Picture: An attorney representing the accused in a court of law/Generic
By OBAKENG MAJE
A well-known advocate has been arrested for stock theft in Taung. The North West police said adv Tebogo Letloleng (42) was arrested on 2 December 2022 for being in possession of the suspected stolen livestock.
The North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani said: “We are investigating a case of possession of the stolen livestock. A suspect was arrested after he was allegedly found in possession of a suspected stolen cow.
“Letloleng briefly appeared in Taung Magistrate’s Court on 5 December 2022. He will be back in court on 7 December 2022 for a formal bail application.”
Picture: The police at the initiation school/Generic
By OBAKENG MAJE
A BOY (18) died at an initiation school in Tlapeng village, near Taung on Sunday. It is alleged that Thabang Lehihi, who stays in Longaneng village, arrived at the initiation school and complained of stomach cramps.
The North West police spokesperson, Warrant Officer, Tryphosa van Rooyen said: “The deceased passed away on 4 December 2022. He was identified by his father and no foul play is suspected.
“An inquest case is under investigation by Taung Police Station.”
A 28-YEAR-OLD man is expected to appear at Taung Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in connection with the murder. This comes after the suspect allegedly assaulted Gosego Mahura (28) at a local tavern in Mokgareng village, near Taung on Saturday night.
The North West police spokesperson, Warrant Officer, Tryphosa van Rooyen said: “The untimely death of Mahura was reported to the Taung Police on 4 December 2022. According to the information at hand, Mahura was at a tavern when he was assaulted and sustained serious injuries.
“He was taken to his parental home after the assault. Later on Sunday, the family discovered that he had passed on. A case of murder was opened and a suspect was arrested.”
A priest, who is a Zimbabwean national, Lucas Chauke (50) was sentenced to two life terms for murder and rape by the North West High Court. Chauke also received a cumulative 30 years on two other counts of murder and rape.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said, Chauke was illegal in the country. Mamothame further said, the court also declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
“Chauke’s murder emanates from an incident that occurred on 8 October 20217 in Temba, wherein he met a 53-year-old woman known to him, as he was known to be a priest in the area. He then took her to a secluded place near a dam, under the pretense of assisting her with her spirituality.
“Upon arrival, he repeatedly raped her and subsequently tied her to a tree, before fleeing the scene. After a while, she managed to untie herself and ran to ask for help,” he said.
Mamothame further said, the victim managed to report the incident to the police, who then started searching for the accused. He added that Chauke was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape.
“In a separate incident that occurred on 10 May 2018, he took a 55-year-old woman to the same secluded area next to the dam, raped her, and tied her to a tree before fleeing the scene.
“Her decomposed body was later discovered still tied to the tree, as she was unable to set herself free. He was sentenced to life for murder and a further 15 years for rape,” said Mamothame.
He said on 3 August 2018, Chauke took another woman (55) to the same place and attempted to rape her, but seemingly failed. Mamothame said he then tied her to a tree and left her to die.
“Chauke was sentenced to 15 years for murder. He was eventually arrested, and linked through DNA specimens to all other incidents,” he said.
In aggravation of sentence, the state prosecutor, Adv Benny Kalakgosi urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence, as the offenses committed were serious. Kalakgosi further argued that Chauke took advantage of unsuspecting women, who trusted him as a priest.
Judge Frances Snyman agreed with the state and described Chauke’s actions as horrific and further alluded to the trust that he abused towards women who held him high.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari Sekhaolelo lauded the prosecutor and the investigation team from the SAPS for a successful conviction.
“We welcome this conviction, especially at a time when we are reflecting on the plight of women during the 16 Days of Activism. This fight needs to be activated 365 to be victorious against this scourge,” she concluded.
Picture: The EFF Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL) in North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL), Betty Diale/Facebook
By BAKANG MOKOTO
A theft case against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of the Provincial Legislature in North West, Betty Diale is ready for pre-trial. Diale is facing six charges of theft amounting to approximately R700 000 allegedly stolen from the Road Accident Fund(RAF) claimants.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said, the police reports reveal that Fidelity Funds, a body that oversees the conduct of attorneys, received several complaints from the RAF claimants, whose payments were deposited into Diale’s trust account.
“The claimants alleged that the said money did not reach them after the pay-out, henceforth, reported to the police for investigation. Diale was practicing as an attorney, during the alleged commission of the crimes between 2009 and 2011.
“She was subsequently charged with six counts of theft in June 2021. The Legal Practice Council has also struck her off the roll, preventing her from practicing as an attorney,” Mamothame said.
The further said the Rustenburg Regional Court postponed a case against her to 27 January 2023 for pre-trial. According to Mamothame, Diale has indicated to the court that, she will be representing herself.
“The state will be providing her with all the necessary documents in preparation for trial,” he said.
The North West High Court in Mahikeng is expected to hand down a judgement on a matter, where aggrieved ANC members in North West, call for the dissolution of the provincial elective conference.
The aggrieved ANC members took the ruling party to court over alleged blemished processes displayed during the provincial elective conference, that was held in Rustenburg a few months ago.
One of the applicants, Letlhogonolo Moloko from Matlosana said they were allegedly denied access into the vicinity, where the elective conference was held, even though they were voting delegates.
The case was listened to by the North West High Court in Mahikeng on Friday and postponed until 6 December 2022 for judgement. The ANC Member of Parliament (MP), Kenny Morolong lashed out at the ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) and called it fraudulent.
“We came here today to confirm what we already know that, this PEC is fraudulent and fictitious. We would not accept any wrongdoings within the ANC. We grew up in the ANC and we are more senior than many people who are in that PEC.
“So, we are not going to be afraid to confront injustice and we do not need any court of law to do that. The provincial elective conference was fictitious by all measure and we are not going to be intimidated by anybody,” he said.
Morolong further said they do not care whether the PEC charges them or not because there is nothing that the PEC can do that they have already not done to the ANC. He added that, the ANC PEC members have harmed and divided the ANC because they are assisted by ‘criminals’.
“Some of them are members of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC). However, we are not afraid of them and we will even tell them at the ANC national elective conference that, they have divided this province even further.
“We will not even be surprised if some of them were bought to do that, because we know those characters. They are very dodgy and corrupt, however, comrades, some of us are undeterred,” said Morolong.
He also called for unity and lauded those who took ‘gigantic’ steps to go to court. Morolong said the unity of the ANC is synchronised and there were some attempts to bribe applicants.
“There is an audio clip that is circulating on social media platforms, where some of them tried to buy the applicants. If they think the elections were credible, why would they attempt to buy and intimidate the applicants? I can almost guarantee you that, victory is certain on 6 December 2022,” said Morolong.
However, ANC provincial spokesperson, Tumelo Maruping said they are unshaken by these allegations.
“Look, as the ANC PEC, we are still confident that the verdict will be in our favour. We have presented our case, but without getting into its merit, we will wait for the verdict on 6 December 2022 and respond accordingly.
“We will not dwell too much on the allegations making rounds on various social media platforms because we do not know where they originate.”
An urgent bail application in a murder case against four accused will resume today at Taung Magistrate’s Court. A local businessman and alleged drug lord, Bakang Katong (31), Thabang Lenyai (23), Phenyo Katong (34), and Katlego Mosimege (31), who allegedly brutally killed Thabiso Mothibedi (35), made an urgent bail application and their request was granted.
They were arrested in April 2022 for allegedly killing Mothibedi, who was one of their loyal customers after accusing him of stealing R20 000 cash and cigarettes worth R600 from Katong’s house at Manthe village, near Taung.
The North West police spokesperson, Capt Sam Tselanyane said the preliminary investigation revealed that on 29 April 2022, the deceased was at Lenganeng village in Taung, when the accused fetched and transported him back to Manthe village.
“Upon arrival, the deceased was allegedly chained to a generator and assaulted. After the assault, the victim was reportedly transported to a local clinic by the accused, however, he was declared dead upon arrival.
“The accused were arrested and charged with Thabiso’s murder,” Tselanyane said.
On 1 May 2022, the community members were up in armed and allegedly torched three houses and a bakkie belonging to Katong’s family. The murder case against the accused was initially postponed to 15 February 2022, but they made an urgent bail application for 22 November 2022, which was granted.
However, magistrate Edwin Letsapa postponed the matter until 5-6 December 2022. Letsapa said this was to give enough time to both the defense and state to prepare for their ‘heads of arguments’ for bail application.
Meanwhile, community members packed the court to the rafters. They also submitted a petition calling for no bail against the accused.
Thabiso’s aunt, Kehilwe Modisakoma said: “We were not even informed as a family about this urgent bail application launched by the accused. So, we just wonder why it was made a secret. However, we do not want to see these criminals getting bail because they sell nyaope to the youth.
“They turned Thabiso into their slave and killed him afterward. Nyaope is killing the future of many young people and we hope that the justice system will take that into consideration. We call for no bail against the accused because we are not sure what will happen if they are granted bail.”
One of the community leaders, Rapampiri Motshitshi shared the same sentiments. Motshitshi said they do not want to see the accused in their community because of the criminal activities they execute.
“Our youth are faced with a bleak future because they are destroyed by nyaope. The only thing that we want is to see a clean community that is free from drugs. These young boys come to our houses and steal just to feed their cravings,” he said.
There is an outbreak of a highly infectious notifiable viral disease, measles in the North West. According to the North West Department of Health, the specimens were collected at Lonely Park clinic in the Mahikeng sub-district.
The North West Department of Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said the Centre for Vaccines & Immunology (CVI) and National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) notified the department of three laboratory-confirmed measles cases with one equivocal case.
“Measles commonly presents with high fever, a general feeling of unwellness, coughing, a runny nose and teary eyes in two to three days, before a typical rash appears. Although there is no rash at the onset of the fever and flu-like symptoms, the patient is highly contagious during this time before the rash appears.
“A non-productive cough is usually present throughout the feverish period, persisting for one to two weeks in uncomplicated cases, often being the last symptom to disappear. Swelling of the glands commonly occurs in young children,” Lekgethwane said.
He further said older children usually complain of sensitivity to light and joint pains. Lekgethwane added, Koplik’s spots (small spots with white or bluish-white centres resembling “grains of salt sprinkled on a red background”), may be seen on the insides of the cheeks in over 80% of cases before the onset of the rash.
“A blotchy red rash usually appears behind the ears and on the face within two to four days after the pre-rash feverish period. The rash peaks in two to three days and becomes most concentrated on the trunk and upper extremities.
“It lasts from three to seven days. Malnourished or vitamin-deficient children may develop severe skin exfoliation. Complications may include middle-ear infection, blindness, diarrhoea, dehydration, respiratory infections, pneumonia, neurological complications such as convulsions, and even death,” he said.
Lekgethwane said the highest death rates occur in infants 6 to 11 months of age. He said these rates may underestimate the true lethality of measles because of incomplete reporting of the outcomes of measles illness, such as delayed deaths related to chronic diarrhoea.
“In certain high-risk populations cases, fatality rates as high as 20% or 30% have been reported in infants younger than 1 year old. Measles can also cause severe illness in children, and also in adults. One positive case of measles may quickly spread to up to 17 unprotected/unimmunised cases in a short period of time.
“Because measles so easily spread among groups of people, especially in schools and crèches, it is absolutely important to protect groups of children/people by immunisation/ vaccination with a safe measles vaccine,” said Lekgethwane.
The department said tracing is underway for patients whose address indicates, who are suspected to be residing in Signal Hill. He said the province will continue to monitor the development through the online dashboard.
The Provincial measles vaccination coverage is 79.4% (measles under 1 dose) and 82.3% (measles 2nd dose) respectively.
Picture: Delegates along with the executive mayor, Khumalo Molefe
By OBAKENG MAJE
The executive mayor of Ngaka Modiri Molema, Khumalo Molefe said, they will not be apologetic in honouring the fallen heroes, who contributed immensely to the development of this country, especially in the North West.
Molefe, who was a keynote speaker during the commemoration of Dr Silas Modiri Molema said, Molema was a teacher, intellectual, author and one of the giants who ever walked on this planet earth.
“Today, we are celebrating the life and times of a great giant, who walked on this planet earth. Dr Silas Modiri Molema wanted to change the world and made it a better place. Truly, we have not done enough to celebrate this hero and martyr.
“People like Dr Silas Modiri Molema, laid the foundation and contributed immensely to change the world and make it a better place. So, this is the 57th anniversary, since he departed this world,” he said.
Molefe further said, Molema strongly believed in education and he was a selfless individual. He added, many people do not know him as one of the acclaimed leaders of the ANC.
“We have not invested sufficient effort in writing our contribution to the history of democracy. It is humbling to hear that, Dr Silas Modiri Molema transformed his house into a healthcare centre and provided the services even after hours.
“He went to exile and his presence, contribution and influence were remarkable. So, we will not be apologetic in celebrating our heroes. As the municipality, we will be building a perimeter wall in his honour,” said Molefe.
Meanwhile, the family spokesperson, Patrick Kgwadi shared the same sentiments. However, Kgwadi said, even though they welcome the commemoration, Molema would not be happy with the status quo of the province.
He said it seems the current leadership is not doing anything to address the treble challenges such as unemployment, inequality and poverty.
“The government’s failure to render services to the people is a challenge. Molema was a selfless man, who sacrificed his life for liberation and would be disappointed if his actions were in vain. He was part of the ruling party when it was established in 1912.
“Molema went to exile very determined and dedicated to developing his own people. He came back with a wealth of education and besides being a medical practitioner, he was also an educationalist,” he said.
Kgwadi said, Molema was also a community man, who always supported and encouraged people to start their own businesses.
“For instance, farming was so close to his heart because he was a farmer too. So, he used to assist farmers with the necessary support as a community leader, which our government fails to do dismally,” Kgwadi said.
The announcement by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) last week that it had reached a settlement with an international company implicated in corruption at Eskom is a huge development in our effort to hold those responsible for state capture to account.
The NPA Investigating Directorate finalised a landmark agreement with Swiss engineering company ABB Ltd to pay R2.5 billion in punitive reparations to South Africa. This in connection with bribes allegedly paid to obtain contracts with Eskom between 2014 and 2017.
This amount, which will be paid into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account, is in addition to R1.6 billion that ABB paid Eskom in 2020 to settle an investigation into allegedly criminal conduct involving contracts at the Kusile power station. Importantly, the current settlement does not indemnify the company or its staff from prosecution.
For the last five years, we have been working hard to end the looting of resources meant for the benefit of South Africa’s people, to prosecute those responsible and recover stolen funds.
When we embarked on this journey, we understood that the results would not be felt overnight.
We first had to rebuild state institutions that had been deliberately weakened, emptied of expertise and rendered incapable of preventing capture by criminal elements. We had to strengthen law enforcement institutions and shield them from outside interference.
One of the most important steps we took was to establish, in 2019, the Investigating Directorate in the NPA to deal with cases emanating from the state capture commission and other corruption-related offences. We recently announced plans to make the Investigating Directorate a permanent structure.
We are now seeing the results of this work. The fight against state capture and corruption is gaining momentum.
In the last few months, several cases have been brought to court, with former executives of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) like Eskom and Transnet charged alongside business people for allegedly colluding to steal public funds.
In addition to the arrests of those implicated in wrongdoing and bringing the cases to court, progress is being made in other areas as well where there has been malfeasance.
For example, work is continuing at Eskom to recover money from irregular and corrupt contracts, recover overpayments and bill contractors for project over-runs.
The Special Investigating Unit continues with its investigations into corruption and mismanagement at state institutions and SOEs, with its Special Tribunal empowered to recover stolen funds.
The South African Revenue Service continues to fight corruption through lifestyle audits and other legislative tools. It is piloting a new unexplained wealth initiative to recover assets suspected of having been acquired illegally or through the proceeds of crime.
The NPA, through the Investigating Directorate, the Asset Forfeiture Unit and other structures, is successfully using preservation orders, asset forfeiture and other tools to tighten the noose around those involved in corrupt activities.
Many of those involved in state capture and their enablers in the private sector saw nothing wrong with diverting public funds to private pockets. At the height of the state capture era, unscrupulous politicians repurposed state institutions for private enrichment and to cover their tracks.
Today we have law enforcement authorities and a prosecuting authority devoted to investigating and prosecuting without fear or favour. We have state institutions committed to fulfilling their respective mandates regardless of the status or influence of any individual or a company.
As a society, we need to give these agencies and the people working in them our full support and encouragement. We need to guard against any efforts to weaken these institutions or undermine their resolve.
Working together, we have, within a relatively short space of time, rebuilt the supporting architecture to investigate and prosecute serious corruption and other crimes.
I have always said that the fight against corruption will not be won easily or quickly, given how many years it took for patronage and graft to become entrenched.
Now that we see that progress is being made, we must do everything we can to ensure that this work continues unhindered and that none of the gains we have made are reversed.
The Guardian 