Category Archives: Sowetan

Shack fire leaves 6 000 people homeless in Masiphumelele, Fish Hoek

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http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2011/05/03/cape-fire-wreaks-havoc

Cape fire wreaks havoc
03-May-2011 | Elvis Nyelenzi

ABOUT 6,000 residents of Cape Town were left homeless when a fire swept through their informal settlement on Sunday night destroying shacks

The residents of Masiphumelele, near Fish Hoek, said it was one of the worst fires they had ever experienced.

One person was burnt beyond recognition, while another sustained serious burns.

Community leader Mpilikhaya Nyumbana told Sowetan that half the shacks and houses in the area had been wiped out by the eight-hour blaze.

“The fire started at 11pm on Sunday night. Nobody knows how it started because it started at the back of a wetland in those bushes,” Nyumbana said.

“It is so wet there that we can’t understand how a fire started.”

He said 30 fire engines had tried to put out the blaze, but did not succeed.

“It blazed until 7am today (Monday). We found one dead person underneath a shack and we don’t know who it is.

“Nobody can tell if it was a man or a woman,” a distressed Nyumbana said.

ANC provincial chairperson Songezo Mjongile slammed the DA over the fire, saying because Masiphumelele did not have an internal road the fire engines had been unable to drive between the shacks and stop the fire.

“This is a catastrophe. It looks like Kosovo here. The worst part is that at 2am the fire had not yet reached the shacks and it could have been put out if there was a road for the fire engines to pass,” Mjongile said.

Social development MEC Patricia de Lille agreed that the fire spread because the fire engines could not get into the densely populated area, but accused the ANC of playing politics.

She said at a public meeting yesterday that the city would help the residents rebuild their shacks and allow for fire breaks in between the houses.

Mother of three children, Nomveliso Mziba, had been given four wooden poles and four pieces of zinc by her friends and had started rebuilding her shack early yesterday morning.

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/homeless-fire-victims-refuse-to-move-1.1063463

Homeless fire victims refuse to move

May 3 2011 at 10:00am
By Sandiso Phaliso

Residents whose shacks were burnt to the ground in Masiphumelele on Monday refused to move to alternative land while the City of Cape Town levelled the area before they rebuilt their shacks.

The City asked residents to wait before rebuilding their shacks so the informal settlement could have some sort of street system to enable emergency services to move freely in case of another fire.

Emergency services could not get to the fire because of the density of the informal settlement.

After inspecting the fire, Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato told a gathering of local community leaders that only 600 shacks could be accommodated in the area and that alternative land would be provided to others.

This sparked anger among some residents, who wanted to know what criteria would be used to identify the 600.

The residents wanted Plato to order that those who were not among the 600 be allowed to place their shacks on an open space adjacent to where the fire occurred.

“We will discuss that later,” Plato said but residents said they wanted answers immediately.

Akhona Mangaliso, 42, said the “people are refusing to stop rebuilding their shacks unless Mayor Plato gives them surety that they have a right to use the open land”.

Mangaliso said people were afraid the city might destroy their shacks if there was no written land-usage agreement.

Resident Nobesuthu Mntuyedwa, 45, who lost everything in the fire, said she hoped to be part of the first 600.

“The other land would take longer because we have to wait for the government to approve it first. If I wait, where would my children stay?

City risk disaster management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said: “Despite the request by the city to clear and level the site before construction commences, the community proceeded with the erection of structures.

”This has hampered the recovery operations and the layout for emergency vehicular access routes within the informal settlement following the fire.” – Cape Times

Sowetan: Tatane’s death underlines need for government to deliver

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http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/columnists/2011/04/19/tatane-s-death-underlines-need-for-government-to-deliver

Tatane’s death underlines need for government to deliver

19-Apr-2011 | Bolekaja – Andile Mngxitama | 60 comments

“THE ANC government brutally murdered a peaceful martyr for social justice, Andries Tatane, on April 12 2011 in Ficksburg.

“The ANC government is responsible for Tatane’s harrowing death in the same way that the Nationalist Party government was responsible for the murder of Steve Biko,”reads the press statement issued by the September National Imbizo (SNI).

The SNI is a non-aligned movement for social justice.

The media, commentators, opposition parties and government are united in reducing Tatane’s murder to a matter of bad policing, thereby restricting responsibility to the six rogue policemen we saw assault and allegedly shoot Tatane.

This line of thought, deliberately or otherwise, hides the truth that Tatane was killed by government forces as a result of the government’s failure to deliver.

We can’t blame the police officers who have been hired to suppress people’s struggles. Almost a thousand people a year have been killed in police action since 1994.

Tatane is now a symbol of the injustices of our 17-year democracy.

Like Jesus Christ, who was murdered by evil authorities at 33 years, Tatane was also murdered at 33 by a government that has lost its capacity to listen to the people, while it creates heaven on earth for the politically connected few.

If you take the picture of Tatane’s lifeless body in the arms of his comrade and put it next to the picture of Hector Pieterson’s limp body in the arms of Mbuyisa, a striking similarity emerges.

Hector Pieterson was the symbol of the 1976 uprising in the same way that Tatane is the symbol of service delivery struggles today.

Locating Tatane among the South African great heroes the SNI also said: “(Tatane) could have chosen to pursue a career and not care for the community, but he did not.

“He could have joined the ANC and got tenders, he did not.

“He could have become a businessman and made money for himself and his family, but he did not. He could have sat and watched with indifference as his community was marginalised further by the ANC government, but yet again Tatane chose his community over his own interests.

“Like Biko he was prepared to die because he knew that ‘You are either alive or proud or you are dead’ as Biko said.

“Tatane chose to be alive and proud and stood for the dignity of his community! ”

The SNI will join Pastor Xola Skosana of the Way of Life Church, in the “Welcome to Hell: South African Townships”, march through the townships and squatter camps of Cape Town on April 23.

The march seeks to highlight the hellish state of services in townships.

The SNI will also launch its Politicians and Public Servants Use Public Services campaign in honour of Tatane.

The main demand of the campaign is that all public servants, from the president to the councillor, from the director-general to the street sweeper, must themselves and their families use public services by law; mainly schools, hospitals, transport and housing.

This campaign seems to be a fitting tribute to the memory of Tatane, the gallant fighter!

Protests in Zandspruit

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IOL have some pictures here.

http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE72T33Z20110330

South African police fire rubber bullets at protesters

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African police fired rubber bullets Wednesday at protesters in a shanty settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg demanding better living conditions.

The demonstrations come less than two months before local elections and point towards grassroots discontent among impoverished black voters towards the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

“The problem we have is with the councillor,” said one protester, who gave his name as Max. “We have been waiting for a long time. He has promised us development here in Zandspruit. Nothing has happened and there is no improvement.”

As with many squatter camps around Johannesburg, residents of Zandspruit live in squalid conditions, sharing toilets and communal taps, and with little or no electricity. A stone’s throw away sits some of Africa’s most expensive real estate.

In scenes reminiscent of the apartheid era, protesters and police fought running street battles amid burning tyre barricades. Police were pelted with stones, and responded with rubber bullets.

“The situation is tense. One policeman was slightly injured and we are not sure of casualties on the protesters’ side,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, a police spokesman. Several arrests were made.

In the last few weeks, five out of South Africa’s nine provinces have seen similar protests challenging the ruling party’s candidate selection.

The main gripe is that candidates have been chosen because of their ANC links rather than any ability to get things done.

The ANC has spent billions of dollars on infrastructure and social programs in the 17 years since the end of white minority rule, although millions of blacks still live in poverty and official unemployment runs at 25 percent.

(Reporting by John Mkhize and Peroshni Govender; Editing by Giles Elgood)

http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2011/03/31/anc-list-sparks-fury

ANC list sparks fury
31 Mar 2011 | Sibongile Mashaba

THE ANC remained unmoved yesterday over its nomination lists as violent protests flared in Zandspruit near Johannesburg.

Zandspruit informal settlement residents are demanding the removal of a councillor from the party’s candidate list.

The residents blame current councillor, Maureen Schneeman – who has been re-nominated – for lack of service delivery in the area. They claim their plea for houses, access to water and electricity have fallen on deaf ears.

Five people were injured when police fired rubber bullets at the protestors who went on a rampage, looting several businesses. A police officer was injured when protesters pelted law enforcers with stones.

“These people will be charged and released. We had scheduled a meeting with the community but no one came forward.

“The ANC Gauteng has closed the list process for candidates selection and names have been sent to the IEC. We don’t expect any disciplined member of the ANC to organise protests based on the selection of candidates,” said ANC Gauteng spokesperson Dumisa Ntuli.

“The closure of the process for selection of candidates necessitated that all cadres must focus on the critical task of winning local government elections.”

Ntuli said those who wanted to undermine the ANC processes through protests would “face the consequences”.

“No one should mobilise against the outcomes of the selection of candidates. Our candidates have been tested … they enjoy overwhelming support from members of the communities who participated enthusiastically in the selection process,” he said.

Ntuli said they believed that the protest was triggered by criminal elements.

Residents looted a supermarket and stole 150 crates of cool drinks worth R20000, acccording to shop owner, known only as Tony .

“It’s very unfortunate because I help the community a lot. I donate money to the creché and this is how they thank me,” Tony said.
The residents claim that:

* They have to walk about a kilometre to the main road and wait for an ambulance because ambulances won’t drive into their area.
* The crime rate is high. They say five people were murdered in the area in February alone.
* Toilets do not flush. It takes authorities three months to fix them, posing a health hazard.

Honeydew police’s Major General Oswald Reddy said 88 people had been arrested.

Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Nana Radebe said paramedics could not drive into the area because it was difficult for them to locate addresses.

Political analyst Elvis Masoga said: “Communities thought they would have the last say on nominations but they were wrong. The ANC has failed to explain its policy of involving communities.”

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2011-03-30-dozens-arrested-in-honeydew-protest

Dozens arrested in Honeydew protest
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Mar 30 2011 16:57

A police officer was injured during a violent service delivery protest at the Zandspruit informal settlement near Honeydew, north-west of Johannesburg, on Wednesday, police said.

Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the police officer was hit on the head with a stone and was slightly injured.

He dismissed reports that the police had lost a firearm during a stand-off with protesters.

“It is not true; we have verified it with all members — no one of them has lost a firearm,” he said, describing the situation as being tense.

Public violence

He said 88 people had been arrested for public violence.

Zandspruit informal settlement residents blocked the road with rocks and burning tyres shortly before 6am in a protest over service delivery.

The police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd when they were pelted with stones.

Television footage showed protesters throwing stones at a police armoured vehicle near a bridge.

Johannesburg metro police said Beyers Naude Drive had been closed to traffic.

“There are still rocks and tyres on the road. It has not been cleared yet,” Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said on Wednesday afternoon.

Traffic on Beyers Naude Drive and Peter Road had been diverted to other roads. — Sapa

Forensic audit of Sutcliffe, Mlaba et al

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http://www.citypress.co.za/SouthAfrica/News/KZN-launches-probe-into-city-administration-20110317

KZN launches probe into city administration
2011-03-17 11:50

Paddy Harper

A wide-ranging forensic investigation into the embattled eThekwini Municipality after months of allegations of corruption and maladministration levelled against city manager Mike Sutcliffe, his administrative team and councillors, has been launched by KwaZulu-Natal’s Local Government Ministry.

The probe comes in the wake of a city appointed audit being suppressed by city officials and a damning auditor general’s report nailing Sutcliffe’s team for using emergency funding regulations to pay out more than R500 million in irregular expenditure for sub-standard low cost housing projects around the city.

Local government MEC Nomusa Dube said yesterday the earlier audits had provided prima facie evidence of maladministration and failure to abide by regulations around supply chain management and tender procedures and that her ministry had decided to step in and get to the bottom of the matter.

The new probe, which will be carried out by an experienced company of independent forensic auditors and would dovetail with separate investigations by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and other state agencies, would cover:

» Irregular expenditure caused by poor budget controls;

» Failure by city officials to follow supply chain management procedures around key infrastructure and housing projects;

» The failure of city official and councillors – including mayor Obed Mlaba – to disclose their financial interests;

Irregular tender procedures and awards;

» The illegal rental and sale of RDP houses;

» Irregularities in staff appointments and abuse of travel and other allowances;

» Fraudulent practices in the Durban Metropolitan Police; and

» Irregularities in the city’s development and planning department.

Dube said the probe would also take in any other information which came to light from the public and officials and said “serious steps’’ would be taken against any city official or councillor who refused to cooperate.

Earlier probes have been hampered by the refusal of key city officials to both cooperate and hand over documentation to investigators.

Dube said that while the city was “not collapsing’’ it was clear that “something wrong is taking place in the city’’.

She said when the probe was completed the city would be forced to take “decisive action and corrective measures’’.

Criminal charges would be laid against any official or councillor found guilty of corruption, fraud or maladministration, while civil action would be taken to recover city funds paid out illegally.She was unable to provide an exact timeframe for the probe to be completed, saying it would be retrospective and would “go as deep as it needs to go.”

– City Press

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article973466.ece/Mayor-and-city-boss-to-be-probed

Mayor and city boss to be probed
Mar 17, 2011 10:11 PM | By NIVASHNI NAIR

Durban mayor Obed Mlaba and city manager Mike Sutcliffe are to be investigated as part of a wider probe into alleged fraud and corruption in the eThekwini Municipality.

KwaZulu-Natal co-operative governance MEC Nomusa Dube said yesterday: “There is something wrong in this municipality and we believe that we need to investigate.

“We have been monitoring the latest developments in the municipality with keen interest and utmost concern.”

The ANC called on Dube to order a forensic investigation after the auditor-general found that the city had irregularly spent R535-million and the Ngubane audit implicated Sutcliffe and three officials in irregular housing contracts of R3.5-billion over the past 10 years.

Mlaba allegedly had shares in a company that nearly landed a R3-billion tender to convert the city’s waste to energy.

Dube said yesterday the investigation would cover:

*Irregular expenditure resulting from inadequate controls over the budget and payment processes;

*Non-disclosure of interests by councillors and officials;

*Irregularities in the awarding of contracts, payments and performance management of telecommunications;

*The alleged illegal rental and sale of RDP houses;

*Irregularities in travel and overtime allowances and appointment of staff; and

*Alleged fraudulent practices in the metro police.

The outcome of the investigation would compel the municipality to take decisive action and corrective measures and would lead to criminal and civil prosecutions if unlawful activities were unearthed, Dube said.

The forensic probe would begin immediately.

http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2011/03/18/leave-no-stone-unturned

‘Leave no stone unturned’
18 Mar 2011 | Mhlaba Memela

KWAZULU-Natal MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs Nomusa Dube has appointed a forensic auditing firm to probe fraud, corruption and maladministration allegations in the eThekwini metro

Manase and Associates will lead an investigation into the affairs of the ANC-led municipality. This latest investigation will supersede all previous probes that were conducted into the affairs of the municipality.

The audit firm is tasked with unearthing any irregularities and maladministration concerning the awarding of tenders.

The municipality has hogged the headlines in the past few months following auditor-general Terrence Nombembe’s report indicating that R532million had been spent irregularly by the council.

Recently it also surfaced that mayor Obed Mlaba is part of a company that nearly landed a R3billion deal with the city to convert waste to energy.

The MEC said she had received representations and reports concerning allegations of maladministration, fraud and corruption.

“The documents include reports on an investigation requested by the accounting officer of the municipality undertaken by Ngubane and Company, the management letter of the auditor-general and an internal audit report,” Dube said.

She said it would appear from the findings of these reports that there is prima facie evidence of maladministration and a failure to comply with procedures and legislation.

“There is currently no evidence of any fraud and corruption,” Dube said. “The scope of these reports was, however, limited and it appeared to be additional areas of concern and further allegations, which have not been investigated.”

The forensic firm’s scope of investigation comprises allegations of illegal rentals and sale of RDP houses, non-disclosure of interests by councillors and officials, irregularities in the supply chain management in the awarding of tenders, payments and performance management in respect of telecommunications, human resource irregularities when recruiting, selecting and appointing staff.

Other allegations are the abuse of travel claims, overtime, allowances, development and planning offices, and non-compliance with street traders’ by-laws.

Dube said any other consequential matters that may arise will form part of the investigation.

“The eThekwini municipality still has a healthy balance,” she said.

Cosatu applauded Dube’s decision to institute a comprehensive forensic investigation into the affairs of the eThekwini municipality.

Secretary Zet Luzipho said the move is long overdue and appealed to Dube to “leave no stone unturned”.

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/firm-to-probe-ethekwini-1.1043484

Firm to probe eThekwini

March 17 2011 at 09:38pm

A forensic auditing firm has been appointed to probe fraud, corruption and maladministration allegations in the eThekwini municipality, KwaZulu-Natal’s co-operative governance MEC said on Thursday.

“There is something wrong in the municipality and we believe there is a need to investigate,” Nomusa Dube told reporters in Durban.

The allegations relate to the awarding of tenders.

Auditor General Terrence Nombembe’s 2009/10 report indicated R532-million had been spent irregularly in the municipality, which runs the city of Durban.

The Mercury newspaper recently reported that mayor Obed Mlaba was part of a company that nearly landed a R3-billion deal with the city to convert waste to energy.

Dube said she had received representation and reports on claims of corruption, fraud and maladministration. Documents she received included a report following a probe by accountants Ngubane & Co, an eThekwini municipality internal report and the AG’s report.

“It would appear from the findings of these reports that there is prima facie evidence of maladministration and failure to comply with procedures and legislative provisions.

“In view of the seriousness of the allegations, we have deemed it appropriate to institute a forensic investigation.”

Dube however said the municipality would not be put under administration because it was not falling apart. “The municipality is not collapsing. It’s finances are okay.”

She invited whistle blowers to help the department get to the bottom of the problems. Dube said auditing firm Manase and Associates had been appointed to conduct the investigation, which would cover:

– Irregular expenditure resulting from inadequate budgetary controls, controls over payment processes and weak checks and balances.

– Non compliance with supply chain management policies for infrastructure and housing projects.

– Non disclosure of interests by councillors and officials.

– Irregularities in the awarding of contracts, payments and performance management of telecommunications.

– The illegal rental and sale of RDP houses.

– Abuse of overtime and travel allowances.

– Alleged fraudulent practices at the Durban metro police.- Sapa

Sowetan: If they build other houses, we’ll destroy them – MEC

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http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2011/02/09/if-they-build-other-houses-we-ll-destroy-them—mec

If they build other houses, we’ll destroy them – MEC

Unathi Obose

BACKYARD residents of Mandela Park in Khayelitsha say they will sue the Western Cape government after it allegedly destroyed 26 houses and shacks last Friday.

Human settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela personally accompanied the police and anti-land invasions unit to demolish the houses and shacks.

The residents had built the houses and shacks on land they invaded earlier. Their leader, Khaya Xintolo, said they had been on the waiting list for houses for 15 years.

“By occupying these empty plots we were trying to resolve the housing backlog. We plan to take this matter to court,” Xintolo said.

Madikizela left three complete houses standing but gave the owners 12 hours to demolish them, and then painted a large “X” on each house, added Xintolo.

“Many of the homes were occupied, so the evictions without a court order are in contravention of the Prevention of Illegal Evictions Act. That makes Madikizela’s actions criminal,” said resident Loyiso Mfuku.

In another twist, local DA chairperson Mxolisi Molly allegedly fired shots at two backyarders. He was arrested and detained at Harare police station in Khayelitsha, where he was charged with attempted murder.

But the charge was allegedly later changed to common assault. Molly was released on warning and will appear in court on Monday.

When Mfuku and three other backyarders went to ask why the charges against Molly had been downgraded, they were arrested and only released on Sunday morning after being charged with common assault.

“In Mandela Park, there is no separation of politics and governance. The DA and ANC interfere in the development process in order to support their own members and political agendas,” Mfuku said.

But Zalisile Mbali, Madikizela’s spokesperson, said the MEC had not interfered with the case against Molly.

Madikizela told Sowetan he was not obliged to inform the group that he was coming to demolish their dwellings.

“How can you consult someone who is stealing your land? These people invaded government land. How do they expect me to consult them?” he asked.

“If they build other houses, we will demolish them again. We won’t allow anarchy here.”

But unhappy residents said their houses had cost them a lot of money and claimed the land they built on had stood empty for more than six years without any development.