By BAKANG MOKOTO

The North West Premier, Bushy Maape said he has appointed a team of five MECs constituted by North West MEC for Social Development, Boitumelo Moiloa, MEC for Fiance, Motlalepula Rosho, MEC for Education, Wendy Matsemela, MEC for Public Works and Roads, Oageng Molapisi and MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Sello Lehari to focus on providing support for the mass funeral of all the deceased.

“This team will be supported by a technical team led by the Administrator and Director General in the Office of the Premier and HODs for Social Development, Provincial Treasury, HODs and Administrators for Education, Community Safety and Transport Management and Administrator for Public Works and Roads,” he said.

The deceased will be buried on Sunday at Ipelegeng Township in Schweizer Reneke.

Meanwhile, Maape said the North West Executive Council has also concluded a successful session on 2 March 2022, which follows the maiden State of the Province Address (SOPA) delivered by him last month.

“The Executive Council (EXCO) also received a progress report on stabilisation and optimisation of pharmaceutical services in the North West. The report reflected decisive interventions made at the Mmabatho Medical Stores, which include improving financial management and human resources amongst others. 

“This progress report was endorsed as work in progress registered as a result of the Section 100 intervention in the province. In addition, the Executive Council reflected on incidents of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the province and reiterated a call for all government departments to prioritise interventions in this area as this scourge continues to rear its ugly head,” said Maape.

He further said the EXCO also welcomed an update report on the District Development Model Presidential Imbizo (DDMPI) that is to be held in Mahikeng on 12 March 2022.

Maape added that the imbizo, which is the first of its kind in the 6^th Administration, will be held in observance of the COVID-19 regulations and will afford citizens an opportunity to engage with President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

“This imbizo will be preceded by build-up activities in various parts of Mahikeng Local Municipality,” he said.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) set to change the political landscape in various higher learning institutions across South Africa. This follows the much-anticipated launch of the party’s Student Forum at Taletso TVET College (Lehurutshe campus) on 3 March 2022. 

F4SD president, Dr Mbahare Kekana, said the Student Forum will play a pivotal role in addressing underlying challenges most students at higher learning institutions across the country are subjected to.

“We believe in empowering students academically, socially, psychologically and politically. In order to do so, today marks a very historical day as we launch the F4SD Student Forum. We are launching this F4SD Student Forum on the land of none other than Abram Ramothibi Onkgopotse Tiro, who was born in Dinokana, Lehurutshe near Zeerust in 1947,” he said.

Kekana further said the educational system continues to fail young people. He added that this Student Forum will be different from other current student movements menus that students are confronted with.

“The F4SD Student Forum shall describe them to be working towards the complete overthrow of a neoliberal anti-black system and the realisation of students’ power. Remember, soldiers without revolutionary theory have been catalysts of the toxic misogyny, toxic gender constructs women expurgation and are part of the parasitic elements wrongfully characterising our struggle.

“The F4SD students shall engage on a political education programme, which will make sure every member understands the ideological perspective, organisational understanding, gender, sexual orientation and inter-sectional of ideas,” said Kekana.

He said this includes organising structures of the mass-based student movement and towards free, quality, decolonised and well-resourced education.

“The F4SD Student Forum believes that it is the responsibility of a revolutionary to be educated. The F4SD Student Forum must be divided into two components, which is the senior and junior unit.

“The junior unit must fight against other socio-economic challenges like teenage pregnancy, bullying, dropouts, learners and teacher killings, gangsterism, lower passing mark of 30%, including pit toilets, muddy schools and scholar transport,” he said.

Kekana said the senior unit should confront the funding model, accommodation, colonised education system, the irrelevant curriculum, dropouts and unemployment. He said the senior unit must also fight for one region, one TVET College, one university.

#FeesMustFall activist, Bonginkosi Khanyile who was part of the historical event said: “We are honoured to be part of this historic event. This is an event whereby young people are meeting to form a fighting force, an organisation that shall ensure that young people’s challenges are addressed.

“It is a blessing to come here and be amongst the first people to be in attendance. I know because we are getting old now. When I am old, I’m going to look back and tell my children that I was amongst the speakers in the historic formation of the Student Forum in North West.”

Khanyile encouraged students to fight for what they believed in as the leading organisation was in tatters. He said the infightings within the ANC had compromised service delivery.

Most students raised various challenges such as lack of electricity, no provision of water and safety. They believe that F4SD Student Forum will bring differences as they are preparing for CSRC elections on 23 March 2022.

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