Thousands of Galeshewe residents took to the streets, marching to the local police station, protesting against the disbanding of an anti-crime group’s operations.

The group mobilises members of the community to help combat crime and gangsters.

The residents say this group has been helpful in curbing crime in their area.

The streets of Galeshewe came to a standstill when the residents sang and marched to the police station to hand over a memorandum of their grievances.

They state in the memorandum that they are totally against the disbanding of the group by the police.

March organiser Tebogo Obusitse says all they are doing is making sure that the community members are safe.

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

The South African Cities Network CEO, Sithole Mbanga, says cities are cautiously doing well but they are still under pressure.

Urbanisation trends suggest that by 2050 around 80% of the population will live in cities.

Cities are the largest contributor to the national economy and their role is becoming increasingly important.

The recently-released State of the City Finance report indicates that in the past five years, cities spent a combined R117-billion on capital-related projects.

Speaking on AM Live, Mbanga says the cities economies have not grown and they are not finding easy ways of furthering their bases of revenue.

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Five people have died and six others critical injured in a collision between a van and a truck between Fort Beaufort and Seymour in the Eastern Cape.

The injured have been admitted to hospital.

Community Safety Renaissance spokesperson Tshepo Machaea says the road has been closed.

“On the R67 between Fort  Beaufort and Seymour on the way to Queenstown we have an accident there which claimed five lives and six people very critical have been taken to hospital. The road is still closed.”

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

The South African Child Gauge has released a study which shows that more than half of all young people in the country live in poverty and are faced with low education and unemployment.

The Gauge, which is the annual publication of the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town, focussed on the youth between the ages of 15 and 24.

Senior researcher in the UCT’s Poverty and Inequality Initiative, Dr Ariane De Lannoy says, “We find that a large portion of young people continue to live in poverty, about 58% of youths live in households with income below R620 per person per month and in general young  people’s situation isn’t that great, their education outcome are quiet low.”

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

BY REGINALD KANYANE

A 31 year-old award-winning actor, Presley Chweneyagae said he was ready to regain his niche in the film industry. North West-born actor encouraged young people to embark on acting. He said that the world needs to know about the untold stories from South Africans.

“To me acting came natural. I started acting at the age of 13. We need to preserve our heritage, our history. Filming industry encourages more tourists to visit the areas and that augurs well for the economy. I started at Mmabana Mmabatho where I learnt acting skills and polished my talent.

“If you want to be the best actor, you must make sure that you know your script. Nobody wants an awkward person standing up there, mouth open with no words coming out. Make sure your emotion reaches every corner of the room. Remember, you are not yourself. You forget everything you are and be who the character is. It’s not you playing the character, it’s you speaking. Immerse you in the character,” he said.

Chweneyagae who starred in an award-winning movie called Tsotsi, said he has been working at theatre. He said Tsotsi movie which was directed by Gavin Hood and produced by Peter Fudakowski gave him a good platform to launch his career.

“The film envisaged the South African story. Tsotsi went on to win the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. I am currently negotiating a deal with one of the biggest productions in South Africa. So if all go well, I will be in one of Mzansi’s favourite soapies from next year.

“I am busy working with a United Kingdom-based home theatre production. The same project is in Brazil and other parts of the world. We identify any ordinary person and reflect on their lives. We are required to resemble the life of that individual and perform it for them. I worked on many films so far like Zama-Zama, Inumber Number, and others.” he said.

Chweneyagae who recently took part in Soweto marathon said he was amazed about the newly-built film studio in Mmabana Mmabatho in Mahikeng. He said that will assist in developing young and raw talents in the province. He mentioned that he was busy with rural development projects in filming.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

North West Social Development MEC, Fenny Gaolaolwe

BY REGINALD KANYANE

NORTH West Social Development MEC, Fenny Gaolaolwe opened urged the residents of Qhoo village outside Taung to use the newly erected steel structure as a Pay-point and a service club.  Gaolaolwe opened a new Pay-point centre on Monday.

“We urge residents to take care of this facility against unnecessary vandalism.  Use this structure for your benefit. This Pay-point will help those who receive their social grant. They will not stand in the sun anymore, so take care of it.” Gaolaolwe said.

Local chief, Olatlhile Moabi of Batlhaping Baga Phuduhutswana said: “Before the Pay-point was erected, residents used to get their grants in a small creche. Life has been difficult for the residents especially during rainy seasons.”

Four steel structure was built by Sassa were opened around Taung recently.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_

The reality of the water crisis in the country hit home on Tuesday, with some Joburg schools sending their pupils back home and some parts of Gauteng running dry.

Numerous southern and south-western suburbs had no water on Tuesday, leading to residents believing that water rationing had started.

The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality issued a red alert on residents, warning them to use water sparingly as many suburbs in and around Germiston experienced water shortages.

It warned that levels in the reservoirs supplying certain areas were at a critical level which could lead to low water pressure.

For more http://www.iol.co.za

Rustenburg – Two men accused of robbery and murder appeared in the Mahikeng Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, North West police said.

Police spokesperson Major Pelonomi Makau said Kagiso Vincent Bontsi, 33 and Kgotlayame Macdonald Monaki, 27, appeared on two counts of murder, business robbery, seven counts of robbery, kidnapping, carjacking, attempted murder, possession of suspected stolen property and possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

“They were remanded in custody and will appear again on 19 February 2016 in the Mahikeng Regional Court,” she said.

“It is alleged that on Friday, 30 October 2015, at about 8pm, the accused entered the Bangladesh National tuck-shop at Moshawane village in Tshidilamolomo near Mahikeng and shot at the customer who died on the scene, before they shot at the shop owner who was taken to the hospital and later discharged. The accused allegedly took some groceries and an undisclosed amount of cash before they fled the scene.”

For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – Hello, it’s time to play… “WHAT THEY SAID, WHAT THEY MEANT”. Thank you for joining us.

As Armscor and the Department of Defence attempt damage control over the (not-R4-billion) “national asset” for the Presidency, we decipher what they were trying to say.

1. WHAT THEY SAID: “Reports that a VIP jet would be bought for R4bn are “devoid of truth. We could never afford that. Armscor is currently seeking information to establish the facts and have the required engineers and people who can crunch the numbers.”

WHAT THEY MEANT: R4-billion?! Ninjas, please. We can barely afford to pay attention right now, so we’ll find the best deal kickbacks can buy – or the nearest Gupta brother.

For more http://www.iol.co.za