Monthly Archives: September 2025

North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi takes legal actions amid explosive WhatsApp messages allegations   

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Picture: The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi

By OBAKENG MAJE

5 September 2025- The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi who is also the ANC deputy provincial chairperson, is alleged to be taking legal action against his detractors as ANC factional battles within the party play out.

This comes after explosive WhatsApp messages making rounds on various social media platforms alleging that he interfered with the appointment processes of the Municipal Manager of Naledi Local Municipality, Modisenyane Segapo by fabricating some evidence.

According to WhatsApp messages that depict and suggest Thabo Appolus’ as the author, alleged that Mokgosi and other three people met with Appolus to fabricate evidence on Segapo’s appointment. Currently, Appolus and others are challenging Segapo’s appointment in court and the matter is now with the Supreme of Appeal Court as the municipality challenged the outcome of the verdict that was in the applicants favour.

The WhatsApp messages read: “Good morning comrade Lazzy, today is 2 April 20225, three years later since you drove from Vryburg to pay me a visit like Nicodemus of the old. While Nicodemus meeting with Jesus Kreste in the middle of the night, your meeting on the day with me catered for three more people, Doreen Mariri, Aobakwe Mathontshi and Boy Sejake.

“Cde Premier, I wish you to know it is with much pain that I write you the reflections of that meeting on the 02nd April 2023. The pain is caused by the fact that you brought me a letter that spoke about Modisenyane Segapo, and this you made clear must never leak because even the then MEC of Cogta, Cde Nono Maloyi does not know about it.”

“Yes, as per your instructionI worked on that letter. Between you and me, of course with those 3 other persons, you have misled Cde Nono Maloyi as the MEC of Cogta hence Naledi is where it is today.

“Fast forward, on the dawn of March2025 you linked up with the EFF Senior Politician and called my lawyer with the intent to have my case jeopardized because of your wish to lure Segapo. To this end I will caution you Premier Lazy Mokgosi, you’re treading on thin ice. Let me bring this to your attention, the case of Segapo will be resolved not as per your wish to further cause confusion and divisions in the NorthWest Province.”

“In fact, as a revolutionary I am duty bound to defend Segapo against you AND that’s what is now going to happen. Kgale o betsa ke thiba, jaanong o thibe.

“Like Martin of old, what is about to happen to me I do not know, and I care less to know. But as the 1946 Youth League informed President General Alfred Xuma, I wish to inform you, you’re not going to be the next ANC Provincial Chairperson. Stay tuned.”

As chickens might be coming home to roost, Mokgosi spokesperson, Sello Tatai said: “Premier Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi has taken note of the allegations made by the Mayor of Naledi Local Municipality, councillor Groep. Mokgosi won’t comment further on this matter as it is sub-judice.”          

Appolus could not be reached for comment as he did not respond to our messages and calls to confirm the eligibility of the WhatsApp messages.

Meanwhile, in the letter written by Professor of African Politics and International Relations, University of Pretoria, Christopher Isike with headlines: Factionalism and corruption could kill the ANC – unless it kills both first and published on May 12, 2019 12.39pm SAST said, the ANC suffers from all these anti-progress traits and must engage them head-on. Isike said this is because the regimental (command-and-obey) culture that drives liberation movements, fosters leadership arrogance, authoritarianism and corruption.

“It also stifles innovation, especially from youth. Growing disenchantment with the government of a ruling party over recurring high levels of corruption represents another reason for the loss of the hegemony,” he said.

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Parliament dispute R50m cost allegations

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By REGINALD KANYANE

5 September 2025- Parliament said it rejects as false and misleading recent media reports suggesting that it is planning to spend R50 million in 2026 on the hiring of venues and broadcasting equipment. The parliament said this allegation is blatantly untrue and cannot be substantiated by any facts or official decisions.

The National Parliament spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo said the parliament clarified during the Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament on Wednesday that the R33,8 million for venue hire and R14,2 million for the hire of audio-visual and broadcasting equipment were merely estimates of potential future costs. Mothapo said these were included only as part of scenarios for consideration by the committee, to enable a comparative analysis of the most cost-effective options available.

“The scenarios and figures were part of options tabled for the committee’s consideration in light of ongoing challenges following the fire at Parliament in 2022 and the rebuilding process still underway

“At no stage did Parliament indicate or resolve that it intends to spend R50 million in 2026 on these items,” he said.

Mothapo further said the resolution taken by the committee was that Parliament should opt for the use of the dome, rather than the option of hiring venues and broadcasting equipment at a projected cost of R48 million. He added that the committee agreed that the dome presented a better and more cost-effective solution, as it requires a once-off amount of approximately R33 million to prepare it for appropriate functionality.

“This option further delivers long-term value because the dome will remain under government ownership and continue to be available for future events beyond the immediate project.

“As both the Department and Parliament do not currently have such a budget, a decision was taken that they will jointly approach the National Treasury for a possible further allocation,” said Mothapo.

He said this would ensure that cost constraints do not impede the ability of MPs to carry out their constitutional functions effectively and without disruption.

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Motshini o ntshang madi o phampholotswe ka bomo

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Setshwantsho: Motshini o ntshang madi o phampholotswe ka bomo

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

5 Lwetse 2025- Sepodisi kwa Reivilo se batlisisa kgetsi ya go thubiwa ga motshini o ntshang madi (ATM). Se, se tla morago ga gore motshini o ntshang madi o thuntsiwe ka bomo ka masa a Laboraro.

Sebueledi sa sepodisi mono Bokone Bophirima, Colonel Adele Myburgh are go tshotswe madi a sa totobadiwang gore ke bokae. Myburgh are motshini o, o kwa garage ya selegae.

“Go fitlha ga jaana ga gona ope o tshwerweng, mme kgetsi ya go phampholola motshini o ntshang madi ka bomo e butswe,” Myburgh wa tlhalosa.

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SAHRC probe water challenges at Phatsima following DA’s formal complaint

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Picture: A resident tries to get water from the tap/Generic

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

5 September 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Rustenburg said it welcomes the visit by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to Phatsima, following its formal complaint about the community’s prolonged lack of access to water. The DA said for far too long, residents of Phatsima have been forced to live under inhumane conditions due to the failure of the Rustenburg Local Municipality and Magalies Water to provide a consistent and reliable water supply.

DA PR councillor in Rustenburg Local Municipality, Nelio Nhacuangue, said this ongoing crisis denies residents their basic constitutional right to water, as guaranteed in Section 27 of the Constitution. Nhacuangue said they have repeatedly raised this matter with both the municipality and Magalies Water, but meaningful action has been minimal.

“It is therefore encouraging that the SAHRC has stepped in to investigate this serious violation of human rights.

“To ensure residents’ voices are heard, the DA caucus in Rustenburg has resolved to conduct an oversight tour, together with its national counterparts, across the Magalies and Rand Water supply areas,” she said.

Nhacuangue further said with the recent site visit, residents have confirmed that the situation has improved. She added that, however, they believe further improvement is possible once the water leaks identified in the area are repaired.

“We have logged these complaints with the Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM) and will follow up within a week. In addition, we will write to the Unit Manager to ensure that the leaks identified are attended to.

“The DA will continue to hold the municipality and water authorities accountable until every resident of Phatsima has access to safe, uninterrupted water,” said Nhacuangue.

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How SA can beat the overtourism trap

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Picture: One of the tourism destinations in SA

By BAKANG MOKOTO

5 September 2025- The Director of the Research Unit Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES) at North West University (NWU), Prof Elmarie Slabbert said man the gates, the tourists are coming. Slabbert said popular European destinations such as Barcelona, Paris and Venice are being laid to siege by an unrelenting influx of tourists, prompting residents to take to the streets in protest, sometimes disruptively so.

She further said it is a tourism meltdown and an untenable situation for those living in the very cities tourists flock to.

“Budget airlines, cheap transport and low-cost accommodation have fuelled this migration headache, and many of the discontented would scoff at the idea of us South Africans celebrating Tourism Month in September.

“But, surely there are lessons to be learned from Europe’s over-tourism dilemma. As popular tourism destinations such as Barcelona and Venice struggle to manage over-tourism, tourist numbers in South Africa are growing steadily,” she said.

Slabbert further said the country welcomed 8.92 million foreign visitors to South Africa in 2024, but has not reached its pre-pandemic number of 10.22 million. She added that tourism is an economic driver in South Africa and although they want to grow tourist numbers, it should not happen at the expense of their natural resources and their people.

“The warning signs should not be ignored. During peak seasons, popular South African tourism destinations such as Kruger National Park and the Garden Route are operating at capacity, but the scale of these visitor numbers is moderate considering the overseas over-tourism phenomenon.

“Over-tourism mostly experienced by residents, leads to protests against tourists who feel they overuse resources, crowd cities, and almost invade residents’ spaces,” said Slabbert.

She said tourist accommodation available in residential areas also brings the tourists into neighbourhoods, which can disturb communities if visitors behave unruly. Slabbert argues that the pressure is felt most acutely by residents.

“In many cases, infrastructure cannot deal with masses of tourists at a specific time and it is the residents who feel the pressure. Food prices increase, moving in one’s own residential and retail areas is challenging, and to some extent, one does not feel welcome in one’s own city or town.

“Residents then protest and scare tourists away, but also send a message to governing bodies that tourism needs to be better managed,” she said.

Slabbert said South Africa, she believes, is not yet at that point, but could reach it unless diversification strategies are deliberately pursued. She said although not currently a major problem in South Africa, tourists should be managed to ensure that they not only visit the hot spots, but also venture into the rural areas where many tourism gems can be found.

“A continuous focus on the same destinations, such as Cape Town, will attract more people to this area, but marketing organisations need to diversify tourism experiences and create more hype about other areas.

“This should be done intentionally so that we do not get to a space of over-tourism. South Africa’s distance from Europe offers a natural buffer, but not a permanent one,” said Slabbert.

She said South Africa is a long-haul destination and thus not easily accessible for tourists from the North. Slabbert said their trips to SA are well planned and structured, but to a large extent focused on the hotspots.

“It is only with the second trip that these tourists move to other areas for different experiences. Access for our visitors from Africa is easier, but they require different experiences, for example, visiting family and friends – again, one should diversify the product to spread our visitors across SA.

“Practical solutions already exist. For tourism products such as national parks, it is easier to manage visitor numbers since they have a quota for day visitors (and a gate),” she said.

Slabbert said these types of strategies contribute to avoiding over-tourism. She said it is even more important to involve local communities so that they directly benefit from tourism, as involvement increases their tolerance levels of tourist numbers.

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A woman sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for fraud and money laundering

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By AGISANANG SCUFF

5 September 2025- A woman (42) was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment or to pay a fine of R100 000 by the Serious Commercial Crimes Court for fraud and money laundering. The accused, Mandy Kelebogile Ntshoe (42) pleaded guilty to the charges.

The Hawks spokesperson in Northern Cape, Warrant Officer Nomthandazo Mnisi said Ntshoe was arrested on 25 March 2021 by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in Kimberley. Mnisi said between January 2011 and December 2016, ghost workers were created at Sol Plaatjie Local Municipality in Kimberley.

“Various bank accounts which belonged to people not employed by the municipality were used by municipal officials to defraud the municipality.

“Investigation revealed that Beauty Kilelo, a convicted and former employee of Sol Plaatjie Local Municipality, had captured and authorised suspicious salary payments. The municipality suffered a loss of R778 864.54 as a result,” she said.

Mnisi further said Kilelo was later relieved of her duties after an internal investigation. She added that during her trial, she implicated other municipal officials in her testimony and that resulted in another docket being opened for further investigation.

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AFU granted order exceeding R13m

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By AGISANANG SCUFF

4 September 2025- The Northern Cape High Court sitting in Kimberley granted the Hawks Priority Crime Specialised Investigation (PCSI) and National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture unit (AFU) forfeiture orders exceeding R13 million on 3 September 2025.

In the first matter, a search warrant was executed around Kleinsee and Port Nolloth area, where several illegal miners were apprehended and later deported to their country of origin. Equipment, which includes 244 generators, 155 jack hammers and 58 drills, were seized for further investigation.

The Hawks spokesperson in Northern Cape, Warrant Officer Nomthandazo Mnisi said the forfeiture order was granted of the equipment, which values at over R13 million. Mnisi said in the second incident, the accused, Mr A Mangongwa (34), was arrested for stock theft.

“The police requested documentation or permits for the possession of the livestock, but the driver could not produce any documentation. His vehicle was taken for further probing. The court granted a forfeiture of the vehicle valued at R200 000.

“In the third related incident, the police received information on the transportation of two suspected stolen sheep. A search and seizure were conducted on the identified vehicle, the stolen sheep, and the vehicle used in commission of crime was confiscated. Mr K Losper (54) was immediately arrested for stock theft,” she said.

Mnisi further said a forfeiture order was granted of the vehicle valued at R170 000.

Meanwhile, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Provincial Head Major General Stephen Mabuela is pleased with the team for their resilience in fighting crime.

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Court rule on IDAC’s favour involving Chetty and co-accused

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Picture: The accused appear in court

By BAKANG MOKOTO

4 September 2025- The Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in Palm Ridge ruled in favour of the NPA’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) for trial to commence on 14 November 2025, as strongly argued by the state prosecutor in a corruption case involving businessman, Kishene Chetty and 17 of his co-accused.

This ruling follows an application by Chetty and some of the co-accused to have the matter postponed pending the outcome of a review application which they intend filing with the high court.

The IDAC spokesperson, Henry Mamothame said this intended review application is subsequent to the high court striking their application to have all their criminal cases wherein they are facing corruption charges to be combined. Mamothame said the magistrate ruled that it would not be in the interest of justices to delay trial on a matter that has been on the court roll for over three years.

“She further indicated that the review application and the trial can run parallel, without imposing any prejudice to some of the accused who are ready to proceed with trial as the state is.

“Chetty together with his co-accused are facing charges of fraud, corruption, forgery and theft relating to payments of legal fees to a firm of attorneys to benefit those who were members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) at the time when they were arrested, for a separate corruption case that is sitting at the Pretoria High Court,” he said.

Mamothame further said proceeds of unlawfully awarded PPE contracts valued at approximately R8 million to companies linked to Chetty, were allegedly used to pay for the gratifications. Chetty together with some of the accused, are facing other criminal charges in four other cases relating to the irregular awarding of contracts within the SAPS.

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Police need your assistance to locate missing John Van Wyk

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Picture: Missing John Van Wyk/Supplied

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

4 September 2025- The Kimberley SAPS Serious and Violent Crimes unit are requesting assistance in locating John Van Wyk (81), who went missing on 1 September 2025. Van Wyk was last seen by his niece at their home in Colville, Kimberley at approximately 9pm.  

The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Kock said Van Wyk has epilepsy and is 1.7 metres tall, dark in complexion, medium build and speaks Afrikaans. Kock said he was dressed in grey top, a dark blue tracksuit pants and was bare feet.

“The public is reminded that there is no waiting period to report a person missing and should report it immediately.

“Anyone with information can call Detective Sergeant Moagi Mokatsane on 082 302 0407 or the SAPS Crime Stop number 08600 10111 or utilize the MySaps app. The investigation continues,” said Kock.

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Preacher jailed for raping his stepdaughter

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By REGINALD KANYANE

4 September 2025- A man (37) was sentenced to four life imprisonment by the Fraserburg Regional Court for rape. This comes after the accused repeatedly sexually abused his stepdaughter (13) between 2017 and 2019.

The Namakwa District police spokesperson, Captain Ivan Magerman said the accused, who served as a preacher in his church, began abusing the victim when she was only 10. Magerman said the abuse continued for several years, during which he threatened to separate the child from her mother if she revealed the crimes.

“At the age of 13, the victim fell pregnant as a result of the abuse. Despite initially pleading not guilty and dismissing four legal representatives during the trial, the overwhelming evidence secured his conviction.

“His application for bail was successfully opposed and denied by the court. This sentence reflects the seriousness of these heinous crimes and serves as a strong deterrent to potential offenders,” he said.

Magerman further said it also demonstrates their unwavering commitment to protecting vulnerable children and ensuring that perpetrators of crimes against minors face the full consequences of the law. He added that management commended the state prosecutor, Derel Bromkamp and Investigating Officer Constable Anthony Willemse, for their dedication and professionalism in securing justice for the victim.

“The SAPS acknowledges the courage of the young survivor and the witnesses who came forward to testify.

“The SAPS, together with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), remains committed to prioritising cases of violence and abuse against women and children,” said Magerman.

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