17 February 2026- Detectives from Northern Cape Provincial Organised Crime Unit together with Springbok Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences and SAPS from Springbok and Nababeep are still tirelessly investigating the disappearance of David Waterboer (14) on 7 February 2025, in Nababeep. The police said Waterboer was last seen at approximately 10:50am by his mother before she left for work.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Colonel Cherelle Ehlers said he reportedly intended to attend a sporting event in Concordia. Ehlers said Waterboer was last seen wearing black short pants, a black t-shirt and navy blue sandals.
“A reward of R75 000 is offered by SAPS to any individual who can assist with the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator or perpetrators and locating Waterboer. All information will be handled confidentially and can be relayed to Colonel Browers at 082 447 1829, Sergeant Mpasa at 083 690 4790 or the SAPS Crime Stop number 08600 10111 or alternatively via the MySAPS App,” she said.
Picture: A suspected stolen bakkie discovered on N1 road in Three Sisters/Supplied
By BAKANG MOKOTO
17 February 2026- A man (35) was arrested for possession of a suspected stolen vehicle. This comes after the members of Richmond A shift swiftly responded to a tip-off of a possible stolen vehicle that was left abandoned on the N1 road in the direction of Three Sisters.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Litabe said the suspect was arrested in Richmond on 16 February 2026, after he was linked to the theft of a vehicle at a car wash in Cape Town on 15 February 2026. Litabe said the police in Richmond, in conjunction with the Local Criminal Record Centre and the Vehicle Crime Investigating Units based in Richmond, were acting on intelligence-driven information when they found an abandoned vehicle near the N1 road about 15km from Three Sisters.
“One suspect was traced to a mechanic’s shop in Richmond and was subsequently arrested. He was charged for the possession of a suspected stolen vehicle and will be appearing in court in Richmond soon. The vehicle was confiscated and further investigations are underway,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Pixley ka Seme District Police Commissioner, Major General Nomana Mtukushe, welcomed the swift action and commended all the role-players that were involved in recovering the vehicle and apprehending the perpetrator.
17 February 2026- In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week, the Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa, spoke about the work they are doing in schools to prepare young people to compete and thrive in a rapidly changing world. Ramaphosa said while they have made significant progress over the last three decades from expanding access to school to steadily improving matric results, there are still huge challenges in education.
He further said access to resources and quality teaching is uneven. Ramaphosa added that schools in townships and rural areas often struggle with overcrowding and educators have limited access to professional development and support.
“One of the efforts helping to fill this gap is the Basic Education Employment Initiative, which was founded in 2020 as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus. The initiative deploys young people to schools as education assistants.
“To date, the school assistants’ programme has created more than 1.3 million work opportunities. It is the largest youth employment programme in our country’s history, giving young people their first foothold in the world of work while strengthening the foundations of learning in the schools that need it most,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the young people involved in the programme go into schools well prepared. He said general school assistants need to at least have Grade 9, while education assistants need at least a matric certificate.
“In the most recent phase of the programme, 32% of education assistants had some sort of tertiary qualification and 14% had a teaching qualification. Education assistants are provided with both compulsory and optional training including on school safety, online safety, financial literacy, word processing, AI fluency and coding.
“The initiative provides work experience and livelihood support while at the same time advancing the public good. This is part of the goal of the Public Employment Stimulus to deliver public employment and livelihood programmes on a large scale while providing social value in the process,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the work of the education assistants allows teachers to spend more time on teaching and on lesson preparation, thereby contributing directly to improved educational outcomes. Ramaphosa said education assistants have been placed at 19 000 no-fee primary schools to support numeracy and as Reading Champions to support literacy and bilingual reading.
“The effect of this intervention is being seen in rapid improvements in foundational literacy skills in many schools. Beyond educational and curriculum support, education assistants are supporting digital learning, working in care and support with at-risk learners, and serving as laboratory and workshop assistants.
“This is not only good for the schools. For many of the school assistants, this experience is transformative. They are gaining skills and real work experience that will serve them well in finding employment and succeeding in their careers,” he said.
Ramaphosa said as they work to expand access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) through the Bana Pele mass registration of ECD facilities and an increase in subsidies for ECD learners, the Presidential Employment Stimulus has stepped up support to the sector through the Social Employment Fund. He said the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, working with an implementing partner, is helping more than 1,000 previously disadvantaged, underfunded ECD centres to meet the qualifying criteria for ECD subsidy.
“The centres are also receiving nutritional support for learners, as well as toys, books and learning materials. The work supported by the Social Employment Fund now reaches over 50,000 children in ECD centres across the country.
“Meeting the constitutional imperative to provide quality education to our nation’s young is an all-of-society effort. These initiatives illustrate clearly the benefits of multisectoral cooperation between government, the private sector and civil society,” said Ramaphosa.
He said it is their aspiration that this successful programme should continue to grow as we strive to create more work opportunities for young South Africans and at the same time deliver quality education for all.
The Guardian 