Picture: Sewer spillage in Ipelegeng Township, near Schweizer Reneke/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

The Democratic Alliance in North West said it has noted the National Treasury’s decision to withhold conditional grant funding from nine municipalities in the province. The DA Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL), Freddy Sonakile said, this is a heavy blow to service delivery in the North West.

The affected municipalities are Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, the City of Matlosana, and the Rustenburg, Moses Kotane, JB Marks, Madibeng, Ratlou, Ditsobotla, and Mamusa Local Municipalities, where they will accumulatively lose R460 million in conditional grant funding.

Sonakile further said, Madibeng is the biggest loser with a cut of R145,408 million, followed by Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati at R119,453 million and Rustenburg at R65,341 million. He added that, the JB Marks and Matlosana are also in the top 5 worst affected municipalities losing R59 million and R26 million respectively.

“The ANC-governed municipalities not only fail to invest in infrastructure development and maintenance but when they receive funding, fail to spend the money on projects it is intended for.

“North West suffers a massive infrastructure backlog, National Treasury’s decision, although understandable, will put additional strain on the already limited cash flow of municipalities, who mostly adopted unfunded budgets,” said Sonakile.

He said the decision has been communicated by the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana to the North West MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Nono Maloyi, and regrettably, it will have far-reaching consequences for infrastructure development, maintenance, and service delivery in the province’s worst performing municipalities.

The chairperson of North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Aaron Motswana said: “What is disheartening is the loss of funds meant for water by the Dr Ruth District Municipality, whereas local municipalities under it are heavily affected by lack of water.

“The report indicates that R119 453 000 of Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) will be lost by Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati alone. Other struggling local municipalities such as Mamusa, Ditsobotla, and Moses Kotane failed to spend Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG)and there is a lack of service delivery in their areas.”

Motswana said the committee encourages Maloyi to ensure accountability in this regard and provide progress on consequence management to them. He said it is time that failure to spend grants is characterized as treason against the state and communities in their respective constituencies.

“Whilst Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District is advancing spending on water tankering, it fails to spend money directed to construction and upgrading of water and sanitation treatment plants in their category B municipalities to ensure communities receive water.

“The municipalities are owing huge debts to Eskom and losing the Integrated National Electrification Programme(INEP) and Energy Demand Management Grant that would have assisted in managing and mitigating Eskom debt by municipalities. MEC Maloyi must act on this negligence and dereliction of duties,” said Motswana.

Meanwhile, Maloyi spokesperson, Tumelo Maruping said, Maloyi is indeed aware of the letter because Godongwana wrote to him. Maruping said the National Treasury did make municipalities aware in February about this matter.

“Maloyi had an engagement with all the affected municipalities to discuss recovery plans to assist municipalities to commit this money to service deliverables.

“The information Maloyi received was that all municipalities did submit those recovery plans to the National Treasury, however, according to the Minister’s letters, the plan of nine municipalities in the province could not get approved, hence we are in this situation today,” he said.

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Picture: ANC members during Letsema Cleaning Campaign in Kgomotso village/Supplied  

By OBAKENG MAJE

It is all systems go for most churches across the country to host some successful Easter prayers. Ward 20 councillor, Itumeleng Maribe said they have embarked on the Letsema Cleaning Campaign. 

Maribe said they saw it prudent to take this initiative to various churches ahead of Easter weekend. 

“We embarked on this initiative to clean various churches across our area. This will assist the congregants and pastors to host their Easter prayer sermons in a tidy environment. So, we urge them to continue where we left off by keeping their environment clean at all times.

“This initiative was established a few years ago and as the ruling party, it is essential to work hand-in-hand with members of the religious fraternity. They form an integral part of our society as they assist in tackling socio-economic challenges affecting our people,” he said.

Maribe further said, nation building and achieving social cohesion are some of the most important responsibilities of the ruling party. He added that, this initiative is evidence to re-affirm and recommit to the moral vision and the value system of the society.

AME reverend, Boitumelo Mokoto shared the same sentiments. Mokoto said, it is imperative to work together in the quest of promoting these values among people.

“We are very grateful as the church to have ANC members assisting by cleaning our yard. We will continue to keep our environment clean and we need to continue to work together to ensure that we forge ahead in having a structured society,” he said.

Meanwhile, the North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Sello Lehari, requested all road users to buckle up during the Easter holidays. Lehari said he has ordered traffic law enforcement to strictly apply regulations to reduce road fatalities.

“We have activated the North West Easter Traffic Plans at the Alpha Crossing in Brits. The province came fourth with the lowest number of fatalities in the country during the festive period.

“The same plans that brought down the figures must be applied for this Easter long weekend. What helped us as the province is that we started our operations much earlier during the Transport Month in October and had weekly operations since the middle of November 2022,” he said.

He said, even though they have a shorter period this time, relentless and continuous operations will give them the same if not better results. Lehari said, in total, there had been a 21% reduction of road fatalities in the province as a result of the ever-present law enforcement on the roads.

“Though arterial routes such as N4, N12, N14, and N18 carry the bulk of the traffic, there is a growing trend of horrific accidents in rural areas. Montshioa in Mafikeng had five fatalities from speeding vehicles and in Taung on N18 road, where the speed limit for both is 60 kilometres per hour.

“We will of course have a presence on all major routes, but we are not going to ignore local roads as recklessness tends to be more there. Most of the accidents had occurred between midnight and 6am in the morning,” said Lehari.

He said as part of the long-term remedial action, law enforcement will be strengthened with the specialised unit to ensure compliance with the law. Lehari highlighted that, already his department has procured 26 high-performance vehicles as well as those suitable for rough terrain.

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Picture: ANC MP, Sibusiso Kula in court/Facebook 

By REGINALD KANYANE

The ANC Member of Parliament (MP), Sibusiso Kula was granted a R50 000 bail by the North West High Court on Tuesday. This follow his appeal on the Orkney Magistrate’s Court decision to deny him bail.

Kula (34) is accused of killing his wife, Jennifer Motlhomi (32) at their matrimonial house in Kanana Township, near Orkney on 27 November 2022. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said, Kula’s wife was found murdered 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. However, following thorough investigations by the police, he was linked to the alleged murder and was arrested on 20 January 2023, where he was charged with murder,” Mamothame said.

He further said, the police investigations are still underway and the accused is expected back in court on 17 April 023. Mamothame added that, Judge Andre Peterson ordered Kula to surrender his passports, report twice a day at the nearest police station.

“He was also ordered to provide the investigating officer with his work itinerary and report, if he must move outside his residential jurisdiction. Kula was instructed not to have no direct or indirect contact with his children.

“The investigating officer was further ordered to take the copy of the order to the Orkney clerk of court and have Kula sign it before his release,” he said.

Mamothame said, even though advocate Benny Kalakgosi argued strongly for the state in persuading the court not to grant Kula bail, however, the judgement favoured the accused and the state noted and respect the decision. He said the state will focus on the completion of the investigations in preparation for trial.

Meanwhile, Mamothame said the application has been submitted to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions 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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Setshwantsho: Rrakgwebo wa selegae, Shepherd Mathe

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

Rrakgwebo wa selegae mono Taung, Shepherd Mathe are o tshelela mo letshogong. Seno se tla morago ga gore go tsoge kgakgaruane magareng ga gagwe le tsala ya gagwe ya maloba, Neo Oganne o ebile eleng lepodisi kwa Kimberley kwa porofenseng ya Northern Cape.

Go ya ka Mathe, ene le Oganne, e tlile ya nna ditsala tse di ntshanang se se moinong, mme seo sene sa fetoga morago ga gore Oganne a tsene mo di kamanong tsa marato le mosadi wa gagwe, Refilwe Mathe.

Mathe o latofatsa Oganne ka go mo tshosetsa moo ebileng a mo laetseng fa a tlile go mo bolaya. Mathe are, ene ya re ka 14 Mopitlwe 2023, one a kopana le Oganne kwa Taung Mall, mme one a mo tswalela ka sejanaga sa gagwe sa sepodisi le go mo tlhapaola.

“Ka di 14 Mopitlwe 2023, kene ka letsetswa ke tsala nngwe yame go ka tla go mo thusa kwa Taung Mall, gonne sejanaga sa gagwe sene se na le mathata. E ne ya re go fitlheng gaka koo, kene ka mo kaela fa dithapo tse di dumisang koloi (jumping cables) ke di tlogetse kwa tirong, mme kene ka mo kopa gore re di latele,” Mathe wa tlhalosa.

Mathe are, ka maswabi, ene ya re fa a busetsa sejanaga sa gagwe kwa morago, one a bona Oganne o yo one a kgweetsa sejanaga sa sepodisi a eme mo morago gagwe. O kaile gape fa Oganne a ne a mo tlhapaola.  

“One a nkaela fa a tlile go mpolaya. Ga ke a mo araba, mme re ne ra mo tlogela a tsamaya. Fela morago ga go akantshana le tsala yame, re ne ra dumalana gore re mo sala morago. Maikaelelo a seo, ene ele go tsaya setshwantsho sa dinomoro tsa koloi (registration number) ya gagwe gore re itsise sepodisi.

“Re ne ra mo sala morago go fitlha kwa Extension 7, mme rene ra kgona go tsaya setshwantsho sa koloi ya gagwe. Fela, ene ya re Oganne go lemoga seo, one a re sala morago. One a ntshitse letsogo a supile mo go rona. Ka nako eo, ke ne ke kgweetsa, mme ke sa itse gore, a one a ntshitse sethunya kgotsa ene ele letsogo fela, gonne ke ne ke mo lebeletse mo seiponeng,” Mathe wa tlhalosa.

Are, ene ya re fa ba fitlha gaufi le tulo ya boroba-sogo ya Phoka Guest House, Oganne one a ba thula kwa morago, mme a tsamaya. Mathe are, ba ne ba mo kopa gore a eme gore a tle go bona ditiro tsa gagwe.

“Ka maswabi, o ile a tswelela fela ka leeto la gagwe, mme a ntse are roga ka bo mma rona. Morago ga moo, kene ka letsetsa sepodisi le go ba tlhalosetsa ka se se diragetseng.

“Sepodisi sene sa kopa gore re ye kwa dikantorong tsa bone fa koloi e kgona go tsamaya. Ene ya re go fitlha kwa ga rona, rene ra bula kgetsi,” Mathe wa tlhalosa.

Mathe are, morago ga moo, ba ne ba leba kwa Kimberley go ya go tlalea Oganne kwa tirong ga gagwe. Mathe are ga jaana, o ikutlwa a sa sireletsega gonne Oganne o tsamaya ka sethunya sa gagwe sa tiro, mme sengwe le sengwe se ka diragala.

Oganne ga ka a arabela ma gatwe a, fa Refilwe ene a kaile fa a sa batle go bona leina la gagwe mo lekwalo dikgang la Taung DailyNews.  

Kgabagare, sebueledi sa sepodisi mo Bokone Bophirima, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone o kaile fa kgetsi ya go kgweetsa botlhatswa ga mmogo le matshosetsi e butswe kgatlhanong le Oganne mme dipatlisiso di tsweletse.

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Picture: Some of the people reported missing in North West/Supplied  

By OBAKENG MAJE

Many people continue to go missing in North West and some of them are never found. According to the police statistics, a total number of 1610 persons went missing from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022.

However, only 50% of that number were found thus far. A few years ago, two girls, Rethabile Tshabadira (3) and Matseleng Nteta (7) from Boitumelong Township, near Bloemhof were reported missing after they went to a local tuck-shop to buy sweets.

A few months after they went missing, human bones were found in a shallow grave in the area, and that raised the hopes of their families. However, that was not the case as there was no link between the human bones discovered and the missing children.

Matseleng’s mother, Maria Nteta said then that, they were disappointed after the police informed them about the results.

“We were relieved when we heard that there were bones found in a shallow grave in Bloemhof. We want to bury our children if they are dead and have closure. This tortures us every day without knowing where they might be.

“However, we still urge anyone with information to come forward and ensure that our children are found either dead or alive. We lost hope a long time ago in the police because nothing positive came out of their investigations. It seems they have also hit a dead end. I missed my daughter so much,” she said.

Rethabile’s grandmother, Lenah Tshabadira also shared the same sentiments. Tshabadira accused the police of being incompetent and alleged they have failed them as a family. She blamed the police for not putting up much effort into finding their children.

A year ago, Oratile Mothibi (18) from Modutung village, near Taung went missing after allegedly being kidnapped by an unknown man in the bushes. It is alleged that, Oratile and her siblings aged 11 and 14 respectively, went to Modutung to fetch indigenous vegetables.

Whilst in the veld, an unknown man grabbed her and threatened the boys with a knife when trying to rescue their sister.

Recently, a human skull and bones were discovered in Modimong village along with clothes belonging to the missing elderly woman, Kgalalelo Naledi (79) from Cokonyane village.  

The daughter of Kgalalelo, Patricia Naledi said, they were adamant that, the human skull and bones discovered might belong to their mother, however, they are still waiting for autopsy results.

“We were hopeful when the police made a gruesome discovery in a grazing field almost a month ago. But, we are still in the dark as no one is updating us,” she said.

North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh said: “A total number of 1610 persons were reported missing from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022 and 536 were never found. We do not suspect that there is any syndicate operating here in the province.

“In case of suspicion of syndicates, the DPCI investigates, while individual cases are investigated by detectives. There are awareness activities, where we regularly use various media channels to sensitise communities.”

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Picture: embattled GTLM mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe

By OBAKENG MAJE

The top ten learners who were promised R10 000 and laptops by the embattled Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe alleged that, they have not received anything from the municipality thus far.

One of the beneficiaries, Rethabile Modise said, she has not received anything and that is frustrating. According to Modise, who is now studying at the North West University (NWU) said, she is in need of a laptop and her parents cannot afford one.

“I am furthering my studies at the NWU and I am in need of a laptop. We have not received any money nor laptops from the municipality.    

“No update or whatsoever from the municipality and we do not know what is happening. I will be grateful if the municipality delivers on its promises,” she said.

Gaoraelwe and the municipality spokesperson, Ricky Oliphant dismally failed to respond to our WhatsApp messages and telephone calls regarding this matter before going to print. 

Meanwhile, during the prestigious Mayoral Excellent Awards ceremony held at PH Mooketsi Agricultural College in February 2023, Gaoraelwe said, it was important to assimilate well-deserving learners and the most improved schools across Taung.

“This is the concept from the municipality’s office of the mayor. So, we saw it necessary to reward excellence and recognise the Top 10 learners across Taung. We are even recognising the most improved schools in terms of merits.

“We are doing this necessarily because we want to encourage other schools. Over and above, we believe in education and that’s the whole purpose. This is an annual event and ever since the inception of the new administration, this is for the second time hosting this initiative,” he said.

Gaoraelwe further said the Top 10 learners will receive bursaries, laptops, and printers. He added, apart from that, there were some service providers who partnered with them and 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 the Top 3 learners will receive laptops and printers including R10 000 cash,” said Gaoraelwe. 

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 are now targeting 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.

Tlotlo Kgolobe from PH Mooketsi Agricultural School was recognised as the best performer. Kgolobe received the awards for overall top best performer in Taung, and top best performer for Life Science, Mathematics, and Agriculture Science subjects.

He was followed by a learner from Jerry Mahura High School in Dryharts village, Renaleone Olifant.

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Picture: Learners receive awards during autumn camp/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi has awarded well-deserving learners certificates across the province on 2 April 2023. According to Motsumi, these learners worked hard during the end of the Grade 12 Autumn Camps.

“In the efforts of improving the matric performance, the department held intervention camps with the Grade 12 learners.

“The primary objective is to assist those schools, which have not done well since the beginning of the year. On the arrival of learners in the different camps, they were subjected to write a pre-test to assess them with their challenges in different subjects,” she said.

Motsumi further said, the teachers would treat problematic areas observed from the test. She added that the department intervened immediately at the beginning of the year to help the Class of 2023.

“As the department, we are serious about the issue of improving the results. We want to see our province improve from position five to position one at the end of the year.

“I told all principals and teachers that, this year should be business unusual. We should make the community of North West proud with our results,” said Motsumi.

She was also happy to see the best-performing learners and schools receiving certificates at the end of the camps. Motsumi said, the performance of the learners showed a great improvement in the post-test, unlike when they arrived at the camps.

“Schools should work on the gaps identified at the camps. Principals of the different schools were present during the awarding ceremony to congratulate learners on a good performance,” she said.

The Class of 2022 received 79.8% during the matric results announcement in January 2023, Motsumi said, even though the province received 79.8% and occupied position five, the class of 2022 showed resolute character, tenacity, and resilience.

She lauded the Grade 12 learners for not allowing any external force to derail them.

“It is true that darkest nights produce brightest stars. You prevailed over the stark realities stemming from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown restrictions.

“We also experienced load-shedding, inclement weather, floods, and community service delivery protests that could have easily taken you off the rails of achieving your academic goals,” said Motsumi.

She said, even though there are challenges, her department is a system on the rise. Motsumi said to this end, they have invested in the learners.

However, the Democratic Alliance’s Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL) in North West, Winston Rabotapi who is also DA’s provincial spokesperson on Education said, almost 30 000 learners dropped out of school before reaching matric.

“Even though the North West Department of Education recorded 79.8%, the pass rate does not account for the 27,243 learners who dropped out of the school system since Grade 10 in 2020.

“Considering the high drop-out rate, the real matric pass rate in North West is actually 49.2% This means that half of the 71 066 pupils who began Grade 10 in 2020, failed to complete matric,” he said.

 Rabotapi said it is also disappointing to see North West province further drop in its provincial ranking from being in position 4 in 2021 to the 5^th spot in 2022.

“The DA will engage Motsumi to establish a system to account for all learners who drop out of the school system before completing their final matric examinations,” said Rabotapi.

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