South Africa’s ambassador to Japan, Mohau Pheko regrets saying she has a doctoral degree, when she does not.

Pheko said yesterday she claimed she received her PhD from the American La Salle University in 2000.

However, the university closed in 1996 when it emerged it was selling degrees and other academic qualifications via the internet, the broadcaster reported.

Pheko told the SABC the university was promoted as legitimate and that she had registered at it, but it closed before she could be awarded her doctorate.

She told the broadcaster she still addressed herself as doctor.

Pheko joins the list of South African public officials who have fraudulently claimed to have certain academic qualifications. They include senior member of the ANC and former MP Pallo Jordan, and former SABC chairwoman Ellen Tshabalala.

The Democratic Alliance yesterday called for Pheko to be suspended.

“The DA calls for the immediate recalling and suspension of South African Ambassador to Japan, Ms Mohau Pheko, pending an inquiry for misrepresenting her qualifications,” MP Sandy Kalyan said.

The party claimed President Jacob Zuma was made aware of Pheko’s fraudulent degree in 2010, when she was appointed ambassador to Canada.

“Nothing less than a full parliamentary inquiry into this international blunder is needed to consider not only Ms Pheko’s conduct, but that of the presidency and dirco [department of international relations and co-operation] as well, given that government has turned a blind eye to this issue for several years.”
Sapa

By Douglas Mthukwane

Kimberley- A violent rain storm that hit Kimberley within one hour on Tuesday has set angry flooded residents on collision course with authorities.

Scores of angry Tlhageng residents in Galeshewe barricaded roads amid heavy police presence yesterday demanding assurance from the local municipality to take responsibility for the storm.

Several local business, homes and the North Cape mall were flooded by what is believed to be 100mm of rain within an hour.

It was a rare storm which uprooted trees and floors in several homes.

But the hardest hit was Tlhageng, an area which boasts a water retention dam which allegedly burst flooding homes at a rate never seen before.

The Homes in the middle class residential area which was built in 1998 was flooded by water up to 5 Meters level. Electricity has been off since Tuesday.

Tlhageng is a stone’s throw from the Northern Cape Provincial legislature.

Performing artists at the Mayibuye Multi-purpose centre were not spared as the multi-million building was also damaged. The building was opened in 2008.

Andries Monoketsi whose house was flooded said that he spent the night like” a wrecked ship in the sea”

“All of my valuables were damaged; I blame the municipality for poor disaster management plans”

He was echoed by community leader Mangaliso Mcetywa who told the Mayor that “this was human disaster which the municipality should have avoided”

“This is not the first although it is the worst disaster, this is the fifth one since 2009 and nothing was done about drainage facilities and the dam itself”

Sol Plaatje Executive Mayor Alderman David Molusi said “This is a natural disaster and no-one must be blamed”

“We spent the whole day (yesterday) in the control room responding to calls by irate residents. We have prioritized Tlhageng as it is the worst hit, we asked our technical teams and EPWP workers to clean the mess in people’s homes including attending to the water retention dam.

“We have assessed the damages as the municipality and will engage the Premier and other role players like the department of social services for blankets, food and accommodation at the RC Elliot hall. We understand that people are upset but we ask for calm” he said.

Insurance broker Jacques Muller told Sowetan newspaper that one of his clients’ damages amounts to over R180.000.

“This is R100.000 for the house and R80.000 for assets.”

Police Spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said there were no criminal cases reported following the storm.

-TDN

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The Bokone Bophirima MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Gaoage Molapisi said his department will continue play an oversight role on SAPS and monitoring police stations in the province to improve on the services we render to our communities.

Speaking during his unannounced visits in Mogwase, Monakato and Sun City Police Stations respectively, Molapisi said the police needs to occupy the space and be more proactive in order to restore confidence in the communities they serve. Further, this is part of the oversight that the department plans on SAPS.

During his midnight visits to the three police stations, Molapisi recorded a number of challenges hindering service delivery and ordered the management to speedily deal with issues that need their attention.

MEC’s mission started at Mogwase Police Station at 1am where he found men and women in blue hard at work, already there was a young lady in her thirties who came to open a case of abuse and the police were on their way out to attend to the matter. However, MEC was not impress by the routine checks on the cells, the last check according to the register was done at 22h00 which accordingly needs to be done hourly.

MEC proceeded to Monakato Community Service Centre and arrived at 02:35 am where he had to knock and wait for the officers on duty to open the locked Community Service Centre (CSC).

Prior to MEC’s arrival, Departmental Officials visited the station at around 21H00, where they found the station closed and there were no officers on duty. Explaining to the MEC, the officers reported that they attended a complaint and they had to close the CSC because it is only the two of them on the shift.

The officers said they are working two per shift since last year around November after their other colleagues were transferred to the Mogwase Police Station.

“When we receive a complaint, we close the station and attend to it and come back. This is hindering on our effectiveness and efficiency with regard to service delivery and that frustrate our communities as well. Here the problem is lack of manpower on for now. We thank the MEC for this visit because this gives him the privilege to get first hand information and put him in a better position to know our problems and can make informed decisions,” said one officer.

The station services nine villages which are far apart about 30 km and the neighbouring farms, and having to respond to the high number of stock theft. His last station was at Sun City Police Station at 3:20am albeit enough manpower at the station he was not impressed by the conditions of the station such as infrastructure and lack of office space.

“We have recorded a number of challenges in our police stations and the management needs to urgently attend to them so that they improve the conditions of services to the communities they serve. Our people deserves better services and with the current status of our stations, communities feel neglected and end up not having confidence on police.

We will continue visiting these police stations and identify such challenges and ensure that they are attended and resolved,” said Molapisi.

The unannounced police station visits are one of the monitoring strategies towards improving front line service delivery. The visits are intended to determine the extent of service delivery and ensure that government principles of Batho Pele are adhered to.

-TDN

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Taung- The best early childhood development practitioner in the North West’s annual Early Childhood awards has been crowned will represent the province in the national awards to be held later this year.

Sophy Mogakwe (63) from Mothanthanyaneng village in Taung has been crowned the best early childhood development practitioner at the annual award ceremony held Mmabatho Convention Centre on Tuesday.

“I have always had a feeling of winning the competition one day. Today my dream has come true. It is the first time that entered early childhood development competition. I attribute this price to my supervisor at the centre, my long years of experience and the patience that I have exercised in this field,” Mogakwe said.

For 29 solid years Mokgakwe said she had run the operations of Ngwananeo Day Care centre which she said belonged to the community, and has a capacity to cater for 70 children.

Through all these year, they have depended on the contributions made by parents and a subsidy from government.

Her two counterparts Segametsi Mosala of Bull Rand day care  at Ganyesa and Lerato Moeng of Thoriso Educare at Meriting in Rustenburg won the second  price worth R3000 and third R2000 third price respectively.

Retha Serfontein from Potchefstroom whose Little Saints nursery school came up tops in the best centre category said she had always wanted to make the difference in the lives of children by instilling the love of God in them.

The second price worth R10 000 was awarded to Rotary early learning centre at Lonely Park in Mahikeng. Ditiro Pre-school from  Mamusa won third price to the value of R10 000 in the same category.

North West Social Development MEC Fenny Gaolaolwe said the ECD awards, as they commonly known in the social sector,  are a means to promote excellence, dedication and investment in the future of children by individual practitioners and various organisations involved in the early stages of child development.

She said the awards initiative has been taking place since 2003  and are held in partnership with the departments of Social Development, Education and Sports Development, the South African Congress of Early Childhood Development and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).”

“This year more than  765 entries were received from all districts in the North West. Last year only 600 entries were received. We hope to increase the number of participants in this competition so that the practitioners are motivated and learn new ways of operating early childhood development centres,” Gaolaolwe said.

-TDN

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