discuss details. It is a purely internal matter," said Brigadier Phuti Setati.

He referred all Hawks media inquiries to the SA Police Service media centre.

Setati would not comment on a report in Beeld newspaper that Polela's suspension was the direct result of his tweet in October about kwaito star Molemo "Jub Jub" Maarohanye, after he was convicted of murder.

"JubJub spending 1st nite in prison. Bail has been denied after being found guilty of murder, attempted murder & racing while high," Polela tweeted shortly after judgment was handed down by the Protea Magistrate's Court.

"I trust that JubJub's supporters gave him a jar of Vaseline to take to prison," Polela posted.

Several users commented on this tweet. One asked: "Really? Rape jokes from the police spokesman?" and another: "Coming from a officer of the court that is low! Scrapping at the bottom of the barrel for comments now are we?".

Polela later apologised for the remark, also via Twitter: "My tweet about Jub Jub on Tuesday nite [sic] was in poor taste. I profoundly regret posting [it] and hereby retract it. Je suis desole [I'm sorry]."

Shortly after the initial tweets, fast food franchise Nando's ran an advert poking fun at him.

"Next time you're thinking about tweeting, do yourself (and your followers) a favour and come to Nando's instead. Unlike your jokes, our flame-grilled Peri-Peri chicken is always tasteful."

On Tuesday, a Twitter user asked Polela why he was not commenting on the latest Hawks' raid.

"I'm writing exams from the 19th. At home studying and trying not to care about what's happening in the universe," he replied.

Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala were found guilty of four counts of murder, two of attempted murder, using drugs, racing on a public road, and driving under the influence of drugs.

They were drag-racing in Protea North on March 8, 2010 when they crashed into a group of school boys. Prince Mohube, Mlungisi Cwayi, Andile Mthombeni and Phomello Masemola were killed. Frank Mlambo and Fumani Mushwana were seriously injured.

On Wednesday, the High Court in Johannesburg rejected an appeal by Maarohanye against the revoking of his bail.

Sentencing is scheduled to take place on November 30.

Sapa

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Hawks look into fraud claims at Sharemax
October 10 2012 at 08:00am
By Roy Cokayne



The Hawks are investigating allegations that Sharemax Investments committed fraud and probing whether it operated a pyramid or Ponzi scheme.

About 40 000 people invested a total of some R4.5 billion in the various schemes promoted and marketed by Sharemax, which if proven to be illegal and a pyramid scheme, will make it the largest case of fraud in South Africa’s history.

A pyramid or Ponzi scheme is typically where investments by new investors are used to pay the interest and returns of older investors.

Hawks spokesman McIntosh Polela confirmed that the investigations by the elite crime-fighting unit were under way.

Attempts to obtain comment from Dominique Haese, who was financial director of Sharemax Investments and is now managing and financial director of Frontier Asset Management, which manages Sharemax’s property portfolio, were unsuccessful.

Polela said Hawks detectives were still gathering information and stressed the investigation was in its early stages.

Noluntu Bam, the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (Fais) Ombud, in a determination released yesterday, alluded to The Villa, the partially completed R3.5bn retail development near Pretoria that was promoted and marketed to investors by Sharemax, being a pyramid or Ponzi scheme.

“Given that The Villa had no income whatsoever other than investors’ money, the inescapable conclusion is that no matter how it was packaged, rental income was ultimately paid out of investors’ capital.”

Bam added The Villa was funded through a single unlisted company that was “not subject to the stringent regulatory requirements of the JSE”, did not have any track record, was “devoid of any meaningful assets”, and the method of appointment of directors itself should have raised questions about corporate governance and investor protection.

She ordered financial advisor Marthinus David Ras and/or Perfecsure Lewens Makelaars in Pretoria to repay Western Cape pensioner Iona Cowan the R800 000 she had invested in The Villa.

The registrar of banks investigated Sharemax’s funding model and decided in 2010 that it contravened the Banks Act. It only reported this contravention to the Hawks in March.

The comments by the Fais Ombud and confirmation by the Hawks that it was investigating criminal acts allegedly perpetrated by Sharemax, has cast a huge shadow over the legality of the scheme of arrangement and offer of compromise to shareholders and investors in Sharemax, that was sanctioned by the North Gauteng High Court in January.

The registrar of banks tacitly consented to the scheme of arrangement because Sharemax was under its statutory management when the scheme of arrangement was presented to court for sanctioning.

The registrar of banks appointed statutory managers to manage the repayment of funds illegally obtained from the investors in Sharemax’s various schemes in September 2010 when Sharemax defaulted on payments to investors at the end of August 2010.

Sharemax defaulted when the registrar’s decision that its funding model contravened the Banks Act became public knowledge, resulting in new investments into its schemes drying up. page 16

ANC dismisses no-confidence motion as publicity stunt

08 NOV 2012 15:55 - FARANAAZ PARKER The ANC has dismissed the vote of no confidence tabled against Jacob Zuma by a coalition of opposition parties in Parliament as a waste of time. OUR COVERAGE Parties to file motion of no confidence against Zuma Zuma misses DA's Nkandlagate deadline Racist: Much of government, many of its leaders The ruling party has labeled the motion of no confidence tabled against the president on Thursday as a "playful, silly publicity stunt" that "belongs to the rubbish bin". Opposition parties, including the African Christian Democratic Party, Azanian People's Organisation, Congress of the People, the Democratic Alliance, the Freedom Front Plus, the Inkatha Freedom Party, the United Christian Democratic Party and the African People's Convention, tabled the motion in the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon. The parties said the motion was motivated by the Marikana killings; the Nkandlagate scandal; the failure by the government to deliver textbooks and workbooks to school children in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape; the downgrading of South Africa's credit rating by two major ratings agencies; the mounting disrespect for our Constitution and judiciary; unemployment; and the "uncontrollable and rising tide" of corruption in the public service. Shortly after DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko tabled the motion, the ANC tabled a counter-motion proposing that Parliament reaffirm its full confidence in Zuma's leadership. In a statement released shortly afterwards, the ANC said it had reaffirmed its "resolve to quash any frivolous and narrow publicity-seeking gimmicks masquerading as motions in the National Assembly by some opposition parties". Moloto Mothapo, spokesperson for the party's chief whip, said that the motion was not based on any fact or evidence, and therefore amounts to nothing but character assassination. "The so-called 'motion of no confidence' in President Jacob Zuma is a desperate, if not silly, publicity stunt by a group of attention-seeking opposition leaders. Such a stunt would be laughable or dismissed with silent contempt if it did not make a mockery of this august Parliament," he said. "Those opposition parties involved in this gimmick ought to know that political power and mandate to lead is obtained through polls, not through the backdoors of the National Assembly. The attempt to usurp people's power through silly motions is bound to fail epically, just like it did before," he added. Mothapo was referring to an incident in March 2010, in which Cope filed a motion of no confidence against him. Mvume Dandala, the party’s parliamentary leader at the time, said Zuma had lost the confidence of Parliament owing to his "wilful conduct and dangerously flawed judgment". Zuma breezed through the incident unscathed after the ANC proposed – and had accepted—an amendment motion proposing full confidence instead. It's unlikely that the motion will succeed again this time. In order for it to be passed, it must be supported by more than 50% of Parliament, or receive at least 201 votes. The ANC still holds a two-thirds majority in Parliament, so unless its members vote against it, the opposition parties will have no way of achieving this figure. The motion will go onto an order paper on Tuesday and then be scheduled for debate at the discretion of the National Assembly programme committee. But it's unclear when a debate on the motion will be heard. According to the DA's chief whip Watty Watson there are currently hundreds of motions for debate on the order paper; of these only five have been initiated before Parliament this year. Mail & Guardian - - - - COMMENTS BY SONNY Does the ANC not know when to quit all its corruption? Or are they really as dumb as we think? They have overplayed their role as a political party in South Africa. Zuma the time has come to turn your "Machine Gun' into a plough and to head for the Hills of Nkandla!

New political party launches - the SANC

Sapa | 06 November, 2012 08:456 Comments

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe Image by: ALON SKUY/THE TIMES A new political party — the SA National Congress — is being launched, according to a report. A notice was published in the Government Gazette last month to announce the formation of the SANC, Business Day newspaper reported. African National Congress spokesman Keith Khoza told the newspaper he was aware of the party’s registration, but did not know who its founders were. The ANC would file an objection with the Independent Electoral Commission about the party’s name, he said. Quoting an unnamed government official, Business Day reported that the party was associated with a group which called itself “forces of change” and was opposed to President Jacob Zuma being re-elected as ANC leader. The group wanted Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe as the next ANC president, and if this did not happen, it hoped to launch a new opposition party before the next general elections in 2014. Times Live - - - - - COMMENTS BY SONNY It's not 1st April so this could be SERIOUS! Is the ANC going toe same way as the IFP? The road to destruction MANGAUNG 2012!! WHAT JOY THIS WILL BRING TO THE YOUTH, POOR, NEEDY AND SICK IN SA. THE WINDS OF DESTRUCTION HAVE BEEN BLOWING FOR A LONG TIME WITHIN THE RANKS OF THE ANC! REVOLUTION OR POLITICAL IMPLOSION? Could this be another "COPE?" SANC - STOP - ANC - CRIME!

Water flowing in the streets - for over a year

BONE OF CONTENTION: Gushing water has been flowing through the streets of Dube in Soweto for over a year, destroying roads and creating potholes. Photo: Veli Nhlapo 06-NOV-2012 | KATLEGO MOENG | 54 COMMENTS IN FEBRUARY last year, Johannesburg Water assured Sowetan that water gushing uncontrolled on the streets of Dube in Soweto would be fixed within three months. BONE OF CONTENTION: Gushing water has been flowing through the streets of Dube in Soweto for over a year, destroying roads and creating potholes. Photo: Veli Nhlapo RELATED ARTICLES Decade of waiting 1.3m households without piped water: Census Let's prioritise water - Mabuza Council ordered to restore water This was at a time when the entity had just launched the Save Water Campaign and the Soweto water infrastructure upgrade programme. On Sunday night, residents of this township, frustrated with the squalor-like conditions they have been forced to live in, took to the streets in protest. Roads around the area were barricaded with rocks, tree logs and burning tyres. Community members said their councillor and Johannesburg municipality officials had been shown the source of the problem, at Dube Hostel, but nothing had been done to stop the water flow. After initially passing the buck to the department of housing, responsible for the hostel developments, Johannesburg Water spokesman at the time Baldwin Matsimela changed tune and said: "I can confirm that a contractor has been appointed to fix the problem. We expect the project to take three months. Residents can look forward to improved services once it is completed." SOWETAN NEWS - - - - - COMMENTS BY SONNY Soweto is a suburb of Greater Johannesburg. This is how the City Council allows water to be wasted. They then recoup the money from other rate payers by fraudulent means. Yes, City Councillors live in the lap of luxury. Then there is the power cable theft which gets committed nightly by organised syndicates who are not afraid of the SAPS. Yes, then you have the lower class who don't pay for (dys)FUNCTIONAL service delivery and they tap into water and power supplies without paying one cent. Illegal connections are rife. JOHANNESBURG A WORLD CLASS CITY The Mayor of Johannesburg Parks Tau and his wife are being investigated at present for corruption. JOHANNESBURG THE CITY WHERE CORRUPTION IS SWEPT UNDER THE MAYOR'S CARPET.

Zille's failed Nkandla march

THANDO MGAGA and SIYABULELA DZANIBE | 05 November, 2012 DA leader Helen Zille tries to get closer to President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla compound in KwaZulu-Natal Picture: THULI DLAMINI DA leader Helen Zille's attempt to trespass on President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead yesterday ended in retreat amid threats of stone-throwing and other violence. Share Article: About 120 angry ANC members - who had been bused in by the party's Musa Dladla regional leadership - warned a defiant Zille to go back to Western Cape and deal with its challenges instead of "snooping" on Zuma. With ANC supporters travelling from Durban and Vryheid in luxury Range Rovers and Mercedes-Benzes, singing Dubula iBhunu and waving party flags, yesterday's DA "invasion" bore a strong resemblance to its youth subsidy march to Cosatu House in Johannesburg earlier this year. That campaign, in May, resulted in a bruising street battle when Cosatu members attacked DA supporters. Yesterday, the presence of about 100 police, some from the tactical response team, and a helicopter hovering over the Zuma compound, prevented what might have turned into another bloody battle. Zille and her six-member delegation, including DA youth chairman Mbali Ntuli, Limpopo DA leader Jacques Smalle and DA KwaZulu-Natal chairman Haniff Hoosen, were escorted to Zuma's home village by a 30-member police tactical team that met her convoy at Eshowe, 50km from Nkandla. On the stretch of road to Zuma's house more armed police greeted Zille but prevented her from getting closer to the compound. The irate DA leader defied police orders not to continue towards the crowd. "The ANC members are turning a public road into a no-go area," she said. "This is a democratic country. We have freedom of movement. The police are defending the undermining of the constitution and the breaking of the rule of law [by] not defending our right to freedom of movement." A verbal altercation with the police resulted in tactical response team members forming a human wall to prevent Zille and her delegates from marching up to ANC supporters, who sang about her being an imperialist who did not want areas other than Western Cape to develop. In the end, Zille and her party managed to see Zuma's compound only from the main road, about a kilometre from the mansion. Upset at her treatment by the police, Zille went to a police station to complain of a violation of the Legal Gathering Act. She vowed not to give up her quest to uncover just how much was spent renovating the president's residence and who benefited from the revamp. The public protector is investigating "Nkandlagate" and DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko has asked the auditor-general to probe the renovations. But in spite of all the investigations, Zille yesterday threatened the president and his government with legal action. She gave Zuma three days in which to tell the "truth" about Nkandla, including "how much was spent, on what, by whom, and under what provision of the law". Zuma will, it appears, pay only 5% of the total R248-million it will cost to revamp his Nkandla homestead, which includes the construction of a helipad and underground bunkers, and the erection of fencing around the entire complex. "We felt it was important for us to see the compound for ourselves before we embark on court action against the president for this blatant abuse of power," Zille said. "This is state-sponsored corruption on an unprecedented scale. We cannot let him get away with it." She said she would instruct the DA's lawyers on Wednesday. The Nkandla renovations have been mired in controversy and secrecy, with no government department willing to give detailed information on the grounds that Nkandla has been classified as a "national keypoint". Zille, however, said Zuma had lost the right to call the compound his private residence because it "belongs to each and every South African who has had to sacrifice the basic services they need so that the president can turn his home into a five-star fortressed palace". "Abusing public money for private benefit is the very definition of corruption. The R250-million spent on Nkandla is the most brazen case of corruption since the arms deal," said Zille. The chairman of the ANC's Musa Dladla region, Thulani Mashaba, said Zille should stop "obsessing" about Zuma and trying to block rural development, and instead focus on challenges in her province. Times Live - - - - - - - COMMENTS BY SONNY - WE THE WHITES OF SOUTH AFRICA WILL NEVER AGAIN ACCEPT THE ZUMA AND HIS ANC THUGS WANT A DEMOCRATIC SOUTH AFRICA! HIS RULE IS BASED ON PERSONAL GAINS, CORRUPTION, CRONISM, LIES, DECEIT, ARROGANCE AND IGNORANCE OF THE RULE OF LAW AND DEMOCRACY! THE ANC HAS MADE ITS LAST STAND AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH AFRICA! ZUMA AND HIS ANC THUGS SHOULD GO AND SEE WHY - Cape Town scoops gold as Africa's best city!! There is not one ANC run city in SA that is not riddled with corruption and nepotism! PITY MARGARET THATCHER AND HER BUNCH OF IDIOTS DID NOT SEE THIS COMING! OH, THE QUEEN? WHAT QUEEN! Nkandla visit was not a publicity stunt: Zille Sapa | 05 November, 2012 Helen Zille, leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance party, speaks to the media after police officials blocked her attempts to walk near South African President Jacob Zuma's home in Nkandla November 4, 2012. According to local media, the DA has requested details of the 248 million rand ($28.3 million) upgrades to Zuma's house, some 240 km (149 miles) north of Durban. Photograph by: ROGAN WARD It was "unfortunate" to describe the DA's visit to President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead as a publicity stunt, leader Helen Zille said on Monday morning. Share Article: According to an SABC news report, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj accused her of seeking publicity by giving an ultimatum to Zuma to provide details of his upgrades at Nkandla by Wednesday. "I think stunt is a very unfortunate word to use," said Zille, in response to a question from SAfm. "Because what it [the visit] did achieve is, now everyone is aware that hundreds of millions of rands of public money is being spent on a private home outside of the law and that the president... [is] refusing to answer questions," said Zille. But Maharaj said the Democratic Alliance leader needed to follow proper channels if she wanted answers. "She knows very well that if she wants to serve an ultimatum or communicate with the president in any way there are proper channels for her to do so. So when she chooses to go to the media, it seems to me... that she's just looking for publicity." Zille led a DA delegation to Zuma's Nkandla residence in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday, but was stopped by several hundred African National Congress supporters. Police refused permission for Zille to proceed along the road to the residence, citing safety reasons. The crowd, which eventually numbered between 800 and 1000 supporters, blocked the road to the residence. One man was arrested and was expected to appear in court in Nkandla on Monday after firing a shot in the air before Zille's arrival. Times Live DA gives Zuma 72 hours to answer for Nkandlagate 04 NOV 2012 15:24 - NOSIHLE SHELEMBE, STAFF REPORTER The DA has given President Jacob Zuma 72 hours to answer questions on his new home or face legal action. OUR COVERAGE DA probing Nkandla is 'like puppies barking at the moon' DA turns up the heat on Nkandlagate Public works ducks questions on Zuma's Nkandla upgrade MORE COVERAGE Police stop Zille at Nkandla The DA on Sunday gave President Jacob Zuma 72 hours to respond to letters sent on October 16 asking questions about the Nkandla development or face court action. "We asked them for details on how much was spent, on what, by whom, and under what provision of law," the party said in a statement. "If there is no substantive response by close of business on November 7, we will instruct our lawyers to make preparations to take him and the government to court." The DA said it had not yet received a response, only a receipt of the letters. A large group of ANC supporters sang as they waited for DA leader Helen Zille to leave the Nkandla police station on Sunday. She laid a charge under the Gatherings Act against the ANC for blocking a public road during her failed attempt to visit President Jacob Zuma's KwaZulu-Natal homestead. When the convoy transporting the Democratic Alliance and a media contingent left the satellite police station, ANC shouted "hamba" (leave). An ANC supporter was arrested for drunk and disorderly outside the police station. Police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker said another man was arrested earlier, during a demonstration by ANC supporters, for having an unlicensed firearm. "The man was in possession of a rifle. He will be charged for discharging a firearm in public and possession of a firearm." 'Lost the right' Zille said Zuma had lost the right to call his home a private residence. "Nkandla belongs to each and every South African who has to sacrifice the basic services they need, so that the president could turn his home into a five-star fortressed palace. "One day we will look at it as a monument to the fight against corruption." She questioned how the government could spend R248-million on Zuma's home, when it would not pay to transport the relatives of the victims of the Marikana shooting to the Farlam commission of inquiry. Earlier police stopped her and her entourage from approaching Zuma's homestead, in the village of KwaNxamalala, saying they wanted to prevent violence. Zille was told she could not pass the police roadblock as there were ANC supporters on the road to Zuma's home. She said the party had permission to gather on a public road outside a school opposite Zuma's home. Several cars carrying ANC supporters passed the police roadblock on a side road. They carried sticks and sang Dubhula ibhunu (Shoot the Boer). Buses full of ANC supporters were allowed to pass on the main road. When Zille asked officers why they were allowed to pass, she was told they would open a case against the organisers of the ANC march. "We never intended to go inside Zuma's home, we only wanted to gather opposite his compound on a public road," Zille said. About 700m from where the Democratic Alliance was stopped, police in riot gear prevented ANC supporters from advancing. Officers formed a human chain across the road. Police had several armoured Nyala personnel carriers, two trucks with water canons, and a helicopter in the area. The DA had wanted to visit Zuma's private residence, where an upgrade, reportedly costing over R200 million, and funded with taxpayers' money, was in progress. – Sapa, M&G Reporter Zille: Battle for spoils tearing ANC apart 04 NOV 2012 13:09 - PEROSHNI GOVENDER, ED CROPLEY The ANC will fracture before the decade is out, pulled apart by tension between big business and labour, opposition leader Helen Zille said. OUR COVERAGE Mthethwa to duel with Zille in court MORE COVERAGE Police stop Zille at Nkandla SACP: DA visit to Nkandla 'racist', 'right wing' and a 'publicity stunt' DA visit to Nkandla 'unnecessary and unwarranted' says ANC In an interview with Reuters, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Zille said the unprecedented mining turmoil, including the police killing of 34 strikers at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine in August, had exposed unsustainable contradictions in Nelson Mandela's 100-year-old ANC. She attacked the veteran liberation movement that has ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid as "essentially a patronage-driven party", with those at the centre keeping power by controlling access to lucrative government contracts. It would be impossible for the ANC to keep organised labour and communists under the same roof as mega-wealthy post-apartheid industrialists such as Cyril Ramaphosa, a top ANC decision-maker and one of Lonmin's biggest shareholders. "The next five, six, seven years, up to 2019, will see the ANC come apart. It can't encapsulate and hold together those divergent ideologies in one coherent political party," Zille said in the interview late on Friday. She described the Marikana shootings, the bloodiest security incident since the end of white-minority rule in 1994, as a "catalytic event" that had exposed the frailties of the formal three-way alliance between the ANC, unions and Communist Party. "It has never been so dramatically illustrated - big government, big business, big unions - and the ANC being the common denominator between all three." ANC spokesperson were not immediately available for comment. In the past, the party has dismissed reports of internal divisions as the product of a hostile media and over-excitable political analysts. Race card The ANC has enjoyed a 60%-plus majority at the ballot box in all four national elections since the end of apartheid. However, its share of the vote has been declining gradually. Zille's DA now controls the Western Cape province that includes Cape Town, and secured nearly one in four of the votes cast nationally in 2011 local elections. The DA has its origins as the liberal, anti-apartheid party among whites in the era of white minority rule, but is determined to shake its reputation as a political haven for whites, who make up just 9% of the population. Two of the DA's most recent senior appointments - its leader in Parliament and its national spokesperson - are both black. Zille, a white former journalist and anti-apartheid activist, said the DA's electoral success proves its multi-racial appeal. "You can't be a white party and get 24% of the vote," she said. "The sums don't add up." South Africa's average age is 25, according to 2011 Census results released this week, meaning almost half its population are so-called 'Born Frees', with no memory of the institutionalised racism of apartheid. By contrast, the ANC's non-racial credentials have been called into question in the last two years by incidents such as now-expelled youth leader Julius Malema popularising an anti-apartheid song that advocates the killing of white farmers. "The ANC only has the race card left. That's all it has and it's becoming less and less believable," Zille said. 'Big man syndrome' The ANC and President Jacob Zuma have been criticised for their handling of the mining crisis, which triggered ratings downgrades, hit economic growth and tarnished South Africa's investment image. Investors have also become concerned about the spread of corruption and cronyism under Zuma, who came to power in 2009 only after the dropping of graft charges in circumstances that continue to cause controversy three years later. Zille said the strength of South Africa's post-apartheid Constitution, its courts and institutions such as the media meant the country would pull through in the long term, and foreigners should not lose faith. "I'd certainly put my money into South Africa," she said. But she also said the country suffered from "big man syndrome", the tendency for power to be concentrated in the hands of a single individual, which has bedevilled post-colonial Africa. "We've got a very strong economic base, a very strong civil society and although we have a big man syndrome in politics - yes, we do - there are enough checks and balances and counterveiling forces to prevent it entrenching itself to destroy our democracy." She also said there was no doubt about Zuma winning re-election as head of the ANC at a party congress in the central town of Mangaung in December, teeing him up for another four years in power as national president from 2014. "It's sewn up," she said. – Reuters COMMENTS BY SONNY Our friend Mac Maharaj should go back to Lesotho and farm carrots! His "Vula" speeches are boring!