Category Archives: South African News

News24.com | Sanef vs BLF: Battle for media freedom

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Johannesburg – In the battle for media freedom it was a war of words when journalists faced off with the leaders of the “political party” Black First Land First (BLF).

The two groups met at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Thursday morning where the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) had lodged an urgent interdict against BLF and its leader Andile Mngxitama.

The case was before Judge Corrie van der Westhuizen.

Sanef wants BLF to stop harassing, intimidating, assaulting and threatening journalists.

The court room was packed with veteran journalists including Ferial Haffajee, Sanef chairperson Mahlatse Gallens, News24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson, News24 investigating reporter Pieter-Louis Myburgh and political analyst Karima Brown.

AS IT HAPPENED: Sanef successfully makes case for urgency in BLF matter

Heckling, laughing

Supporters of BLF were constantly heckling and laughing during court proceedings.

Arguments intensified in court as both sides argued for and against media freedom.

Tembeka Ngcukaitobi representing Sanef argued that BLF wanted to tell journalists what to write.

He told the court that criticism of journalism should happen on journalistic platforms, not through physical attacks.

Ngcukaitobi also argued that no one was allowed to assault journalists irrespective of what they write about the Gupta family or President Jacob Zuma.

“Stop them from committing crimes… we don’t know how this can aggravate further,” he said.

He also told the court that was allegedly assaulted by BLF in the presence of the police. She was later blamed by the police for provoking BLF.

But Brandon Tshabangu, for BLF and Mngxitama, said when Brown was allegedly assaulted she should have gone to the police and not to the courts.

‘White judge’

He also said following “racist” journalists home was allowed, but Judge Van der Westhuizen said journalists are individuals at their homes.

Tshabangu argued that freedom of expression does not only apply to journalists and that it was also about BLF’s freedom to air views.

Judgment was reserved until Friday July 7 at 12:00.

Following court proceedings, Mngxitama told reporters outside court that their fate was now “in a white judge”.

“As Black First Land First we do not have any trust in any white person,” he said.

Meanwhile, pastor Nonqaba Mosunkutu, who came to support journalists in court told News24 that she sat and watched as Brown was insulted by one of the BLF members during court proceedings.

“I am here to support the journalists – we cannot afford the harassment of individual journalists, more especially at their private homes.

“I must say that journalists are doing well. They write what they are supposed to write because they are professional in any case,” Mosunkutu said.

Brown confirmed to News24 a woman tried to intimidate her in court as she “put her foot on the bench and her foot kept on pressing into my back”.

She said the woman verbally attacked her.

eNCA | SA’s image tainted by failure to arrest Al-Bashir

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JOHANNESBURG – Senior Researcher at eNCA, Angelo Fick says the ICC judgment on South Africa’s failure to arrest Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir has tainted the country’s image.

“It’s set a precedence in international law, because it now says there’s a precedence that states cannot simply flout international law by lifting immunities and its selective reading of the legal obligations because they’re not just customary as the minority held, but also treaty based and here South Africa’s position in international law is really in question because we continue to cite ourselves as this country with a moral stature- that we’re the state that abides by the law,” says Fick.

“The question now is, if we’ve now been found to have flouted international law, what does that put us in company with” South Africa will now be in the company of states which violate international law and will not cooperate with the ICC…So to what extent can South Africa hold on to its status as an international moral abettor if it continues to be counted among those who don’t abide by the very legal statues that it signs?”

On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled that South-Africa should have arrested Al-Bashir, who is wanted in relation to war crimes, and that the country’s defense that he had diplomatic immunity as a head of state was without basis and against the spirit and wording of the Rome Statute.

The South African government responded with a statement saying it” will study the ruling and its implications and seek legal opinion on available options.” It specifically noted the decision by the court not to refer the matter to the United Nations (UN) security council, but added “in the meantime, South Africa reiterates its total commitment to the principles of international justice.”

Department of International Relations’s Clayson Monyela tweeted his relief at the fact that, effectively, there would be no consequences to South Africa flouting international law.

Amnesty International released a statement saying the ruling was expected, and “confirms what everyone, including South African authorities, knew all along. Al-Bashir does not have immunity from arrest and all states parties to the Rome Statute must arrest him the minute he steps onto their territory and hand him over to the ICC.”

It added: “It is shocking that other states parties such as Jordan are also failing in their obligations to arrest Al-Bashir and this decision makes it clear that they do so in flagrant violation of international law.

“South Africa breached its international and domestic legal obligations when it failed to arrest Al-Bashir. No state should follow this example. There must be no impunity for crimes under international law. By failing to execute the ICC’s warrant against Al-Bashir, South African authorities took away a major opportunity from victims to achieve justice. What’s most important now is such shameful failure is never repeated. South Africa must now put its weight behind international justice which faces increasing global challenges.”

eNCA

eNCA | Twitter tells Miss SA no glove, no love

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JOHANNESBURG – Twitter was relentless in it’s mocking of Miss South Africa, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, for wearing surgical gloves while handling out food at a children’s home in Soweto. 

On Thursday, #MissSAchallenge was trending above topical news like the memorial service of SABC 8 journalist, Suna Venter, as well as the ICC’s ruling that South Africa should have arrested Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted in connection with war crimes, when he entered the country.

Nel-Peters was volunteering at a children’s home in Soweto and was shown wearing medical gloves while handing out soup and bread. She says she wore gloves to be hygienic when handling food.

Twitter was having none of it though. 

A small number of Twitter users spoke out in Miss SA’s defence.

In other photos, Nel-Peters seen without gloves, while handing out towels and interacting with the children.

eNCA

News24.com | Personal assistant admits to stealing R500k from her boss

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Port Elizabeth – A 51-year-old personal assistant has admitted to stealing more than R500 000 from her employer, which she spent on a Cape Town holiday, buying Australian dollars and repairs to her and her ex’s cars.

Signet Cindy Ferry on Tuesday admitted guilt in the Commercial Crimes Court in Port Elizabeth on charges that she stole a total of R556 928.15 from her employer, Netwerk24 reported.

Ferry, who was arrested last week, stole money from John Veltman and his company Sea Shadow Trade and Investment on several occasions between October 28, 2010 and May 28. She started working as Veltman’s personal assistant in 2002.

In her plea Ferry says:

“I used the money for, among others, the purpose of:

* Payments into my personal bank accounts;

* Payments on my Woolworths credit card account;

* To pay for repairs to my own vehicle and that of my former boyfriend, Leigh Shepherd;

* To pay my domestic worker’s monthly salary;

* Payment for paint, paint work, aluminium window frames, built-in cupboards, burglar bars, Trellidor gates and other construction on Mr Leigh Shepherd’s house;

* Paying for my personal accommodation during a Cape Town holiday;

* To top up my salary;

* To buy foreign currency, especially Australian dollars;

* To pay for fuel for my private vehicle;

* For financing the sending of international items to Kelsey Shepherd, Leigh Shepherd’s daughter, as well as Lauren Ferry, my own daughter; and

* Using blank cheques of Sea Shadow Trade and Invest – trading as N&S Projects – which Mr Veltman had signed for business emergencies and payments, to deposit money into my own bank accounts.”

As Veltman’s personal assistant, Ferry’s duties included bookkeeping and handling bank transactions.

“In my capacity as personal assistant, I had access to all the internet passwords, the Nedbank internet passwords of the business account as well as Mr Veltman’s personal account.”

Ferry added that she stole the money from both Veltman and the business’ accounts.

She will be sentenced on August 4.

eNCA | Police hunt for two suspects after Cape Town ‘hostage’ situation

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CAPE TOWN – Police on Wednesday confirmed they were searching for two armed suspects who held up a Cash Crusaders store in the Cape Town CBD, leading to a shutdown of a large part of the city centre amid fears of a hostage situation.

READ: Four men killed in shootout with police on N12 near Benoni

Cape Town police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said officers were investigating the circumstances surrounding a business robbery at the store on the corner of Strand and Loop Streets just before midday.

“According to available information, two suspects entered the premises, threatened employees with a firearm and a knife, and ordered them to go to the back of the store,” Rwexana said. “The suspects fled the scene with a cellphone. No injuries were reported. The investigation continues.”

Police task force members had earlier entered the store where an apparent hostage situation had developed, but left a short while later as it appeared that the armed robbers had already left.

Crime scene experts then went inside.

Police on the scene confirmed no arrests had been made inside the store.

Firefighters were later called when smoke was seen in the shop, though it was unclear what the source of the smoke was.

African News Agency

News24.com | LIVE: Zuma calls for two ANC deputy presidents

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2017-07-05 09:30

The six-day policy conference which the ANC had punted as a platform for deepening unity and vigorous debate, draws to an end with President Jacob Zuma’s closing address to wrap up proceedings.

For the latest updates straight from the ANC Policy Conference, follow News24 reporters: 

 – Tshidi Madia: @tshidi_lee 

 – Mahlatse Gallens: @hlatseentle 

 – Mpho Raborife: @MsRaborife 

 – Lizeka Tandwa: @lizTandwa 

LIVE NEWS FEED

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eNCA | Focus on vulnerable groups at ANC social transformation commission

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JOHANNESBURG – Issues around women, children and marginalised groups dominated discussions by the social transformation commission at the ANC’s National Policy Conference (NPC).

Speaking at a media feedback session, the party’s social transformation chair Lindiwe Sisulu said the party wanted to rebuild the social fabric of society.

The party believed this was possible through harsher prison sentences and by improving legislation to protect vulnerable groups, including women, children, the LGBTI community and people living with albinism. 

The establishment of special children’s courts was suggested. 

“An example was made of how children will go to court and their cases are postponed and six months later they have to relive the experience of having been violated.

“We believe that this isn’t good and we’d like to urge the justice sector to ensure that violence against children be prioritised.”

Sisulu said that after analysing the phenomenon of domestic violence, it became clear the matter was beyond the reach of the country’s law enforcement agencies.

“They (women) report this (violence) and soon thereafter are back in the same fold, and it’s a recurring crime.

“We’d like to find that we have other ways of dealing with this matter where women are empowered to stand up and ensure that they’re able to look after their children and protect their children. Which is why we want to make sure we can ensure a greater number of women in our community policing forums.”

Some committee members raised the issue of free sanitary towels, amid recent debates on why condoms were provided to the public for free, but sanitary towels were not. 

Sisulu said feminine hygiene projects should be free for school pupils. 

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Buti Manamela added that the free distribution of condoms could not be compared to sanitary towels. She said the focus of condom distribution was to ensure safe sexual activity.

“We’ve resolved that the state should provide free sanitary towels. But we think that (comparing condom distribution to providing free sanitary towels) stereotypes the availability of free condoms wherever they are available to men – that there are condoms for boys or men, whereas condoms are used for the protection of those involved in sexual activity.”

One thing the commission could not agree on was a suggestion by the ANC in Gauteng for the decriminalisation of sex work. 

eNCA

News24.com | Divisions over ANC leadership race deepen

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Johannesburg – Divisions in the ANC leadership contest over how to manage the succession battle for the positions of president and deputy president have deepened.

This has emerged on the sidelines of the ANC’s national policy conference underway in Nasrec, where delegates are lobbying each other ahead of the hotly-contested December elective conference.

The ANC Youth League and the Northern Cape ANC have rejected KwaZulu-Natal’s proposal for the loser of the presidential race to automatically become deputy president.

The party’s biggest province made the proposal in an attempt to end slate politics that have fractured the party, leading to splinter groups.

“We must not go for slate politics, we must accommodate each other, if there is a strong view that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa must be president, let them contest each other, but the loser becomes deputy president, minimising a situation where we have victors and vanquished,” ANC KwaZulu-Natal leader Sihle Zikalala said.

ALSO READ: Dlamini-Zuma strolling alone to presidency – ANCYL KZN

Everyone must be accommodated, so that we don’t have people leaving the conference bitter, he said.

The Northern Cape has labelled the proposal “excitement” over succession talks. The National Executive Committee delegated provincial chairpersons and secretaries to start talks on the leadership battle, in an attempt to minimise fallouts after the conference.

ANC Northern Cape chairperson Zamani Saul said the proposal takes away the powers of the branches to decide who should lead the party, and leaders are appropriating the right to choose ANC leadership.

But the proposal has been rejected by both the Northern Cape and ANCYL in KwaZulu-Natal and nationally.

“We can’t come up with such a proposal, putting up leadership by arrangement. ANC branches will nominate who they want and go to conference to elect; you will be eroding the very essence of democratic contestation of ANC leadership,” Saul said.

Remove the ‘kingmaker syndrome’

The ANCYL said the political arrangement would reduce the ANC to a “chieftainship” and would be a violation of the party’s constitution that says every position must be contested, ANCYL president Collen Maine told News24.

“So it’s not going to be automatic, this means if there are four candidates losing should they then all four be deputy presidents?

“As it stands, we’ve got our top seven and we stand by that because nobody has persuaded us otherwise thus far,” Maine said.

The ANCYL has nominated Dlamini-Zuma for president, with Mpumalanga chairperson David Mabuza as deputy.

But the KZN proposal received support from the Eastern Cape, the second largest ANC province. Provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said it would remove the “kingmaker syndrome” and factionalism.

ALSO READ: ANC leadership united at conference – Zuma

Mabuyane said the economic transformation commission had already begun debating the proposal.

“I once raised the issue myself in one of the NEC meetings, saying when we grew up in the ANC structures, at some point you had that system. When two people are contesting each other, the one who loses becomes a deputy.”

He said that the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal had perfected the system and the idea was not “far-fetched”.

“We are really trying to come up with practical solutions to deal directly with issues of slates. As long as ANC is unable to deal with slates, the ANC will continue being plunged into crisis after crisis… We are all busy looking for a permanent panacea to the organisational challenge that we have.”

Mabuyane added that he did not see any issues with the proposal, as the two presidential hopefuls Dlamini-Zuma and Ramaphosa had worked together in the past.

‘ANC a voluntary organisation’

“We want to have a collective leadership of the ANC. These people have worked together for a very [long] period.”

We should not allow for people to have proxy battles around the leadership of the ANC, he said.

“The leadership of the ANC are not representatives of certain individuals. The national leadership has a responsibility to oversee the entire organisation. As long as people are nominated at that level that simply tells that they are competent to lead the ANC, so it’s not a bad idea.”

But the ANCYL in KwaZulu-Natal said unity cannot be built through positions, but should be by policy proposals adopted at the conference.

“ANC is a voluntary organisation; everyone is a volunteer here, you are not entitled to be a president or deputy president,” provincial secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo said.

ALSO READ: Sparks fly at heated ANC policy conference

He said they are yet to be persuaded to change their leadership preferences.

The ANCYL’s other preferred leaders are Free State Premier Ace Magashule as the secretary general, Jessie Duarte as the first deputy secretary general, Fikile Mbalula as the second deputy secretary general, Nathi Mthethwa as the chairperson and Maite Nkoana-Mashabane as the treasurer general.

Free State Provincial Executive Committee treasurer Mosebenzi Zwane said he was confident that the candidate his province announces will become president.

The province is yet to announce its preferred leadership to succeed President Jacob Zuma, but they are widely expected to back Dlamini-Zuma.

“If you ask me this question in September, I will be able to properly respond. What I know is that ANC is dynamic, it will find a way in that dynamism. We will also allow branches to speak. Once we have spoken, the candidate will be president,” he said confidently.

WATCH: Power can be taken away from us – Mbalula

eNCA | Human Rights Commission slams BLF for intimidating journalists

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CAPE TOWN – The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Monday expressed “grave concern” at the intimidation of journalists by the Black First Land First (BLF) movement.

Some BLF members, whose group was reportedly funded by the Gupta family, marched to Peter Bruce’s house in Johannesburg last week, demanding that he stop writing about the family. 

Bruce is the editor-at-large of Tiso Blackstar, formerly Times Media which owns Times Live, and a former editor-in-chief of Business Day.

When Business Day editor Tim Cohen arrived at Bruce’s house to show his support, he was reportedly manhandled by the angry mob.

The BLF issued a statement in which it listed other white journalists whom it said were next on their target list.

WATCH: Open Democracy Advice Centre accuses BLF of violence

The list included EyeWitness News’ Stephen Grootes and Barry Bateman, amaBhungane’s Sam Sole, and News24 columnist Max du Preez.

In a statement, the SAHRC condemned threats by the BLF to protest at the homes and places of worship of members of the media.

READ: Mbalula condemns BLF attacks on journalists, promises arrests

“A free press is a cornerstone of our constitutional democracy.  Any attempt to threaten or intimidate the media is an attack on our democracy and is a violation of our Constitution,” the commission said.

“Further, section 15 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, belief and opinion. 

“As such, threats by BFLF to protest at places of worship of members of the media, is an infringement of this right.”

The SAHRC called on BLF to respect the “media’s right to operate without fear or favour, and to immediately stop intimidating and harassing journalists.”

African News Agency