8 December 2025- The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) of the NPA, working closely with the State Security Agency (SSA), arrested two former members of the SSA on charges relating to the misappropriation of state funds on 30 November 2025. The suspects subsequently made their first court appearance at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on 1 December 2025, and their matter was postponed to 26 January 2026 for disclosure and a high court date to be secured.
The IDAC spokesperson, Henry Mamothame said two were granted R20 000 bail each with stringent conditions attached. Mamothame said the conditions includes them surrendering their travel documents to the state, not interfering with the state witnesses, reporting to their respective police stations every Friday between 8am and 4pm, and they were prohibited from disposing of their immovable properties.
“Patrick Mshothola, who acted as Project Manager on various projects within the Chief Directorate Special Operations (CDSO) of the then State Security Agency (SSA), together with his co-accused, Thulani Dlomo who held the position of Deputy Director: Counterintelligence within the SSA, are being charged on allegations of theft, fraud, forgery and uttering,” he said.
Picture: Students on rampage at Orbit College in Rustenburg/Generic
By REGINALD KANYANE
8 December 2025- The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in the Bojanala Region calls on the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to open an urgent and transparent investigation into alleged theft of NSFAS funds at Orbit TVET College. The ANCYL Regional Task Team said it condemns any conduct of corruption and maladministration by institutions of higher learning and urges authorities to identify all parties who benefited from the unlawful withdrawals at Orbit TVET College.
ANCYL Bojanala regional coordinator, Pako Mokoua said the RTT strongly condemns student leaders who allow themselves to be manipulated by some institution management members into unlawfully withdrawal of funds meant for financially disadvantaged students instead of genuinely representing student interests. Mokuoa said while this criminal behaviour deserves serious punishment, the Youth League expresses particular concern for a young woman who was reportedly caught in a criminal network that has been perpetuated and orchestrated for a long time by the college administrations involving unauthorised withdrawals.
“ANCYL Bojanala demands a thorough investigation to identify all individuals who have benefited from these unlawful activities. As the league, we are convinced that the young woman is not acting alone, as it is improbable that one person could access public funds undetected without assistance from others in the college’s administrative management.
“Accountability must be enforced at all levels of management. ANC Youth League Bojanala calls on NSFAS to decentralize its services by establishing campus-based offices at every institution of higher learning. Such a step would help prevent the recurrence of these criminal practices, which have long plagued TVET colleges,” he said.
Mokuoa further said the ANC Youth League finds it regrettable that a young woman has become a scapegoat amid these ongoing irregularities. He added that they call on law enforcement authorities to arrest big fishes in this criminal network that has haunted TVET Colleges for a long time.
Picture: Ananias Ndlovu ( Founder – North West Media Awards) Shiela Mabale-Huma (Executive Mayor – Rustenburg Local Municipality) Dr Easy Matjila (Lifetime Archiement Award) Mr Snyman Rankane (Lifetime Archiement Award) Kenny Morolong (Deputy Minister in the Presidency) Louis Jacobs (North West University)/Supplied
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
8 December 2025- SABC News photo-journalist, Jabu oa Afrika won prestigious awards at the North West Media Awards (NWMA) that took place at Rustenburg Civic Centre on Friday. Afrika won Poloko Tau Investigative News Story of the Year award and Journalist of the Year award.
The founder and organiser of the NWMA, Ananias Ndlovu said credible journalism is crucial. Ndlovu said traditional media holds power accountable and ensures transparency.
“The awards were made possible through the support of the North West University (NWU). So, we would like to thank the university for its commitment to media development. Louis Jacobs said the university is committed to uplifting the media sector.
“The North West Media Awards will continue to recognise excellence in journalism, broadcasting, communication and digital media. Special recognition was given to Snyman Rankane and Dr Easy Matjila. The awards were presented by the Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Kenny Morolong, executive mayor of Rustenburg Local Municipality, Shiela Mabale-Huma, and Louis Jacobs from the North West University,” he said.
Ndlovu further said Morolong announced that it is now law that 30% of the government advertising budget will be spent on community media.
Winners
Poloko Tau Investigative News Story of the Year:
Jabu Oa Afrika – SABC
Journalist of the Year:
Jabu Oa Afrika – SABC
Communicator of the Year:
Boitumelo Boweni – Department of Social Development, Dr Kenneth Kaunda District
Community Newspaper of the Year:
Klerksdorp Record
Newsletter of the Year:
Dikgang Tsa Rona – Department of Social Development, Dr Kenneth Kaunda District
Photographer of the Year:
Letlhogonolo Moleah – Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality
Picture: The Chairperson of North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Premier and Finance, Nathan Oliphant
By BAKANG MOKOTO
8 December 2025- On Monday, the North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Premier and Finance will be conducting public hearings on the Division of Revenue Amendment Bill [ B 28 – 2025] and the North West Adjustments Appropriation Bill, 2025 at Moshana Community Hall in Ramotshere Local Municipality near Lehurutshe, Banquet Hall in Potchefstroom in JB Marks Local Municipality, Moretele Municipality Hall in Moretele Local Municipality and Pudumong Community Hall in Greater Taung Local Municipality at 10am.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Nathan Oliphant said Division of Revenue Amendment Bill [B 28 – 2025] seeks to amend the Division of Revenue Act, 2025, in accordance with the Money Bills and Related Matters Act, 2009; and to provide for matters connected therewith. Oliphant said the North West Adjustments Appropriation Bill, 2025 seeks to effect the appropriation of money from the Provincial Revenue Fund for the requirements of the Province in respect of the 2025/26 financial year, and to provide for matters incidental thereto.
“Relevant stakeholders have been invited to attend the public hearings. Members of the public who are unable to attend the public hearing can join through Microsoft Teams virtual platform through clicking on the QR code on the advert of the public hearing shared in all media platforms (including NWPL Facebook Page).
“The public hearings will be streamed live on the North West Provincial Legislature Facebook page,” he said.
8 December 2025- Forty years ago, in 1985, workers from across the country gathered in Durban, now e-Thekwini, to launch the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu). After months of unity talks, 33 unions representing 450 000 workers from different traditions of union organisation came together in one of the more brutal years of apartheid repression.
The inaugural congress was convened by none other than the current President of the country, Cyril Ramaphosa and elected Jay Naidoo as the General Secretary and Elijah Barayi as President. The incoming president called on the apartheid government to end the state of emergency and take the troops out of the township – signalling from the beginning that Cosatu was committed to standing up for workers and the working class beyond shop floor issues.
The ANC Veterans league president, Snuki Zikalala said for its forty years of existence, Cosatu has been faithful to that call. Zikalala said it joined the Tripartite Alliance, on the understanding that the national democratic revolution can only be achieved by the broad unity of the motive forces, with the working class in a leading position.
“Today, Cosatu continues to stand up for workers on the shop floor, the working class and the poor. It takes up issues such as pension reform, the high cost of living, a national minimum wage, and the need for a just transition in the face of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“The unity that was demonstrated at the launch 40 years ago is as much needed today. In the face of global polarisation and the rise of the right, we look towards the progressive trade union movement to demonstrate that workers’ interests do not lie with false promises but solidarity and united action,” he said.
Zikalala further said today, amongst the ranks of the Veterans League, they have many of the founding leaders of the trade union movement, including those from the exiled South African Congress of Trade Unions and the South African Allied Workers Union, whose centre in East London mobilised for one of South Africa’s best remembered consumer boycotts against Wilson Rowntree. He added that they salute all these former trade unionists for their contributions to worker unity and the building of a non-racial, non-sexist South Africa.
Picture: Prof Binu Luke and Prof Molekodi Matsipane from the Faculty of Health Sciences visited the Department of Anatomy at Otago University/Supplied
By PHENYO MOKGOTHU
8 December 2025- Strengthening ties in two fast-growing scientific fields, medicine and space science, was the central focus of high-level engagements at Otago University in New Zealand where the North-West University (NWU) explored opportunities to advance its internationalisation drive. The visit on 28 November brought together academics working in medical training, health research and astrophysics to map out areas where their institutions can work together in coming years.
Founded in 1869, Otago University is New Zealand’s oldest institution of higher learning with more than 21 000 students across several campuses. It is ranked among the top 200 universities globally and is the only institution in New Zealand listed in the global top 20 across several subject areas. Its medical and science faculties are among its most recognised academic strengths.
The Otago University Medical School admits approximately 350 medical students annually and the NWU delegation met with senior academic teams across three campuses – Dunedin, Wellington and Christchurch. In addition to its five-year programme that combines foundational medical sciences with clinical rotations, the school also conducts tuberculosis genomic research through its microbiology and immunology units.
Reflecting on the health science discussions, Prof Luke Binu, extraordinary associate professor in the NWU’s Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, said the engagements created clear academic touchpoints.
“Otago’s medical training structure and its research focus form a strong basis for student mobility, shared teaching and structured academic projects. These areas can support institutional growth on both sides,” he said.
In space science, the NWU’s Centre for Space Research (CSR) met with Prof Florian Beyer, associate dean of Science for Internationalisation, and Prof. Jonathan Squire of the Astrophysical Plasmas and Fluids Group. Their discussions highlighted shared interests in cosmic-ray transport, heliospheric physics, plasma astrophysics and mathematical modelling – all areas that support long-term scientific projects and postgraduate training.
Prof Amare Abebe Gidelew, research director at the CSR, said the meetings would contribute to shaping the NWU’s scientific direction.
“Our research programmes intersect in meaningful ways. Focused postgraduate supervision and joint scientific work can strengthen both our research outputs and our student training pipeline,” he said.
Looking back on the broader tour to Australia and New Zealand by administrators and academics from the NWU, Nontsikelelo Kote-Nkomo, executive director for strategy and strategic projects at the NWU, said the visit offered key lessons for the university’s future.
“A major takeaway was how universities integrate the Aboriginal and Māori communities into their academic systems. We were also struck by the depth of work in astrophysics and astronomy, particularly the modelling, the long-term planning and the scale of their scientific infrastructure.
“There is much we are bringing back. As we move into 2026, we are looking beyond memoranda of understanding and toward practical action,” she said.
8 Sedimonthole 2025- Ba lelapa ba rrakgwebo o a itsegeng mo porofenseng ya Bokone Bophirima yo o bolailweng, Wandile Bozwana, ba butse kgetsi ya go rulaganya polao (conspiracy to commit murder) kgatlhanong le bo rra dipolotiki ba le babedi mono porofenseng ya Bokone Bophirima. Go begwa fa ba lelapa ba latofatsa tonakgolo ya pele ya porofense ya Bokone Bophirima ga mmogo le meiyara wa pele wa Rustenburg, ka go tsaya karolo mo go rulaganyeng polao ya ga Bozwana.
Benedict Bozwana, yo eleng mogoloe Wandile, o boleletse SABCNews gore ba butse kgetsi kgatlhanong le bo rra dipolotiki bano. Benedict are ba tlhaloganya gore go na le batho ba ba tshwerweng ba be ba atlholelwa dingwaga di le 30 kwa kgolegelong mabapi le go bolaya Wandile.
“Fela, batho ba e leng bone ba rulaganyi ba polao, ba sentse ba sasanka le mebila ntle le go tshwarwa. Jaanong, ke utlwile gotwe bangwe ba ba neng ba thapilwe go bolaya Wandile, ba ikemiseditse go ka bua gore ba ne ba romilwe ke bo mang. Fela, go sentse go le thari, gonne ba setse ba atlhotswe,” Bozwana wa tlhalosa.
O mongwe wa ba lelapa, Thabang Kotsedi, are ba tshwere ditlankana tse iseng di batlisisiwe go fitlha ga jaana. Kotsedi are gape ba tshwere bopaki jwa Section 205, jo bo ileng jwa ntshiwa ke mongwe yo eneng e le karolo ya setlhopa se se neng se rulagantswe go ka bolaya Bozwana.
“Setlhopa seo, ke se se tsweletseng go thapiwa mo porofenseng go ka bolaya bo rra dipolotiki ba ba farologaneng. Setlhopa se, ga e sale se le teng go simolola ka ngwaga wa 2012. O tla gopola gore bo rra dipolotiki ba tshwana le bo Moss Phakoe, Happy Serungwane, Kabelo Nonyane le ba bangwe ba ile ba bolawa,” Kotsedi wa tlhalosa.
Ba lelapa ba re go ile ga ntshiwa makwalo a go tshwarwa kgatlhanong le bo rra dipolotiki ba, fela a ile a gogelwa kwa morago ka ntlheng ya go itshona nko ga dipolotiki.
Sebueledi sa sepodisi mono Bokone Bophirima, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone are: “Ke nnete go butswe kgetsi ya go rulaganya polao kgatlhanong le bo rra dipolotiki ba le ba bedi mo porofenseng, mme dipatlisiso di tsweletse.”
Bozwana o ile a thuntsiwa le go bolawa fa o fapoga tsela ya Garsfontein kwa Pretoria. Go begwa fa Bozwana a ne a setswe morago go tloga kwa Sandton.
Bangwe ba dumela fa polao ya ga Bozwana e tlhotlheleditswe ke ntwa magareng ga gagwe le porofense ya Bokone Bophirima mabapi le konteraka ya R30 million.
Kgabagare, mogwebi wa kwa Pretoria, Vusi ‘Khekhe’ Mathibela, Sipho Patrick Hudla, Matamela Robert Mutapa ga mmogo le Bonginkosi Paul Khumalo, ba ile ba tshwarwa le go atlholelwa dingwaga di le 30 kwa kgolegelong mabapi le polao ya ga Bozwana. Ba atlholetswe polao e rulagantswe morago ga go bolaya Bozwana ka ngwaga wa 2015, ga mmogo le maiteko a polao morago ga go thuntsa modiri-mmogo wa ga Bozwana, eleng Mpho Baloyi.
Picture: Bakgaratlhi Ba Ngwao Traditional Group founder and leading vocalist, Tlaleng Refilwe Setlhatsoe/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
8 December 2025- Bakgaratlhi Ba Ngwao Traditional Music Group founder and leading vocalist, Tlaleng Refilwe Setlhatsoe (26) from Tlapeng village, near Pampierstad, said she established the group in 2020, after she was inspired by the rich cultural heritage and passionate individuals who kept the traditions alive. Setlhatsoe said seeing the impact that traditional art had on bringing people together and telling their stories, sparked a desire in her to be part of it and contribute in preserving its history and culture.
She further said their group consists of 12 members and they have released two songs thus far. Setlhatsoe added that they have shared the stage with world renowned artists such as Mmausi Lekoma, Cici,Winnie Mashaba and others.
She said being a lead vocalist comes with responsibilities.
“I always tell our group members to respect their voices as an instrument and immerse themselves in the music community. A blend of technical skill, deep musical knowledge and dedication to the craft over raw talent is necessary to be a great singer.
“As a group, we would like to achieve a platform where we can showcase our rich cultural heritage and traditional music to a wider audience both locally and internationally, while inspiring younger generation to appreciate and preserve our traditions,” she said.
Setlhatsoe said as a group, they have come across some challenges and one of them is dealing with negativity and jealousy. However, she said they focused on staying true to their craft and forge ahead.
“In five years, I’d like to see ourselves performing on bigger stages, collaborating with big artists and taking our traditional music to new heights, both locally and internationally. I’d also love to be involved in music education and share our culture with the next generation. What I have realised is that, people still listen to traditional music and appreciate it.
“So, many modern artists are incorporating traditional elements into their music, which is helping to keep it relevant and fresh. But, to be honest, it’s not always easy to get younger generation to listen to traditional music as they like their Amapiano and Lekompo. It is remarkable that as a youth, I am part of keeping traditional music alive,” said Setlhatsoe.
She said their music has received a positive reception and it is been an amazing journey. Setlhatsoe said people really respond positively to their music and appreciate the cultural elements they bring to the table.
“Our songs are on high rotation on various radio stations and we are also being booked to perform at various events. Even though I do not have formal training regarding music, I am driven by my passion as I have spent countless hours teaching myself the ins and outs of the music production and performance.
“I am honoured regarding our achievements and always looking for new ways to challenge myself so that I can grow as an artist. Music is a powerful tool for social commentary and change. So, we also use music to address Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF),” she said.
The Guardian 