http://www.702.co.za Talk Radio 702 - The Podcasts en-us 2006 06 February 2012 2 702webmaster@702.co.za Multiple award-winning journalist Robert Fisk spoke to Udo about Russia and China’s decision to veto West-backed UN resolution on Syria. Udo speaks to Orlando Pirates Chairman Dr Irvin Khoza about the club’s 75th Birthday celebrations at the Sandton Convention Centre this weekend. There was lots of reaction to the issue of three rhino poachers being sentenced to 25 years in jail, while the murderers of a lesbian, Zoliswa Nkonyana, handed down an effective 14 years sentence. We spoke to Wits Criminal Law’s Prof Stephen Tucson; who told us that each case needs to be heard on its merits and sentencing depending on that. On this day 22 years ago FW de Klerk announced, at the opening of Parliament, the release of Mandela and other prisoners and the unbanning of the ANC and other political organisations. He told John that as he walked into Parliament, he told his wife that South Africa would never be the same again after his speech. He says he had only met Mandela once before his speech and while there were tensions at times, today he and Mandela are warm friends. Looking at South Africa today, he told us that if SA was a balance sheet, we are a healthy country, but we need to talk to each other in the spirit of 1990 in order to overcome our problems. Tshwane Executive Mayor, Kgosientso Ramokgopa was on the radio to gives us an update of the Metro and to respond to listeners’ issues. Tshwane has denied that municipal departments have been placed under administration due to poor performance and corruption. Mapiti Matsena, a strategic executive in the office of the Speaker, was suspended on full pay following allegations of tender fraud. Matsena’s suspension follows that of the Tshwane Metro Police Department’s Deputy Chief, Ndumisa Jaca, and last year. Ramokgopa placed Jaca on special leave amid allegations he used the same number plate for his motorbike and car. The three-month special leave had since been extended. According to the City Press, Tshwane mayor has seven body guards. According to the mayoral handbook, mayors can approach provincial police commissioners for analysis of their security and their councils must implement the recommended security arrangements. The salaries of the bodyguards range from R15 000 to R17 500 a month, which means the Tshwane mayor spends at least R1260000 a year on body guards. Former Rugby Union and rugby League footballer, Tom van Vollenhoven has been invited by St Helens to officially open their new rugby stadium on the 10th February in Northern England. Two years ago he was invited to attend the last game to be played at the old stadium, together with eighteen of the all time greats of rugby league. He was chosen as the club’s best player of all time which is a great honour for South Africa. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga urges parents of school-going children to participate in the upcoming school governing bodies’ elections. In March more than 24,000 schools will embark on the process of electing representatives to school governing bodies. Motshekga said the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will play a greater role in the process to ensure it is conducted properly. Newly appointed Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer on Sunday said it was an overwhelming feeling waking up to the role of Springbok coach. Meyer believes that transformation should start at the lowest level before making its way to the national team. “I think transformation should be done in all the levels especially the lower level. Obviously, being a national coach you’re committed to transformation but it should start in the bottom up. It’s not about numbers; it’s about giving the guys a chance at the lowest level. I think at the national team there are lots of guys that are good enough and they should be picked on merit,” he said. Meyer said he was realistic but confident. The City of Johannesburg has received its second consecutive qualified audit from the Auditor General for the 2010/2011 financial year. The bulk of the qualifications raised by the Auditor General concern the city's revenue management system and the consistency of the records used for the billing of customers. SAFA’s Technical Director, Serame Letsoaka was on the programme to talk about the state of the country’s football academies. There seems to be a real struggle to find details of the football academies and how they operate. There’s no information on how the academies operate and how to get in contact with them, and lastly how to your talented football star. Serame said SAFA is in a process of undertaking audits to eliminate unauthorised football academies; hence no list of football academies is readily available. Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at UNISA, Prof Carol Allais spoke to us about the severity of human trafficking in South Africa. She’s been involved in research on human trafficking for a number of years and has conducted research, inter alia, for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. She recently was the team leader for research commissioned by the National Prosecuting Authority to map out the scope and dimensions of human trafficking in the region. She said amongst the greatest challenges was that there’s no legislation governing human trafficking in South Africa and government has basically been dragging feet on the matter and thus statistics are difficult to put together. The biggest draw card for syndicates is that it’s low risk crime and there are no human trafficking management systems or codes despite the exposure it got before the World Cup. Director of Research at Africa Diaspora Research, Professor Kole Omotoso was on the radio to tell us about the latest out Nigeria. The country’s second largest city was left reeling after bombs were set off and gun battles raged in a wave of coordinated attacks. Attacks targeting Christians have given rise to fears of a wider religious conflict in Nigeria, which is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. The number of dead from bombing and gun attacks has risen to at least 211 since the weekend. Deputy Director General responsible for Inter Governmental Relations at the National Treasury, Kenneth Brown was on the radio to talk about the Treasury’s plans to help the Gauteng Health Department with its budget and financial obligations. He said the Treasury has been engaging with the Department of Finance on how best to intervene to get the province to meet their obligation. He added that there is money available for the Health department to pay suppliers, however the admin capacity at the health department is weak, and that is why Treasury is assisting. The DG of Basic Education Bobby Soobrayan was on the radio to clarify the issues surrounding the scrapping of African Languages by former Model C primary schools. The Sunday Times ran a story about some former Model C primary schools dropping African languages, thus forcing pupils to study Afrikaans as their official second language. The Government has always been saying that their objective is to promote multilingualism by providing a strong foundation for the protection and advancement of the country's diverse cultures and languages. According to the Department of Education’s language policy the parent and school pupils have a right to exercise the language choice. Discovery Health Professor of Exercise and Sports Science, Prof Tim Noakes was on the radio to tell us about his latest discovery. It all came about when an e-mail popped into Tim Noakes’ inbox late in 2010, advertising a book called the ‘New Atkins Diet for You’, which promised to help you lose 6kg in six weeks. This immediately piqued his scientific interest. “We all know that losing that much weight that quickly is impossible, but the book was written by a serious scientist, so I ordered a copy, and it said replace all carbohydrate in your diet with protein and fat,” says Tim. “I said to myself, they wouldn’t say this without reason, so I decided to experiment on myself. I cut all carbs out and started eating just biltong, cheese and fish, and in one week I lost three quarters of a kilogram. By the next week it was 1.5kg, and it was so easy. I had no hunger pangs. In the past I had tried to lose weight, but was always hit by hunger from the first day.” Tim has now lost 15kg, and says just as easily as the weight came off, so his running improved. “The more I lost, the more I wanted to run. Before, I had only been able to run 30 to 45 minutes at 7min/km, but now I am running at 5:30/km, sometimes even under 5min/km. One particular run on the mountain used to take me 140 minutes – I got it down 92 minutes after just five months. Then I ran the Two Oceans Half Marathon in 2:06, 40 minutes faster than the previous year. In my view, it’s not just weight-loss, but also something in my energy levels. I feel like I’m 22 again, with endless energy, and I just want to burn it by running.” Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said there was no way Limpopo departments could have kept track of their money because many payments were made to favour firms. At a press briefing in Polokwane on Thursday morning, Gordhan said there were people within the province working to sabotage the national government's administration process. The Historic Schools Restoration Project (HSRP) is an initiative of the National Department of Arts and Culture and has the support of the Departments of Education and Science and Technology as well as various civil society organisations. The project’s mandate is to revive historically significant and currently under resourced, South African secondary schools into centres of cultural and educational excellence. These schools all contributed richly to black education prior to the negative impact of Bantu Education. The aim is to empower these schools to achieve a high level of excellence in teaching and learning. The project also seeks to reclaim the memory, history and physical infrastructure of the historic sites that constitute the school buildings. This will become an inspiration to the schools concerned and to the communities within which they are located. Consultant Engineer and Traffic lights Expert, Peter Reynolds was on the radio to give us insight into the technical aspect of the functionality of traffic lights. He said the problem is that municipal authorities are generally understaffed with limited funds and resources. His 47 years experience tells him that the difference between JRA and Tshwane technicians is possibly to be found in the level of expertise and commitment. Peter says theft of SIM cards out of the controllers is however scant excuse for signals not working as these serve only as a communications medium to a monitored control centre and do not seriously influence the operation of the traffic lights. Discovery health says it's dealing with significant abuse of its mental health and occupational benefits by a small number of members and providers -- and has had no option but to cut them. The number of discovery members signing an online petition against its benefit changes for 2012 is rising by the day. CEO Jonathan Broomberg told the John Robbie show this morning - the abuse is costing the scheme a lot of money. South African Ambassador to the United Nations, Baso Sangqu spoke about SA’s extension for new term on the UNSC. The South African Government has welcomed the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC's) unanimous adoption on 12 January 2012 of Resolution 2033, which urges for enhanced cooperation between the UNSC and sub-regional organisations, particularly the African Union (AU), in peace and security matters. Resolution 2033 initiated by South Africa stresses the importance of establishing a more effective relationship between the UNSC and regional bodies in particular the AU Peace and Security Council, especially in the area of conflict prevention, resolution and management, electoral assistance and regional conflict prevention. The South African delegation was expected to help to prepare the agenda of the council for the month in consultation with other council members, chair meetings of the council, guide the Security Council to decisions on a range of issues on its agenda and act as the council's official contact point for other UN member states, the media and civil society. The Director General of Transport, George Mahlalela was on the radio to tell us about the government’s next plan regarding the controversial e-tolling on Gauteng freeways, which was postponed last week. The City Press quoted Transport Minister S’bu Ndebele as saying that he was not surprised that the public opposed the tolls, adding that his predecessor, Jeff Radebe, had also refused to approve the proposal from government and “guarantee” the loan for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project. Minister of Water Affairs Edna Molewa yesterday addressed the National Press Club on the ongoing scourge of Rhino Poaching and shared interventions aimed at addressing this problem. In her speech, the Minister indicated that the National Biodiversity Investigators Forum, as well as the interim National Wildlife Reaction Unit, together with various laws enforcements has been established, as a way of dealing and curbing this ongoing Rhino Poaching scourge. According to the Minister, the South African Defence Force (SANDF), as well as an additional 150 Rangers (to add to the current 500), will be deployed to monitor the National Kruger Park. Mobilitate have specifically developed a new function for Joburg residents to report their old and new billing issues. When the issue is submitted Joburgers can provide all the relevant info on a custom made template and upload required supporting documents. The City of Joburg has direct access to a citizen to question/request more information just by communicating directly from the issue on the platform. i.e: no separate emails, phone calls, etc. Another new addition is that queries will now be automatically forwarded to the City Manager’s office - Trevor Fowler. When we spoke to Prof Colleen Vogel a few months ago, she told us that while the climate change talks were not expected to produce a binding agreement on carbon emissions, things such as the Green Climate Fund were likely to receive much needed support from the developed nations. Latest reports suggest that negotiators are close to agreeing on the shape of the Fund, which is designed to help poor nations tackle global warming and nudge them towards a new global effort to fight climate change. Rich countries have pledged up to $100 billion a year by 2020 to aid poor states most directly affected by rising global temperatures to adapt their economies and protect themselves from adverse weather. A former South African Airforce pilot Arthur Piercy - who is now a quadriplegic - says he hopes new technology will help him take to the skies once again. Piercy broke his back during a crash landing following a dogfight against a Cuban pilot during the Angolan conflict. He and his father are now building a kit aircraft which they hope to use to fly around the world - and reconcile with the Cuban pilot. He's hoping to raise around half a million rand to complete his aircraft. Managing Partner at the M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism, Stefaans Brummer was on the radio to speak about the Donen report. The M&G expected the release of the Donen report into the Oil for Food scandal to reopen a Pandora's Box of allegations about kickbacks and diplomatic favours traded for oil from Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Apart from the ANC, which wanted to profit from Iraqi crude oil allocations through connected trader Sandi Majali, those implicated include a former (Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka), an incumbent (Kgalema Motlanthe) and an aspirant South African deputy president (Tokyo Sexwale). The report found that none of the SA people named in the UN investigation were found guilty of illicit activities; none of them had contravened any South African law. It did not make any definitive final findings on the conduct of the individuals in relation to the UN Resolutions and Policy. Dr Ali Bacher phoned the show to respond to a statement put forward by cricket boss Gerald Majola from yesterday’s CSA hearing. Majola broke his almost two-year silence on the game's bonus scandal, in which he has been deeply implicated, by casting blame in several directions. In his defence, a sometimes emotional Majola claimed that his predecessor, Ali Bacher, had taken a R5-million bonus after the Cricket World Cup of 2003 in South Africa, thereby creating a precedent. Bacher has challenged the claim and stated on record (as he did before) that all was above board and records prove that. Urban Consultant with Urban Inc Neil Fraser gave us his take on the issue of the municipality removing squatters without alternative accommodation to place them in. The eviction of over 700 people from dolomitic land in Bapsfontein, Gauteng, without a court order was declared unlawful by the Constitutional Court yesterday. The court ordered the Ekurhuleni metro to find suitable land for the residents to resettle on by December 2012. In a separate ruling last week, the Constitutional Court declared the City of Johannesburg’s housing policy unconstitutional and ordered the City to provide temporary accommodation to 86 desperately poor people living in Berea in inner city Johannesburg. The Court was ruling on the application of Blue Moonlight Properties to evict the occupiers from its property. Gauteng is sinking into debt and its bid to get a R627-million bailout from the National Treasury has resulted in the province being put under a financial microscope. Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane will sign an agreement with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, who will manage the "chronic" problems relating to the provincial health department. While Mokonyane has tried to rid the province of dodgy tenders ever since she took over, including cancelling the R8-billion motorsport and broadcasting contracts, and reviewing Gauteng Shared Services Centre - which has been accused of not paying suppliers on time - financial affairs have not improved. Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Prof Steven Friedman was on the radio to give analysis on the Willem Heath interview with City Press over the weekend. Heath said Schabir Shaik and Tony Yengeni were “sacrificed” in the arms deal investigation; former president Thabo Mbeki “dictated” to the National Prosecuting Authority in Zuma’s rape trial and that Judge Hilary Squires’ judgment in the Shaik corruption trial was flawed as there was insufficient evidence to convict Shaik. Prof Friedman said South Africans should be concerned about these comments which seem to confirm that Heath is part of a bigger mission to strengthen Zuma’s fortress and thus not impartial. Renowned international actress Hailey Mills spoke to John about her stay in South Africa so far and her illustrious acting career over several decades. Managing partner at Schindlers Attorneys, Maurice Crespi said a group of property owners is taking the City of Joburg to court in a bid to stop the City from disconnecting their buildings. They say the City has not been able to provide them with proper bills - and they're being cut-off when they are not in debt. Crespi says the public interest case has been instituted in order to force City officials to comply with legal obligations before they cut residents off. The order which will be made by the courts will not only apply to the applicants, but will hopefully change the manner in which the City treats its customers. The city has been plagued by billing indiscretions for an estimated nine years. Adcock Ingram says it hopes to have Livi-fem hormone replacement therapy back on the shelves early next year. The pharmaceutical company says the licencing for the product was transferred to another company in august - which required that certain changes be made to the packaging. Livi-fem now has to go through a regulatory process and will not be available on the market until it’s approved. Adcock Ingram’s Abofele Khoele says they realise the inconvenience - and are appealing to customers to be patient. South African actress Lesego Motsepe chose World Aids Day to publically disclose for the first time that she was living with the virus for over a decade. Motsepe was best known for her role as Letti Matabane on local television soapie Isidingo. She said she wanted to make a difference. “The virus lives in my blood. For 13 years I had known, and I wanted to use the opportunity God gave me to be able to be a mentor to those who will be going through the same struggles I have gone through,” the actress said. She said she went through denial, resentment, hate, rejection and dejection from the people that she loved. On World Aids Day, John Robbie spoke to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe about the launch of the government’s Aids plan. John also asked him about the Protection of State Information Bill. The Deputy President told John that there’s only a 1% difference between those that support the Bill and those that oppose it and that he’s confident a solution can be found through engagement. CEO of Kumba Iron Ore, Chris Griffith was on the radio to chat about the fantastic news about the company’s employee share scheme. The company announced yesterday that over 6 200 of its employees would reap a R576 045 payout in December as part of an "empowerment" plan aimed at non-managers. Mining firms are required to meet quotas on black ownership, employment and procurement. Critics say such deals often enrich only politically-connected elite, sparking a push by unions and the government for more broad-based schemes that benefit the rank and file. The scheme by Kumba, a unit of global mining giant Anglo American, falls in the broad-based category as cleaners and drivers will receive the payout. As part of the Envision scheme, Kumba organised workshops, industrial theatre performances and distributed comics to teach blue-collar workers how to pay off debt, invest in housing and not squander their newly-found wealth on cars or alcohol. Professional Golfer, Graeme McDowell was on the radio to chat to John ahead of the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City tomorrow. His eight victories as a professional were highlighted by his US Open triumph at Pebble Beach last year. He is in the country for the Nedbank Golf Challenge. He became the first Northern Irishman to win the US Open, as well as the first European winner of this Major since Tony Jacklin in 1970, the first player from the United Kingdom to win a Major since Paul Lawrie won the Open in 1999, and the first Northern Irishman to win any Major since Fred Daly won the 1947 Open. Head of Communication for the Gauteng Department of Education, Charles Phahlane was on the radio to speak about the issue of schools not having enough capacity to accommodate new grade 1 learners as of 2012. He said they’re working tirelessly to sort the issue out before the beginning of next year. City Press Editor-in-chief, Ferial Haffajee was on the radio to talk about the importance of Black Tuesday, her thoughts on who moved the ANC and her views on the planned civil justice review. In her column this week, she questions the ANC’s about-turn on the democratic principles of freedom and openness. She will also share her views on the planned review of transformation in the judiciary. How did the ANC, an organisation which fought against apartheid and the accompanying lack of freedoms, change to become a party that would impose a bill such as the POIB? What has changed? Should we be concerned about plans to review transformation in the judiciary? Do ANC leaders really believe that the judiciary poses a threat to its ability to deliver on development imperatives? Following the publication of the paper’s lead story on Sunday, there were reports that presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj was planning to lay charges against the paper. Chairperson of the Transnet Second Defined Benefit Fund, Peter Moyo was on the radio to explain Transnet’s position on the contentious issue of pensions for former employees. The Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises received a petition from the Pensioners of Transnet Second Defined Benefit Fund (TSDBF) and the Transport Pension Fund (TPF). The plea of the pensioners was informed by the deteriorating economic conditions and challenges that they faced as a result of the low pensions they continued to receive. They received an annual increase of 2% on their pensions for two decades. Last year, a task team appointed by the Committee recommended that Transnet and National Treasury make a cash injection of R1.963 billion into the Funds. None of these funds have been paid to the affected pensioners - around 75 000 people. Moyo’s team told Parliament that the pension payments it had ordered the parastatal to pay, were unaffordable but they had tabled a compromise position which will bring some relief to their pensioners. Top UFO and Extra Terrestrials speaker, Kerry Cassidy was on the radio with John today to speak about her work. She has been invited as one of the speakers at the first UFO conference to be held in South Africa – called the UFO, Science and Consciousness Conference in Johannesburg at the JCE Linder Auditorium in Parktown on the 25th, 26th and 27th of November. Kerry conducts interviews documenting the testimony of whistleblowers with above top secret clearances as well as researchers and experiencers covering all aspects of reality both on and off planet. She has spoken at conferences around the world on the subjects of ETs, the Illuminati agenda, mind control, the matrix, prophecies, 2012 and many other subjects. For more info visit www.michaeltellinger.com or call the organiser Michael Tellinger on 082 321 3105. John finds out what is wrong with the Pretoria/Tshwane CBD, and then finds out plans inner city renewal projects the city is working onto rejuvenate the Pretoria CBD. Following last year’s billing crisis which saw residents being over-charged for rates and utilities and being disconnected unfairly, the city of unveiled a three-phase plan yesterday to improve revenue management. Attorney at Webber Wentzel, Okyerebea Ampofo-Anti told us that there is no public interest defence which is bad news for whistle blowers and will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression. The Protection of Information Bill was withdrawn from the parliamentary programme in September for further consideration. The backtrack came on the eve of a parliamentary debate where the ANC was expected to use its majority to vote to turn the protection of information bill into law. Activists and media groups feared the legislation would stifle whistleblowers and investigative journalists who possessed or disclosed classified material with jail terms of up to 25 years. State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele's advisor Dennis Dlomo said the media was not being honest about the Protection of Information Bill. He was reacting to a call by the National Press Club (NPC) to observe what it calls "Black Tuesday" when Parliament is scheduled to vote on the controversial proposed legislation. There are concerns that the bill will be used to censor the media as it does not contain a public interest clause in its current form. However, Dlomo said the bill's main objective was not to harm citizens. “The objective of the bill is to protect ordinary citizens’ information held by the state. Many of whom have had their rights undermined by officials who alter, misplace and destroy information that is held by the state,” he added. Co-Author of ‘The Devil in the Detail: How the Arms Deal Changed Everything’, Paul Holden spoke about the possible link between Mac Maharaj and the Arms Deal scandal. Maharaj has shrugged off allegations of unlawful conduct that he and his wife Zarina received millions of rands from French arms company, Thales which will be at the centre of the government's arms deal inquiry next year. The Mail & Guardian was forced to pull back on publishing a story about Maharaj in last Friday's edition after threats of criminal prosecution. On Saturday his attorneys laid charges against the newspaper and two of its journalists for contravening the provisions of section 41(6) of the National Prosecuting Act of 1998. M&G editor Nic Dawes said his case leaned more against the paper’s disclosure of the information rather than possession of the information. Holden says Maharaj’s response to both the Sunday Times article and the M&G story is an indication of how complicated the arms deal inquiry is likely to be and raises concerns about the extent to which the commission will be able to uncover corruption. Following the Mail & Guardian's forced suppression of a report about presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj, he released a brief statement on Thursday night accusing the paper of seeking "to hide its complicity in criminal acts by raising the spectre of a threat to media freedom and invoking fears of censorship". The M&G was compelled to hold back the report, following a threat of criminal prosecution under the National Prosecuting Authority Act. Both Mac Maharaj and M&G’s Editor-in-Chief Nic Dawes responded. World famous boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer is in the country for a World Boxing Federation tournament featuring five title fights. More than 3000 people are expected to watch the tournament at Montecasino this Saturday. Buffer is a former model and car salesman and has been a ring announcer for 29 years. Gauteng MEC for the Dept of Infrastructure Development, Bheki Nkosi was on the radio to respond to the issue we raised about lifts at Charlotte Maxeke not working. Yesterday we read out an email from Mohamed one of our listeners. He wrote to us to complain about the lifts at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital. He told us that for more than a year, the elevators in either Block 2 or Block 3 which houses departments such as the hearing clinic, neurology, haematology and oncology have not been working. We subsequently took calls and smses from other listeners on the subject and it seems like there have been problems with the elevators at the hospital. The Gauteng government promised 200 new lifts for key buildings two years ago, but The Star reported in August that only 70 have been installed. The Head of Paediatric and Child Health at the hospital, Prof. Peter Cooper confirmed what many listeners said about the continuously frustrating dysfunctional lifts at the hospital. Chairperson of Shanduka Black Umbrellas, Yvonne Themba was on the radio to chat about an initiative aimed at helping black entrepreneurs. Shanduka Black Umbrellas which was launched two and a half years ago still emphasises incubation as a first step towards success for entrepreneurs. Shanduka Black Umbrellas is a non-profit company involved in the support of emerging black businesses through enterprise development. Members are provided with a working environment and support services that will enable them to thrive.