Thandi Modise – praag.org

Modise bought farm for boyfriend

Abdul Mogale, is Thandi Modise’s former boyfriend and an ANC councillor for the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality, neighbouring farmers told amaBhungane.

The black former ANC premier Modise has been charged with the death of up to 80 animals and euthanasing of a further 117 by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) after they had been denied food and water for two weeks.

Modise purchased the 488 hectare farm with a R4.9-million Land Bank loan in 2011 for her black boyfriend say insiders.

Farmworkers aslo claim they had been underfed and underpaid, and that they had begged for food on the black-owned farm.

The former romantic relationship between Modise and Mogale was confirmed this week by Modise’s spokesperson Neo Moepi.

Long-term neglect and plundering of the farm was evident when amaBhungane visited the farm.

The ANC is currently pushing for laws to disown white farmers, much like in Zimbabwe where the black landgrab has resulted in famine.

According to the SPCA and a well-informed veterinary source, the pigs had been underfed for longer than two weeks.

Neighbours also said that the cattle on the farm had gathered at the electric fence around the farm, well before the SPCA’S intervention, desperate for food and water.

The desperate starving pigs could be heard squeeling for water from kilometres away.

Andries Venter from the SPCA said various things pointed to long-term neglect that would be probed for a possible criminal case against Modise. “There is definite evidence of overall neglect that has gone on for months,” he said.

The water pumps were out of order and amaBhungane saw fences in disrepair. According to Daan van den Berg, the farm’s previous owner whom amaBhungane interviewed this week, the pump failure was because of an electrical short circuit that the SPCA asked him to rectify.

Modise suggested that the water and electricity supply to the farm had been cut off, saying that she wanted an investigation to determine who had done this.

Previous owner Van den Berg said that on two occasions shortly after Modise bought the farm, Mogale had asked him to source feed for the pigs. Mogale did not explain why he could not source the feed himself.

Van den Berg said the tractor and implements he sold with the farm did not seem to have been used for years.

Source: M&G

Black ANC official commits ‘worst farm cruelty’ with scores of dead animals

Police and officials from the SPCA have found animals either dead or starving at a Potchefstroom farm belonging to former North West premier and newly-elected National Council of Provinces chairperson, Thandi Modise.

It appeared that the over 100 pigs, sheep, chickens and goats had been without water and food for a week, possibly two.

The SPCA was called to Thandi Modise’s farm in the North West after receiving a tip-off that animals on the land had been abandoned. What they found shocked them.

Andries Venter of the SPCA said, “It’s the worst farm cruelty that I’ve come across in the twenty years that I’ve been with the SPCA. Its horrific. We’re all at a loss for words.”

He said, “From the carcasses that we’ve seen and confirmation from the vet it could be seven days. But the information that we have is that the farm has been abandoned for two weeks.

“However, we found carcasses which are strewn around the property which indicates it has been going on for much longer than two weeks.”

The SPCA decided to euthanise the remaining pigs on the farm after it was discovered they were cannibalising the dead pigs.

Attempts to dispose of sheep carcasses by workers brought in after the grisly discovery led to a fire on the farm.

Modise has owned the property for several years.Her associates, who were on the farm, claim the farm manager left his post to deal with a family emergency and his interim replacement had disappeared, leaving the farm with no water or electricity and the animals to fend for themselves.

Modise did not respond to several requests for an interview.

The SPCA intends to open up a criminal case against Thandi Modise. It says as the owner of the farm she remains ultimately responsible for the cruelty that occurred.

Source: eNCA

North West premier hopes race-baiting will save her

A white farmer who allegedly had a water valve closed was to blame for problems with the water supply in Swartruggens and the Borolelo township on Sunday, said North West Premier Thandi Modise.

“It is alleged that the farmer, accompanied by a police officer, instructed the operator on site not to pump water to allow water to reach his animals downstream.”

Modise made these outlandish race-baiting claims while still awaiting a report on the incident.

According to maintenance staff however, the municipality never had the waterpumps serviced which led to the breakdown.

“We appeal to our communities not to be provoked to anger by this supposed act of sabotage and racism that need to be thoroughly investigated.”

The water shortage in Mothotlung, near Brits, sparked protests which turned deadly this week.

Two protesters were shot dead, allegedly by police, on Monday during a service-delivery protest.

Another man died after he allegedly fell out of a moving Nyala police vehicle in a bid to escape. His family says he was pushed from the moving vehicle after he was badly beaten.

Residents of Mothotlung had apparently been without water for about two weeks. The premier promised service delivery earlier but never delivered.

Meanwhile, Agang SA reported on Sunday that the Jericho community in the Madibeng municipality had been without water since last year. Madibeng is 40km from Mothotlung.

NW Premier defends buying R1.3m car

beemer — The German contribution to the struggle

North West Premier Thandi Modise’s office says the purchase of a R1.3 million vehicle was above board and ordered before Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced austerity measures.

Modise recently purchased a BMW 750i despite Gordhan’s announcement last year that excessive spending on cars, travel, accommodation and other luxuries would be curbed.

Her office insists that the decision to purchase the vehicle was taken by the Department of Public Works and was below the 70 percent limit prescribed by the ministerial handbook.

Modise’s spokesperson Lesiba Kgwele says it is unfair to blame the premier who had no choice in the matter.

“The question of morality goes way beyond this particular transaction. In this particular instance, we want to insist that the premier didn’t defy any cabinet directives.”

North West premier splurges R1,3m on new car

A BMW 7-series similar to the one bought for Modise

While the South African cabinet has prohibited extravagant expenditure, such as luxury vehicles, for government officials, the premier of North West, Thandi Modise, province has just bought a car worth R1,3 million (about $125 000).

The vehicle concerned is a high-end BMW 750i. South Africa’s black politicians can often be seen speeding along the highway in expensive black cars, surrounded by VIP escorts with flashing blue lights, burning taxpayers’ funds.

The provincial MEC for transport, Raymond Elisha, jas confirmed to the Sunday Times newspaper that such a car has been purchased by the province for use by Modise.

“No laws were broken,” he said. “The car was purchased in compliance with the ministerial handbook, which states that a car to the value of 70% of her annual salary can be purchased,”

With great fanfare, it was announced in October by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan that henceforth there would be a more frugal policy on vehicle prrocurement and travel by government officials.

But, according to Elisha, the decision to purchase the luxury BMW “had been taken long before the cost-cutting plans were announced”.

The provincial premier is on record as saying: “I do not determine whether a jet is procured or whatever. All I know is that I have been using a car that is constantly sent for repairs and finally I was told ‘we are buying a new car’.”

Schools need to act against racism: NW premier

Thandi Modise, premier of North West province

Schools need to take firm action against the perpetrators of racism, North West premier Thandi Modise said on Monday.

“Incidents of racism such as the one reported (at Potchefstroom Gimnasium) undermine efforts of nation building and social cohesion that seeks to unite all communities across racial, ethnic and gender lines,” she said in a statement.

Modise was responding to a report in The Star newspaper about two brothers who reportedly suffered constant harassment and racial slurs from fellow pupils at the Potchefstroom Gimnasium boarding school.

The twins, Kago and Kagiso Mangope, 14, were Grade Eight pupils at the school and were also the only blacks in the Grade Eight hostel.

Their brother Lebo told the newspaper they were constantly called “kaffir” and that two previous incidents had resulted in Kago quitting the rugby team.

A disciplinary hearing had been scheduled.

Modise said her administration would request a report from the school and would take action if necessary.

“Schools play a pivotal role in society…. Pupils coming from these institutions go on to occupy influential positions. It is therefore important that they are taught properly so that they become responsible citizens who will contribute towards building a free and fair society,” she said. – Sapa

North West premier condemns rape of 3-year old

North West premier Thandi Modise has condemned the alleged rape of a three-year-old-girl in the province.

“When the scourge of sexual offences against women reaches infants, toddlers and young girls, every parent who has a child should be worried that the scourge has reached unacceptable level and proportion,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.

She said the spate of rape incidents where the perpetrator is known to the victim points to moral decay that needs urgent intervention.

Earlier in the day, police arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl in Ipeleng, near Schweizer Reneke, in North West, police said.

The man, who is the girl’s neighbour, took her to a nearby shack where he raped her on Monday, Captain Pelonomi Makau said.

“… Police were summoned to the scene after the community allegedly assaulted the suspect. The suspect was taken to the hospital with injuries and was under police guard,” Makau said.

The man was discharged and detained on Tuesday and was expected to appear in the Schweizer Reneke Magistrate’s court on Thursday.

Modise called for the alleged perpetrator to be denied bail. – Sapa

Government officials not barred from visiting Mandela: ANC

Former president Nelson Mandela’s family has denied barring government officials from visiting him in hospital, the ANC said on Monday.

“We have spoken to the family about this report and they deny that they issued such an instruction or spoke to the media on barring the ANC and government from visiting Madiba,” said spokesman Jackson Mthembu in a statement.

“What we know is that given the pressure associated with the admission of president Mandela, there are general restrictions that permit only relevant people to have access.”

The Star newspaper reported on Monday that the Mandela family had taken charge of the 94-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner’s hospital stay, banning everyone — including government leaders and senior party officials — from visiting him.

Mthembu said: “We will continue as the ANC to pray for his recovery and call on all South Africans and the world to keep him and his family in their prayers… we appreciate the good work that is [being] done by his medical team.”

Mandela has spent two nights in hospital.

Earlier, the presidency said Mandela’s condition was “unchanged”.

“Former president Nelson Mandela remains in hospital, and his condition is unchanged. Madiba was admitted on Saturday, 8 June 2013, for treatment in a Pretoria hospital for a lung infection,” spokesman Mac Maharaj said.

Mandela has been in and out of hospital in the past few years. At the end of March and in April this year he spent nine days in hospital receiving treatment for recurring lung problems.

Messages of support continued to come in for the ailing icon.

North West premier Thandi Modise on Monday urged people to continue praying for Mandela.

“To many across the globe, in our country, and province, Tata Madiba is a unifier and a symbol of reconciliation,” Modise said in a statement.

“Though we know that he is not immortal, like all of us, we are inspired by his fighting spirit and wish his family all the strength for them to unite in love and continue to give him all the support he needs.”

The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) also sent its best wishes to Mandela.

“Sadtu’s more than 260,000 members join millions in South Africa and the rest of the world in keeping our most revered icon Madiba and his family in our thoughts and prayers,” the union said in a statement. – Sapa

‘Racist and Islamophobic attack’ by alleged white Afrikaans-speakers

by SAPA and Praag

The North West Premier Thandi Modise on Thursday condemned the killing of a Muslim man in Magaliesburg, reports the South African Press Association.

“There is no place in our diverse society for those who harbour racism and religious intolerance,” she said in a statement.

Modise called on police to ensure those responsible for the death of Muhammad Fayaaz Kazi, 27, were arrested.

The attack was both racist and Islamophobic, she said. She called on residents to help the police in their investigation and to exercise restraint.

Former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils said on Wednesday the “savage” attack on Kazi and another Muslim man carried “the stench of Islamophobia”.

“My heartfelt condolences and solidarity to the family of Fayaaz Kazi, whose brutal killers must be hunted down and brought to justice,” Kasrils said in a statement.

Kazi was beaten to death in Magaliesburg, allegedly by two people who insulted him because of his beard, according to a family friend.

Kazi, from Ventersdorp, and his father’s friend Anser Mahmood, were attacked at a Chicken Licken outlet in the town on Monday.

“Two white people… they called him [Osama] bin Laden in Afrikaans because of his beard…and then they called us kaffirs,” Mahmood told Sapa by telephone on Wednesday.

“Fayaaz, he understood Afrikaans, and was arguing with them.”

All four were thrown out of the fast food shop, and the fight continued outside.

“I asked why they were troubling him and he punched me,” Mahmood, 33, said.

“I don’t know what he hit me with. I was unconscious.”

Mahmood was mostly hit in the face, while Kazi was beaten over the head. Mahmood said he did not know what object was used to attack Kazi.

“Nobody helps us. They wanted me dead also, but I survived.”

North West police said a murder docket had been opened.

“After purchasing food from a fast food outlet an argument allegedly broke out between Kazi and two unknown Afrikaner males. It further alleged that the two suspects were mocking Kazi about his long beard,” said Brigadier Thulani Ngubane.

The two men fled the scene after the assault.

Ngubane said Mahmood refused to open a case and the two left for Ventersdorp.

“Upon arriving on Ventersdop, Kazi became weak and was transported to the Ventersdorp Hospital where he was treated and transferred to Potchefstroom Hospital after his condition became worse,” Ngubane said.

Kazi died in hospital at Potchefstroom. His funeral was held on Tuesday.

The murder case was registered at the Potchefstroom police station. It was expected to be transferred to the Magaliesburg police.

The Media Review Network, a Muslim advocacy group on human rights, called on Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa to ensure a speedy investigation.

Researcher Ibrahim Vawda said there was widespread anger across the Muslim community.

“We strongly urge all members of our community to exercise restraint and patience and to allow the normal process of the law to take its course.”

Bin Laden was the founder of al-Qaeda, which the US claimed was responsible for the September 11, 2001, suicide attacks on the country. US soldiers killed him in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.

In her comments, Netherlands-based blogger Adriana Stuijt wrote:

“While this is a horrific incident, I would ask why there wasn’t a similar outrage when four Afrikaner dads, unarmed, were mowed down in Umbilo by two South African Muslim policemen who had taunted the Afrikaners about their ‘penis size’. That was just as much a hate crime, yet the SA news media have kept very silent about this. There was no ‘brawl’ until the Muslims had insulted the Afrikaners, who were in their usual pub watching a football game in Umbilo. Three of the Afrikaner men died instantly at the scene – Nick Janse van Rensburg, 57, Shawn Strydom, 33, and Rory Menzies, 40. Two others, Shawn and Bruce Edwards, were injured. Bruce Edwards later died in hospital. All were family men. It does not help to keep sweeping up emotions and polarising people like this.”