Daily Archives: July 3, 2026

Destitute families receive food parcels

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Picture: North West Social Development’s Head of Department, Peggy Mhlongo-Kgaboesele together with North West MEC of Health, Sello Lehari/Supplied 

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

3 July 2026 – The North West Department of Social Development together with the Department of Health, distributed food parcels to needy households at Matlwang village, near Potchefstroom as part of the provincial service delivery programme, Thuntsha Lerole. Thuntsha Lerole is the North West Provincial Government’s Accelerated Service Delivery Programme that showcases an ongoing commitment to fast-track service delivery and bring government services closer to communities.

The Head of Department of North West Department of Social Development, Peggy Mhlongo-Kgaboesele said through the social relief of distress programme, the department is working tirelessly to ensure that no person goes to bed hungry. Mhlongo-Kgaboesele emphasised that food parcels are being distributed to individuals, child headed households and families in dire need of assistance.

“Handing out food parcels is a short-term measure that we use to intervene in the plight of the needy. Other interventions that we are nurturing include profiling and identifying young people and equipping them with security courses and driver’s licenses.

“Other than these interventions, our department can assist indigent families to create their own food gardens in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, so that they could be self-sustainable and not continue to rely on food parcels,” she said. 

She further said the food parcels are nutritional food items such large packets of mealie meal, sugar, baked beans, salt, vegetables, rice, tea, tins of fish and bottles of cooking oil for each of the beneficiaries. Mhlongo-Kgaboesele added that they provide essential sustenance and are a critical lifeline for people living below the breadline by offering immediate relief from hunger.

“Among the 100 beneficiaries from Matlwang, Radimo, Phalakgomo and Kgapamadi villages, who received food parcels as a lifeline is Dimpho Nthongwa (22), who is an orphan and manning the day-to-day affairs of family after her parents died.

“Her younger sister matriculated last year. The two of them are unemployed and live below the breadline. Currently they depend on an electrical infrastructure and construction learnership programme to make ends meet,” said Mhlongo-Kgaboesele.

Meanwhile, Nthongwa, an aspiring electrician, said she is grateful to the department for remembering them during their time of need.

“This is a great relief to us. This is the grocery that we could not afford to buy. It will take us a long time to finish it,” she said.

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Cachalia’s anti-gangsterism plan futile

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By REGINALD KANYANE

3 July 2026 – The Democratic Alliance (DA) alleged that the acting Minister of Police, Prof Firoz Cachalia admits that no gang dismantled, despite three months of deployment. DA said Cachalia’s promise of a more targeted second phase of Operation Prosper comes with a deeply troubling admission.

DA spokesperson on Police and Member of Parliament (MP), Lisa Schickerling said after three months of deployment, not a single gang was dismantled. Schickerling further said this is despite the deployment of the SAPS and the SANDF to gang hotspots on the Cape Flats and surrounding areas at an estimated cost of R823 million over 13 months.

“Therefore, we call for intelligence-led policing and specialist gang prosecutions that lead to measurable results of catching and convicting criminals. Communities were promised restored order, disrupted criminal networks and a visible reclaiming of the state’s authority.

“Instead, residents have seen continued shootings, escalating gang violence and little meaningful change in their daily lived reality. While the DA acknowledges that Phase One may have provided limited visible policing and some temporary stabilisation, the facts show that it has failed in its central purpose of weakening organised criminal networks,” she said.

Schickerling added that Cachalia admitted in parliament that no gang was dismantled during the first phase of the operation. She said this is a damning indictment of an intervention that was sold to the public as a serious anti-gang response.

“The reality is that force presence alone does not defeat gangsterism. Without strong crime intelligence, capable detectives, coordinated prosecutors and targeted follow-through against gang leadership, criminal syndicates simply regroup and continue terrorising communities.

“The state cannot keep spending hundreds of millions on deployments that produce statistics on confiscated drugs and arrests, while gang bosses remain in place and neighbourhoods remain under siege,” said Schickerling.

She said they call on Cachalia to ensure that Phase Two is backed by real intelligence capacity, strengthened detective work, specialised anti-gang investigations and prosecutorial coordination that targets criminal leadership rather than just foot soldiers. Schickerling said residents of the Cape Flats do not need another re-announcement of government intent.

“Residents need safer streets, dismantled gangs and a police service capable of delivering lasting results,” she said.

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Picture: Prof Firoz Cachalia

Municipal mayor arrested for contravention of MFMA

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By OBAKENG MAJE

3 July 2026 – The mayor of Ubuntu Local Municipality in Victoria West, Cheryl Jantjies was arrested for Contravention of Section 13A of the Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956 and Contravention of Municipal Finance Management Act. Jantjies briefly appeared before the Richmond Magistrate’s Court on 3 July 2026, facing 28 charges.

The Hawks spokesperson in Northern Cape, Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe said she was arrested earlier this morning by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team. Thebe alleged that during the period of February 2020 and September 2025, Municipal Manager, Synthia Levona Itumeleng (45) and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Randile Jacobs Shuping in performance of their duties, withheld/delayed payments of municipal workers contributions to third parties which included payments to Consolidated Retirement Pension Fund (CFR).

“The delayed payments accumulated interests which were never paid, despite payment reminders. This action left Ubuntu Local Municipality with a debt of over R200 000. This debt was recently reduced to just under R100 000 in pension funds contributions, thereby contravening Section 13A of the Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956.

“During the raid period, Jantjies served as a mayor where she had a role to oversee the running of the municipality to ensure that the municipality did not fall short of its financial obligations. She was granted R2000 bail and the matter is postponed to 20 August 2026, where she will be joining her co-accused,” he said.

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