A North West local government department official has been killed in a car accident, the department said on Saturday.

“(The) MEC for local government… Collen Maine, has extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family of the departmental official who was killed in a car accident yesterday (Friday) between Koster and Lichtenburg…,” spokesperson Ben Bole said in a statement.

“The driver of the car is currently been treated for extensive injuries at a hospital in Klerksdorp.”

According to the department, the two officials were travelling from Rustenburg when the driver lost control of the car, causing it to veer off the road.

Maine expressed his condolences to the official’s family.

“This is indeed a great loss for all of (us). We wish the official who was injured, a speedy recovery,” he said in the statement. – Sapa

Matlosana- The economy of Matlosana has been boosted with an investment of R1 billion through a 65 000 square meters mall that was officially opened yesterday by the MEC for Finance, Economy and Enterprise Development.

This is one of the biggest malls in the province and will create employment within Matlosana and the surrounding areas through retail, motor dealerships and garages.

“I applaud the district and local municipalities for their role in creating a beneficial environment for attracting big investment in their areas, especially on the Treasure Route N12 as it is one of the busiest national routes which connects the province with Gauteng and the Northern Cape, said MEC Nelson.

“As a government we are looking forward in the upcoming phases of the mall as it will reduce unemployment and poverty which community members have been facing since the closure of mines in this area. We have pledged to support small businesses and cooperatives with special emphasis on young people and women during the coming five years. I am pleased by the contribution that was made by Redefine Properties in affording local small businesses the opportunity to benefit from the construction of this mall”, said Nelson.

“I really compliment the proactive way that the local municipality enhanced to make Matlosana Mall development successful, said delighted Mike Ruttell, Executive Director of Redefine properties.

Mike said 51% of local people inclusive of women and youth were employed during the construction of the mall.

Furthermore, Redefine properties through their Community Social Responsibility initiative provided R100 000 to upgrade toilet facilities at a local school, provision of over 100 food parcels at Christmas time for the aged and frail. As well as assisting SMME’s with their cash flow, and fixing of their vehicles so that they could transport their labour force to work.
-TDN
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Mahikeng – North West MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements, Collen Maine has urged all the housing developers and contractors to register and enrol their projects with the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) in order to eradicate housing backlog and prevent poor workmanship in the province.

Maine was addressing NHBRC round table discussion on Friday, held at Mmabatho Palms which was attended by developers from different parts of the province. 

NHBRC, a regulator body of the home building industry developers, is on a nation-wide campaign to engage its stakeholders on their rights and responsibilities and to listen to their concerns.

“The primary goal of NHBRC is to assist and protect housing consumers who have been exposed to contractors who deliver housing units of substandard design, workmanship and poor quality material. No matter the size or value of your home building project the NHBRC is here to protect both the developer and the housing consumer”, said Maine.

Maine went on to assure the developers not to assume that NHBRC is a monster that will destroy their projects. “NHBRC will actually help the companies grow as training of home builders will be done.

It is there to ensure that there is compliance as far as registration and enrolment of projects is building a house is concerned’, he emphasized.

The MEC concluded by informing the developers that companies and projects that are not registered with the NHBRC will not be recognized. Furthermore, the registration and enrolment of projects will actually save the government money where there won’t be any need to rectify housing defects since all the processes will be explained to the developers during registration to avoid shoddy work.

The NHBRC that was established in 1998 and has recently opened an office in Mahikeng. The council is trying its best to bring their services closer to the people.
-TDN
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Mahikeng- Ministers Fellowship(MMF) has welcomed the donation of over R4 million announced by the Synagogue Church of All Nations(SCOAN) to assist families of victims of the church building collapse in Nigeria meet funeral expenses,the interdenominational Pastoral Fellowship from the North West Province said in a statement issued  on Friday.

“The announcement of aid to the families that lost their loved ones during the tragic incident does not come as a surprise to those of us in the church who are familiar with Prophet TB Joshua’s global humanitarian and philanthropic activities which have contributed over $200 million over the years towards various causes to alleviate the plight of those in need” Chairperson of MMF,Apostle Zandisile Mpame said in reacting to the announcement.
 
Mpame said that it is a known fact that through the work of the humanitarian arm of the synagogue and the NGOs, the church provides scholarship to orphans and children of the underprivileged with educational support given from primary to tertiary levels.
 
There is also a rehabilitation Programme for armed robbers, prostitutes and for people from Nigeria’s volatile Niger-Delta region.

TB Joshua is well known in Nigeria and neighboring Ghana for reconciling broken families and marriages.

According to the statement issued by SCOAN ,R50 000 would be donated to each of the 85 families towards funeral expenses of each family of the victims.

“We have done a full audit of each family’s financial needs and assisted with various household expenses as many of the deceased were breadwinners,” SCOAB spokesman Kirsten Nematandani said in a statement.

Household expenses varied from rent money to school fees and groceries, he said.

MMF had earlier in the week called on Nigerian authorities to expeditite the repatriation of the 80 bodies of South Africans who died at (SCOAN.

“We are concerned that until they have mourned and buried their loved ones in dignity,families that are traumatized by their loss and protracted delay will not find closure to carry on with their lives,” Mpame had said.

He said that the care, compassion and sense of urgency that was demonstrated by the South African government in response to the SCOAN tragedy seemed to be lacking on the part of their Nigerian counterparts.

“It is completely unacceptable by any standard that the identification process and repatriation of the bodies of our compatriots who perished in the tragedy had not been completed after 40 days,” Mpame emphasised.  

MMF reiterated that the consular support provided by the South African government to families of those who died including the evacuation of 22 injured survivors by the South African National Defence Force and forensic, pathological and disaster relief efforts coordinated by the Inter-Ministerial Committee had made South Africans proud of their government.

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Joshua had sent a team of medical personnel and humanitarian workers to the affected area, establishing a field hospital called‘Clinique Emmanuel’.
-TDN
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Mahikeng- Premier Supra Mahumapelo of Bokone Bophirima Province has challenged academics to conduct applied research that resonates with the challenges facing the people of the Province, this to help government respond meaningfully to communities’ service delivery needs.

Mahumapelo told more than 150 academics at a gala dinner organised as part of the three-day Provincial Research Showcase programme that the goals of the National Development Plan will not be richly achieved if government does not work with researchers and institutions of higher learning in making decisions relating to delivery of services.

The Showcase which ended on Thursday, was organised by the Provincial Government in partnership with the North-West University (NWU) in Mmabatho. 

Mahumapelo told the academics that linked to this inevitable need, researchers must also prioritise conducting research that is aimed at determining other areas of economic growth, besides agriculture, tourism, culture and mining.

“Our view is that as significant social stakeholders, researchers must make a meaning contribution and provide an informed guidance on whether government’s current system of providing services is still relevant in addressing current demands”, said Mahumapelo who maintained that for government to deliver services most needed by communities, relevant data must be investigated through research.

Dubbed “Knowledge Bridge: Supporting the implementation of Vision 2030 through evidence-based research in and about the North West Province”, the Research Showcase was attended by academics from the North-West University, the Provincial Government and other institutions of higher learning throughout the country.

Addressing the gathering on the last day of the Showcase, Professor Muxe Nkondo, a former Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Venda, said in order to enhance the authenticity and responsiveness of the North-West University as a true African University of the future, concerted efforts must be made to institutionalise indigenous and local African Knowledge systems.   

Moved by the evident partnership between the Provincial Government and the University, Prof Nkondo said this relationship will go a long way to bring about economic development in the Province and ensure that the social fabric of African society is upheld and strengthened. 

One of the Batswana Indigenous Knowledge System experts Mme Grace Masuku, said the University must promote African languages and also prioritise outreach programmes where students can spend a considerable amount of time amongst communities to learn their ways of living in a natural environment. 

Mme Masuku who was recently awarded a prestigious award by the University in recognition of her extra-ordinary commitment to the innovative use of local indigenous knowledge and wisdom to create sustainable and ecologically sensitive economic projects, said she was impressed with the visionary leadership of Premier Supra Mahumapelo. 

The North-West University‘s Vice Rector for Teaching and Learning, Professor Lumkile Lalendle said he was confident that the University and the Provincial Government will be able to robustly respond to the challenges facing the province, judging by the range and quality of papers presented at the Research Showcase.

The showcase was attended by Tourism MEC Desbo Mohono, Education and Sports Development MEC Wendy Matsemela, North-West University Vice Chancellor Professor Dan Kgwadi, North-West University Campus Rector Professor Mashudu Dvhana-Maselesele and Head of the Provincial Planning Commission Darkie Africa, among others.
-TDN
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