The September 2017 Quarterly Bulletin will be released under embargo on Thursday, 14 September 2017. A media lock-up will be imposed from 07:00 to 09:00 and the embargo will lift at 10:00.
Members of the media who would like to attend should please contact Leisel Radebe on 012 313 4754 / media@resbank.co.za.
JOHANNESBURG – The ANC has filed a motion of no confidence in City of Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba.
Mashaba confirmed that the motion was filed on Wednesday. The motion will be heard during the council meeting due to take place on 26 and 27 September.
The @GautengANC ‘s relationship with the truth continues its demise. After only 13 months we’ve manage to deliver on our mandate for change pic.twitter.com/kPBL5f0Roj
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) September 7, 2017
Mashaba has been accused of xenophobia and running an inefficient administration since taking the helm of the city.
This past year, it’s been an immense privilege to serve my City and country in such a manner. This is my contribution to saving South Africa pic.twitter.com/BhJa6Wv9TH
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) August 22, 2017
But he has countered, saying his focus has been on rooting out corruption in order to ensure the city is run more efficiently.
Scores of officials have been charged with corruption and the mayor has said that the repair of city roads has markedly improved, as have plans to build informal settlements.
He claims the motion of no confidence is an attempt to derail these ongoing investigations and expresses the desperation of the former ANC leadership.
eNCA
JOHANNESBURG – Support for President Jacob Zuma has dropped “even further” as negative sentiment towards South Africa’s future remains high. A Kantar TNS survey has found.
The results of the survey released on Thursday also indicates that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is the most popular candidate to lead the African National Congress (ANC) among metro residents.
Kantar TNS said its survey found that Zuma’s performance approval rating has dropped below 20% to a new low of 18% in August 2017.
“In this latest survey, we see that only 18% of South Africans living in metropolitan areas feel that Zuma is doing a good job as President of South Africa,” said the Kantar TNS communique attributed to its director, Amien Ahmed.
The survey said in contrast, 75% of people living in metropolitan areas disagreed that Zuma is doing a good job as President, an increase of 4% since March 2017. The shift in ratings continues to head downward primarily due to worsening perceptions among Black and Coloured respondents.
As many as 68% of Black respondents do not agree that Zuma is doing a good job as President ‒ rising from 64% in March this year and 59% in February last year. A higher percentage of Coloured respondents disagree the President is doing a job rising from 89% to 96% in March this year.
On perceptions of conditions in South Africa, the survey found that overall 71% of metro South Africans believe “things have gotten worse” in the past year, compared to 14% who think “things are much the same and 11% who feel things are getting better”.
Coloured respondents, as a group, are the most pessimistic with 88% believing things have gotten worse, while White and Indian respondents have similar feelings with 82% believing things have gotten worse.
Black respondents are the least negative, with 66% believing things have gotten worse in the last year, compared to 13% who believe things have gotten better.
The Kantar TNS survey also sought to find out who is favoured as the next President of the ANC from the list of candidates made up of members who have indicated their willingness to stand for election.
“Overall, Cyril Ramaphosa is the most popular candidate with 36% of all respondents supporting him (irrespective of political affiliation), followed by Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma at 19% and Lindiwe Sisulu at 16%,” said the Kantar TNS communique.
The second omnibus study of 2017, was conducted this year between 10 and 22 August among a sample of 2,000 South African adults living in the seven major metropolitan areas.
Kantar TNS, which said the sample was representative in terms of the area, race and gender profile of Metropolitan South Africans, has been measuring public sentiment in terms of whether Zuma has been doing a good job since his inauguration as President in 2009.
African News Agency
Pretoria – Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has said that the party can no longer guarantee that it will vote with the Democratic Alliance.
Malema’s comments came after EFF’s boycott of municipal council meetings in DA-led metros which was sparked by the removal of Nelson Mandela Bay Deputy Mayor Mongameli Bobani of the United Democratic Movement through a motion of no confidence supported by the DA.
Malema, who was speaking at the University of South Africa in Pretoria after receiving his BA Honours degree in philosophy on Wednesday evening, said there were no cracks between the EFF and the DA because they had never been in a coalition.
READ: EFF warns DA not to take other opposition parties for granted
“We are not in a coalition with the DA, we have never been in a coalition with the DA,” said Malema.
“We are in a coalition with our people. If you respect our people, you will get our votes. You ill-treat our people, you disrespect them, you look down on them because you think you are a super political party, we will teach you a lesson.
“We don’t care about these metros; whether the ANC takes them, whether the DA takes them, it’s none of our business.
“We will from time to time vote based on issues on the table [but] our vote for the DA is no longer guaranteed.”
Malema added that if the ANC put a solid proposal on the table, the EFF would vote for it.
DA calls for dialogue
Last week, DA leader Mmusi Maimane said the issues between the DA, the EFF and the UDM were not insurmountable and likened the coalitions to marriage.
“Coalitions are like a marriage, you have a disagreement on one issue and that is the end of the marriage; it can’t be, you must engage. That is why we are open for dialogue, that’s why we are calling for dialogue,” said Maimane.
“I think we will continue to work, this is not an insurmountable issue, we will continue to work; we will continue delivering to the people.”
READ: DA, EFF failing to capitalise on ANC losses
Malema, however, said: “Stop talking about a divorce because there has never been a marriage.”
The DA said Bobani was removed because he was openly voting with the ANC and there were allegations that there was corruption under his leadership.
The UDM has taken the party to court to force the DA to produce evidence of Bobani’s alleged corruption.
Statement of assets and liabilities
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 August 2017.
Cape Town – Gang lords in South Africa could in future be monitored from above – by drones.
A tech savvy national intervention to intensify the squeeze on gangsterism is in the pipeline, but such intense monitoring can only be implemented if police agree with the relevant politicians.
Drones are more likely to be used by police for crowd control purposes.
However, there are drastic plans in place to try and crack down on gangsterism, which has become a countrywide problem.
READ: Police ‘confused’ over national gun probe and anti-gang law
Gang violence has recently surged in the Western Cape particularly. A 7-year-old boy was shot on Sunday, September 3, in one of the latest incidents involving children.
National plan
On Friday Deputy Police Minister Bongani Mkongi is set to visit the Cape Flats – areas outside of the Cape Town city centre which have been bearing the brunt of gang violence.
A national anti-gangsterism strategy was approved by Cabinet in February 2017.
The four basic pillars of it are: The criminal justice process, human development, social partnership and spatial design.
Details about the plan, the extent of gangsterism, and the links between provinces and organised crime, were recently revealed in Parliament. The issue of drones was also examined.
Asked if he could elaborate on this, national police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo on Wednesday told News24 he was not comfortable disclosing tactical crime-fighting details and was still sourcing information.
However, he was not able to provide a response by the time of publication.
READ: Infighting, drug clashes – here’s what is igniting Cape Town’s gang battles
Details about the anti-gang strategy are contained in a report of a meeting about the plan and other matters. News24 has a copy of the document in its possession. The meeting was held by the police portfolio committee on August 23.
Deputy national commissioner of policing Lieutenant-General Sehlahle Masemola told the meeting that gangsterism in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape was “a major cause for concern”.
Gangs in other provinces, he said, were less structured.
In KwaZulu-Natal, police had noted that gang activity, linked mainly to drug runners, was high in Chatsworth. But there were more organised gangs in Wentworth.
Gauteng is SA’s ‘drug supplier’
Masemola said that most drugs came from Gauteng and from there were supplied to the rest of SA.
However, there was less gang activity in Gauteng than in other areas, including the Western Cape.
Masemola said Crime Intelligence and Hawks officers were addressing the prevalence of gangsterism.
“There is no specific training for SAPS in terms of drugs. There is, however, on-the-job training for mainstream SAPS but that is an area which should be perhaps looked at.”
READ: Plato slams Western Cape parents over 9-year-old gangsters
Masemola said a strategy involving the rotation of officers between stations and locations including airports to try and clamp down on gangsterism and root out corruption was being developed.
Consultation with labour unions was needed for this to be implemented.
Masemola said “unconventional methods” were sometimes used successfully in investigations.
Drone surveillance
Democratic Alliance MP Zakhele Mbhele asked whether police could use drone surveillance for 24-hour monitoring of the homes of drug lords.
“A patrol car driving past intermittently allows windows of time for activities to take place in between,” the meeting record quoted him as saying.
“Smart, digital policing might be useful.”
COLUMN: Gangsterism grabs hold of girls
Mbhele said he had heard that code words, relating to crimes, were being used on social media.
He therefore also wanted to know if these forums were being monitored and whether informants were being used to crack codes.
“Currently police are used during disruptive measures, often following or monitoring suspects,” Masemola said according to the meeting report.
“It is something which will be looked at once the drones are approved.”
Facebook foiling prison gangsters
In the Eastern Cape, police were aware of gangs, including the 27s and 28s, and were dealing with members inside and outside of prisons.
Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga said to identify and quash gangs in prison, various methods, including monitoring Facebook, were used.
“If someone from within the prison is using Facebook to communicate then the prison is contacted to alert them that they must conduct a search.”
Ntshinga said the province’s gang unit was based in an operational command centre and this concept was working.
Deputy national commissioner for management interventions Lieutenant-General Gary Kruser said a private project focusing on detection was being run in the Eastern Cape.
“A system [was] implemented with intelligence, detectives and forensics working together. Every crime scene was visited by all three,” he said.
“That gang unit has achieved a 65% conviction rate…The system is working and with the use of these operation centres, this will be implemented further.”
Illicit relations
Collusion between police officers and gangsters was a reality, the meeting heard, and gang leaders often made it difficult to uncover this link.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lesetja Mothiba, according to the meeting report, said there had been several arrests and convictions for collusion by police.
“These investigations take a long time as colluding SAPS members can assist gangs both directly and indirectly,” the meeting record quoted him as saying.
“There are briefings from both the Hawks and crime intelligence… [Mothiba] indicated that they are not happy with the degree of success that is being made.”
CAPE TOWN – A woman drowned in the sea near Camps Bay in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon, paramedics said.
At about 5pm, paramedics from ER24 arrived on the scene where they found bystanders performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the woman, ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak said.
She was placed on life support and rushed to New Somerset Hospital while paramedics continued to perform CPR. “Sadly, she died shortly after arriving at hospital.” The circumstances surrounding the incident were not yet known, Vermaak said.
African News Agency
JOHANNESBURG – Well-known businessman and socialite Kenny Kunene said he has been shot at in an apparent attempted hit in Johannesburg.
Kunene has told eNCA that he was travelling on Corlett Drive when a white vehicle pulled up in front of him and the occupants began shooting at his car.
He was travelling with a passenger. Both of them were shaken but unhurt. Kunene said he would open a case at the Bramley police station.
Kunene has been outspoken about his support for Sunday Independent editor Steven Motale.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa attempted a court interdict to stop the newspaper publishing stories on his private life. Motale said he had received death threats.
Kunene has also published stories about the so-called Ramaphosa email leaks on his website called the Weekly Xposé.
eNCA
Durban – EFF leader Julius Malema on Tuesday said he would attend the funeral of former ANC Youth League (ANCYL) secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa on condition that a “thorough security assessment” is done beforehand to ensure that his life is not taken by “bloodthirsty murderers”.
In a statement, Malema said he recently missed a funeral because of threats made on his life.
“We never fear death, but no one takes our life. As revolutionaries, we give our lives to the struggle, and if needs be, we shall pay with our lives, but not under the conditions chosen by hostile forces.”
Malema said he wanted to attend the funeral to pay his respects and find peace after the trauma he had suffered following the news of Magaqa’s death.
Also read: Former ANCYL SG dies after being shot in ‘ambush’
Malema said he was on his way back from a meeting when he received news of Magaqa’s passing.
“The phone call carrying this sad news was brief and to the point, yet it froze my entire body in shock to the point of inevitable and unending tears,” Malema said.
“I could not withhold my tears, which uncontrollably kept showering my face. The last time a shadow of death overcame my heart in such a manner it was on the occasion of the passing of my mother.”
Malema said he was “shocked” to receive an invitation from the KwaZulu-Natal ANCYL to Magaqa’a funeral.
“I do not know of anywhere in our traditions where people get invited to funerals.”
Date for funeral not yet set
ANCYL secretary-general Njabulo Nzuza told News24 that no invitations to the funeral were issued.
“People who seek to attend funerals never attend on an invite,” Nzuza said. He said Malema’s claim that he had received an invitation was a publicity stunt.
Nzuza said a date for Magaqa’s funeral hadn’t been set yet.
Magaqa, a ward councillor in Umzimkhulu in southern KwaZulu-Natal, died at the Albert Luthuli Hospital in Durban on Monday from gunshot wounds he sustained in a suspected ambush in July. He was 35 years old.
Magaqa and two other Umzimkhulu ANC councillors were shot on July 13 while on their way back from an ANC meeting, KwaZulu-Natal community safety MEC Mxolisi Kaunda said in July.
“As the victims arrived at the bus stop, they were attacked by unknown assailants who were armed with rifles. They sustained serious injuries after the suspects unleashed a hail of bullets at their car,” Kaunda said.
Kaunda said two councillors and a former councillor from the same municipality had been shot dead within four months.
In April, Harry Gwala ANC region deputy secretary and Umzimkhulu municipality speaker Khaya Thobela was shot dead. In May, former Umzimkhulu councillor and branch leader Khaya Mgcwaba was gunned down.
Later that month, Mduduzi Tshibase‚ a teacher and Umzimkhulu councillor, was killed at his home in Umzimkhulu.
Political analysts who testified at the Moerane Commission into political killings in KwaZulu-Natal said most killings were related to competition over political positions. In October last year, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu announced that he was setting up the Moerane Commission following a spate of political killings in the province.