Monthly Archives: July 2015

Woman killed, three others injured in collision

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A woman was killed and three other occupants of a vehicle sustained several injuries when the vehicle they were traveling in overturned on Wedela Road in Carletonville this morning.

“At approximately 5.30am paramedics arrived on the scene where they found a vehicle lying on its roof. Three occupants, a woman and two men, were found with moderate injuries on the scene,” ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak said.

Vermaak said they were treated and later transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

A woman, believed to be in her twenties, was found a few meters away from the vehicle. She sustained fatal injuries and there was nothing that paramedics could do for her.

“She was declared dead on the scene. It is believed she was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover,” Vermaak said.

The exact cause of the incident is not yet known. Local authorities attended the incident and will conduct an investigation.
-TDN
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Woman, including two children, injured in serious collision

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BY OBAKENG MAJE
Three people, including two children, sustained serious injuries when their vehicle overturned and crashed down an embankment on the R500 outside of Fochville.

ER24 spokesperson, Werner Vermaak said shortly before 9pm last night, paramedics arrived on the scene and found a Tata Indica approximately 15 meters down the embankment.

Paramedics from ER24 carefully made their way down the embankment where they found a 39-year-old woman and two children aged 12 and three years old still trapped in the vehicle.

They [paramedics] managed to access the three-year-old boy through a broken window of the vehicle and started their treatment.

He was in a serious condition.

“The local fire department had to stabilise the vehicle and use various rescue tools to free the woman and the 12-year-old from the vehicle. Once freed, they found that both of them were also in a serious condition. They were carried up the embankment where they were treated in the ambulance before rushed off to hospital,” Vermaak said.

The woman was transported to Carletonville Hospital and the two children were transported to Leslie Williams Hospital for further care.

The exact cause of the incident is not yet known. However, it appears as if the vehicle collided with a large rock on the side of the road which resulted in it to overturn and roll down the embankment.

Local authorities attended the incident.
-TDN
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Youth dialogue to be held in Taung

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BY OBAKENG MAJE
Deputy Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams will visit the North West province in her last leg of the Youth Month 2015 outreach, on Thursday, in collaboration with the Premier of the North West Supra Mahumapelo’s Setsokotsane programme at Mmabana Cultural Centre, Taung, North West.

The Dialogue will bring together youth, entities and political principals under one roof.

The Youth Dialogue will be running concurrently with the exhibition outside the Auditorium which will further highlight and expose entrepreneurial, academic and employment opportunities that youth of Taung and surrounding areas can explore.

Details are as follows:

Date: 16th July 2015

Time: 10:00

Venue: Mabana Cultural Centre, Taung, North West
-TDN
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Hands off judiciary and media, says Phosa

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ATTACKS on the judiciary and the press group SA with other authoritarian regimes, former African National Congress (ANC) treasurer-general Mathews Phosa says.

Mr Phosa told delegates at a conference on SA’s role in the global race for Africa’s development on Thursday that the country’s leaders had to “stop attacking and vilifying the press and judiciary, as they are both key to our democracy”.

He is the first high-profile ANC leader to speak publicly against the attacks in recent weeks on the judiciary and “oppositionist” media.

SA had to take pride in having created institutions to protect rights and the Constitution, Mr Phosa said at the conference in Johannesburg. “The current game being played by our leadership is dangerous and has the potential (to destroy) everything that we have fought for,” he said.
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MEC GAOLAOLWE BUSTS SASSA CARDS ABUSE

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BY OBAKENG MAJE
North West MEC for Social Development, Fenny Gaolaolwe on Thursday confiscated 47 SASSA cards from a shop owner at Madipalesa village outside Pampierstad during a Setsokotsane drive.

While Gaolaolwe conducted a door-to-door visit in the area to deliver grocery hampers and blankets to the elderly, she entered a house of a pensioner and asked her to produce her pension card. When the pensioner failed to produce the card the she openly told Gaolaolwe that her pension card including those of other residents in the area are being kept by a local shop owner.

“It is unlawful for the shop owner to keep SASSA cards. A grant recipient is the only person who may use the SASSA card. You may not transfer the SASSA card, or authorise any other person to use the card. This card remains the property of government,” Gaolaolwe said, after the shop owner handed the card to the police who received a tip from Gaolaolwe.

Without mincing her words, Gaolaolwe said the confiscated cards will be issued with warning letters to all the beneficiaries involved in the saga. Many of the grants beneficiaries, Gaolaolwe said are from Madipelesa and the neighbouring villages in both North West and Northern Cape provinces.

“While we condemn this practice as government we appeal to the shop owner and any other money lenders to discontinue their illegal acts. We call on the community members to report these incidents to SASSA offices or the department. We cannot sit back when affluent people take advantage of our grannies, Gaolaolwe said, adding that SASSA machines should be withdrawn in all the outlets that rob beneficiaries their social grants.

She said the department will intensify its drive to educate the communities on the responsible use of their cards and the dangers associated with the abuse of their monies. She said government will not be defeated in its quest to pay the right social grant to the right person at the right time.

During the altercations which lasted for more than twenty minutes, the shop owner claimed that the grant beneficiaries told her that their cards are safe and secured as long as they are kept in her shop. She claim that the grant beneficiaries are happy that she is curbing the abuse of their social grants by their children who intimidate their parents and misuse their cards.

According to unnamed sources privy to the information the beneficiaries are paying heavy charges for buying on credit. They say card with pins are always kept in the shop. They claim that many of them are paying huge amounts of money for burial scheme insurance operated by the shop owner on behalf of another company in NC.

It also emerged that when the cards were collected that most of the grant beneficiaries are made to pay R200.00 every month towards the burial insurance.

Meanwhile Gaolaolwe has ordered SASSA officials to open a case against a local shop owner.
-TDN
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MEC Maine takes Setsokotsane to another level and delivers houses in Vryburg

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Vryburg – In line with the new strategy to deal with illegal occupation of houses which is rife in Bokone Bophirima, MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements, Collen Maine recently handed over the completed houses to legitimate beneficiaries in Extension 28, Naledi local municipality in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District.

These houses are part of the 1500 units and are the new generation of Breaking New Ground houses which have gutters, big windows with small window panes, aprons right around, kitchen with a sink, bath, hand basin and a toilet, smooth internal floor finish, basic electricity installation, ceiling and Chromadek roof sheeting. The project started last year in April.

The handing over ceremony coincided with the provincial government’s week-long Setsokotsane programme in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district.

MEC Maine said the Department’s quest to provide intergrated and sustainable human settlements, continues unabated. MEC Maine reiterated the commitment he made during the 2014/2015 Budget Speech “that human settlements will be used as a point of convergence to lead development and provision of social amenitities and economic activities particularly in as a contribution to the pillars of Agriculture, Culture and Tourism’’.

Also in Vryburg, MEC Maine also committed the Department to prioritising building proper houses to families whose houses where either demolished due to poor workmanship, got gutted by fire or families staying in inhabitable shacks.

‘Whilst we are aware of the fact that the waiting list is very long, we must be able to prioritise according to living conditions of our people”, he said.

He reiterated his stance to deal decisively with housing developers who built shoddy houses.

“We will not treat these developers with a cotton glove because they are hell bent on pocketing public funds yet deny the very same public access to decent houses. We will continue to come hard on them and even take it as far as having them blacklisted and they will never be able to do business in the province again’’, said MEC Maine.
-TDN
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Setsokotsane operations lead to arrest of suspects

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By Obakeng Maje
Potchefstroom- The integrated Setsokotsane related operations by the police in Pudimoe Cluster led to apprehension of three suspects for possession of dagga on Wednesday, in Maphoitsile and Matolong. 

The suspects, women aged 20 and 40 were arrested following an intelligence driven operation.

In the first case, two female suspects were arrested after being found in possession of dagga weighing 458 grams when their house was searched in Maphoitsile village.

In another case of possession of dagga, a 40-year-old woman was found  with dagga weighing 452 grams when the police searched her place in Matolong village.   

The three suspects are due to appear in Taung Magistrates’ Court today where they will be facing charges of possession of dagga.

Two male suspects aged 25 and 35 were also arrested for illegal possession of firearm at approximately 17:30 after the police reacted swiftly to the information about the pair.

“They were found in possession of 38 special revolver along N18 road near the traffic circle in Taung. It was discovered during the apprehension that the serial number of the firearm was filed-off. They are due to appear in Taung Magistrates Court today,” North West police spokesperson colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said.

Meanwhile, the following operations were also conducted as part of the activities of Setsokotsane: An integrated roadblock was successfully held along N18 near Magogong village.  A total of 39 Road Traffic summons were issued to motorists. 

“Two suspects were arrested for possession of dagga after a bag containing dagga was found in a car they were travelling in as passengers. They are also expected to appear in Taung Magistrates’ Court today,” he said. 

Mokgwabone said in a suspect raiding operation conducted in Pudimoe and Taung, seven suspects were nabbed for various offences. The police also managed to recover one refrigerator, two window frames and a bicycle, all to the value of R15 000.   

In a Stock Theft operation nine fines were issued to farmers in Taung.  

“A lost and found cow was found in Mogopela B village, and it has been impounded.

The operation was held as part of the North West Provincial Government’s intensive approach of implementing the National Development Plan (NDP) through priorities that the province has pronounced.

“We will continue to support the approach and other Provincial Government initiatives in order to ensure a safe and secure environment while accelerating service delivery to the community”, said the North West Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Jacob Tsumane.
-TDN
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MEC Matsemela visits winter camps

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BY OBAKENG MAJE
Taung- Le bolotse Letsema! This is a phrase was adopted by the North West Education and Sport department as a mechanism the department uses to fast track progress in teaching and learning in order to attain good year-end results.

In attaining this year end results, MEC Matsemela went on unannounced winter camp visits in Brits, (Klipgat high school and Hebron Technical high school) and Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district (Vuselela FET college) on the 07th and 8th July respectively to monitor learner attendance as well as teacher-learner participation.

Matsemela encouraged learners to take the study programme serious as it is a gateway towards their invested future in basic education.

“I wish to encourage all of you to take these camps as a stepping stone towards your future. You have invested 13 years of your schooling. It is time to yield positive outcome out of it by making sound decisions towards your final year”, Matsemela said.

About 23 820 Grade 12 learners and 1, 380 educators in 72 centres across the province are engaging in winter camps in preparation for the final examinations taking place in October this year.

Winter camps are a mid-year revision programme that looks into assisting learners in gateway subjects and other problematic learning areas to intensify positive year-end results.
-TDN
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MEC Matsemela visits Winter camps

NEWS Leave a comment

BY OBAKENG MAJE
Taung- Le bolotse Letsema! This is a phrase was adopted by the North West Education and Sport department as a mechanism the department uses to fast track progress in teaching and learning in order to attain good year-end results.

In attaining this year end results, MEC Matsemela went on unannounced winter camp visits in Brits, (Klipgat high school and Hebron Technical high school) and Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district (Vuselela FET college) on the 07th and 8th July respectively to monitor learner attendance as well as teacher-learner participation.

Matsemela encouraged learners to take the study programme serious as it is a gateway towards their invested future in basic education.

“I wish to encourage all of you to take these camps as a stepping stone towards your future. You have invested 13 years of your schooling. It is time to yield positive outcome out of it by making sound decisions towards your final year”, Matsemela said.

About 23 820 Grade 12 learners and 1, 380 educators in 72 centres across the province are engaging in winter camps in preparation for the final examinations taking place in October this year.

Winter camps are a mid-year revision programme that looks into assisting learners in gateway subjects and other problematic learning areas to intensify positive year-end results.
-TDN
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MEC Matsemela to visit PH Mooketsi High

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BY Obakeng Maje
Taung- North West Education and Sport Development MEC Wendy Matsemela will visit PH Mooketsi college on Thursday.

Matsemela embarked on a visit to all Winter camps across the province to oversee things around.
-TDN
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