Crime Blitz in Johannesburg Leaves Four Dead

JOHANNESBURG – Gauteng police have killed four suspects during a swoop on wanted criminals. The men were part of a group of nine, wanted for serious crimes around the province, who were arrested over the last week.

Police say 34 firearms and seven stolen vehicles were also seized during the raids.
The suspects have been linked to various crimes ranging from murder, house robbery, and hijackings.

Spokesperson Lungelo Dlamini said, “The suspects will be appearing at various magistrate courts on Tuesday facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearm and other crimes, including business robbery.
Source:
South Africa Today – South Africa News
 http://southafricatoday.net/south-africa-news/crime-blitz-johannesburg-leaves-four-dead/

Malema Exploiting the Poor With Empty Promises

 

Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), launched the party’s election manifesto yesterday, which exploits the poor with empty promises. It is a mockery to promise free electricity, water, education, houses, and land to supporters when the EFF is positioned in the highest office of the country. The crowds applauded the EFF leader for offering free basic services and more while forgetting the taste of the lavish lifestyle Malema lives. Millions will continue to live in poverty as usual.

People were excited that the EFF filled up the Orlando Stadium as if the party had won the elections, forgetting that it is the votes that ultimately count. Young people who have not yet reached the voting age were among the crowds, together with buses from as far as Zimbabwe. There were three buses from Botswana carrying people to the stadium to support the EFF launch. Thousands of Zimbabweans attended the event, all without South African identity documents and not eligible to vote in the elections. The EFF claims to have filled the entire stadium with South African voters supporting the party.

Malema and the EFF comrades effectively used the devastating Marikana massacre to expand the support base beyond the youth and working class.  The EFF captured the imagination of black South Africans by attacking the weaknesses of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, calling out the failure of growing the economy, the exclusion of black people from benefiting from participating successfully, and structural transformation failures during the ANC rule; all leaving a vast majority in poverty.

The failed education system and lack of resources for the understaffed and underfunded schools are forcing parents to pay for education. Malema spoke about the millions of poor people who are compelled to live in townships and squatter camps without working infrastructure. The oppressed people who, under apartheid, suffered and continued to suffer while the ANC leaders become instant billionaires. Malema went on to complain about the living wage paid to mine workers and the exploitation of shareholding and board positions by mining corporations. It is a scam to cheapen mine labor and increase profits for foreign shareholders and the ANC, said the EFF leader.

The biggest applause Malema received was when the land reform and the failure of the ANC to address these problems was questioned. The EFF leader questioned the grabbing of land by foreign mining corporations and challenged the greed of Chinese, Australian and Canadian companies. The nationalization of mines and taking white-owned land to give to black people are policies similar to what Robert Mugabe did in Zimbabwe. These policies will drive out foreign investment and doom South Africa forever.

The EFF did not talk about how the colored population will be included in the plans to move South Africa forward. It was all talk about black empowerment and no equal empowerment for all South Africans. The vision Malema has for South Africa is to remove the rainbow nation and transform the country into black supremacy. Technically, colored people are classified as blacks, but do not receive the same treatment. Coloreds, Indians and White South Africans are last on the list when it comes to employment. While there is favoritism among different ethnic groups, there will always be conflict.

The EFF is too radical and the ideas the party want to implement will only divide South Africa as a nation. Yes, South Africa needs a new leader who will keep the people of all races united.  The EFF manifesto rally was more of a personal vendetta against the ANC. In reality, the EFF have not promised South Africans a better future.

Opinion by Laura Oneale
 http://guardianlv.com/2016/05/malema-exploiting-the-poor-with-empty-promises/

Zuma to Have a Day in Court

President Jacob Zuma will have a day in court and will face the 783 charges that were dropped by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in 2009. The North Gauteng High Court found that the decision by NPA head Mokotedi Mashape to not take action against the president was irrational. The charges against the president are for corruption, fraud, and racketeering.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the official political party of South Africa, has won on the merits of their case after a seven-year battle. The DA has brought justice to the country by fighting for the principle that no man is above the law. The leader of the DA, Mmusi Maimane, seems overjoyed that the courts will take action.

There are snags, however, as the NPA is wholly controlled by the president, making a possibility of undoing the ruling of the North Gauteng High Court not impossible. The possibilities of an appeal, sabotage, and anything in the power of the African National Congress (ANC) to delay action against Zuma are greater. The case could go to the Constitutional Court and that could take up to two years to finalize. The ANC has in the past protected the president and will continue to do so.

The South African judicial system has found Zuma to be unscrupulous in the past, and no action was taken by the ruling ANC party. The president has the protection of the entire party even if the country is burning under his leadership. The favorable ruling of reinstating the 783 corruption charges against the president will amount to pressure on the party to take action and get rid of Zuma. The question is whether the loyalists to the president will come to understand that Zuma is no exception and must face up to the consequences of his actions and then act upon that realization.

It would seem that the ANC has lost its way, and the moral compass is no longer hinged on honesty and integrity. Zuma has single-handedly destroyed not only the reputation of South Africa, but that of the ANC.  There was a time when the ANC had a strong reputation, but now it is thrown away over the selfish and greedy elite who continue to plunder resources for self-enrichment.

Not only are the DA leaders and supporters elated over the decision to prosecute Zuma, but the other political parties also seem to show delight in the court’s verdict. The Congress of the People (COPE) are pleased that attempts by the president to corrupt the justice system have failed, and the president will have his day in court.

The question that remains is whether South African voters will stop voting for the ANC.  There is now a good possibility that the upcoming municipal election will see a shift away from the ANC. A corrupt head of state is a serious issue and one that cannot be ignored. South Africa voted and cast their fate into the hands of a corrupt leader backed by the ANC.

The president will fight the charges and an appeal will end up in the ConCourt This will not happen until after the next general election in 2019. By that time, the ANC will have nominated a new president who will grant a presidential pardon to Zuma, who will then be able to retire with all the stately benefits allowed. Once again, the ANC and the president will outwit South Africans, who will ultimately pay for the mistake of voting for a corrupt party. Will the president stand up and admit that there is an evil under the sun and confess that it is time to stop the charade and resign? No, the president will not do that and will once again use the platform to declare the unfairness of the media or political parties attacking the ANC.

Will the ANC remain blind and support the president? Will the voters continue to vote for a corrupt party? Zuma is a disgrace to the country, and the ANC was well aware of the charges, yet decided to recall former president Thabo Mbeki and give the top position to Zuma. The choice the ANC made by choosing Zuma speaks to the absolute moral decay of the party.
Opinion by Laura Oneale
http://guardianlv.com/2016/05/zuma-to-have-a-day-in-court/

White People Will not be Absolved

Ntokozo Qwabe could not wait to boast about his revolutionary actions on Facebook. Qwabe one of the leaders from the “Rhodes Must Fall” campaign at the Oxford University, was at the Obz Café, in Cape Town, with friends and when the bill arrived, he wrote WE WILL GIVE YOU A TIP WHEN YOU RETURN THE LAND.” In a typical radical fashion, the young man boastfully resorts to hatred by calling for white people to return the land.

One could question if Qwabe entered Oxford University by mistake on a Rhodes scholarship. Whether a white or black waitress serves, there is no reason for sarcasm and arrogance. The person was doing their job and for a customer to act like a jerk and treat people with disrespect is disgraceful.

Qwabe received support for his Facebook post, and many blamed the media for unleashing violence to crush the Oxford University Student for his Whiteness statement. One friend of Qwabe believes that all non-whites will be part of the onslaught and said they must stand strong or firm. He went on to say that the truth was spoken and that there will be no rest until all the land is returned. 

Here is the full transcript posted to Facebook. (unedited)
LOL wow unable to stop smiling because something so black‚ wonderful & LIT just happened! And of course‚ the catalyst was a radical non-binary trans black activist — Wandile Dlamini — from the Rhodes Must Fall movement. Because trans activists have BEEN the ultimate blessers of this decolonial struggle!
To cut the long story short‚ we are out at Obz Cafe with the said activist‚ and the time for the bill comes. Our waitress is a white woman. I ask the said activist what the going rate for tips/gratuity is in these shores. They look at me very reluctantly and they say ‘give me the slip‚ I’ll sort that out’. I give them the slip.
They take a pen & slip in a note where the gratuity/tip amount is supposed to be entered. The note reads in bold: “WE WILL GIVE TIP WHEN YOU RETURN THE LAND“. The waitress comes to us with a card machine for the bill to be sorted out. She sees the note & starts shaking. She leaves us & bursts into typical white tears (like why are you crying when all we’ve done is make a kind request? lol!).
Anyways‚ so this white woman goes to her colleagues who are furious. She exits to cry at the back & a white male colleague of hers reluctantly comes out to address us & to annoy us more with his own white tears telling us that he finds our act “racist“.
We then start breaking it down for this white man & ask him why they are catching feelings when we haven’t even started (like the part where we take up arms hasn’t even come & yall are already out here drowning us in your white tears? Really white people? Wow.).
We start drawing him to the political nature of the act & why we couldn’t be bothered that they decided to catch feelings from the note. We tell him it’s great that business as usual has stopped & the pressing issue of land is now on the agenda in that space — seeing the cowntry was celebrating ‘Freedom Day’ yesterday. We then chase him back to do his job. And continue with our conversation before exiting the café.
Moral of the story: the time has come when no white person will be absolved. We are tired of “not all white people” and all other bullshit. We are here‚ and we want the stolen land back. No white person will be out here living their best life while we are out here being a landless and dispossessed black mass. NO white person shall rest. It is irrelevant whether you personally have land/wealth or you don’t. Go to your fellow white people & mobilise for them to give us the land back. That will be the starting point of all our interactions from now. We will agitate all our spaces with the big question: WHERE IS THE LAND?
Thank you to all the non binary‚ trans & all other black bodies who have been at the helm of this decolonial moment in the settler colony known as South Afrika. NOTHING will ever be the same again. Alibuye Izwe Lethu!

By Laura Oneale
South Africa Today – South Africa News
 May 1, 2016
 http://southafricatoday.net/south-africa-news/white-people-will-not-absolved/

Water Crisis in Senekal Plea for Help

Today, the community of Senekal in the Free State, under the Setsoto Municipality have pleaded with South African businesses and individuals to drop off the water at selected points.
18 Mercury Street, Farramere, Benoni – (Over weekends)
28 Fairchild Street, Impala Park, Boksburg – (Monday to Friday after hours)

A request is made to mark containers for “safety of drinking water” and “cleaning or washing only.”

The community has made arrangements to collect and transport the water to desperate residents in the Senekal area.

The Senekal district has run out of the water, and one can only imagine how devastating it must be to have no water. The main water crises are from the recent drought experienced in South Africa.
However, it is not only the drought that is the leading cause of this area not having sufficient supplies; corruption is another factor.

May 30, 2015, the Setsoto Municipality received ZAR18 million and spent the money on a 10-megalitre reservoir. The refurbishing of the water purification plant was repaired to ensure water was pumped directly into the Tatane Township. Residents still complained about inconsistent water supply.

During 2011 and 2012 there were serious protests against the water supply to residents. June 2011 – The Setsoto Municipality was described as totally unstable because of widespread theft, fraud, and corruption.

The official website of the Setsoto Municipality posted an update on the water crisis during September 2015. We appeal to the residents to start using the little water at our disposal sparingly, immediately. Activities such as watering gardens and car washing must be halted to lengthen the supply of water to all residents.

February 2016 water supply restored however restrictions were still in place. In April this year, the Setsoto Municipality was voted the best performing municipality in the Free State. The Setsoto Municipality is dominantly under the African National Congress (ANC) government. Why is there still a water crisis?
By Laura Oneale
South Africa Today – South Africa News
 May 1, 2016
 http://southafricatoday.net/south-africa-news/water-crisis-senekal-plea-help/