Former president Jacob Zuma (Themba Hadebe/AP

To inform former president Jacob Zuma about his decision relating to the corruption charges against him is not special treatment, the National Director Public Prosecutions told the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Wednesday evening.
Shortly before Abrahams was due to appear before the Scopa, the Constitutional Court dismissed an application by the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac), which sought to delay Abrahams's announcement on whether Zuma should be prosecuted in the "spy tapes" saga, which could lead to possible charges of fraud, corruption and racketeering.
READ: DA wants Zuma to repay R15m legal bill
Abrahams told the committee he could not provide them with a preview of his decision. He first has to inform Zuma of his decision before he can make a public announcement on it.

IFP MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa asked if that was special operating procedure or standard operating procedure.
'I'm here to inform you'
But Abrahams said that Zuma was the one who was asked to make representations to him and, as such, it is only appropriate for Zuma to be informed first.
"There is no special treatment afforded to former president Zuma," said Abrahams.
"It is not a matter of going to knock on former president Zuma's door and say:'I'm here to inform you'," said Abrahams, adding that it would happen through his legal representative.
READ: Zuma will pay his legal fees... if court orders him to - Ramaphosa
Hlengwa also expressed his concern about instability at the NPA.
"I disagree completely [that] there is a level of instability at [the] NPA," Abrahams responded.
He said the only instability was around the court case on his appointment.
He said he asked his four deputies after President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address, where the matter was raised, if the NPA was unstable. Only one answered in the affirmative.
'Play the ball and not the man'
He added that the perceived instability was "created by NGOs using the media to litigate against me".
"What agenda is being driven? Play the ball and not the man," he said.
He said the NPA's performance is the best it has been since the institution came into existence.
Hlengwa also expressed his concern that it seems that prosecutions seem to be politically motivated.
Abrahams denied this, like he did the week before, when he appeared before a joint meeting of the portfolio committees of police and of justice and correctional services.
"You cannot remotely, take one, two three or a [handsful] of matters and say these are politically induced…"
DA MP Tim Brauteseth interrupted and said his responses were "very shouty".
But Abrahams apologised and said that wasn't his intention.

read more on:https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/zuma-not-getting-special-treatment-npa-head-20180314

 Raymond Mhlaba: Anti-apartheid veteran jailed with Mandela

Raymond Mhlaba, who has died aged 85, dedicated his formidable talents to the struggle against apartheid. A member of the Rivonia group with Nelson Mandela, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, but emerged to take office in 1994 after South Africa's first democratic elections. His kindly manner brought him the nickname "Oom Ray" - Uncle Ray in Afrikaans. Born in Mazoka, a village in the Beaufort district of the Eastern Cape province, Mhlaba was forced to drop out of Healdtown secondary school because his family lacked money. Working in a dry-cleaning factory in Port Elizabeth turned him into a committed trade unionist and political activist, initially as a leader of the Non-European Laundry Workers' Union.

In 1943, he joined the South African Communist party (SACP), in which he was active until it was banned in 1950. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944. This was also the period in which he married his first wife, Joyce Meke, who was also from the Fort Beaufort area. In their 17 years together, before her death in a car accident in 1960, they had three children.
As chairman of the Port Elizabeth ANC branch, Mhlaba was the first person to be arrested in the 1952 non-violent campaign against the apartheid laws. He achieved this distinction by leading a group of volunteers into the "Europeans Only" entrance of the city's New Brighton police station, an action that earned him the Xhosa nickname "Vulindlela" - "he who opens the way".

After the ANC was banned in 1960, he went to China for military training. On returning to South Africa in 1962, he became a commander of the ANC's military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Following a raid by the security forces on the ANC's underground headquarters at Liliesleaf farm, in Rivonia, northern Johannesburg, a year later, Mandela, Mhlaba and nine others - including Walter Sisulu (obituary, May 7 2003) and Govan Mbeki, the father of the current South African president Thabo Mbeki - stood trial for sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. In June 1964, eight of them were sentenced to life imprisonment, and all but the white Dennis Goldberg were sent to Robben Island.

read more on:www.south african political lagends.com

'Panic' as Mugabe appears to back new Zimbabwe opposition

Zimbabwe's ex-leader Robert Mugabe sent shockwaves through the party he dominated for decades when he posed with the retired general who will take on the ruling Zanu-PF in this year's election.
Mugabe grinned broadly in the posed photo, standing beside brigadier general Ambrose Mutinhiri, the leader of opposition party the National Patriotic Front (NPF), which hopes to unseat the government in polls expected by August.

Mutinhiri's abrupt resignation from Zanu-PF last week followed by his surprise announcement that he would be the presidential candidate of the new party exposed deep divisions in the governing party.

The symbolism of the photo opportunity, which was featured at the top of a press release issued by the new pro-Mugabe splinter party, was unmistakable

"There is an issue regarding the former president," said President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
"Currently we see in the media various speculations about his activities... we are not happy with what the media is saying. We don't know whether it's correct or not but it is an issue we are examining."


read more on:https://www.news24.com/Africa/Zimbabwe/panic-as-mugabe-appears-to-back-new-zimbabwe-opposition-20180309

Walter Sisulu University closes 3 campuses amid 'violent' student protests

The Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in the Eastern Cape shut down two more of its campuses on Friday due to violent student protests over an accommodation shortage.
University management resolved to close the Butterworth and Buffalo City campuses indefinitely following the outbreak of violent protests that damaged property and put lives at risk, said university spokesperson Yonela Tukwayo.
She said the decision followed vice-chancellor Rob Midgley's decision to close the Nelson Mandela Drive campus in Mthatha with immediate effect on Thursday.
Only one of the institution's four campuses remains open.

She said the "rampage" at the Mthatha campus was "boisterous and irrepressible", which left Midgley with no choice but to stop all administrative, teaching and learning activities in order to protect the university's assets and "above all, lives which includes the students' lives".
"It saddens us to close the campus because the dire financial situation of many of our students does not allow them to travel back home. But we cannot keep them on campus because their safety is not guaranteed. We also know that there are many students who do not support the violent nature of the current protests," she said.

                                                                                       

     

3 ministers found to have lied for the Guptas over the past 2 weeks

 Des van Rooyen, Malusi Gigaba and now Lynne Brown – these Cabinet members have been found to have lied in the past 14 days. And there is a thread that binds their lies – the Guptas.

Mileham made reference to reports that Van Rooyen visited the Gupta home in Saxonwold several times in December 2015, shortly before his short-lived tenure as finance minister.  
During the Public Protector's investigation, Van Rooyen admitted that he met with the Guptas, saying he did so in his capacity as the treasurer-general of the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans' Association.               

These are serious matters that hocks should have followed up on them, because there is alot that is still missing about guptas that will continue killing our country.                                  

read more: https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/3-ministers-found-to-have-lied-for-the-guptas-over-the-past-2-weeks-20180223

  Ramaphosa’s First Cabinet: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

                         

President Cyril Ramaphosa made sweeping changes to his Cabinet on Tuesday –- he made changes to 24 of the 38 Cabinet portfolios.
There is a strong reform impetus in his Cabinet: Nhlanhla Nene is back, as is Pravin Gordhan.
Both were axed for standing up to state capture and their reappointments make a significant statement.

These are good news guys since we know that all cabinet was totaly corrupt and full of criminals and selfish things, they only cared about them. They will use a political cycle during the elections to get votes. they would promise things like they will make them and after they got what they wanted, they will forget.

read more: https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/3-ministers-found-to-have-lied-for-the-guptas-over-the-past-2-weeks-20180223

EFF leader Julius Malema outside the National Assembly after their motion to amend the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation passed.

The Democratic Alliance announced that it will be reporting Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema to the Equality Court for what it deems to be hate speech and incitement of violence, because they believe that Malema threatened athol trollip.

The DA quoted him as saying: "We are going to remove a mayor of PE we are going for your white man in PE. We are going to cut the throat." DA is just trying to gain a political power by saying lamema offended or insulted.

What i can say is, DA try to maximize in any opportunity they get to oppose the EFF, and yet, we cannot forget that DA is party for whites guys as we will be making a big mistake by forgetting what did those guys to us. They are just putting blacks infrant just to attract blacks.

read more:https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/da-to-take-malema-to-equality-court-for-hate-speech-20180301