30 January 2026- The North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL) said the North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi will appear before its Ad Hoc Committee on Saturday. The Ad Hoc Committee was established to investigate allegations of interference levelled against Mokgosi by the Naledi Local Municipality mayor, Clifton J Groep.
The Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee, Nathan Oliphant said Dithole Hendrick Moate, Director: Capacity Building at the North West Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), will conclude his testimony before the Ad Hoc Committee today. Oliphant said the hearings will thereafter adjourn until tomorrow morning.
“Mokgosi, who was scheduled to appear before the Ad Hoc Committee today, will now appear on 31 January 2026, at 8am. The proceedings will be streamed live on the North West Provincial Legislature’s official Facebook account,” he said.
30 January 2026- While Europe is in the icy grip of winter, athletes are sharpening their form in Potchefstroom, drawn by the altitude, climate and a high-performance sport hub that has quietly become a base for Olympic gold medallists. Members of the Netherlands’ Olympic gold-winning 4x400m mixed relay team, including Femke Bol, Lieke Klaver and Isaya Klein Ikkink, are among the international athletes currently training at the North West University’s (NWU’s) High-Performance Institute (HPI).
Senior Lecturer and Sport Scientist at the NWU’ School for Human Movement Sciences, Dr Adele Broodryk said the group is using the integrated facility as a pre-season camp ahead of the 2026 athletics season, combining training venues, recovery services and athlete support in one precinct. Broodryk said historically, elite visitors to Potchefstroom have included legendary figures such as Gabriela Szabo of Romania, an Olympic champion in the 5000m and Olympic bronze medallist in the 1500m, Kelly Holmes of Great Britain, an Olympic gold and bronze medallist in middle-distance running and Jan Železný of the Czech Republic, a triple Olympic javelin champion (1992, 1996 and 2000).
“All these stars trained in Potchefstroom during their careers as part of their preparations in optimal conditions abroad. In addition to these historic athletics engagements, the institute continues to host notable international trainees, such as Indian javelin thrower DP Manu, who has utilised the NWU facilities for focused training.
“Potchefstroom’s sporting profile on the world stage was further enhanced during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, when the Spain national football team, who went on to win the tournament, chose the city as their base camp for training and preparation, taking advantage of the altitude and excellent amenities provided by the university’s sports village and high performance centre,” she said.
Broodryk further said beyond infrastructure, Potchefstroom’s elevation of about 1350 metres above sea level remains central to its appeal for elite conditioning. She added that moderate altitude environments create physiological conditions that enhance endurance and performance without compromising training quality.
“At altitude, the body experiences reduced oxygen availability, known as hypoxia, which triggers key adaptations. This includes increased red blood cell production, improved oxygen transport and better muscle efficiency in aerobic metabolism. These changes allow athletes to return to sea-level competition with stronger endurance capacity, faster recovery and the ability to sustain higher intensities.
“Potchefstroom, while not considered a high-altitude zone, offers what I describe as an optimal training threshold. At around 1350 metres, oxygen pressure is reduced enough to stimulate adaptation without being so extreme that athletes struggle to maintain speed, power and intensity,” said Broodryk.
She said at very high altitudes, training quality often drops. Broodryk said here, athletes gain the benefits of hypoxic exposure while still performing high-intensity sessions.
Picture: Former employee of Home Affairs, Dawn Celeste Pieterson/Supplied
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
30 January 2026 – Former Home Affairs employee, Dawn Celeste Pieterson (46), was sentenced to five years imprisonment for fraud by the Calvinia Specialised Commercial Crime Court. This comes after Pieterson was found guilty on all nine counts of fraud, read with the provisions of section 99, 103, and 224 of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1977, as well as two counts of Contravention of Section 31 (1) (d) of Birth and Death Registration Act 51 of 1992.
The Hawks in Northern Cape, Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe said Pieterson’s misdeeds took place between February 2019 and September 2022, when the accused person was an employee of the Department of Home Affairs based in Calvinia. Thebe said as part of her duties, she had access to the national population register.
“Pieterson took funeral covers from reputable insurance companies and nominated herself as a beneficiary. To benefit, she manipulated the national population register by falsely issuing BI-1663 forms (notice of death form) to reflect the fictitious death of the victims. The system registered the affected persons as deceased, resulting in a plethora of problems in the victims’ day-to-day lives.
“Four insurance companies suffered a combined loss of R334 634 as a result of unlawful funeral claims. On charges of fraud, the accused was sentenced to five years direct imprisonment. On contravention of the Birth and Death Registration Act taken together for sentencing, the accused was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment wholly suspended for five years,” he said.
Thebe said the accused was further declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Head of the Hawks, Major General Steven Mabuela, commended the great effort of the investigation and prosecution team.
30 January 2026- Former Municipal Manager of Phokwane Local Municipality, Advocate Matshidiso Cordelia (53), was found guilty for fraud by the Kimberley Serious Commercial Crimes Court. Cordelia was found guilty on charges of fraud and Contravention of Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2023.
The Hawks spokesperson in Northern Cape, Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe said during 2018, Cordelia while serving as the Municipal Manager of Phokwane Local Municipality, she issued instructions to the Municipal Payroll Accountant for payment of car and travel allowance to 13 employees without following the applicable procedures. Thebe said Cordelia disregarded the moratorium of the municipal council that was in place at that time with her unlawful instruction.
“In addition, she unlawfully increased her remuneration package and implemented a 4% rural allowance without informing council or obtaining authorization from the Northern Cape MEC of COGSTA as required.
“All increases were backdated to July 2017, resulting in the municipality suffering substantial losses. The matter is postponed to 8 April 2026, for pre- sentencing report and sentencing,” he said.
Picture: The Namakwa District Police Commissioner, Brigadier Schalk Andrews visits Radio Kaboesna/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
30 January 2026- The Namakwa District Police Commissioner, Brigadier Schalk Andrews rolled out his “Meet and Greet” programme utilizing local community radio stations as a mouthpiece to reach communities, especially those situated in rural and far reaching areas. This week, Andrews visited Radio Kaboesna, which is based in Calvinia.
He was accompanied by the Namakwa District police spokesperson, Captain Ivan Magerman and the Vispol Station Commander, Warrant Officer Hantie Hawksley. Adrews further said it was their first visit and one of many regular engagements on the community radio station’s airwaves, marking a new chapter in community police relations in the Boberg area of Namakwa District.
“Henceforth, SAPS will broadcast every Thursday at 6pm, utilizing the platform to educate communities, combat crime through public awareness, and enhance the corporate image of SAPS in the Namakwa region. A key feature of this initiative is the establishment of the Kaboesna-SAPS Helpdesk, which will provide community members with a confidential channel to report complaints and crime anonymously.
“The help desk underscores the police’s commitment to accessible, transparent and responsive policing. During the broadcast, Brigadier Andrews expressed his gratitude to Radio Kaboesna Station Management for providing this valuable airtime and opportunity to be part of the partnership policing strategy allowing media to assist and participate in crime fighting using the media platform,” he added.
Andrews also urged Calvinia residents and communities covered in the broadcasting range, to actively participate in the fight against crime by joining Community Policing Forum (CPF) structures, the Youth Against Crime initiative and the Community in Blue Patrollers structures. He cited that, it is one of his best practices to bring the community closer to the SAPS and being able to address complaints immediately, provide feedback to complainants and solve the crime in a short time period if possible, following all the processes.
The Guardian 