By REGINALD KANYANE

Various areas in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region continues to be affected by water challenges. Some residents in Cokonyane, Taung Extension, and Vryburg said they have lost hope.

 One of the residents, Mmasabatha Mokai said water scarcity affects their livelihoods. Mokai said the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality does not care about their well-being amid COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is so sad to see the municipality ignoring the fact that water is the most pivotal basic need. Water is one of the absolute essentials for life, but we are struggling. We are forced to wake up at around 4am to be able to get water from taps.

“During the day, water taps are running dry and we cannot bathe nor do laundry. We urge the municipality to ensure that we get water regularly. How does the government expect us to adhere to COVID-19 regulations without water?” she asked.

Another resident, Mosimanegape Mosimanetau shared the same sentiments. Mosimanetau said water assists them to maintain proper hygiene.

“Proper hygiene is one of the best ways to ward off preventable diseases. The current COVID-19 pandemic is driving this point home stronger than ever, as hand-washing is one of the best tools we have in slowing the spread of the disease.

“We sometimes spend three days without access to drinking water. However, I can see that the problem is water tinkering. Some individuals are conniving with government officials to ensure that the water tinkering system is in place so that they can benefit,” he said.

However, the embattled executive mayor for the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, Boitumelo Mahlangu who downplayed the issue, said they are not getting enough water that can be provided to larger communities. However, Mahlangu said there is a bulk water project that they are building and it was supposed to be completed a long time ago.

“The project is about nine years now and we are trying by all means to complete it. The reservoirs are ready but the project has been stopped by unnecessary things that were not even supposed to be the cause.

“Now, we hope that by December, we will be able to provide the whole community of Taung with water. We will also share that water with Naledi and Pudimoe. Remember, there will be things people want to see happening and also we might not have a financial stability to implement whatever they need,” she said.

Mahlangu also added that they will visit the Vaalharts Scheme in Maphoitsile village near Taung and address this matter. The municipality invested R150 million of taxpayers’ money into the VBS Mutual Bank of which R100 million was from the Regional Infrastructure Grant (RIG), while R25 million from the Equitable Share-Free Basic Services and R25 million was from the Building Fund.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Heartfelt condolence messages continue to pour into the Setlhapelo’s family after the passing of Omphemetse “Onketsang” Setlhapelo. A much-loved Vaaltar FM broadcaster is described as the man who mentored and guided many to reach their niche within the radio industry.

Legendary radio personality, Setlhapelo (42) who was known to mesmerised his listeners with a stunning voice, met his untimely death on Saturday night at Jan Kempdorp in Northern Cape. Northern Cape police spokesperson, Capt Sergio Kock said the radio broadcaster was allegedly hit by a car while trying to cross the N18 road.

“The police in Jan Kempdorp are investigating a case of culpable homicide after an alleged accident occurred on the N18 road near Jan Kempdorp Bridge or hiking spot. The incident happened on Saturday just before midnight.

“It is alleged that the pedestrian tried to cross the road when a white Toyota Double cab bakkie hit him.  Setlhapelo died on the scene,” Kock said.

He urged anyone with information to contact Detective Constable Modise Mosheo on 0609769057.

Meanwhile, Vaaltar FM’s Board of Directors chairperson, Tsholofelo Moepeng said: “We are profoundly saddened by the untimely death of one of our icons. Onketsang as Setlhapelo was affectionately known to his fans will be missed for his selfless contribution to the success of the station since he was still serving as a presenter years ago.

“His passing will leave a void to be felt not only by Vaaltar FM, but the sector as a whole. It is against the backdrop of the above that in memory of this handsome man, Vaaltar FM will intensify its struggle to realise that this indispensable community radio project lives up to its historic mandate of being the voice of the voiceless and the centre for excellence.”

Moepeng added that as the Board of the station, they still believe that there is no other medium of broadcast most relevant to the communities similar to that of Greater Taung and its surrounding population with similar socio-economic setting. He said ideally, this serves as a clarion call for concerted efforts in support and sustenance of this crucial community asset from everyone.

“We extend our deepest sympathy to Setlhapelo’s colleagues and co-workers at the station, as well as to his friends across the wider society. Vaaltar FM wishes to extend special condolences to the family and relatives of Mr Setlhapelo that God has not forsaken them and their loss is ours and we share the same tears.

“It is for this reason that we dip our banner in respect of this radio guru who fought for, and lived his dreams, in the face of heavy critics. The invitation is hereby extended to all to come in multitudes and join the march alongside Onketsang’s mortal remains in the last journey to his resting place at Pudumoe on Sunday,” he said.

Setlhapelo was serving as the Programmes Manager at the station during his passing. One of his colleagues, Bontle Riet shared the same sentiments. Riet said in this tragic moment, they must celebrate the long life lived by Setlhapelo, instead of letting those happy memories fade away in mourning.

“I know words do little to ease the pain we feel because such a lovely soul passed on. My thoughts and prayers are with the Setlhapelo family. It was a joy to work in the presence of Mr. Omphemetse Penrose Setlhapelo.

“This loss is felt by many. May the memories of his wonderful personality and many contributions be celebrated by all,” she said.

Vaaltar FM will hold a memorial service for Setlhapelo on Friday at 3pm, while his funeral will take place at his home in Pudumoe Township near Taung on Sunday.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

Economic Freedom Fighters in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region embarked on a peaceful march to the Greater Taung Local Municipality demanding the improved service delivery on Wednesday. EFF regional secretary, Justice Dabampe said they marched against collapsed service delivery.

“We submitted the memorandum of demand to the municipality demanding that all vacant posts be filled with immediate effect. We also demand that the preference be given to local people who qualify.

“As EFF, we also demand that all security guards be sourced-in by the end of October 2020 and all security guards who their contracts are said to be terminated be hired without failure by the end of October 2020,” Dabampe said.

He added that all security guards be paid a minimum of R7 500 effective from 1 November 2020. Dabampe further said Tsholofelo Moepeng who is employed by the municipality and who is also the Chairperson of the Board of Directors at Vaaltar FM be investigated for non-disclosure of getting 20% commission.

“We also demand that all sport facilities be handed over to the communities by the end of October 2020 too. All informal settlements in Taung must be formalised without failure by the end of October 2020.

“As EFF, we demand that all high mast lights in Taung be switched on and maintained by the end of October 2020. We call on the municipality that all internal roads be paved and named by the end of October 2020,” he said.

Dabampe said that every household in Taung must have piped water by the end of October 2020 and all municipal vehicles should be used only for official municipal work.

“All villages must have high mast lights by the end of November 2020 and all community parks must be secured. There must be satellite offices in all clusters in Taung by the end of November 2020 and all houses be electrified by the end of November 2020.

“The municipality must ensure that all unoccupied built houses must have beneficiaries with immediate effect and all patrollers are sourced-in by the end of November 2020. We demand that all municipal economic hubs built be handed over to their respective communities by the end of October 2020,” said Dabampe.

Dabampe added that the Dryharts Community Hall be demolished because it is not safe for public use. He said that the municipality writes to the district and demand that all informal settlements be given toilets.

“All cleaners must be sourced-in particularly Ms Seodigeng who has been with the municipality for more than five years. We demand flushing toilets in all the municipal yards by the end of November 2020.

“Basic services must be provided for free to all indigents and that the municipality should build sporting facilities in all villages. The municipality must ensure that people of Reivilo buy electricity direct from Eskom and the municipal offices in Reivilo be opened from 7am till 4pm daily,” said Dambampe.

He added that there should be job creation on a permanent basis and municipal inspectors do their job and close shops that are non-compliant. EFF said they give the municipality seven days to respond to their demands.

Meanwhile, the Greater Taung Local Municipality mayor, Kgosi Nnyoko Motlhabane accepted the memorandum and said they will respond accordingly.

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

Former Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality’s Technical Services Director has been served with a subpoena by the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) to appear in court for alleged contravention of Section 171(3) read with Section 77 and 78 of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).

The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Capt Tlangelani Rikhotso said the suspect (44) allegedly single-handedly took on supply chain processes by sourcing quotations and invoices from service providers, then went further to recommend and approve payments for his office furniture back in 2014.

“The transaction was allegedly finalised in one day and approximately R504 143 was paid to the service provider.  The suspect is expected to make his first court appearance on 20 November 2020 at the Christiana Magistrate’s Court,” Rikhotso said.

The Hawks continue to crack the whip in quest of combating corruption and the former Director is the fifth municipal official to be arrested in the province. In a related matter, the mayor of JB Marks municipality Kgotso Khumalo and the Director of municipal services and Local Economic Development (LED), Cyril Hendry appeared in the Potchefstroom Magistrate’s Court on charges of theft and fraud last week Friday after being arrested by the Hawks.

The duo was released on warning, while the third man facing eight charges of theft and fraud involving municipal funds handed himself over on Monday. In another incident, the former acting Municipal Manager at Ratlou Local Municipality, Cassius Sejake (55) was arrested by the Hawks for allegedly flouting tender processes to the value of R7.8 million between 2018 and 2019.

Sejake appeared at Atamelang Magistrate’s Court where he was granted R5000 bail. His case was postponed to November 27 and transferred to the Atamelang Regional Court.

Meanwhile, the acting mayor at Ratlou, Mamoitsadi Phaedi said: “As the municipality, we have noted the arrest and allegations leveled against Sejake and we do not support any acts of corruption, mismanagement, or abuse of the public funds and would like to urge all the parties involved in this matter to give the law enforcement agencies a chance to do their job whilst at the same time co-operating with the investigations.”

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Embattled JB Marks Local Municipality’s executive mayor, Kgotso Khumalo, and Director for Local Economic Development (LED), Cyril Hendry were nabbed by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation on Friday at Potchefstroom.

The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Capt Hlangelani Rikhotso said the duo appeared at the Potchefstroom Magistrate’s Court facing charges of fraud and theft following their arrest on Friday. Rikhotso added that the arrests emanate from investigations into a trust account where a total of approximately R5 million intended for the JB Marks municipality was deposited.

“However, the funds were never declared to the Auditor-General. So, it was discovered through the investigations that a series of payments were allegedly made from the trust into the suspects’ private bank accounts instead.

“It is alleged that the funds in the trust were misrepresented to appear as if they were being used to pay for services rendered to the municipality, meanwhile invoices were allegedly being falsified,” she said.

Rikhotso said in some instances, funds were allegedly paid into service providers’ accounts for services that were never rendered, thereafter the money would allegedly be collected by the suspects. She further said investigations continue and more arrests cannot be ruled out.

Meanwhile, the case was postponed to 1 December 2020 for further investigation and suspects were released on warning.

“The suspects were ordered to not set foot anywhere near the municipality and not to contact any of the witnesses until the case is concluded,” said Rikhotso.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

Two missing boys from Matlapaneng village in Taung were found health and sound at Mase village near Taung on Wednesday. Mofenyi Rashope (5) and Thatayaone Segacwe (5) went missing on Tuesday.

North West police spokesperson, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said the mother of one of the missing boys left them playing outside the house at about 12:45pm to visit their neighbours who are also relatives.  Mokgwabone said the mother came back at about 1pm and only to find out that the boys were missing. 

“The matter was then reported to the police who have been searching for the children since. Mofenyi who is light in complexion was wearing a long sleeve jersey with long trouser and grey waterproof boots.

Thatayaone who is also light in complexion, was wearing a blue short with a blue t-shirt and sandals. Kindly be informed that the missing boys were found alive and healthy at Mase village approximately three kilometers from Matlapaneng,” he said.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Former Ratlou Local Municipal Manager, Cassius Sebatane Sejake who was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation on Monday is expected to do a formal bail application today at Atamelang Magistrate’s Court.

The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Tlangelani Rikhotso said Sejake was arrested for alleged failure to follow tender processes in the awarding of tenders of approximately R5.8 million between 2018 and 2019.

“It is alleged that this happened while he was an acting municipal manager. As the accounting officer, the suspect allegedly failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that public procurement processes were followed and observed.

“Service providers were allegedly appointed without a competitive bidding process. Sejake appeared at the Atamelang Magistrate’s Court where he was charged with contravention of Section 173 (fruitless and wasteful expenditure) of the Municipal Finance Management Act,” Rikhotso said.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa has taken a fundamental approach by launching the Presidential Employment Stimulus last week to tackle unemployment.

Ramaphosa said the Presidential Employment Stimulus is unprecedented in its scale and breadth, involving a public investment of R100 billion over the next three years.

“We are undertaking a far-reaching and ambitious public investment in human capital, with the state as both a creator and an enabler of jobs. We will protect and create directly-funded jobs and livelihood support interventions while the labour market recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

“Each of these is ready for implementation, and is additional to existing commitments. While some of the interventions build on the strengths of existing programmes, the stimulus also includes new and innovative approaches,” he said.

Ramaphosa added that this includes a focus on what they have termed ‘social employment’. He said they are working from the premise that there is no shortage of work to be done to address the many social problems in the society.

“The aim is to support the considerable creativity, initiative and institutional capabilities that exist in the wider society to engage people in work that serves the common good. This work cuts across a range of themes, including food security, ending gender-based violence, informal settlement upgrading and much more.

“This will supplement the efforts of the public sector, allowing for greater scale and social impact as well as new forms of partnership with diverse social actors. The stimulus includes a new national programme to employ teaching and school assistants in schools,” said Ramaphosa.

He further said schools are making these appointments right now, delivering new opportunities in every community across the length and breadth of the country. Ramaphosa said the public employment is not just for unskilled work.

“There is a cross-cutting focus on graduates, with opportunities for nurses, science graduates, artisans and others. The stimulus will also protect jobs in vulnerable sectors that have been hit hard by the pandemic.

“Support will be provided to Early Childhood Development practitioners, mainly self-employed women. Over 74,000 small farmers will also receive production input grants. As a nation, we need arts and culture to lift our spirits once more – the stimulus provides new funding to help the sector back onto its feet, including support to digital content-creation and expansion of e-commerce platforms,” he said.

Ramaphosa added that this will enable artists to adapt to the new market conditions that the pandemic has imposed on the country and to seize new opportunities for growth. He further said a critical enabler for wider job creation, made more important by the pandemic, is connectivity.

“To overcome the digital divide, the stimulus will provide affordable, high-speed broadband to low-income households through innovative connection subsidies and the expansion of free public WiFi.

“As our country recovers from the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, we are in no doubt as to the size of the task before us. We have to achieve an economic recovery that is swift and inclusive. We have to get as many of our people as possible working again.

“We also have to regain lost ground in the provision of basic services and critical infrastructure, addressing social challenges and transforming townships and rural communities too,” said Ramaphosa.

He said public employment is an instrument that can do all by creating jobs at scale in the short term while markets recover, and creating social value in the process. Ramaphosa said the example is often cited of the massive public works programme undertaken by the United States after the Great Depression in the 1930s.

“This was not just a stimulus, but also promoted social participation and inclusion. There are several examples of innovative public employment programmes in the developing world, including in India, Ethiopia and here in South Africa.

“These programmes make a direct investment in local economies, reaching poorer areas first, supporting local small enterprises and trickling up into the wider economy from there,” he said.

Ramaphosa added that they also promote social participation and inclusion, providing communities with the means to change their lives as they undertake new forms of work. He said in doing so, they contribute to transformation both at a local level and within broader society.

“Direct public investment to support employment and create economic opportunities that generate social value does more than just tackle the unemployment crisis. It is responsive, because it uses the state’s resources to respond to local community needs, be it for greener spaces, food security, more early childhood development centres, or for better and more accessible roads.

“It is progressive, because it offers social protection and income security to those who face destitution because they are unable to find work. It is an investment in the future, in that it supports the broader economic recovery agenda by urgently getting our people to work on improving our national and municipal infrastructure,” said Ramaphosa.

He added that through the interventions in the stimulus, they are creating work for those who need it, while leaving a lasting impact on entire communities. Ramaphosa said like public employment programmes across the world, this employment stimulus supports and complements the critical role of the private sector in creating jobs.

“It is counter-cyclical, in that as the recovery advances, the scale of public employment will decline. The work experience and skills acquired by beneficiaries of the Presidential Employment Stimulus will improve their prospects of securing formal employment.

“The experience gained is also a pathway to entrepreneurial activity. Participants will improve their skills and capabilities to start their own businesses, and can use the steady income provided by public employment to branch out into other income-generating activities,” he said.

Ramaphosa further said he has consistently affirmed that the COVID-19 crisis is also a window of opportunity to build back better. He said at this time of great upheaval, they would be doing themselves no favours by making unrealistic promises that raise expectations, only to come short when they are not met.

“This is why each of the jobs and livelihood support interventions is fully funded, with a clear implementation plan. The employment stimulus is not about vague commitments for some time in the future, but about jobs being created right here and now.

“The stimulus is the result of extensive consultation with national departments, provinces and metros to rapidly design employment programmes that can be rolled out or expanded within six months,” said Ramaphosa.

He said the implementing departments and other stakeholders were rigorously assessed on their capacity to implement. In every one of the programmes that fall under the stimulus, opportunities will be widely advertised and recruitment will be fair, open and transparent, said Ramaphosa.

“The goals we have set ourselves are realistic, measurable and achievable, and draw lessons from past experience and international best practice. Our people are ready and willing to work. This vast potential must be harnessed, and our collective skills and capabilities brought to bear in rebuilding our country in the wake of the coronavirus.

“The Presidential Employment Stimulus provides a respite for families who have endured a long hard winter with greatly reduced income, and for individuals who have spent many years without work.

“Real, decent work is the right of every human being. It is a precondition for economic growth and social stability. By giving effect to this fundamental right, the Presidential Employment Stimulus is making a decisive contribution to building a society that works,” concludes Ramaphosa.

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