Mpumalanga police are reporting that the ANC chief whip at the Ehlanzani District Council, Johannes Ndlovu, has been murdered.
Ndlovu was reportedly abducted on the way home on Tuesday evening and was apparently executed with a single shot. The murder was discovered when his wife called his mobile at midnight to check on his whereabouts. An unidentified man apparently told her: "we have killed him", before telling her where to find the body.
Ndlovu's murder falls on the 2yr anniversary of the assassination of Mbombela speaker Jimmy Mohala. Mohala's fellow councillors, including Mbombela mayor Lassy Chiwayo, claim the killing was a political assassination designed to derail his probe into 2010 World Cup irregularities.
No potential motives have been suggested yet for Ndlovu's murder.
Source: Capital
Showing posts with label Lassy Chiwayo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lassy Chiwayo. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Friday, August 13, 2010
Spin doctor red-faced over fake letter
Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza's spin doctors seem to have played a central role in circulating the fake letter that led to the dramatic arrest of Sunday Times investigative journalist, Mzilikazi wa Afrika, last week.
Mabuza's chief spokesperson, Mabutho Sithole, reluctantly admitted on Thursday that he personally tipped off journalists about the existence of the letter, in which the premier purportedly confirms his resignation to President Jacob Zuma. He also emailed a PDF copy of the letter to at least two journalists at the same time as the premier's office was lodging criminal charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice against "conspirators" Wa Afrika and Mbombela (Nelspruit) councillor Victor Mlimi. The charges were changed last week after the two had been arrested to fraud, forgery and "uttering" — which is knowingly circulating a fraudulent document.
The letter came from a confidential source and was faxed, via Mlimi, to Wa Afrika, who received it on July 21. Wa Afrika then passed the letter on to another Sunday Times journalist, who followed it up with the premier's office by sending it to Sithole for verification.
Sithole has confirmed receiving the PDF version of the letter from the Sunday Times on July 24. "I knew immediately that it was fake. The signature is nothing like the premier's real one. I told them it was part of a plot to destabilise the province and smear the premier," said Sithole. Based on Sithole's response, plus denials from the presidency and ANC, the Sunday Times decided against publishing a story on the issue.
Sithole nevertheless phoned Sowetan journalist Alfred Moselakgomo the following day, July 25, to tip him off about the "rumours" and the existence of the letter. Sithole then emailed a copy of the PDF letter to Sowetan's Mpumalanga bureau chief, Riot Hlatshwayo, and Sowetan reporter Kingdom Mabuza on Monday July 26. "We hadn't even heard rumours about the issue until the tip-off on the Sunday, and would not have had enough evidence to publish anything if we hadn't received the letter from Mabutho," says Hlatshwayo.
Hlatshwayo co-wrote a story about the allegations and then forwarded the PDF letter to City Press, Beeld, The Witness, Jacaranda FM and investigative news agency African Eye News Service (AENS). He also tipped off colleagues in the SABC's local radio and TV news teams. The SABC and City Press subsequently ran stories on the rumoured resignation and Mabuza's insistence that the publicity was part of a political plot to oust him and to topple the provincial administration.
Sithole refused to say why Wa Afrika had been targeted for arrest when he had not circulated the letter or written about it, or why journalists who had circulated it and written about the controversy had not been charged. "Regardless of how the journalists got the letter, there is a plot, and journalists are part of it. We have evidence. But this whole matter is now sub judice and I will not comment further [out of] respect for the legal process," said Sithole. He refused to confirm or deny whether the evidence against Wa Afrika was based on surveillance of the media by intelligence agencies. Mabuza has previously boasted about receiving weekly classified reports on "troublemakers" in the province, including reports about "people who say things". "I checked with [Mabuza] and he will not tell me yes or no. He said he is not going to tell me, because the information is classified," said Sithole.
He also refused to say why the province had not pressed charges in the case of another high-profile fraudulent letter — one purportedly used by project management company, Lefika Emerging Equity. Lefika, whose owners include Kaizer Chiefs general manager Bobby Motaung and Mpumalanga tycoon Herbert Theledi, allegedly wrote a fraudulent letter to First National Bank. The letter, on the Mbombela municipality's letterhead, requested an overdraft based on the claim that it had submitted a sizeable invoice to the council in December 2008 for its work on the Mbombela stadium.
Mbombela speaker Jimmy Mohlala, who announced publicly that he intended lodging fraud charges with police, was killed in front of his teenage son in January 2009, two days before he was scheduled to meet investigators.
Lefika and Motaung were not immediately available for comment, but both repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Mbombela mayor Lassy Chiwayo said at the time that the murder was an assassination to silence Mohlala and said he and other council officials had received threatening calls.
The Sunday Times confirmed on Thursday that Wa Afrika had been investigating why no fraud charge had been lodged in the case and why no one had been arrested for the killing. The paper's legal spokesperson, Susan Smuts, also confirmed that Wa Afrika claimed that he had been followed and narrowly evaded a possible kidnap attempt in the province in April. Another journalist who has started looking into the case, City Press's Sizwe samaYende, is currently under 24-hour protection after dodging a gunman who ambushed him at his Mbombela home last Friday night. "Both these cases, Wa Afrika's matter and Mohlala's murder, are active and ongoing investigations and as such I cannot comment on them," said Hawks spokesperson Musa Zondi on Thursday afternoon.
Wa Afrika and Mlimi are both out on R5000 bail each, pending further investigation by the Hawks. They have had to surrender their passports and are scheduled to reappear in the Nelspruit courts on November 8. Wa Afrika's attorney, Eric van den Berg, meanwhile confirmed that the Hawks had agreed to return Wa Afrika's notebooks and research files, which were seized from the journalist's home without a search warrant immediately after his arrest last week and were turned over to crime intelligence officers in Mpumalanga for "analysis". They include material stretching back 11 years, including notes on his investigations into the arms deal, Travelgate and other scandals.
Media freedom organisations, including the South African National Editors' Forum, have expressed concern that the identity of whistleblowers and confidential sources unrelated to the fraudulent letter case may have been compromised.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Mabuza's chief spokesperson, Mabutho Sithole, reluctantly admitted on Thursday that he personally tipped off journalists about the existence of the letter, in which the premier purportedly confirms his resignation to President Jacob Zuma. He also emailed a PDF copy of the letter to at least two journalists at the same time as the premier's office was lodging criminal charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice against "conspirators" Wa Afrika and Mbombela (Nelspruit) councillor Victor Mlimi. The charges were changed last week after the two had been arrested to fraud, forgery and "uttering" — which is knowingly circulating a fraudulent document.
The letter came from a confidential source and was faxed, via Mlimi, to Wa Afrika, who received it on July 21. Wa Afrika then passed the letter on to another Sunday Times journalist, who followed it up with the premier's office by sending it to Sithole for verification.
Sithole has confirmed receiving the PDF version of the letter from the Sunday Times on July 24. "I knew immediately that it was fake. The signature is nothing like the premier's real one. I told them it was part of a plot to destabilise the province and smear the premier," said Sithole. Based on Sithole's response, plus denials from the presidency and ANC, the Sunday Times decided against publishing a story on the issue.
Sithole nevertheless phoned Sowetan journalist Alfred Moselakgomo the following day, July 25, to tip him off about the "rumours" and the existence of the letter. Sithole then emailed a copy of the PDF letter to Sowetan's Mpumalanga bureau chief, Riot Hlatshwayo, and Sowetan reporter Kingdom Mabuza on Monday July 26. "We hadn't even heard rumours about the issue until the tip-off on the Sunday, and would not have had enough evidence to publish anything if we hadn't received the letter from Mabutho," says Hlatshwayo.
Hlatshwayo co-wrote a story about the allegations and then forwarded the PDF letter to City Press, Beeld, The Witness, Jacaranda FM and investigative news agency African Eye News Service (AENS). He also tipped off colleagues in the SABC's local radio and TV news teams. The SABC and City Press subsequently ran stories on the rumoured resignation and Mabuza's insistence that the publicity was part of a political plot to oust him and to topple the provincial administration.
Sithole refused to say why Wa Afrika had been targeted for arrest when he had not circulated the letter or written about it, or why journalists who had circulated it and written about the controversy had not been charged. "Regardless of how the journalists got the letter, there is a plot, and journalists are part of it. We have evidence. But this whole matter is now sub judice and I will not comment further [out of] respect for the legal process," said Sithole. He refused to confirm or deny whether the evidence against Wa Afrika was based on surveillance of the media by intelligence agencies. Mabuza has previously boasted about receiving weekly classified reports on "troublemakers" in the province, including reports about "people who say things". "I checked with [Mabuza] and he will not tell me yes or no. He said he is not going to tell me, because the information is classified," said Sithole.
He also refused to say why the province had not pressed charges in the case of another high-profile fraudulent letter — one purportedly used by project management company, Lefika Emerging Equity. Lefika, whose owners include Kaizer Chiefs general manager Bobby Motaung and Mpumalanga tycoon Herbert Theledi, allegedly wrote a fraudulent letter to First National Bank. The letter, on the Mbombela municipality's letterhead, requested an overdraft based on the claim that it had submitted a sizeable invoice to the council in December 2008 for its work on the Mbombela stadium.
Mbombela speaker Jimmy Mohlala, who announced publicly that he intended lodging fraud charges with police, was killed in front of his teenage son in January 2009, two days before he was scheduled to meet investigators.
Lefika and Motaung were not immediately available for comment, but both repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Mbombela mayor Lassy Chiwayo said at the time that the murder was an assassination to silence Mohlala and said he and other council officials had received threatening calls.
The Sunday Times confirmed on Thursday that Wa Afrika had been investigating why no fraud charge had been lodged in the case and why no one had been arrested for the killing. The paper's legal spokesperson, Susan Smuts, also confirmed that Wa Afrika claimed that he had been followed and narrowly evaded a possible kidnap attempt in the province in April. Another journalist who has started looking into the case, City Press's Sizwe samaYende, is currently under 24-hour protection after dodging a gunman who ambushed him at his Mbombela home last Friday night. "Both these cases, Wa Afrika's matter and Mohlala's murder, are active and ongoing investigations and as such I cannot comment on them," said Hawks spokesperson Musa Zondi on Thursday afternoon.
Wa Afrika and Mlimi are both out on R5000 bail each, pending further investigation by the Hawks. They have had to surrender their passports and are scheduled to reappear in the Nelspruit courts on November 8. Wa Afrika's attorney, Eric van den Berg, meanwhile confirmed that the Hawks had agreed to return Wa Afrika's notebooks and research files, which were seized from the journalist's home without a search warrant immediately after his arrest last week and were turned over to crime intelligence officers in Mpumalanga for "analysis". They include material stretching back 11 years, including notes on his investigations into the arms deal, Travelgate and other scandals.
Media freedom organisations, including the South African National Editors' Forum, have expressed concern that the identity of whistleblowers and confidential sources unrelated to the fraudulent letter case may have been compromised.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Friday, March 26, 2010
Mayor refuses to leave quietly
Mbombela local municipality mayor Lassy Chiwayo has accused ANC members of orchestrating his removal for refusing to hire their relatives and drop charges against former Mbombela municipal manager Jacob Dladla, who was dismissed late last year. Chiwayo was speaking to journalists during a press conference yesterday after the Ehlanzeni regional executive council announced its recommendation to recall him as mayor on Wednesday. "There are senior ANC members who sit in the provincial executive committee (PEC) who warned me that I will be removed if I don't follow their instructions. Similar threats also came from the regional executive council (REC), who wanted me to appoint certain individuals," said Chiwayo.
He said the REC's secretary, Pat Ngomane, deputy chairman Peter Nyoni and regional working committee member Bheki Zulu were behind the calls to remove him. "These three comrades told me that I should restructure my entire mayoral committee, remove the deputy mayor (Nackie Ndlovu) and replace her with Nyoni's wife (Jester Sidel)," he said.
Chiwayo said he was also instructed at PEC level to sweep the Dladla matter under the carpet. He repeated that slain Mbombela Speaker Jimmy Mohlala was "executed" days before testifying in the disciplinary hearings against Dladla, who had a string of charges laid against him, and said it was clear that Dladla had been placed at Mbombela to become a "channel for looting". Chiwayo specifically mentioned that he had received "strict instructions" to suspend all disciplinary actions against Dladla. "I was warned that I will be removed as mayor if I don't suspended the disciplinary action. I refused and when he was found guilty and dismissed I was given instruction to either reinstate him or give him a golden handshake," he said.
Chiwayo said Mpumalanga's status as a 2010 World Cup host province had "erupted into chaos" and become "a curse to its own people". "The opportunity to host the 2010 World Cup is an international gift that was aimed at unifying our people, but now it has become a curse because of greed and power-mongering," said Chiwayo. "We have people dying on Mbombela soil because of tenders. It's as if there's an evil force that is thirsty for blood, a devil that has become a challenge for us to fight. These people decide who gets employed, where a tender should go and, if you defy them, you become a target." Chiwayo revealed that he had written a detailed report to the ANC, the national government and the National Intelligence Agency about the "power madness" in Mpumalanga.
Provincial secretary Lucky Ndinisa said the REC's recommendation had not yet been tabled. "That recommendation does not stand as a decision of the PEC. It will come to the PEC and we will look at it. As far as we are concerned, comrade Chiwayo remains Nelspruit's mayor," said Ndinisa.
Source: The Star
He said the REC's secretary, Pat Ngomane, deputy chairman Peter Nyoni and regional working committee member Bheki Zulu were behind the calls to remove him. "These three comrades told me that I should restructure my entire mayoral committee, remove the deputy mayor (Nackie Ndlovu) and replace her with Nyoni's wife (Jester Sidel)," he said.
Chiwayo said he was also instructed at PEC level to sweep the Dladla matter under the carpet. He repeated that slain Mbombela Speaker Jimmy Mohlala was "executed" days before testifying in the disciplinary hearings against Dladla, who had a string of charges laid against him, and said it was clear that Dladla had been placed at Mbombela to become a "channel for looting". Chiwayo specifically mentioned that he had received "strict instructions" to suspend all disciplinary actions against Dladla. "I was warned that I will be removed as mayor if I don't suspended the disciplinary action. I refused and when he was found guilty and dismissed I was given instruction to either reinstate him or give him a golden handshake," he said.
Chiwayo said Mpumalanga's status as a 2010 World Cup host province had "erupted into chaos" and become "a curse to its own people". "The opportunity to host the 2010 World Cup is an international gift that was aimed at unifying our people, but now it has become a curse because of greed and power-mongering," said Chiwayo. "We have people dying on Mbombela soil because of tenders. It's as if there's an evil force that is thirsty for blood, a devil that has become a challenge for us to fight. These people decide who gets employed, where a tender should go and, if you defy them, you become a target." Chiwayo revealed that he had written a detailed report to the ANC, the national government and the National Intelligence Agency about the "power madness" in Mpumalanga.
Provincial secretary Lucky Ndinisa said the REC's recommendation had not yet been tabled. "That recommendation does not stand as a decision of the PEC. It will come to the PEC and we will look at it. As far as we are concerned, comrade Chiwayo remains Nelspruit's mayor," said Ndinisa.
Source: The Star
Friday, March 12, 2010
Cost of Stadium Reveals Tensions in South Africa
Come June, soccer’s World Cup will be hosted by South Africa. Though only 4 of the 64 games are to be played here in Nelspruit, a $137 million stadium was built for the occasion. The arena’s 18 supporting pylons reach skyward in the shape of orange giraffes. At nightfall, their eyeballs blink with flashes of bewitching light.
The people who live nearby, proud as they are to host soccer’s greatest event, also wonder: How could there be money for a 46,000-seat stadium while many of them still fetch water from dirty puddles and live without electricity or toilets?
The 2010 World Cup is meant to display South Africa at its very best: a modern, prosperous nation friendly to commerce, tourists and democratic ideals. This is the first time the event will be held in Africa, and it was buoyantly suggested by the former President Thabo Mbeki that the competition was a milestone for the entire continent, “sending ripples of confidence from the Cape to Cairo.”
Such boasts may well turn out to be true, for South Africa has spent more than $6 billion on stadiums, roads, airports and other projects. But Nelspruit, in preparing for its own six hours of championship soccer, is instead an example of the nation at its worst, with distressing inequality — measured by some economists as the worst in the world — and an epidemic of local corruption that often leads the downtrodden to rise up in anger.
Simon Magagula lives in a mud house accessible by a dirt road whose cavities deepen with each rainfall. His doorway is a short jaunt to the new stadium. “Those who’ll benefit from this are the wealthy that already have plenty in their hand,” he said, not in resentment so much as weariness. And indeed, with the stadium project came an infusion of money, catnip to the corrupt who congregate at the junction of money and power. “No point in trying to hide it, there was a total collapse of good governance, primarily around the World Cup,” said Lassy Chiwayo, Nelspruit’s mayor, who was installed as an emergency caretaker in late 2008 after his predecessor was removed.
Independent investigators into the matter found that millions of dollars had been misspent on big contracts. Their final report calls for criminal charges against the former municipal manager and the directors of three companies managing the stadium project.
The Nelspruit area, which lies in the country’s east and has a population of 600,000, has been home to a long feud between rival members of South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress. The antagonists want a bigger share of patronage and other spoils. Killings seem to have been used as a tactic. In the past month, three supposed hit lists landed in South African newspapers. One includes people to be shot, another those to be poisoned. The Sunday Times recently quoted a repentant Mozambican assassin who asserted that he was hired by top-level politicians and businessmen to kill their adversaries, describing his profession as the work of a “cleaner.”
Mayor Chiwayo appears on each list, and while he said he was unsure if any of the threats were genuine, he noted that several designees had died suspiciously. “I’m afraid mindless greed has eaten into the soul of the A.N.C.,” he said of his own party. In January 2009, the speaker of the municipal assembly, Jimmy Mohlala, was gunned down in front of his house. He had gathered evidence about stadium deals and declared that he was ready to name names and shame the shameless. This past January, another man on the lists, Sammy Mpatlanyane, the deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation, was shot as he lay in bed. He was “a very influential decision maker,” the mayor said.
When it comes to the World Cup, Nelspruit, well known as a gateway to Kruger National Park, seems to put its worst foot forward repeatedly. The acquisition of the stadium site itself seemed nefarious. The municipality persuaded the trustees of a huge tract of ancestral land to sell 173 acres for 1 rand, or 13 cents. Those intended to benefit from the trust objected, and a judge canceled the deal, likening it to when colonial powers robbed the naïve in return for “buttons and shiny mirrors.” The eventual price was about $1 million. “There has been nothing but duplicity, double dealings and double agendas,” said Richard Spoor, the lawyer who handled the case. “And what will we have after the World Cup is played? There’s no team to occupy the stadium. It will be a white elephant. Politicians will use it to make speeches.”
Two schools — John Mdluli Primary School and Cyril Clark High School — sat on the purchased land. They were bulldozed in 2007, and the students were transferred to hot and airless prefabricated classrooms. Parents and their children repeatedly staged protests. They blocked streets, burned tires and once even torched a police car. The police dispersed them with rubber bullets. This year construction began to replace the demolished schools. “The school problem made us furious, that and the need for jobs,” said Mr. Magagula, who lives near the new arena. “Some people were hired to work on the stadium, but not enough. We’ve been promised a better life, but look how we live. If you pour water into a glass, you can see things moving inside.” And yet he loves soccer, the favorite sport of black South Africans. He cannot wait for the World Cup to begin. He could afford only one ticket for one game, an $18 seat specially priced for the country’s residents.
Nelspruit is one of five cities to get new stadiums, including some arenas that are quite spectacular. It will host Honduras versus Chile; Italy versus New Zealand; Australia versus Serbia; North Korea versus Ivory Coast. “I chose the Italians,” Mr. Magagula said proudly. “I don’t really care who wins. But whatever happens, I’ll never forget it.”
Source: New York Times
The people who live nearby, proud as they are to host soccer’s greatest event, also wonder: How could there be money for a 46,000-seat stadium while many of them still fetch water from dirty puddles and live without electricity or toilets?
The 2010 World Cup is meant to display South Africa at its very best: a modern, prosperous nation friendly to commerce, tourists and democratic ideals. This is the first time the event will be held in Africa, and it was buoyantly suggested by the former President Thabo Mbeki that the competition was a milestone for the entire continent, “sending ripples of confidence from the Cape to Cairo.”
Such boasts may well turn out to be true, for South Africa has spent more than $6 billion on stadiums, roads, airports and other projects. But Nelspruit, in preparing for its own six hours of championship soccer, is instead an example of the nation at its worst, with distressing inequality — measured by some economists as the worst in the world — and an epidemic of local corruption that often leads the downtrodden to rise up in anger.
Simon Magagula lives in a mud house accessible by a dirt road whose cavities deepen with each rainfall. His doorway is a short jaunt to the new stadium. “Those who’ll benefit from this are the wealthy that already have plenty in their hand,” he said, not in resentment so much as weariness. And indeed, with the stadium project came an infusion of money, catnip to the corrupt who congregate at the junction of money and power. “No point in trying to hide it, there was a total collapse of good governance, primarily around the World Cup,” said Lassy Chiwayo, Nelspruit’s mayor, who was installed as an emergency caretaker in late 2008 after his predecessor was removed.
Independent investigators into the matter found that millions of dollars had been misspent on big contracts. Their final report calls for criminal charges against the former municipal manager and the directors of three companies managing the stadium project.
The Nelspruit area, which lies in the country’s east and has a population of 600,000, has been home to a long feud between rival members of South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress. The antagonists want a bigger share of patronage and other spoils. Killings seem to have been used as a tactic. In the past month, three supposed hit lists landed in South African newspapers. One includes people to be shot, another those to be poisoned. The Sunday Times recently quoted a repentant Mozambican assassin who asserted that he was hired by top-level politicians and businessmen to kill their adversaries, describing his profession as the work of a “cleaner.”
Mayor Chiwayo appears on each list, and while he said he was unsure if any of the threats were genuine, he noted that several designees had died suspiciously. “I’m afraid mindless greed has eaten into the soul of the A.N.C.,” he said of his own party. In January 2009, the speaker of the municipal assembly, Jimmy Mohlala, was gunned down in front of his house. He had gathered evidence about stadium deals and declared that he was ready to name names and shame the shameless. This past January, another man on the lists, Sammy Mpatlanyane, the deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation, was shot as he lay in bed. He was “a very influential decision maker,” the mayor said.
When it comes to the World Cup, Nelspruit, well known as a gateway to Kruger National Park, seems to put its worst foot forward repeatedly. The acquisition of the stadium site itself seemed nefarious. The municipality persuaded the trustees of a huge tract of ancestral land to sell 173 acres for 1 rand, or 13 cents. Those intended to benefit from the trust objected, and a judge canceled the deal, likening it to when colonial powers robbed the naïve in return for “buttons and shiny mirrors.” The eventual price was about $1 million. “There has been nothing but duplicity, double dealings and double agendas,” said Richard Spoor, the lawyer who handled the case. “And what will we have after the World Cup is played? There’s no team to occupy the stadium. It will be a white elephant. Politicians will use it to make speeches.”
Two schools — John Mdluli Primary School and Cyril Clark High School — sat on the purchased land. They were bulldozed in 2007, and the students were transferred to hot and airless prefabricated classrooms. Parents and their children repeatedly staged protests. They blocked streets, burned tires and once even torched a police car. The police dispersed them with rubber bullets. This year construction began to replace the demolished schools. “The school problem made us furious, that and the need for jobs,” said Mr. Magagula, who lives near the new arena. “Some people were hired to work on the stadium, but not enough. We’ve been promised a better life, but look how we live. If you pour water into a glass, you can see things moving inside.” And yet he loves soccer, the favorite sport of black South Africans. He cannot wait for the World Cup to begin. He could afford only one ticket for one game, an $18 seat specially priced for the country’s residents.
Nelspruit is one of five cities to get new stadiums, including some arenas that are quite spectacular. It will host Honduras versus Chile; Italy versus New Zealand; Australia versus Serbia; North Korea versus Ivory Coast. “I chose the Italians,” Mr. Magagula said proudly. “I don’t really care who wins. But whatever happens, I’ll never forget it.”
Source: New York Times
Friday, February 26, 2010
Prominent mayor on 'hit-lists'
The family of Lassy Chiwayo, Mbombela (Nelspruit) Local Municipality mayor, wants him to quit politics because his name apparently tops three reported hit-lists that could be targeting whistleblowers The Mail & Guardian has been told that first list contains the names of 20 people who should be "shot and poisoned", the second names 10 people who should be "shot", while the third names six who should be "poisoned".
The lists are said to be circulating in Mpumalanga. "Obviously, your family will be concerned if your name is rumoured to be on a hit-list, especially taking into consideration that some of the people also alleged to be on the list have already been killed," Chiwayo said this week. "My family has asked me to reconsider my position in politics and to return to private business. I am worried about my children because I can't protect them 24 hours a day."
But he is not about to resign as mayor. "I joined politics at the age of 13 -- I came home one day wearing an Azapo T-shirt and my mom beat me. I didn't give up and I'm not about to do so now," he said. Before being deployed as ANC mayor, Chiwayo was a businessman involved in the Gautrain project. He said he had "no doubt" that some murders and the hit-lists were related to tenders and politics in the province. "I know for a fact that [former Mbombela speaker] Jimmy Mohlala was killed for being vocal about the 2010 Mbombela stadium tender irregularities," he said.
Mohlala was shot and killed outside his house in KaNyamazane on January 4 this year, a week before he was to testify about dismissed municipal manager Jacob Dladla's refusal to implement 361 council resolutions and his role in alleged tender irregularities linked to the Mbombela stadium. Mohlala also wanted fraud charges to be laid against the project managers, Lefika Emerging Equity.
The murder this year of senior government communicator Sammy Mphatlanyane could also be tender related. A police source said that Mphatlanyane's death outside his Nelspruit house on January 8 could have been linked to his refusal to award a R20-million tender from the provincial department of culture, sport and recreation to a friend of a prominent ANC leader in the province. Mphatlanyane was deputy director of communications in the department.
Mphatlanyane and Mohlala's names were on the 20-people hit-list, which was the first to surface. Chiwayo said the police should "leave no stone unturned" in tracking down the killers. "If the mastermind is within the ANC or holds a high position in the government, law enforcement should be even harsher," he said.
The name of Nelspruit service-station owner Thabo Theledi also appears on the lists. The police source said he was supposed to have been killed on Wednesday last week, but the killer had "chickened out". Theledi said he had no idea why his name should be on a hit-list. "I left politics a long time ago and I was just an ordinary ANC member. The last time I renewed my ANC membership was five years ago and I've been running my business solo."
Provincial police spokesperson Sibongile Nkosi said the police are still investigating the origin and credibility of the hit-lists. "It's possible that someone may have sent us a fake list just to derail and confuse the police in their investigation," Nkosi said. She said a number of people had been questioned about the two murders, but they had been released for lack of evidence.
Source: Mail & Guardian
The lists are said to be circulating in Mpumalanga. "Obviously, your family will be concerned if your name is rumoured to be on a hit-list, especially taking into consideration that some of the people also alleged to be on the list have already been killed," Chiwayo said this week. "My family has asked me to reconsider my position in politics and to return to private business. I am worried about my children because I can't protect them 24 hours a day."
But he is not about to resign as mayor. "I joined politics at the age of 13 -- I came home one day wearing an Azapo T-shirt and my mom beat me. I didn't give up and I'm not about to do so now," he said. Before being deployed as ANC mayor, Chiwayo was a businessman involved in the Gautrain project. He said he had "no doubt" that some murders and the hit-lists were related to tenders and politics in the province. "I know for a fact that [former Mbombela speaker] Jimmy Mohlala was killed for being vocal about the 2010 Mbombela stadium tender irregularities," he said.
Mohlala was shot and killed outside his house in KaNyamazane on January 4 this year, a week before he was to testify about dismissed municipal manager Jacob Dladla's refusal to implement 361 council resolutions and his role in alleged tender irregularities linked to the Mbombela stadium. Mohlala also wanted fraud charges to be laid against the project managers, Lefika Emerging Equity.
The murder this year of senior government communicator Sammy Mphatlanyane could also be tender related. A police source said that Mphatlanyane's death outside his Nelspruit house on January 8 could have been linked to his refusal to award a R20-million tender from the provincial department of culture, sport and recreation to a friend of a prominent ANC leader in the province. Mphatlanyane was deputy director of communications in the department.
Mphatlanyane and Mohlala's names were on the 20-people hit-list, which was the first to surface. Chiwayo said the police should "leave no stone unturned" in tracking down the killers. "If the mastermind is within the ANC or holds a high position in the government, law enforcement should be even harsher," he said.
The name of Nelspruit service-station owner Thabo Theledi also appears on the lists. The police source said he was supposed to have been killed on Wednesday last week, but the killer had "chickened out". Theledi said he had no idea why his name should be on a hit-list. "I left politics a long time ago and I was just an ordinary ANC member. The last time I renewed my ANC membership was five years ago and I've been running my business solo."
Provincial police spokesperson Sibongile Nkosi said the police are still investigating the origin and credibility of the hit-lists. "It's possible that someone may have sent us a fake list just to derail and confuse the police in their investigation," Nkosi said. She said a number of people had been questioned about the two murders, but they had been released for lack of evidence.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Murder Inc in Mbombela
Inside Mpumalanga hit squads: Special report by Charles Molele and Mzilikazi Wa Afrika: ANC boss used to have opponents shot, but switched to poison last year.
A 25-year-old contract killer has accused an influential ANC leader in Mpumalanga of offering him R100000 and a cushy government job if he poisoned government officials who were blocking access to tenders linked to the 2010 soccer World Cup.
The ANC boss, whose name is known to the Sunday Times, was fingered by more than a dozen other sources interviewed during a three-week investigation into the killings of at least a dozen senior politicians in Mpumalanga starting in 1998. The would-be assassin said he had been given the poison and had been ready to do the job, but had pulled out after a disagreement with his "client" over an advance fee. Though his three intended victims are still alive, six officials were murdered or died in suspicious circumstances in Mpumalanga last year alone and another has been killed this year. Local party leaders and officials who spoke to the Sunday Times mentioned a "hit list" of other proposed victims and said they were living in fear.
The Sunday Times has been given the full name of a Mozambican gangster known as "Josh" and told that he was responsible for the murder in January 2009 of Mbombela (Nelspruit) council speaker Jimmy Mohlala. "Josh" agreed to speak to our reporters in Mozambique, but then changed his mind. ANC national spokesman Jackson Mthembu - the former speaker of the Mpumalanga legislature - said the ruling party was aware of the alleged hit list and had sent a task team to investigate those responsible for the killings of its members in the province.
The Sunday Times investigation took reporters to sources in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Mozambique. Those interviewed included senior ANC members, municipal officials and National Intelligence Agency sources, as well as the province's former ANC Youth League leader, James Nkambule, and Mpu-malanga Democratic Alliance leader Anthony Benadie The Sunday Times has given details of the plot to police Superintendent Sibongile Nkosi and Mpumalanga's deputy provincial commissioner, Rex Machabi. They said the would-be killer would be interviewed soon.
The assassin said many people lived in fear of the ANC leader he had named. "This politician must be exposed and expelled from the ANC in order to stop his reign of terror in Mpumalanga. I am scared of him. Even those in the higher echelons are scared of him because he is too dangerous. I don't want to go on killing innocent people," he said. However, he did not admit to any killings. A former ANC regional leader, Alfred Monareng, said the ANC boss and his cabal used to have their opponents shot, but had switched to poison last year. He said the assassin interviewed by the Sunday Times had confessed to him that he had planned to spike a bottle of Johnny Walker whisky on Christmas Eve while drinking with him at his home in White River, where he works as a senior waste manager in the Mbombela municipality. "He told me he was about to poison me, but decided not to," said Monareng. "The motive behind the plot to kill me is apparently to force me to vacate my post in order to make way for a preferred Samwu (municipal workers' union) candidate who is known to me. They cannot find any case of misconduct, irregularities or corrupt activity, so they have resorted to poisoning me," he said.
Monareng said he had not believed the confession, but then discovered that other suspicious deaths, including that of his brother, could have been as a result of poison. "We now suspect that my brother, Themba (regional secretary), Mthandazo Ngobeni (chairman of the ANC Youth League), Vusi Sibiya (regional secretary), Lucas Shongwe (regional secretary) and the fiery ANC member Michael Sifunda were allegedly poisoned, as they showed similar symptoms before they died." They all vomited a white foam before dying.
Nelspruit mayor Lassy Chiwayo, whose name is on the hit list, said he was living in fear after receiving death threats on his cellphone. He has sent a report to ANC headquarters at Luthuli House about his victimisation. "I have been told I will go back home in a coffin," said Chiwayo. Deputy mayor Nackie Ndlovu said she had been told of plans to poison her. "I fear for my life and cannot trust anyone. There have been so many killings in Mpumalanga. We are pleading with the ANC to do something because we are really not safe any more," she said. At least 12 local leaders have been murdered or have died in suspicious circumstances in Mpumalanga since 1998. Police say they are investigating, but no one has been arrested.
People who spoke to the Sunday Times said they were afraid to give information to police because they did not know which faction of the party the law enforcement agents supported. DA provincial leader Benadie slammed Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza for his silence on the deaths of three senior officials who had been on the alleged hit list. "Why have we not heard (from) the premier on these murders, the hit list and poisoning claims? The premier is a feared man. Our constitutional democracy is at stake if people won't talk because they are afraid of being taken out," said Benadie.
Former youth league leader Nkambule said he knew who was behind at least one of the killings of senior officials in government and had given the information to crime intelligence officials. He said some of the murders were planned at a farm outside Nelspruit owned by another ANC politician. Nkambule made headlines when he alleged that premier Mabuza had contributed R400000 to sponsor President Jacob Zuma's wedding to his second wife, Nompumelelo Ntuli.
Mohlala was shot dead at his house in Kanyamazane, outside Nelspruit, after he allegedly blew the whistle on the abuse of power and corruption relating to the construction of the province's R1-billion Mbombela Stadium intended for use during the 2010 World Cup.
Four weeks ago, Sammy Mpatlanyane, communications director in the provincial Department of Arts, Culture and Sport, was also gunned down at his home in Nelspruit. Mpatlanyane allegedly was regarded as an obstacle by the ANC boss and his powerful allies to winning irregular tenders involving the World Cup.
ANC national spokesman Mthembu said: "We are aware of the hit list and allegations against the politicians allegedly involved in these killings, but we cannot do anything until the police crack these cases. "We are particularly incensed that nobody has been brought to book since the murder of Mohlala. His murder happened so many months ago, but until now we still have not received any information that makes us confident that the matter is being dealt with properly."
Chasing the Fifa millions and other lucrative deals has been fatal for many in Mpumalanga.
The following people have either been killed, received death threats, disappeared or survived assassination attempts on their lives. The hit men - most of them alleged to be Zimbabwean and Mozambican nationals - are still at large.
* Saul Shabangu, (killed in 1998);
* Hebron Maisela (killed in 1998);
* Sydney de Lange (killed in 1998);
* Rose Alleta Mnisi (killed in 1999);
* Caswell Maluleke, (survived assassination in 2000);
* Joshua Ntshuhle (disappeared in 2005);
* Sizile Ndlovu, (survived assassination in 2006);
* Thandi Mtsweni (killed in 2008);
* Jimmy Mohlala (killed in 2009);
* Isaac Mohale Matsoabane (killed in 2009);
* Samuel Mpatlanyane (killed in 2010);
* Themba Monareng (died 2009);
* Mike Sifunda (died 2009);
* Simon Lubisi (died 2009);
* Lucas Shongwe (died 2009).
Source: Times Live
A 25-year-old contract killer has accused an influential ANC leader in Mpumalanga of offering him R100000 and a cushy government job if he poisoned government officials who were blocking access to tenders linked to the 2010 soccer World Cup.
The ANC boss, whose name is known to the Sunday Times, was fingered by more than a dozen other sources interviewed during a three-week investigation into the killings of at least a dozen senior politicians in Mpumalanga starting in 1998. The would-be assassin said he had been given the poison and had been ready to do the job, but had pulled out after a disagreement with his "client" over an advance fee. Though his three intended victims are still alive, six officials were murdered or died in suspicious circumstances in Mpumalanga last year alone and another has been killed this year. Local party leaders and officials who spoke to the Sunday Times mentioned a "hit list" of other proposed victims and said they were living in fear.
The Sunday Times has been given the full name of a Mozambican gangster known as "Josh" and told that he was responsible for the murder in January 2009 of Mbombela (Nelspruit) council speaker Jimmy Mohlala. "Josh" agreed to speak to our reporters in Mozambique, but then changed his mind. ANC national spokesman Jackson Mthembu - the former speaker of the Mpumalanga legislature - said the ruling party was aware of the alleged hit list and had sent a task team to investigate those responsible for the killings of its members in the province.
The Sunday Times investigation took reporters to sources in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Mozambique. Those interviewed included senior ANC members, municipal officials and National Intelligence Agency sources, as well as the province's former ANC Youth League leader, James Nkambule, and Mpu-malanga Democratic Alliance leader Anthony Benadie The Sunday Times has given details of the plot to police Superintendent Sibongile Nkosi and Mpumalanga's deputy provincial commissioner, Rex Machabi. They said the would-be killer would be interviewed soon.
The assassin said many people lived in fear of the ANC leader he had named. "This politician must be exposed and expelled from the ANC in order to stop his reign of terror in Mpumalanga. I am scared of him. Even those in the higher echelons are scared of him because he is too dangerous. I don't want to go on killing innocent people," he said. However, he did not admit to any killings. A former ANC regional leader, Alfred Monareng, said the ANC boss and his cabal used to have their opponents shot, but had switched to poison last year. He said the assassin interviewed by the Sunday Times had confessed to him that he had planned to spike a bottle of Johnny Walker whisky on Christmas Eve while drinking with him at his home in White River, where he works as a senior waste manager in the Mbombela municipality. "He told me he was about to poison me, but decided not to," said Monareng. "The motive behind the plot to kill me is apparently to force me to vacate my post in order to make way for a preferred Samwu (municipal workers' union) candidate who is known to me. They cannot find any case of misconduct, irregularities or corrupt activity, so they have resorted to poisoning me," he said.
Monareng said he had not believed the confession, but then discovered that other suspicious deaths, including that of his brother, could have been as a result of poison. "We now suspect that my brother, Themba (regional secretary), Mthandazo Ngobeni (chairman of the ANC Youth League), Vusi Sibiya (regional secretary), Lucas Shongwe (regional secretary) and the fiery ANC member Michael Sifunda were allegedly poisoned, as they showed similar symptoms before they died." They all vomited a white foam before dying.
Nelspruit mayor Lassy Chiwayo, whose name is on the hit list, said he was living in fear after receiving death threats on his cellphone. He has sent a report to ANC headquarters at Luthuli House about his victimisation. "I have been told I will go back home in a coffin," said Chiwayo. Deputy mayor Nackie Ndlovu said she had been told of plans to poison her. "I fear for my life and cannot trust anyone. There have been so many killings in Mpumalanga. We are pleading with the ANC to do something because we are really not safe any more," she said. At least 12 local leaders have been murdered or have died in suspicious circumstances in Mpumalanga since 1998. Police say they are investigating, but no one has been arrested.
People who spoke to the Sunday Times said they were afraid to give information to police because they did not know which faction of the party the law enforcement agents supported. DA provincial leader Benadie slammed Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza for his silence on the deaths of three senior officials who had been on the alleged hit list. "Why have we not heard (from) the premier on these murders, the hit list and poisoning claims? The premier is a feared man. Our constitutional democracy is at stake if people won't talk because they are afraid of being taken out," said Benadie.
Former youth league leader Nkambule said he knew who was behind at least one of the killings of senior officials in government and had given the information to crime intelligence officials. He said some of the murders were planned at a farm outside Nelspruit owned by another ANC politician. Nkambule made headlines when he alleged that premier Mabuza had contributed R400000 to sponsor President Jacob Zuma's wedding to his second wife, Nompumelelo Ntuli.
Mohlala was shot dead at his house in Kanyamazane, outside Nelspruit, after he allegedly blew the whistle on the abuse of power and corruption relating to the construction of the province's R1-billion Mbombela Stadium intended for use during the 2010 World Cup.
Four weeks ago, Sammy Mpatlanyane, communications director in the provincial Department of Arts, Culture and Sport, was also gunned down at his home in Nelspruit. Mpatlanyane allegedly was regarded as an obstacle by the ANC boss and his powerful allies to winning irregular tenders involving the World Cup.
ANC national spokesman Mthembu said: "We are aware of the hit list and allegations against the politicians allegedly involved in these killings, but we cannot do anything until the police crack these cases. "We are particularly incensed that nobody has been brought to book since the murder of Mohlala. His murder happened so many months ago, but until now we still have not received any information that makes us confident that the matter is being dealt with properly."
Chasing the Fifa millions and other lucrative deals has been fatal for many in Mpumalanga.
The following people have either been killed, received death threats, disappeared or survived assassination attempts on their lives. The hit men - most of them alleged to be Zimbabwean and Mozambican nationals - are still at large.
* Saul Shabangu, (killed in 1998);
* Hebron Maisela (killed in 1998);
* Sydney de Lange (killed in 1998);
* Rose Alleta Mnisi (killed in 1999);
* Caswell Maluleke, (survived assassination in 2000);
* Joshua Ntshuhle (disappeared in 2005);
* Sizile Ndlovu, (survived assassination in 2006);
* Thandi Mtsweni (killed in 2008);
* Jimmy Mohlala (killed in 2009);
* Isaac Mohale Matsoabane (killed in 2009);
* Samuel Mpatlanyane (killed in 2010);
* Themba Monareng (died 2009);
* Mike Sifunda (died 2009);
* Simon Lubisi (died 2009);
* Lucas Shongwe (died 2009).
Source: Times Live
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Scandals, murder taint World Cup stadium
Mbombela is one of the most atmospheric new stadiums built for the 2010 World Cup, nestled among the beautiful hills of Mpumalanga and supported by orange pylons that resemble giraffes. But the almost R1.3 billion stadium has been tarnished by a string of scandals, including the murder, apparently by professional hitmen, of a municipal official who blew the whistle on alleged corruption and malpractice.
The stadium has been built just outside Nelspruit, the gateway to South Africa's most famous game park, the Kruger - hence the giraffes - in an area of great beauty, where most of the country's citrus fruit and avocados are grown. But the multiple controversies over World Cup projects have tainted that beauty. Even the mayor describes them as ugly.
The scandals include a failed attempt by the municipality to buy the stadium land from the Matsafeni community owners for R1, allegations of irregular tenders, overpayments, conflicts of interest and tax evasion. In 2008 an angry high court judge blocked the deal, accusing the municipality of being like colonial settlers who tried to buy land for mirrors and shiny buttons. Now the Matsafeni have agreed on a transfer worth almost R9 million. Municipal manager Joseph Dladla was suspended early in 2008 after a scathing investigation by a local law firm which alleged his misconduct had brought the municipality close to collapse. His ally, mayor Justice Nsibande, was fired and the municipality placed under external administration. Municipality speaker Jimmy Mohlala, the leading critic of alleged irregularities, was killed by masked men outside his home in January. No arrests have been made.
Stadium construction, now almost complete, was dogged by repeated labour protests and violent clashes between police and local people angered by failure to build new schools to replace two displaced by the project. Failures to deliver electricity and water to Mataffin township next to the arena mean that World Cup matches could be played within sight of tin shacks where people live in sordid conditions without piped water or sewers.
Excitement is growing about the World Cup in South Africa and Nelspruit is decorated with colourful posters for the tournament. But there is no enthusiasm in Mataffin. "We are not happy the World Cup is coming to South Africa," said Sarah Shabangu, 29, an unemployed mother of three, as she drew water from a dirty borehole close to pit latrines and shacks within sight of the stadium. "Only a greedy few corrupt officials and their friends are going to benefit. The people on the ground won't get anything," she said. Her friend Khelina Sibuyi, 49, agreed. "We use this water for drinking, cooking and bathing. The kids get sick and have diarrhoea; ever since they built the stadium we have been hoping for help in getting services but nothing is happening, there is no water or electricity."
Four girls plaiting each others' hair under a tree beside a dirt road in Mataffin said they had been off school for two weeks because of a strike over failure to build new classrooms. Their schools were taken over as offices by stadium builders in 2007 and the children moved into hot temporary classrooms that residents say are converted containers. The girls said air conditioners installed in 2008 worked for only two weeks.
Residents have a document signed by provincial officials in September 2008 promising new schools by July 2009. Frustration over the failure to keep that promise erupted earlier in October with stone-throwing youths clashing with police on three occasions. A squad car was set on fire. Residents say the police retaliated by storming into their houses and firing buckshot and rubber bullets. Phumzile Rooi, 23, sat listlessly outside her hut and showed an ugly wound on her leg she said was from a rubber bullet.
Police spokesman Superintendent Malcolm Mokomene said only two policemen and one protester were hurt. He denied officers had stormed into residents' houses. Asked during an angry township meeting what World Cup fans would think when they saw Mataffin, another resident who asked not to be named said: "They will think they have come to hell." Differ Mogale, the municipality's 2010 coordinator, acknowledged that the scandals had damaged the city's image. "It does, irrespective of the truthfulness of whatever was said." But he said none of the allegations had been proven and until they were he was not worried about any impact on the World Cup. Asked about the schools, he added: "That really concerns us, because we were part of the stakeholders that confirmed the schools should be built."
Construction would be finished by the end of 2009 while water and electricity supplying the stadium would be extended into Mataffin before the tournament, he said. But he said: "This is Africa, we don't have to close certain things because they are ugly."
Nelspruit mayor Lassy Chiwayo said the situation in the township was "very painful; I have to admit that in this instance we have failed our people". He promised construction of new schools would start very shortly but many remain sceptical, including human rights lawyer Richard Spoor who helped the Matsafeni remove discredited leaders who agreed the R1 sale, which he said was a corrupt scheme to benefit a few politicians and officials. "They promised a new school, they promised a new church, they promised many things. Every single one of those promises and those undertakings has been broken, they have done nothing," Spoor said. "It is clear to me now that it is far too late to do anything about Mataffin, so visitors are going to come here and see the slums first hand; it is a pitiful situation."
Source: IoL
The stadium has been built just outside Nelspruit, the gateway to South Africa's most famous game park, the Kruger - hence the giraffes - in an area of great beauty, where most of the country's citrus fruit and avocados are grown. But the multiple controversies over World Cup projects have tainted that beauty. Even the mayor describes them as ugly.
The scandals include a failed attempt by the municipality to buy the stadium land from the Matsafeni community owners for R1, allegations of irregular tenders, overpayments, conflicts of interest and tax evasion. In 2008 an angry high court judge blocked the deal, accusing the municipality of being like colonial settlers who tried to buy land for mirrors and shiny buttons. Now the Matsafeni have agreed on a transfer worth almost R9 million. Municipal manager Joseph Dladla was suspended early in 2008 after a scathing investigation by a local law firm which alleged his misconduct had brought the municipality close to collapse. His ally, mayor Justice Nsibande, was fired and the municipality placed under external administration. Municipality speaker Jimmy Mohlala, the leading critic of alleged irregularities, was killed by masked men outside his home in January. No arrests have been made.
Stadium construction, now almost complete, was dogged by repeated labour protests and violent clashes between police and local people angered by failure to build new schools to replace two displaced by the project. Failures to deliver electricity and water to Mataffin township next to the arena mean that World Cup matches could be played within sight of tin shacks where people live in sordid conditions without piped water or sewers.
Excitement is growing about the World Cup in South Africa and Nelspruit is decorated with colourful posters for the tournament. But there is no enthusiasm in Mataffin. "We are not happy the World Cup is coming to South Africa," said Sarah Shabangu, 29, an unemployed mother of three, as she drew water from a dirty borehole close to pit latrines and shacks within sight of the stadium. "Only a greedy few corrupt officials and their friends are going to benefit. The people on the ground won't get anything," she said. Her friend Khelina Sibuyi, 49, agreed. "We use this water for drinking, cooking and bathing. The kids get sick and have diarrhoea; ever since they built the stadium we have been hoping for help in getting services but nothing is happening, there is no water or electricity."
Four girls plaiting each others' hair under a tree beside a dirt road in Mataffin said they had been off school for two weeks because of a strike over failure to build new classrooms. Their schools were taken over as offices by stadium builders in 2007 and the children moved into hot temporary classrooms that residents say are converted containers. The girls said air conditioners installed in 2008 worked for only two weeks.
Residents have a document signed by provincial officials in September 2008 promising new schools by July 2009. Frustration over the failure to keep that promise erupted earlier in October with stone-throwing youths clashing with police on three occasions. A squad car was set on fire. Residents say the police retaliated by storming into their houses and firing buckshot and rubber bullets. Phumzile Rooi, 23, sat listlessly outside her hut and showed an ugly wound on her leg she said was from a rubber bullet.
Police spokesman Superintendent Malcolm Mokomene said only two policemen and one protester were hurt. He denied officers had stormed into residents' houses. Asked during an angry township meeting what World Cup fans would think when they saw Mataffin, another resident who asked not to be named said: "They will think they have come to hell." Differ Mogale, the municipality's 2010 coordinator, acknowledged that the scandals had damaged the city's image. "It does, irrespective of the truthfulness of whatever was said." But he said none of the allegations had been proven and until they were he was not worried about any impact on the World Cup. Asked about the schools, he added: "That really concerns us, because we were part of the stakeholders that confirmed the schools should be built."
Construction would be finished by the end of 2009 while water and electricity supplying the stadium would be extended into Mataffin before the tournament, he said. But he said: "This is Africa, we don't have to close certain things because they are ugly."
Nelspruit mayor Lassy Chiwayo said the situation in the township was "very painful; I have to admit that in this instance we have failed our people". He promised construction of new schools would start very shortly but many remain sceptical, including human rights lawyer Richard Spoor who helped the Matsafeni remove discredited leaders who agreed the R1 sale, which he said was a corrupt scheme to benefit a few politicians and officials. "They promised a new school, they promised a new church, they promised many things. Every single one of those promises and those undertakings has been broken, they have done nothing," Spoor said. "It is clear to me now that it is far too late to do anything about Mataffin, so visitors are going to come here and see the slums first hand; it is a pitiful situation."
Source: IoL
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