Picture: The LGBTQI+ members embark on a peaceful march

By OBAKENG MAJE

The LGBTQI+ members in Taung embarked on a peaceful march to create awareness. The LGBTQI+ chairperson in Taung, Segametsi Dichomi said, they established the organisation to raise their voices against any form of discrimination against the LGBTQI+ community.

“We came together as LGBTQI+ activists to galvanise one another to form one nation. The aim was to fight discrimination and stigma against LGBTQI+ members within our society. So, we encourage our members to come forward as we promise to improve capacity building.

“We hope to achieve the sustainable results from this activity. On the other hand, our organisation realised that there is a prevailing negligence amongst some members of our society, which is a matter of concern. Our mission is to build a society, where every LGBTQI+ individual attains a social well-being, resulting in a high-quality life,” Dichomi said.

She further said, their goal was to deliver high-impact, cost-effective, culturally competent, and capacity-building programs for the LGBTQI+ community, in particular to the youth. Dichomi added that, they also aim to empower LGBTQI+ individuals by sensitising information against HIV/AIDS.

“We assist to improve self-esteem within the LGBTQI+ members and help the youth to engage in self-empowerment and poverty alleviation programs. We encourage and help where possible with skills and academic development,” she said.         

The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) Special Programs Coordinator, Tebogo Morweng said, as the municipality, they support the LGBTQI+ community. Morweng encouraged LGBTQI+ members to come forward and ensure that they are well-represented. 

“What the mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe did after ascending to the office, was to establish the LGBTQI+ forum amongst other things. So, we take this initiative very seriously and there is no way we can neglect the LGBTQI+ community. We want to send a clear message to the community at large to take the LGBTQI+ community seriously without any form of resistance.

“Each and everyone is important in front of God. We encourage LGBTQI+ members across Taung to find one another and spread love. We always encourage people not to work in silos, so that we can achieve the ultimate goal. We are expecting a program of action from the LGBTQI+ community and they must be seen. The Office of the Mayor is their point of entry if they experience any challenges,” he said.

The Health Promoter from the North West Department of Health in Greater Taung Sub-district, Keitumetse Landu said they are here to encourage LGBTQI+ members and the community at large to practice safer sex. Landu said they also educated the LGBTQI+ and community members on how to use condoms.

“As we know, the LGBTQI+ community is not supported enough, so we are here to educate them about different kinds of diseases such as STDs, HIV, and AIDS. We also provided them with lubricants. You’ll understand that dry sex can be risky during sexual intercourse as it exposes participants to diseases due to cuts that might be experienced.   

Meanwhile, Sergeant Kgalalelo Ntlolokwane from Social Crime Prevention unit at Taung Police Station said: “As the South African Police Service (SAPS), we perpetuate any form of discrimination against LGBTQI+ members. We have a great working relationship with the LGBTQI+ community and promote social cohesion.

“Any form of violence against them is condemned. We have not received any complaints or hate crimes against LGBTQI+ members thus far, and we courage our community to continue to create a safer environment for them. We also encourage members from the LGBTQI+ community to report any homophobic sentiment they endure within the community.”

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Picture: EFF ward councillor, the late Tsietsi Mohulatsi/Google

By OBAKENG MAJE

A man from Lesotho has been arrested in connection with the alleged murder of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) ward councillor, Tsietsi Mohulatsi. The Lesotho national, Makintane Kabelo Machete (29) was arrested by the Bojanala Trio Task Team at Bekkersdal in Gauteng Province on 26 June 2023, following an intensive investigation.

North West police spokesperson, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said the preliminary investigation revealed that Mohulatsi was robbed during the incident and his bank card was used to buy clothes at shops in Rustenburg and Pretoria. Mokgwabone further said, as a result, Machete is also facing additional charges of kidnapping, robbery, fraud and contravention of Section 49 (1)(a) of the Immigration Act 2002, (Act No. 13 of 2002).

“At the time of the incident, Mohulatsi was a ward councillor in the Rustenburg Local Municipality. The victim’s lifeless body was found inside his white Nissan Navara bakkie at Freedom Park Informal Settlement between Extension 4 and 5, outside Phokeng Township in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 4 October 2022.

“The victim’s body was spotted by passers-by, who reported the incident to the police. Machete briefly appeared at the Bafokeng Magistrate’s Court in Tlhabane on 28 June 2023. He will remain in custody and his case postponed until 24 August 2023,” he said.

Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena welcomed the arrest of Machete. Kwena applauded the police for following all the leads and worked tirelessly to ensure that the alleged perpetrator is brought to book to face the full might of the law.  

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By MABONI KGABI

Five crafters from the province took part in this year’s Decorex Cape Town to showcase their handmade crafts and explore the international market from 22 to 26 June hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. 

A Re Bopeng Ceramics, Ba Devine, Ketso’Koi Creations, Take No Time Upholstery and Hearfelt participated at the show with support from the North West Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation after being nominated by the Bokone Bophirima Craft and Design Institute (BBCDI) in collaboration with the Department of Small Business Development.

Decorex is a leading design and décor exhibition, which has been in existence for 29 years. The show accords young and old crafters from all spheres of life an opportunity to exhibit their products. It also provides the amateurs in the industry to test the market for the viability of their crafts.

BBCDI Programme Manager for Market Access, Ephraim Dikobe said, through their programmes, which include product development, enterprise development as well as market access, they are able to reach out to as many crafters as possible in the province. Dikobe further said, as the institute, they still need to cover a vast majority particularly who are unable to access information on how to penetrate the market with their crafts.

“Decorex was not the only platform that crafters were afforded an opportunity to showcase their products. South African Retail Chemist Druggists Association (SARCDA) Christmas show, Aardklop and other international shows are some of the shows, where market access remains one key factor for the exhibitors.

“As the institution, our partnership with key stakeholders such as the Department of Small Business Development, Department of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation and the Department of Economic Development in the province, would enable the organisation to achieve the intended purpose of ensuring that we cater for our target audience broadly,” he said.

Dikobe added: “We hope to increase the number of participants at such shows to enable them to gain as much knowledge and understanding as possible, but that is dependent on the work they produce to be able to compete with their counterparts in the industry.”

A crafter, Koketso Sedumedi of Ketso‘Koi Creations from Masutlhe village, outside Mahikeng said, it was her first time at Decorex and though the sales were not impressive, she was grateful for the opportunity. Sedumedi said after engaging and sharing information with some of the crafters at the show, she sees herself in a better position as there is a lot of potential for her products.

“We specialise in calabash making using dried peels. I am now going to focus on developing more products as we have more orders to follow up on from the show. My wish is for the department to assist us grow our business even bigger as there is a need for sustainability.

“The relations we have made will go a long way to assist us to remain in the business for generations to come. I definitely see potential in my product and that motivates me to do more. Collaboration with other prominent crafters is one factor that I would consider,” she said.

Sharlene Mphuloane of Heartfelt, who hails from Moretele village in Bojanala District said she was excited that she was able to make more sales compared to last year’s show. Sharlene said she even got an order of supplying one client with 250 Giraffe key rings.

“I am looking at collaborating with one company, which produces children’s toys and I am hopeful that the partnership would help a great deal. The platforms such as the one provided by SARCDA have opened our minds, in terms of what products to produce and for which market.

“I am thankful for the opportunity now that our product has hit the market. The response we received was overwhelming. My wish is to be afforded an opportunity to gain access into the international market and interact with international producers and suppliers with the know-how,” said Mphuloane.

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Picture: The residents at Blydeville worried about poor service delivery in their area/Generic

By OBAKENG MAJE

North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Nono Maloyi said they will upgrade the YizoYizo Informal Settlement in Rustenburg. Maloyi had a consultative engagement with the residents of Yizo Yizo Informal Settlements at Tlhabane Stadium (Open Space Parking) on 27 June 2023 to map the way forward.

“It is estimated that there might be over a thousand families living in the informal settlement that is located next to the industrial area in Tlhabane Township. The informal settlement was established more than 20 years ago. The department previously relocated over 600 residents to Seralemeng. However, a number of families continued to settle in Yizo Yizo.

“The department is going to resolve the Yizo Yizo situation with the necessary speed it requires due to the living conditions in the area. It’s been years since the people of Yizo Yizo have been living in such dire situations. I will personally monitor progress in the upgrading of this informal settlement,” he said.

Maloyi further said they need to build houses as soon as possible and restore the dignity of these residents because it is a constitutional mandate. He added that the North West Public Works and Roads and Rustenburg Local Municipality have availed land for human settlements development.

“The process must start immediately and young people should be employed to assist with verification of households and beneficiary administration. It is hogwash and absurd that intervention at Yizo Yizo is motivated by electioneering.

“I have been in government not more than a year and part of my key priorities when he assumed duty as the MEC was to ensure that services are delivered in local government. We have also prioritised the unblocking of blocked projects and ensuring that, legible beneficiaries receive habitable homes and the creation of sustainable Human Settlements in the province,” said Maloyi.       

One of the residents, Anna Ditsebe said: “As residents, we have been asking the municipality to intervene and remedy the living conditions in the informal settlement, but to no fruition. So, today’s message was music to our ears and we are more hopeful now that the government is here.

“We will see much improvement in the areas and services will be rendered. We have been staying here for more than 20 years and we are optimistic that we will finally get houses and basic services rendered. It’s been a serious struggle, but now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

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By OBAKENG MAJE

A fraud and corruption case against a man (47) was postponed by the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court to 6 July 2023 for a formal bail application. Labius Metlhabe was arrested for corruption, fraud and impersonating a police officer.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said Metlhabe was arrested in Boitekong Township, near Rustenburg on 23 June 2023 after he allegedly pretended to be an Investigating Officer of a theft case that was opened in September 2022.

According to Mamothame, Metlhabe allegedly called and demanded R3000 from the man, who was implicated in the matter on condition that he (the suspect) ensures that the docket disappears.

“After reporting the matter to the Provincial Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit (ACIU), the suspect was arrested during an undercover operation. A preliminary investigation into the matter revealed that, the suspect is not a police officer. The police are undertaking a verification process for the state to prepare for the bail hearing. Meanwhile, Metlhabe will remain in police custody until his next court appearance,” he said

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Picture: The deputy minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disability, Nokuzola Tolashe along with delegates

By OBAKENG MAJE

Some of Small Micro-Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) owners urge the government, through District Development Model (DDM), to accelerate the provision of service delivery and implementation of developmental projects. One of the SMMEs owners, George Tong said in order for the model to be effective and perform optimally, opportunities should be created.

“We understand that, the objectives of this initiative is to address treble challenges such as poverty, unemployment and inequality in particular amongst women, youth and people living with disabilities. We do have a cooperative that specialises on bakery, farming and road maintenance.

“So, we urge the government to assist us with funding. We understand that, the government cannot assist us from word go with all these projects, but we will welcome any budget based on the needs and aspirations of our people and communities at a local level,” Tong said.

He further said, they will also be grateful if they can be capacitated with the necessary skills and provision of land amounting to at least 10 hectares. Tong added that, their projects aim at creating opportunities for the youth residing in their area by utilising youth development programmes.

An entrepreneur, Tshepiso Jantjies from Jantjies Boerdery said, even though the model is a great initiative, there should be coherence between government departments. Jantjies said, most government departments operate in silos and that is a challenge.

“This can be catastrophic and lead to a lack of planning and implementation. It will impact negatively in monitoring and oversight, which will lead to a non-optimal delivery of services. The rolling out of a new integrated district-based approach in addressing socio-economic challenges should also cater.

“As we speak, we have a high rate of unemployment and the most affected are the youth. We have young people who are indulging in drugs who are dawdling at Taung taxi rank daily. Usually, I call those boys and hired them because they do have good hands to work with. So, I think the government should not overlook them,” he said.

Jantjies said they need to give these boys hope and accommodate them. He said the government has the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)program, where some of these boys can be developed.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disability, Nokuzola Tolashe said: “We visited the area to address key issues that were raised during our previous engagement. This will assist us to understand the differential circumstances in society and also to ensure that the socio-economic empowerment and rights of women, youth and persons with disabilities are mainstreamed across all sectors of society within the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District.

“Furthermore, to advocate empowerment and gender equality for women, youth and persons with disability through capacity building and skills development programmes for them to participate meaningfully in all areas of the economy and the workplace in the district.”

Tolashe said that, president Cyril Ramaphosa has given emphasis to the DDM as a unique form of social compacting that involves all key players in every district and metro space to unlock development and economic opportunities. She said this initiative builds the capacity of the state, where it has been most broken.

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Picture: The accused, Caswell Mthombeni briefly appeared at Mahikeng Magistrate’s Court/Supplied  

By OBAKENG MAJE

A fraud and money laundering case against Caswell Mthombeni (52) was postponed to 27 July 2023 by the Mahikeng Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. In October 2015, Mthombeni was allegedly appointed by the North West Community Safety and Transport Management to help the department in achieving its road safety objectives, which included training unemployed matriculants and empowering accredited driving schools in various pilot areas.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said: “Mthombeni’s duties also included training and developing driving schools and learner drivers. An amount of over R21-million was paid to him for the commencement of the programme. Over 40 driving schools allegedly signed contracts with the accused’s company as beneficiaries of the programme.

“It is further alleged that, these driving schools used their funds to participate in the programme, in anticipation that the accused will compensate them. Mthombeni allegedly failed to honour his contractual agreement with the driving schools and spent the money on himself. As a result, the department incurred losses to the tune of over R21 million.”

Mamothame further said, Mthombeni was arrested by the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation assisted by Priority Crime Specialised Investigation and Tactical Operations Management Section on 26 June 2023 in Pretoria. He added that, Mthombeni was granted a R50 000 bail after appearing in the Mahikeng Magistrate’s Court.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Patrick Mbotho and the Director for Public Prosecutions, Dr Rachel Makhari commended the collaboration between the investigation team and prosecution leading to the arrest of Mthombeni. Makhari and Mbotho vowed to continue working together in clamping down on corruption in the province.

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Setshwantsho: Batshameki ba kwa sekolong sa Sebitloane mo Taung

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

Baithuti ba sekolo sa Sebitloane kwa Taung, ba baneng ba ile go emela sekolo kwa metshamekong e e kgethegileng ya sejana sa lefatshe kwa toropong ya Berlin,  kwa nageng ya Germany ba amogetswe ka boitumelo mo letsatsing la gompieno. Sekolo se ne se ba diretse moletlo-gadi morago ga diphenyo tsa bone.

Setlhopha sa kgwele ya dinao sa basimane, ba fentse metale wa gauta, fa naledi mo motshamekong ya tense, Innocentia Msikinya go tswa kwa motseng wa Manthe, a fentse metale wa selefera le wa gauta. Msikinya are, le fa gone go se bonolo, o itumeletse phenyo ya gagwe.

“Ke itumetse thata fa ke kgone go fenya metale wa selefera le wa gauta. Gone go se bonolo, mme re ile ra kgona go fenya le fa re nnile le dikgwetlho,” Msikinya wa tlhalosa.

Mokaptein wa setlhopha sa kgwele ya dinao se se fentseng metale wa gauta, Kabo Kgomo (22) are, ba tswile mo Afrika Borwa ba ipaakantse go utlwa. Go ya ka Kgomo, se se ileng sa ba rotloetsa go itsotsoropanya ke gore, ba ne ba shebile gore fa gona le setlhopha sengwe sa kgwele ya dinao se se tla nnang lekgatlhego mo go bone, se ba kwadise.

“Ditlhopha dile dintsi di ne di sa dumele gore re tswa kwa Sebitloane Special School ka mokgwa o reneng re tshameka ka teng. Gona le ditlhopha tse di ne di sa tshameke sentle le rona, fela reile ra fenya,” Kgomo wa tlhalosa.

Mogokgo wa sekolo, Boipelo Mmokwa are ba motlotlo jaaka sekolo go bona baithuti ba bone ba dirile matshitshi.

“Rona jaaka botsamaisi jwa sekolo se, ke sa lebale le lekgotlha-tsamaiso la sekolo, re lebogile thata. Ebile, ga ke itse gore ke tla shupa boitumelo jwame jang mo go se se diragetseng. Bana ba, ba ikatisitsi go utlwala le fa ba ne ba sena ditlamelwana tse di maleba.

“Re tsweletse jalo, re ba tshegeditse le fa gone go se bonolo. Fela, re ne re itse gore Modimo o teng o tla re fitlhisa. Bana ba, ga ese ba itshupe jaaka bana ba ba sa itsholelang. Ga se ba tsamye ba latlhegelwe mo metshamekong e. Ba tshamikile kgatlhanong le dinaga tse dinang le bokgoni, fela ba ile ba fenya go ntse fela jalo go fitlhela ba fenya metale wa gauta,” Mmokwa wa tlhalosa.

Gape, o kaile fa ka di 21 Phukwi 2023, ba tlile go direla bana ba moletlo o mo tona. Are, Msikinya le ene o dirile go utlwala le fa a ne a sena ditlabakele tse di lekaneng. Mmokwa are, tona kwa kantorong ya mopresidente, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma yo a ikarabelang mo go bomme, basha ga mmogo le batho ba ba tshelang ka bogwele, o kaile fa bana ba ba tlile go memiwa ke mopresidente wa naga, Cyril Ramaphosa go ya go ja dijo tsa motshegare le ene.

Morulaganyi wa porogerama ya diporojeke tse di kgethegileng kwa kantorong ya ga majoro kwa masepaleng wa selegae wa Greater Taung, Tebogo Morweng are ba motlotlo. Morweng are maikutlo ke a tseisang manya go bona bana ba, batla ka dimetale.

“O tla gopola gore majoro wa rona, Tumisang Gaoraelwe o ile a kaya fa a tlile go tshegetsa sekolo se sa rona sa Sebitloane. Re ile ra nna le tshono ya go etela bana ba pele ga ba leba kwa Berlin kwa Germany le go ba neela mafoko a thotloetso. Jaanong, jaaka motho a ka bua fela are, senampa sa ngwana wa kgosi re se bona mogang bojale bo a loga.

“Jaanong, botsetsi jo rene re bo beile bo fedile, gonne bana ba boile. Re tlhaloganya gore gona le batsadi ba ba ikobonyang ka go nna le bana ba ba tlhokang tshegetso e e kgethegile. Fela, re ikuela go bone gore ba tlise bana bao le bone ba kgone go rebolola talente tsa bone,” Morweng wa tlhalosa.

Kgabagare, Kgosi Lehatshe Mankuroane are bana ba, ba beile naga ya Afrika Borwa ga mmogo le motse wa Taung kwa setlhoweng.

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