Johannesburg – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have rallied behind Maritzburg College pupils, saying the school must drop the charges against them with immediate effect.

“We demand that they drop their reactionary and unconstitutional charges with immediate effect or face the full might of our mass power,” EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said on Saturday.

“The black child has a freedom to express their thoughts anywhere in this county without any fear or favour,” said Ndlozi.

The party was responding to a photograph of the pupils at the prestigious school, which had made rounds on social media, showing pupils displaying shirts with slogans in support of the EFF.

The pupils landed in hot water and are facing a disciplinary hearing for their conduct.

The department of education meanwhile has confirmed it has received requests to investigate the school for allegations of racism.

Charges 

The learners are facing six charges, which were circulated on social media on Saturday. It included allegedly contravening the South African Schools Act of 1996, as well as engaging in acts that are deemed serious misconduct for learners in public schools, and breaching the school’s code of conduct and social media policies.

According to the charge sheet, shared by Tumi Sole, the hearing will take place on the October 21, at 08:00.

The first three charges are related to the learners having “engaged in party-political activities during school hours by supporting or displaying insignia, alternatively party regalia of a known political party, namely the EFF”.

The fourth and fifth charges relate to the learners having taken “pictures of a political nature that contain speech that is considered to be a threat or act of violence towards learners, educators, members of staff and any other person on school property,” as well as “pictures of a political nature that contain speech that is considered to be racial, alternatively racially charged”.

‘Apartheid thinking’ 

Ndlozi said, “We reject this as pure apartheid, Nazi and colonial thinking on the part of the school. In our democracy, there is no bylaw, rule or school code of conduct that must be inconsistent with our supreme law of the land; the Constitution.

“Maritzburg High, by charging our young fighters, is in direct violation of the Constitution. It is offending their rights to freedom of expression.”

Ndlozi said, “The young men have not killed anyone, stolen anything or caused any physical harm. They have simply expressed an idea and by suppressing them, the school is not only anti-intellectual but also scared of the truth.

“By charging them, the school is seeking to guarantee protection to the reactionary and anti-black racists who refuse to see blacks as equals and as rightful owners of the land. The school is dancing to white supremacist tunes, thus reproducing itself as hostile to our democratic order.”

Ndlozi said the pupils should be allowed to focus on their exams without any disciplinary hearing hanging over their heads.

The front desk of the school could not be reached by News24 after multiple attempts on Saturday.

NELSPRUIT – Police in Ogies are searching for four men who mercilessly shot dead six people at the Steyn informal settlement near Ogies, Mpumalanga police said on Saturday.

“It is alleged that on Thursday, 12 October 2017, at approximately 7pm, four men arrived at the informal settlement mainly occupied by Lesotho nationals,” Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said.

“They enquired about someone who killed one of their (the suspects’) relative who was staying at Rietspruit, near Kriel,” he said.

FAST FACTS: Victims of crime survey released

“The people who said they did not know who killed the mentioned man were then shot at and as a result six people gruesomely lost their precious lives. Four died at the scene and two at the hospital. All in all, three females and three males of which two of them were a couple.”

Investigation had revealed that five of the victims were Lesotho nationals and one a South African citizen. The suspects were reportedly driving a white Toyota Quantum minibus, speaking “deep sesotho language”, and were all armed, Hlathi said.

Anyone who might have information about the incident was requested to contact Detective Warrant Officer John Mothupi at 082-604-1340.
 

African News Agency

Cape Town – Labour unions representing a number of SABC staff have given acting CEO Nomsa Philiso seven days to deliver on a list of 13 demands, or they will go on strike.

A joint letter by the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) and the Communication Workers Union (CMU) delivered a list of 13 demands to Philiso on Friday.

“We write this letter to you with sincere and extreme urgency, with the hope and belief you would be able to address, with the same urgency our concerns and demands,” the joint statement reads.

ALSO READ: Concern over Zuma ‘deliberately delaying’ SABC board appointment

“The SABC has been plagued by bad management, bad managerial decisions costing the public broadcaster a deficit of more than a billion rand, bad publicity caused by the board, chairperson of the board and top management.

“We have been subjected to management by threats and fear, unilateral restructurings, change of work practices and shift roster, appointments without advertising positions and a zero-percentage increase.”

The letter said most of the “enforcers” who were responsible for the infamous protest policy and the subsequent dismissal of SABC journalists were “still employed at lucrative salaries at the SABC”.

“For them its business as usual, and they have escaped justice.”

List of demands

Among other issues raised were the non-renewal of contracts of loyal staff and freelancers, salaries not being paid, and a rumour of the cancellation of 13th cheques.

Among the 13 demands:
– The immediate appointment of the SABC board;
– Suspension of all enforcers of the protest policy, of which they have alleged four names are responsible;
– Managers who were unprocedurally appointed, or who had contributed to the SABC’s dire financial constraints, of which they have listed eight names, including company secretary Theresa Geldenhuys;
– Structural work patterns must return to normal;
– The restoration of the merger between Henley and SABC News;
– Salary increase of 10% across the board, backdated to April;
– Appointment of all workers on fixed-term contracts that have lapsed;
– The removal of Kenneth Makatees as acting head of news, and the redeployment of Themba Mathonsi;
– Probes into various longstanding editorial decisions at the broadcaster.

“Employees are tired of his Gestapo style of management,” the unions say.

“Should these demands not be met in seven days, excluding the unilateral change to the shift roster of news staff, from date of this letter, Labour will file a dispute and ballot its members to seek a mandate for a protected strike.”

SABC board still not appointed

Bemawu spokesperson Hannes du Buisson confirmed to News24 that the letter was delivered on Friday.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago told News24 that he was not yet aware of the letter, as the acting CEO was not at head office to comment on its delivery.

The appointment of the SABC board has been delayed by more than two weeks by President Jacob Zuma, whose office claims it is still vetting the 12 candidates.

READ HERE: Presidency denies SABC delay tactics report

The interim board’s mandate expired on September 26, leaving the public broadcaster leaderless once again.

Zuma received the names over a month ago.

A City Press report last week alleged that Zuma and Communications Minister Ayanda Dlodlo were deliberately delaying the appointment of the SABC board to make their own appointments at the three executive positions.

Presidency spokesperson Dr Bongani Nqulunga strongly denied the allegations in a statement.

It took Zuma 11 days to appoint the five-man interim board.

JOHANNESBURG – The presidency is raising questions around an audit report, at the heart of corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma.

The lifestyle report on Zuma was headed by the same person who led the controversial Sars intelligence probe.

WATCH: Zuma appeals spy tapes ruling

The man in question, Johan van der Walt, is currently being investigated by the Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors, over his Sars report.

The presidency says it’s disappointed, but unsurprised, by the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling.

It feels he should be given a fresh opportunity to argue his case.

The court ruled the decision to drop 783 charges against Zuma, was irrational.

eNCA

JOHANNESBURG – Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba says foreign investors and agencies should not panic over political uncertainty ahead of the ANC’s December elective conference.

Gigaba was speaking on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund meeting in the US.

He said Treasury and the Reserve Bank remain solid and independent.

“We all must not really panic, but take comfort in the fact that it’s the democratic process as ANC members will express their democratic opinions,” said Gigaba.

“We will continues as Treasury to pay attention to economy growth despite political stability.

“The institutions such as Treasury, Reserve Bank and others remain solid and independent and able to carry on wit their work as they should on daily basis.”

Gigaba also said a decision is yet to be made on whether to request a loan from the International Monetary Fund to bail out state-owned entities.

“South Africa hasn’t taken a decision that we’re such a dire economic situation that we need to come to IMF to borrow any money.”

eNCA