DURBAN – President Jacob Zuma will address a rally in Nquthu, KwaZulu-Natal as the ANC’s elective conference looms large.
Nquthu Local Municipality is due to hold by-elections on May 24, since the hotly contested region area has had no administration since August’s local government elections.
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CAPE TOWN – Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti says expropriation of land from white farmers without paying compensation is not ANC policy.
He says the party is unlikely to adopt the proposal at the party’s policy conference in June. The EFF has come out strongly, criticising the ANC for failing to speed up land redistribution.
Nkwinti delivered his 2017/2018 budget vote in Parliament on Friday.
“There’s no policy of the ANC in any of the conferences of the ANC that speaks of expropriation of land without compensation,” he said.
“I have categorised these calls as aspirational we are going to a policy conference in June, I have not seen it talking about this matter.”
Opposition parties had mixed reactions.
The department has a R10-billion budget for the 2017/2018 financial year and says it will use the bulk to speed up land redistribution by giving more teeth to the National Land Claims Commission.
“This is why now we are talking about turning the land claims commission into a Chapter 9 institution,” said Nkwinti.
Nkwinti says they’re working on legislation to fast- track this.
Johannesburg – South Africa’s materialistic children are unable to see when they are being abused, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini said on Friday.
“Our children are growing up in a different time than we did. They love money. Our children are materialistic. Our children can’t see when they are being abused psychologically, emotionally.
“Once someone abuses you emotionally, they break you. You are finished. It lowers your confidence,” Dlamini said at the funeral of Karabo Mokoena in Diepkloof on Friday morning.
Dlamini, who is also the African National Congress Women’s League president, said men had to be told that the violence against women and children had to end.
She said minimum sentences for such crimes were too lenient and could easily be manipulated. The fact that Mokoena’s alleged killer, Sandile Mantsoe, claimed to have a good relationship with and love for God could be used to get him a lesser sentence, or early parole, she said.
Mokoena’s burnt body was found in Lyndhurst, Johannesburg, on April 29. Mantsoe allegedly physically abused her. She had opened an assault case against him.
Dlamini said she was against the use of the hashtag MenAreTrash on Twitter.
“But those who are not trash must stand up and say: ‘Not in our name,'” she said to applause and cheers.
The speakers agreed the hashtag was both prophetic and divisive, but would only lead to a generation of “trash men”.
Dlamini said statistics on the number of women killed by men in SA were indications of femicide in the country. She recounted the abuse, assaults, rapes, and killings of black lesbians in townships.
Minister in the Presidency for Women, Susan Shabangu, spoke about some of the horrific experiences of women and children at the hands of men, sometimes men they trusted.
The theme of men protecting women had been fuelled by several recent attacks on and murders of women and children. This was not the freedom many had fought for.
Women’s anger at men was justified. Women and children no longer felt safe in the streets, or at home, she said.
Bothaville – If the drought continues unabated, it could see more farmers close shop, CEO of Free State Agriculture, Henk Vermeulen, said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Free State Agriculture stand at the Nampo Harvest Day festival in Bothaville, Vermeulen said the drought had had a severe impact on the farming community, especially in the Free State.
“We are very glad for the rain that has come, and the current situation. But as a result of the drought, the position of farmers has deteriorated in terms of their financial position, especially if you look at the amount of cattle that has had to be sold as a result of the drought.
“Now there is a shortage of cattle and sheep, to such an extent that the person who is buying meat is going to pay the price now.”
Vermeulen said he also believed that government’s assistance had come a little too late.
“It did not come quick enough, and this is the exactly the result. People on the streets are paying the price for all the cattle and the sheep that has been slaughtered because there was no grazing for them.”
He said the province had also seen a shortage of maize.
“As a result of that, a lot of people that were feeding chickens could not pay the price of the high maize price that was instituted because of the shortage.”
He said what further perpetuated the situation was “the dumping of chickens in South Africa from Europe”.
“It was so difficult that a lot of people had to close down. Those are the effects of the drought.”
‘Input costs rising, prices are down’
He said when one looked at the input costs of a farmer, the debt carried over to next year.
“It will cost him about R4m to R5m on a small farm just to get the input costs, and if you do not get any rain you have got nothing, you are stuck with a debt of R3m, so there are a lot of people whose financial position is in dire straits.
“Some farmers could arrange to carry on this year. It looks good, but the prices are down… The drought is an extremely difficult thing for the farmers.
“It will take, for certain veld, four to five years to restore. It looks good from the road, the grass is high, but when you go close to look at what type of grass it is, you will find that it is not quality grass.”
Vermeulen said the country needed to analyse the drought situation.
“We need to look at the warning systems, we are not in an African country where there is a lot of water. This is extremely difficult, but you know that farmers are extremely hopeful beings, we carry on in hope that everything will be fine. We know that the Western Cape is in a difficult position, similar to that which we were in last year, so we are happy to be in a better position, right now.”
If the drought continued, Vermeulen said more farmers would leave the industry.
“Farming will not be profitable anymore, it in itself is not really profitable… The input costs are rising, but the prices are down. A lot of people do not understand the mechanics of farming, it is not always good times, there are also bad times.”
‘If the farmers close down, then the towns close down’
Vermeulen said many farmers had to stop farming because they could not take the financial burden anymore.
“Insurance companies refused to ensure certain crops in certain areas because it was too risky.”
He said many emerging farmers went out of business because they also could not handle the effects of the drought.
“Their cattle died and there was no grazing and there was no assistance. We are a little bit scared for this coming year because it will take the farmers about four to five years, good years, to restore, otherwise, a few more others will move out.”
Vermeulen said this had a negative effect on food security.
“South Africa is perhaps the only country that has a farming community that is not being subsidised by the government. All the other governments around the world are protecting their farmers and their crops, making sure that they are on their farms.”
He said South Africa needed to consider subsidising farmers.
“On the one side, we need new entrants, but do not bring in a new entrant if they are not going to survive. On the other hand, if there are guys that are doing well, keep them there, in terms of food security.”
He said the drought did not only affect the farmers but the neighbouring rural communities and towns that depended on farmers.
“If the farmers close down, then the towns close down,” said Vermeulen.
Cape Town – The man accused of killing three-year-old Courtney Pieters should die in jail, Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula said on Thursday.
“He is defended by the law and the child is burned. And we know nothing will bring Courtney back,” Mbalula said.
“Hierdie (verdagte) moordernaar moet in die prison sterf [This alleged murderer must die in prison],” he said at a memorial service for Pieters in the Elsies River Civic Centre.
Pieters was last seen alive on May 4. Her body was found in a shallow grave next to unused railroad tracks in Epping Industria on Saturday afternoon.
The civic centre was filled to capacity with roughly 800 community members. Outside the building, community members peaked through open doors to try and hear what was being said inside.
Mbalula said the South African society is sick because of murders such as this taking place.
“The person doing this to your child could be your uncle, your friend your brother. We are a sick society, ons is baie siek,” he said.
During a visit to the Pieters’ family home on Thursday afternoon, President Jacob Zuma criticised the response of police to Pieters’ murder.
Better policing promised
Mbalula on Thursday evening promised that policing will be improved in the area.
“I want to say to you the people of Elsies River, the police station in Elsies River will never be the same again,” he said to cheers from the audience.
He promised that a satellite police station will be built in the area.
“We will make it unbearable wherever they are. Their lives must not be easy,” Mbalula said.
“We serve our people; it is not a favour, it is our job.”
Western Cape social development MEC Albert Fritz echoed Mbalula’s statements, saying police should always be ready to help communities.
“When we come to the police station with a case, please whether we are poor, acknowledge us, take up our concerns,” he said.
‘Organise’
Fritz said organised communities will combat violence against women and children.
“You know, during the 1980’s, at the height of the uprisings, when people stood up against apartheid, the gangsters disappeared because we the people were organised, the people were united,” he said.
Mortimer Saunders was arrested on Sunday evening for Pieters’ murder. He is accused of raping her twice before killing her. He is believed to have rented a room in Pieters’ family home.
Members of Courtney’s family, Aaron Fourie, Andrea and Juanita Pieters (Courtney’s mother), at the memorial service. (Romantha Botha, Netwerk24)
Ward councillor Charles Esau said Pieters’ death brought the world to a standstill.
“Courtney’s death brought us together. Courtney was not a child that came out of a mansion. She did not travel in luxurious cars; she came out of an ordinary family,” he said.
“Courtney’s death brought unity to Elsies River, I want to tell you for an ordinary child that was not well known in the community, this world – not this country – but this world was brought to a halt by her.”
Monument
He said a monument should be erected in her honour.
“I want to tell you that we have to erect monuments for Courtney. We have to erect monuments there where people that still want to do this can look at the monuments and say ‘we won’t do it’,” Esau told the audience.
Community member Damian Koetzee agreed with Esau, saying naming public property after her will help spread awareness.
“Our children can then write essays over the issue of Courtney so that our history and legacy of Courtney is not forgotten,” he said.
Trauma counsellor Wilde van Reenen told the audience that 65 family members have been counselled in the Western Cape since January for family violence.
“We cannot continue counselling, and debriefing, and waiting for the next child to die. We refuse to do that. We refuse to see our mothers go out in search parties, to look for children when they should be at home for their own children,” she said.
Van Reenen said they are in talks with Western Cape Premier Helen Zille to establish a commission of enquiry into the safety of children in communities.
“How do we prevent another Courtney, how do we prevent another memorial?” she ended her speech.
JOHANNESBURG – General Motors’ announcement on Thursday, that it was withdrawing its manufacturing facilities from the South African market is a vote of no confidence in government’s leadership of the economy, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said.
DA’s spokesperson on trade and industry, Geordin Hill-Lewis, said GM’s withdrawal was just one of a growing list of foreign investors who are losing confidence in South Africa’s struggling economy.
“The DA will now write to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, to call on him to act decisively in order to prevent further potential job losses as a result of foreign investors pulling out of the country’s automotive sector,” Hill-Lewis said in a statement.
“The DA will also request that the Minister report back to Parliament on what the specific reasons are for GM deciding to withdraw from South Africa, and possible solutions to bring this concerning trend to an end.”
According to General Motors (GM) South Africa (Pty), it is withdrawing because the South Africa can no longer “provide GM with the expected returns of other global investment opportunities”.
As a result, production and sales of all Chevrolet models will cease, and Isuzu will take over the firm’s operations in Port Elizabeth. Isuzu will also be taking over the parts centre because it will be manufacturing trucks and commercial vehicles.
GM currently employs 2,000 South Africans at its plant in Port Elizabeth, their withdrawal is likely to threaten the livelihoods of these workers.
Hill-Lewis said government had failed to create a climate conducive to attracting investment but was going out of its way to chase investment away.
“The Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba has failed to strengthen investor confidence in our economy,” Hill-Lewis said.
“The captured and ineffectual [African National Congress] ANC government with its empty slogans have completely destroyed our economic prospects, and ordinary South Africans, particularly the poor and vulnerable, are left to bear the brunt.”
Meanwhile, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said it was “shocked at the news” that GM intends to pull the plug on its operations in South Africa, saying that there was no consultation with the union.
Davies on Thursday said he has learnt of the announcement by General Motors (GM) South Africa (Pty)Ltd to cease some of their operations in South Africa with “regret and concern”.
