Picture: North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha/Google

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

The North West Department of Health has refuted allegations that it has spent R1.5 million on a borehole at Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital in Vryburg. The North West Department spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said, even though the department has spent R1.5 million, it includes addressing water challenges at the hospital, not only for a borehole.

“The article on Taung DailyNews, which stated that the North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha said that the department spent R1.5 million on a borehole was incorrectly captured.

“What Sambatha said is that, the department spent R1.5 million on a number of interventions on water tinkering and to improve capacity for water storage, including for the drilling of a borehole.

“The amount was therefore not solely spent on a borehole as per the impression created by the article,” Lekgethwane said.

Sabatha said, they have done this in quest of addressing water shortage at the hospital He said this comes after the Naledi Local Municipality’s failure to provide water.

“Water is a challenge across the province and just last year, we decided to drill boreholes for each facility. So, we can rely on these boreholes when the municipal supply cannot provide us with water.

“The problem is, we are unable to complain, yet we have patients to attend to. So, that is the reason we use our own money, yet it is not our responsibility. We are doing this because patients and staff cannot be in a facility that does not have water,” he said.

Sambatha further said, they do not want to rely on water tankers. He added, they want a reliable water supply, so boreholes will be on the basis of their own budget.

“We are already providing ourselves with water tankers, because the municipality’s water tanks intervention is failing. There is a suspicion of water infrastructure sabotage.

“There is a problematic element of tempering with the supply of water deliberately. Sometimes, the ones that are responsible for water tanks are also involved because when there is no water supply, water tank intervention kicks in,” said Sambatha.

He said in some instances, one finds out that even those employed in the same water departments are part of the sabotage. 

In the past, the hospital was forced to turn away new patients because of a water shortage.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu said: “We will prioritise communities with critical water shortages in the North West through interventions. As the steering committee, we have already received an assessment report on the state of water and sanitation service provision in the province.

“So, we have instructed the Committee’s Technical Task Team to start prioritising critical projects that will ensure immediate restoration of water in areas with existing infrastructure in the province. The report has painted a clear picture that the province has enough sources of water, both on the surface and groundwater to support domestic and other users. However, huge infrastructural challenges in various parts of the province impeded the resources to be transferred to the users.”

Mchunu said, most of the challenges identified stemmed from a lack of capacity, skills, and budget to carry out operations and maintenance, illegal connections, incomplete projects, and infrastructure vandalism in the Water Service Authorities (WSAs) and municipalities’ reticulation systems.

He said the task team will now start the process of prioritising projects for immediate interventions and get commitments from all role-players to enable the work to go ahead as we need to pump water to the people and put this water crisis in the North West behind them.

“There is extensive work lies ahead, and this collaborative process will enable our plans to take off with speed to restore water and sanitation services in the province. The roadmap emanating from the assessment report will now be developed outlining immediate and long-term plans with clear sources of funds to finance the projects, timelines, and roles that all stakeholders will play to ensure the work on the plan is fully executed.

“The roadmap will focus on prioritising refurbishment of the current existing infrastructure including resuscitation of non-functioning boreholes and temporary supply through water tankering for immediate supply in communities where the situation is dire, while the long-term plans will involve the development of bulk water services infrastructure, Water Treatment Works, Reservoirs, Waste Water Treatment Works, pump stations, reticulation, as well as operations and maintenance of the whole water value chain systems in the province.

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Ka OBAKENG MAJE

Tshotlakako ya bong e tsweletse go nna tlhoba-boroko mo setshabeng. Seno, se rotloeditse ba South African Christian Ministers Council (SACMIC) go ka tla ka toga-maano ya go ka lwa kgatlhanong le sera se. Modulasetilo wa SACMIC, Bishop Daniel Matebesi are, ba ne ba rulagatse tirelo ya thapelo kwa kerekeng ya UCCSA kwa motse-setoropong wa Huhudi gaudi le Vryburg.

“Re ne re rulagantse tirelo ya thapelo kgatlhanong le tshotlakako ya bong. Mme maitlhomo le maikaelelo a thapelo e, ene ele go rapedisa ditshotlakako tse di kana-kana that jang kgatlhanong le basadi le bana. Mme re itumetse thata gonne moletlo o, o atlegile tota.

“Baeteledipele ba diphutego ga mmogo le malapa a farologaneng ba ne ba tlile ka makatla a namane. Molaetsa wa rona o mo khutsane ke gore, are tsweleleng pele ka ntwa kgatlhanong le tshotlakako ya basadi le bana, mme re godise naga ya rona ya Afrika Borwa e re e ratang thata,” Matebesi wa tlhalosa.

Mmosa-kgotlha kwa masepaleng wa selegae wa Naledi, Pico Kgolane are, jaaka masepala, ba bone go le botlhokwa go ema nokeng tirelo ya thapelo eno. Kgolane o kaile fa ele nnete, tshotlakako ya bong e le teng, mme e tsweletse go ka ama thata bomme ga mmogo le bana.

“Jaanong, e nna ekare rona barongwa pusong ga re bue sepe. Fela, re tshwanetse go kgala ditiragalo tse re sa kgale mathe ganong. Jaanong, ke leboga thata ba tsaya karolo botlhe. Mafoko a lekgotlha a mantle otlhe.

“Tshotlakako ya bong ke tlhoba-boroko mo setshabeng. Ke ikuela thata mo go bomme gore, e sere ba fetsa go bua di kgetsi kwa sepodiseng, ba boe gape e nne bone ba ba yang go di tsholola,” Kgolane wa tlhalosa.

O kaile fa seo ele poelo-morago. Kgolane gape o ikuetse mo sepodiseng sa Afrika Borwa go se dule ka di kgetsing tsa mothale o, mme ba sa di ise kgotlha-tshekelo.

“Gape, re ikuela go baeteledipele ba ba farologaneng go ka dira mmogo. Gopola, mathata a otlhe a diragalang mo setshabeng, a lebagane le rona jaaka baeteledipele. Ke rotloetsa thata bomme gore ha ba leba kwa ntlung ya thapelo, ba tseye le bana ba bone gore ba ke ba ithute go rapela.

“Mme botlhale jo ke tla bo naya borre that jang ba ba nyetseng kebo. Ha o bona gore go na le go sa utlwane magareng ga gago le mme ko ntlung, tswa o tsamaye. Ekare ha o boa, o mo fitlhe a siame, mme le baakanye bothata joo,” Kgolane wa tlhalosa.

Mme Kgolane o akgotse thata baithaupi ba ba dirang jaaka Community Policing Forums (CPFs). Are ba dira tiro e e tswileng diatla le go thusa mo tswantshong ya tshotlakako ya bong. 

Chaplain Thato Cwaile go tswa kwa sepodiseng sa Afrika Borwa are, “Ke mo tlotlo thata gore ke be ke le karolo ya tiragalo e. Re lebagane le sera se se sa batleng go re neela tshono ya go tshela. Jaaka setheo, re dira thata le bana, mme re fitlhetse fa gona le bana bangwe ba le bone ba tsayang karolo mo ditshotlakakong tse.

“Fela, reile ra ba lemotsha fa seo sele phoso. Se se botlhokwa ke go tlhaloganya tshotlakako ke eng. Ga e se gore tshotlakako ke fela ha monna a sotlakaka motho wa mme. Re na le ditshotlakako tse di farologaneng, jaaka tshotlakako ya maikutlo, kgotsa batho ba bomme ba lwa ka bo bone.”

Cwaile are gape se sengwe se se etlegetsang tshotlakako ke tiriso ya diritibatsi. Go ya ka Cwaile, ban aba le bantsi ba ba dirisang diritibatsi, ke basimane, mme seo se tlholwa ke gore ba gola ba se mo tlhokomelong y abo rrabone.

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Picture: The ANC MP, Sibusiso Kula in court/Facebook

By OBAKENG MAJE

The bail judgment on ANC Member of Parliament (MP), Sibusiso Kula has been reserved by the North West High Court. Kula (34), is accused of killing his wife, Jennifer Motlhomi (32) at their matrimonial home in Kanana Township, near Orkney on 27 November 2022.

He has filed court papers at the North West High Court urging the court to grant him bail.

However, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said, the North West High Court will make a decision within seven days. Mamothame further said, advocate Benny Kalakgosi argued strongly for the state in persuading the court not to grant Kula bail.

This comes after the Orkney Magistrate’s Court denied him bail. He added that Kula’s legal representative also argued for him to be granted bail.

Judge Andre Petersen said he will apply his mind and consider all arguments and supporting documents presented in court before passing judgment.

Mamothame added: “The police report reveals that Kula’s wife was found murdered on 27 November 2022, in what seemed like a robbery. She was found with a stab wound on her back but the object that was used for her alleged murder has not been recovered.

“The matter was reported by the medical facility, where she was allegedly transported by the accused to receive medical attention. Kula told the police that, he was not present at his home when the incident occurred.”

He said, following thorough investigations by the police, Kula was linked to the alleged murder and he was arrested on 20 January 2023. Mamothame said police investigations are still underway and Kula will remain in police custody, pending the outcome of his bail appeal.

Meanwhile, the Orkney Magistrate’s Court has postponed Kula’s murder case to 17 April 2023 for further investigations. He said, the NPA has also submitted an application to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari for the matter to be transferred to a higher court, owing to its serious nature.

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