Picture: Some of boxes of illicit cigarettes seized/Supplied
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
26 June 2025- The police seized illicit cigarettes worth R2.8 million in a shop at Groblershoop. This comes after members of Upington Border Police received a tip-off on 23 June 2025 regarding illicit cigarettes being sold at a shop in Groblershoop, as well as alleged storage premises, where a load of cigarettes for the mentioned shop was offloaded for storage.
The ZF Mgcawu District Police spokesperson, Sergeant Omphile Masegela said the premises were confirmed through crime intelligence and a search warrant was obtained. Masegela said on 25 June 2025, a buy and bust operation was conducted with the assistance of Upington K9 Unit and Customs.
“Upon searching the said premises, the police discovered
110 master cases, 68 cartons, and 46 packets of cigarettes valued at approximately R2.8 million were seized and handed over to customs for further investigation,” she said.
Picture: Bags of copper cables discovered/Supplied
By BAKANG MOKOTO
26 June 2025 – As part of an inter-provincial cross-border operation, police in the Northern Cape confiscated suspected stolen copper cables valued at approximately R250 000 from a farm, near Kuruman. The operation was conducted on 24 June 2025, at approximately 10:30am, following a tip-off received regarding the presence of suspected stolen copper cable on the premises.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Kock said the SAPS Provincial Second-Hand Goods Office, in collaboration with the Provincial and John Taolo Gaetsewe District Essential Infrastructure Task Teams, MTN, Transnet, and the Second-Hand Goods units from Kuruman and Kathu Police Stations, responded swiftly.
Kock said upon arrival, police allegedly discovered several bags of suspected stolen copper cable valued at approximately R250 000.
“A case of damage to essential infrastructure has been opened. Although no arrests have been made at this stage, police investigations are ongoing. Additionally, the police found more bags containing copper cable estimated at R30 000 in value.
“The day-to-day manager of the premises was issued with a R3 500 fine for contravening the Second-Hand Goods Act, Act 6 of 2009. The operations, conducted between 24 and 26 June 2025 in Kuruman and Kathu, also included compliance inspections at various second-hand goods dealers,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, commended all stakeholders involved for their dedication. She emphasized that the protection of essential infrastructure remains a top priority for the SAPS, and assured that every effort will be made to bring offenders to justice. Otola said the public is urged to report any information relating to similar crimes by contacting SAPS Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or using the MySAPS app.
“All information will be treated with strict confidentiality,” she said.
26 June 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa has removed Andrew Whitfield from his position as the Deputy Minister of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic). Ramaphosa thanked Whitfield for the time he served in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
According to the Presidency, his removal was in accordance with Section 93(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The Presidency has not indicated any intention to conduct a wholesale Cabinet reshuffle.
However, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said it has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Ramaphosa after ‘unjust’ firing of Whitfield.
The DA leader, John Steenhuisen who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) said, yesterday, Ramaphosa put South Africa’s future at stake. Steenhuisen said shortly before cabinet met yesterday, he informed him that, he intends to remove Whitfield as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.
“I requested 24-hours to speak to Whitfield and my party. However, before I could even do so, just three hours later, Whitfield received a letter informing him of his removal. The apparent reason for this sudden and ill-considered decision is that Whitfield did not obtain permission to travel abroad earlier this year.
“But, the facts contradict even this flimsy reasoning. In fact, on 12 February 2025, Whitfield had written to the President requesting permission to travel to the United States, as required by the Ministerial Handbook,” he said.
Steenhuisen further said, ten days later, he had still not received any response from the presidency, and departed on the trip. He added that Whitfield subsequently wrote to the President to apologise if it caused offence.
“Again, he received no response. Then yesterday, months after the incident and without a further word on it, the President unilaterally removed a DA Deputy Minister without even giving his largest coalition partner the courtesy of discussing the issue.
“According to the President’s spokesperson, this move is also not part of a broader reshuffle. There is no other conclusion to be drawn than that this is a calculated political assault on the second-largest party in the governing coalition,” said Steenhuisen.
He said to make matters even worse, this drastic unilateral action appears to be the product of a flagrant double standard. Steenhuisen alleged that, while a DA Deputy Minister is removed for not getting a response to seeking permission to travel, Thembi Simelane remains in cabinet despite being implicated in the VBS looting.
“Nobuhle Nkabane remains in cabinet, despite apparently misleading Parliament over an attempt to deploy corrupt cadres to SETA boards. Serial underperformers, as well as people implicated in state capture, continue to sit around the cabinet table.
“Instead of being summarily fired, Simelane was merely asked to submit a “report” on the allegations against her to the President and moved to another portfolio. In the past, even Ministers who had serious Public Protector findings were merely admonished or had their pay docked,” he said.
Steenhuisen alleged that David Mahlobo is implicated in the most serious corruption by the state capture commission, yet he continues in the position as Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation. He said yet a DA Deputy Minister is dismissed with the flimsiest of excuses.
“The people of South Africa are expected to accept that the likes of Simelane, Nkabane and Mahlobo are protected, while Andrew Whitfield is removed? But perhaps there is something even deeper at play here. Like all DA Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Andrew Whitfield was succeeding at his job.
“He had opposed an attempt to make suspect appointments, he was standing in the way of the looting that will follow from the Transformation Fund – and all of this in a department mired in corruption allegations involving the tender for the National Lottery,” said Steenhuisen.
He said given this flagrant double standard, one is left with no choice but to conclude that hardworking DA Members of the Executive are now being fired for fighting corruption, not for committing corruption. Steenhuisen said DA Ministers and Deputies are said to be good at their jobs, rather than being incompetent.
26 June 2025-The police in Mmabatho are investigating a murder case. This comes after a burnt body of a woman was found in the open field along the Vryhof road, near Mmabatho on 25 June 2025. According to the police, they found the body with pieces of burnt tyres around the neck and waist.
The North West police spokesperson, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said the investigation into the matter continues and the police request anyone with information that can assist in resolving of this mystery to contact the Investigating Officers, Captain Ompolokile Letebele on 082 416 3749 or Sergeant Pitso Kgetsana on 079 8971858. Mokgwabone said the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Stop can be called on 08600 10111.
“Anonymous tip-offs can be communicated via MySAPS App. Information received will be treated with strictest confidentiality,” he said.
Meanwhile, the acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng said he has instructed that a thorough investigation be done following an apparent act of vigilantism. Asaneng warned that acts of vigilantism should not and will not be tolerated lest anarchy and lawlessness are allowed to replace law, order and peaceful co-existence amongst the community.
“Extra judicial killings, regardless of the complaints or allegations of wrongful conduct, threaten the authority of the state and the credibility of the entire criminal justice system to maintain public order and to enforce the law.
“Barbarism and brutality should never be excused, countenanced and be justified under any circumstances and the police must act swiftly and decisively to restore public trust, confidence and respect for the rule of law by all,” concluded Asaneng.
26 Seetebosigo 2025- Lekawana le le latofadiwang ka go tlhaba le go bolaya lekgarebe la gagwe kwa motseng wa Lokgabeng, gaufi le Taung, le tlhotse le atlholetswe botshelo jotlhe kwa kgolegelong ke kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung, morago ga go ipona molato. Mmolai, Simon Molale (22), one a tshwarwa morago ga go tlhaba le go bolaya lekgarebe la gagwe, Tshepiso Medichane (21) ka thipa ka ngwaga wa 2024.
Go ya ka mongwe o boneng ka matlho, Molale, one a tlhabakaka Medichane, mme a tshaba kwa lefelong la tiragalo fa a bona batho. Fela, go begwa fa ba lelapa la gagwe ba ne ba mo tshwara le go mo isa kwa seteisheneng sa sepodisi sa Taung di ura morago ga tiragalo.
Kgabagare, sebueledi sa sepodisi mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen are Molale one a tshwarwa le go latofadiwa ka polao ya ga Medichane.
“Ke nnete molatofadiwa mo kgetsing e ya polao o tshwerwe. Molatofadiwa one a isiwa kwa seteisheneng sa sepodisi ke ba lelapa la gagwe.
“One a na le dikgobalo, mme o ile a amogelwa kwa bookelong jwa selegae. Molatofadiwa o lebagane le kgetsi ya polao, mme thipa e e dirisitsweng go bolaya moswi ene ya fitlhelwa kwa lefelong la tiragalo.”
Picture: North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha
By BAKANG MOKOTO
26 June 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West calls on the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Russell Dial, to summon the North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha, before the committee to report on the plan and progress made in the fight against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in the province.
The DA is concerned over the alarming delay and lack of preparedness demonstrated by MEC Sambatha and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in responding to the confirmed outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in the province.
The DA spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development in the North West Provincial Legislature Jóhni Steenkamp who is also a Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL) said, despite the FMD outbreak being confirmed as early as 16 June 2025, the provincial Joint Operations Centre (JOC) only convened its first meeting on 23 June 2025, more than a week later.
“This unacceptable delay in activating the JOC has put our province’s livestock industry at serious risk, undermined containment efforts, and exposed devastating gaps in provincial biosecurity protocols. This is not just an administrative oversight; this is a failure of leadership.
“Moreover, it has come to our attention through credible sources that farms placed under quarantine were allowed to move livestock without consequence and shockingly, some were quarantined without the department first establishing how many animals were on-site,” he said.
Steenkamp further said clearly the department cannot even perform the most basic functions of record-keeping and enforcement, let alone manage an outbreak. He added that the National Department of Agriculture, under Minister John Steenhuisen, has demonstrated urgency and decisive action in coordinating a national response, including the rollout of over 900 000 vaccine doses and tightening animal movement regulations.
“However, Sambatha continues to fall short in matching that momentum at provincial level. He must be held accountable for the administrative chaos and complacency that have defined his department’s response to this outbreak. The farmers of the North West deserve better.
“The DA demands urgent action and will not sit back while provincial inaction jeopardises the livelihoods of farmers, the provincial economy, and our biosecurity standards,” said Steenkamp.
Meanwhile, the North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha said his department was alerted by a Private Veterinarian, who had visited the farm and saw suspicious signs. Sambatha said the State Veterinarian collected samples, which were sent to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI) to test for the disease.
“Another incident was first detected at an abattoir in Madibeng. The clinical signs of the affected animals were missed at ante-mortem inspection but were detected on the slaughter line during the Meat Inspection process. Tissue samples were sent to the laboratory and the results came back confirming both SAT 2 and SAT 3 types of the virus.
“The unslaughtered animals were escorted back to the farm of origin, a feedlot in Ventersdorp, through a Red Cross permit. Both farms linked to the outbreak have been put under quarantine, prohibiting the movement of animals and animal products,” he said.
Sambatha said his department has identified all the farms that are linked to the Gauteng outbreak and are being sampled for testing to confirm if they are positive or not. He said all such farms have also been put under precautionary quarantine until the test results are back.
Picture: Former MKP Secretary-General, Floyd Shivambu
By BAKANG MOKOTO
26 June 2025- The Director of North West University’s School of Government Studies, Professor Kedibone Phago said the former Secretary-General of uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), Floyd Shivambu’s political ambitions to succeed needs a focused, clearly defined strategy. Phago said Shivambu is enigmatic and erratic, bold and belligerent.
He further said Shivambu walks the line between chaos and command like few other South African politicians do, with both his detractors and supporters asking: What is next for Floyd? Phago added that as has become the norm, Shivambu has recently evoked the ire of yet another of his political homes – the MK Party (MKP) – when he publicly stated his intentions to investigate the possibility of establishing a new political party.
“This followed his removal as Secretary-General of the MKP, accusations that he was planning to oust MKP founder and former president Jacob Zuma, and fallout with Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. All of this came in the wake of his very public stints and spats with the ANC Youth League and his defection from the EFF after serving as its Deputy President.
“Shivambu’s departure from the EFF to join the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP) was unexpected and runs counter-to-conventional political logic. From what we’ve observed, his exit appears to be strategically motivated, not merely by a desire to align with Jacob Zuma, but possibly to undermine Julius Malema’s EFF,” he said.
Phago said in his recent media briefing, Shivambu branded the EFF a ‘cult’ and even after stepping down as MKP’s Secretary-General and declining a Member of Parliament (MP) offer, he chose to maintain his MKP membership. He said that suggests he is keeping his foothold while preparing to launch a new political platform.
“Shivambu’s social media activity implies he is testing the waters for a new party that reflects his ideological leanings. But the barriers to entry in South Africa’s current political arena are formidable: smaller parties often struggle to gain traction or sustain themselves.
“For Shivambu to succeed, he needs a clearly defined ideological positioning and a robust strategy. He is distancing himself from both the EFF and MKP, yet remains firmly on the left. His appeal may lie among disenchanted EFF and MKP supporters, with marginal EFF–ANC crossover,” said Phago.
He said, however, without a solid base, he faces an uphill climb in future elections. Phago said practically speaking, Shivambu might be better served by joining an existing party to consolidate influence – unless he can build a strong voter base that directly challenges.
“Achieving early success in those contests will be critical to any credible bid for 2029. Shivambu is embarking on a perilous political path. His future hinges on whether he can translate ambition into a sustainable alternative. Failure to do so could spell a lasting setback for his career.
“If he continues down the same path as before, he might well be anointed South Africa’s King of Political Chaos. That said, hasn’t he already?”
Picture: One of Orbit College FC fans welcoming them to Betway Premiership
By REGINALD KANYANE
26 June 2025- Congratulatory messages continue to pour in after Orbit College FC’s historical promotion to the Betway Premier Soccer League yesterday. The Mswenko Boys as Orbit College FC is affectionately known, had a hard fought 1-0 win against Cape Town City FC at the packed Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg.
The African National Congress (ANC) in the North West Province has also extended its warmest congratulations to the team on their remarkable achievement. The party said this is a watershed ticket to form part of the South Africa’s Premier Soccer League.
The ANC provincial spokesperson, Tumelo Maruping said Orbit College FC historic victory marks their rise from the Motsepe Foundation League to the Premiership in just two seasons, but also ends the province’s seven-year absence from the division of football’s biggest names. Maruping said this not only marks a moment of immense pride for the people of the North West, but also demonstrates the power of sport in uplifting communities, inspiring youth, and building social cohesion.
“Orbit College FC has become a shining example of dedication, discipline, and resilience, real qualities that reflect the spirit of our province. We commend the club’s management, technical team, players, and supporters for their hard work and unwavering commitment.
“This success speaks volumes about the talent and potential existing in our townships and rural communities when given the necessary support and development opportunities,” he said.
Maruping further said as the ANC, they are proud of the club’s roots in education and youth empowerment. He added that they view this milestone as a testament to the value of investing in grassroots sport.
“Orbit College FC’s promotion reaffirms our belief that North West can become a hub for sporting excellence in South Africa. We urge our government, the private sector and communities to rally behind the team, as they embark on this new and challenging journey in the Betway Premiership,” said Maruping.
He urged the people of North West to stand united in support and ensure that the team continues to flourish and represent the province with dignity and distinction.
Meanwhile, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party Student Movement provincial convenor, Tswellopele Senne shared the same sentiments. Senne said they celebrate the hard work and commitment of both the players and coaching staff, who have made the province proud by competing on the national stage against esteemed teams such as Orlando Pirates FC and Mamelodi Sundowns FC.
“Your victory not only reflects the talent within our region, but serves as an inspiration to young athletes across the North West. We urge local business leaders and entrepreneurs to rally behind the Orbit College FC as they embark on this exciting journey in the PSL.
“Your support can make a significant difference in their preparation and competitiveness at this elite level, fostering a culture of sporting excellence and teamwork throughout our communities,” he said.
Setshwantsho-papiso- Marapo a motho a bonwe kwa nageng
Ka OBAKENG MAJE
26 Seetebosigo 2025- Marapo a motho a bonwe kwa sekgweng kwa motseng wa Kudunkgwane, gaufi le Ganyesa ka di 10 Seetebosigo 2025. Sepodisi se tlhalositse fa se belaela fa marapo ao, a ka tswa ele a lekgarebe le le magareng ga dingwaga di le 20 le 30.
Sebueledi sa sepodisi mono Bokone Bophirima, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone o tlhalositse fa go fitlhetswe meriri e logilweng (plaited braids) gaufi le marapo ao. Mokgwabone are sepodisi se ikuela go mongwe le mongwe o a ka tswang a na le tshedimosetso kgotsa mongwe wa lelapa o timetseng go ka ikgolaganya le mmatlisisi mo kgetsing e, eleng Detective Constable Allen Moyo mo dinomorong tsa mogala eleng 071 423 2669.
The Guardian 