By OBAKENG MAJE

A skillful commercial artist, Tebogo John Tlhabanelo urges the North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation to build a gallery in Taung, so that they can be able to showcase their work. Motlhabane (43) from Matsheng village, near Taung said, it is difficult to market his business because he is working from home.

“I make calligraphy, printmaking, drawing, and painting. What I know is that my work is appealing to the public. However, if one works far from Central Business District (CBD), the business is doomed.  

“For now, I am working as a freelance commercial artist and it is not easy. Remember, the intention behind commercial art is to grab the viewer’s attention in order to sell a product or service,” he said.

Tlhabanelo further said, he has realised that commercial art is still under-developed in Taung compared to music. He added that things were better back in the day because they will be given an opportunity to exhibit their work during the Taung Cultural Calabash event.

“I started to become an artist back in 1994, while I was doing Standard 8 at Lephatsimile High School in Molelema. It was during a transaction period and there were riots.

“Schools were torched and shut down, but lucky enough, Mmabana Taung was the only institution that was opened to the public. So, I took advantage of that opportunity because I was passionate about art,” said Tlhabanelo.

He studied drawing and painting at Mmabana Taung, but left for Johannesburg only with the basic skills he acquired. In 2007, Tlhabanelo went back to Mmabana Taung and he also enrolled at Vuselela FET College (Taung campus), where he studied Diploma in Graphic Processing, Drawing, and Painting.

“In 2009, I was employed by Mmabana Taung as a tutor for drawing and painting after obtaining my Diploma from the college. However, I left Mmabana Taung due to illness after I was diagnosed with epilepsy.

“The doctors declared me permanently disabled, so I had to leave so that I could recuperate. I took time off until I fully recovered and now, I am back in business. I do not know what happened to that epilepsy and the myth of me being permanently disabled,” he said.

Tlhabanelo said he is currently doing some odd jobs for the North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sport, and Recreation just to sustain himself. He said, as a freelance commercial artist, he works per order.

“There is no use to make paintings and drawings, while there is no gallery around Taung to store them. It is sad that painting art is still underdeveloped, and not many people are interested in it.

“For example, I can take my materials and go to town, and only a few people who know me will show some interest. There is no recognition here at home, so, I normally use social media to market my business,” said Tlhabanelo.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Parents of Grade 12 learners from Reagile Secondary School in Mokassa village, near Taung, accused the North West Department of Education of refusing to approve the school application to have Grade 12 learners. This comes after over 15 Grade 12 learners from Reagile Secondary School were forced to be transferred to Mokgareng High School, simply because their school does not cater for Grade 12 learners.

What makes the matter worse, these learners were allegedly left stranded at Mokgareng High School for a week without attending teaching and learning, simply because the principal was not aware that they were coming. However, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said, now this is ‘water under the bridge’ as they managed to resolve the matter.

Malindi said: “Those Grade 12 learners from Reagile Secondary School, who were transferred to Mokgareng High School were admitted. So, they are attending classes as we speak.

“The challenge that we had was, most of them did not come with their parents or guardians. Normally, when learners are admitted, they should come with either a parent or guardian who will take responsibility for that particular learner.”

He said, again, the learners were not even in possession of their reports when they arrived at Mokgareng High School. Malindi further said it was difficult to tell if they have passed or not.

“These learners were informed to come back with their parents including relevant documents. There is a criterion that schools should meet before they could be given any extension of grades.

“Unfortunately, Reagile Secondary School refused to be merged with other schools during rationalisation. So, they were left with only primary school teachers who do not meet the requirements,” he said.  

Malindi highlighted that, if the school wants to have Grade 12 learners, the principal has to recruit teachers with proper qualifications for the secondary school. He said that was part of the reason, why the department did not approve their extension to have Grade 12 classes.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Some of the parents at Maranatha Primary School in Chiefscourt, near Taung said, they are concerned about the safety of their children. This comes after two learners aged 13 and 14 respectively, were seen in a video that went viral on social media platforms allegedly given hard labour as punishment.

Two Grade 6 learners were allegedly forced to remove shrubs and grass using spades at the school. In the video, a voice of a woman can be heard in the background, admitting that the learners are still young and they do not even know how to use spades.  

One of the concerned parents, who refused to be named because of reprisal said: “Truly, I am not sure if this is the right way to punish the kids. The teachers should have opted for a different method to punish them, instead of hard labour. This will also have a negative impact on the children because they will be mocked by other learners.

“We call on the North West Department of Education to investigate the matter. I would like to see them disciplined because this behaviour is uncalled for. These teachers know that corporal punishment has been abolished, so they have implemented a new technique to abuse our children.”

Meanwhile, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said: “According to the school report, the two learners were not being punished. However, all learners were told to be in class and the duo decided to defy the teacher by stepping outside.

“Upon seeing them wandering outside, a food handler asked them what they were doing outside and they lied against the principal saying the principal asked them to do the yard.”

Malindi further said, the department’s labour unit has probed the person, who recorded and circulated the video. He added that, that particular person circulated the video without doing any due diligence of sending background information against the video.

“The department takes this as gross negligence and finds it misleading. As such, the labour unit is running a thorough investigation into the person, who shared it for public viewing and stern measures will be taken.

“Concerning the learners, parents were called to a meeting to reprimand the learners for defying the teacher and lying against the principal,” he said.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

More than 30 farmers in Taung received brand new tractors and farming equipment to the value of R8 million recently. The farming equipment including tractors was donated by South African Breweries (SAB) in conjunction with FarmSol.

The ceremony was held at Ipelegeng Cooperative in Taung. One of the beneficiaries, Sipho Sibinda who farms mainly maize and other crops on his share of the 320 hectares welcomed the donations.

“I am happy because our prayers have been answered. I would like us, as farmers to join hands and be one. Without food, there is no life, so let us be strong and grow this company.

“My farming journey started on a rough patch as I struggled to get contractors for farming machinery in Taung. So, the donation from FarmSol has changed his life,” he said.

Sibinda further said, he is now able to make a good profit. He added that he managed to buy a house and was able to take his kids to a good school.

FarmSol Managing Director, Aron Kole said as part of its ongoing commitment to the development of black farmers, FarmSol Holdings in collaboration with SAB saw it fit to donate new tractors and farming equipment.

Kole said the joint effort by FarmSol and SAB aims to put the power back in deserving farmers’ hands and to raise labour and farm productivity.

“This is part of an R8m investment in black growers by SAB and FarmSol’s sought-after grower support program. It also underscores FarmSol’s long-standing efforts to ensure that access to mechanisation and the latest technologies do not become barriers holding back new-era farmers.

“It restores the hope and dignity of despondent people, who have access to land and now at long last, they can make use of this land. This is something very significant,” he said.

Kole said tractors and farm equipment have the power to bring a farm to life and to enable food production that feeds millions. He said, these tools are the most expensive items you can find on the farm, and SAB and FarmSol have made it possible for the farmers to say, they too are owners.

“FarmSol aims to turn smallholder farmers into sustainable commercial producers. Since the company’s inception in 2016, thousands of smallholder and newly-commercializing farmers have been supported through innovative funding, market access, extension services, and mechanization solutions.

“In total, more than R800 million in production loans have been granted to qualifying farmers across eight provinces in South Africa. North West has not been very good at maximizing its agricultural potential. Yet, it is an important contributor to the Southern African food basket with more than 20% of South Africa’s maize crop produced in the province,” he said.

Kole said, there are other agricultural products produced in the province including cattle, poultry and game, sunflower seed and oil, nuts, citrus, and tobacco. He said the province is home to three distinct climate regions, which allow a wide variety of agricultural activity.

“The drier western region is home to considerable cattle and game farming and hunting, while the central and southern parts are dominated by maize and wheat farming and the production of cash crops,” said Kole.

Meanwhile, SAB vice-president of Corporate Affairs, Zoleka Lisa shared the same sentiments. Lisa said that, SAB is pleased to see the strides that farmers are making in Taung and across South Africa.

“As a business, we are dependent on high-quality agricultural crops from thriving communities and healthy ecosystems to brew our beers. We also care about the people who make this happen and have worked hard to support existing and emerging farmer communities to gain access to agronomic information and best industry practices.

“This includes harnessing technology’s power to improve crop yields and productivity. We’re proud of the relationships we’ve created with our South African farmers, and we are grateful for the highest quality ingredients farmers provide us,” she said.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

Three foreign suspects and a police officer are expected to appear at Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for dealing with an unpolished diamond. The suspects were arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation for dealing in an unpolished diamond in Mahikeng on Monday.

The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Capt Tlangelani Rikhotso said: “The trio was arrested during a buy and bust operation. They allegedly sold an unpolished diamond and accepted a down payment of R20 000 for the diamond that they were allegedly selling for R100 000.

“The diamond and the vehicle used in the commission of crime were seized for further investigation. They will make their first appearance before the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on 7 February 2023.”

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By REGINALD KANYANE

A sangoma and her family from Modimong village, near Taung are living in fear after vutha ravaged her home. Nelly Chweu (49) said she was forced to abandon her house and now she is sleeping in her indumba with her children, while her husband sleeps in a car.

This comes after vutha struck her house three consecutive days last week. Chweu said to make the matter worse, the vutha also destroyed the indumba of her initiate, who is also her neighbour. She believes that, there are some people who want to destroy her life. According to Chweu, the dangerous vutha started in her bedroom at around 3pm in the afternoon.

“What surprised us, on 1 February 2023, vutha only burned my clothes even though they were mixed with my husband’s clothes in the wardrobe. At around 9pm on the same day, vutha came back and burned the bed, but only where I sleep including my pillow.

“Again, we tried to extinguish the fire, but it came back three times and still burned in the same spot. On Thursday, vutha went straight to my children’s bedroom and burned one of my children’s clothes who is doing Grade 10 including the wardrobe,” Chweu said.

She further said, on the same day, it burned the indumba of one of her initiates, Keletso Onkaetse. Chweu added that, on Friday, vutha came back strongly at around 3pm, and torched the learner’s bed.

“My daughter is burned in the leg as we speak. Again at around 10pm on the same day, the bedroom of my son also caught fire. So, we decided to leave everything and go to sleep in my indumba with the children.

“My husband is sleeping in the car and we do not know what will happen next. However, I am happy that the Taung Traditional Practitioners (TTP) members came through on Saturday to assist us by throwing bones and checking what might be the cause,” she said.

The initiate, Keletso Onkaetse (20) shared the same sentiments.

“It was around 6:30am on Thursday when I saw my indumba on fire. I was from the house of my mentor and rushed to the hut to try and extinguish the fire.

“However, the fire gutted my money, including incense and bones. I was surprised at around 3pm on the same day when vutha came back and finished off my traditional attire,” she said.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of Taung Traditional Practitioners (TTP), Kenneth Mpelegang Magano said, they have assisted Chweu’s family and they know what might be the cause of vutha. 

Magano said, it is sad to see some individuals who are also traditional practitioners having a hidden agenda against fellow practitioners, simply because they helping people to heal.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

A learner from PH Mooketsi Agricultural School in Taung said he is grateful to be recognized as the overall best top performer. Tlotlo Kgolobe (18) received awards as the overall top best performer in Taung, the top best performer for Life Science, Mathematics, and Agriculture Science subjects during the Greater Taung Local Municipality’s Mayoral Excellence Awards.

The awards that were organized by the Greater Taung Local Municipality mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe, were held at PH Mooketsi Agricultural School in Taung on Saturday.

“The discipline, dedication, and determination that I have put in my school work have paid dividends. I come from a humble beginning in Mamashokwane Section in Modimong village, near Taung.

“I was raised by a single mother, Marble Kgolobe, and received enormous support from my aunt and uncle Mogomotsi and Bonifa Kgopodimetsi. So, I am intending to study Aeronautical Engineering at Witwatersrand University,” he said.

According to Kgolobe, taking his studies seriously has encouraged him to do well. He further said, ensuring that he mastered each and every unit and chapter that teachers taught him, came in handy.   

“I would also like to encourage those who did not make it not to despair. I urge them to work harder because this is not the end of the journey for them. There are still other opportunities out there.

“So, just know that you have a lot of potential in you and your destiny lies in the palm of your hands. To the Class of 2022, please go out there and work harder and be dedicated. Kindly put everything in your school work and you will produce positive results,” said Kgolobe.

The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe said: “It is important to assimilate well-deserving learners and most improved schools across Taung. This is the concept from the municipality’s office of the mayor.

“We saw it necessary to reward excellence and recognize the top 10 learners across Taung. We are even recognizing the most improved schools in terms of merits. We are doing this necessarily because we want to encourage other schools.”

Gaoraelwe said, over and above, they believe in education and that’s the whole purpose. He further said, this is an annual event and they hosting these awards for the second time since the inception of the new administration.

“The top 10 learners will receive bursaries, laptops, and printers. We also have some service providers who partnered with us and they have allocated R2000 to each learner.

“There are top schools that have performed well and we are awarding them certificates and trophies. I cannot really quantify how much the municipality has spent on this initiative, but what I know is that the top 10 learners will receive laptops, while top 3 learners will receive laptops including printers and R10 000 cash,” said Gaoraelwe.  

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Education Specialist in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District, Petrus Meyer said, it is important to celebrate the hard work of these learners. Meyer said, as the district, they are now targeting a 100% pass rate.

“We believe that a 100% pass rate is possible through monitoring, support, and efficient management. Remember, in the past, we targeted 85%. However, from 2023 onwards, we target 100%.

“Mostly, all circuits performed well and there is an improvement. As the district, when the school received 60%, we rendered that as underperforming. Our standard is, schools should get 70% above,” he said.

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