27 February 2015 R1-20/FREE
Traffic officer dies on duty
No smoke without a fire in LFA?
Lizzy Bapela A traffic officer from the Limpopo Provincial Traffic Office died on the road as he was assisting a road user with directions during a traffic operation on the N1 in Modimolle on Friday, 20 February. According to Modimolle police spokesperson Warrant Officer James Findlay, a vehicle stopped next to the road and the driver asked for directions. He added that a huge truck came down the road while the officer was still assisting the person, and allegedly drove over him. The truck was reportedly from the ZZ2 tomato farm in Tzaneen. “It is suspected that the wind sucked the officer under the truck’s tyres when he got killed. He was declared dead on the scene and a case of culpable homicide is being investigated,” said Warrant Officer Findlay. The 46-year-old officer, Thibe Charles Kekana, was staying in Modimolle and was originally from Mokopane. The provincial and district traffic department offices were heading up preparations for his memorial service that was scheduled for Thursday, 26 February midday. Law enforcement representatives from the local, district and provincial offices and loved ones are expected to attend in numbers. Warrant Officer Findlay and the Waterberg Road Traffic manager Simon Kekana sent condolences to the family, friends and relatives of the deceased and those who knew him, on behalf of their departments. Statements from both the truck driver and the witness asking for directions were taken and investigations are in process. The deceased will be buried in his hometown on Sunday, 1 March.
Jack Maluleka maintains his innocence in the face of accusations of corruptions. Photo: TK Mashaba
“I just had a clean audit,” said Lucas Nhlapo. Photo: TK Mashaba
They don’t know what they are talking about TKTK Mashaba Mashaba The Waterberg LFA made national headlines recently, with people on the ground accusing the Waterberg leadership of corruption. The accused are Bela-Bela’s Jack Maluleka, who is the SAFA national executive member, and Lucas Nhlapo, SAFA’s vice president. They were accused of maladministration by three of their affiliates. The Bela-Bela, Mookgophong and Lephalale Local Football Associations (LFAs) allege that there is corruption in within the other LFAs in the region, and spoke to the national media about their concerns. The BEAT spoke to Nhlapo on Tuesday, 24 February, who denied any charges of corruption. “The people who went to the national media don’t know what they are talking about,” he said. “They are just publicizing their personal issues.” “How can I be corrupt when I’ve just
had a clean audit in my municipality?” added Nhlapo. Nhlapo sad that the people who accused the leadership of corruption are not even LFA members. In the mainstream press, the three LFAs alleged that they were denied a chance to vote on the new regional leadership in the elections which took place on Sunday, 22 February. As a result, the LFAs have called for the congress to be postponed until they have held their own meetings. They claim that Nhlapo and Maluleka do not have the region’s best interests at heart. One club owner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was quoted saying that nine of the fourteen clubs in the region wanted to oust current LFA chairperson Maluleka during the elections, but their nomination forms were not accepted. The clubs staged a walkout after the electoral officer allegedly refused to accept their nomination forms. A member of Lephalale’s LFA said that people had nominated themselves for executive positions without the LFA’s approval.
“We don’t know who signed these nomination forms,” he said. “It is chaos in our region because people are after positions.” The Mookgophong LFA has written a letter to SAFA’s Head Office raising concerns about misconduct and other similar activities in the region. The BEAT could not reach Maluleka for comment. However, he did issue a statement to the mainstream press. “I was made aware of the grievances and referred the questions to the SAFA Head Office,” he said. Maluleka said that next weekend’s congress would go ahead as planned, and that they would not be held to ransom by the LFA. “We will form a quorum and the congress will go ahead,” he said. SAFA’s Acting Head of Membership Affairs, Andile Ndegenzi, said that he was not aware of the grievances. Ndengezi said that he was dealing with many disputes, but said that he had not received any complaints from the Waterberg Region.