Enough is enough - Mthethwa

Enough is enough - Mthethwa
2013-06-18 22:25



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Johannesburg - Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa was saddened by the death of Major General Tirhani Maswanganyi, whose body was found early on Tuesday morning, his office said.

"We are saddened by this tragic loss of a senior cop who dedicated his life to serve the vulnerable and the weak in society," Mthethwa said in a statement.

"The SA Police Service [SAPS] is poorer, the Gauteng provincial team is poorer, the people of Johannesburg are poorer, the people of Gauteng and of the entire South Africa are poorer."

The minister said the country had been robbed of a true patriot, a dedicated officer who contributed to the reconstruction and development of South Africa.

Maswanganyi's body was found in a field near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, on Tuesday, police said.

"Approximately 03:00 this morning the body of the officer was found in a bushy area next to the road," Gauteng commissioner Lieutenant General Mzwandile Petros said.

"His hands and feet were tied up."

A police patrol found Maswanganyi's abandoned Isuzu bakkie next to the R101 on Monday evening. A police uniform and police identification card were in the bakkie, which prompted a search.

Mthethwa said South Africans could pay tribute to Maswanganyi, who had been in service for 31 years, by taking a tough stance against crime.

Maswanganyi and many other police officers had lost their lives in the line of duty, the minister said.

"We have emphasised the point before that policing remains a very difficult and challenging duty... on a daily basis our members face dangerous and vicious criminals, who will not hesitate to kill them."

Probing the killing

One policeman's life lost was one too many, and enough was enough, the minister said.

He welcomed Gauteng police commissioner Petros's appointment of senior detectives to investigate the murder.

Police were waiting for an autopsy report on the cause of death.

Petros said there were no gunshot wounds.

A team of detectives under the leadership of the deputy provincial commissioner for detective services, Major General Tebello Mosikili, and investigators from the provincial investigation unit and organised crime would investigate the murder.

- SAPA
Read more on: police | mzwandile petros | nathi mthethwa | pretoria | crime

Petros condemns 'senseless killing'

Petros condemns 'senseless killing'



Major General Tirhani Maswanganyi, whose body was found in a field near Wallmansthal. Picture: Supplied.
Multimedia



Major General Tirhani Maswanganyi, whose body was found in a field near Wallmansthal. Picture: Supplied.


CSI at Wallmansthal murder site

Barry Bateman | 4 hours ago ( EWN )

JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng Police Commissioner Mzwandile Petros on Tuesday expressed shock and outrage by what he described as the senseless killing of a regional commander.

Major General Tirhani Maswanganyi's body was discovered, bound and dumped in a field along the R101 in the Wallmansthal area, north of Pretoria.

The senior officer's car containing his personal belongings was found abandoned nearby.

No motive has been established at this stage.

Maswanganyi had more than 30 years of experience in the South African Police Service (SAPS) and has in the past acted as provincial commissioner in Petros’s absence.

His wife last saw him leaving his home on Monday afternoon. A police patrol found his abandoned bakkie about four hours later.

The police’s Neville Malila said, “Investigators, including the dog unit, started combing the area and that’s how the body was found.”

Maswanganyi’s family has declined to speak to the media.

Analysis: First power from Medupi by end 2013? Unlikely.

No fear No Favour No Corruption.................


CHRIS YELLAND    SOUTH AFRICA   18 JUNE 2013    01:02

Despite repeated assurances by Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba and Eskom CEO Brian Dames, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that power from Medupi, South Africa’s first new base-load power station in 25 years, will be delivered into the national grid by the end of 2013. By CHRIS YELLAND.

Already more than two years late on Medupi, Eskom has blamed the absence of a funding plan, geological conditions, its major contractors Hitachi and Alstom, labour unrest by the construction site workforce and even its former construction execution partner, Parsons Brinckerhoff Power – but never itself – for the construction delays at the 4,800MW coal-fired dry-cooled power station.
The bottom line, however, is that Medupi should have had 2,400MW of commercial power on stream by now and the base-load power capacity shortage resulting from the delays is throttling economic growth in South Africa and weakening the currency.
Ultimately, however, with Medupi not being a turn-key project and the utility instead placing all major contracts directly, Eskom inevitably takes on the overall role and responsibility for coordinating, managing and commissioning the project itself.
A R125-billion engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project of this size, with about 40 main contractors, hundreds of subcontractors and some 17,000 workers on the construction site, is bound to be fraught with financial, contractual, labour, safety, technical, completion time and performance risks – and requires extremely close project management and attention at all levels.
In April this year, Eskom has publicly announced that it had serious problems with its control and instrumentation contractor, Alstom. By late 2012, the boiler protection and the balance-of-plant software had failed acceptance tests in France three times, threatening first power from Medupi by end 2013; in March 2013, Eskom called in Alstom’s performance bond.
Asked last week whether the software has since passed the acceptance tests, Alstom would only say: “We confirm that tests are ongoing at this time, and we are closely collaborating with Eskom,” and: “Alstom remains committed to delivering on the Medupi project on time.”
However, Eskom advised that the software is still not to specification. Although the balance-of-plant software failed again last week, Eskom says the defects are fixable on-site. Acceptance tests on the more critical boiler-protection software have been delayed, but will start this week and will take a further three weeks to complete. Eskom says there will be no compromise on safety.
Eskom’s problems with Hitachi Africa, a company 70% owned by Hitachi Europe and 25% by the ruling African National Congress party in South Africa via its investment wing, Chancellor House, and contracted to build the twelve 800MW coal-fired boilers at Eskom’s Medupi and Kusile power stations, have also been widely reported.
In early 2013, Eskom gave notice to Hitachi of its failure to meet various performance guarantees relating to boiler tube welding quality and procedures and placed the company on terms to rectify the matter – failing which it would call in Hitachi’s performance bond. According to Eskom, Hitachi subsequently did not comply with the notice, and on 12 February 2013 the boiler contract bond was called.
However, the next day, Hitachi obtained a court interdict suspending payment of the bond. It is believed that Hitachi claimed that labour unrest at Medupi, which resulted in a 10-week closure of the construction site by Eskom this year, had impacted adversely on its ability to timeously rectify the welding problems that had arisen.
Eskom immediately applied for leave to appeal, which was granted. But then on 21 February, before the appeal was heard, Eskom and Hitachi reached an out-of-court agreement extending the performance date to 31 May.
With 31 May behind us, and asked whether it had since met its performance guarantees, and if not, whether it would now forfeit its performance bond or further oppose Eskom, Hitachi replied: “Unfortunately we cannot provide the information requested at this time.” But Hitachi did confirm that: “All our remaining work can be done within the given time-frame, however our remaining risk is related to further industrial action.”
Eskom, on the other hand, has indicated that it wrote to Hitachi on 31 May 2013 and is currently evaluating Hitachi’s response.
In the meantime, Eskom’s finance director, Paul O’Flaherty, has moved to take control of site construction activities at Medupi, while Eskom has been working to stabilise labour relations on site.
After initially insisting that the site labour issues were not its problem but matters between its contractors and their own labour, Eskom appears to have belatedly come to the realisation that, whether it likes it or not, in its own and the national interest, it had to intervene to ensure consistent and acceptable treatment for all workers on the Medupi and Kusile sites.
On 12 June, Eskom announced it was party to a new site-specific labour agreement, along with organised labour and the contractors who employ most of the labour, replacing the old project labour agreements. “Eskom is taking a much more active role in the labour relations on our project sites,” says O’Flaherty.
But while Eskom is putting in serious efforts to mitigate the problems of site labour unrest and the known issues posed by the boiler and control and instrumentation contracts, it is the grey areas and interface conflicts between contracts, and the problems that that will inevitably arise as commissioning of the first unit at Medupi commences, that may pose the greatest risks of all to electricity from Medupi by year-end. DM
Photo: Medupi Power Station near Lephalale in Limpopo as seen during a media visit on Thursday, 11 April 2013. When completed, the power station is to have six boilers each powering an 800 MW turbine, producing 4800 MW of power. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA

DAILY MAVERICK

COMMENTS BY SONNY

THEY KEEP MILKING AN UDDER-LESS COW - THE SOUTH AFRICAN TAX PAYERS.

ANOTHER BRAINLESS ANC WHITE ELEPHANT?

Top JHB cop murdered

No Fear No Favour No Murder Execution Style.........



Shain Germaner | one hour ago   JOHANNESBURG  SOUTH AFRICA  18 JUNE 2013  08:00

JOHANNESBURG - One of Johannesburg's top cops has been found murdered in a field in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.

While Eyewitness News knows the identity of the senior policeman it cannot be revealed because his family has yet to be informed.

The senior officer’s state car was found abandoned in Hammanskraal by police patrolling the area on Monday night.

Once it was confirmed who the vehicle belonged to, officers visited the policeman’s home and were told by his wife that he hadn’t been home since the afternoon.

They launched a search for the officer and his body was found in a field near the R101. Officials have revealed the policeman was shot in the head while his hands and feet were bound.

The police are still on the scene and are investigating.

The motive is not yet known and no arrests have been made.

EYE WITNESS NEWS

BETRAYAL - EXECUTION STYLE??

THIS MAJOR GENERAL SEEMS TO HAVE HAD ENEMIES......?

What were the motives for this killing?

Chinese dol oor die Voortrekkermonument

Geen Vrees Geen Voorregte Geen Korrupsie



Jun 15 2013 22:30Antoinette Slabbert

Die Voortrekkermonument roer Chinese toeriste se hartsnare, want hy praat met hulle in hul eie taal.

Dit is ’n sleutel tot sy sukses in die gesogte Chinese toeristemark, sê Sonja Lombard, besturende direkteur.

Sowat 27% van die besoekers aan die monument in die boekjaar tot 28 Februarie was van China. Dit is sowat 50 000 toeriste, sowat die helfte van die Chinese wat jaarliks na Suid-Afrika reis.

Lombard sê die Voortrekkermonument het omstreeks 2006 dié mark begin teiken.

Volgens Euromonitor International, ’n internasionale verslag oor internasionale toerismetendense, is China en Indië die twee lande van waar buitelandse reise en toeriste se besteding in die buiteland die vinnigste groei (meer as 10% per jaar).

Die reisigers is deel van die groeiende middelklas in die twee lande. Hulle gee voorkeur aan bestemmings in Asië. Tweede op die Chinese se lys is die VSA, gevolg deur Australië en Frankryk.

Maar hulle begin ook verder uitwyk, en Suid-Afrika se lidmaatskap van die Brics-lande plaas hom op Chinese toeriste se radar, sê Lombard.

In 2012 het 90 miljoen Chinese toeriste na die buiteland gereis. Sowat 100 000 het Suid-Afrika besoek, en die helfte van hulle was by die Voortrekkermonument.

Lombard sê Chinese is kultuurtoeriste en wil inkopies doen. Hulle gebruik die internet en bestemmings moet verseker dat hulle inligting aanlyn beskikbaar is.

Die meeste Chinese reisigers is egter nie Engels magtig nie, maar verstaan vereenvoudigde Chinees.

Om met die toeriste in dié taal te kommunikeer, het die Voortrekkermonument met die China Business Network geskakel. Dié organisasie het die monument se webblad en ander bemarkingsmateriaal in Chinees vertaal in ruil vir jaargelde.

Dít was een van die deurslaggewende faktore wat vir die monument verlede jaar 45%-groei in Chinese toeriste besorg het, sê Lombard.

Sy was in April by die China Outbound Travel en Tourism Market in Beijing wat haar groter insig in die behoeftes van haar Chinese besoekers gegee het.

“China is so oorbevolk dat die inwoners graag wil uitkom,” sê sy. Daar is baie staats­museums en toegang is gratis, maar besoekers moet vooruit bespreek omdat die vraag so groot is.

“Ek het besef waarom die Voortrekkermonument soveel aanklank by Chinese toeriste vind. Wanneer hulle hier kom, sien hulle heel eerste die wild op die terrein. Hulle stop onmiddellik om foto’s te neem.” Die oopte en vryheid spreek tot hulle, sê Lombard.

Die Voortrekkkermonument het nou gevestigde verhoudinge met die grootste toeroperateurs wat Chinese toeriste na Suid-Afrika bring.

Dit is egter nie genoeg om die toeriste net hier te kry nie. ’n Mens moet hulle laat welkom voel, sê Lombard. Daarvoor is inligtingsborde in Chinees oral in die monument aangebring, hoewel die Chinese meestal in groepe kom met hul eie gidse. Daar is ook planne om van die toiletgeriewe aan te pas volgens hul behoeftes.

Sy sê dit is belangrik om die besoekers se tyd te respekteer. “Ons weet ons het net ’n uur om ’n ervaring te bied wat hulle emosioneel raak.”

Verder moet die tarief só bepaal word dat binnelanders tegemoet gekom word, maar buitelandse toeriste nie uitgebuit voel nie. Dit vermag die Voortrekkermonument deur afslag te gee aan gesinne. “Buitelanders bring selde kinders saam.”

Die Voortrekkermonument bied sy storie aan om universele temas. “Die monument is ’n konkrete simbool van vryheid en opoffering, waarmee almal kan identifiseer,” sê Lombard. “Dit is ’n inklusiewe monument vir mense wat wou wegkom van Britse koloniale oorheersing en geveg het vir hul geloof, kultuur en grondbesit.”

Die Voortrekkermonument se totale bedryfsbegroting beloop R12 miljoen per jaar en die instansie kry baie min finansiële steun van die regering. Net 2% van die begroting word aan bemarking bestee. “Ons moet slim werk,” sê Lombard.

RAPPORT

KOMMENTAAR DEUR SONNY

JA SUID-AFRIKA BLY N MOOI LAND VIR DIE BESOEKERS.
NIKS SAL ONS GESKIEDENIS BEDERF NIE.

Trade between SA, China and Russia worth billions and billions

No Fear No Favour No more Zuma...........



Sapa | 16 June, 2013 09:10

Trade and investment in South Africa has "skyrocketed" in the past two years, International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said in Finland on Saturday.

"Trade between us and China surpassed R200 billion in less than two years," she said on the sidelines of the Nordic-African foreign ministers meeting.

Russia's trade with South Africa was also going extremely well.

On its website, Russia's embassy in South Africa, says bilateral trade in 2012 increased by 66.3 percent compared to 2011. In January this year, bilateral trade went up to 17.8 percent.

The embassy says the mutual investments were "massive".

"Russian investments in South Africa reached over US1billion and South African investments in Russia reached over US75 million," the website said.

Mashabane said one major defence co-operation agreement was the decision to refurbish all Russian-made helicopters operating in Africa.

The deal was agreed to earlier this year with Denel Aviation.

Mashabane said Russian made helicopters would be refurbished in South Africa, and this was great for job creation.

It was also good for the training of artisans, and the sourcing of spare parts from South Africa.

TIMES LIVE 

COMMENTS BY SONNY

ARE THESE COUNTRIES BUYING TO ANC SUICIDE OR RUSSIAN ROULETTE?

TIME WILL BE THE JUDGE.

CAN ZUMA PULL THIS ONE OFF?

Breytenbach headed to labour court

No Fear No Favour More Injustices............




Sapa | 16 June, 2013 08:29

Prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach and her lawyer, Gerhard Wagenaar, will file an application with the labour court against her redeployment, Wagenaar said on Saturday.

"An application will be brought to the labour court this week, to set aside the decision by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) to move her from the office of Specialised Crime Unit (SCU) to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Pretoria," Wagenaar said.

On Friday, SABC radio news reported that Breytenbach had been informed that she would be redeployed.

Wagenaar told the broadcaster she had been informed of this on Thursday evening.

"What I can tell you, is that we have received a letter just before 7pm last night indicating that Ms Breytenbach will be redeployed to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Pretoria and not to the SCU anymore," Wagenaar said at the time.

On Thursday, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that it had filed an application for the Labour Court to review the outcome of a disciplinary hearing which cleared Breytenbach of all charges against her.

On May 27, Breytenbach was found not guilty on 15 counts by a disciplinary hearing, which sat at the NPA's head office in Pretoria.

One of the charges was that she failed to act impartially when investigating the Kumba Iron Ore/Sishen and Imperial Crown Trading mining rights dispute, because of "improper relations" with Sishen's lawyer Mike Hellens.

After the findings were made known, the NPA said it found them "factually incorrect and legally unsustainable" and would approach the court for a review.

On Wednesday, the NPA's executive manager for communications Bulelwa Makeke, said in response to a question, that Breytenbach was at work but that the NPA would not discuss work matters in the media.

On Thursday, Eyewitness News reported that Breytenbach had not worked at all this week.

Asked on Thursday to clarify, NPA spokeswoman Nomilo Mpondo said the NPA told Breytenbach she could come back to work on Monday. The NPA reiterated that it would not discuss her daily movements with the media.

Times Live

COMMENTS BY SONNY

THE NPA COULD NOT BREAK GLYNNIS BREYTENBACH'S BACK SO THEY REDEPLOYED HER?

TO KEEP HER QUIET AND AWAY FROM THE FIRING LINE TO PROTECT THEIR ILK.

JUST ANOTHER BAND OF ANC CRIMINALS?

MAY THEY ALL REVELLE IN HELL!