Daily Archives: March 5, 2014

Meet Schweizer-Reneke’s first female CA in the making


Tshepy Mataboge
By Obakeng Maje
Taung-The department of Sport, Art and Culture in conjuction with North West Provincial Language Committe honoured highest achieved students in their home languages.

The event took place last week Friday at Ipelegeng Community Hall, near Schweizer Reneke.

The event was graced by dignatiries like North West Sport, Art and Culture MEC Tebogo Modise, Development of Local Languages Professor Sekepe Matjila.

Schweize-Reneke-born Tshepiso Mataboge was one of the most achieved students.

A 19 year-old girl who is studying Chartered Accountancy at North West University Mafikeng Campus could not hides her excitement.

Tshepy as Tshepiso is affectionately known to her pals, her mind was full of patriotic feelings and her family shared the same compulsions.

Mataboge said her background could not determines her future.

A former Manamakgotha High school pupil is from a remote place in Ipelegeng location.

“I’ve set a dream for myself of being the first female CA (Chartered Accountant) in my community…..I’m very happy about the amount that I received. I am humbled to see that hardwork real pays” Tshepy Mataboge outlines.

She said making all sacrifice for her personal life to fight for the noble freedom by pursuing a career of her choice was not easy, but it takes dedication, determination and a real hard work.

“Choose friends that share the same goals as you. By doing that, you will inspire each other and advise each other along the way” she smiles.

Tshepy also holds no punches when coming to relationships and boys, so boys hold your horses as you would not get it anytime soon.

“I know that love is not going anyway hence I’m able to keep myself away from boys…..my advice to my peers is they should prioritise if they are involved then they should know what comes first” said shy Tshepy.

Mataboge scooped the award of being the best Setswana student and the accolade came along with whopping R14 000.

Tshepiso’s mother was so delighted and said Tshepy is a hard-worker. “She scooped five distinctions last year in matric and truly she was really working hard. Up to so far I will say she is focus even when coming to boys, I do not think she is dating yet” said excited Christina Mataboge.

A 37 year-old mom said other parents could deal with their teenagers decisively as it is not easy to raise them especially girls.

“My message to them is, they must try to always guide them and openly talk to them. Their future depends on them, so during teen ages, is a crucial time” she smiles.

Mataboge said education is so important nowadays and that is the only gateway vehicle from poverty.

She said the final bold decision of pursuing a career in accounting is she love it more and primarily the industry dominated by men.

She also shares her knowledge on burning issues that affect the country especially the youth, so sit back and get it from the first female Chartered Accountant in the making from Ipelegeng.

“We’ve been taught enough about HIV, so it’s now up to us to take care of ourselves….Drugs and alcohol abuse is ruining SA’s future because the youth are the ones more exposed to them” she said.

Tshepy said she want to become the first woman chartered accountant in Schweizer Reneke.

She also motivates youngsters to take up the chartered accountancy course.

“Poverty shouldn’t be an excuse for people to not work hard. The government is working hard to combat poverty and the least we can do is also work hard so that we boost our economy” concludes Mataboge.

Mataboge’s former school principal at Manamakgotha High, Edward Pitse also shared the sentiment about Tshepy’s behaviour: “She is a very responsible, hard working kid. She was always dedicated and willing to listen. I would personally like to wish Tshepy all the best”.-TDN
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A 35 year-old man sanctioned to 20 years for raping a minor


By Obakeng Maje
Ottosdal-A 35 year-old suspect was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by Ottosdal Magistrate Court for raping a 13 year-old minor.

North West police said a man who is known to the victim visited a neighbourhood of the victim and the girl went over to him and asked for money.

The suspect ordered the girl to go with him to the nearest tuckshop and took out a knife on their way.

“He threatened the minor and tokk her to his house. He ordered the victim to take off her clothes and raped her. He switch-off the lights and raped the girl” captain Pelonomi Makau said.

The girl was given R10 by the suspect to buy her silence.

The girl went home and informed her mother who called police afterwards.

“The suspect was arrested and convicted to 20 years on Wednesday by Ottosdal Magistrate Court” Makau said.

The atrocity took place on 16th October 2010.-TDN
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Mahamutsa out of hospital


Johannesburg-Orlando Pirates defender Rooi Mahamutsa has been discharged from hospital after being involved in a car accident in Johannesburg today.

Mahamutsa suffered minor injuries during an accident that also involved a taxi and was rushed to Morningside hospital. 

Speaking to KickOff.com, Pirates official Williams Okpara confirms that the defender is fine.

“As I speak to you we are at the hospital reception. He has now been discharged,” Okpara says.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

Premier Modise saddened by death of biker cop


Mahikeng-North West Premier Thandi Modise is saddened by the untimely death of the South African Police Service Provincial Parade Commander and Head of the Mahikeng Flying Squad, Captain Thuso Daniel Shopi. The 53-year-old Shopi who was also a member of the Ride With Motorcycle Club is to be buried in Mahikeng on Saturday.

“We wish to convey our condolences to the Shopi family. The untimely death of the disciplinarian whose professionalism, dedication and commitment we had all admired on the parade and for his everyday work has robbed us of a patriot and a crime fighter. He served with passion and will forever be remembered for his bravery. In him we have lost a model police officer,” said Premier Modise.

Captain Shopi reportedly complained of chest pains on his return from work on Sunday afternoon. He was certified dead by paramedics who were summoned to take him to hospital.  

A memorial service in honour of Captain Shopi who served in the police service for 31 years is to be held at the SAPS Mahikeng Cluster Offices’ Police Assembly Hall formerly known as the TTA Hall at 2pm tomorrow.

Shopi who is survived by his wife and two sons is to be buried at the Mmabatho Cemetery after a funeral service to be held at the North West University-Mahikeng Campus Great Hall as from 7:00 am on Saturday.-TDN
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One dead, four rescued in Brits flood


Mahikeng – A woman died and four other people were rescued after their cars were swept away in flooding in Brits, the North West provincial government said on Wednesday.

Meisie van Tonder, aged 56, was found by police divers on Wednesday morning, while the four others were rescued on Tuesday evening, spokesperson Lesiba Moses Kgwele said.

She and the four others were swept away by heavy floods on Tuesday afternoon.

“Van Tonder had not been accounted for after her car and another in which four occupants were rescued were swept [away] by the flooding De Kroon stream near the Brits Mall.”

Kgwele said the provincial disaster management centre had been placed on high alert as the SA Weather Service predicted more heavy rains in the province over the next few days.

“A joint operation centre is to be convened on Wednesday morning to co-ordinate further relief efforts which might be required.”

Distress grants

Relief efforts were activated when 30 houses were flooded and two other houses reportedly collapsed as a result of the flooding in Majakaneng near Mooinooi, Kgwele said.

The SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) had been activated to provide social relief in distress grants to the 30 families, he said.

“The municipality has provided temporary shelter, blankets, and tents to the affected families in Majakaneng.”

Emergency services had also been placed on high alert in the area, as the water affairs department opened sluice valves at the Hartbeespoortdam, which was overflowing.

North West premier Thandi Modise urged people who lived downstream of the dam to alert authorities of any threat of flooding.

Kgwele said the transport department and Madibeng local municipality technical services were attempting to redirect excess water.

SAPA

Another jail escappe arrested


By Obakeng Maje
Mahikeng-The Organised Crime have re-arrested the fifth suspect of the seven who escaped from the police cells three weeks ago at about 01:00.

Johnny Olebile Nkareng (27) who is facing a charge of Robbery Aggravating and Illegal Possession of Unlicensed Firearm was re-arrested on Monday. 

“He was found in Pella village, Madikwe. Nkareng is expected to appear before Mmabatho Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday” Brigadier Thulane Ngubane said.

The suspect was among the suspects who escaped by cutting the mesh wire of the cell and finally escaped.   

The police are still looking for the other two escapees and are appealing to the community to assist in re-arresting them.

They are Boitumelo Moiloa charged “with murder,Goitseone Mogodunyane charged with possession of suspected stolen property” Ngubane said.

Anyone with the information is urged to call the Mmabatho Police Station on (018) 387 7500 or Crime Stop no. 08600 10111. 

The community is warned not to arrest the suspects in case they see them, but to report them to the nearest police station. The police would like to thank the community for their cooperation in making sure that the suspect escapee get re-arrested.-TDN
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Two nabbed for business robbery in North West


By Obakeng Maje
Brits-North West police nabbed three suspects after they allegedly robbed a cellphone shop in Brits on Tuesday afternoon.

The atrocity took place on Tuesday in Brits, whereby five suspects allegedly entered a cellphone shop and pointed three employees with firearms.

“The suspects demanded cellphones and took 103 cellphones and a DSTV decoder before fleeing the scene. One of the employees allegedly informed police about the incident” captain Pelonomi Makau said.

Makau said police spotted a Quantum that was believed to be used during the commission of crime and stopped it.

“Police discovered cellphones, DSTV Decoder and consficated two firearms with seven ammunitions from the suspects” Makau said.

Two suspects fled the scene and they are still at large.

Three suspects aged between 28 and 35 will appear before Brits Magistrate Court on Thursday for being in possession of illegal firearms, ammunitions and business robbery.

The incident took place next to Brits taxi rank and investigations continue.-TDN
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Witnesses cast doubt on Pistorius claims


Pretoria – Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial was set on Wednesday to hear further testimony of screams and gunshots the night Reeva Steenkamp died, challenging the sprinter’s defence against premeditated murder.

In vivid testimony that cast doubt on the Paralympian’s claims of a “tragic accident”, three state witnesses have told the court they heard a commotion then gunshots on Valentine’s Day 2013 at Pistorius’s home.

The trio’s account directly contradicts Pistorius’s claim that he shot his girlfriend, a 29-year-old model and law graduate, through a locked toilet door after mistaking her for an intruder.

“When I’m in the shower, I relive her shouts. The terrifying screams,” university lecturer Michelle Burger said on Tuesday, her voice cracking with emotion as she was unable to hold back the tears.

Burger’s husband, Charl Johnson, also took the stand, telling Judge Thokozile Masipa that a woman’s screams woke him up and that he ran to his balcony, less than 200m from Pistorius’s home.

He is set to retake the stand on the third day of proceedings and face cross examination.

“At that point the fear and intensity of her voice escalated and it was clear that this person’s life was in danger,” he said on Tuesday.

“That’s when the first shots were fired,” although Johnson could not recall how many.

Shout for help

Another neighbour, second witness Estelle van der Merwe, who lives less than 100m away from Pistorius’s home, also told the court she heard arguing coming from the house.

“I woke up in the morning at 01:56 to sounds of someone talking loudly and fighting,” she told the court. “It lasted about an hour.”

Later she recalled waking up to the sound of loud bangs.

Both Johnson and Burger also said they heard a male person shout for help, a point that was seized upon by the defence as evidence Pistorius was calling for help.

Pistorius, aged 27, a double amputee known as the “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre running blades, has pleaded not guilty to murder and three unrelated gun charges.

While admitting killing Steenkamp, the sprinter described it as a “tragic accident”, denying murderous intent and saying “we were in a loving relationship”.

If found guilty of premeditated murder, Pistorius faces 25 years in South Africa’s notoriously brutal jails and an abrupt end to his glittering sporting career.

In the face of the prosecution’s onslaught, Pistorius’s lawyer Barry Roux spent most of Tuesday trying to pick apart the witnesses’ account of events.

‘No cognitive response’

In terse exchanges, he accused Burger of rejecting Pistorius’s account out of hand, moulding her testimony to fit media reports and jumping to conclusions.

“You made up your mind that his version could not be,” said Roux, claiming Pistorius sounds like a women when he screams and that the bangs heard were him trying to break down the toilet door with a bat.

“You interpreted cricket bat shots to be gunshots and screaming to be a woman and not Oscar. If you didn’t do that, his version would make sense.”

Tensions in court were heightened when a statement was read explaining the violent nature of Steenkamp’s death.

As Roux claimed a gunshot wound to the head would have made it impossible for Steenkamp to scream, Pistorius bowed his head and folded his hands behind his neck.

“The person with that brain damage will have no cognitive response,” continued Roux. “It cannot be. She could not have screamed.”

Prosecution lawyer Gerrie Nel interjected to say it was the last of four shots that struck Steenkamp’s head, the first three hitting her right side, the wall and her shoulder.

Meanwhile, across the court, one of Steenkamp’s relatives touched a photo of the budding reality TV star, as a man put his arm around her.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

AFP

Driver drowns in Majakaneng flooding 


The body of the driver whose car was swept away during flooding in Majakaneng on Tuesday afternoon has been recovered,The North West Provincial Disaster Management Centre confirmed on Wednesday.
The male driver had been unaccounted for after his car and another in which four occupants were rescued were swept by the flood after heavy rains were experienced in the area.His body was recovered by the police diving unit in the evening  
Relief efforts have been activated after 30 houses flooded and two others reportedly collapsed in Majakaneng..
In conveying condolences to the family of the man whose age and name has not been confirmed until police have notified his next of kin,Premier Thandi Modise appealed to people living downstream to the Hartbeespoortdam to alert authorities of any threat of flooding.
Emergency services have been placed on high alert as as the Department of Water Affairs has opened sluice valves at the Hartbeespoortdam which is overflowing.The Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport and Madibeng Local Municipality Technical Services are attempting to redirect excess water.
The municipality has provided temporary shelter, blankets and tents to the affected families in Majakaneng. South African Social Security Agency has been activated to provide social relief of distress grants to the 30 families.
The Provincial Disaster Management Centre is also on  high alert as the South African Weather Service predicts more heavy rains in the province over the next few days.
 A Joint Operation Centre has been set up  to coordinate further relief efforts which might be required.-TDN
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Teen arrested after raping a 3 year-old


A 16-year-old youth was arrested for allegedly raping a 3-year-old girl at the Jabulani hostel in Soweto, Gauteng police said on Wednesday.

The girl was playing with other children when the youth allegedly took her to the toilet and raped her on Tuesday night, said Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela.

“Her parents came into the toilet and found the man raping her,” said Makhubela.

She was taken for medical care.

The youth was arrested and taken to a place of safety.

He would appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

SAPA