Picture: The missing Xoliswa Francis Duba/Supplied
By BAKANG MOKOTO
6 March 2026 – The police in Kanana request the community’s assistance in locating Xoliswa Francis Duba (72), who resides at Kanana Township, in Orkney. The police said Duba was last seen by her neighbour on 15 June 2023.
The North West police spokesperson, Sergeant Kelebogile Morake said a search commenced and extensive investigations were conducted around Kanana without any positive results. Morake said at the time of her disappearance, Duba was wearing a brown and white jersey and a blanket and blue slipper.
“Duba is dark in complexion, has a medium built body and short black and grey hair. The police request anyone who may have information regarding Duba’s whereabouts to contact the Investigating Officer, Sergeant Thembani Mvala on 072 703 3657.
“Alternatively, call your local police station or Crime Stop on 08600 10111. Anonymous tip-offs can also be communicated via the MySAPS App from your smartphone,” she said.
5 March – The South African Football Association (SAFA) welcomes the Supreme Court of Appeal’s judgment handed down on 24 February 2026, where the court dismissed with costs, Ria Ledwaba and Solly Mohlabeng’s latest attempt to overturn the SAFA 2022 Presidential electoral outcome.
Ledwaba and Mohlabeng made a special application for leave to appeal in terms of Section 17(2)(f) of the Superior Court’s Act, where they sought the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to reconsider the Court’s earlier decision to dismiss their application for leave to appeal.
SAFA CEO, Lydia Manyepao said the court dismissed their special application due to their failure to demonstrate to the court that a refusal of their special leave to appeal would result in grave injustice or would bring the administration of justice into disrepute. Manyepao said the High Court’s ruling in the same matter, which had become the subject of the dispute before the SCA, unequivocally rejected the continued efforts by Ledwaba and Mohlabeng to disrupt the administration of football in South Africa.
“The High Court judgment reinforced the integrity of SAFA’s election processes and served as a clear message against all efforts designed to undermine the Association. With the recent judgment, the SCA simply upheld the same position.
“In October 2022, after suffering a significant defeat in the SAFA Presidential elections, Ledwaba and Mohlabeng sought to overturn the results. They launched an Application at the Pretoria division of the High Court, seeking to invalidate and set aside the election outcome,” she said.
Manyepao further said SAFA opposed the application, standing firm in defense of the rights of the SAFA National Executive Committee members who participated in the voting process and further sought to uphold the SAFA statutes, which govern the election and administration processes. She added that on February 9, 2025, the Pretoria High Court, under Judge Holland-Muter, ruled that the applicants no longer held membership or positions of authority within SAFA structures.
“As such, they had no legal standing to invoke the SAFA Statutes or pursue any disputes under the jurisdiction of SAFA. The court accurately dismissed their application with costs, including costs of two counsels, with one being a senior counsel.
“Undeterred, Ledwaba and Mohlabeng filed for leave to appeal on 21 February 2024, citing misinterpretations of the SAFA Statutes and their submissions. The leave to appeal was heard on 4 December 2024 and on 5 December 2024, the High Court once again ruled against them, confirming that their appeal lacked reasonable prospects of success,” said Manyepao.
She said the court further emphasised that no other court would likely reach a different conclusion and that there were no compelling circumstances justifying consideration by a higher court, including that there is an important point of law that they raised which justify consideration by a higher court. Manyepao said once again, the application for leave to appeal was dismissed with costs, including costs of a senior counsel.
“This marks the sixth time in just three years that Ledwaba and Mohlabeng have failed in their legal attempts to disrupt the Association. Their repeated court defeats underscore their ongoing attempts to distract SAFA from its commitment to develop football in the country.
“SAFA remains resolute in its mission to foster the growth of football, promote social cohesion, and unite the country through the power of the sport. This judgment reaffirms SAFA’s commitment to develop football in South Africa and safeguarding its governance and administration from unwarranted disruptions,” she said.
Picture: The deputy president in the Presidency, Kenny Morolong, North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi with delegates
By OBAKENG MAJE
5 March 2026- The deputy minister in the Presidency, Kenny Morolong and delegates from the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Media Development Diversity Agency (MDDA) and Brand SA, engaged the North West Executive Council on the coordination of government communication, nation branding and community media support in the North West. Morolong said the main reason for their engagement was to socialise the provincial executive council on the government communications policy, which was recently adopted by the cabinet.
He further said the government communications policy, set out rules, procedures and processes for government communications. Morolong added that they had a quite involved discussion with the provincial executive council on how best they can improve communication at a strategic function of a fictional government.
“The province has also engaged the GCIS on its mandate and some of the communication challenges that had besieged the province for quite some time. However, we have been able to respond to them and we have identified the areas of collaboration.
“The second discussion was on MDDA and its attended mandate, which is to support small and commercial media. Our discussion is centered around the need for MDDA to continue to be consistent with its mandate to capitalise small and commercial media and we were particularly focused on the North West,” he said.
Morolong said he reminded the provincial executive council that, not so long ago, they had a workshop with MDDA and community media, which was aimed at sensitising community media about requirements for funding. He said they have received information from the MDDA regarding the number of community media projects that have been funded and are able to give a sense of where they are within the North West and which projects are potentially being able to fund.
“We have yet to formally communicate with those who have been successful on their applications. We also had a discussion with Brand SA, which is one of our entities responsible for the promotion of the nation’s brand.
“They have been able to reflect on the brand. The Brand SA has got responsibility to be a marketing agency of South Africa. It also has the responsibility to ensure that South Africa, as a brand, is admired globally,” said Morolong.
He said it also has a responsibility to make sure that South Africa is seen as a brand that is globally competitive. Morolong said they had a fruitful discussion about the mandate of these entities together with the GCIS.
“We looking forward to the future engagement. What came out of this discussion is that, we should have a provincial communicators’ forum to socialise communication on the discussion that have ensued on the concerns that have been raised by the executive council and how we have been able to go about delving into possible way and solutions to respond to some of the questions that have been raised in our discussions with the executive,” he said.
The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi said: “Indeed as a province, we are very excited to have hosted you today from GCIS and its entities. We had a conversation and they highlighted that this is what the cabinet had reviewed regarding communications strategy.
“Now, the government at a national level is responsible to craft policies and us as provinces, our responsibilities are to implement. When these reviews are done, we take communications and put it in the strategic planning on how we communicate with our people.”
Mokgosi said there is a general belief that the government is doing a lot, but communicating less, if not at all. He said hence generally have surveys and perceptions that there is a mood of people not happy with government works.
“When we evaluate at a factual point, you will realise that the government is doing very well. Now, part of the discussion today is how do we possess communication in the three spheres of government at the centre of communicating to our people.
“The service delivery without shying away on limitations and weaknesses that the government will have. Our responsibility is to tell people what the government does. Also, it is important on how we integrate South Africa because as a province, for instance, we go abroad trying to market the province but the reality is as you market the province, the brand must be well packaged,” said Mokgosi.
He said they must ensure that the brand is well-resourced and has tools of trade. He said the province will be hosting an investment conference job summit. Mokgosi said the Brand South Africa must be able to come in and assist.
Meanwhile, the MDDA CEO, Shoeshoe Qhu said there are media houses funded in the North West and funding does not have favoritism. Qhu said there is a criterion the agency follows.
“We did come to the province and went through that process that led to the funding. In total, we have a budget of R49 million to fund community media and this is funds we transfer to community media.
“Additionally, we have non-financial support which includes capacity building initiatives to help community media and publishers to manage the resources and their projects to be sustainable,” she said.
5 March 2026- The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi has reiterated the government’s bold commitment to inclusive economic growth, investment attraction, tourism expansion and sustainable job creation during his 2026 State of the Province Address (SOPA).
Delivering the address at the official opening of the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL) in Mahikeng, Mokgosi emphasised that the government remains resolute in tackling socio-economic challenges and ensuring that the gains of democracy translate into real opportunities for all citizens. Demonstrating tangible progress, Mokgosi informed the provincial legislature that the province created 78 000 jobs in the last two quarters of 2025, resulting in a 6.2% decline in official unemployment, which is the largest decrease recorded nationally during that period.
“This milestone reflects the successful implementation of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS), positioning the North West as a competitive and attractive investment destination.
“To strengthen local economic infrastructure and advance environmental sustainability, the Premier has directed the provincial Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism to intensify targeted support to municipalities, particularly Ditsobotla and City of Matlosana,” he said.
In a concerted effort to unlock tourism potential in the province, Mokgosi emphasised key infrastructure initiatives which include the reactivation of Pilanesberg International Airport in partnership with Infrastructure South Africa. He further said this project is expected to boost tourism and stimulate commercial activity in major hubs such as Sun City Resort and Pilanesberg National Park.
“The R150 million Majakaneng to Sun City Road project will further improve access and strengthen tourism infrastructure. To drive industrialisation and large-scale investment, the province will revitalise and officially license the Bojanala Special Economic Zone in the 2026/27 financial year.
“Supported by R12 billion in investments, the SEZ is projected to create 12 000 additional jobs and unlock opportunities across diverse economic sectors. International economic cooperation is also being deepened with strategic partners including Botswana, Namibia and People’s Republic of China, particularly along the Trans-Kalahari Economic Corridor, to promote trade, skills development and investment flows,” added Mokgosi.
He said a comprehensive turnaround strategy is also being implemented in collaboration with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) to restore the financial sustainability of the North West Development Corporation (NWDC) and strengthen its investment facilitation capacity. Mokgosi said in advancing environmental sustainability and rural economic inclusion, the government has launched the commercialisation of fourteen provincial nature reserves, securing investment commitments of approximately R420 million.
“This initiative is set to create jobs, stimulate enterprise development and ensure that rural communities, landowners and traditional authorities benefit meaningfully from the province’s natural resources.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to build a province free from poverty, inequality and unemployment, and to create opportunities that improve the lives of our people,” he concluded.
The Guardian 