This notice provides detail of the US dollar equivalent of the level of the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) official gold and foreign exchange reserves, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and foreign currency deposits received from customers published today in the SARB’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 31 March 2019.
Gauteng MEC of Social Development, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza has taken a decision to shut down nursery school after the abuse scandal in Carletonville, and lay a complaint of neglect against it’s principle.
“We have decided to close down this early childhood development centre. I myself learnt about this situation today. I was sent a clip during a meeting and I was deeply disturbed by what I saw and that is why I decided to come here.
“Had I been informed a week ago or a year ago, I would have taken action there and then,” she told News24 in Carletonville on Thursday.
This comes after several videos went viral on social media showing one of the school’s caregivers physically abusing minor children.
Abuse
In one of the videos, the employee can be seen repeatedly slapping a toddler. The motive for the attack is not known.
In another video, a young girl is forced to clean up after having vomited. The employee can be seen smacking the child on her buttocks.
In a third video, the employee slaps a toddler who appears not to want to sleep, News 24 earlier reported.
The 40-year-old nursery school employee, who has not been named, was arrested on March 26, and appeared in court on charges of assault two days later. She is due back in court on May 7 after she was released on R3000 bail.
News24 was unable to get comment from the creche where the abuse allegedly happened, however, the principal told EWN that the videos that went viral were captured a year ago.
The principal was made aware of the videos last week after a person who filmed the events allegedly attempted to blackmail the school.
“A second practitioner sees a child being abused and she takes videos and keeps them for over a year. I think she must also be held accountable,” the MEC said in response to the allegations.
In addition, the creche in question was operating on an expired license, according to the MEC.
“This is an illegal entity in operation. When I asked for the creche’s certificate – I looked at it and it is a 2016 certificate. The principal should have complied and applied for a new certificate, but she did not do that,” the MEC explained.
As a result, the social development department is going to charge the principal with neglect as the children were under her care when the abuse took place.
Social workers are currently working on moving other minor children from this creche to other registered creches around the area, pending an investigation.
The MEC is not yet clear on whether the caregiver seen abusing children in the video, had the necessary qualifications to be looking after children.
The ANC insists its integrity committee will be the forum that makes final decisions on who should represent the party in Parliament and provincial legislatures, even though the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) deadline has come and gone.
Speaking to News24 on Thursday, acting national spokesperson Dakota Legoete said the integrity committee may ask affected members to step down from its lists if they were found wanting.
The move to assess the list follows a national executive committee (NEC) decision to send its list of candidates to the committee for review.
ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe told News24 on Wednesday the integrity committee will make the final ruling on who should step down.
The integrity committee, which comprises members elected from the party’s elders, investigates those who bring the ANC into disrepute.
IEC spokesperson Kate Bopela told News24 that the window period for parties to withdraw candidates had already lapsed.
Bopela said this included candidates who wanted to voluntarily withdraw from the lists.
The cut-off date was March 28.
“A withdrawal of a candidate is not permitted… Parties cannot amend their submitted list but can substitute a candidate who is on more than one party list,” she said.
News24 understands that party nominees will only be allowed to voluntarily resign or step aside before the swearing in at a legislature or Parliament.
Allegations
This means that the ANC will have no choice but to forge ahead with its current list, which has placed the party under a microscope.
Some of its nominees for the National Assembly have been implicated in allegations of corruption and state capture.
Dakota however insists that if the integrity committee objects to a party member on its lists, they would have to resign.
“After a considerable number of people in society, elders of ANC and church leaders raised issues of morality and ethical questions, the NEC made a decision and saw it prudent to allow all lists to go [through] the integrity process. If the integrity commission comes to a decision against a member, they can ask Dakota, [for example], to tender a resignation.
“You will have to voluntarily opt out or resign. That is why we didn’t want to single out members. You must remember there are a lot of findings against members – not just the ones that appear on your lips. There are other inquiries and findings about many on our lists…. Everyone must be put to the test,” he said.
Legoete added that a decision by the integrity committee could only be overruled by the NEC or any constitutional process of the ANC.
The ANC replied to the IEC on Wednesday regarding objections to its lists.
Names that were objected to, which News24 has seen, include Gwede Mantashe, Fikile Mbalula, Malusi Gigaba, Jackson Mthembu, Bathabile Dlamini, Nomvula Mokonyane, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, David Mahlobo and Bongani Bongo.
Legoete said: “Those objections were raised, and we had to reply by 12:00 of which we did. What’s left is for the IEC, on its own, to check whether members comply.”
The IEC has until April 8 to make a decision on objections.
After this, candidates will have to appeal to the Electoral Court before the April 11 deadline.
A KwaZulu-Natal taxi boss was gunned down on Wednesday morning in Shakaskraal, north of Durban, police have said.
The 40-year-old man was in his Mercedez-Benz at 09:00 when he was approached by a group of suspects, police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said.
“They allegedly shot and killed him. The suspects fled the scene on foot after the incident.”
He said Umhlali police were investigating a case of murder.
In the notice, which News24 has seen, Daniels stated that Bobani couldn’t be “trusted” in office.
“Councillor Mongameli Bobani has done very little to none to the betterment of the lives of the poor communities,” he said.
In February, the party filed an urgent notice of intent to lodge a motion of no confidence against Bobani, which failed in the city council on March 1.
Not sticking to agreements
Daniels had initially filed the previous motion in terms of rule 25, and was seconded by the ACDP’s Lance Grootboom.
However, the council – minus the DA caucus – rejected the tabling of the motion when it was announced on the day, resulting in it not being voted on.
On the latest move, Daniels said: “This motion is on the council agenda, meaning then that it must be debated. There is no permission needed, it will now [come] before council and every party will have a chance to debate the motion.”
Daniels said the current coalition was not sticking to agreements that had been set when a new local government was formed, following the ousting of Athol Trollip.
“In simple terms, the agreement was that the minority parties will be the face of the metro, and currently they are not the face of the metro,” he said.
He accused Bobani of taking instructions from the ANC’s Andile Lungisa on how to run the metro.
He said the ANC was dictating what and how things should be done in the metro through Lungisa.
“I have had meetings with the minority parties; some of them came to me personally to talk to me on how unhappy they are with the new coalition government and it’s only because Bobani and Andile are the two people cracking [the] whip,” Daniels said.
When News24 contacted Lungisa, he said Marlon was “taking chances”; “loved the limelight”, and that the motion would not pass. “It won’t pass; he is just seeking attention. There is no substantive motion.”
Daniels said he trusted that during the debate, all those who were not in favour of the motion would be persuaded to think otherwise.
Hopeful
He added he was hopeful that council would most likely remove Bobani.
“There is lobbying that is taking place at the moment, because all we need to do now is to get two more councillors to support the motion and then the motion [will carry].”
“I think there is a very good chance of us to get this motion through; if the ones who are complaining in the coalition decide to stand on principles and do what is right and not be bothered about positions that they currently have,” said Daniels.
In 2017, the PA officially withdrew from the NMB coalition after it failed to put forward Daniels as the preferred candidate to take over the position of deputy mayor.
Pretorius concludes his line of questioning, and Oellermann is excused. Zondo thanks Oellermann and reminds him that he may be called back to the commission if they require anything further from him.
Pretorius requests a short adjournment before they proceed with the next two witnesses, which Pretorius says could span several hours.
Zondo grants a 15-minute adjournment so that the legal team can prepare the next witness and the related evidence bundles.
Limpopo police are investigating a case of reckless and/or negligent driving after a teenager allegedly crashed a Nissan X-Trail SUV into the wall of a Limpopo mall on Saturday.
The vehicle was carrying three other teenage passengers, aged between 17 and 19.
“[T]he vehicle [allegedly] failed to stop at a stop sign in Alldays CBD, swerved out of the road and bumped over the stones and crashed into a wall of the mall,” SAPS spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said in a statement on Sunday.
He said the male driver, who “disappeared” from the scene and then “resurfaced”, had a valid driver’s license.
“The occupants sustained slight injuries and were rushed to the clinic to receive medical treatment,” Ngoepe said.
