By PHENYO MOKGOTHU

The North West University (NWU) academic in the African Centre for Disaster Studies, Prof Livhuwani Nemakonde said the heavy rainfall experienced in South Africa in recent weeks is due to a combination of factors.

“Climatologists have indicated that this is because of the La Niña phenomenon. La Niña (Spanish for a little girl) is the opposite of an El Niño (little boy), which usually predicts low rainfall for South Africa.

“In simple terms, this means that most parts of the country will receive above average summer rainfall, and it is for this reason that seven of the nine provinces received huge amounts of rainfall that led to flooding,” Nemakonde said.

He further said, the impact of the floods is quite high, particularly in parts of Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and Limpopo. Nemakonde added that the weather forecasts warn that the trend might continue into the last week of February and that South Africa is likely to receive more rain into autumn.

“Obviously, the amount of rainfall plays a major role, but other human-related factors such as residing in low-lying areas, flood plains, riverbanks, and poor infrastructure contribute to the impact of floods.

“With seven of the nine provinces affected by the floods that resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of infrastructure, the government declared a national state of disaster on 13 February 2023,” he said.

According to Prof Nemakonde, government officials argued that the declaration of a state of disaster will help with expediting the availability of resources to those most affected.

He said, once the national state of disaster is declared, they expect the government to immediately make resources available to assist those affected. Nemakonde said, however, the handling of the recent KZN floods paints a different picture, as those affected had to wait long for assistance.

“I argue that the delays might be even worse this time, seeing that the government is currently dealing with two states of disasters – one for the electricity crisis and the other for the floods. One wonders where the government will find the means, especially financial resources, to address these disasters.

“The private sector and civil society should join the government in this regard to assist those affected by the floods,” he said.

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Picture: The missing Motshipa John Mapoane/Supplied

By STAFF REPORTER

Police in the North West are looking for Motshipa John Mapoane who resides at Molema Section in Mmukubyane village, near Makapanstad. According to the North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh, Mapoane (71) was allegedly last seen by his daughter on 8 February 2023.

“Mapoane was last seen on 8 February 2023 at around 8:45am, when he went to look for cattle in nearby bushes. However, Mapoane never returned home and an extensive search was conducted around the neighbourhood, as well as villages without any success.

“During his disappearance, Mapoane was wearing blue trousers, a white shirt, a blue overall jacket, a pair of black boots, and a black cap. He was carrying a wooden stick and is dark in complexion, tall in length, and skinny with a bald head,” she said.

Myburgh further said, Mapoane is using chronic medication for epilepsy and high blood pressure. She added that anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can contact the Investigating Officer, Detective Warrant Officer Martin Seleke of Bedwang Detectives at ‪082 373 9548 or the nearest police station.

Myburgh said anonymous tip-offs can also be communicated via MySAPS App on your smartphone or call Crime Stop at ‪‪08600 10111.

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By STAFF REPORTER

The Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality came under fire for allegedly having duplication of functions in municipalities over water treatment and sanitation plants. This was said during an oversight week that the legislature is currently embarking on in the district.

 The chairperson of North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Aron Motswana said, the program was aimed at strengthening oversight and public participation and promoting accountability and transparency in government.

“We have urged the executive mayor of Ngaka Modiri, Khumalo Molefe to investigate and stop the unnecessary duplication of functions in municipalities over water treatment and sanitation plants.

“The committee has conducted oversight visits to the water plants in Groot Marico and Zeerust since 2020 to date, and consistently cautioned the North West Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) about exorbitant usage of consultants to do operations and maintenance in various plants, whilst the district and local municipalities also pay their operators for the same functions,” Motswana said.

He further said, the exercise costs the district municipality around R3 Million a month per plant excluding costs of chemicals and salaries of employees. He added that, the district municipality has failed on numerous occasions since 2020 to provide an audible explanation of surplus and exorbitant amounts incurred and ceding its responsibilities to consultants.

“We view this as negligence and unnecessary usage of public funds, more so that the bulk of these companies/consultants were appointed on the eve of the conclusion of the previous term.

“The committee observed that a similar wastage of money is happening at the Zeerust Waste Water Treatment Works, where a plant commissioned three years ago its expenditure was almost R63m,” said Motswana.

He said the plant was supposed to be handed over in May 2022, but only 65% of progress has been registered without valid reasons for the delay. According to Motswana, this was due to an irregular appointment and pre-payments afforded to CMS Water Engineering that was flagged by the Auditor General.

“No consequence management has been effected, except termination of service of the company. The committee also noted the non-recovery of monies lost and action against those responsible for the pre-payments is outstanding.

“The committee recommended amongst other requests, a comprehensive report on plausible reasons on why CMS Water Engineering was terminated without any consequence management, the cause in the delay of the project, and a report on operational costs incurred for a three-year project,” said Motswana.

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Picture: The goats that were allegedly found in the truck/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

A man who was arrested for stock theft has been remanded in custody on 23 February 2023. Thandayiphi Thabethe (39) briefly appeared before the Itsoseng Magistrate’s Court on 16 February 2023 for possession of the suspected stolen property.

The North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh said, the accused was arrested on 14 February 2023 at about 17:00, when traffic officers stopped a truck in Bodibe village, near Itsoseng during routine patrol duties.

“The driver was allegedly requested to present his driver’s license, which he could not do. Thereafter, he was requested to open the back of the truck, but he became aggressive and the two passengers that were accompanying him, fled from the scene.

“The police were called to the scene for assistance and they ultimately escorted the truck to Itsoseng Police Station. Upon opening the back of the truck, the police found 57 goats and 27 sheep. The driver could not account for the animals or produce any permit,” she said.

Myburgh further said, Thabethe was immediately arrested and the animals and truck impounded.

Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena commended the police for their cooperation that led to the arrest. Kwena said the police will continue to work hard to ensure that criminals are put behind bars.

“We also want to remind farmers to mark their livestock in accordance with the Animal Identification Act, 2002 (Act No. 6 of 2002),” he said.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

North West police request your assistance in identifying two bodies that were discovered on the road between Lichtenburg and Mahikeng on 2 April 2022. According to the North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh, the first unknown body of a man was found at around 1:30am.

“The body was lying on the road at Elandsfontein on the Lichtenburg / Mahikeng road. A post mortem indicated that the deceased had died due to blunt trauma causing body mutilation, possibly caused by a motor vehicle accident. He is 1.6m tall, dark in complexion and weighs about 70kg.

“The second body of an unknown man was discovered next to the Lichtenburg/ Coligny road by farm workers on 20 April 2022 at around 5:55pm, approximately 14 km from Lichtenburg. The deceased’s body was decomposed and mummified,” Myburgh said.

She further said, the deceased is dark in complexion and was wearing a blue shirt with a solidarity shop steward logo, black chino trousers, a brown belt, brown shoes, with a red and black leather jacket.

Myburgh added that, next to the body, a black bag was also found containing clothing.

“The cause of death could not be determined by the post mortem and an inquest (Judicial enquiry) is under investigation. The police request anyone with information that can assist in the investigation to contact the Investigating Officer, Warrant Officer Willem Nortman on Cell: 082 416 0897 or call the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Stop on ‪08600 10111,” said Myburgh.

She said anonymous tip-offs can also be communicated via the MySAPS App from smart phones.

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