By Obakeng Maje
Taung- The Greater Taung Municipality heeded a call from the residents regarding Kolong Bridge that was too dangerous to motorists especially to those who are not familiar to it.

The wall barrier was embedded at the mouth of the bridge to reduce fatal accidents that ended in deaths. Many people lost their lives due to danger hovering at the bridge.

“We decided to build a wall barrier and put hazardous signs so motorists could see when approaching the bridge. So far no accidents have been reported and we would like to urge our drivers to be extra careful when approaching the bridge” Ward councillor Nonteto Tefane said.

The Kolong bridge is a “one way” which makes it very difficult for motorists to control their vehicles when they find themselves in no man’s land and some eventually plunge into the river.

The truss that were designed on the bridge were forcefully removed either due to accidents or theft.

Most residents said they wish the bridge could be two way as that will minimise accidents and death experienced in the past.-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Taung- North West department of Art, Sport and Traditional Affairs held ‘A writers Workshop’ to empower all aspiring writers and poets in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region. The workshop took place at Mmabana Taung and according to the Language practitioner in the area Pinky Qutsu, most writers need to be equipped to survive the mammoth task that comes along with being a writer.

“We have embarked on an initiative program to show more support to our upcoming writers and teach them more dynamics of what it takes to be a writer and how they can make sure they deliver quality work” Qutsu said.

This project started at Mamusa region and will be spread across the North West province. Language practitioners are entrusted with a task to uphold all language related aspects and to ensure that mostly indigenous languages and cultural dimension does not perish.
“We want to promote upcoming poets, praise singers and writers in the area; we want to see storytelling to exist within our societies. We have experience some decline especially in Setswana language as not many libraries have more setswana books. Our aim is to share basic knowledge and the insight on various approaches in writing” she said.

The department works hand-in-hand with North West University and brings tutors to come and share their equitable knowledge with writers.
Qutsu said by bringing experts from the university, that will help aspiring writers to gain more knowledge in their writing and how the transition works from paragraph to paragraph, but still keep your reader intrigued.
-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Hartswater- The housing project that took place more than four years ago in Sakhile area, was completed at the end of July 014, says Ward 1 councillor Kgomotso Mokale.
The residents of Sakhile Township near Hartswater were in a celebratory mood after they received their title deeds to be new owners of their houses. The project started four years ago and according to Vaal Times newspaper the project was riddled with some issues mounting from dual approvals, misplacement of rightful beneficiaries and electricity unavailability in some units.

“We would like to inform our people especially who are beneficiaries that they must come forward with any issues that need contractor’s attention before the end of this month. The contractor will leave the area soon after he completed the project, so please make sure that any problems encountered whilst the housing project are brought forward before is too late” Mokale told Vaal Times.

Northern Cape Housing department Robby Tshikwe said the Phokwane municipal workers will start with water taps connection and assured the new owners not to dare sell those houses as RDP houses are only meant for the poor, but can only be sold after eight years of ownership. –TDN
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Pretoria – Murder-accused Oscar Pistorius does not take responsibility for his actions and is always the victim, the State argued in the North Gauteng High Court on Thursday.

“It became clear that the accused is incapable of taking any responsibility,” prosecutor Gerrie Nel said in his closing arguments.

Pistorius “refused to take any responsibility for his actions” and was always the victim.

“He always places the blame for his actions somewhere else.”

Closing arguments

Pistorius is charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.

He shot her dead through the locked door of his toilet at his Pretoria home.

Pistorius has denied guilt, saying he thought she was an intruder about to open the door and attack him. The State contends he shot her during an argument.

Nel started his closing arguments saying the State received the defence’s arguments only after it filed its own.

The State filed its final arguments on 30 July, and the defence on Monday.

Nel said he wanted to set the tone and quoted one of his favourite quotes.

“I was thinking that a criminal trial is a very blunt instrument for getting to the truth,” Nel quoted.

Two defences

He said the defence indicated that it had two defences for the trial but Nel said this was not the norm.

“It’s not two normal defences,” he said.

The defences presented by the defence were that Pistorius did not have criminal capacity and if there was it was in self-defence, he said.

“It’s two defences that can never be reconciled,” Nel said asking the court to choose one.

‘Weak’ performance

He said Pistorius gave a “weak performance” during cross-examination and his version should be rejected.

“If one rejects his version of what happened that night then there was no perceived intrusion,” Nel said.

He said Steenkamp locked herself in the toilet cubicle at 03:00 in the morning with her cellphone and she was fully dressed.

It was not as if she just used the bathroom and was getting dressed, he said.

Pistorius fired four shots with a “powerful handgun” with black tallon ammunition, of which three hit Steenkamp, Nel said.

“There were only two people in the house, one was killed. And one survived.”

Onus

Nel said he knew there would be an argument that there was no onus on Pistorius, but the State would deal with that.

Pistorius is also charged with three contraventions of the Firearms Control Act, one of illegal possession of ammunition and two of discharging a firearm in public. He has pleaded not guilty to these charges as well.

Nel said the athlete’s discharging of a firearm in Tasha’s restaurant was a “blatant disregard of the law”.

The trial continues.

– SAPA

Pretoria – Murder-accused Oscar Pistorius’s father Henke was in the North Gauteng High Court on Thursday for final arguments in his son’s trial.

He sat on the left-hand side of the court which was mostly occupied by the Pistorius family.

It was the first time that Pistorius’s father and Reeva Steenkamp’s father attended proceedings.

Pistorius is charged with murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.

He shot her dead through the locked door of his toilet at his Pretoria home. Pistorius has denied guilt, saying he thought she was an intruder about to open the door and attack him. The State contends he shot her during an argument.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel began making his closing arguments shortly before 09:30.

The courtroom was packed to capacity for the proceedings, with the Pistorius and Steenkamp families, their friends, members of the public, and local and international media.

Pistorius cut a lone figure as he sat in the front of the court wearing his glasses, listening attentively to proceedings.

He is also charged with three contraventions of the Firearms Control Act – one of illegal possession of ammunition and two of discharging a firearm in public.

He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

– SAPA

By Obakeng Maje
Pampierstad- Northern Cape police are investigating a case of rape after a nine year-old girl was raped while on her way to school on Monday.

Pampierstad Police Station spokesperson Thuso Setumiso said a 9 year-old girl was allegedly raped by two unknown men.

“It is alleged a girl who her name cannot be revealed because she is a minor, was raped on Monday morning while on her way to school. According to the information, a girl was lured into an abandoned shack by an unknown man and offered a cool drink and polony” Setumiso said.

A nine year-old girl and her friend were allegedly raped by Bangladesh nationals who are currently behind bars back in July 2014.

Police said a girl was walking to school with her friend when the gruesome incident took place. The matter created some unrest in the area as residents of Pampierstad marched to local police station and demanded that those perpetrators be hunted down and put behind bars.

Setumiso said they have not arrested anyone yet and urged the community members to help the police with any information that could lead to any arrest.

Police opened a case of rape and investigations continue.-TDN
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By Obakeng Maje
Taung- A case of two accused will be finalised on Thurday at Taung Magistrate Court. North West police arrested Michael Mosimane and Lindokhuhle Ndaba back in 2008 for livestock theft. The case against the two suspects has been delayed due to some unforeseen circumstances.

Mbatha and Mosimane were arrested in connection of livestock-theft in Baga-Maidi area. Police said the two suspects were allegedly arrested after they were linked to livestock-theft in Manthestad, Mothanthanyane, Tlapeng and Morokweng villages.

They briefly appeared before Taung Magistrate Court on Wednesday and the case was postponed to Thursday.

According to two suspects’ lawyers, they cannot be linked to any crime because there is no enough evidence against them.

Baga-Maidi residents experienced loss of livestock due to theft and that caused an unrest within the area.

The two suspects are out on bail and the sanction over the matter will be handed on Thursday.
-TDN
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Klerksdorp- Three clinics in Klerksdorp, North West were damaged when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit South Africa on Tuesday, the provincial health department said.

“Two of the clinics are completely shut down after severe structural damage,” spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane said in a statement.

The closed clinics were Stilfontein Clinic and Parkstreet Clinic in Klerksdorp.

The third clinic was under the administration of a mine in Stilfontein.

Lekgethwane said renovations had started on the mining clinic and it was expected to be functional by Wednesday.

“As a temporary measure the department has arranged to ferry patients to nearby health facilities through the use of shuttle buses,” he said.

Health MEC Magome Masike would visit the clinics on Wednesday to assess the extent of the damage caused by the earthquake.

The quake, one of South Africa’s largest magnitude earthquakes in the past decade, was felt as far way as Mozambique and Botswana.

The Council for Geoscience said its epicentre was in the Orkney region, where one person was killed.

ER24 spokesperson Luyanda Majija said the body of a 31-year-old man was found in an old mining village in Orkney following the quake.

At least 400 houses in the area were reportedly destroyed, Premier Supra Mahumapelo told reporters.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Soweto police are investigating the rape of a 14-year-old mentally disabled girl following a complaint which implicates a relative, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Police spokesperson Kay Makhubela said the girl was allegedly raped on Tuesday in Zola 1.

“The suspect ran away and is not yet arrested,” he said.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The SABC broadcasts a variety of news that helps deepen democracy, Communications Minister Faith Muthambi said in an opinion piece in The New Age on Wednesday.
“On the news front, the Broadcasting Act commits the SABC to a plurality of views and a variety of news, information, and analysis from a South African point of view,” she said.

“The corporation’s content must allow citizens to exercise their rights and reflect the rich diversity of a united society.”

She said the broadcaster played a crucial development role in the country.

“The public broadcaster empowers citizens to interact better with the institutions of society and deepen the democratisation of the country.

“It ensures that citizens can make responsible and informed choices.”

Drastic change

Muthambi said in the past 20 years, the SABC had to undergo drastic change from an “apartheid mouthpiece” to “the voice of the people”.

“The SABC has in many respects helped to move us closer towards a national identity built on mutual respect, tolerance, and acceptance,” she said.

Last month, the Economic Freedom Fighters accused the SABC of withdrawing its promise to provide live coverage of the party’s one-year anniversary in Soweto.

The party accused the SABC of pulling out at the 11th hour.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said at the time he was not aware of the matter.

The EFF said it seemed the broadcaster was only committed to events held by the ruling African National Congress.

“Its major programs only cater for the ruling party,” EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said at the time.

“The SABC is supposed to be a public broadcaster, and serve the interests of the entire citizenry equitably.”

DA accused broadcaster of bias

In the run-up to the May election, the Democratic Alliance accused the broadcaster of bias for refusing it live coverage but devoting a two-hour live broadcast to the ANC’s final election rally in Johannesburg.

The DA also took the SABC to the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) over an advertisement that was not aired.

Icasa upheld the SABC’s banning of the DA’s Ayisafani advert, which contained a photo of a police officer firing rubber bullets.

The SABC banned the advertisement because it said it incited violence.

Court bid against Motsoeneng appointment

Icasa ruled that the offending part of the advert be removed.

In recent months, Muthambi and the SABC board have also come under heavy criticism over the permanent appointment of Hlaudi Motsoeneng as chief operations officer.

In February, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela released a report on Motsoeneng, while he was acting COO.

She found that his salary increased from R1.5m to R2.4m in one year, that he had purged senior staff, and misrepresented his qualifications – that he had passed matric – to the SABC. At the time, Madonsela recommended that a new COO be appointed to the SABC within 90 days.

In early July, Muthambi announced Motsoeneng’s appointment, saying the decision was taken following a recommendation by the SABC board. She said he was cleared of all wrongdoing by a legal firm before being appointed permanently.

The DA launched a high court bid to have the appointment set aside.

Muthambi has filed court papers opposing it.

– SAPA