Picture: The Meat Brothers Pub

By OBAKENG MAJE

The Meat Brothers Pub in Taung has opened its doors again to the public, exactly 40 days after the mayhem. The most popular joint was shut down after the local businessman and its former owner, Tshwaro Mangwegape, allegedly shot and killed the NWU Soccer Institute player, Undivile “Vilo” Mdi (28), and also injured his childhood friend, Aobakwe Ernest Kokwe (33) in a scuffle on 17 December 2023.

Mdi and Kokwe were among the patrons, who visited The Meat Brothers Pub which was fully packed. According to information, Mdi and Kokwe were part of the group that allegedly misbehaved and gained access forcefully into the joint. Mangwegape was allegedly called and a fight ensued.

He allegedly pulled out a gun and shot at them. Mdi was fatally shot and his friend was rushed to the hospital with terrible gunshot wounds.

The management of Meat Brothers Pub said in a statement: “In light of the recent event that took place at our establishment, we had to keep the gates closed not only because relevant authorities needed to conduct their investigations, but also to give the bereaved and affected families time to deal due to their loss.

“As everyone knows this is an ongoing investigation, we are therefore limited in our comments regarding the incident. We hope that everyone will allow the law to take its course, with that being said, we are in the process of deciding the way forward.” it reads.

It says in the meantime, they will be opening as soon as new management has taken over. Final preparations are being made and further information will be provided on their socials.

However, this has caused an outcry from some sections of society. One of the community leaders in Manokwane village, which is Mdi and Kokwe’s hometown, Kgakololo Koji said those who are planning to open The Meat Brothers Pub are daydreaming. Koji further said they will never allow that to happen until justice prevails.

“Anyone who dares to open The Meat Brothers Pub will be in for it. For now, we have agreed as the community not to vandalise that place, so that it can be safe. We want the owner to answer for his actions and we are sure that, The Meat Brothers Pub will never open its doors again.

“Lastly, we have also written to the North West Liquor Board to officially evoke the license of that pub. So, we have given the North West Liquor Board seven days to respond to our demand. So, we do not know who will open it and how are they going to do it,” he said.

Koji agreed that many people were previously killed in various taverns across Taung, but there was never a boycott. However, he said it was because those people were not killed by the owners of those taverns.

“Yes, it is true that many killings took place in various taverns across Taung. However, the difference is that those who died were not killed by tavern owners. If Mdi was killed by a patron like him, we would not have any problem, but wait for the law to take its course.

“So, we are against the opening of The Meat Brothers Pub because the owner is the one who allegedly brutally took his life,” he added.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

The embattled Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) is expected to be placed under administration. This comes after the municipality has two mayors, chief whips, and municipal speakers.

On 13 December 2023, 26 municipal councillors allegedly convened a special council sitting in the absence of municipal speaker, Grace Moipolai and municipal manager, Andrew Makuapane, where they elected Lerato Babuseng as the new Chief Whip, Kealeboga Seboko as the new municipal speaker and Onkarabile Tong as the new mayor.

The latter accused the former of widespread corruption and maladministration. They alleged that, this has affected the smooth running of the municipality and forced Moipolai to request intervention from Maloyi.

On 16 January 2024, Maloyi had a consultative engagement with all municipal councillors regarding the instability in the municipality.

North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Nono Maloyi met with said the purported election of the political office bearers at the municipality transacted in the proceedings of the impugned council sitting on 23 December 2023 is unlawful.

“We refer with specific emphasis to the meeting of councillors of the GTLM that I convened on 16 January 2024 in the Pudumong Community Hall, near Taung. We wish to further indicate that, the purpose of such a meeting, was for me to facilitate a fact-finding mission against the backdrop of the submission that was made by Moipolai on allegations of continuous instability in the municipality as instigated by some councillors.

“Some of the key issues that have brought about the current stale and of the political governance in the municipality, are related to failure on the part of some councillors to observe the statutory programme of the municipality, particularly in relation to the attendance of council sittings and persistent disregard for rules of order in such sittings, which inevitably lead to council proceedings collapsing and unable to process referred items,” he said.

Maloyi further said it is common cause that councillors brought a petition on 11 December 2023 and based on the 16 January 2024 meeting, there was a purported council meeting convened by some councillors in the absence of the municipal speaker on 13 December 2023, which amongst other items, purportedly resolved that new political office bearers be elected, namely the speaker, mayor and chief whip.

Maloyi added the state of affairs is consistent with the assertion proffered by some of the councillors in attendance at the consultative meeting of 16 January 2024, wherein they hold a view that, the current speaker of the council, the mayor and chief whip are not recognised as the official political office bearers in the municipality.

“In a consultative meeting, a further concession was made that, the only platform that processed the purported election of the three office bearers was the purported council sitting of the 13 December 2023, and that no other legal prescriber process was instituted under such purported election as enjoined by Section 29 and 29 (a) of the Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998.

“We wish to advise councillors that, we have taken the liberty of consulting the relevant provisions of the above-cited legislation to ascertain the implications of the resolution as purportedly made by the council sitting of 13 December 2023 and have discovered that the legal injunction such as Section 29 (1) of the Structure Act, provides that the speaker of the municipality is conferred with an authority to decide as when and how the council meets, however, the discretion is limited by the fact that majority number of councillors may of their own accord, request the speaker to convene a council meeting, which the speaker must convene as requested,” said Maloyi.

He said they hope councillors will appreciate the constitutional, statutory, and ethical duty that they owe to the observance of the rule and the sanctity of being the vanguard of constitutionalism in the Republic of South Africa by doing the right thing.

Now, the North West Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) Head of Department (HoD), Dr Ben Bole is set to meet with municipal employees today at 11am, to introduce Invocation of Section 139 (1) (a).

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Picture: The embattled Greater Taung Local Municipality logo  

Picture: North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi during her oversight visit at Gabonnwe Secondary School/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi has expressed satisfaction with the swift response and commitment shown by the school community at Gabonnwe Secondary School in Madikwe, outside Rustenburg. Motsumi said this comes after the damage caused by severe weather earlier this year.

She further said the school experienced damage to several blocks in the lead-up to the 2024 academic year. However, Motsumi added that, through collaborative efforts, classrooms have been cleared of debris and teaching has resumed.

“We would like to commend the school’s commitment to minimizing learning disruptions and highlight the importance of continued parental involvement in education. We also visited Boikagong Secondary School in Paardekraal, where ongoing roofing repairs were assessed.

“We have directed the department’s infrastructure unit to expedite the project and explore potential partnerships with local mines to accelerate progress. I am encouraged by the dedication of the School Governing Body (SGB), parents, community members, and school management at Gabonnwe,” she said.

Motsumi said, that despite the initial setback, they have prioritized getting teaching and learning back on track and she is pleased with the progress already being made. She said investing in the schools is an investment in the future of the province.

“We are committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure that every learner has access to a safe and conducive learning environment,” said Motsumi.

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