Picture: The ANC councillor, Gaolatlhwe Kgabo 

By REGINALD KANYANE

The factional battle in the ANC continues to be a ‘source of instability’ at the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality. It has been almost two years since the ANC councillor, Gaolatlhwe Kgabo was barred from attending any municipal council meetings including activities.

This comes after one of the ANC councillors, Mike Mkhandawire, who serves as a councillor at the same municipality, launched an interdict against Kgabo to participate in any municipal council meetings. Mkhandawire alleged that proper procedures were not followed when Kgabo was elected as a councillor.

However, Kgabo who continues to get a monthly salary from the municipality even though he is not part of the council said this was used as a smokescreen to avoid his appointment as the executive mayor of the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality.

“I was informed by the municipal speaker, Kgalalelo Sereko that I must no longer attend council meetings. Basically, I have been barred from attending any municipal council proceedings. One of her reasons to suspend me was, there is a pending court case against my deployment as a councillor.

“The ANC National Working Committee is currently dealing with the matter in terms of finding a way to resolve it politically. You cannot have the ANC councillor sitting in the municipal council and at the same time, having the case against the ANC,” he said.

Kgabo further said he did not appoint nor submit his name to the IEC. He added that, it turned out that, the ANC Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) was the one that finalised the list that was allegedly submitted and confirmed by national.

“So, there was no one in the country whose name was submitted to the IEC without going through ANC’s internal processes. You will remember that this court case came after the ANC councillors at the municipality voted for the EFF for the executive mayoral position even though ANC has a majority.

“You’ll remember that, I was identified to be appointed as the executive mayor after the interviews. So, I was supposed to be elected through a council meeting. However, through that council meeting, the EFF councilor, Tebogo Babuile was elected as the executive mayor,” said Kgabo.

The ANCYL national spokesperson, Wesley Kgang said: “As we move towards National General Elections, the ANCYL has taken a decision to work tirelessly to ensure that all its provincial chairpersons become MECs in strategic departments in their provincial governments. This will put young people at the centre of decision making. They will get into these spaces carrying a mandate to participate in the struggle to create jobs for youth and transformation of society in favour of all young people.

“The ANCYL wishes to further register that, we have not forgotten about the mayorship in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, where a young person was resolved to take up the position yet it remains not implemented. The ANCYL will be taking up the matter to ensure that justice is done.”

Meanwhile, the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality spokesperson, Joe Motlhasedi said the municipality reserves its right not to respond on the matter, taking into consideration that, what has been raised should be directed to the councillor himself and the political party, which deployed him.

The ANC regional secretary, Walter Mabogola was not available for comment and his phone rang unanswered.

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Picture: Eskom lines engulfed by wildfires/Facebook

By OBAKENG MAJE

Thousands of agricultural hectares have been destroyed by fire in Jan Kempdorp, Hartwater and Pampierstad. Some of the residents said the wildfires that have swept their areas, left devastation in their wake.

One of the farmers, Daniel van Wyk said their grazing land has been affected. Van Wyk further said the wildfires have also destroyed infrastructure.

“Is been a week since we do not have electricity due to the wildfires. Our animals have also been affected because the grazing land has been affected. We urge assistance from the government to ensure that the fire is contained.

“This is a run-away fire and it is difficult to control due to wind. We have not heard of any injuries either to live-stock or any human being thus far. At this point in time, we cannot estimate the losses,” he said.

Another resident in Pampierstad, Goitseone Tau, shared the same sentiment. Tau added that he sympathizes with farmers who suffered the losses.

“The wildfires have affected many livelihoods in the area. Small Micro Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) are the most affected as they continue to bear the brunt of load shedding, now this. We expect a massive amount of job losses as many livelihoods will be destroyed and food security be affected.

“It is also so sad to see the destruction of the environment and infrastructure. Even though most of the fires are being extinguished, the areas affected are not out of the woods yet. We also believe that Eskom lines are not maintained and there are no firebreaks — in high winds the lines touch and spark, causing fires,” he said.

Meanwhile, Eskom said in a statement that it continues to address power outages in some parts of Northern Cape following damaged infrastructure. Eskom said it regrets to inform the residents of the Northern Cape that, a recent incident of infrastructure damage, caused by veld fires, has resulted in power outages affecting various areas in the province.

“The affected areas include Hartswater, Jan Kempdorp, Warrenton and parts of Christiana. The veld fires have unfortunately caused significant damage to the power infrastructure, resulting in disruptions to the electricity feeders serving these areas.

“In order to balance the electricity system and prevent further complications, Eskom had to implement a temporary load rotation approach. This decision was made to ensure the stability of the local grid and avoid potential damage to the system,” the statement said.

Eskom said The estimated normalization time is at 18:00 on 17 August 2023. 

“We commit to keep you updated on progress by 09:00. We understand the inconvenience that power outages bring to their customers and we would like to assure everyone that, a dedicated team of skilled technicians has been dispatched to the affected areas. 

“Our priority is to assess and repair the damaged infrastructure as swiftly as possible. We thank customers for their patience and apologise for the inconvenience, while we work non-stop to restore electricity supply,” it said. 

Eskom said the electricity can be switched on without notice. It said customers are therefore reminded to treat all electrical sockets and appliances as live and dangerous. 

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Setshwantsho: Monna o go begwang a ketekile lekgarebe mo video/Facebook

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

Monna wa dingwaga dile 39 o leletswe ke ditshipi morago ga go bonwa mo video e tletsetletseng mo mafaratlhatlheng a boitapoloso a keteka lekgarebe le go dumelwang ele la gagwe kwa Shell Garage kwa Vryburg mo letsatsing la Tshipi. Go ya ka dipego, go kaiwa fa Poloko Sekgopi a ne a tsena kwa Shell Garage a hupile tedu kwa fitlhetseng lekgarebe le, lena le monna o sa itsiweng.  

Sekgopi o bonala mo video a tlhasela monna mongwe, pele a ka raga kaka lekgarebe le, le go mo digela mo fatshe. Go kaiwa fa lekgarebe le, lene la go bula kgetsi kgatlhanong le Sekgopi.

Go ya ka sebueledi sa sepodisi kwa kgorwaneng ya Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen, Sekgopi one a tshwarwa le go tlhagelela ka bo ripana kwa kgotlha-tshekelong ya Vryburg mo letsatsing la Mosupulogo. Van Rooyen o kaile fa Sekgopi a lebane le kgetsi ya go keteka.

“Ke nnete, go butswe kgetsi ya go keteka kgatlhanong le Sekgopi. Mo ngongoregi mo kgetsing eno, ona le dingwaga dile 33. Sekgopi o tlhageletse ka bo ripana kwa kgotlha-tshekelo ya Vryburg mo letsatsing la maabane.

“Kgetsi kgatlhanong le ene ene ya busediwa morago go fitlha ka di 18 Phatwe 2023. Molatofadiwa o tla nna a namile kwa ntlo lefitshwana, mme o solofetswe go ka dira kopo ya beile ka Labotlhano,” van Rooyen wa tlhalosa.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

A man (29) from Cokonyane village, near Taung is expected to appear at Taung Magistrate’s Court for murder. 

The North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen said: “On Sunday morning, the police were called to attend to the victim who was brought to Cokonyane clinic. Information provided indicated that, three male persons brought the victim to the clinic in the early morning of Sunday.

“The victim had a stab wound on his shoulder and he was already dead on arrival at the clinic. A case of murder was opened and initial investigation into the case led to the arrest of a suspect on Monday morning.”

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Picture: Underage children allegedly indulge in alcohol/Google

By OBAKENG MAJE

The Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) in the North West has condemned underage drinking as well as drug and substance abuse that allegedly occurred over the weekend at the merry-go-round swings, near the Mahikeng Mall in Mahikeng.

Convenor of the MRM Provincial Interim Committee, Pastor Lesiba Kgwele described the binge involving children as young as 12 as not only shocking but also a symptom of a deeper moral crisis facing society.

Kgwele said these deplorable acts, which are conducted in broad daylight whenever the merry-go-round swings are in town, point to a decay in moral values. He further said they are extremely concerned because underage drinking is a Siamese twin to teenage pregnancy.

“We call on law enforcement to clamp down on lawlessness and intensify visibility around the area, while the merry-go-round swings are in town. We urge parents to reclaim the Ubuntu adage that says, every child is my child.

“They should also play their part by accompanying their children to the entertainment because heartless drug dealers and unscrupulous liquor traders are opportunists that are taking advantage of our vulnerable youth to derive maximum benefit,” said Kgwele.

He further said the members of the committee had witnessed first-hand, young girls staggering, drinking publicly, others smoking hubbly-bubbly on their return from the Ministerial Imbizo on Gender-Based Violence, Drug and substance abuse that was hosted by the Deputy Minister of Police, Cassel Mathale and the Deputy Minister of Justice, Constitutional Development and Correctional Services, John Jeffrey.

Kgwele added that, this calls for urgency to ensure that the pledge that they had signed at the Imbizo, is given practical expression with implementing sustainable intervention programmes.  

“As the MRM, we are committed to mobilising churches, men, women and youth organisations including businesses to combat the scourge of crime as well as drug and substance abuse destroying the future of our youth as well as tearing our families and communities apart.

“The MRM is determined to intensify and redouble its effort to establish stronger partnerships for safer communities, establishing youth mentorship programmes as part of championing the charter of positive values is a priority that the civil society-led organization will embark upon as part of implementing its safer schools programme in partnership with the Department of Basic Education and other intervention programmes,” he said.

Kgwele said they hope that, the Provincial MRM Youth colloquium that they will be hosting on the 15 September 2023 to raise awareness about the Charter of Positive Values that they are advocating for inclusion in the school curriculum.

“We express a wish for the model of the Representative Council of Learners (RCL), Moral Regeneration Movement(MRM) and Ubuntu leadership programme that was implemented by Agape Foundation in partnership with Merafe Resources, the Adopt-A-School Programme, an entity of the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation at Boitekong and Meriting Secondary Schools in Rustenburg replicated at other schools and districts across the province.  

“While collaboration with the South African Community of Faith-Based Fraternal (SACOFF) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) will also assist us tackle the scourge of crime at a broad societal level, municipalities must ensure that young people have recreational facilities,” he concluded.

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Picture: The cattle that were allegedly stolen/Facebook

By OBAKENG MAJE

Three suspects were arrested for stock theft on Reivilo gravel road on 7 August 2023. The North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen said the police from Vryburg Stock Theft and Endangered Species(STES) unit, received a tip-off on 7 August 2023 of a suspected vehicle pulling a trailer with stolen stock.

Van Rooyen said the police immediately operationalised the information and conducted patrols on the Reivilo gravel road, where they found the reported vehicle. She further said when the vehicle was stopped, there were allegedly three occupants.

“The driver indicated that, the stock belonged to him. Further enquiries were made and the occupants were unable to provide documentary proof of ownership of the stock. A case of possession of suspected stolen stock was opened.

“Three suspects were immediately arrested. Koos Barnard (34), Ntwaitsile Matebesi (33), and William Shuping (49) briefly appeared in the Vryburg Magistrate’s Court on 8 August 2023. They were remanded in custody and the case was postponed to 15 August 2023 for formal bail application,” said van Rooyen.

She added that, the owners of the stock were traced and positively identified the stock.

Meanwhile. The acting Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Police Commissioner, Brigadier Tshenolo Tlotleng, applauded the police involved in the apprehension of the suspects. Tlotleng also lauded them on their dedication to ensuring that, the safety of the communities is prioritised.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the alleged murder and robbery in Ganyesa. The North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen said the police allegedly received a call from a community member about a man, who was lying motionless along the old Kudunkgwane gravel road.

Rooyen said the police responded quickly and went to the scene, where they found the victim (38) next to his vehicle.

“After the scene was processed, the detectives immediately started tracing the suspects and early Monday morning, 7 August 2023, five suspects were arrested. All five suspects were positively linked to the crime and they briefly appeared in the Ganyesa Magistrate’s Court on 8 August 2023, where they faced charges of murder and robbery.

“Tsholofelo Montshwane (27), Mukhano Keabetswe (27), Christopher Gaobape (29), Gaonapetso Rancho (29), and Thabang Pudieng (35) were remanded in police custody until 15 August 2023, where they will appear in court for formal bail application,” she said.

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Picture: The N18 road in North West/Generic  

By OBAKENG MAJE

The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) said it will be rolling out projects to improve some intersections on the national route N18. The SANRAL CEO, Reginald Demana said the roads agency has set aside about R78.3 million towards Routine Road Maintenance of the N18 from Naledi Municipal Border to the Botswana border post.

Demana further said the budget will also cover the R49 national road from Mahikeng to the Ramotshere-Moiloa Municipal border, and the R505 national road from the Ditsobotla Municipal border to the R49 intersection. He added that the scope of work for the project includes accommodation of traffic, pavement layer repairs, crack sealing and patching of asphalt pavements, and repair of edge breaks and edge drops.

“This includes the gravel shoulder repairs, construction of drainage works to combat erosion, cleaning of all drainage structures, including removal of grass and debris from grids as well as clearing bridge drainage ports and scuppers.

“The budget also includes the repairing damaged fencing, repairing damaged fencing, repairing damaged road signs, cleaning of road signs, installation and replacement of road studs, repairing damaged guardrails and balustrades, road reserve, including the median, and the removal of grass cuttings,” he said.

Demana said SANRAL is committed to creating economic value throughout South Africa. He said, therefore, local sub-contractors within the Ngaka Modiri Molema District and general workers from the targeted areas will be appointed throughout the life cycle of this project.

“This will be sourced from the database captured by the Project Liaison Officers representing both municipalities. The appointment of labourers will be based on the sub-contractor’s requirements, depending on activities.

“All general labourers being employed by the main contractor and sub-contractor, must be sourced from the project’s targeted areas only, with assistance from the project’s targeted areas only, with assistance from the affected sections,” said Demana.

He said for 2024, SANRAL will further roll-out projects for the provision of non-motorised and public transport facilities and improvements of intersections on N18 section 6 from 25.0 to 38.2km. Demana said the project worth R14.3 million, is scheduled to start in February 2024.

“The scope of work will include geometric improvements of four intersections, N18 and Sekonopo school access, N18 and Madibe town, N18 and Lekoko access, N18 and Tabernacle school access provision of pedestrian crossings.

“This will include the public transport facilities and sidewalks along intersections, reduction of speed to 60km per hour from both approaches, provision of traffic calming in the form of rumble strips, the addition of the left-turning tapers, the addition of street lighting and right-and – left-turning lanes, and closure of existing school access at the N18 and Tabernacle school access information,” he said.

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Picture: Women in Law Enforcement Donate Gifts to the Hospice/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said the build-up activities leading to the Provincial Launch of Operation Shanela in conjunction with the Women in Law Enforcement (WILE) parade continued in two phases, in De Aar on 13 August 2023.

Sam said the first phase of the Women in Law Enforcement supported by their male counterparts converged at the De Aar Army Base joined in prayer and devotion during a powerful church service led by the Women from the South African Police Services (SAPS), the Department of Transport Safety and Liaison (DTSL), the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the Department of Correctional Service (DCS) and the Department of Home Affairs.

“In outlining the purpose for the divine intervention, the Provincial Head for Pro-active Policing, Brigadier Irene Kopeledi mentioned that the church service is meant to uplift and pray for the safety and security of resilient women in the different spheres of the crime-fighting chain.

“Chaplain Malerato Mhlekwa in delivering the sermon, shared a scripture from the book of Isaiah 52 vs 1-2, appealing to women to shake off the dust in them as God is telling women this day to arise from the dust, women should not feel condemned by the different daily challenges,” he said.

Sam further said, during the second phase, the delegation converged at the De Aar Hospice in Malaykamp in De Aar, to deliver must needed hampers and items that would assist the institution in its mission.

He added that, the founder and manager of the centre, Theresa Thompson who was also celebrating her 74^th birthday, welcomed the WILE and gave a brief history of the institution.

“She shared the hardships that the institution had to endure, but managed through all to be resilient in providing care and support to the sick and or terminally ill,” said Sam.

Meanwhile, the Pixley Ka Seme District Commissioner, Major General Nomana Mtukushe thanked all the women from the departments for offering support to Hospice saying a giveth hand is blessed.

Mtukushe said women must never give up and persist in donating in kind to the institution.

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Picture: The newly crowned Miss SA 2023, Natashs Joubert/Twitter

By OBAKENG MAJE

The congratulatory messages continue to pour in for the newly crowned Miss South Africa 2023, Natasha Joubert. Joubert (26) won the spectacular pageant finale held at the Sunbet Arena at Time Square Casino in Tshwane on Sunday.

The South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa was amongst the dignitaries who congratulated Joubert. In a tweet sent out last night, Ramaphosa said Joubert’s resilience is a testament to the nation’s fighting spirit.

“Congratulations to our newly crowned Joubert. Your resilience is a testament to our fighting spirit as a nation. We wish you a fruitful year of reign and we look forward to you making a positive impact as our Miss South Africa,” he said.

Joubert is a BCom Marketing Management graduate and is the owner and fashion designer of Natalia Jefferys, a company she started when she was 19.

An emotional and overwhelmed Joubert who hails from Tshwane said she was truly humbled and grateful to win the title and to be the first to wear the glittering new Mowana (“Tree of Life”) crown from Nungu Diamonds.

In her acceptance speech Joubert, a firm favourite among the crowd watching the pageant, said she is incredibly honoured and humbled to be crowned Miss South Africa 2023.

“As I step into this new role, I am filled with a sense of responsibility to make a positive difference in the world around me. I believe that success is not just about personal accomplishments, but about the opportunities, we have to give back and uplift those around us. I will strive to be a source of inspiration and support for others, just as I have been supported on my journey now and before.

“This moment is the epitome of a full circle moment for me. A dream that started 11 years ago…I pledge to use this platform to advocate for the causes close to my heart and to be a source of inspiration for others. Entrepreneurship lies at the heart of innovation and economic growth. It is the driving force that propels nations forward, creating jobs, nurturing creativity, and fostering a spirit of resilience,” she said.

The new Miss South Africa received R1 million in cash and a sponsorship package that includes the use of a serviced apartment at the lavish Brookfield at Royal in Kensington – developed by Tricolt – for the year of her reign.

She will also get to drive a Mercedes-Benz GLC as well as go on a trip to Paris sponsored by L’Oreal.

(Additional reporting from SAnews.gov.za)

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