The Star TUESDAY MAY 27 2014 3NEWS
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FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR JOHANNESBURG Min Max oC
524
521
422
52̀3
624
TOMORROW’S WEATHER SA Weather ServiceTel 082 162
WORLD TEMPERATURES Minimum Maximum oC
MAIN CITIES Minimum Maximum oCGAUTENGClear
Today’s Temps Min Max oC
Pretoria . . . . . . . 7 26 ClearKlerksdorp . . . . . .6 25 ClearVereeniging . . . . .0 22 ClearPolokwane . . . . . 6 25 Clear
SUNRISE: 06:45
SUNSET: 17:24
MOON:NEW MOON MAY 28 20:40
1216
60%
1427
422
1527
1324
725
723
722
Cape Town Durban Mbombela
Bloemfontein East London
Polokwane Kimberley Rustenburg
1526
Port Elizabeth
Amsterdam 13 19 RainAthens . . . .16 29 ClearAuckland 4 15 ClearBarcelona . 13 21 RainBeirut . . . . .18 28 ClearBerlin . . . . .12 22 RainBrussels . . .11 17 Rain
Cairo . . . . . 23 38 ClearChicago . . .16 25 RainHarare 27 29 RainLisbon . . . .12 20 P/CloudyLondon . . .12 16 P/CloudyNairobi . . . .14 25 RainNew York . .18 29 Rain
Paris . . . . . .11 17 RainRome . . . . .12 21 RainSydney 14 23 P/CloudyTaipei 23 29 P/CloudyTel Aviv 17 33 P/CloudyTokyo . . . . 17 26 RainTunis . . . . .17 24 Rain
Today 27th Wed 28th Thu 29th Fri 30th Sat 31st
VISIT THE WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHERSA.CO.ZA
Toddler-biting dog euthanisedLOS ANGELES: A dog which
viciously attacked a 4-year-old
boy, only to be scared off by a fear-
less cat, has been euthanised, it
has been claimed.
Scrappy, an eight-month-old
Labrador-Chow mix, was appar-
ently put down at Bakersfield ani-
mal shelter after he was filmed
attacking his young neighbour
Jeremy Triantafilo.
Jeremy’s life was saved when
his pet cat Tara pounced on the
dog as it launched its attack,
chasing the vicious animal down
the street so that her best friend
could receive emergency medical
help.
Scrappy was destroyed after he
continued to display aggressive
traits during a 10-day assessment
period at Bakersfield animal cen-
tre, according to TMZ website.
He bit two staff during his stay,
and tried to attack any employee
who brought him food and water.
Last Wednesday, surveillance
footage emerged showing Tara
the cat saving Jeremy by pounc-
ing on the dog as it attacked him.
Tara’s owners said she has
been best friends with Jeremy
since he was born.
She followed Erica and Roger
Triantafilo home from a park six
years ago and had been a member
of the family ever since.
“It’s pretty amazing to see a cat
take on a dog and selflessly put
herself out there,” Roger Trian-
tafilo said. “That dog did not even
know what hit him.”
Erica explained that she had
been near to the house watering a
tree when the neighbour’s dog,
Scrappy, escaped and grabbed her
son by the leg.
“I’d never seen a dog just
shake a child like that so vio-
lently,” she said. “I just remember
hearing him, and the next thing I
know, I see my cat flying out of
nowhere and getting to this dog.”
After the attack, Tara can be
seen chasing the dog away before
returning to Jeremy’s side.
In an interview with the Bak-
ersfield Californian, his family
said she had always been protec-
tive over their oldest child and
slept in his crib when he was a
baby. They have younger twin
boys. Tara became part of the
family in 2008 when she followed
them home from a park – and they
accepted her into their home,
although Erica is allergic to cats.
She “really just adopted us
from there”, Erica said.
They named her Tara after
“Zatara”, which was the name
given to Edmond Dantes in The
Count of Monte Cristo by smug-
glers. They told him it means
driftwood.
Erica said: “She’s our little
driftwood. She’s amazing.”
Jeremy, who has mild autism,
needed stitches to the deep wounds
on his legs but is otherwise fine.
– Daily Mail
JOYCE [email protected]
JUST A day in office and theMinister of Finance, NhlanhlaNene, already has a fakeTwitter account.
The minister’s office issueda warning yesterday that@NhlanhlaNeneZA was a fake handle.
“Mr Nene does not have aTwitter account,” it said.
The Twitter account,created on Sunday, already has3 693 followers and 17 tweets.On the Twitter account, theimpostor made a number ofbold statements, includingpromises to bring changeduring Nene’s time in office.
“I believe that South Africawill regain its position as theleading economy in Africa. Bythe time I leave office, this Ishould accomplish,” it read.
Another tweet made amockery of the 2008 incidentin which Nene fell off a chairwhile being interviewed liveon SABC2. He was then
chairman of the financeportfolio committee.
“My brains did not falloutwhen I fell off that chair.I won’t collapse the SAeconomy. Have faith in me,fellow South Africans,” readthe tweet.
The first tweet thanked@SAPresident for the
appointment.The fake account also took
aim at Nigerian PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, whoattended President JacobZuma’s inauguration. “Insteadof being at the forefront of thediscovery of those girls, GJchooses to have fun at#Inauguration 2014. Prioritise,
African leaders!”The latest tweet said Nene
admired @ThuliMadonsela3.“She’s an example of what an African civil servant oughtto be.”Tweeter responses:@rayjoe: Don’t feel bad if you fell for the fake@BgkabgkaBebeZA
gii,gk.r6DPJ0 You’re not alone,@helenzille & 3 700 otherswere tricked too.@sibahleFresh1: I see what youdid there;) not funny tho!@steve hofmeyr: When I heardour new Finance Minister wasNhlanhla Nene I almost fell offmy share (sic)@Kaloo5: Nhlanhla
Nene should have been namedchairman of the financeministry instead of ministerafter the SABC chairgatescandal@NtokozoTsh: I’ll give this newcabinet cluster a chance.Nhlanhla Nene can attest,when you fall once you canpick yourself up and try again.
Nene becomes fall guy again in Twitter attackTUMBLE:Nhlanhla
Nene fallsoff his
chairduring aninterview
in 2008.
PICTURES:YOUTUBE
Posting to police the arts comes as a surprise
MPILETSO [email protected]
WHEN former police
minister Nathi Mthe-
thwa was named as
the new arts and culture min-
ster on Sunday, the news came
as a surprise to many.
In the social media world,
many were shocked and disap-
pointed at the thought that
someone they thought knew
little about the arts was taking
over the helm of a ministry
that was always put on the
back burner.
For others, the problem
was not so much the minister
but the way the industry was
being portrayed.
To add insult to injury,
many joked about Mthethwa’s
new role, calling it a demotion
and sparking some irate
tweets from those passionate
about the arts.
Actress Florence Masebe,
who is known for her active
voice in promoting the arts
and talking about its short-
falls, expressed her concern
and optimism.
She tweeted, “arts and cul-
ture is not an inferior min-
istry” after Twitter comments
were made about the ministry
being second best to other
more “important” ones.
Actor Fana Mokoena,
another passionate advocate
for the arts, tweeted that there
was now a dire need for South
African artists to become
more active in politics so one
day they would be able to take
charge of the department.
An interesting post by
Artslink, an information net-
work for the arts and culture
community, on its Facebook
page read: “Musical chairs.
We have a new minister of
arts and culture Nathi
Mthethwa, formerly minister
of police.
“The deputy minister is
Rejoice Mabudafhasi, formerly
deputy minister of water and
environmental affairs.
“No arts and culture
qualifications or background
visible for either.
“Are we moving the
deckchairs or sinking the
Titanic?”
Others added their opin-
ions, asking why Collins
Chabane, the new minister of
public service and adminis-
tration, was not considered to
take over the arts and culture
ministry because he is a musi-
cian and would understand
the role much better.
The differences in opinion,
however, did not deter people
from having some faith in
Mthethwa.
They commended him for
being an open leader willing to
hear what others had to say.
Minister’s move to his new beat gets the tongues wagging
MUSICALCHAIRS:NathiMthethwagoes fromthe policeto arts andculture.
@NomalangaSA: I don’t gethow shifting from Ministry ofArresting Criminals to Ministry ofCultivating Intellectual andAesthetic Sense is a demotion.@FloMasebe: It is done. Let’swelcome Mthethwa and hisdeputy. There’s work to do.@NomfundoEngler: I don’tknow why people think arts andculture is an insignificant ministry.@thembisak: whaaaaaaat???!!!!why do they always give
Arts&Culture to the ones whoknow nothing about it??!!!ayayayayyyyy.@mbokazizanele: Could be a wonderful surprise for theindustry.@SwaziDlamini: We could have used a Mbalula in arts and culture.@fanamokoena: NathiMthethwa is now the Minister ofArts and Culture *grabs Essenceof Life*
@Tril_Frog: I also wonder whatNathi Mthethwa did to Zuma toget so demoted. From thepowerful police to mere arts andculture! Ay.@Afurakan: #DearLeader howabout an artist for minister of artsand culture?@mynameisjerm: Why thepolice minister is now the artsand culture minister is obvious.He loves Zuma’s spear and wantsto protect it from assholes.@Linda_Sibiya: To NathiMthethwa: We hope we will seechange.@NdumisoNgcobo: Hawu babawethu Msholozi, do you knowthat Collins Chabane is a poet andrecording musician? Hello!
POETIC JUSTICE
BIZARRE: Tara the cat chases Scrappy the dog away from attacking atoddler, in footage captured by security camera. PICTURE: YOUTUBE
Play to helpminers atMarikanaA RUSTENBURG-basedtheatre group hasdeveloped a musical play onevents leading to the killingof people in Marikana,North West, two years ago.
“The play portraysproblems that led tomigrant labour, socialchallenges in the mines, andoffers some solutions,”Thapelo Mokhutshoane,producer and writer of theSongs of Marikana, saidyesterday.
In the play, the grouppropose the establishmentof a trust fund to which allmineworkers wouldcontribute monthly.
“The money will helpthem to start projects whenthey leave the mines. It willalso help them to educatetheir children,” he said.
The play, to be held inRustenburg, runs fromtoday until Friday.
Meanwhile, talks to endthe wage strike at theLonmin mine continued inJoburg yesterday. – Sapa