By Obakeng Maje

NORTH WEST READY TO ROLLOUT NEW FIXED DOSE COMBINATION PILL TO HIV POSITIVE PATIENTS.

About 315 health facilities in the North West Province are ready to roll out the new Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) pill to HIV positive patients. 

The new pill, which is a combination of all three antiretroviral pills (emtricitabine, efavirenz and tenofovir), will be administered to all newly diagnosed patients that are eligible to be put on ARV treatment, pregnant women and HIV positive breastfeeding mothers North West department said.    

“A significant number of clinical health professionals in the province have already been trained on FDC in preparation of the rollout of the new pill to eligible groups” said Health department spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane.

He said those currently receiving ARV treatment will be switched to a new pill at a later stage. “Priority will be given to all stable patients and non complicated patients after consultation with their clinicians” he said.

“The pill is easy to take, highly effective with fewer or no side effects and in no way inferior to taking three individual drugs”

Health MEC, Dr. Magome Masike is confident that health officials will execute the rollout with due diligence and communicate the rollout to those currently receiving treatment.

“The introduction of fixed dose combination pill will definitely improve adherence to treatment and reduce the risk of patients defaulting treatment.” Dr. Masike said.

The province is currently providing antiretroviral treatment to about 181 557 patients.

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The North West Provincial Government has committed to partnership with the Moses Mauane Kotane (MMK) Foundation to advance unity through social transformation especially for the rural poor. This follows a meeting between Premier Thandi Modise and the MMK foundation held in Mahikeng on Monday.

“Collaboration in housing,health. education, skills development, job creation ,Rural Development and Poverty alleviation have been identified as areas to advance the 

 legacy of Moses Maune Kotane who was a unifier and selfless leader ”said Premier Modise.

Modise said that communities in rural settings with high unemployment, high HIV and Tuberculosis prevalence, limited access to quality primary health care services and potential heritage and rural tourism sites stand to benefit from the partnership.

The foundation has links with the Moses Kotane Institute and has completed the first phase of the Moses Kotane Monument House in Pella village near Swartruggens developed as a workers monument and training centre.

The partnership is aimed at supporting three pillars of the all-encompassing comprehensive rural development programme aimed at creating social cohesion and development in rural areas. The strategy is premised on land reform, agrarian transformation and rural development.

All South African soldiers deployed to the Central African Republic have been withdrawn, the SA National Defence Force said on Tuesday.

“All the SANDF personnel who were still in the CAR have been withdrawn and are back home safe and are receiving all the professional support they require,” Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga said in a statement.

“Regarding the allegations by foreign reporters about the number of casualties suffered by the SANDF: the SANDF would like to assure all South Africans that there are no bodies or personnel of the SANDF that cannot be declared.”

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

All South African soldiers deployed to the Central African Republic have been withdrawn, the SA National Defence Force said on Tuesday.

“All the SANDF personnel who were still in the CAR have been withdrawn and are back home safe and are receiving all the professional support they require,” Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga said in a statement.

“Regarding the allegations by foreign reporters about the number of casualties suffered by the SANDF: the SANDF would like to assure all South Africans that there are no bodies or personnel of the SANDF that cannot be declared.”

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

Kimberley – A one-year-old girl was crushed when a truck, travelling down Nobengula Street in Galeshewe, drove over a pavement, instantly killing the toddler who was playing on the sidewalk.

According to the mother of the girl, she heard a scream, ran out of the house and saw her daughter’s bloody body laying between the front and rear wheels of the truck. Her head was crushed in the accident.

It is believed that the 54-year-old driver of the truck did not see the girl playing in front of her house near the pavement because she was sitting down.

For more www.iol.co.za

Ga-Rankuwa – The case against Strike Paulos Thulare, accused of raping and murdering a young girl, was postponed in the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court on Monday, North West police said.

Thulare is on trial for allegedly abducting, raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl Ofentse Mogale in Mmakau near Brits, in February.

The case was previously postponed because of incomplete evidence.

He had allegedly buried her in a shallow grave in his bedroom.

The 41-year-old was released on parole due to ill health, in November 2011 after serving 16 years of a 27-year sentence for housebreaking, robbery and rape. 

He remains in custody until his next appearance on June 4. – Sapa

Johannesburg – The curators of Julius Malema’s estate will bring a court application on Tuesday to have the former African National Congress Youth League leader declared in contempt of court.

The curators of his estate, Cloete Murray and Aviwe Ndyamara, brought the application in the Pretoria High Court following his  failure to declare his assets.

They were appointed curators at the beginning of March and tasked with ensuring Malema declared all his assets following a court order. Malema agreed to do so, but then did not.

Malema’s lawyer Tumi Mokwena said her client intended opposing the application. If found guilty, he could face a R500 000 fine, a jail term, or a suspended sentence.

On March 19, Malema, facing a R16-million tax bill, had his Limpopo farm, worth approximately R4-million, seized by the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.

NPA spokesperson Medupe Simasiku said at  the time the property was allegedly acquired with the proceeds from fraud, corruption, theft, and money-laundering.

The alleged crimes were perpetrated against the Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport, Simasiku said.

In January, sheriffs seized Malema’s Sandton and Polokwane homes. The South African Revenue Service rejected a R4-million settlement offer and auctioned Malema’s assets in the Sandton and Polokwane homes in February.

Malema also faces charges of fraud and racketeering related to the irregular awarding of a R52-million tender to On-Point Engineering in Limpopo. – Sapa

A Metrorail guard was filmed assaulting a passenger caught travelling without a ticket in Cape Town, according to a report on Tuesday.

The Cape Argus reported that the footage was shot at Kraaifontein station on Thursday evening and showed a guard striking a passenger numerous times before being called off by his colleagues.

The passenger was stripped of his shirt and hat while allegedly being manhandled by a guard who appeared to be called “Solly”.

The act was captured on an iPad by commuter Shelvine Erasmus, who noticed “a commotion going on at the bottom where patrons have to show their ticket to exit the platform”.

Erasmus told the newspaper that the worst of the beating occurred before he managed to get his iPad out.

“The other Metrorail officers were looking on and not doing a thing until they saw me filming. Only then, the one lady walked over to the guy dishing it out and told him to stop,” Erasmus said.

Cape Metrorail manager Mthuthuzeli Swartz said the use of violence was not condoned and that he had asked the chief of protection services to investigate.

He also encouraged the alleged victim to lay a charge with the police and for witnesses to contact the train company. -Sapa

By Obakeng Maje

Taung-Few houses were left without any electrical cables after criminals helped themselves to some cables meant for those households.

The incident took place in Maphoitsile, Taung after few RDP houses lose their electrical cables to thieves.

According to ward councillor Sunnyboy Phatswana, they have decided to halt the project until they met with ward committe to map way forward.

“Few houses in Bogosing Extension lost its electrical cables after they were stolen.So we decided to halt the project until we meet with the ward committe to come with plan B” Phatswana told Vaaltar FM news.

He said most of the houses where cables are stolen, are empty and urges owners to occupy their houses to avoid more damages.

For more news go to http://www.vaaltar.co.za

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The R29 million spend by municipalities across the North West Province on consultants to assist them in preparing financial statements for audit is not commensurate with 

 minimal improvement that they have registered during the 2011-2012 financial audits, Premier Thandi Modise observed on Monday.

Although Premier Modise noted that all audits including prior year backlog have been cleared from the briefing on audit outcomes that she received from Liquath Ally, Business Executive of the Auditor General SA, the Premier shared the Auditor General’s concern that municipalities are not taking action against those responsible for poor performance and transgressions.In commenting intervention and support to municipalities by Provincial Treasury and the Department of Local Government & Traditional Affairs that have resulted in 100% submission of financial statements for audit, the Premier added that skills transfer should take place to build capacity within municipalities whenever consultants are employed.

“Municipalities should crack the whip on non-performers because pervasive root causes for poor audit outcomes such as loss of documents and deviations from supply chain management processes are recurrent. It therefore cannot be business as usual. They need to take bold steps to fill critical vacancies and employ skilled and competent senior managers in to accelerate and deliver quality services to our people” Modise emphasised.

According to the report, only five municipalities in the province received unqualified audit reports,

Meanwhile, the provincial government last week resolved to invoke Section 139(1) (b) interventions in Ditsobotla, Matlosana and Maquassi Hills as part of its local government turnaround strategy aimed at strengthening their administrative capacity improve their financial stability.