Picture: The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality auditor, Boitumelo Molapo/Facebook
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality mourns the death of its auditor, Boitumelo Molapo. This comes after Molapo met her demise on 21 September 2022. According to the North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh, a lifeless body of Molapo was found at her rented place on 22 September 2022 at around 6:38pm in Vryburg.
“A judicial inquiry (inquest) is under investigation. The body of Molapo was allegedly found on Thursday inside her house on top of her bed. The cause of death is still under investigation,” Myburgh said.
According to the online newspaper, North West Times, Molapo was found dead and bleeding through her nose. at her rented house. The newspaper alleged that in January 2022, Molapo almost lost her life after she was poisoned.
Meanwhile, the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality spokesperson, Joe Motlhasedi said, the municipality will release a media statement soon.
A driver of a bakkie was hospitalised after he was involved in an accident with a train on a railway line near Matolong village in Taung on Friday. According to the North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh, a case of reckless and negligent driving is under investigation by Taung police.
“A bakkie driver allegedly crashed with a train on 24 September 2022 at around 9:30am. Only the driver was inside the bakkie and he was admitted to the hospital. The police investigation will determine the cause of the accident,” she said.
Picture: The Greater Taung Local Municipality logo/Google
By OBAKENG MAJE
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), The Hawks which targets organised crime, economic crime, corruption, and other serious crime is allegedly swooping on the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) over the traffic learnership program.
This comes after the matter was allegedly reported to the Hawks for investigation after an outcry from political parties including the public over the ‘flawed’ selection process. It is alleged that, those who were selected either have close proximity with politicians or municipal officials.
The Hawks allegedly visited the embattled municipality on Tuesday last week to gather more details and confiscated some documents prior to investigations.
The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso, who was cagey regarding details surrounding the matter, confirmed that there are ongoing investigations they are conducting at the municipality, but failed to shed more light.
“We can confirm that we do have ongoing investigations at the municipality in question just like in other municipalities. However, we cannot furnish details surrounding any investigations until the finalisation thereof,” she said.
In June 2022, the Patriotic Alliance councillor at the municipality, Mosadiotsile Morapedi posted a video that went viral on social media, where individuals who were selected for the program were seen in a minibus taxi with luggage going for a training in Welkom in Free State province.
According to Morapedi, the municipality advertised the learnership, and no recruitment processes have been conducted. She was seen confronting ANC councillor, Pinkie Mosinkiemang, who was seen assisting in directing the process.
“We have kept quiet for so long, now these individuals are doing corruption with impunity. In February 2022, the council decided in a strategic planning meeting because the municipality is failing to collect its revenue, so we should come up with strategic measures to ensure an increase in our fiscal.
“So, the council took a resolution that the municipality should have its own traffic officers to implement the by-laws and assist in collecting revenue. Remember, the GTLM is a rural municipality and mostly collects its revenue from Reivilo, Pudimoe, and Extension 6 only,” she said.
Morapedi further said the council is still waiting for a report on the traffic learnership, but she was shocked to hear that there were individuals selected already.
Meanwhile, The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe, who was also accused of including his former girlfriend in the program said, he is not aware of any ongoing investigations at the municipality by the Hawks over the traffic learnership program.
“I have never been contacted physically or telephonically by the Hawks regarding the issue, neither have I been informed by anyone. So, I don’t know whether the Hawks are investigating the program or not.
“Maybe, you should contact the Hawks investigators, so that they could tell you whom they have asked questions to in regard to the issue. That will also be informative for me too,” Gaoraelwe said.
Picture: North West Community Safety and Transport Management officials visiting Khaukhwe village near Taung
By REGINALD KANYANE
The residents of Khaukhwe village near Taung welcomed the cordial visit by the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management. This comes after the area experienced a high rate of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and stock theft.
One of the community members, Seanokeng Modisakoma said, they continue to experience a high rate of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in their area and urged the government to come up with a strategic measure to combat it. Modisakoma said many cases might have been caused by treble challenges such as unemployment, inequality, and poverty.
“In many instances, most households are either child-headed or occupied by elders. We are subjected to poverty and unemployment. Many youths in our area are unemployed and heavily rely on their parents for survival.
“This sometimes creates mayhem where they will forcefully abuse their grandparents and demand their pension money. So, we urge the government to create job opportunities for the young people, so that they can be able to fend for themselves.,” she said.
Another resident, Kgosietsile Mogapi said: “There is a high rate of crime in their area and that needs to be dealt with decisively. We have livestock that we use for survival, but criminals are stealing them. We need the high visibility of police and ensure that the law deals harshly with these criminals.
“Most of them steal knowing that the law will be too lenient on them. Imagine, losing your livestock that one used to earn a living and no justice prevails? I have lost over six cattle and 10 goats without any trace. The police are dragging their feet in investigating the matter.”
The North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management (DCDTM) Programme Co-ordinator from Crime Prevention Partnerships, Keitumetse Motlhatlhedi said, the visit was part of the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV&F) campaign coordinated by the Crime Prevention Partnerships Directorate in the department.
“Khaukhwe is one of the villages serviced by Pudumoe Police Station and is experiencing high levels of assaults and stock theft crimes. The activities of the campaign include refurbishing house numbers in the village. We have also profiled households in terms of their needs too.
“This will make it easy for the stakeholders to execute their jobs easily without the hassle of identifying specific houses due to faded house numbers by the time of service delivery,” Motlhatlhedi said.
The department said it will continue with the GBV&F campaign in all parts of the province.
The Pudumoe Police Station Commander, Captain Tshidiso Leboiho shared the same sentiments. Leboiho said they are happy with the outcomes of the campaign in Khaukhwe, which forms part of previous campaigns held recently in their precinct of work.
“We urge the community to report any cases to the police station and grant police officers space to deal with reported cases lawfully and refrain from taking the law into their hands. We have various stakeholders, who also embraced the campaign such as Pudimoe CPF, Love Life, Department of Health, Department of Community Safety and Transport Management and Department of Justice,” he said.
Meanwhile, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa in February 2022 said: “The National Strategic Plan (NSP) provides a cohesive framework that will guide the national response to the GBVF crisis. The plan outlines a comprehensive strategic response to GBVF with a specific focus on violence against all women – across age, physical location, disability, sexual orientation, sexual and gender identity, and national identity – as well as violence against children, and how these serve to reinforce each other.
“In strengthening the plan, earlier this month, we have approved the amendment of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act Amendment Bill; the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Bill, and the Domestic Violence Amendment Bill.”
The Guardian 