An arson case against seven accused from Manthestad village, near Taung was postponed until 29 November 2022. The former soccer star, Odiseng “Teenage” Komane (41), Obakeng “Prosto” Mogabale (46), Mothusi Motimeng, Pretty “Zero” Masibelele (36), former Taung Mega Stars FC goalie, Katlego “Makgasa” Tikane (32), Ali Sakiele (50) and Ontiretse Patrick Gosenyegang (38) were arrested for allegedly torching two houses and a bakkie belonging to the alleged drug lord and businessman, Bakang “Mahommed” Katong and his brother, Phenyo (34).
In May 2022, the community members embarked on a violent protest and accused Katong of murder. It is alleged that the Katong brothers, Thabang Lenyai (23), and Katlego “Makita” Mosimege (31) brutally killed Thabiso Mothibedi (35) in cold blood.
The police preliminary investigation revealed that on 29 April 2022, Mothibedi was at Lenganeng village near Taung and Katong along with his cronies allegedly fetched and transported him to Manthe village after accusing him of stealing R20 000 and cigarettes worth R600.
Upon arrival, the group of men allegedly chained the deceased to a generator and assaulted him. Subsequently, the accused allegedly transported Mothibedi to Manthe clinic where he was declared dead on his arrival.
Meanwhile, advocate Tebogo Letloleleng, who is representing all seven accused said, his clients are out on R500 bail each and charged with three counts of arson including looting.
“When we discuss the matter from a legal point of view, there is what we call a recent possession. For example, you burn the house now and you are arrested immediately. However, the incident took place three months ago, and only now, have the police arrested my clients.
“In actual fact, it took them three months to make arrests. All along, the police went out to look for statements, which might be true or not,” he said.
Picture: The executive mayor of Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Khumalo Molefe along with his delegation assessing the situation at Deelpan during floods
By OBAKENG MAJE
The flood-stricken Deelpan community said they will continue to fight for what is rightfully theirs. This comes after some community members were arrested and briefly appeared at the Delareyville Magistrate’s Court for arson, public violence, and destruction of essential infrastructure belonging to the North West Public Works and Roads department.
The residents embarked on a violent protest last week and torched the school. They accused the government of ignoring their plea after being hard-hit by floods early this year.
The houses belonging to many individuals were damaged and destroyed during the floods. This forced them to seek shelter in various refugee camps created by the government.
Now, on Tuesday, the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL)’s Portfolio Committee on Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs will hold oversight meetings with the Office of the Premier, Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Department of Social Development, and Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality and Tswaing Local Municipality over the Deelpan Flood Disaster.
According to the Portfolio Committee chairperson, Aaron Mocwana, the committee was appointed as an Ad-hoc Committee that will analyse and assess the departments’ and municipalities’ intervention and relief of the disaster, which includes procurement matters and how the community was assisted.
“In May 2022, the committee conducted an oversight visit in Deelpan following a disaster, where floods damaged infrastructure which includes schools, roads, and houses,” Mocwana said.
The Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality was accused of money embezzlement after it allegedly spent R7 million on water boots procurement. However, the executive mayor for Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Khumalo Molefe squashed those allegations and described them as distasteful.
“We acknowledged several media inquiries on the story that is making rounds on social media platforms alleges that during the Deelpan Floods Disaster, the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality spent over R7 million on the procurement of water boots.
“I must say this story is discouraging and disappointing if you look at the amount of energy and effort we invested in the Deelpan Flood Disaster. However, let’s put facts to fiction and stated categorically that during the disaster, schools were closed and the decision was taken that, only matriculants will continue with teaching and learning,” he said.
Molefe said, they took a decision and procured water boots for matriculants, which was a small group of learners. He said the amount used by the municipality was around R16 900.
“The rest of the water boots and other things that we contributed and delivered to Deelpan was of assistance from various stakeholders. This was a plethora of assistance coordinated under the leadership of the municipality.
“There is no way in heaven that we would have spent so much money on water boots even if such boots were made of gold. We must state though that, there are millions of rands used by the department of community services within the municipality to procure what they ordinarily need during times of disaster,” said Molefe.
He added that the only mistake they made was to name all that was procured for the entire disaster in the district, “Deelpan Expenditure.” However, Molefe said that was corrected upon receiving such a report.
“We are clear that the expenditure for Deelpan Flood Disaster expenditure is not even more than R300 000. In fact, as the municipality, we understand that this story originates from our appearance before the Portfolio Committee chaired by Aaron Mocwana.
“They called us to respond to various issues raised by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). We responded to those questions both in writing and orally. However, in the process, they asked us so many questions and made assertions on various issues that they did not invite us for including Deelpan,” he said.
Molefe said, they made an assertion of R5 million and they were offered to respond here and there. However, he said, when they were to respond, the Portfolio Committee members argued that they were under pressure because of time and requested them to write their responses down.
“We said it was unfair because they raised several damning allegations and disrepute issues live about us, but when we were about to respond, they dismissed us.
“The committee has not invited us yet but continues to concoct and propel vexatious allegations about us. Actually, this is nefarious and discourages many of us who are committed to changing the narrative,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliances (DA) spokesperson on Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements, and Traditional Affairs in North West, Freddy Sonakile who is also a Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) said they welcome the decision to probe Deelpan Disaster Relief allegations.
Picture: Some of residents during the service delivery blitz in Moretele village, Taung/Screengrab
By REGINALD KANYANE
The residents from far-flung areas continue to be affected by poor service delivery and that impact negatively on their livelihoods. This was revealed during the service delivery blitz in Moretele village near Taung this week.
The North West Provincial Government (NWPG) spokesperson, Brian Setswambung said, this was part of the Provincial Integrated Public Service Month commemoration under the theme “Batho Pele Revitalisation-Walking the talk”.
“You will remember that, this was initiated back in 2005. The Public Service Month is an integrated service delivery improvement mechanism and an essential part of the government’s strategy to revitalise Batho Pele with a specific focus on honouring public servants who serve the nation across three spheres of government.
“The initiative further seeks to minimise the gap between government and communities by enhancing communication, showcasing of government services and empowering communities on processes to access such services,” Setswambung said.
He further said, the 2022 Public Service Month was focused on improving the public health, wellness of public servants, revitalising the commitment, dedication to values and principles of what means to serve communities.
Setswambung added that, the objective of this initiative was to expose accounting officers and senior managers to the coalface of service delivery. He said in North West, Taung was identified as an area, where activities of public service month should be rolled out.
“We started at Taung Library, where there was a briefing regarding the status quo of Taung. Afterwards, the leadership went to Taung District Hospital to assess the situation there regarding service delivery. We also engaged with various communities to get their views on the provision of service delivery from the hospital.
“The hospital employees were also engaged to get the sense on how they deal with various challenges and they were also motivated and encouraged to keep on doing good services they are doing afterwards,” said Setswambung.
He said they also visited a poultry farm in Lokgabeng village, near Taung. Setswambung said the main event was held at Thusong Service Centre in Moretele village, where all government departments were showcasing their services to the community.
“Certainly, there is an acknowledgement from the government’s side that communities are complaining about the slow pace of service delivery hence the government is engaging with public servants to ensure that they understand their role and speed up services to the communities.
“The public is increasingly being impatient and that could not be tolerated any longer. However, there are efforts undertaken to ensure that the staff is beefed up in a quest to improve services,” he said.
Meanwhile, the acting executive mayor for Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, Thabiso Matobo, who is also a councillor responsible for Economic Development in Tourism and Agriculture unit said: “This is part of the District Development Model (DDM) and the idea is to integrate the three spheres of government for coordination of one budget and one plan. The aim is to no longer see government including municipalities operating in silos. We want municipalities and government departments to collaborate and have one plan.
“This plan entails a catalytic project, which aims to see all government departments gathered under one roof. By so doing, we are bringing services closer to the people. Today, all government departments are here as you could see and these are departments that you will see here from today onwards.”
Setshwantsho: Baeng ba tlotlego ba jala ditlhare kwa setheong sa Lokgabeng
Ka OBAKENG MAJE
Mokaedi kwa setheong sa bagodi ga mmogo le batho ba ba sa itekanelang sa Lokgabeng Disability Centre, Agnes Mokgobo o kaile fa a itumeletse ketelo ya puso mo ka Mosopulogo. Puso letsatsing la
Ga jaana rena le batho ba re ba tlhokometseng ba le 53 le baithaopi ba le 24. Agnes Xoliswa Mokgobo are: “Re sthimolotse setheo seno ka ngwana wa 2001 ka maloko a le 24. Re ne re na le maloko a board ale 7 ga mmogo le a komiti ale 7. Re ne re na le badiri ba boitekanelo (caregivers), mme re tshimolotse re tsamaya mo matlung re tlhapisa bagodi le go tlhokomela malapa a dikobo dikhutsane.
“Moago o o bonang fa, ene ele lefelo la go rekisa nnotagi, mme kene ka e kopa mo ngweng way one gore re e dire setheo sa go tlhokomela bagodi ga mmogo le batho ba bas a itekanelang mo mmileng.
“Re tshimolotse re dira jaaka baithaopi mme re ne rat la ka maano a go dira madi ele go ka leka go letlhabolola. Rene ra dira dikhonsata, mme rene ra kgona go feleletsa re e rekile gore e be e le mo seeming se o bonang el emo go sone se. Mme re leboga thata lefapha la katla-tlelo Loago ka kemonokeng e ba re fang yone. Kgwedi le kgwedi go na le ledinyana le re le bonang go tswa kwa lefapheng, mme le setheo sa Lottery le sone se ntsha sengwe ngwaga engwe le engwe.
“Setheo se dira diura dile 24 gonne re tlhokomela bagodi ka go ba tlhapisa le go ba jesa jalo. Re na le bagodi ba bas a kgone go itira sepe fela, jaanong go mo go rona gore re bone fa ba bona tlhokomelo. Gape gona le batho ba bam o setheo ba ba senang ba masika, mme go sa itsiwe kw aba tswang teng.
“Go fitlha ga jaana, re na le batho ba le 6 ba go sa itsiweng kwa ba tswang teng, mme re dirisana thata le badiri ba katlatlelo-loago go ba bona ba masika a batho bao. Gape, re setse re kwaletse ba lenaneo la SABC 1 la Khumbule’ khaya go ka re thusa go ka bona ba masika a batho bano gonne seo ke tlhoba boroko mo go rona.
“Fa mongwe wa bone a ka feletsa Modimo a mo itseetse re tlile go tshwara bothata. Ga jaana, ke eletsa go bona setheo se godile ebile se na le lefapha la basha le bana. Bontsi jwa batho fa, bo tshimolola mo dingwageng tsa 18 go yak o godimo. Jaanong, re ka itumela thata gape ha re ka nna le lefapha la bana ba dingwaga tse di ko tlase.
“Ha o kaela tlhoko, go na le bana ba dingwaga tse di kwa tlase ba ba ntsi ba go senang kwa ba ka isiwang teng. Ke rata go rotloetsa basha gore ba itshware ka thata, mme ba ithutele dithuto tsa booki. Rena le bontsi jwa basha ba ba dirang diteko tsa ithutela tirong ba le bantsi go tswa kwa diunibesiting tse di farologaneng.
Mme ere morago ga moo, ba boe ba tle go dira jaaka baithaopi e le go leboga setheo.
Kgabagare, majoro khuduthamaga wa nakwana kwa sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Thabiso Matobo o kaile fa ba abetse setheo mae a ka nna 3000 ele maitlhomo a go leka go thusa.
Setshwantsho: Baeng ba tlotlego ba etetse setheo kwa Lokgabeng
Ka OBAKENG MAJE
Mokaedi kwa setheong sa bagodi ga mmogo le batho ba ba sa itekanelang sa Lokgabeng Disability Centre, Agnes Mokgobo o kaile fa a itumeletse ketelo ya puso mo ka Mosopulogo. Puso letsatsing la
Ga jaana rena le batho ba re ba tlhokometseng ba le 53 le baithaopi ba le 24. Agnes Xoliswa Mokgobo are: “Re sthimolotse setheo seno ka ngwana wa 2001 ka maloko a le 24. Re ne re na le maloko a board ale 7 ga mmogo le a komiti ale 7. Re ne re na le badiri ba boitekanelo (caregivers), mme re tshimolotse re tsamaya mo matlung re tlhapisa bagodi le go tlhokomela malapa a dikobo dikhutsane.
“Moago o o bonang fa, ene ele lefelo la go rekisa nnotagi, mme kene ka e kopa mo ngweng way one gore re e dire setheo sa go tlhokomela bagodi ga mmogo le batho ba bas a itekanelang mo mmileng.
“Re tshimolotse re dira jaaka baithaopi mme re ne rat la ka maano a go dira madi ele go ka leka go letlhabolola. Rene ra dira dikhonsata, mme rene ra kgona go feleletsa re e rekile gore e be e le mo seeming se o bonang el emo go sone se. Mme re leboga thata lefapha la katla-tlelo Loago ka kemonokeng e ba re fang yone. Kgwedi le kgwedi go na le ledinyana le re le bonang go tswa kwa lefapheng, mme le setheo sa Lottery le sone se ntsha sengwe ngwaga engwe le engwe.
“Setheo se dira diura dile 24 gonne re tlhokomela bagodi ka go ba tlhapisa le go ba jesa jalo. Re na le bagodi ba bas a kgone go itira sepe fela, jaanong go mo go rona gore re bone fa ba bona tlhokomelo. Gape gona le batho ba bam o setheo ba ba senang ba masika, mme go sa itsiwe kw aba tswang teng.
“Go fitlha ga jaana, re na le batho ba le 6 ba go sa itsiweng kwa ba tswang teng, mme re dirisana thata le badiri ba katlatlelo-loago go ba bona ba masika a batho bao. Gape, re setse re kwaletse ba lenaneo la SABC 1 la Khumbule’ khaya go ka re thusa go ka bona ba masika a batho bano gonne seo ke tlhoba boroko mo go rona.
“Fa mongwe wa bone a ka feletsa Modimo a mo itseetse re tlile go tshwara bothata. Ga jaana, ke eletsa go bona setheo se godile ebile se na le lefapha la basha le bana. Bontsi jwa batho fa, bo tshimolola mo dingwageng tsa 18 go yak o godimo. Jaanong, re ka itumela thata gape ha re ka nna le lefapha la bana ba dingwaga tse di ko tlase.
“Ha o kaela tlhoko, go na le bana ba dingwaga tse di kwa tlase ba ba ntsi ba go senang kwa ba ka isiwang teng. Ke rata go rotloetsa basha gore ba itshware ka thata, mme ba ithutele dithuto tsa booki. Rena le bontsi jwa basha ba ba dirang diteko tsa ithutela tirong ba le bantsi go tswa kwa diunibesiting tse di farologaneng.
Mme ere morago ga moo, ba boe ba tle go dira jaaka baithaopi e le go leboga setheo.
Kgabagare, majoro khuduthamaga wa nakwana kwa sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Thabiso Matobo o kaile fa ba abetse setheo mae a ka nna 3000 ele maitlhomo a go leka go thusa.
The Guardian 