By OBAKENG MAJE

The North West province has officially registered a case of cholera. This comes after a man (50) from Maubane village tested positive for cholera. According to the North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha, the case’s clinical presentation was observed through diarrhoea, vomiting, leg cramps and dehydration.

Sambatha further said, the specimen was then collected on 30 May 2023 at Maubane Clinic and tested at Jubilee Hospital. He added that the results came back positive for cholera and were received on 1 June 2023.

“Even prior to this first case, the Province’s Outbreak Response teams have been established at all levels, province, district and sub-district to tackle the outbreak. Multidisciplinary (EHP, CDC, Information and partners) are already activated on the ground. The response teams are also activated to initiate and strengthen surveillance for all diarrhoea cases.

“There is daily reporting from teams required as a way of motoring the situation. The members of the public are reminded to continue practising personal hygiene, wash their hands thoroughly with water and soap or sanitiser before preparing, handling food or after using bathrooms,” he said.

Sambatha said all people who experience cholera-like symptoms (stomach cramps, diarrhoea, dehydration and vomiting) are urged to present themselves to the nearest health facilities without delays to enable health workers to effectively manage the infection. He said the case finding and contact tracing activities are ongoing, especially in the affected communities.

“The department urges the public not to panic as cholera is preventable and curable. All people who experience cholera symptoms, with or without local or international travel history are advised to visit their nearest health facility. Cholera is a diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

“Individuals generally become ill 12–48 hours after exposure. Some of the common symptoms include diarrhoea, cramps, nausea, vomiting and low-grade fever. Among people who develop symptoms, the majority have mild or moderate symptoms, while a minority develop acute watery diarrhoea with severe dehydration. This can lead to death if left untreated,” said Sambatha.

Meanwhile, Sambatha said, his department ensures continuous awareness and health education engagements from healthcare workers with the communities. He said the department is also pleased that municipalities have committed to implement municipal health services including food control and water quality monitoring, pest and vector control, surveillance and control of communicable diseases excluding immunisation, and air pollution control.

“The municipal health will also ensure compliance enforcement. Water samples will continue to be collected for testing. The department would further urge the public to take extra precautionary measures and maintain proper hand hygiene to curb further outbreaks of Diarrhoeal disease or gastrointestinal infection.

“It was found that the two cases that were initially reported were already allocated to Gauteng as it was clarified by the National Department. This then makes the latest case, the first official one for the province,” said Sambatha.

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

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

Katlholo mo kgetsing ya petelelo kgatlhanong le motshameka-pele wa maloba wa setlhopha sa kgwele ya dinao sa selegae sa Mighty Boys FC kwa motseng wa Manthe, gaufi le Taung ga ya tswelela mo letsatsing la maabane. Seno se tla morago ga gore mmueledi wa ga Bakang Katong yo o bonweng molato mo kgetsing eno, a se iponatse kwa kgotlha-tshekelo ya sedika ya Taung.

Go begwa fa Katong (32), yo jaanong eleng rakgwebo, mme gape a latofadiwa ka go rekisa diritibatsi, 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 leo 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 leno, mme a feleletsa a iphantse ka thobalano le lone kwa ntle ga tumalano. Go kaiwa fa lekgarebe le, lene la kaya fa le nyeleletswe ke madi a kanang ka R2000 mo tiragalong eo.

Kgotlha-tshekelo 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 seno, one a letsetsa lekgarebe le, le go kopana le lone kwa Taung Mall mo letsatsing le le latelang.

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

Fela lekgarebe le, le ne la gana go tsaya madi ao. Kgotlha-tshekelo e utlwile gape fa mmagwe lekgarebe leno, yo eneng 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 magistrata 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 letsatsi la di 6 Seetebosigo 2023, a tlile go ntsha katlholo. Fela, seo gas a direga, mme kgetsi e buseditswe morago go fitlha ka letsatsi la di 12 Seetebosigo 2023.

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 ne a tshwarelwa go gweba ka diritibatsi, mme a duela kotlhao mo dikgetsing dile pedi.

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

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Picture: The acting CEO of Mmabana Foundation, Wessel Morweng/Facebook  

By OBAKENG MAJE

The acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mmabana Foundation, Wessel Morweng said, his stakeholder engagements with artists and local business people in Taung were fruitful. Morweng had a consultative engagement with local business people and artists in preparation for the Taung Cultural Calabash event that is set to take place in September 2023.  

“This is the first of many engagements that our entity will have with various stakeholders. During the meeting, the Mmabana Foundation presented its exciting plan to artists. The Taung Cultural Calabash will feature two main programs that will unfold leading to the main event.

“We will have auditions on 22 and 29 July and the date will be extended to 5 and 12 August 2023. Auditions will be held in various districts across the North West province. This will provide a platform for talented artists to showcase their skills and creativity,” he said.

Morweng further said, the final competition date will be communicated in due course, but the proposed date is on 2 September 2023. He added that the proposed date for the Taung Cultural Calabash main event is 23 to 25 September 2023.

“These festivities will encompass a range of exciting events, including a Kgotla event, music festival, lifestyle market, and theatre productions. The aim is to create a vibrant and inclusive celebration of arts, culture, and creativity. The Main Festival is going to be outsourced to a service provider over a three-year period effective from 2023.

“During the stakeholder engagement, artists had the opportunity to voice their concerns and provide valuable advice regarding the festival plan presented. The Mmabana Foundation actively listened and took these inputs into consideration.

To ensure effective collaboration and inclusivity, a Taung Cultural Calabash committee of relevant stakeholders will be formed,” said Morweng.

He said the committee will play a pivotal role in shaping and organising the festival. Morweng said he is thrilled to witness the North West creative sector coming together to celebrate the Tang Cultural Calabash festival once again.

“Please, stay tuned for more updates and let’s prepare for an unforgettable showcase of talent, diversity, and the rich cultural heritage of our province. Please note that the dates might change, however, that is the proposed plan,” he said.

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Picture: North West MEC for Treasury, Motlalepula Rosho/Supplied  

By OBAKENG MAJE

Most municipalities across South Africa are in a dire state and rely heavily on consultants. This grim picture was painted by the Auditor-General (AG), Tsakani Maluleke during her report last week. Maluleke said out of 257 local municipalities, 38 received unqualified audit outcomes with no findings, 104 received unqualified outcomes with findings, 78 received qualified outcomes with findings, 6 received adverse outcomes with findings, 15 received disclaimers with findings, and 16 were outstanding audits.

The North West MEC for Treasury, Motlalepula Rosho said, in a quest to improve the situation in the province, they will have a consultative engagement with the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Nono Maloyi.

“We will convene a joint session with municipalities in the province on 8 June 2023 at King Gate Hotel in Rustenburg. The aim of the session is to assess the state of affairs in municipalities with regard to issues of governance, financial management, service delivery, infrastructure and local economic development. The session will be attended by the Executive Mayors, Mayors, Municipal Managers and Chief Financial Officers.

“Various municipal support programmes have been implemented. These include the deployment of Provincial Executive Representatives (PER) and Provincial Municipalities Financial Recovery Services teams to assist with the implementation of interim rescue plans and development of the financial recovery plans,” she said.

Rosho further said, the PERs act on behalf of the Executive Council and were placed at Naledi, Tswaing, Madibeng, Ramotshere Moiloa, Ditsobotla, Kgetlengrivier Local Municipalities as well as the Dr Ruth Segomotsi District Municipality to provide strategic leadership and guidance for the implementation Financial Recovery Plans. She added that the PERs have been appointed for a period of three years.

“The technical financial management support to all departments and entities the initiatives targeted to improve the number of departments achieving clean audits in the province is making steady progress and that it has been expanded to include an additional department whilst also targeting public entities.

“Through the Office of the Provincial Accountant General, we shall continue to provide financial management oversight and support to all departments and public entities on accounting, audit, risk management, reviewing of financial statements, and monitoring of the post-audit action plans for improved audit outcomes,” said Rosho.

She said plans are also afoot to establish a call centre, which deals with 30-day payments queries and supply chain management practices complaints. Rosho said the call centre is expected to be operational in the 2024/2025 financial year.

“Notwithstanding the fact that the call centre is not yet operational, provincial treasury continues to monitor the performance of departments on 30-day payments through quarterly reports that are processed through the executive council,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, China Dodovu said: “The briefing by the Auditor General (AG) on municipal audit outcomes presented an opportunity to the members of the committees on cooperative governance to have a deeper and broadened understanding about the financial administration at the municipalities to intensify their oversight role over local government.

“We call on members of the committees to intensify their role to ensure that stability and excellence in municipalities are achieved. The AG told the joint meeting that the timely submission of financial statements and other information for auditing improved from 81% in the previous financial audit cycle to 91% in the 2021/22 financial audit cycle.”

He said Maluleke highlighted that, without proper financial planning, controls, and reporting, municipalities cannot deliver services to the people and account for tax-payers money. Dodovu said the committees also heard that some municipalities use a lot of money to pay consultants, even though little value is derived from their services.

“Consultants are asked to complete daily financial administrative work, which is supposed to be done by municipal officials. According to the AG, municipalities that use consultants are generally those who receive bad audit outcomes, the AG pointed out.

“The AG also blamed poor financial management and a lack of consequences for poor management on the fact that municipal infrastructure grants are spent on salaries. She said the municipal council and the accounting officers are responsible for the lack of accountability in municipalities,” said Dodovu.

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Picture: The North West University principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

The North West University principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka has been appointed as a member of the Nuclear Engineering Advisory Council (NEDAC) at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in the United States of America (USA). The distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Head of the Department at NCSU, Dr Kostadin Ivanov said, with efficient, sustainable solutions needed more than ever to address global energy problems, Tyobeka’s contribution as a nuclear expert will bring a positive impact.

“This is in recognition of his stature and contribution within the nuclear science and engineering community. It is also in acknowledgment of his help and supports to the nuclear engineering department at NCSU in its cooperation activities with different organisations and institutions in South Africa, as well as with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” said Ivanov.

The NEDAC provides observations, advice, feedback, and support to the NCSU’s Department of Nuclear Engineering.

Meanwhile, Tyobeka expressed his gratitude and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that expertise is shared for the betterment of all. He said he is humbled by and very grateful for the opportunity.

“The North Carolina State University’s nuclear engineering program is the third highest ranked of its kind in the United States, which speaks volumes of the esteem it is held in. I will also serve with world-renowned experts from the industry and academic sector, which is fertile ground for the cross-pollination of ideas.

“The appointment also cements the NWU’s standing within the global nuclear community. It shows that we have the skills and expertise to collaborate with institutions of the highest standing globally. It is through the fostering of partnerships like these that we as a university and as a country continue to grow,” he said.

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