By OBAKENG MAJE

Two men were sentenced to life imprisonment for rape by the Itsoseng Regional Court today. On 6 December 2017, Tebogo Bonolo Makgisa (25) and Serame Mosweu (27) accompanied by the complainant who is also Mosweu’s ex-girlfriend and her friend, went to Mosweu’s residence to collect her jersey at Bodibe village near Itsoseng.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said, upon arrival, Mosweu locked the door and told the complainant and her friend that, they will spend the night at his place.

Mamothame further said, the complainant refused to stay and Mosweu assaulted her with objects until she fell down. He added that Mosweu and Makgisa subsequently dragged the victim to the bedroom, while her friend was watching.

“In the bedroom, Mosweu pinned the victim on the floor and Makgisa started raping her. Mosweu later left the bedroom and his friend repeatedly raped his ex-girlfriend as she was weak and defenceless.

“In the morning when the complaint left the house, she collapsed on the road and was ferried to a medical facility by members of the community. The matter was reported to the police and both the accused were arrested,” he said.

Mamothame said both Mosweu and Makgisa pleaded not guilty to the offence.

In aggravation of the sentence, Adv Itumeleng Boikanyo urged the court not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment. Boikanyo urged the court to send a strong message to other wannabe offenders that, such offences will receive harsh sentences.

He argued that Mosweu should also be sentenced for rape as they both acted on a common purpose.

Magistrate Boitumelo Chulu agreed with the state and highlighted the need for the community to have confidence in the criminal justice system.

Meanwhile, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari lauded the team effort by the prosecutor and the investigating officer for a collaboration that afforded the victim and her family justice. Mosweu was sentenced to a further three years’ imprisonment for assault with intent to do Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) assault.

They were both declared unfit to possess a firearm.

 Makhari said: “This conviction will certainly demonstrate the harsh stance of the criminal justice system in dealing with the abuse of women and other vulnerable sectors of society.”

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Picture: The missing Peter Chungwane/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

A ONE-YEAR-OLD boy went missing on 29 March 2023. It is alleged that, the mother of Peter Chungwane who resides at Sapas Farm compound in Skeerpoort, near Hartbeespoortdam left him in the care of a nanny they the incident occur.

The North West police spokesperson, Capt Sam Tselanyane said: “At around 7am, the toddler’s mother left him under the care of the nanny and went to work.

“It is further alleged that, later during the said day, the nanny realised that the child is missing from other children he was playing with. The nanny then searched for him around the neighbourhood, but he was never found.”

Tselanyane further said, when the mother returned home, she found the community mobilised and searching for Chungwane around the vicinity of Skeerpoort without any success. He added that, during Chungwane’s disappearance, he was wearing a maroon hooded tracksuit top.

“The police in Hartbeespoortdam request the community’s assistance in locating him. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can contact the Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Andrew Bogoshi of Brits Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit on the cellular phone number: 082 557 1904.

“Anonymous tip-offs can be communicated via the MySAPS App or phone Crime Stop on ‪08600 10111,” he said.

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Picture: One of the tuckshop owners, Manini Vlaarmuis

By OBAKENG MAJE

Some aggrieved Small Micro Medium Enterprise (SMME) owners across North West, who received R3500 instead of R10 500 financial muscle in the form of a loan from the Small Enterprises Financial Agency (SEFA) urged the Small Business deputy minister, Dipuo Peters’ intervention.

This was revealed during the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development and Deputy Minister for Small Business Development, Dipuo Peters’s oversight visits.

Peters and the acting chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Hein April conducted oversights to various North West municipalities and centres of the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA) in the province on Tuesday.

One of the beneficiaries, Ramosesane Tselapedi from Lokaleng village said, he had only received a R3500 loan and it is not enough. Tselapedi further said, the first shop where we could buy with the voucher was in Jouberton Township, near Klerksdorp and the other one is in Rustenburg.

“They had also informed us that, the other shop was in Zeerust. I drove there, only to find out it was closed. So, you spend a lot on petrol in order to use the grant,” he said.

Another beneficiary, Manini Vlaarmuis shared the same sentiments. Vlaarmuis said she keeps borrowing money in order to sustain her business.

“I always have to borrow money from my relatives to be able to buy my stock. As you know, most of our customers will request credit.

“So, it is not easy to run a tuckshop because sometimes, I run out of stock during the month. At the same time, I also have to maintain my relationship with my loyal customers. I can’t chase them away when they don’t have money to buy. So I’m not able to sustain my business,” she said.

The Small Business Development deputy minister, Dipuo Peters said: “We are now told that SEFA is depositing some of the money. They shouldn’t wait for us to be here because these people must run their businesses.

“They are running down companies. That is one thing that actually disappointed me. I arrived here and I’m told that these businesses received R10,500 only to find out its R3500. However, we will dig deeper into it.”

The Committee’s acting chairperson, Hein April said, they will need an explanation for the claims made by the business owners.

“We are definitely going to take to task those responsible, which is the people in the department to tell us. According to us, this money has been dispersed and we would want to know how this impasse happened, it is totally unacceptable,” April said.

Meanwhile, the SEFA’s senior manager, Lehane Letlatsa blamed the situation on business owners who changed their contact details.

“The actual offering is R10 500, but when the scheme started, the clients were getting R3500 as a grant. The other R3500 was supposed to be a credit, which the clients never took.

“A year later, the scheme was then revised and the offering was then increased to R10 500, which meant those who had already received R3,500 would automatically get R7000 without the need for them to apply,” he said.

Letlatsa added that the new applicants would have to apply for R10 500 straight. He said they have the list of those who have already received R3 500.

“The bank has been dispersing money into their accounts or into their purchasing cards. So, most of these clients who have changed their cell phones or lost their cards, are the ones who the bank has not been able to contact them.

“However, the money is in their respective purchasing cards. We have verified this with some of the clients, who claim they have not received banking notifications. And they would not get bank notifications because they have changed their cell phone numbers,” said Letlatsa.

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Picture: The alleged drug lord, Tefo Maboitshege/Facebook  

By OBAKENG MAJE

The alleged drug lord was shot at Manthe village, near Taung on Wednesday night. It is alleged that, Tefo Maboitshege (52) who was at his roundtable house, was getting out of his vehicle when the gunman pounced on him.

According to information, the incident took place immediately after load shedding kicked in. Maboitshege was rushed to the local clinic for medical attention, however, he was ferried to Taung District Hospital due to his injuries.

It is alleged that he was transferred to Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital, where he is in stable condition.  

The North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen said: “We can confirm there was a shooting incident and no one has been arrested. The police investigations are underway.”

Three weeks ago, a man was killed by a mob justice after he allegedly broke into Maboitshege’s house during load shedding. Tseko Gabonnwe (37) from Kuaneng Section in Manokwane village, near Taung was allegedly caught red-handed while trying to steal.

The deceased was allegedly beaten to a pulp by community members before the police were called.

Gabonnwe was allegedly released, but instead of going home, he went to another house and broke into it. His lifeless body was allegedly discovered by a passer-by in the early hours of the morning on Sunday.    

Meanwhile, the North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani said: “Yes, the police are aware of the incident, hence we are investigating a case of murder. At this stage, we have not made any arrests.”

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Setshwantsho: Motshameki wa maloba wa Mighty Boys FC, Bakang Katong/Facebook    

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

Motshameka-pele wa maloba o diphatsa wa setlhopa sa kgwele ya dinao sa Mighty Boys FC kwa motseng wa Manthe, gaufi le Taung o bonwe molato wa petelelo ke kgotlha-tshekelo ya sedika ya Taung mo letsatsing la maabane. 

Bakang “Mahomed” Katong (32) yo jaanong eleng rakgwebo mme gape a belaelwa ka go rekisa seritibatsi sa nyaope, one a betelela lekgarebe lengwe la kwa Buxton ka ngwaga wa 2017.

Go begwa fa Katong, yo one a tswa Johannesburg ka nako eo, a ne a neelwa lekgarebe le ke mongwe wa tekesi kwa Schweizer Reneke gore a mo gorotshe ka pabalasego kwa lapeng. Fela, go kaiwa fa Katong a ne a tsena-tsena ka lekgarebe leo, mme a feleletsa a ipagologetse mogodu mo go ene ka dikgoka.

Go kaiwa fa lekgarebe le, lene la kaya fa le nyeleletswe ke madi a kanang ka R2000 mo tiragalong eo. Kgotlha-tshekele e utlwile fa lekgarebe le, lene la fitlha la lotlegela mmagwe ka se se mo diragaletseng. Kgetsi ene ya bulwa, mme ene ya re Katong go utlwa seo, one a letsetsa lekgarebe le, le go kopana le lone kwa Taung Mall mo letsatsing le le latelang.

Katong one a fitlha a o kopa go mo neela madi a kanang ka R2000 a go begwang a nyeletse le go mo neela R500 ele pipamolomo gore a ye go tsholola kgetsi ya petelelo kgatlhanong le ene.

Fela lekgarebe le, le ne la gana go tsaya madi ao. Kgotlhatshekelo e utlwile fa mmagwe lekgarebe le yo ene ele paki ya mmuso, a ne a tlhokafala fa kgetsi e sentse e tsweletse ka tsheko. Mmueledi wa ga Katong, one a tlhalosetsa lekgotlha fa bopaki jwa motlhekefadiwa bo sa ikanyege, gonne gona le phapang mo tshedimosetsong e a e neetseng sepodisi le e a e boleletseng kgotlha-tshekelo.

Fela magistrate Buti Zulu, ga ka a ganana le kgang eo, mme a tlhalosa fa ese pateletso gore bopaki jo bo neetsweng sepodisi bo ka botsolotswa, fela se se botlhokwa ke se motlhekefadiwa a se boleletseng kgotlha-tshekelo. Gape, se se ileng sa makatsa lekgotlha ke gore, Katong o ile a kaela beng ba mokgatlho wa ditekesi fa a iphantse ka thobalano le motlhefediwa, mme fela o ile a kaya fa seo se diragetse ka tumalano.

Fela Katong, one a kaela mmueledi wa gagwe fa a sa iphanya ka thobalano le motlhekefadiwa. Seo, sene sa baya Katong mo mosing, mme le kgotlha la mo bona jaaka motho o o sa ikanyegeng. Zulu one a tlhalosetsa Katong fa go sena sepe se se supang fa motlhekefadiwa a ka batla go mo bopela kgomo ya mmopa, gonne ba sa itsane.

Zulu, one a bona Katong molato mme a mo kaela fa ka di 6 Seetebosigo 2023 a tlile go ntsha katlholo.

Lekgotlha lene la kaela Katong fa e se sa ntlha a thulana le molao, gonne ka ngwaga wa 2006 one a tshwarwa mme a bonwa molato mo kgetsing ya go itaya ka maikaelelo a go ntsha dikgobalo tse di masisi. Gape, go begwa fa ka 2013 le 2015, Katong a ene a tshwarelwa go gweba ka diritibatsi mme a duela kotlhao mo dikgetsing tse dile pedi.

Kgabagare, Katong gape o lebane le kgetse ya polao e e diragetseng teng kwa motseng wa Manthe.

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Picture: 54 vehicles impounded during a clampdown operation/Supplied   

By OBAKENG MAJE

The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Sello Lehari said, they will continue to ensure that there is law and order in Stilfontein, near Klerksdorp. This comes after the department impounded 54 vehicles in the taxi violence clampdown.

“Recently, we have experienced taxi-related violence in the province. The resurgent conflict follows a long period of calmness and few incidents experienced were dealt with amicably.

“However, recently, there had been shootings in Khuma Township, near Stilfontein. The violence allegedly perpetuated by illegal immigrants that may be linked to zama-zamas (illicit miners), has claimed three lives already,” Lehari said.

He further said, to deal with the rising incidents, they have applied extraordinary measures in terms of the National Land Transport Act (NLTA) 5 of 2009. Lehari added that the measures empower law enforcement agencies to intervene as conflicts have been experienced in other municipalities as well.

“We have experienced the same challenges in Madibeng, Rustenburg, Moses Kotane, Mahikeng, JB Marks, and the Kgetleng River. The government had to intercede before the violence spiral out of control.

“The brashness of these intrusions is so brazen that this leaves us with no choice, but to restore law and order. As we have seen with the seizure, law enforcement officers will not be lenient with anyone violating the law,” he said.

In a search and seizure crackdown around Stilfontein, Lehari said 54 vehicles were impounded. He said these vehicles were seized for a variety of offenses that include illegal operations. Lehari said some of the legal operators were on routes that are not permitted in their licenses and they used non-compliant vehicles.

“We must do what is right and ensure everyone is in compliance with the law. Few motorists who will be on the wrong side of the law will be unhappy, but many law-abiding citizens will express gratitude.

“Some of the vehicles were released after fines were paid, but owners could not hide their disappointments when we met with them at the Khuma Taxi rank. The rank curiously situated in front of the Khuma Police Station is said to be the nucleus of the conflict,” said Lehari.

Some of the operators who patiently waited for Lehari urged him to end the violence. They alleged that they are prisoners in their own homes and they live in fear. Lehari said they will continue with these operations and their next stop will be Rustenburg, as it has also experienced conflicts between bus operators and taxi operators.

Meanwhile, the NWPTIT chairperson, Star Vilakazi said: “If matters are left unattended, they could stir instability in other areas and could spill to other provinces as well as some of these operators travel to Gauteng, Eastern Cape, and Limpopo.”

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By OBAKENG MAJE

A fraud case against the former Director of Local Economic Development (LED) at Moses Kotane Local Municipality, Gabonewe Madikela (39) was postponed to 19 April 2023. Madikela’s arrest emanated from her fraudulent orchestration of theft, involving her salary, while she was employed by the municipality during the period of April to September 2022.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said: “Madikela’s contract was to commence on 1 July 2019 and end on 30 June 2024, with an all-inclusive annual salary of R1 274 619.

“It is alleged that in March 2022, the accused applied for study leave from 30 March 2022 to 24 May 2022 with a confirmation letter from an institution of higher learning. On 29 March 2022, she applied for 39 days’ annual leave from 8 May 2022 to 27 June 2022, with the municipality granting her leave on both applications.”

Now, Mamothame said, the accused is facing six charges of fraud amounting to R522 881, which she received as remuneration for a period of six months, while she was allegedly simultaneously occupying another government post without her employer’s knowledge.

He further said, towards the end of the annual leave, Madikela submitted sick notes from a private medical facility in Akasia, purportedly issued by her doctor, indicating that she was sickly and hospitalised.

Mamothame added that, the investigations by the Hawks revealed that, during the period of her leave and purported illness, she was employed by the Department of Water and Sanitation as a Director, while still earning a salary from the Moses Kotane Local Municipality.

“The investigations revealed that reasons provided for her leave were false, including supporting documents from the institution of higher learning as well as the medical certificates she provided as proof.

“The investigations into the matter have been completed and the accused is expected to be back in court when the matter resumes in April 2023. The case has also been transferred to the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court for trial,” he said.

Mamothame said, the court further granted her an R10 000 bail and she was ordered to surrender her passport to the investigating officer.

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Picture: South African president, Cyril Rampahosa/Google

By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

We have reached the end of Human Rights Month. It is a time in which we reflect on the sacrifices that were made in the struggle for freedom, but also on the progress, we have made in advancing the human rights of all.

The right to social security is explicit in the Bill of Rights. This is an approach that recognises that social security is essential to other rights, including the right to dignity.

It is this right that has underpinned the progressive expansion of South Africa’s social protection system over the past three decades.

In 1999 just over 2.5 million people were receiving social grants. Today that number has increased to over 18 million people.

In addition, more than two million indigent households also receive free basic water, basic electricity and solid waste removal services as part of this government’s commitment to free basic services for the poor.

Expanding the social wage is not simply an indication that more people need grants today than before, as some have tried to suggest.

In the past, many of the poor, including working-age adults who are unemployed, simply did not receive any support.

The Social Relief of Distress Grant that was introduced in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic has reached more than 11 million people at its peak and has lifted millions of people out of food poverty. According to research approximately

50 per cent of the purchases made by SRD grant recipients are groceries.

Social grants also act as a stimulus for the economy as a whole, increase spending in townships and rural areas, and improve employment outcomes.

An interview-based study by the University of Johannesburg of informal traders in the Johannesburg CBD, Orange Farm, Mthatha, Mqanduli and Warwick Junction in Durban, found that the SRD Grant stimulated customer spending, provided capital to purchase stock, and enabled the new businesses to be initiated.

Informal traders and SRD grant recipients in Philippi in the Western Cape also told researchers that it had a positive impact on their businesses.

According to another recent study by researchers at the University of Cape Town, the SRD grant also increased the probability of recipients searching for jobs and gaining employment.

Similarly, many participants in the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative (PESI) have gone on to find work after they have completed the programme. The school assistants programme has provided opportunities for 750,000 young people to date in over 22,000 schools, reaching every corner of the country.

Over 72 per cent of participants in the PESI said that having gained their first work experience, the programme helped them to gain a foothold in the labour market thereafter.

In all of these ways, South Africa’s world-renowned social protection system provides important benefits for many in our society, not only those who receive social grants.

It supports economic growth from the bottom up, enables business activity, and strengthens social solidarity and stability. It is one of the greatest achievements of our democratic society, and one that we should all be proud of.

The SRD alone represents a significant step in our commitment to provide a minimum level of support below which no South African should fall.

As I said in the State of the Nation Address last month, we are working on options to provide basic income support for the unemployed, within our fiscal constraints, beyond the expiry of the SRD Grant in April next year.

If the focus of our struggle for liberation was to end apartheid and achieve political freedom, the focus of our efforts now must be to address inequality and ensure that every South African enjoys the fruits of democracy.

It is now well-recognised that inequality constrains growth, and that growth which takes place in unequal societies tends to reproduce those patterns of inequality.

This is why our economic policy is guided by the need on the one hand to implement structural reforms to stimulate growth and enhance our economic competitiveness, while on the other hand expanding social protection and public employment and supporting the social wage.

We cannot have one without the other, and we are making steady progress on both.

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