By OBAKENG MAJE

The family of a learner, Letlhogonolo Moilwa (11) from Naledi Ya Masa Primary School in Ramotlhajwe village, near Zeerust in North West, urge Eskom to compensate them. This comes after Letlhogonolo, who was eight years at the time,  was allegedly electrocuted by Eskom transformer outside the schoolyard back in 2019

Letlhogonolo’s mother, Elizabeth Moilwa said, her son was badly injured and was forced to be amputated on his feet.

“Letlhogonolo’s future has been shattered by Eskom transformer that was on the ground. Apparently, learners were supposed to be vaccinated and they decided to run away after seeing the injection.

“So, they ran outside the schoolyard, unfortunately, Letlhogonolo was not so lucky as he touched the transformer that was on the ground and then electrocuted,” she said.

Elizabeth said she received a phone call at around 1pm informing her about the incident.  

“So, I rushed to the local clinic, and indeed, I found him in drips. The Eskom employees also came to see him before he was transferred to Moses Kotane Hospital. We slept at the hospital without getting any help.    

“The following day, we were again transferred to the Job Shimankana Tabane Provincial Hospital in Rustenburg before being taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg, Gauteng,” said Elizabeth.

She alleged that, no one from the school ever visited them and never met with Eskom management to discuss the matter because the incident took place during COVID-19.

Elizabeth said, the incident has affected his son mentally because he sometimes leaves the house for days without any trace. She said, one day, Letlhogonolo left the house and went to sleep at a nearby dilapidated house for five days.

“I think the incident has affected him mentally, physically, and emotionally. He does not even play with other kids anymore. So, I urge Eskom to take responsibility including the school because the incident happened during school hours,” said Elizabeth.

However, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi refuted the allegations and said the incident happened at around 3pm and 800m away from school premises.

“Yes, we can indicate that, as the department, we are aware of the incident. However, according to our school records, the incident happened after school at around 3pm.

“It also happened 800m away from the school premises. The school has been supporting the parents and also met with people that we could not mention in these interviews in a way of supporting the family,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Eskom Customer Relations Manager in North West, Ezekiel Baruti said: “We are not aware of the incident and we can only react after receiving the formal communication or claim from the family of the child.

“As soon as Eskom receives the formal claim from the affected family, we will then register it and appoint a team of experts to investigate the incident. “

Baruti further said, as soon as the report is received from the investigating team, a full formal legal investigation chaired by an external and independent chairperson will be commissioned. He added this will be a transparent legal investigation that includes all parties.

“The report of the legal independent team will also be shared with the family and subjected to all protocols and formalities. The family of the child will also be furnished with a requisite of a claim form and be directed on how to go about it.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

The residents of Blydeville, near Lichtenburg in North West, embarked on basic service delivery protests on Thursday (19 January 2023). According to one of the residents, Thabiso Molale (42), they continue to live in squalor, while the municipality fails to deliver basic services such as clean and drinkable water.

“It has been over two years since we experience a lack of water provision. I do not want to talk about other basic services like electricity, accessible roads, refuse collection, and sewage disposal.

“We have been complaining as residents over the years, but nothing is happening. Also, our youths continue to be affected by socio-economic challenges such as drug and alcohol abuse, high rate of unemployment including teenage pregnancy, while our government turns a blind eye,” Molale said.

Another resident, Ben Entshang shared the same sentiments. Entshang said they are sick and tired because of their living conditions.

“We have elderly people who stay alone here and their safety is compromised. There is no provision for clean and drinkable water including load-shedding.

“People are fed-up because of empty promises. So, we decided to take our grievances to the streets because this is the only language our government understands. We cannot even use toilets because there is no water to flush feaces,” he said.

According to Entshang, they are now forced to go to the nearest bushes to relieve themselves or go to the nearest petrol stations to use the toilets there.  

However, the executive mayor of Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Khumalo Molefe squashed allegations that the residents have embarked on protests because of the lack of provision of water.

Molefe said the protests in Ditsobotla are not water-related.

“We have not received any complaints about the lack of water in Blydeville. Apparently, the protests in the area emanate from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the Afri-Sam and the Ditsobotla Local Municipality signed regarding community projects.

“It is alleged that the Afri-Sam has not fulfilled its promises to hire locals. Instead, the company allegedly continues to appoint people from outside, hence protests,” he said.

Molefe said, they condemn the torching of trucks and barricading of roads because that alone is a violation of constitutional rights. He calls on law enforcement agencies to harshly deal with perpetrators because no one has any right to prohibit anyone to go anywhere in South Africa.

Meanwhile, the North West police spokesperson, Capt Aafje Botma said no one has been arrested, but the police will continue to monitor the situation.

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By STAFF REPORTER

Farmers in North West said the fragmentary load shedding continues to have a negative bearing on their productions. This comes after more than 40 000 chickens died allegedly due to electricity supply disruptions at the Frangipani Boerdery farm in Lichtenburg.

Now, a poultry farmer, Herman Du Preez said, he is suing Eskom for R1.5 million as a recourse. Du Preez further said the problems started in mid-December after their transformer broke down.

“I filled in a form with Eskom for loss of income. The number of volts that we received in our lines, differs from 410 to 330. So all our lines were not consistent with power.

“The problem started to appear on 14 December 2022. So, the transformer on our line broke down and since then, Eskom has put us on another line. However, our voltage fluctuated so much and that caused a failure on our computer in my chicken house,” he said.

Du Preez added, the computer allegedly failed to respond due to insufficient power. He alleged that, this led to the loss of his chickens.

“At this point, it is difficult to know the exact death toll as chickens are still dying. The birds were not ready to be slaughtered, but if they were ready to be slaughtered I would have lost from R1.6 to R1.8 million.

“We called Eskom and reported this voltage problem, but they failed to fix it. We can’t continue like this as we stand to lose everything. Our farms and motors, everything is on the line here,” said. Du Preez.

However, Eskom’s Customer Relations Manager in North West, Ezekiel Baruti, blamed the incident on copper theft and said they are investigating.

“Eskom always responds to and addresses the supply interruptions on the network. In some cases, alternative supply points are used to restore power supply to the customers as quickly as possible, while repairs are being arranged.

“So, during November and December 2022, we experienced ongoing copper theft and vandalism on the infrastructure resulting in intermittent power supply,” Baruti said.

He said, the area is currently running at normal capacity, however, intermittent supply has been an issue due to theft and vandalism. Baruti said, with technicians already dispatched on-site to work on the problem, power will be restored to its normal operation.

“The claim forms have already been forwarded to the customer, upon receipt of the completed form. Eskom will embark on its technical investigation.

“Once a report with recommendations has been completed and sent to the claims committee, feedback on whether the claim has been entertained or rejected will be provided to the customer in writing,” he said.

Baruti said, at this stage, they do not want to pre-empt what kind of decision the Claims Committee will be. He said the claims process normally entails the technical report of what has been looked into by the multi-disciplinary team of experts.

He also refuted claims that, Eskom is reactive instead of being proactive to avoid unfortunate situations.

“Eskom does not wait for an unfortunate incident to happen before it acts. And indeed, Eskom tries to address defects found from the inspections it conducts on sites,” he said.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

The ANC Member of Parliament (MP), Sibusiso Kula is expected to appear at Orkney Magistrate’s Court on 23 January 2023. Kula (34) was arrested on Friday in connection with the death of his wife, Jennifer Motlhomi (31).

The former ANCYL member allegedly stabbed his wife at their matrimonial house in Kanana Township, near Orkney on 27 November 2022.

The national police spokesperson, Brig Athlenda Mathe said: “The North West Police have arrested a man in Klerksdorp for the alleged murder of his wife. The incident happened on 27 November 2022 at the home of the suspect in Kanana Township.

“The suspect is facing a charge of murder and will appear before the Orkney Magistrate’s Court on Monday.”

The ANCWL in North West said it is paralyzed with shock following the arrest of Kula. The ANCWL Provincial Task Team (PTT) Convenor, Bitsa Lenkopane said, Motlhomi’s brutal murder depicted another disturbing picture of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) among many women, who are subjected to it in the locale.

“This is another case of women abused, violated, and brutally attacked in the comfort of their living spaces. A complexity painted by one of the police reports in the year, where these vile activities happen among acquaintances and or romantic partners.

“Motlhomi was a vibrant young woman, who spent her entire life participating and leading the struggle structures of the youth and students in the ANC,” she said.

Lenkopane said, Motlhomi’s activism comes from the Bojanala Platinum region, where she led the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) from that region and later in the province. According to reports, Motlhomi was also actively involved in the Young Women activities in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda region before her untimely death.

“The ANCWL would like to call for calm among interested parties and Jennifer’s loved ones to give trust and space to the justice administration to process this matter and speedily finalise it.

“Mostly, GBV cases take too long to conclude with often instances of suspected perpetrators slipping through the justice system’s fingers leaving victims not redressed. However, we hope Motlhomi and her family will receive the justice they deserve,” said Lenkopane.

She added that, the perpetrator should receive the maximum punishment on a guilty verdict.

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters(EFF) in the North West also welcomed the arrest of Kula.

The EFF provincial secretary, Papiki Babuile said: “We are concerned with the sad state of affairs and rise of patriarchal relations perpetuated by the political elites in the province and the country at large.

“Undisputedly, our country has been through a long history of systematic subjugation, violence, and abuse. Sadly, to date, women and children are yet at the receiving end of heinous and horrific acts of hetero-patriarchy, sexism, rape, rampant GBV, Femicide, and infanticide, not only by habitual criminals in general but also men tasked with the responsibility to lead, protect and shower them with love.”

Babuile said the high levels of victims in cases of this nature is proof enough that the criminal justice system ceased to exist and protect the vulnerable members of society. He said it is quite dismaying that political elites in this country enjoy impunity at the expense of the lives of the people.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Residents across the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region said, the lack of access to clean and drinkable water affects their well-being. Yesterday, traffic was affected after residents in Utlwang Location, near Christiana embarked on a protest demanding the provision of water.

They barricaded the road that links their area with Christiana CBD with burning tyres and debris. According to one of the residents, Sonwabo Mseswa, is been a while since they have not access to clean and drinkable water.

“We are here as a community because of the water crisis that we are having. It is very sad that we are having a big river that passes through our town, but we are still suffering. The reality of the matter is the municipality cannot answer that.

“They always tell us that the provision of water is the prerogative of the district municipality. However, we have not received any word from the district municipality,” Mseswa said.

He further said, the municipality promised to bring relevant stakeholders such as the district mayor, Motseothata Maje, and North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), but that has not happened. 

He added that, everyone knows that water is life and they cannot live like this. Mseswa said their health is at risk because of the lack of water.

Another resident, Olebogeng Morake shared the same sentiments. Morake said, water challenges continue to affect their livelihoods at large including school children.

“Our children have to bathe and cook before they could go to school. However, that is not the case because of the lack of provision of water. Even our households are also affected because mostly, we use in-house toilets.

“Just imagine our situation because we cannot even use the ablution facilities in our own houses. We are now forced to recycle water after bathing or washing clothes. Remember, the contaminated water can transmit diseases, so our health is also at risk,” he said.

Some of the residents from Maphoitsile and neighbouring areas embarked on a march recently to the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality mayor, Motseothata Maje’s office carrying dirty water that allegedly came out of their taps. 

According to them, it’s been over five years since they started to experience water challenges in their area. They said, the water that comes out of their taps is dirty and not good for human consumption.

The Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) who is responsible for infrastructure, councillor, Pico Seapamere said: “This is a national crisis, but we have a responsibility as the municipality to ensure that, there is a provision of water in the district.

“We had a consultative engagement with the Lekwa-Temane Local Municipality mayor and municipal manager to come up with strategic measures to redress the situation. So, the main challenge at Lekwa-Temane is load-shedding.”

Seepamere said, the water pumping system was affected by load-shedding and that caused the delays. He said, they will be installing a new generator as a backup.

“We think that in two days, water scarcity will be reduced in the entire Lekwa-Temane. We have also engaged in a meeting with service providers to ensure that, there is a plan to provide water to other areas, where we do not have a reticulation system.

“We have delivered four JoJo tanks at Magogong village, near Taung and the emergency department will continue to ensure that, those JoJo tanks are filled with water,” said Seepamere.

He said, unfortunately, four JoJo tanks that had over 10 000 litres were allegedly burned by community members on Wednesday in Bona-Bona village, near Ganyesa.

“There is no longer about water, but there is a criminal activity element. When you go to Lekgabeng village in Taung, the contractor was supposed to be on-site by Monday. However, I heard that was not the case.

“So, the contractor promised to attend to the issue of Lokgabeng as soon as yesterday. He was allegedly held hostage by some business persons, who were demanding to be given tenders in Gulodina,” he said.

Seepamere said, some of the challenges are not water-related issues. He said when you go to Modimong village, near Taung, there is a contractor on site who is building a water supply system there.

“So, the project is nearing completion. Soon we will be handing over that water plant. We are also attending to water challenges in Lower and Upper Majakgoro.

“Now, the challenge here is, there is a pretentious service between us and Phokwane Local Municipality as no one is willing to come to the party. However, we cannot bring a blame game here as we thrive in ensuring that our people get the provision of water,” said Seepamere.

Meanwhile, the Magalies Water spokesperson, David Magae said the water plant supplying the Maphoitsile and neighbouring areas has design limitations, which are normally featured in the normal water treatment process. 

Magae said, there is no settling tank, which must be part of the treatment process before water is dispensed externally for consumption.

“As a result, the arrangements are such that, we utilise direct filtration to mitigate this design limitation. Regrettably, under circumstances whereby the raw water turbidity is above 100NTU.

“Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in the air. 

“the measurement of turbidity is a key test of both water clarity and water quality, which is the case now. The water plant cannot handle that kind of turbidity,” he said. 

According to Magae, the municipality through the responsible officials responsible for water services has been made aware of the above-mentioned challenge. 

He said, the current control measures include frequent backwashing of sand filters, optimization of the disinfection process and blending of water from the plant with treated water from the Pudimoe plant.

“This happens when there is a sufficient water supply at Khibitswane reservoir. The plant is going to be taken out of operation once the new Taung Plant has been commissioned and all villages that used to get water from Bogosing plant would receive water from the new Taung Plant,” he said.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

An urgent bail application in a murder case against four accused was postponed until 23 January 2023 by Taung Magistrate’s Court. Last year, 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 on 22 November 2022, which was granted.

The court heard that the investigating officer allegedly received death threats. He also received a petition from a section of the community members that urges the court to release the accused.

However, the investigating officer told the court that, according to his analysis, those who signed the petition calling for the release of the accused, allegedly did that under false pretense as they want to kill them. 

He said, it will be in the interest of the accused if they are kept incarcerated.   

Meanwhile, some other community members packed the court to the rafters and submitted a petition calling for no bail against the accused.

One of the community leaders, Rapampiri Motshitshi said, they do not want to see the accused within their community because of the criminal activities they executed.

“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.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

The family of Moretlwe in Myra village, near Taung seeks help for their son, who is suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), previously referred to as Asperger’s disorder.

Boingotlo Moretlwe said her cousin, Onkgomoditse Kitso Moretlwe (9), is attending at Myra Primary School, however, there are no changes as he continues to repeat Grade 1. She further said Kitso is repeating Grade 1 for the third time this year.  

“My brother cannot copy at a normal public school. We tried a couple of times to enroll him at Sebitloane Special School without any luck. What is painful is that, we did everything that was required by the school, such as filling out application forms.

“However, to this date, the boy is still doing Grade 1 for the third time. Kitso is not even comfortable interacting with other normal learners. We need the necessary help because we do not know what needs to be done for him to be accepted at Sebitloane Special School,” she said.

Boingotlo said, this has affected them negatively as a family. She said, what they needed was communication from both school and the North West Department of Education.

“We want to know where we failed while doing the application so that we can fix it. So, any assistance will be highly appreciated so that the boy can be enrolled at the school,” said Boingotlo.

Meanwhile, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said: “There are admission procedures at special schools as learners ought to undergo an assessment by specialists at the Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital in Vryburg, which is a specialised field for relevant diagnosis.

“Remember. The classes are limited based on the type of challenges learners have. The autism class must have fewer learners for the class teacher to copy.

“There are parents who want to impose admission without following the relevant processes. The waiting list is long due to the number of classrooms we have and scarcity of the specialised therapists,” Malindi said.

He further said, Sebitloane Special School is catering to the whole district hence the waiting lists of assessed learners.

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Ka REGINALD KANYANE

Theetso ya beile e e potlakileng mo kgetsing ya polao kgatlhanong le motshameki wa maloba o diphatsa wa setlhopa sa kgwele ya dinao sa Mighty Boys FC, yo ga jaana eleng rakgwebo, Bakang “Mahomed” Katong (31), e solofetswe go ka reediwa ke kgotlha-tshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la gompieno.

Kgetsi e, ene ya busediwa morago ka letsatsi la 10 Ferikgong 2023 morago ga gore mmueledi wa balatofadiwa go kaiwe fa a sa ikutlwe sentle.

Bakang yo go begwang a rekisa seritibatsi sa nyaope, o ikuela gore a gololwe ka beile ga mmogo le balatofadiwa nae, Thabang Lenyai (23), Katlego Mosimege (31) le Phenyo Katong (34). 

Balatofadiwa ba ne ba neela lekgotlha mabaka a gore, gobaneng ba tshwanetse go neelwa beile. Fela, lekgotlha le ne la lemotsha Bakang fa a na le kgetsi enngwe ya petelelo e a e sekang, mme o neetswe beile mo go yone.

Fela, o iphitlhetse gape a thulane le molao mo kgetsing e e masisi e a lebaganeng le yone ya polao.

Balotofadiwa bale bane, ba ne ba tshwarwa ka kgwedi ya Moranang 2022 le go latofadiwa ka polao e setlhogo ya ga Thabiso Mothibedi (35). Tiragalo e, e diragetse kwa motseng wa Manthe gaufi le Taung.

Go begwa fa Mothibedi yo go kaiwang fa a ne a goga seritibatsi sa nyaope, a ne a tsena kwa ntlung ya ga Katong, mme a utswa matsebetsebe a madi a balelwang go R20 000 ga mmogo le motsoko wa boleng jwa R600. Go begwa fa morago ga tiragalo eno, Mothibedi one a le botsa phokoje le go leba kwa motseng wa Longaneng.

Go ya ka sebueledi sa sepodisi mo Bokone Bophirima, Capt Sam Tselanyane, o bega fa segongwana seno sa banna ba ba neng ba tshakgetse, ba ne ba tswa letsholo le go batlana le Mothibedi. Go kaiwa fa ba ne ba mo fitlhela ale ko ga mothakga kwa motseng wa Longaneng.

“Dipatlisiso tsa sepodisi di supa fa segongwana seno sa banna, sene sa thopa Mothibedi ka dikgoka, mme ba leba le ene kwa motseng wa Manthe. Go begwa fa bane ba fitlha ba mo gokelela mo genereiteng, mme ba mo digela dingalo go utlwala.

“Dipaltisiso tsa sepodisi di supa fa banna ba, ba ne ba mo itlhaganedisa kwa kliniking ya selegae morago ga go lemoga fa a neela mowa. Go begwa fa Mothibedi a ne a netefadiwa fa tlhokofetse kwa kliniking. Balatofadiwa ba ne ba tshwarwa le go latofadiwa ka polao,” Tselanyane wa bega.

Tiragalo e, e ne ya tshakgatsa baagi ba motse wa Manthe. Ene ya re ka di 1 Motsheganong 2022, baagi ba ne ba tswa letsholo le go fisa dintlo dile tharo tsa balatofadiwa ga mmogo le go ja sejanaga sa bone sa mabaibai ka molelo.

Banna ba, ba ne ba tswelela go ka shadikanya matlho fa pele ga kgotlha-tshekelo makgetlho a le mmalwa. Fela kgetsi ya bone ene ya busediwa morago go fitlha di 15 Tlhakole 2023. Go kaiwa fa banna bano, ba ba kwa ntlo-lefitshwana, ba ne ba dira kopo e potlakileng ya beile.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

A search for a boy (5), who went missing at Reatlegile near Bloemhof continues. According to the police, Kamogelo Gaobuse was last seen by his mother on 12 January 2023 after dropping him off at school.

The North West police spokesperson, Capt Aafje Botma said: “It is alleged that the boy was dropped off at school by his mother. However, when the mother fetched him later, he was nowhere to be found.

“During his disappearance, Gaobuse was wearing a blue school uniform of Matlhajaneng Primary School and black school shoes. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can contact the Investigating Officer, Sergeant Mzwawudelwe Liswe of the Bloemhof Detectives on 063 416 0961.”

Botma said anonymous tip-offs can also be communicated via the My SAPS App or you can phone Crime Stop at 08600 10111.

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

A suspect (20) from Lokaleng village, near Taung, has been arrested for theft by police. This comes after a burglary was reported to the police on 13 January 2023.

According to the North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen, the incident took place in Reivilo.

“The owner of the house discovered that his home had been burgled when he arrived home from work and he opened a housebreaking case.

The items that were stolen during the burglary included a laptop, two cameras, a cellular phone, and groceries.

“The stolen items are all estimated at R19 885. The initial investigation led the detectives to Lokaleng Village in Taung, where the laptop was recovered.

“A suspect was arrested and briefly appeared at the Taung Magistrate’s Court on Monday. He is facing a charge of housebreaking and theft. The acting District Police Commissioner, Brigadier Tshenolo Tlotleng commended the members for their swift response, which led to the arrest of the suspect,” said van Rooyen.

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