BY EGINALD KANYANE

MORE than 43 students from North West University were detained at Mmabatho police station after they were arrested and charged for public violence.

The incident took place at the periphery of the university on Wednesday.

The students were on the peaceful march in solidarity of other university students across South Africa. Most of students are on a protest against high tuition fees and said they demand 0% increase.

SRC president Linda Xavier Mabengwana, who spoke to TDN at Mmabatho police station condemned the police behaviour.

“We cannot tell why police resorted to excessive force because the students were not endangering anyone. We were in a peaceful march until the police shot at us.

“That was police brutality and they kicked, beaten students and fired rubber bullets and grenades at them. We want to condemn that behaviour and we demand those who have been arrested be released. We will never back-off and tomorrow we continue with our stay away until our demand are met,” Mabengwana said.

*Police were not available for response before publishing the article.

Most students said the university fees were expensive and that made life difficult for them.
-TDN
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Johannesburg – The ANC Youth League has confirmed that its president, Collen Maine, has been hospitalised after experiencing breathing problems on Wednesday morning.

“He was on a flight and before the flight could leave he had to go out,” ANCYL spokesperson, Mlondolozi Mkhize, told News24.

“He had problems with breathing, so he was advised to go to the hospital.”

Maine was meant to fly to Cape Town where he was expected to visit the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Cape Town, both of which are experiencing student protests over fee increases.

For more http://www.news24.com

BY REGINALD KANYANE

The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati Region on Tuesday called on the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to investigate allegations of police brutality.

This follows the alleged assault of SANCO Regional Executive Committee Member who was in police custody at the Ganyesa Police Station in the North West province.

“We are concerned that Kgosietsile Phillip was denied proper medical care after he was allegedly assaulted by the Public Order Policing Commander after his arrest on Monday together with six other people. Phillip was reportedly only taken to the local clinic on Tuesday after intervention by our Kagisano-Molopo zonal leadership,” Regional Secretary, Mika Moeti said.  

Moeti said that Phillip and the six were arrested after community protests demanding resumption of construction of a tarred road on the D327 Ganyesa-Mmadinonyane gravel covering 70 kilometers across 18 villages.

“Police brutality provokes communities to anger and violence which we are discouraging during service delivery protests,” Moeti highlighted.

He said that Sanco members and members of the public from affected communities will picket in support of Phillip and those arrested during their court appearance at the Ganyesa Magistrates Offices on Wednesday.

“We expect Murray & Roberts awarded the R265 million road construction project and paid R50 million in advance to immediately return to site, alternatively the provincial government should appoint another service provider to complete work that came to an abrupt halt after only 3 kilometers of gravel was compacted,” Moeti stressed.

The multi-million project was endorsed by communities including  the taxi industry as a priority project during Public Works,Roads and Transport MEC’s consultative road show in November 2012.

The taxi industry had during the engagements complained that the lifespan of their vehicles were short lived as a result of the rocky gravel road they traveled on a daily. 
-TDN
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Johannesburg – Exams scheduled to take place at the University of the Witwatersrand medical campus on Tuesday have been cancelled, amid continuing student protests against proposed tuition fee increases next year.

“Logistically it would have been a challenge to change venue,” university spokesperson Shirona Patel told News24.

The exams have been postponed to a later date.

For more http://www.news24.com

Cape Town – Protesters occupied Shoprite in Khayelitsha Mall on Tuesday morning, demanding a reduction in the price of bread, reported GroundUp.

The Shoprite store was closed during the occupation.

Private security guards in bulletproof vests and carrying rifles were patrolling the area.

The protesters came together under the social media hashtag #ThePriceOfBreadMustFall.

They have expressed solidarity with protesters demanding lower university fees who are using the hashtag #FeesMustFall.

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Rustenburg – The air search for missing Democratic Alliance deputy leader in the North West province, Petro Nel, and the Russian pilot of the plane that went missing in Nepal, has been suspended.

The DA’s Nicolize van Der Walt said on Monday: “The air search is suspended for now. The ground search is, however, continuing and they are focusing on specific areas. Like we explained before, the area with the deep ravines and woods makes the search extremely difficult and dangerous for all who participate.”

For more http://www.iol.co.za

BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

GREATER Taung municipal manager Katlego Gabanakgosi said that the abandoned Taung taxi rank project will be completed soon. A 35m taxi rank could not be completed as local taxi drivers refused to use it.

Gabanakgosi said they will appoint a contractor to renovate the rank.

“We met with taxi drivers and we ironed out other issues that might hinder the project. The contractor will start soon to put roofing. Taxi drivers said they want seasonal rank. They said the rank must have a shade and also be useable even during rainy times.” he said.

Taung taxi rank was supposed to be completed last year in October, but taxi drivers refused to use it and opted to park their minibus taxis in a makeshift taxi rank next to the main road in the inner CBD.

Gabanakgosi said they will use R15m they received from national treasury.

-TDN

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BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

THE North West Social Development visited Matloding village, near Mahikeng to intensify a fight against poverty on Saturday.

MEC Fenny Gaolaolwe said that the aim was to fight poverty especially in rural areas. She said the province intensify its fight against poverty and planning to meet its ideal which was a development goals.

“More need to be done in addressing this challenge. We encourage our people especially in rural areas, small dorpies and townships to group themselves and form cooperatives. The premier Supra Mahumapelo highlighted that at least 60% of the provincial government will go to previously disadvantaged areas like townships, small dorpies and rural areas.

“For us to realise our goal, we need to address this problem and ought to deal with the abject poverty first. There is a consensus that we have to do more groundwork.” Gaolaolwe said.

During her visit on Saturday, Gaolaolwe said her department was busy profiling all areas and that helped them to identify which areas needed urgent intervention.

“We have 50 wards in the province that were identified as the most affected wards. Matloding was the second worst area, and we need to make sure that the people can live out of government grants. We did households profiling and our intervention differs according to the needs of the family. Women are mostly affected by poverty because they sometimes single parents and that is a burden.”

We also have home-based cares that will register and we will help them with business plans.

One of the residents, Annah Jami who runs a home-based care said: “We run a home-based care here and we provide food close to 250 people a day. We need more support because sometimes you will find that the food were not enough.

“We cater for many people and some of them are elders who could not walk and they are bedridden. We believe that we will receive more funding so that we can cater for many people.” Jami said.

Local chief Mothusi Marumulo said: “We experiencing water shortage and we would like to urge the government to intensify the projects of bringing more engines and there are unused reservoirs that need to be put in use. We appreciate the visit of the social development and we believe the government can do more. ”

-TDN

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BY REGINALD KANYANE

A CASE against a 22 year old accused was postponed by Lichtenburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.  The man was arrested after he allegedly raped a 10 year-old minor two months ago.

The suspect will remain in custody after he was denied bail and his case will resume back on November 5.

-TDN

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BY REGINALD KANYANE
A CASE against a prominent taxi owner was postponed by Taung Magistrate’s Court. ANC member, Tebogo Monchonyane was subsequently arrested after he allegedly stole bricks at Thomeng village near Buxton a month ago.
Monchonyane was caught red-handed loading bricks in his bakkie.

A contractor received a tip-off from one of the community members, and rushed to the scene. He found Monchonyane loading bricks in his car and arrested him.

Monchonyane was taken to Taung police station and charged with theft, and his bakkie was also confiscated.
He briefly appeared before court and was granted R1000 bail. Monchonyane will be back in court on November 12.
The bricks were meant for a road construction in the area.
-TDN
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