Daily Archives: August 27, 2025

‘Irregular’ appointments of four senior managers at Mahikeng Local Municipality

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Picture: The Executive mayor of Mahikeng Local Municipality, Tshepiso Mphehlo

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

27 August 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mahikeng said it will write to the executive mayor of Mahikeng Local Municipality, Tshepiso Mphehlo, to demand clarity on the irregular appointment of four senior managers and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The DA said Mphehlo must explain to council how these appointments came about, why there has been a delay in addressing the matter, and what corrective action will follow.

The DA councillor in Mahikeng Local Municipality, Arista Annandale said this follows after a letter from the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi that was written to the municipality on 25 February 2025. Annandale said the letter outlined the irregularities concerning the appointment of the CFO and senior managers for Public Safety, Corporate Services, Socio-Economic Development and Community Services.

“The appointments, made on 30 January 2025, were not properly disclosed to the council. It has now emerged that the interview and screening process contravened the Municipal Systems Act.

“The DA objected to the appointment of Mahole as the Senior Manager for Corporate Services due to allegations of nepotism and fraud which is under investigation by the Hawks, but was led to believe that the other appointments were above board,” she said.

Annandale further said the fact that these managers were appointed irregularly is not surprising, as it is not the first time that appointments are made in this fashion. She added that they previously objected to several acting senior managers, who were appointed for longer than a three-month period without concurrence from Molapisi, as prescribed by the Municipal Systems Act.

“Our requests for any correspondence between the MEC and the municipality regarding the extension of their terms were contemptuously ignored and subsequently no proof that the MEC was aware of their perceived misconduct was ever presented to Council.

“As the municipality seemingly made no attempt towards corrective measures, we implore Molapisi to take further action to ensure that accountability is enforced. The DA will monitor all further developments,” said Annandale.

Meanwhile, the Mahikeng Local Municipality spokesperson, John Nkoane ignored the Guardian Newspaper media inquiry sent to him three days ago.   

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EWN’s associate editor, Tshidi Madia dies at 42

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Picture: EWN’s associate editor, Tshidi Madia

By OBAKENG MAJE

27 August 2025 – Heartfelt condolences messages continue to pour in after the passing of political journalist and associate editor at EWN, Tshidi Madia (42). In a statement, the Madia’s family said they announce with deep sadness the passing of their daughter and sister, Tshidi Madia.

“Tshidi passed away this morning after a short illness and hospitalisation. She was a respected journalist and loved South Africa deepand devoted her career to telling stories.

“Tshidi brought joy and love to all who knew her and her memory will forever remain in the hearts of her family and friends. The family will share funeral details in due course.”

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, Khusela Diko said she has noted with profound sadness the passing of Madia. Diko said she was described as one of the most respected voices in South African journalism and a jewel in EWN’s crown.

“She was known to be a consummate professional, who worked tirelessly in pursuit of the truth. Madia was also known for her ability to engage with political figures across the political spectrum, asking tough questions while maintaining a professional and respectful demeanour.

“Her work was guided by a commitment to providing the public with a clear and empathetic understanding of how political events affect their daily lives,” she said.

Diko further said Madia’s passing will leave a void in political journalism. She added that they extend the committee’s deep regret to her family, friends and colleagues.

“May her soul rest in eternal peace,” said Diko.

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Committee notes termination of Master of Service agreement between SASSA and Postbank

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By REGINALD KANYANE

27 August 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Social Development said it has noted the termination of the Master Service Agreement (MSA) between the South African Post Office (SAPO) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) at the end of September 2025. The committee said SASSA has informed it that the resources that were allocated to the Postbank for the infrastructure for mobile cash withdrawal services will now be used to roll out its digitisation of its business processes, including the biometric verification of all new grant applications that will commence on 1 September 2025.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Bridget Masango said they have received a briefing from the Minister of Social Development, Sisisi Tolashe, and SASSA today on the termination of the MSA. Masango said Tolashe explained that SASSA entered into a contractual relationship with the SAPO in 2018 after the Constitutional Court ordered the government to terminate the unlawful Cash Paymaster Service (CPS) contract.

“The liquidation of the SAPO in 2023 necessitated the closure of costly cash pay points and over-the-counter services, and the contract was ceded to Postbank.

“In 2019, the South African Reserve Bank limited the Postbank from issuing new bank accounts until it dealt with the replacement of the SASSA gold cards. These were the main elements of the MSA, hence with the withdrawal of these services render the MSA no longer serving its original intent,” she said.

Masango further said Tolashe assured the committee that there will not be any interruptions to the payment of grants as a result of the MSA termination. She added that payments will continue being disbursed through all the banks operating in South Africa, including Post Bank, as it is the current arrangement.

“The main interest of the committee is to ensure that there is no interruption of the payment of grants to the 3 million beneficiaries who bank with Postbank, post the termination of the MSA.

“The committee resolved to conduct an oversight visit to rural communities to assess the impact of the closure of the cash pay points services to grant beneficiaries,” said Masango.

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NCC issues 37 compliance notices to suppliers of foodstuffs

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Picture: NCC issues 37 compliance notices to suppliers of foodstuffs

By AGISANANG SCUFF

27 August 2025- The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has issued Compliance Notices to 37 suppliers in Mpumalanga following inspections that revealed multiple contraventions of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA). The NCC said these inspections were conducted between February and June 2025 to ascertain compliance with the CPA by suppliers of foodstuffs, in particular.

The NCC acting Commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu said during these inspections, they discovered that some suppliers were selling expired, dented and damaged products. Ratshisusu said this including canned foods, beverages, snacks, jam, sauces, maize meal, peanut butter, and frozen items. Several of these goods lacked ingredient lists, had unclear or missing best-before dates.

“In some instances, consumers were denied refunds or exchanges for unsafe and faulty items. These practices violate consumers’ rights to safe, quality goods as outlined in Section 55(2) of the CPA, as well as the right to return unsafe or defective products under Section 56(2).

“The inspections further uncovered suppliers failing to provide complete sales records. In many cases, receipts were only issued when specifically requested and often omitted mandatory details such as the supplier’s name and CIPC registration number, address, VAT number, product descriptions, quantity, unit price, total cost and applicable taxes,” he said.

Ratshisusu further said this conduct is a direct contravention of Section 26(2–3) of the CPA. Ratshisusu added that inspectors noted widespread failure to display prices on products such as canned foods, maize meal and beverages, leaving consumers unable to make informed purchasing decisions.

“This is a contravention of Section 23(3) of the Act, while the sale of unlabelled or misleadingly labelled goods violates 24(1) and 24(2–3).

“Suppliers have been instructed to immediately remove and destroy all expired and damaged stock, to correctly label all goods in line with the CPA and its regulations, to clearly display prices on or near products offered for sale, and to issue complete and accurate sales records for every transaction,” he said.  

Ratshisusu said they are required to comply within 15 business days of receipt of the notices. He said failure to comply will result in referral of the matter to the National Consumer Tribunal, where suppliers may face an administrative fine of up to R1 million or 10% of their annual turnover.

“Together with other regulators, the NCC focused on the Mpumalanga Province as part of efforts to ensure compliance with the CPA during the Consumer Rights awareness period, particularly on food safety.

“Whilst there is general compliance with the CPA, mostly in the formal sector, the NCC identified suppliers that were flouting certain provisions of the CPA, placing consumers at risk,” said Ratshisusu.

He said should affected suppliers fail to comply with these Notices, the NCC will take further appropriate steps.

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Learners’ conduct at Hoer Tegniese Skool in Klerksdorp described as despicable

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Picture: Learners pouring water on a teacher/Screenshot

By BAKANG MOKOTO

27 August 2025- The North West President for the Representative Council of Learners (RCL), Bonginkosi Motaung, who is a Grade 12 learner at Holy Family Secondary School in Mogwase village, near Rustenburg, has strongly condemned the appalling behaviour of learners against their teacher at Hoer Tegniese Skool in Klerksdorp.

Motaung said on 19 August 2025, a group of learners who were dressed in overalls and balaclavas, entered the school toilets and disrupted learning and teaching at the school.

He further said a teacher responded by going to the restroom area to reprimand the learners to return to class. Motaung added that learners ended up pouring water on the teacher and throwing papers at him.

“We strongly condemn the incident. So, on behalf of all learners from the North West, we condemn the appalling behaviour by our fellow learners. We wish to distance ourselves from such learners. This behaviour is extremely unacceptable, and we discourage it from all our schools.

“I wish to convey our sincerest apologies to the affected teacher. As learners of the North West province, we stand with this teacher, and we want him not to be ashamed of himself. We are confident that the Department will take the necessary steps against these learners,” he said.

Motaung emphasized that their position is in line with the one of the North West MEC of Education, Viola Motsumi in calling for the psychosocial support for the affected teacher and the learners.

Meanwhile, The Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) Provincial Interim Committee, Pastor Lesiba Kgwele described the learners’ conduct as despicable, bordering on criminality and barbarism. Kgwele said the level of disrespect, abuse and violence that educators are subjected to on a daily basis has reached unacceptable, alarming proportions causing unimaginable trauma.

“This warrants adoption of zero tolerance and stringent counter measures because not only does such conduct undermine discipline, but a conducive atmosphere for effective learning and teaching particularly at most high schools.

“We commend the swift actions of school authorities assisted by learners to identify the culprits who were involved as well as instituting disciplinary action,” he said.

Kgwele urged education authorities and school communities not to allow schools to be breeding grounds of gangsters and criminality, pointing out that schools are microcosms of communities experiencing moral decay, collapse of family structures and senseless violence. He said this calls for united action as well as intensified effort to reclaim sound family and community values because the adopt-a-cop programme that is supposed to be part of the School Safety & the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QTLC) is in most cases either dysfunctional or overwhelmed by gangsterism, bullying, drug and substance abuse among learners as well as violent crimes that are encroaching into the school environment.

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NWU School of Mines and Mining Engineering set for future success

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Picture: Prof Liezl van Dyk/Supplied    

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

27 August 2025- The NWU’s Faculty of Engineering and Executive Dean, Prof Liezl van Dyk said the North West province of South Africa is sitting on bedrock of riches. Van Dyk said from platinum to chrome, vanadium to gold, the region is among the most mineral-endowed in the world.

She further said yet its communities remain scarred by poverty and unemployment, relics of a resource economy too often divorced from local benefit. Van Dyk added that for a province where mines dominate both the landscape and livelihoods, the need to convert mineral wealth into long-term skills, jobs and technological leadership is a necessity.

“The North West University (NWU) believes it has found part of the answer, a new School of Mines and Mining Engineering. We frame the initiative as both a provincial obligation and a national necessity.

“The NWU School of Mines and Mining Engineering project aligns four strategic priorities. First is our commitment to serving our community and province through relevant meaningful, high-impact engagement,” she said.

Van Dyk said second is to strengthen the faculties of Engineering, and Natural and Agricultural Sciences in areas where they are already leaders, such as minerals beneficiation, environmental and geospatial sciences, and professional programmes in industrial, mechatronic, electromechanical and minerals engineering. She said thirdly is their commitment to contributing to much-needed science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills in South Africa.

“And finally to advance the NWU’s drive towards internationalisation. Through this initiative, we are building strong partnerships with universities across the world, including institutions in Arizona, Chile, Peru, Sweden, Austria, and Australia.

“This is no abstract plan. The first tangible fruits have already appeared: online postgraduate diplomas in Sustainability and Mining began enrolling students in 2025,” said Dyk.

She said by 2027, an undergraduate BSc specialisation in Sustainable Mining will follow. Dyk said in Rustenburg, at the heart of the platinum belt, NWU researchers are already embedded in continuing education and industry projects.

“Parts of our plan are already running: The first students for the new online Post Graduate Diploma Programmes in Sustainability and Mining registered in 2025.

“An undergraduate BSc specialisation in Sustainable Mining will run from 2027. In Rustenburg specifically, we are already engaged in research and continuing education. While several projects are active, our goal is to establish a physical office in Rustenburg by 2026,” she said.

Dyk said the second phase, planned for 2029, will see the establishment of an expanded facility. She said from here, they will offer block classes and hands-on training in engineering, science, business programmes that will serve the mining sector and related industries.

“The ambition stretches further. As phase 3, our ultimate vision for 2032 onward is a Rustenburg satellite campus from where professional engineering programmes, including mining engineering, will be presented.

“The establishment of a satellite campus is a complex process that is dependent on the conclusion of several internal and external processes,” said Dyk.

She said in this regard, the first steps are in progress, which is the development of a comprehensive business case study that accounts, among others, for a market and socio-economic perspective, infrastructure and architectural planning as well as academic programme viability. Dyk said the finalisation of the third phase will be concluded after the confirmation of the necessary higher education governance processes.

“South Africa’s mining industry has long been a paradox. It is globally competitive, technologically sophisticated, yet plagued by labour disputes, environmental damage and uneven social dividends.

“By anchoring education and research within mining communities themselves, the NWU hopes to tilt the balance. The aim is not merely to train engineers but to seed innovation in minerals beneficiation, sustainability, and community upliftment,” she said.

Dyk said if the plan holds, a generation of graduates will emerge equipped not just to work in mines, but to redefine them. She said for a province where unemployment hovers stubbornly high, that could be as valuable as the platinum beneath its soil.

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Vilakazi to lead career exhibition and substance abuse awareness programme in Douglas

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Picture: Northern Cape MEC Social Development, Nontobeko Vilakazi

By REGINALD KANYANE

 27 August 2025- The Northern Cape MEC for Social Development, Nontobeko Vilakazi is expected to lead the Career Exhibition and Substance Abuse Awareness Programme at Bongani Community Hall in Douglas on 28 August 2025. Vilakazi said the programme seeks to empower young people by exposing them to diverse career opportunities and providing guidance on career pathways.

“It will also raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse, which continues to be one of the major social challenges affecting youth in our communities.

 “As part of the programme, there will be various exhibition stalls, including the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), Sol Plaatje University (SPU), and the Premier’s Bursary Fund, among others, to provide valuable information on opportunities available to the youth,” she said.

Vilakazi further said the event will bring together government departments, educational institutions, community organisations, and professionals to offer mentorship, support and practical information to young people.

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Monna wa kwa Magogong o tshwerwe morago ga go latofadiwa ka go bolaya mosadimogolo ka garawe

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Setshwantsho- Monna o latofadiwa ka go bolaya mosadimogolo ka garawe

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

27 Phatwe 2025- Monna wa dingwaga di le 33 o solofetse go tlhagelela kwa kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la kamoso mabapi le polao. Go begwa fa monna o, a ile a bolaya mosadimogolo wa dingwaga di le 77 wa kwa kgaolong ya Dipitsing kwa motseng wa Magogong, gaufi le Taung, ka garawe mo letsatsing la maabane.

Sebueledi sa sepodisi mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen are go begwa fa mmelaelwa a ne a tlhagola fa moswi, Masechaba James a ne a mo kopa gore a se epe mosima mo thoko ga legae la gagwe. Van Rooyen are go begwa fa go ile ga tsoga kgakgauthano magareng ga bobedi jo, mme mmelaelwa a teketa moswi ka garawe go fitlha a tlhokafala.

“Mmelaelwa o ile a tshwarwa, mme o tla tlhagelela kwa kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la kamoso. Ene o lebagane le ditatofatso tsa polao,” van Rooyen wa tlhalosa.

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