Picture: Northern Cape Premier, Dr Zamani Saul donated R500 000 to Sol Plaatjie University/Twitter

By OBAKENG MAJE  

Northern Cape Premier, Dr Zmani Saul said his province aims to have a soccer team in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in the near future. Saul, who donated R500 000 to the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) football teams said, this remarkable contribution will propel the development and revitalisation of football at the university, paving the way for a bright future in the sport.

“It is the provincial government’s vision to establish a Premier Soccer League team in the province, with SPU’s football teams playing a crucial role as feeder teams for more established clubs,” he said.

SPU Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Andrew Crouch expressed gratitude for the donation and affirmed that, this partnership will bolster future collaborations and initiatives, benefiting not only the university but also the wider province. Crouch further said, the recent launch of the SPU Sports Precinct, coupled with Saul’s substantial donation, heralds a new era of enhanced access, inclusion, and support for football.

Captains of the men’s and women’s first football teams, Raymond Bott and Motlatso Matabane conveyed their heartfelt appreciation for the financial boost.

Bott said: “With this financial support, we can evolve into an outstanding team, fostering social cohesion within the community and elevating sport and academic excellence to new heights.”

Matabane shared the same sentiments and reflected on the team’s journey.

“When I joined the team in 2021, we faced numerous challenges, including practice fields and equipment. However, we persevered. With the recently launched Sports Precinct, we now have a home venue where we can play and practice. We are truly grateful and humbled by this donation. On behalf of the team, we thank you for making these funds available,” she said.

Dean of Student Affairs, Nicole Morris confirmed the impact of the donation. Morris said, with the recently launched sports precinct and this generous donation from Saul, they can finally put the wheels in motion, igniting change and introducing new initiatives towards heightening access, inclusion, and support in football.

“I would like to thank once more the Premier, his delegation, and the Northern Cape Provincial Government for their commitment to ensuring the success of our soccer sporting code at the University,” said Morris.

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Picture: A horrific accident that claimed lives/Generic

By OBAKENG MAJE

North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Sello Lehari said, nine lives have been lost on the North West roads since 1 April 2023. Lehari said this is the same number of fatalities the province recorded for the same period last year.

“The only fatality recorded on the eve of Good Friday was in Ikageng Township, near Potchefstroom, where a boy (12) was hit by a car. The enraged community members became aggressive towards the two occupants of the vehicle and torched their car.

“They were rescued by the law enforcement officers. Other eight lives were lost in Mogopela village, near Taung, three in Ledig near Mogwase, and two in Lichtenburg. There is also a growing trend of pedestrians who are hit by vehicles and most of them seemingly coming from hostelries,” he said.

Lehari sent his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. He also appealed to pedestrians to be extra careful when crossing roads, especially at night.

“We have instructed the law enforcement officers to strictly apply the traffic regulations. They should not be lenient on any deviancy but do so within the confines of the law.

“We want to reduce the fatalities by at least 25%, as we reduced them by 21% during the Christmas holidays. We can do so by being visible on all arterial roads”, said Lehari.

He has been leading joint law enforcement operations throughout the province since the beginning of April 2023. Lehari further said, almost 3000 vehicles were stopped and searched in these operations.

“We can also confirm that 15 undocumented people were also arrested and handed over to the Immigration officials. Law enforcement operations will continue on all major arterial and local routes,” he said.

According to information at Taung DailyNews’ disposal, no fatalities reported in Mogopela village thus far. However, eight people died last year during the same period in the area. Taung DailyNews could not get hold of the North West Community Safety and Transport Management spokesperson, Alpheus Koonyaditse to clarify the matter as his phone was constantly on voicemail before going to print.   

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Picture: One of the firearms discovered in the suspect’s possession/Supplied 

By OBAKENG MAJE

The alleged serial rapist (39) has been arrested during a well-planned tactical and crime intelligence-driven operation, which was conducted on 6 April 2023 by Klipgat and Hebron Detectives as well as Klipgat and Mothotlung Visible Policing together with Brits Tactical Response Team (TRT).

The North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col, Amanda Funani said, the alleged serial rapist was arrested at Sofasonke Section in Klipgat. Funani further said, the police pounced on the suspect at his residence after information was received about a man, who was in possession of firearms and ammunition and looking for a potential buyer.

“During the arrest, the suspect was found in possession of a pistol. Following preliminary crime scene investigation, it came out that the man was a wanted alleged serial rapist, who evaded arrest for the past two years.

“It is alleged that the suspect targeted and raped women who walked home with their boyfriends from taverns in the early hours in Klipgat. According to information, he would rob the boyfriend of their personal belongings and take the victims to the nearby bushes, where he would rape them,” she said.

Funani further said, as part of the investigation, the suspect led the police to his other place in Dubai Section in Mabopane, Gauteng Province where an AK 47 rifle with 33 ammunition, three magazines, and 25 pistol ammunition were found hidden in a shack. She added that the suspect is currently facing several charges of rape, house robbery, business robbery, attempted murder, and several counts of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

“He is expected to appear before the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday,” said Funani.

Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, applauded the police involved and members of the community for their concerted efforts that resulted in the arrest, which he said will bring down levels of rape in the affected areas.

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