Category Archives: NEWS

Workbooks not textbooks stored in warehouse- dept


Johannesburg – Limpopo’s education department on Thursday expressed disappointment with “false claims” that undelivered textbooks were found in a warehouse in Fetakgomo.
“The department wishes to set the record straight,” department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said in a statement.

“The contents in the boxes are not textbooks but manuals and workbooks used previously by the province. They are being stored at the Fetakgomo teacher training college as they were left over from specific deliveries made in the past.”

He said the department had no contract with Edu Solutions to deliver textbooks in Limpopo.

Earlier, the DA said it had found “thousands” of undelivered textbooks during a routine oversight visit to a teachers’ training college in Fetakgomo.

DA spokesperson Desiree van der Walt said security guards prevented the party’s delegation from completing its oversight visit, but photographs of the books were taken.

“This is shocking given that schools have had to drag the Limpopo education department to court to get books delivered,” she said.

“We have identified at least 47 schools without all the textbooks they need. And now we are discovering warehouses still filled with undelivered textbooks.”

Mhlanga said the matter was being investigated and he would comment further when the facts were established.

On Monday, he dismissed allegations that some schools in Limpopo had not received textbooks.

More than 6.5 million textbooks had been delivered in 2014 and including an additional 406 000 which was ordered to address shortages.

“We acknowledge that there are schools that have reported shortages in February and orders have been made and delivered.”

Shortages

A further 387 000 textbooks were ordered on 20 March after reported shortages, he said.

Most of the 18 000 books alleged to be short were the textbooks the schools were supposed to get back from pupils at the end of the year.

He said most of the schools involved had failed to check or verify the deliveries of textbooks against the orders placed.

“They only did so after the advent of the 2014 school year.”

He said the department had taken steps to ensure that books were delivered on time and that any reported shortages were addressed.

Meanwhile in Gauteng, an application against the department was temporarily struck off the North Gauteng High Court roll.

“The judge encouraged the parties to reach an agreement outside court because the department had put in place systems to address all the matters regarding the delivery of textbooks in Limpopo,” Mhlanga said.

If an agreement was not reached the matter would return to court on 22 April for argument, he said.

“The applicants also told court that the department had addressed the issues they had raised as part of their court action.”

Law centre Section27 launched an urgent application against the Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and the Limpopo department of education in May 2012 for failure to procure and deliver textbooks for pupils throughout Limpopo.

SAPA

North West child drowns in a backet


By Obakeng Maje
Stilfontein- A one-year-old girl is in a critical condition after a near drowning incident in Stilfontein, North West province.

ER24 paramedics were called to a medical practice suite where they found a doctor doing basic CPR on the young girl.

“Paramedics immediately assisted the doctor, providing the young patient with advanced life support interventions. After a lengthy resuscitation, the patient’s pulse returned” Er24 spokeperson Russel Meiring said.

Paramedics immediately stabilised the child before loading her into the ambulance. On route to a nearby hospital, paramedics provided the patient with breathing assistance.

The mother later told paramedics that she had come out of her house and noticed the child in a bucket of water.

“She (the mother) immediately grabbed the child and tried to wake her but failed” Meiring said.

She thereafter, hurried to the nearby doctors rooms for assistance.

The cause of the incident is unknown.-TDN
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Taung murder accused granted bail


By Obakeng Maje
Taung- A 39 year-old man appeared before Taung Magistrate Court after he was arrested three weeks ago.

Moses Goitsemodimo,39 of Lokgabeng village near Taung was arrested for a murder of Maphoitsile-born man who was bludgeoned to death.

Police said an argument ensued between the two and that precipitated to a fight.

Moses Goitsemodimo,39 and Thebe Bogaleboile,45 were allegedly gambling at Blue-Flame tavern when the argument ensued.

It is alleged that the two were fighting over a R4 change that one of gamblers was suppose to get.

Two men squared it up and after Goitsemodimo allegedly felt as if the volcano belched out smoke and ashes his way, he retaliated by pulling out a nail-cutter.

He stabbed Bogaleboile in a shoulder. The victim was rushed to the local hospital for medical attention. Bogaleboile succumbed to his stabbing injuries and passed on the following day.

The suspect was allegedly cornered and reprimanded by community members who handed him over to the police.

The community members packed Taung Magistrate Court and picketing outside the court requesting Goitsemodimo must not be granted any bail.

However the magistrate ruled in Goitsemodimo’s favour and ordered him to adhere to all his bail conditions.
Crestfallen community members left court and said they are not happy about the decision taken by magistrate.

“We are so disappointed by the decision taken by magistrate. The suspect was not suppose to be granted bail, we will call a meeting and look into the matter and decide what is our next step”

“We are sick and tired of crimes taking place in our area. Every weekend we bury people who died from untimely deaths, maybe satanism has found peace in our area” said community representative Tebogo Itumeleng.

Taung Magistrate Court outlines that Goitsemodimo was benevolent during his arrest and through the proceeding.

They said according the investigations, he is a first-offender and the case against him is serious however his right must also be taken into consideration.

Goitsemodimo wears his enterprising smile when approached by our crew. He was fractious at first, but calm down after interacting with our crew.

“I am so grateful to receive a bail as is been a while now going in and out of court. I believe I have a fortified case and will wait for 19 May 2014 for trial” Goitsemodimo said.

However his mother did not buy any as she discouraged him talking to media.

Earlier the mother of the accused threw some tantrums at court and yelling at community members said that they must not touch his beloved son.

The community members shudder amid the release of Goitsemodimo.

Goitsemodimo will reports to the nearest police station every Monday and Friday and ordered not to interfere with any key witnesses.

He now relocated to Mokassa 1 until the end of the case.-TDN
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Two drown in frigid water near Fochville


By Obakeng
Fochville- Two children have drowned after the raft they were on capsized at a resort near Fochville, North West province.

ER24 paramedics received the distress call and immediately responded to the nearby resort, fearing the worst. Once on scene, paramedics discovered that seven children, between the ages of 15 and 17, had been rafting when their vessel capsized. One of the children managed to swim to the shore before paramedics’ arrival.

“One of the ER24 paramedics, along with a paramedic from provincial services, immediately jumped into action, shouting to his partner to request backup before diving into the frigid water. After swimming out to the struggling children, he immediately grabbed on to four of the struggling children, assisting them slowly back to shore” Er24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said.

Once on shore, ER24 paramedics immediately began their assessment and treatment of the shivering children.

ER24 paramedics immediately began their search for the remaining two.

“After some time, emergency services found the young boy and girl near the banks with no signs of life. They were later declared dead” He said.

The four children that were rescued were treated for mild hypothermia before they were transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment. The paramedic that rescued the children from the water did not suffer any injuries.

When asked why he just jumped into the water, he later said, “I did not even think about it, I just took my flight suit off and dived in. The children needed my help. As soon as I felt the water, I was shocked as to how cold it was.”

Local authorities were on scene for further investigations and counsellors were called in to assist the fellow learners and teachers.-TDN
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MEC MALOYI TO HAND OVER 112 HOUSES IN LEEUDORINGSTAD


By Obakeng Maje
Leeudoringstad-MEC for Human Settlements Public Safety and Liaison Nono Maloyi will on Friday hand over about 112 houses to the Leeudoringstad families living in rural villages of the Maquassi Hills local municipality.

The hand over is a continuation of the departmental programme that started in the past two months.

The benefiting families are mostly those that have been living in mud houses and shacks. Most of these families are dependent on social grants and other government programmes as poverty seem to be the order of the day.

“The handover is part of celebrating twenty years (20yrs) of freedom, and also in line with the Outcome 8 of the National Development Plan vision 2030 which is intended to improve the quality of people’s lives and bring back dignity to the marginalised communities across the province” departmental spokesperson Ben Bole said.

The hand over programme is also part of the department’s service delivery initiative and reduction of housing backlog in the province.

The handover will take place as follows:

Date: 04 April 2014

Time: 10H00

Venue: Kgakala stadium 

-TDN
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Acting Premier Sebegoe condemn attacks on non-striking miners


North West Acting Premier and MEC for Finance, Paul Sebegoe has condemned violence associated with the protracted strike in the platinum belt after a non-striking mineworker was attacked at his home and another had his car set alight in villages near Rustenburg.

“Harshest sentences would be a deterrent for those perpetuating the on-going violence to know that there consequences for undermining the Peace and Stability Accord signed by role-players in the mining sector,” emphasised Acting Premier Sebegoe.
The Acting Premier called on police not to leave any stone unturned for those behind the attacks to be brought to book and for communities to assist them in their investigations.
According to police, a 38-year old man who is a non-striking employee of Anglo American Platinum’s(Amplats) Thembelani shaft in Bleskop and a former Amcu member was attacked at his home in Mfidikwe on Tuesday night.
It is alleged that the man woke up when he heard someone throwing stones at his shack.
“Upon investigation, the victim noticed that his curtains were alight. Three gun shots were allegedly fired at his shack,” Colonel Emelda Setlhako said.
He screamed for help and neighbours came to his rescue.
In a separate incident, a 38-year-old man’s car was reportedly set alight in Thekwane in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The man, also an Amplats employee, works at the company’s Siphumele mine.

“The victim was asleep at his place when he realised that his vehicle was on fire. Neighbours managed to extinguish the fire but the vehicle had already been damaged,” said Setlhako.

No arrests had been made in either incident and police were investigating cases of attempted murder, arson, and malicious damage to property.

Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) members at Lonmin, Amplats, and Impala Platinum downed tools on 23 January to push for a basic monthly salary of R12 500. They had so far rejected a wage increase of up to nine percent.

The companies, in turn, rejected Amcu’s revised demand that the R12 500 could be achieved over four years.

Last week, mining bosses said the strike had caused irreparable harm, and had caused an estimated R10bn in revenue to be lost.-TDN
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Easter brings Taung talents under the same roof


By Kgatliso Ramose
Taung-Party animals brace yourselves for the eventful Easter weekend. The URG brings ‘créme de la créme’ of art together and Dryharts is a place to be.

Rappers,deejays,designers in and around Taung will be flocking to Mogabole Pub to showcase their talents at Who Cares..Why Not Easter Muzik Easter Festival.

“The idea of the event is to organise our local industry into one and also introduce each other to our style of musical expression. From DJs to artists and the listeners in order to secure the long term goal which is to see our local artists going one-on-one with the well established artists” said Kagiso Rapati of The URG.

“We would love to see artist like Thabbz Mrapper going one on one with artist such as Pro, DJ Rickey against Oskido, DJ Lino going toe to toe with Black Coffee and G-Kash with AKA just to mention a few talent we have at home” he continued.

At the event, DJ Khelsna will be going against DJ Hot Magnet from Pta,Pure Pressure from Rusty will be up against NRT.

The is also a King Of Rap Competion that will be taking place on Saturday whereby local artists register at a price of R150.00 and stand a chance to win R1 000, studio time,a beat done by a local seasoned producer, mixing and mastering of the song.

All the local clothing brand will be available.

For more info get in touch with Kagiso Rapati on Facebook or e-mail theinfluencersnw@gmail.com
-TDN
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Motshabi attains third Dan black belt karate


Mahikeng-Her diminutive stature could deceive some into thinking she is just another beauty with long nails (excuse the pun) but Kgomotso Motshabi is an athlete of note. This karate instructor at Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sports Foundation in Mahikeng has recently passed the third Dan black belt grading conducted by SA Japan Karate Association Masters in Mandeville Sport Complex, Johannesburg.

To qualify for a third Dan black belt, a karate student must have had a second black belt for a period of at least 3 years.

From the grading where she finally get Third Degree (Dan) black belt, Sensei Kgomotso Motshabi was selected to participate at the 13th Funakoshi Gichin Cup in Japan from the 17th – 19th October 2014.

Kgomotso describes herself as a sports person from an early age where she participated in codes such as gymnastics, netball and athletics at junior schools. She started attending karate classes early in 1990 when she joined Mmabana Mafikeng Dojo (karate club) under the tutelage of Sensei Badu Mothusi. She says the reason for this was curiosity in the sport that took over from all the other sporting codes she was involved in before.

She remembers her first competitive fight as if it was yesterday, “it was during the national championships held at the then Molopo Sun Hotel. From that tournament, I managed to come out with a bronze medal, which I still cherish to this day”, says Kgomotso with a grin on her face.

She adds that, the bronze inspired her to continue with the sport in an effort to attain more medals of ‘better’ colour and eventually a black belt. In the process of ‘getting’ those better coloured medals and a race to the black belt, she completely became committed to the sport.

“Upon realizing my potential and dedication to the sport, my instructor recommended that i be sent for instructor’s courses which assisted my career a lot. That was in 1997 while still a second brown belt karate-ka, after returning from a tournament in Zimbabwe with six medals (four gold and two silver) for both individual and team performance that I started to conduct training sessions”, she added.

Among her achievements, she count being selected a national coach for the junior karate team that went to represent the country at the 10th World Karate-Do Championship in Australia in 2006; where the SA team obtained second position (silver medal) out of 163 countries that took part in the championships.-TDN
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40 people arrested for public violence in Bloemhof


By Obakeng Maje
Bloemhof-North West police allegedly arrested 40 people for public violence and malicious damage to properties in Boitumelong location in Bloemhof.

Colonel Emelda Setlhako said that the community stoned the houses belonging to the mayor and two councillors.

“The community  also burnt down the municipal office in the location and damaged the community hall. It is alleged that several tuck-shops belonging to the Bangladesh Nationals have also looted and damaged” Selthako said.

The situation is still tense and the police are monitoring the situation.-TDN
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Youth coaching an integral part of development – Mashaba


Johannesburg-South African Under-23 National Team coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba believes coaching at youth level has been the difference between the provincial teams and clubs that are taking part in the SAFA U17 Inter-Provincial Tournament at the Nike Football Training Centre. 

Mashaba is one of the talent scouts on the lookout for upcoming stars taking part in the tournament. He says he has been impressed by the kind of football played by the invited clubs and also from some provincial teams.

“This tournament is long overdue, but what has become evident at these games is the level of coaching. I think our coaching department still has a lot of work to do in terms of finding more coaches and I know there is a plan in the pipeline that SAFA earmarks developing coaches over a certain period. I think those will be the coaches who will help with the problem that we are sitting with,” said Mashaba.

“Some of the players are doing things instinctively and this shows us that we need to tighten up the side of coaching as well to give these players what they deserve – the basics for playing football. We speak of players having ‘football brains’ and this you can pick up mostly with teams from the clubs. There is a lot of difference if you look at the teams from the likes of Kaizer Chiefs, Bidvest Wits and Mamelodi Sundowns – they have qualified, experienced coaches and there is some consistency in the coaching of these boys. Once we collectively start taking that route of uplifting our coaches, our problems will be solved.”

Mashaba, who led the Men’s U17 and U20 National Teams to victory in the COSAFA Cup, said theirs is an important task at the SAFA U17 Inter-Provincial Tournament.

“The ultimate purpose of us being here is to obviously look at selecting players who will form a base for some of our junior national teams so that we have a pool of players we can select and also have on standby. We will also look at recommending some of these players to the academies until such time we have enough academies in the country where we can select the best in each province. I think that is the route that we have been missing all the time,” added Mashaba.

“One other thing with events like these is that players pick up as the tournament progresses, but we just hope that fatigue doesn’t derail that progress.”

Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs continued where they left off on Day 1 to register another huge victory – beating Mpumalanga 5-0 in the opening game of the day.

Free State recorded their second victory of the tournament with a hard fought 2-1 win against hosts Gauteng. The host province got the consolation goal through Samuel Nkomo while Felix Noge and Kamogelo Pheleu scored for Free State.

KwaZulu Natal got the better of Mamelodi Sundowns with a 3-2 win while Bidvest Wits proved to be the better side as they defeated North West 2-1.-TDN
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