28 August 2025- South Africa has this week joined the rest of the African continent in observing African Traditional Medicine Day to raise awareness about the significant role the traditional medicine plays in improving the health and well-being of people across the continent and beyond.
It is estimated that over 80% of people globally, especially in developing regions use traditional medicine for their primary healthcare needs.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla will on Friday lead the 2025 African Traditional Medicine Day national commemorative event at Moruleng Stadium, in Moruleng village, outside Rustenburg. Phaahla will be accompanied by North West MEC for Health, Sello Lehari, local government and traditional leaders amongst others.
“The event will be observed under the theme: Strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine. In May 2025, the 78th World Health Assembly endorsed the new World Health Organization Global Traditional Medicine strategy 2025-2034 to promote universal access to safe, effective, and people-centered traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine.
“This underscores the deep- rooted cultural significance and accessibility of traditional practices, including herbal medicine and other indigenous therapies in the communities,” he said.
Phaahla further said thus, the commemoration of African Traditional Medicine Day serves as a clarion call to action for governments to strengthen collaboration between science, technology and innovation institutions; traditional health practitioners and the private sector to accelerate research and development, and local manufacturing of traditional medicine-based therapeutics for the health and well-being of Africa’s people.
He added that African Traditional Medicine Day is observed annually on the continent on 31 August to honour the integral role of traditional medicine in the health and welfare of generations of people on the continent.
28 August 2025- The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi has expressed optimism in the upcoming visit of President Cyril Ramaphosa and Cabinet in the province due to be undertaken on 12 September in Rustenburg. Mokgosi said the visit stems from the National Government Programme of Action of 2025, to foster and strengthen Inter-Government Relations to see to the full implementation of the priorities of the Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP-2024-2029).
“As part of addressing challenges of unemployment and poverty, the province recently adopted the Growth and Development Strategy. It is centered on repositioning the provincial economy through its main economic drivers which are mining, agriculture and tourism.
“This includes prioritizing the full functioning of the Bojanala Special Economic Zone. The SEZ which has so far garnered investments commitments of over two hundred billion rand will create close to twenty thousand jobs once granted an operational license,” he said.
Mokgosi further said the SEZ once operational will go a long way in assisting the province address the scourge of unemployment and poverty afflicting our communities. He added that they have met several mining companies since the start of this year and have expressed interest in seeing to it that the SEZ succeeds and achieves its intended objectives.
“In relation to the state of local governance, the province recently launched the fifth phase of the Accelerated Service Delivery Programme-Thuntsha Lerole to assist municipalities address various service delivery challenges impacting their administrative and developmental trajectory.
“Local government is critical towards addressing challenges bedeviling our developmental trajectory. Therefore without proper infrastructure we will not be able to address these challenges hence the Accelerated Service Delivery Programme initiative,” said Mokgosi.
He said they will use this engagement to highlight areas which require support and collaboration from the national government to unlock growth and development initiatives in the province.
28 August 2025- On Friday, the North West Provincial Legislature will host the Women’s Sectoral Parliament under the theme: “Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights for an Equal Future”, at Legislature Auditorium in Mahikeng at 10am.
The North West Provincial Legislature’s objective of the sectoral parliament is to bring together policymakers, civil society, legal experts, community leaders, and young women in a multi-sectoral dialogue aimed at addressing teenage pregnancy, sexual reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and the legal and financial dimensions of the Marriage Bill Amendment in a holistic and impactful way.
The event also aims to create a provincial platform for women to discuss challenges and propose actionable solutions on teenage pregnancy, GBV, and marriage law reforms and promote legal literacy on the Marriage Bill Amendment, ensuring women understand the rights, responsibilities, and financial implications of marriage contracts.
“It further aims to amplify women’s voices by integrating personal testimonies, grassroots activism, and policy perspectives and strengthen advocacy for legislative reforms and programmatic interventions that protect and promote accessibility for sexual reproductive health for women and girls. It also intends to promote collaboration between women parliamentarians, civil society, and government departments for sustained change.
“Topics such as breaking the cycle of teenage pregnancy in the province, family planning and contraceptive access and integrating GBV into economic opportunities through government programmes, including types of marriage contracts, are expected to be discussed during the event.”
Meanwhile, about 200 women from the four districts of the North West Province including representatives from the Office of the Premier, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, Department of Correctional Services, South African Human Rights Commission, South African Police Services will attend the event.
Picture: The North West MEC Sussana Dantjie and acting Executive Mayor Abisai Seleka visit service delivery stalls at Syferbult informal settlement/Supplied
By REGINALD KANYANE
28 August 2025- The North West MEC for Social Development, Sussana Dantjie said scores of residents from Syferbult and surrounding farms heaved a sigh of relief after the province authorities conducted a day-long community outreach in their area. Dantjie said the community outreach, comprising government departments, their entities, and the banking sector, is meant to bring government services directly to residents, especially in vulnerable or remote areas.
She further said it aims to foster dialogue between officials and community members to address local needs and to facilitate access to essential resources such as social grants, healthcare, economic opportunities and essential goods. Dantjie added this, including school uniforms and social relief of distress in the form of food parcels.
“The flagship programme dubbed Re thuse re go thuse reduces the cost and effort for residents to access support, empowers communities through information dissemination, and demonstrates a commitment to person-centred service delivery.
“Re thuse re go thuse community outreach programme as a service delivery machinery aimed at restoring dignity by bringing services to the doorsteps of communities,” she said.
Dantjie said they have mobilised a wide range of government departments and partners to deliver on-site services, including social grant applications, assistance with birth and identity documents, health screenings, social casework and referrals, and more.
She said they hope to bring the same outreach programme to this area again, so that many people from the surrounding farms can access services.
“I vow to return to the area with a similar outreach programme. This high-impact outreach, held in partnership with the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), is designed to bring vital government and social services directly to the community, with a special focus on residents in rural, remote, and underserved areas,” said Dantjie.
Expressing her profound thanks to the authorities, one of the residents, Mirriam Mthimkhulu, who is also the chairperson of the local primary school, said the visit by Dantjie and her entourage had paid dividends. This followed the handover of school uniforms to 58 learners by Dantjie and SASSA as part of the outreach programme.
Meanwhile, situated near Magaliesburg, Syferbult is among the most vulnerable communities in the North West, grappling with entrenched social challenges such as unemployment, poverty, and lack of proper documentation for children and adults alike. The Re thuse re go thuse community outreach programme will reach other parts of the province in the current financial year to unlock service delivery bottlenecks and improve the lives of people.
28 Phatwe 2025- Kgetsi tse pedi tsa go shupa ka sethunya kgatlhanong le monna wa kwa motseng wa Maphoitsile, gaufi le Taung, eleng Thato Gaobuse, mme a itsege thata ka leina la Kaalpens, e buseditswe morago go fitlha kgwedi ya Lwetse a tlhola matsatsi a le 4.
Kaalpens o ile a tshwarwa ka Labobedi mabapi le ditatofatso tsa go shupa ka sethunya. Go begwa fa monna o, e le kgale a batliwa ke sepodisi.
Sebueledi sa sepodisi mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen, o ganne go neelana ka ditlha tse di feletseng gore ditatofatso kgatlhanong le Kaalpens ke tsefe le gore di diragetse kae. Van Rooyen are tshedimosetso eo, e tla ama dipatlisiso tsa sepodisi.
Kgabagare, Kaalpens o tla nama a letile kwa ntlolefitshwana go fitlhelela a boela kwa kgotlhatshekelo.
28 Phatwe 2025- Kgetsi ya go shupa ka sethunya kgatlhanong le monna wa motswakwa, Raji Mohamed Ibro (43) yo e leng moagi wa naga ya kwa Ethiopia, ebile a na le lebenkele kwa motseng wa Longaneng, gaufi le Taung, e o buseditswe morago ke kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung go fitlha Lwetse a tlhola matsatsi a le 4.
Ibro one a tshwarwa le go latofadiwa ka go shupa ka sethunya le go thuntsha. Go begwa fa Ibro a ile a tshosetsa moagi wa kwa Longaneng, Sello Stephen Kokamo (43) ka sethunya le go thuntsa mo moyeng.
Go begwa fa go ile ga tsoga kgakgauthano ya mafoko magareng ga banna ba babedi ba. Ibro o tla nama a letile kwa ntlolefitshwana go fitlhelela a boela kwa kgotlhatshekelo go dira kopo ya beile.
Setshwantsho- Monna o latofadiwa ka go bolaya mosadimogolo ka garawe
Ka OBAKENG MAJE
28 Phatwe 2025- Kgetsi ya polao kgatlhanong le monna wa dingwaga di le 33 wa kwa motseng wa Magogong, gaufi le Taung, e buseditswe morago go fitlha 29 Lwetse 2025. Molatofadiwa, Kagiso Starzen Thipe, o tlhotse a rototse matlho fa pele ga magistrata kwa kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la gompieno mabapi le ditatofatso tsa go bolaya mosadimogolo, Masechaba James (71).
Go begwa fa Thipe a ile a kgemetha le go bolaya James ka garawe ka Labobedi morago ga tlhatlharuane magareng ga bobedi jo.
Sebueledi sa sepodisi mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen are go begwa fa Thipe a ne a tlhagola fa moswi 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 ya mafoko magareng ga bobedi jo, mme Thipe a teketa moswi ka garawe go fitlha a tlhokafala.
“Mmelaelwa o ile a tshwarwa, mme o tlhageletse ka boripana kwa kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la gompieno. Ene o lebagane le kgetsi ya polao,” van Rooyen wa tlhalosa.
Kgabagare, Thipe o tla nama a letile kwa ntlolefitshwana go fitlhelela a boela kgotlhatshekelo.
28 August 2025- A man (35) was sentenced to four years imprisonment or ordered to pay a fine of R100 000 by the Kimberley Serious Commercial Crimes Court for contravention of Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011. The accused, Jason Puso Ndluvu committed the offence during the tax period of 2016 and 2017, while assisting Mohayi & Associates Pty Ltd as tax consultant.
The Hawks spokesperson in Northern Cape, Warrant Officer Nomthandazo Mnisi said Ndluvu made a misrepresentation to South African Revenue Service (SARS) by submitting R1.00 Corporate Income Tax Returns (lTR14) for 2016 period and nil Corporate Income Tax return (ITR14) for 2017 period, while doing tax returns. Mnisi said the fraudulent returns submitted by the accused resulted in SARS suffering potential prejudice estimated at R1 400 000.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations Major General Steven Mabuela, congratulated the investigating and prosecution team for their sterling work.
Picture: Reivilo High School principal, Motsamai Mokgara/Facebook
By OBAKENG MAJE
28 August 2025- The North West Department of Education has made a U-turn on its statement over the suspension of the Reivilo High School principal, Motsamai Mokgara. Previously, the department said it had placed Mokgara under precautionary suspension after he allegedly assaulted a Grade 10 learner, Koketso Manyeke (16).
In a letter, Koketso reminisce her ordeal and said the whole incident was sparked by a commotion that ensued between her and other three learners, Gorataone Jonas, Oratile Ntaolang and Kamogelo Keakwa, after they threw leaves of the tree mixed with sand into her face.
“This happened a few minutes before I was about to write my examination. After my examination, I came across one of the learners who threw sand into my face near the library, and then I confronted her.
“I asked her why she threw the sand into my face, and then she said because she wanted to. That made me upset and we fought. However, the principal passed by driving his vehicle and he stopped,” she said.
Koketso further said that Mokgara then took a belt from one of the AAs, and assaulted her. She added that she tried to explain the situation, but Mokgara did not want to listen.
The wretched mother of the affected learner, Galaletsang Manyeke, said she is disappointed by the behaviour of Mokgara. Galaletsang said: “As a parent, I was called by my daughter saying that the principal assaulted her with a belt because she was in a fight with a fellow learner.
“It is disheartening because the principal only assaulted my daughter. I just wonder what discretion he used to find my daughter at fault alone.”
Manyeke said according to information, Mokgara took a belt from one of the AAs and assaulted her daughter.
“Koketso said she was shocked to see how the principal beat her and she was just standing there crying. She said no one intervened, while she was being assaulted with a belt,” said Manyeke.
She said she wondered why Mokgara decided to assault her daughter without summoning her parents to the school or temporarily suspend her, instead of disciplining her in a form of corporal punishment.
However, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Mphata Molokwane lied and said they are aware that allegations of corporal punishment have been made against the Reivilo High School principal. Molokwane said these allegations have been backed up by written reports.
“These serious claims are currently under disciplinary review and investigation. To protect sensitive information and ensure fairness, all details remain confidential. The principal was placed on precautionary suspension during the inquiry, a step taken to allow the investigation to proceed, not as punishment.
“Once the investigation is complete, the suspension will be lifted, following legal rules to ensure due process and transparency,” he said.
One of our reliable sources informed The Guardian Newspaper that Mokgara was never suspended and was still at the school. Now, Molokwane confessed to The Guardian Newspaper that indeed Mokgara was never suspended.
“Please note that a precautionary suspension is not a disciplinary action. It is implemented when necessary, such as when there are reasonable grounds to believe that investigations may be compromised or interfered with or that evidence may be tampered with in the presence of the individual involved.
“Additionally, any procedures undertaken are strictly based on applicable policies and legislation rather than personal opinions or assumptions. In this regard, the Reivilo HS case was thoroughly investigated and resolved during the school recess period with the participation of the affected parties. Mokgara is not suspended,” he said.
Meanwhile, the statistics show that corporal punishment has a negative impact and can cause both physical and psychological harm and hinder learners’ academic and social development. The report said corporal punishment can lead to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and even increased aggression, while also disrupting the learning environment and potentially causing learners to drop out.
According to the Statistics SA report in 2023, corporal punishment still is being practiced in schools despite the ban. The Abolishing of Corporal Punishment Act, No. 33 of 1997 banned the use of corporal punishment in schools.
“Despite the ban, corporal punishment is still used as a form of discipline more than 20 years later. Of those that reported experiencing violence at school, the most common form of violence experienced was corporal punishment by teachers.
“This is according to a recently released report by Statistics South Africa called Children Series Volume I Children exposed to maltreatment, 2021. In 2019, just over 1 million out of 13 million school-going children aged 5 – 17 years reported that they had experienced some form of violence.”
The report said of those who experienced violence at school, close to 84% experienced corporal punishment by teachers, followed by verbal abuse by teachers (13,7%) and physical violence by teachers (10,6%). Between 2009 and 2019, the percentage of children who experienced verbal abuse by other learners increased by six percentage points from 18,1% in 2009 to 24,1% in 2019.
Picture: Prof Jan de Kock of North West University’s (NWU) Faculty of Engineering/Supplied
By BAKANG MOKOTO
28 August 2025- The North West University (NWU) said South Africa’s municipalities are rediscovering an old habit: generating their own electricity. The university said in a country long dominated by Eskom, the lumbering state utility, the city of eThekwini has announced an ambitious strategy to reduce its reliance on the national grid by 40% by 2030.
Prof Jan de Kock of North West University’s (NWU) Faculty of Engineering said with Eskom’s ageing infrastructure, crippling debt and load-shedding woes, such moves are inevitable. De Kock said yet this raises new dilemmas about who wins and who pays.
“We want to remind South Africans that this is hardly unprecedented. Municipalities generating their own power is nothing new. Even in Potchefstroom, many years ago, we had our own power station at the site of what is now Snowflake. The pendulum has swung, and now it is swinging back again. The attraction is obvious. For municipalities, generating their own power has distinct advantages for residents.
“It particularly enables the municipality to lock in the cost of electricity, which should not increase by much more than the inflation rate. Eskom’s tariffs, by contrast, have consistently risen far above inflation over the past few years. That stability is a clear benefit to local consumers. But every pendulum swing has consequences. What is good for one city may be costly for others,” he said.
De Kock further said the downside is that Eskom loses a major client. He added that the cost of generation is then divided among the remaining customers.
“This means that electricity prices for those customers will rise, as they are left to pick up the shortfall. So, while local residents benefit, the rest of the country is left worse off.”
This is the crux of the matter. Municipal autonomy may stabilise bills in wealthy metros. Still, it risks creating a patchwork system where residents of Johannesburg or Durban reap cheaper, more stable power, while poorer municipalities, which cannot build their own generating capacity, bear higher costs as Eskom seeks to recover revenue from a shrinking customer base.
“Eskom’s troubles will not vanish simply because cities opt to generate themselves. Indeed, decentralisation could make the utility’s financial headaches worse. Yet the politics are inexorable: municipalities will not sit idle while their lights flicker. The pendulum may have swung back, but whether it stabilises – or simply swings again – remains to be seen,” said de Kock.
The Guardian 