African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in Dr Ruth Mompati region applauded the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) ward 11 councillor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe for donating sanitary towels to the needy.

More than 60 pupils from Seile and Kasienyane Primary Schools benefited from the initiative. Gaoraelwe said it was imperative to ensure that female learners’ confidence is restored.

“Many pupils who benefited from the initiative come from destitute backgrounds. Those female learners are in their adolescent stage and are not aware of the new development within their bodies. We need to ensure that all stakeholders come together and contribute in changing the lives of our masses.

“Without your generosity, we would not be able to operate. Many female pupils miss schools during their menstruation period. However, we give them the opportunity to continue with their studies without any worry about menstruation period by donating sanitary towels,” he said.

Gaoraelwe added that the country should invest in education because is the only ‘gateway vehicle’ from unemployment, inequality and poverty challenges. He further said Taung is predominantly rural and affected by treble challenges.

“We need to change the mind-set of our young ones. Even though they come from isolated communities and faced with many challenges, they must be hopeful. We will continue to ensure that we spread our initiative to other schools across Taung,” he said.

ANCYL regional secretary, Crespo Menyatso shared the same sentiments. Menyatso said they support the initiative and call on government to make sanitary towels available at schools.

“Many female pupils use cloths, newspapers and other unhygienic things during menstruation period. We urge our government and other stakeholders to come together and ensure that sanitary towels are always available at schools. The donation of sanitary towels is paramount amidst the triple challenges facing the country.

“We need to always ensure that there is an uninterrupted attendance to school and restoration of female pupils’ dignity. The demand for sanitary pads is very high and we thank all donors who ensure the initiative takes place,” he said.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

VICTIMS of fraud case in Taung said they still have faith in the justice system after three suspects will be back in court today for bail application judgement.

Three men from Free State province were arrested three weeks ago in Taung in connection with card-skimming.

Meisie Hendricks from Lokaleng village, near Taung was allegedly robbed R1000 and R1600 in two occasions.

“I was robbed my hard-earned cash by the suspects. I have faith in the justice system and I am hopeful that they will not be granted bail. We cannot let people come to Taung and engage into criminal activities. There are so many people who were robbed and that left them crippled financially,” Hendricks said.

Michael Motate said: “My wife was robbed R1000 at the ATM through card-skimming. We need to fight this criminal behaviour together with the community. I want to applaud the police for sterling job and believe that our court will not be lenient on the suspects considering that they have similar previous cases.”

Mojalefa Springkan (30), Kgosana Tladi (49) and David Mokonyane (52) were allegedly followed by South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence in partnership with Taung Police Station cluster from Vryburg to Taung after tip-off.

They allegedly defrauded unsuspecting victims their hard-earned cash at the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across Dr Ruth Mompati district. The Investigating Officer, Warrant Officer, Kagiso Phemelo told the court how the suspects were eventually arrested.

“The suspects allegedly robbed another woman her sassa card at Pudimoe complex in Pudimoe Location, near Taung. Police followed them until Taung Mall where they were allegedly stopped and searched. The police found loads of various bank cards in their possession.

“The suspects were arrested and police confiscated the vehicle that was used during the commission of crime. Two of the suspects who took the stand previously committed various accounts of fraud cases,” he said.

Phemelo also told the court that first accused in this case, Mokonyane has six cases against him such as malicious damage to property, common assault and fraud. He added that the suspect has also lied to court after he alleged that his passport has expired.

“I have obtained the details of Mr Mokonyane’s passport and it expires in 2018. The suspect is a former police officer and he is unemployed. He is a flight risk because he once visited his family in Lesotho. It will be perilous to grant him bail because the society will also lose hope in the justice system.

“I still need more time to obtain statements from the people who their cards were found in possession of the suspects. Some of them do not stay around Taung and it will be difficult to trace the suspect if he is granted bail. Two of the suspects have a pending fraud case against them at Ficksburg in Free State province. They were supposed to be in court on the 4^th of October 2017, however, they were arrested a day before their court date in Taung for fraud,” he said.

Phemelo also told the court that there were other cases opened against the suspects for card-skimming after some of victims came forward and positively identified them as perpetrators.

All three suspects were cross-examined except Kgosana Tladi who submitted his evidence through affidavit. Magistrate Olaotswe Bojosinyana postponed the matter until 13^th of November 2017 for court judgement on bail application.

Taung Police Station cluster spokesperson, Sergeant Tebogo Thebe said: “We have increased police visibility in Taung CBD. We urged bank users to be wary of criminals because we have realised that card-skimming operators ascend to our areas ahead of festive season.

“We are working together with other law enforcement agencies to curb these criminal activities. There are many fraud cases being reported thus far and we will work tirelessly in arresting the perpetrators. The majority of card-skimming incidents in South Africa are recorded around ATMs and, to a lesser extent, at retail merchants when bank cards are presented for payments.”

He further said card users should never give their card to someone at an ATM for any reason. Thebe added that the card users should never let anyone assist them at an ATM, even if they appear to be a bank official or security personnel.

“Beware of people standing close to you when you are concluding transactions at an ATM. Ensure you hide your pin when keying it into an ATM and never use an ATM that looks tampered with or damaged. Card users must always use an ATM in a well-lit area or use an ATM that is monitored by a CCTV camera if possible,” Thebe said.

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