BY OBAKENG MAJE
The North West Education and Sport Development Department celebrated the Youth Month by empowering the Grade 9, 10 and 11 Representative Council Leaders on becoming a responsible leader through an intensive summit held on Saturday, 25 July 2015 at Vryburg.

Non-negotiables for learners were at centre stage which highlighted that learners should be in class at all times and that they must use all the available support materials provided such as textbooks.

North West Education and Sport Development spokesperson Elias Malindi said “The key objectives of the summit were to provide leaders of learners a platform to raise challenges they face in their different schools, to have clear implementable resolutions which are SMART(Simple Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time bound) and get learners in the province to commit to a vision of turning our schools into crime and violence free institutions.”

Malindi said the department in empowering the student leadership went out of its way to organise experts from different fields and several resolutions were adopted which included: To focus on increasing basic safety conditions in schools, decreasing incidents of violence and crime through  prevention, intervention support and advocacy.

“A need to empower RCL’s as an important channel of liaison between teachers, learners, parents, community and organisations was also recognised at the summit,” he said.

Commitments made by the RCL’s  are to promote schools as smoke free zones, making schools drug and weapon free and ensuring crime and violent incidents do not go unreported.

He said the key challenges facing learners noted at the summit were corporal punishment, bullying, food security, teenage pregnancies and road accidents whilst travelling to areas of learning.

Amongst the dignitaries who motivated the learners was billionare Thapelo Tshepe who hails from Bethanie Village in the North West. He became a millionaire at age of 21 and he told learners that your background does not determine your destiny, it is possible to achieve anything if you are determined.

The summit saw key partnerships being formed between the Department of Education and Sports Development, SAPS, Office of the Premier, municipalities, NPA, Lovelife and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

“It was agreed that the RCL committee will hold briefing meeting with all the other learners to inform them about the resolutions as a way of cascading information to all the learners in the province,” concludes Malindi.

-TDN

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The Chairperson of Bokone Bophirima ANC Youth League Collen Maine said as the ANC Youth wing seeks to restore itself and become the radical and militant youth movement it used to be, it must be guided by the discipline and respect which was possessed by its founding forefathers. Collen Maine who has been pronounced as the candidate of the province to become the next President of the ANC Youth League, was addressing a memorial lecture hosted at University of North West in Mahikeng campus.

The lecture was attended by members of the provincial executive committee, members of the executive of Ngaka Modiri Molema Region and leaders from other regions. Members of the progressive youth alliance which included COSAS, SASCO and Young Communist League were also present.

When addressing the lecture hall which was packed to capacity Collen Maine remembered a moment when the then leaders of the league – Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu went to Dr A.B. Xuma’s residence at Sophiatown to put forth their position on the radical changes find expression in the New Programme of Action of the ANC.

“Though they were expelled from DR Xuma’s residence in the middle of the night, forced to walk on foot back to Orlando, they had gone there, out of respect of his leadership, to engage him on the radical changes they sought to bring into the life of the ANC. This is radicalism. You do not fear to engage, regardless of how unconventional your approach is, but you carry that out with utmost discipline and respect” said Maine.

Collen Maine continued that the radical Youth League, in pursuit of the objectives of the Freedom Charter which are largely defined by the latter day generation of young people as economic freedom, need to be a disciplined force.

“Discipline and respect guided by education will assist us in restoring the radical character of the Youth League just like in the generation of Anton Mzuwakhe Lembede, Walter Sisulu, AP Mda and other leaders of that era. We need to understand the motive forces of our time and survey the terrain of the struggle accordingly. Sobriety of the mind will be a key asset which the ANC Youth League can possess if we are to firstly restore the radical character of the ANC Youth League and secondly achieve the objectives of the Freedom Charter” remarked Maine.

Maine also appealed to members of the league stop hauling insults at other candidates who are preferred candidates of others, must stop disrupting meetings of the youth league and those elected delegates to the national conference to be held in September must be disciplined.

-TDN

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BY OBAKENG MAJE

Celebrations for Women’s month in August came a bit early for four elderly women in Ipelegeng township near Schweizer Reneke in Mamusa local municipality, after they received title deeds for their houses last week. The handing over of these title deeds also coincided with the provincial government’ service delivery programme, Setsokotsane which is intended to bring government services closer to communities throughout the Province.

One of the recipients, Thethane Ntshilo (81), a pensioner,  widower and mother of seven, had been staying in a one room dilapidated house, said getting a title deed meant that her children ‘’will at least a place to call their own long after I am gone’’.  We are very happy to finally receive these title deeds, finally I know for sure that the house I live in is mine. I would like to thank the Department for giving me a house,” said Thethane.  Matshekiso Julie (56), a mother of six, who had been staying in a two roomed house, shared Thethane’s sentiments. “Nothing beats the feeling of finally owning a decent house that is registered in your name. I will now be able to continue with my life knowing that my children will never be destitute again because they now have a place to call home”, said Julie.

MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements, Collen Maine said by issuing out title deeds, the Department ensures that beneficiaries are able to raise their families where these is security and comfort and have a sense of ownership.

Meanwhile, MEC Maine also met with members of the community to afford them an opportunity to raise their concerns about general service delivery in the area. Most of the issued that were raised by the community ranged from illegal occupation of houses, houses that have structural defects and people who are unduly prioritised on the housing beneficiary list.

MEC Maine warned that cases of government officials who own RDP houses will be dealt with. He also warned the community against renting out their house for business purposes. “We will send out officials to register beneficiaries and this will purely be done to ensure that only those who are eligible, can benefit. In the meantime, we urge the community to be patient with us.  We have heard all your problems and we will be attending to them in due time, do not be afraid to report illegal occupation of houses, we need to stamp out corruption. We have a programme deal with rectifications and we will be sending a team to deal with all the problems that you are facing’’, he further stated.–TDN

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