Potchefstroom – praag.org

ANC retains control of two out of three Potchefstroom wards

The ANC retained control of two of the three wards in the Tlokwe (Potchefstroom) by-elections in the North West on Wednesday.

The party’s candidate Oupa Mogoshane lost Ward 26 with 900 votes to independent candidate Batiki “Stone” Mahlabe’s 1425 votes, according to the IEC’s results report.

The United Christian Democratic Party candidate Moeketsi Phakedi received 10 votes.

A total of 5677 people were registered to vote in the ward of which only 2374 cast their ballot. There were 39 spoilt votes.

Mahlabe, who was a former African National Congress councillor in the area for 12 years, registered as an independent candidate after he was expelled along with 13 others from the party in July for participating in a motion of no confidence against Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle.

Maphetle was replaced by Democratic Alliance councillor Annette Combrink.

However, the ANC’s national disciplinary committee overturned the expulsions but Mahlabe decided not to return to the party.

In the 2011 local government elections, the African National Congress won Ward 26 with 3403 of the 3580 valid votes cast, which gave them an overwhelming majority of 95.06 percent of the votes.

The ANC won the by-elections in Ward six and 18 on Wednesday.

In Ward 18 the ANC faced off with another former party member and provincial chief whip David Kham, who registered as an independent candidate.

Kham, like Mahlabe, was one of the 14 councillors expelled from the party.

ANC candidate Thapelo Skozana won with 884 to Kham’s 520 votes.

The Azanian People’s Organisation’s Matladi Mofokeng received 11 votes and the UCDP’s Molebatsi Lehloo 10 votes.

A total of 3251 people were registered to vote in Ward 18 but only 1452 votes were cast and 27 of those were spoilt.

In 2011, the ANC won the ward with 1859 of the 2009 votes cast which resulted in a 94.37 percent victory.

In Ward six the ANC’s Japhta Monaisa won 882 of the 1386 valid votes cast. The Democratic Alliance’s Johann Coetzee came in second with 493 votes.

Azapo’s Lesego Malepe received six votes and UCDP’S Mawela Dinko received five votes.

A total of 4254 people were registered to vote in Ward six but only 1408 came to the polls. There were 22 spoilt votes.

In 2011, the ANC received 1352 (64.26 percent) of the 2104 valid votes and the DA received 720 (34.22 percent) of the votes. – Sapa

Black riots in Protea, outside Randfontein

Violent service delivery protests erupted on Wednesday in the Protea area outside Randfontein, said police.

Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela described the scene as chaotic as hundreds of community members from the Waterworks informal settlement clashed with police.

“Police are firing rubber bullets at the protesters. We also have our nyalas and choppers on the scene but these protesters are attacking police,” said Makhubela.

He said the demonstrators were throwing stones and rocks at police and motorists making their way past.

“The N12 road from Potchefstroom and Randfontein and Impala Road has been closed. We advise motorists to use alternative routes,” said Makhubela.

The protests began at around 2am. No arrests had been made.

Makhubela said no injuries had been reported thus far.

Earlier, the metro police department said the protests were in Zuurbekom.

Makhubela rectified the earlier reports. – Sapa

S. African child porn ring: more people investigated

Police are investigating another 44 people with possible links to an international child pornography ring, and have obtained at least 30 search warrants so far, a spokesman said on Friday.

“We did an investigation on 50 suspects… we then obtained 30 search warrants early in August,” said Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale.

“We executed those warrants and that’s how we arrested those six. The six are part of the 50.”

Police had followed up on a tip-off from Interpol last Thursday and arrested six men in four provinces for possession of child porn.

The accused were arrested in Lichtenburg, Bloemfontein, White River, Douglasdale, Florida, and Potchefstroom.

They were a teacher, a retired school principal, a headmaster, a lawyer, a dermatologist, and a businessman.

Since the arrests, they had appeared in various South African courts separately and had their cases postponed.

Makgale said police were trying to obtain the remaining 20 search warrants.

He could not confirm a report in The Times that among the alleged paedophiles were top executives of banks, insurance firms, legal practices, and IT companies.

On Wednesday, the newspaper reported the case had links to Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Western Europe, and Australasia.

It reported that children as young as five were believed to have been groomed to have sex with each other and adults. – Sapa

‘Reclaim Tlokwe from baases and madams’

Residents of Tlokwe, North West, should back the ANC in next year’s national elections, the SA Communist Party said on Sunday.

“The SACP calls upon all ANC members and SACP cadres, including Cosatu members to ensure that we mobilise the people of Tlokwe to vote for the ANC overwhelming [sic], so that we can rightly re-claim this municipality from the party of the baases and madams,” SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said in a speech prepared for delivery.

He was speaking at the Ikageng Stadium in Potchefstroom ahead of the party’s 92nd birthday celebrations next month. The celebrations would be held in Tlokwe, the municipality which has its seat in the town.

Nzimande said they condemned those African National Congress members who had voted with the Democratic Alliance and other opposition parties to unseat ANC mayor Maphetle Maphetle.

He was replaced by DA councillor Annette Combrink in July, the second time since November. The North West ANC’s disciplinary committee expelled the councillors concerned, resulting in them losing their seats.

Nzimande said the ANC should fix the problems in the area.

“It is important that the ANC itself must act with speed to attend to whatever problems, including suspected corruption, against its own cadres. But, no matter what grievance any ANC cadre may have, this cannot be translated to the betrayal of the ANC,” he said. – Sapa

ANC going to court over Potchefstroom

The ANC has filed papers in the High Court in Johannesburg against Potchefstroom mayor Maphetle Maphetle’s unseating, the party said on Monday.

“The speaker [Barei Mosiane], who is the speaker coming from the ANC… has actually filed the papers nullifying that meeting,” ANC North West acting secretary Gordon Kegakilwe said in Potchefstroom.

He was referring to a council meeting on Tuesday at which DA councillor Annette Combrink was voted in as mayor.

“For now, as the ANC, we don’t recognise that meeting, we don’t recognise Combrink.”

Kegakilwe was speaking at the taxi rank in Potchefstroom following an African National Congress provincial working committee (PWC) meeting in the town.

He, ANC North West chairman Supra Mahumapelo, and national executive committee deployee and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti were doing a walkabout at the taxi rank.

Combrink was voted in as the new mayor on Tuesday, the second time since November, unseating Maphetle. Democratic Alliance North West leader Chris Hattingh said at the time that 29 councillors of all parties, including the ANC, unanimously voted to return Combrink to the position of mayor.

On Wednesday, the North West ANC’s provincial disciplinary committee said 14 of its councillors who voted to unseat Maphetle, were expelled from the party. They would also be removed Potchefstroom councillors.

Kegakilwe said the councillors had to be expelled because they handed power to an opposition party.

“They can’t take power that the people have given to the ANC and give it to the DA, the DA which has never taken care of our people and will never take care of our people.

“We are here now in the taxi rank to tell the people that it’s only the African National Congress that can change their lives for the better.”

Kegakilwe said the PWC on Monday appointed six new proportional representation councillors for the municipality.

By-elections would be held soon to elect new ward councillors.

He said the ANC did not recognise Combrink as mayor and said Maphetle was still mayor.

“Combrink will never do anything for the people of Potchefstroom… she will never assist the people, she has never assisted them. They will keep on promising what they can’t achieve,” Kegakilwe said.

He said the ANC was confident it would win the court case to nullify the council’s decision.

“We are confident, we have studied all the documents and we are quite sure… Her [Combrink’s] mayorship is not recognised. Comrade Maphetle is the ANC mayor.”

The DA on Monday said Maphetle had failed to adhere to a legal notice forcing him to vacate his office at the municipality.

“During talks with DA councillors today, Mr Maphetle attempted to push for a political and not a legal resolution for the impasse,” Hattingh said.

“He also indicated that he has instructed his mayoral committee not to vacate their offices.”

Hattingh said the DA was consulting its lawyers on the issue.

Earlier, several Potchefstroom residents welcomed the DA taking over the municipality.

“What happened in the council is right,” PR Kali said at the town’s taxi rank.

“We think there will be change if the Democratic Alliance takes over.”

He said the ANC-dominated council had done nothing to eradicate poverty in the city or create jobs.

TB Masibi said he was expecting “huge change”.

“We expect a lot of change from the DA. They will combat crime and corruption.”

While the DA was in charge last year, it requested a forensic investigation into irregularities at the municipality. The probe found that the council had irregularly bought Maphetle a R736,000 customised Mercedes-Benz. Maphetle also allegedly abused the disaster management fund and poverty relief fund.

The report recommended that formal disciplinary action be taken against him and other officials.

In May, the DA laid criminal charges against Maphetle. In June Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said she would investigate the claims of corruption involving Maphetle.

Both Masibi and Kali complained about corruption and the lack of jobs.

Many of the fruit and vegetable vendors at the Potchefstroom taxi rank were from Lesotho.

Masibi said he used to have a shop but could not compete with the foreigners and the ANC had done nothing to create jobs for locals.

A woman who did not want to be named said she “felt good” about the DA taking over.

“I am happy… [The ANC] is not for me,” she said. – Sapa