By OBAKENG MAJE

The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe said, he will continue to wage a war against ‘periods poverty’, especially in schools. 

This comes after Gaoraelwe’s office, donated over 2 400 sanitary pads to various schools across Taung through the ‘Keep A Girl Child in School’ initiative.

He said the lack of sanitary pads makes it difficult for girls to attend school. It is estimated that 3 out of 10 girls in South Africa miss school during their periods each month.

“We have donated 2 400 sanitary pads to seven different schools across Taung. As the municipality, we were assisted by the North West Department of Education and Social Development for school identification purposes.

“We have realised that, there is a need for this initiative after disturbing reports of female learners’ absenteeism in schools due to poor access to sanitary products. Most of them cite lack of sanitary pads as a reason for their absenteeism.

“The initiative emanates from the GTLM mayoral cup event, where we have requested all affiliated teams to donate a bulk of sanitary pads as registration for the event. This will be an annual initiative and remember, lack of sanitary pads sometimes forces girls to use unhygienic materials, while others decide to stay at home,” he said.

The Tamasikwa Secondary School principal, Kenalemang Lehihi applauded the municipality. Lehihi said the intervention will reduce the burden of menstruation for school girls.

“We are very happy and fortunate enough to receive sanitary pads from the municipality. This will assist learners to concentrate, because just last week Friday, we had a Grade 12 learner, who was absent from school because she had no sanitary pads.

“I have also received a call from Chabalala Optometrist, where they commit to donating sanitary pads to the school too. So, we need to work together in ensuring that periods poverty is alleviated,” she said.

One of the learners who benefitted from this initiative, Tshepiso Selebogo (16) said: “I feel honoured to receive sanitary pads because some of us come from disadvantaged backgrounds. I stay with my grandmother because my parents stay in Choseng village, near Pudimoe,” she said.

A Grade 12 learner, Nametsang Tshipenyane (17), who also received the sanitary pads shared the same sentiments. Tshipenyane said, this initiative will come in handy and assist many learners, who sometimes miss school because of poor access to sanitary pads.

Meanwhile, Dr Marlin McKay, a medical healthcare practitioner and owner of Goldman Medicine Centre, who has over 28 years of experience in the private family practice told Parents24 that, access to sanitary towels is critical because having a period without sanitary towels at school can impact the girl’s long term social and economic activities.

“Lack of sanitary pads can also force girls to use unhygienic material such as cow dung, leaves, newspaper, and dirty cloth. We need to acknowledge that menstruation is a natural and biological function that people did not choose to have to happen to their bodies.

“Thus society must ensure that girls, women, and menstruators can experience their periods with dignity. If we do not ensure that ‘period poverty’ is ended, we will be perpetuating a culture of silence that forces many to cope in isolation,” she highlighted.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

A teacher at Kebinelang Secondary School in Manthe village near Taung is under siege over assault allegations. It is alleged that, a teacher, Katlego Moncho assaulted a Grade 9 learner, Thomo Gaoboihe on 28 July 2022 during break time.

North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said: “The teacher saw some learners still hanging at the toilets, while the break was over. He then approached them and cautioned them about time.

“Other learners ran to the classrooms, however, Gaoboihe was immovable and did not carry the instruction. He was also wearing a red cap, which the teacher told him to take it off, but he refused.”

Malindi further said the learner started to become unruly and insulted the teacher. He added that the teacher forced the learner to go to the principal’s office.

“The learner alleged that the teacher manhandled him, Moncho refuted the allegations. So, our labour relations will investigate the matter in due course,” he said.

In March 2022, a learner (14) from the Living Faith Private School in Mahikeng, allegedly committed suicide after corporal punishment was handed to him. The deceased and another learner were allegedly fighting in class and the teacher who intervened took both of them to the staff room, where corporal punishment was practiced in full view of other teachers.

The learner went home, where he later committed suicide by hanging himself with a rope. In 1996, the South African Schools Act, under Section 10 banned the use of corporal punishment in schools. Despite the ban on corporal punishment 26 years ago, teachers are still hitting children at school.

Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) in North West said drastic measures should be taken against educators who continue to use corporal punishment against learners.

The COSAS president, Thabang Mokoena said: “Corporal punishment has a negative impact on learners. So, as COSAS, we are not happy to see that these cases are not resolved. We are aware that corporal punishment is still being practiced in various schools.

“This is happening and the department is turning a blind eye. We are saying to the department, we are fed up. Learners are being beaten in schools and nothing has been done. There are safety summits, which are held year in and year out to discuss such issues, but nothing has changed.”

Mokwena further said, what the department is doing is only ‘pep-talk’ with no implementation. He added that, the documents from previous safety summits are archived and continue to gather dust, while learners continue to be subjected to corporal punishment.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Three suspects aged 29, 39, and 45 are expected to appear at Taung Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for a business robbery at Shoprite in Taung. According to the North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Sgt Tryphosa van Rooyen, the police in Taung received a call of a business robbery in progress as Shoprite was about to close.

“The Community Service Centre and Crime Prevention Unit members were immediately dispatched to this scene. Upon arrival at the scene of the crime, the police found three suspects who were about to exit the store.

“The suspects were immediately arrested and the stolen property was confiscated. A case of business robbery was opened and the suspects are due to appear in the Taung Magistrate’s Court on 3 August 2022,” van Rooyen said.

Meanwhile, the acting District Commissioner, Brigadier Tshenolo Tlotleng lauded the police for their swift response, which led to the arrests of these suspects.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

The disgruntled Teaching and General Assistants at Madipelesa Primary School in Taung alleged that the school principal, Eva Bolokang has illegally deducted money from their salaries.  

This comes after these Teaching and General Assistants allegedly continued to receive R350 social grants, while employed by the government and failed to declare. One of the disgruntled Teacher Assistants, Goitsemang Lepang (31) alleged that the principal has already deducted R875 from her salary without her permission and now threatens to fire her when she demands her money back.

“I was not aware that supposed to declare that I am still receiving an R350  grant. She continuously deducts money from our salaries without our permission.

“We are not even sure if that money has been deposited back into the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) account or not. I have two children and also stay with my mother and I am the only one working in the house,” she said.

Lepang alleged that the school still owes her R3400 salary for January and March 2022 and they will embark on a protest to demand their money back.  

Another teacher assistant, Xoli Bosman shared the same sentiments. Bosman (29) alleged that the principal has illegally deducted R1750 at once from his salary.

“The principal was supposed to come up with a better strategy to deduct the money rather than taking it at once. It is so sad that the initiative was supposed to alleviate unemployment, but we are still plunged into poverty.

“The method used to repay the R350 grants is not working in our favour. I was not aware that, I was supposed to declare that I am still getting an R350 grant. So, I feel like the principal has put us under duress and threatened to fire us if we do not cooperate,” he said.

The North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said there is nothing sinister with what the principal has done because she has acted in line with the department’s rules and regulations.

Malindi said school principals should ensure that teacher assistants sign an acknowledgement letter of debt reflecting the chosen option and confirmation of receiving the grants.

“They should also provide a list of all teacher assistants who have signed the acknowledgement letter of debt to the circuit office. Principals, based on the option chosen by the teacher assistants, deduct the amount from the stipend prior to processing the stipend as per the chosen option.

“The school elect the option to transfer the recovered/reimbursed amounts by either transferring the recovered funds to the Provincial Education Department

(PED) bank account or the PED withhold the total recovered/reimbursement from future transfers to the school,” he said.

Malindi said then the school will inform the circuit of the option they have elected for the payment of the recovered amounts.

Meanwhile, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) said in a statement that 288 000 young people across the country have benefitted from this Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI).

Minister of DBE, Angie Motshekgwa spokesperson, Hope Mokgatlhe said the initiative has given hope to many young South Africans. Mokgatlhe said it has also set them on a path of self-discovery and awareness.

“Many have spoken about how this has been a life-changing experience for them. It has given them a sense of appreciation of what it is like to be involved in something whose outcome and impact are far-reaching and long-lasting.

“Many have spoken about how they never imagined themselves working with children or being a teacher. But, their involvement in the PYEI has encouraged them to take up teaching as a career,” she said.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Most public healthcare centres in North West do not have medicines such as antiretrovirals (ARVs). The detailed report released by the Ritshidze organisation painted a grim picture and showed that North West is lagging behind in extending the supply of ARVs. 

The report revealed that just 6% of people living with HIV interviewed reported three-month ART refills — compared to 25% in the same reporting period last year.

The project manager at Ritshidze organisation, Ngqabutho Mpofu said, their detailed report into the state of the public healthcare system in the North West found improvement in certain indicators and deterioration in others over the last year. 

He said this impact the overall quality of HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), and other health services.

“The report is based on the results of data collected through Ritshidze’s community-led monitoring of 13 facilities in the province together with additional data collected at 57 facilities by Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Stop Stock-outs Project and Ritshidze related to stock-outs.

“The 2022 report identifies challenges that discourage people from going to the clinic for HIV, TB, and other health services. Despite the improvement, stock-outs still persist. This year, there were 398 reports of different medicines, contraceptives, and vaccines being out of stock in total across 57 facilities,” Mpofu said.

He further said 26% of patients said, they or someone they knew had left the facility without the medicines they needed. According to Mpofu, North West has scored worst across all provinces monitored on this indicator.

He added that, even though the waiting times have improved, but remain long.

“More than 91% of public healthcare users interviewed think that waiting times are still long and 64% of those people blamed staff shortages for the long hours waiting. While marginal improvement has been identified in staffing levels in the last year — from 0% of facility managers reporting enough staff last year, up to 15% this year — this remains a very high proportion of understaffed sites.

“Also index testing is always meant to be voluntary, yet worryingly. More than 36% of respondents reported that they could not refuse to give the contacts,” Mpofu said. 

He said, worse, while every precaution should be taken to not put people at risk of violence, 34% of respondents were not asked if their partners had any risk of violence, despite national guidelines mandating this process. 

Mpofu said the report also showed that only 20% of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, 9% of people who use drugs, 14% of sex workers, and 14% of transgender people reported being offered PrEP at the facility. Mpofu said, however, that only 9% of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, 12% of people who use drugs, 5% of sex workers, and 4% of transgender people said they could access lubricants.

“The inadequate space also continues to be a challenge as 92% of facility managers interviewed reported needing more space for waiting areas, filing systems, and rooms for private HIV counseling/testing and medical care,” he said.

 Meanwhile, the North West Department of Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said: “The department is aware of the issues raised in that report. Those are the issues that we have been dealing with since section 100 (1) (b) intervention. These are the issues that were highlighted as areas of intervention and there has been progressing on them, particularly in regard to medication stock-out.

“At the beginning of section 100 (1) (b), the situation was far worse than it is now. So, there have been a lot of improvements in terms of the availability of medication. Of course, there have been challenges with some of the service providers that have put the department on hold because of some monies owed to them.”

Lekgethwane said, however, that a lot of service providers have been paid and they are beginning to see an improvement. He said the issue of long queues, is linked to the availability of staff, but there had been a lot of improvement as they have recruited over 3000 healthcare professionals recently.  

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