28 February 2025 – The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) said it welcomed the appointment of the interim board of directors, which was announced on 27 February 2025, by the government. The agency said this significant development marks a new chapter in the journey of the company as it works towards achieving excellence and delivering in accordance with the expectations of its customers.
SITA’s acting Managing Director, Gopal Reddy said the interim board brings a wealth of experience and expertise from both the ICT industry and other sectors. Reddy said this will be instrumental in guiding SITA through this transitional period.
“We are confident that their leadership will provide the strategic direction and governance needed to steer the company towards sustainable growth and improved performance.
“The newly appointed non-executive directors that form the interim board are Ms Sedzani Mudau (Chairperson), Mr Willie Vukela (DPSA representative), Mr Willie Mathebula (National Treasury representative), Adv Johannes Collen Weapond and Mr Omega Shelembe (Department of Communication and Digital Technologies),” he said.
Reddy further said, executive directors will form part of the board complement. He added that SITA is committed to working collaboratively with the interim board to address the challenges the company faces and to seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
“With the interim board in place, this marks a step towards restoring governance and to focus among other things, on urgent and priority business decisions.
“All SITA teams will support the interim board and contribute towards the long-term success and resilience of the company,” said Reddy.
He said they would like to extend their gratitude to all stakeholders, including employees, customers, and partners, for their continued support and trust in SITA. Reddy said as they embark on this new journey, they remain dedicated to upholding their core values that include accountability, integrity, and customer centricity in all that we do.
“SITA believes that with the interim board’s guidance and the collective efforts of everyone, the company will emerge stronger and more capable of delivering outstanding results for all our stakeholders,” he said.
Picture: A man arrested for a series of crimes/Generic
By BAKANG MOKOTO
28 February 2025- A man (22) was from Khalankomo village in the Eastern Cape, appeared in the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court on multiple serious charges. The accused, Ayanda Nombebe, is facing six counts of murder, five counts of possession of unlicensed firearms, two counts of attempted murder of police officials, conspiracy to commit robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of ammunition, and possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana said it is alleged that on 24 February 2025, the police received a tip-off about a planned cash-in-transit robbery at Attlyn Mall in Atteridgeville. Mahanjana said acting on the tip-off, the police arrived at the mall, spotted two motor vehicles that would supposedly be involved in the robbery and began to follow them as they were heading to Laudium.
“While driving on Military Road in Laudium, police attempted to stop the vehicles, but the suspects refused to comply. They instead sped off and began to shoot at the police vehicle.
“After driving a few meters, the vehicles stopped, and seven suspects came out. Thereafter, a shootout between the suspects and the police ensued resulting in six suspects dying on the scene,” she said.
Mahanjana further said, during the shootout, the accused allegedly fled to a nearby house, where he was found and arrested. She added that further investigations revealed that one of the vehicles used in the attempted robbery had been reported stolen in Clayville.
“In court, the matter was postponed to 5 March 2025, for bail investigations, while the accused remains in custody,” said Mahanjana.
Michael Harry Lomas awaits the outcome of his bail application in a high-profile Eskom fraud case, with a ruling expected on March 17, 2025. Picture: IOL
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
28 February 2025- The Johannesburg High Court postponed the bail application by Michael Harry Lomas to 17 March 2025 for judgement. Both the state and Lomas’ attorney completed their heads of argument, and the state argued strongly against the granting of bail.
The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson, Henry Mamothame said the state argued that Lomas is a flight and suicide risk based on the reports by two psychiatrists sourced by him in the United Kingdom (UK) during his extradition hearing, wherein they declared him to be a suicide risk. Mamothame said furthermore, the state made reference to how he left South Africa through Namibia to the UK in March 2018, possibly knowing that investigations were conducted on the Kusile matter.
“Lomas and 11 others are facing 65 counts of corruption relating to the R1,4 billion that was meant for the construction of Eskom’s Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga,” he said.
28 February 2025- A man sentenced to seven years imprisonment for theft of a motor vehicle. On 28 December 2022, a case of theft of a motor vehicle was registered in Upington, involving a Toyota Land Cruiser worth R400 000.
According to ZF Mgcawu District police spokesperson, Sergeant Omphile Masegela, the accused, Anthony Rees (39), rented the vehicle from a 4×4 Rental company and never returned it. Masegela said the investigating officer followed all the leads and it was discovered that the suspect took the vehicle to Botswana, and returned to South Africa without it.
“A warrant of arrest was issued for his arrest, and the suspect was circulated as wanted. During 2023, the investigating officer was informed that the suspect was arrested in Pretoria on another case.
“Rees was later transferred to Upington Correctional Service and he was charged for theft of motor vehicle. On 26 February 2025, he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for theft of motor vehicle,” he said.
Masegela further said Rees will serve this sentence combined with the seven years imprisonment for the possession of stolen vehicle in Pretoria Correctional Service, which he already started. He added that the stolen Toyota Land Cruiser was recovered in Zimbabwe and will be transported back for handing over.
Meanwhile, the ZF Mgcawu District Police Management, commended the excellent investigation by Warrant Officer Nicolaas Van Zyl of Upington Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit that led to the incarceration of the accused.
Picture: The police engaging with community members/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
28 February 2025- The police in Northern Cape, together with the Northern Cape Gambling and Liquor Board, took the services to the community, with pop up stalls and a mobile Community Service Centre (CSC) at the four-way intersection in Homelite/Galeshewe in Kimberley on Friday.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Kock said the CSC assisted the community with the reporting of crime, certification of documents, and affidavits. Kock said service delivery was also promoted via a motorcade rendering engagements with the community.
“The pamphlets communicating safety hints were distributed by the men and women in blue. The community was educated about crime and the dangers of over-indulging in alcohol and gambling.
“The engagement was spearheaded by the Provincial Head for Proactive Policing, Brigadier Irene Kopeledi and supported by the Provincial Head for Corporate Communication, Brigadier Mashay Gamieldien and other SAPS components including, Provincial Inspectorate, Firearms, Liquor and Second Hand-Goods (FLASH) unit,” he said.
Kock further said the police also conducted marketing for the upcoming Provincial Sports is our Future tournament to be held in Kimberley on 6 March 2024.
Picture: One of the tuckshops across the country/Generic
By BAKANG MOKOTO
28 February 2025- Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affair (COGTA), Velenkosi Hlabisa said in the address to the nation on 15 November 2024, following the deaths of children due to food-borne illnesses, amongst measures adopted by the government, President Ramaphosa outlined a key compliance intervention on the regulation of spaza shops.
Hlabisa said as a government, they understand the concerns raised by some stakeholders regarding the registration deadline for spaza shops. He added, however, it must be noted that this was set to address the urgent need to ensure compliance with health and safety standards following the tragic incidents of food-borne illnesses.
“Registration ensures that all spaza shops meet minimum standards, regardless of their past operations. In considering whether or not to extend the registration deadline, the government considers its commitment to supporting small businesses, prioritising health and safety, ensuring inclusivity and fairness and maintaining its integrity.
“The municipal processes of adopting and adapting the by-laws as gazetted by the Minister of COGTA on 7 November 2024, are highly regulated and need a lot of consultation to complete,” he said.
Hlabisa said prior to the revised deadline of 28 February 2025, the government in all its spheres will continue to implement the action plan to address the crisis of foodborne illnesses and the illicit trade of goods across the country. He said those who have registered their businesses and have duly received their acknowledgement of registration still need to undertake a further process to obtain their trading licenses.
“For this process, Environmental Health Practitioners and other regulatory authorities will still inspect owners of registered food-related trading businesses to ensure that their businesses are eligible to trade.
“Notwithstanding the holiday scaling down of operations, municipalities must still reserve capacity to assist those who will be registering. We also urge business owners to continue with their registration process within their respective municipalities and not wait until the next registration deadline,” said Hlabisa.
He said it is essential to explain that the end of this period does not mean that the process is over. Hlabisa said a lot still needs to happen for those who have registered their businesses and others who still need to do so.
“As the multidisciplinary team dealing with this outbreak, we will continue our efforts to ensure that all food handling facilities, including manufacturers comply with business and health regulatory requirements.
“We need to explain that we are dealing with two distinct processes. The first process is business compliance, where you need to register the spaza shops or any food handling business. The second process is compliance with health regulations,” he said.
Hlabisa said this process does not depend on whether you are registered or not. He said if you do not comply with the health regulations, the business is closed down immediately.
“So far, 1041 spaza shops have already been closed. We are aware of some who have encountered obstacles not of their own making, preventing them from complying with the 21-day registration period.
“We would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have taken the time to register their businesses. This was an essential step in ensuring that these businesses uphold the dignity and protect the human lives of the public they serve from which they derive their livelihoods,” said Hlabisa.
Meanwhile, the North West MEC for Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi said: “They are appealing to the owners of tuck shops and food handling outlets to make sure that they register their businesses before the end of business today. The 28 February is the last day for registration of tuck shops.
“Through different municipalities, the province has received 8968 registration applications and 6579 were from foreign nationals. More than 4045 compliance inspections were conducted throughout the province and 273 businesses were found to be non-compliant.”
Molapisi said out of 273 businesses, 73 were shut down because they had no Certificate of Acceptance for food business, unhygienic conditions with evidence of cockroach infestations and spoiled food. He said this includes structural violations of owners sleeping inside the shops with poor ventilation and illegal business operation without a permit.
28 February 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa said while Government of National Unity (GNU) parties may differ, they are all pulling in the same direction. Last week, the annual Budget Speech by the Minister of Finance was postponed for the first time in the democratic history.
Ramaphosa said the cabinet decided to postpone the presentation of the budget to allow further discussion on areas of disagreement among parties in the GNU. He further said the budget will now be tabled in Parliament on 12 March 2025.
“The last-minute postponement was unfortunate. It gave rise to concern and uncertainty among South Africans, investors and the financial markets, who look to the Budget for important signals about the state and direction of our economy.
“The budget reflects government’s choices and priorities for the country’s development. Decisions on how to spend public funds have implications for every South African,” said Ramaphosa.
He added that, it is therefore essential that the concerns raised by different parties around the budget are properly addressed, in the interests of accountability, transparency and consensus-building.
Ramaphosa said this is the first time that the budget is being presented by the GNU.
“It is understandable that this new arrangement would require a different approach in some respects. The process of forging agreement among the political parties in the GNU is still work in progress, but we are certainly getting there. Disagreements, contradictions and policy divergence are inherent in governments made up of several political parties.
“It has been more than six months since the formation of the GNU. Despite disagreement between parties on a range of matters, the centre holds. It is a sign of a healthy and robust democracy that such differences may emerge from time to time and be ventilated in public.
Such differences don’t mean that the GNU is in crisis. It means that democracy is working,” he said.
Ramaphosa said a GNU by definition infers consensus-building. He said no one party can impose its will.
“There needs to be thorough deliberation and meaningful engagement.
The decision to postpone the Budget Speech and to continue discussions should engender public confidence in the GNU. It should reassure citizens that despite differences of opinion, we are pulling in the same direction.
“As GNU partners, we will continue working for the South African people. As we have done in the past to overcome differences, we will once again find one another. The events of last week present us with an opportunity to raise the level of understanding among South Africans around the budget and what it means for them,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the considerable public interest around the Budget Speech, including from young people and on social media platforms, was greatly encouraging. Ramaphosa said it is their hope that this sparks a necessary national conversation on how they will fund the national priorities and the trade-offs that will need to be made.
“The reality is that we strive to implement our national priorities in a context of slow growth, limited revenue, high unemployment and a large social wage. The state is simply not able to fund every priority and ambition.
“The critical issue of the public purse must be a subject of discussion and debate not just among political parties, but among all South Africans who aspire to lead lives of dignity,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the social contract between government and the citizenry relies heavily on accountability and transparency. He said these have been features of our budgetary process since the advent of democracy.
“The formation of the GNU was the result of the desire by the South African people that political parties work together to move the country forward. As we continue to do so, we are adapting and strengthening our existing frameworks for cooperation, partnership and building consensus.
“We are learning, we are adjusting to new circumstances and we are moving forward,” said Ramaphosa.
28 February 2025- Instead of further depleting overharvested indigenous plants for medicinal purposes, it might be possible to use the bacteria inside their roots. This would preserve at-risk plants while still allowing access to the medicinal properties associated with them.
A master’s study by Benedict Ndou, a researcher and a PhD candidate at North West University (NWU), has identified a possible way to produce medicine without relying on plants that are at risk of disappearing due to overharvesting. The research focused on bacteria living inside the roots of the elephant root (Elephantorrhiza elephantina), a plant with large, thick roots resembling an elephant’s foot or trunk, used in traditional herbal medicine.
With the growing demand for natural medicines, many plants with medicinal properties are being harvested at unsustainable rates. Ndou’s study examined whether bacteria found inside these plants could produce the same beneficial compounds.
“We looked at bacteria that naturally exist inside the plant and tested whether they produce the same useful compounds as the plant itself,” said Ndou. “This could provide an alternative way to produce medicine without harming plant populations.”
Bacteria halt growth of harmful microbes
Ndou identified several types of bacteria inside the roots of the plant and tested their ability to fight harmful germs. The results showed that extracts from the bacteria stopped the growth of seven different disease-causing microbes. The bacteria also produced substances with antioxidant properties, which help protect cells from damage.
Further testing confirmed that the bacteria produced key compounds used in medicine, including substances known for their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. According to Ndou, this discovery suggests that bacteria could be used as a source of these compounds in the future.
“The bacteria we studied produced the same types of compounds that make the elephant root plant useful in traditional medicine,” said Ndou. “If these bacteria can be used to produce medicine in a laboratory, it could reduce the need to harvest these plants from the wild.”
Roots are the richest in bacteria
The study also found that the plant’s roots contained more of these bacteria than its leaves. This suggests that the underground parts of the plant may be a richer source of beneficial microbes.
“This research is the first to study bacteria inside this specific plant and their potential for medicine production,” said Ndou. “The findings could contribute to new ways of producing natural treatments while protecting plant species from overharvesting.”
The study highlights the role of bacteria in medicine production and raises possibilities for further research on other plants that rely on similar microbes.
Setshwantsho: Modulasetilo wa setlhopha sa kwele ya dinao sa Indomitable Lions FC/Facebook
Ka REGINALD KANYANE
28 Tlhakole 2025- Melaetsa ya matshidiso e tsweletse go goroga kwa lelapeng la ga Seothaeng morago ga go tlhokafala ga morwa wa bone, Archie Seothaeng (50). Seothaeng yo eneng ele modulasetilo wa setlhopha sa Indomitable Lions FC, sa kwa Pudimoe, gaufi le Taung, o tlhokafetse mo kotsing e masisi ya sejanaga mo tseleng ya Koster ga mmogo le Lichtenburg, mo letsatsing la Labobedi.
Go begwa fa sejanaga se Seothaeng aneng a tsamaya ka sone, se ile sa thulana le lori eneng e rwele katakata.
Go ya ka sebueledi sa sepodisi mo Bokone Bophirima, Mokapteine Mpho Manyoba, dipatlisiso di tsweletse mo kgetsing e. Manyoba are dipatlisiso di tla tlhalosa gore tlholo ya kotsi ke eng.
“Ke nnete monna wa dingwaga di le 50 o tlhokafetse mo kotsi ya sejanaga mo letsatsing la Labobedi. Dintlha tshotlhe mabapi le kgetsi e, di tla rebolwa morago ga dipatlisiso,” Manyoba wa tlhalosa.
Kgabagare, morulaganyi wa tonamente ya metsameko, Mothusi Dikwelana are: “Re kwala jaana re le botsamaisi jwa Mothusi Dikwelana Sports Tournament ka mowa o ko tlase re utlwetse botlhoko ko teng. Tsamao ya gago ya tshoganyetso e re amile thata. Seothaeng o tshamikile karolo e tona mo Mothusi Dikwelana Sports Tournament go tloga fela kwa tshimologong.
“One a sa tshabe, ebile a sa itsemeletse go tsaya mogala a ntetsetsa le go neelana ka dikgakololo mabapi le Mothusi Dikwelana Sports Tournament. One a nna teng ngwaga le ngwaga ntle fa fela fa na le ditshwarego. Re latlhegetswe ke motho yo o neng a rata kgwele ya dinao le metshameko ka kakaretso, ebile a le bonolo le boikokobetso.”
Dikwelana are o gopola ngwaga o fetileng fa ba ne ba neela setlhopha sa Indomitable Lions FC kits, Seothaeng one a tshameka le bone are, nnyaa lo tla re bolaisa mmala o mo khibidu. Dikwelana are Seothaeng one a bua seo ka monyebo, mme a bontsha boitumelo.
“One a buile gore ngwaga o jaaka ba sireletsa sejana sa bone lekgetlho la boraro ka tatelano, wa go tla a golegile setlhopa go gaisa. One a buisiwa se ka gore, re ne re mo boleleletse gore re mo batlela ditlhopha tsa kgwele ya dinao tse di diphatsa. A bo a tshega, a amogela dikabo ka lerato a bo a leboga.
“Jannong, jaaka botsamaisi jwa Mothusi Dikwelana Sports Tournament, re are go ba losika le ditsala, botsamaisi, batshamiki, balatedi botlhe ba Indomitable Lions FC, Modimo ke botshabelo, thuso le maatla ka nako ya ditlalelo. Lo gomotsegeleng ruri, ebile re tshepele mo thapelong,” Dikwelana wa tlhalosa.
28 Tlhakole 2025- Monna wa dingwaga di le 50, wa kwa motsesetoropong wa Utlwanang, gaufi le Christina, o solofetswe go tlhagelela kwa kgotlha-tshekelong ya Christiana mabapi le polao. Se se tla morago ga go bonwa ga setopo sa mosadi (47) kwa matlakaleng, gaufi le lebala la metshameko la kwa Chrisitiana.
Go ya ka sebueledi sa sepodisi mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen, setopo sa ga Elizabeth Tukula, se bonwe ke bana fa bane ba tshameka. Van Rooyen are lekau la ga Tukula, le ile la tshwarwa, mme le tlile go tlhagelela kwa kgotlha-tshekelo mo letsatsing la gompieno.
“Setopo sa ga Tukula se bonwe ka Labobedi, fela mokola ene o tshwerwe ka Laboraro. Dipatlisiso di supa fa moswi a kgwageditswe ka terata,” van Rooyen wa tlhalosa.
The Guardian 