North West Premier, Thandi Modise has called on law enforcement agencies not to show offenders mercy but to intensify crime prevention operations for safer communities during the festive season.

Speaking at the launch of the Provincial Arrive Alive Road Safety and Operation When Duty Calls Campaigns on Friday at Mmabatho Stadium, Premier Modise said traffic officers and the police should be vigilant for any wrong doings both on the road and in communities.

Premier Modise expressed appreciation for the successes that traffic law enforcement operations had scored during October Transport Month and thanked officers for their hard work and dedication. The Premier highlighted that 90 245 vehicles were stopped as part of the National Rolling Enforcement Plan and 99 297 notices were issued.

Nine hundred and twenty-four motorists were arrested for unpaid traffic fines, 147 un-roadworthy vehicles were discontinued and 79 drivers arrested for drunken. Two illegal foreign nationals were among those arrested during the operations

The Premier decried that driving under the influence of alcohol was a contributory factor that caused most crashes over the past five years.

“People who drive under the influence of alcohol drive dangerously, recklessly, and inconsiderately. It is not only the offender who puts himself at risk of an accident, in most instances they continue to overtake on barrier lines, push off other drivers out of the road and became the causes of other accidents,” she said.

Premier Modise also raised a concern that there are high rate of pedestrians killed on the roads which also forms second contributory factor to fatalities.

She mentioned a total disregard of road safety education and awareness campaign as the main cause of pedestrian killed on the roads.

“Most of the pedestrian who are killed on the roads are either walking along the roads, crossing on unsafe areas or without looking at both directions of the roads and the kids while playing on the roads.

We appeal to pedestrians to take precautionary measures while walking or crossing the roads, please walk far from the road and try at all times to wear cloths which will make you visible to the drivers especially at night,” Premier Modise said.

Also sharing the same sentiments with the Premier, MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison, Nono Maloyi emphasized that his department is ready to fight lawlessness on public roads and in the communities.

“Through the Arrive Alive campaign and Operation When Duty Calls we are seeking to fight any unnecessary loss of human life.

All our systems are in place, we are ready to take action against any individual who will be on the wrong side of the law,” he said.

The MEC used the occasion to hand over eight new vehicles to traffic officers that will enable them to do their job effectively.

He said his department will continue to increase the fleet for Jaws of Life Special Operations and on an incremental basis add vehicles fitted with licence recognition technology in order to fight and reduce crime.

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 The North West Provincial government will pursue corruption syndicates relentlessly until those who have been looting state resources are behind bars and their properties repossessed, Premier Thandi Modise warned on Friday.

The stern warning was issued by Premier Modise in her hard hitting keynote address delivered at the Provincial Road Summit attended by close to two thousand held at the Mmabatho Convention Centre.

Premier Modise said that those that thought that they were untouchable and could loot state resources with impunity should know that its game time.

“You have reached this far and no further. We are not going to be scared off or succumb to any pressure to abandon the fight against corruption because road users deserve quality and safer roads. We will not be bought because our integrity is not for sale,” vowed Modise.

She emphasised that her administration is tightening the screw against corruption with a major focus on price collusion within the tendering system.

“This province cannot afford to pay three to four times what other provinces are paying for road construction. Our communities deserve quality and safer roads and not expensive but inferior roads,” the Premier said to loud applause. 

   She underlined that though odds may appear to be stacked against her administration from the network involving politicians and public servants, her administration will not be intimidated nor succumb to pressure because it knows too well that the overwhelming majority of people in the province hate corruption as it diverts resources that are supposed to better their lives.

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BY Obakeng Maje

Mahikeng-North West Public Works,Roads and Transport Department to re-prioritise some of roads projects in the province.

This was announced by The Head of Department(HOD) of Public Works,Roads & Transport in the province Mr Sam Thobakgale.

“We have put our focus on economic roads that connects towns. And the projects for this roads projects will started soon. Our aim is to improve  more than 25 roads in the province” Thobakgale said.

“This roads are been marked across four districts. So we will like to inform roads users to be more patient as we will make their lives more unbearable with that stop and go situation” He continues.

North West is much known as potholes province as its roads leave much to be desired.

Most roads are in bad conditions as potholes rule. For more typical example, a road from Klerksdorp to Schweizer-Reneke is no go.

“The province also will offer internships to Engineer students as we lost more graduates,but hopefully they will bring their excellent knowledge and skll in the province” Thobakgale said.

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BY Obakeng Maje

Stakeholders in the North West Province are to re-prioritise road projects for their respective communities at a Consultative Provincial Roads Summit to be held as from 9:00am at the Mmabatho Convention Centre tomorrow Friday 2 November 2012 .

“The declaration to be adopted at the conclusion of the summit should become a blueprint and performance measure that communities would hold the Provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport accountable for road infrastructure delivery. Our communities and road users deserve quality and safer roads” says Premier Thandi Modise.

Premier Modise is to deliver the keynote address at the summit which was preceded by district engagements where delegates were engaged on plans for development of new roads, major maintenance and other related road projects to prioritise which the department should attend to first.

Other key stakeholders to participate in the programme for the summit include South African National Road Agency Limited (SANRAL) and the National Department of Transport which will be represented by its Director General, George Mahlalela.

BY Obakeng Maje

 The recognition that the North West Province earned for its contribution towards development of traditional and indigenous music at the 2012 South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA) should spur the province to intensify its programmes to unearth and nurture talent among its youth, Premier Thand

i Modise said on Tuesday.

 “Scooping the Best Provincial Department of Sport, Arts & Culture” category at the 2012 SATMA awards should not lead to complacency but challenge us to raise the bar and deepen sustainability of the creative industries. We commend officials within the department for their tireless effort, all eight nominees who represented the province and our partners in the industry on the milestone and for making us proud. ” said the Premier.Modise added that the turnaround of Mmabana Arts Foundation should assist the province to develop its enormous talent, unique, rich traditional & indigenous music and dance. 

 In addition to the Provincial Department’s win, last year’s Best Female Artist category winner, Ama-Ausi did the province proud by scooping 

the 2012 SATMA Award 

for the Best Video, Best Song of the Year and Best Setswana Album category.

Poko ya Pina Cultural Group was crowned winner in the Best Setswana Album category.

The awards was also a platform for the province to showcase its strategy for development of the performing arts, visual arts and crafts and creative arts such as Film & TV Learnerships, Film & TV Workshops Film & TV Workshops, Community Mobile Cinemas, Provincial Film Indaba, Choral Music Revival Initiative, Theatre Development Network and other initiatives.

The province has always been a strong contender in SATMA Awards since 2005,The province has recorded 80 cultural groups some of whom have performed at International arena like 2006 World Soccer Cup in Germany, Beigin International Olympics, Festival De Monitque in France, the Shanghai International EXPO, The JAH (Jazz Heritage Africa) have been recorded by the province.

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The North West Executive Council and stakeholders in the province are to make inputs on the implementation of the National Development Plan(NPA) and Vision 2030 during the National Planning Commission’s provincial outreach programme to be held at the Mmabatho Convention Centre on Tuesday next week.

The objective of the engagement to be led by the Minister of National Planning in the Presidency, Trevor Manuel and six members of the commission is to popularise the NDP so that it is translated into targets to be incorporated into future performance and delivery agreements and ensure that its aspects are incorporated into their own long- term planning exercises and implementation plans.

“Though the National Development Plan is a product of consultative process, the provincial engagement affords us broad stakeholder and citizen ownership towards the implementation process,” says Premier Thandi Modise.

The first session to commence at 8:00 am will be with the Provincial Executive Council (Exco) while the second session to commence at 10:00 am will involve invited representatives of the business sector, labour, traditional leadership, civil society, political parties, chairpersons of portfolio committees of the legislature, youth formations, etc.

Premier Modise has following on the establiishment of the National Planning Commission established a Provincial Planning Commission and appointed former MEC Darkey Africa as fulltime Commissioner. Additional commissioners were advertised in the print media and appointments are to be made in due course. 

A Khayelitsha traditional dance teacher will effectively serve three life terms for raping seven young girls after dance classes about two years ago.

Western Cape High Court Judge Nonkosi Saba sentenced Lawrence Gagu, 49, to life in prison for each of the seven counts of rape.

A further four and five years respectively were imposed for charges of sexual grooming and showing pornography to children.

Judge Saba ordered that some of the life terms run concurrently, as she grouped the counts according to the number of times the girls were raped.

Some of the girls, aged between seven and 12, were raped once, twice and thrice. One of Gagu’s victims was raped 12 times.

Between June 2009 and March 2010, the girls were lured to his Makhaza shack in pairs after dance practice under the guise of helping him with household chores. While one of the girls fetched water, the other would stay behind, and Gagu would rape her. He had washed the girls after the rapes and threatened them at knife-point that they must keep quiet or he would kill their parents.

“Rape is one of the most serious crimes… the exacerbating factors are that these crimes were committed repeatedly on young, vulnerable and unsuspecting children. The accused planned these crimes very well. The children obeyed him because they trusted him,” Judge Saba said.

He said the fact the case was heard in the Khayelitsha Regional Court – so the community could attend – was a “blessing in disguise”.

“This case was heard in Khayelitsha so they (the community) can have insight into what transpired and it will serve as a wake-up call for them to be more vigilant, particularly regarding the supervision of children,” he said.

For more details go to http://www.iol.co.za/