Pictures: The three of four accused persons, Phenyo Katong, Katlego Mosimege and Bakang Katong/Facebook
By OBAKENG MAJE
A murder case against four accused persons is ready for trial. The alleged drug lord, Bakang Katong (32), Thabang Lenyai (23) and Katlego Mosimege (31), and Phenyo Katong (34) were arrested more than a year ago for allegedly killing Thabiso Mothibedi (35) in cold blood.
They accused Mothibedi of stealing R20 000 cash and cigarettes worth R600 from Katong’s house in Manthe village, near Taung.
The North West police spokesperson, Capt Sam Tselanyane said the preliminary investigation revealed that on 29 April 2022, the deceased was at Longaneng village in Taung, when the accused fetched and ferried him back to Manthe village.
“Upon arrival, the deceased was allegedly chained to a generator and assaulted. After the assault, the victim was reportedly transported to a local clinic by the accused, however, he was declared dead upon arrival. The accused were arrested and charged with murder,” Tselanyane said.
On 1 May 2022, the community members were up in arms and torched three houses and a bakkie belonging to Katong’s family.
Meanwhile, the court also heard that, there is a letter from the community members requesting that the murder case be transferred to the North West High Court in Mahikeng owing to its nature.
It is alleged that, the state is set to call seven witnesses, while the accused persons will call four witnesses. There were also allegations that, the accused persons intended to plead guilty. However, it is yet unknown if that is still their intention.
The North West province has recorded the country’s highest unemployment figures in the First Quarter of 2023. This comes after the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Stats SA recently. The province recorded the highest year-on-year increase of 7.9% in unemployment numbers and the youth are the most affected group.
However, the North West Premier, Bushy Maape said his government has created 6406 jobs, as well as empowered 792 Small and Medium Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and 484 Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) in the past financial year.
According to Maape, 2060 permanent jobs were created, while 4346 were realised through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
“Recruitment of 3293 EPWP beneficiaries and 540 posts were still advertised across all departments, while 1063 employment opportunities were created through projects allocated to 37 contractors.
“At least 1070 permanent jobs were created in the education sector through EPWP infrastructure posts, ECD, HIV/Aids support workers, graduates and contract posts,” he said.
The ANC Chief Whip in the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL), Lazzy Mokgosi calls for the Youth Enterprise Development (YED) Programme to be upscaled to support young people, who are entrepreneurs in order to unleash their innovation and creativity.
Mokgosi expressed concern about the high level of unemployment particularly among the youth.
“We applaud the recent effort to reach youth in our townships and rural communities through the SA Youth Opportunities Roadshow. This is a brainchild of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator that was hosted recently in Setlagole in collaboration with the Department of Employment and Labour, National Youth Development Agency, Youth Employment Service (YES) South Africa and the Office of the Premier.
“We welcome the rollout of the accelerated service delivery programme aimed at delivering quality public infrastructure while mitigating the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality. We call on the provincial government to intensify partnership with the business sector in order to maximise job creation and defuse the ticking time bomb of youth unemployment,” he said.
Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance (DA) provincial leader and Member of Parliament (MP), Leon Basson said: “Decades of ANC failed governance, corruption, fraud, policy uncertainty, cadre deployment and load shedding has collapsed North West, where basic service delivery is erratic at best.
“This sustained programme of destruction by the ANC has now yielded the fruits of their nefarious labours – mass unemployment of 54% as per the expanded definition, the highest in South Africa.”
Basson further said more people in North West are unemployed than those who have a job. He added that, more than a million persons in North West are now left unemployed, desperate and destitute.
“Only 877 000 individuals have the dignity that comes with having a job, earning a salary, and taking care of their families. This is a socio-economic humanitarian crisis that requires urgent intervention to restore governance, deliver basic services, and attract investment that will result in economic development, growth, and job creation.
“The only hope for those who want to work but can’t find a job is to vote DA in next year’s election. A DA-led government in North West will restore governance, will deliver services, will attract investment that will grow the economy that will create jobs,” said Basson.
Picture: Monnapula Jan “Mabelebele” Williams/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
A 35-YEAR-OLD man affectionately known as Mabelebele, was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a former teacher, Jaqueline Motabogi (67) in Shaleng village, near Taung. The North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen said, in the early hours of the morning on 6 February 2022, Monnapula Jan Williams forcibly gained entry into the house of the deceased.
Van Rooyen further said, Williams forced the kitchen door open and stole a metallic Ford Fortuner and 2 cell phones. She added that Motabogi woke up and went to investigate after she heard a vehicle door opening.
“However, she was shot dead by Williams and the atrocity was reported to the police at Kgomotso Police Station. The accused was traced and arrested on the same day at Laudium. He was not granted bail and remained in custody until he was sentenced on 5 June 2023.
“The case was transferred to the Taung Regional Court. Williams was sentenced to five years imprisonment for housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, 15 years imprisonment for housebreaking with intent to rob and robbery, and life imprisonment for murder,” she said.
Van Rooyen said counts 1 and 2 will run concurrently.
Meanwhile, the acting District Commissioner, Brigadier Tshenolo Tlotleng commended the excellent investigation work done by Warrant Officer Akanyang Pitsonyane.
Picture: Former teacher, the late Jaqueline Motabogi/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
A 35-YEAR-OLD man was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a former teacher, Jaqueline Motabogi (67) in Shaleng village, near Pampierstad. The North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen said, in the early hours of the morning on 6 February 2022, Monnapula Jan Williams forcibly gained entry into the house of the deceased.
Van Rooyen further said, William forced the kitchen door open and stole a metallic Ford Fortuner and 2 cell phones. She added that Motabogi woke up and went to investigate after she heard a vehicle door opening.
“However, she was shot dead by William and the atrocity was reported to the police at Kgomotso Police Station. The accused was traced and arrested on the same day at Laudium. He was not granted bail and remained in custody until he was sentenced on 5 June 2023.
“The case was transferred to the Taung Regional Court. William was sentenced to five years imprisonment for housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, 15 years imprisonment for housebreaking with intent to rob and robbery, and life imprisonment for murder,” she said.
Van Rooyen said counts 1 and 2 will run concurrently.
Meanwhile, the acting District Commissioner, Brigadier Tshenolo Tlotleng commended the excellent investigation work done by Warrant Officer Akanyang Pitsonyane.
Setshwantsho: Motshameki wa maloba wa setlhopha sa Mighty Boys FC, Bakang Katong/Facebook
Ka OBAKENG MAJE
Motshamekapele wa maloba o diphatsa wa setlhopha sa selegae sa Mighty Boys FC, Bakang Katong kwa motseng wa Manthe, gaufi le Taung, o tla itse ka bokamoso jwa gagwe ka di 13 Phokwi 2023. Seno setla morago ga gore mosekisi mo kgetsing e Katong a lebaneng le yone ya petelelo, a kaele le kgotlha fa a tshwanetswe ke go neelwa dingwaga dile lesome kwa kgolegelong.
Go begwa fa Katong (32), yo jaanong eleng rakgwebo, ebile a latofadiwa ka go gweba ka diritibatsi, a ne a betelela lekgarebe lengwe la kwa Buxton ka ngwaga wa 2017. Go begwa fa Katong, yo oneng a tswa kwa Johannesburg ka nako eo, a ne a neelwa lekgarebe leo ke mongwe wa bakgweetsi ba ditekesi 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 ipagololetse mogodu. Gape, 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 pipa-molomo 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 mo kgetsing ya petelelo.
Kgabagare, 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.
Katong gape o lebane le kgetsi ya polao e e diragetseng kwa motseng wa Manthe.
The police officer arrested for theft was granted a R500 bail by the Vryburg Magistrate’s Court. It is alleged that Captain Baile Mokgoro was arrested after he allegedly went to a petrol filling station in the Central Business District (CBD) in Vryburg and filled up a state motor vehicle.
The North West police spokesperson, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said Mokgoro allegedly filled up the state motor vehicle with 40.14 litres of petrol amounting to R926.43. Mokgwabone further said, he also reportedly filled up his private generator with 25 litres worth R577.
“The total amount paid by the state was R1503.45. Subsequent to reporting the incident, the Provincial Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit (ACIU) launched an investigation.
“Mokgoro was arrested and briefly appeared at the Vryburg Magistrate’s Court. His case was postponed until 4 August 2023,” he said.
Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, applauded the ACIU members for their swift reaction, which led to the arrest of the police officer for theft. Kwena added that, the dishonest employees have no space in the South African Police Services (SAPS) and will be dealt with effectively to sound a warning that improper conduct cannot be tolerated.
The Guardian 