Wheelchair Tennis South Africa received the biggest recognition at the SA Sports Awards nominees announcement on Wednesday.

US Open quads champion, Lucas Sithole has been nominated for the SA Sports Star of the Year, alongside last year’s winner Chad Le Clos.

The awards function will take place at Sun City next month.

The public will vote for the Sports Star of the Year, who will walk away with R1 million and a brand new car.

Olympic gold medalist Le Clos faces stiff competition from Sithole, PSL Footballer of the year Itumeleng Khune, and SA Cricketer of the Year Hashim Amla.

Mapaseka Makhanya, whose only success was in local marathons, completes the nomination list.

Sports Minister, Fikile Mbalula says: “These are the flowers of the nation that people have come to follow and basically support them. So, if you ask me about the product on Wednesday, I could not have asked for more.”

Sithole, the first African man to win a US Open title of any kind, is also up for Sportsman of the Year with a disability.

The nomination of his coach, Holger Losch, for the Coach of the Year, caps Wheelchair Tennis South Africa’s glorious year.

“I was surprised when I was nominated for the Sports Star of the Year, I was not expecting it really. However, I am happy to be nominated with those guys, they are big sports stars of South Africa, they are big icons to the youth. I am very honoured.”

SASCOC’s President Gideon Sam acknowledged that there are deserving athletes who didn’t make the final list.

Cyclist Daryl Impey, the first South African to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, should feel hard done by.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

The self-confessed murderer of North West Finance employee Ivy Molefe says he brutally killed her as instructed by his three co-accused, who had promised to pay him.

Thabo Thamaga was giving evidence at the North West High court in Mahikeng on Wednesday. He says they drank lot of liquor before the killing plan was executed.

Molefe was first hit with the back of a firearm before being chopped while lying on her back on a flat rock. She bled excessively which ultimately made her dizzy and unconscious.

Thamaga says during the killing he was so drank that he mercilessly killed Molefe at Burmansdrift farm, outside Mahikeng.

In April 2012, Molefe’s decomposed body was found three weeks after she had gone missing.

Four suspects, Lizabeth Mosweu, Penny Tatushi, Thabo Thamaga, including Molefe’s husband Klaas Molefe were arrested in connection with her murder.

The trial continues.
For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Bakkies laden with zinc plates, poles and a variety of building equipment were by yesterday rolling in to the new found settlement of Tambo Square to the near east of the West End cemetery. The Sol Plaatje municipality had initially been violently opposed to squatters occupying the reclaimed mine soil dump site and deployed the South African police to discourage squatters from the vacant land. – See more at: http://www.nctimes.co.za/squatters-invade-land-in-tambo-square/#sthash.BsdR0eIM.dpuf

The final countdown to the matric finals has begun! There are only a couple of days left before the Class of 2013 sharpen their minds and change their lives. As they get ready to write their final examinations at the end of October, Geleza Nathi and SABC Education television show gives learners the opportunity to revise everything they need to know moments before they step into exam venues.

Broadcasting live from October 21 at 5am on SABC1, Geleza Nathi brings some of South Africa’s top teachers to go through typically challenging questions to help learner with any last minute preparation they might need.
”Geleza Nathi is Mzansi’s number one study buddy. Every morning the show provides learners with support needed in their subject revision for exams. Learners are encouraged to send their probing questions to the Geleza Nathi facebook; these will be answered during the live recordings” says SABC Education commissioning Editor Fani Matsebane.

Additional educational support from the Geleza Nathi teachers will also happen live on facebook the evening before learners write their exams. Messages of support for the Class of 2013 can also be sent to facebook to stand a chance of winning awesome prizes.
Tune into Geleza Nathi, Mondays to Fridays from 5am to 6am only on SABC1, facebook: search for Geleza Nathi.
For more http://www.potchefstroomherald.co.za

The Ikageng Cemetery has been turned into a playground and footpath by community members living near the cemetery.

School children and elders take shorter routes through the cemetery every day to reach their destinations quicker.

Most disturbing are the vandalised tombstones which are very expensive and an important memorials for families who lost their loved ones.

The cemetery is in dire condition as there are no gates or security guards and it is not maintained by the municipality. An angry community member, Mr Bethuel Mokotedi, went to the cemetery and paid his respects to his ancestors on September 23, when he was shocked at by the condition of the cemetery.

“Where is the respect for the dead? We are paying thousands to bury and erect tombstones for our beloved families. We pay fees to the Tlokwe Municipality for the maintenance and service but this is what we get in return. Ikageng Cemetery is not maintained and looked after compared to the Potchefstroom cemetery.”

The question that many community members want an answer to is ‘Who is responsible for the vandalised tombstones?’ In the former executive mayor, Maphetle Maphetle’s budget speech earlier this year, he stated that council had a budget of more than 1 million to upgrade all the cemeteries, but to date nothing has been done.

By the time of going to print no response had been received from the municipal spokesperson, Mr Willie Maphosa.
For more http://www.potchefstroomherald.co.za

MMIC is the company in which members of the Potchefstroom community bought shares in the shopping mall development, as was facilitated by the Tlokwe City Council when it sold the land to the developers years ago.

During 2010, Atterbury bought the Mooirivier Shopping Mall from its developers, and the agreement was made that in line with the original commitments to the city council, the community company will be allotted shares in Atterbury by the developers.

Atterbury, which is to change its name to Attacq (Atterbury Acquisitions Ltd.) was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on the October 14.
For more http://www.potchefstroomherald.co.za