By OBAKENG MAJE

Poor infrastructure in various schools across the North West province continues to be a disturbing factor. This comes after learners at Seile Primary School in Lokaleng village near Taung, were forced to use the nearest bushes to relieve themselves because the ablution toilets are locked.

According to parents of learners who refused to be named for fear of reprisal, this has been taking place for more than a month.    

“There is no proper hygiene practiced by the school even though we are in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The ablution facilities are locked, and this forces learners to go and relieve themselves in the nearest bushes.

“We urge the school to ensure that there are proper toilets. Learners’ privacy is compromised as others are forced to and squat in a bushy area within the school, which is littered with faeces,” said a parent.

The North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said: “The departmental officials visited the school and their findings were that the toilets were indeed locked due to the unavailability of water.

“So, infrastructure officials will be visiting the school to establish what might be the challenge with the borehole. Seile Primary is a big school and able to maintain from the 10% budget that is allocated to them annually by the department.”

Malindi further said the new principal will intervene during these school holidays to ensure that water is restored in the school toilets. 

Recently, the department appeared before the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to respond to poor infrastructure experienced at 60 schools in the province. According to the commission’s Office Manager in the North West, Osmond Mngomezulu, they have probed the matter after receiving complaints. 

Mngomezulu said even though they initially received complaints about six schools, their scope was widened when they identified more schools during their assessment and monitoring.

“Complaints raised allegations concerning deteriorating buildings, cracked walls, cracked floor, broken window, falling ceilings, exposed electricity wires, shortage of classrooms, overcrowding in classrooms, asbestos roofing and structures, lack of access to sufficient water and basic sanitation.

“Learners in those schools with damaged roofing do not attend classes when it rains. Some schools such as Setshwarapelo Primary School in Mokgareng village, Taung were closed due to infrastructure challenges resulting in learners being transferred to another school pending the delivery of mobile classrooms,” he said.

He said they have discovered that some schools have overcrowding and that negatively impacts teaching and learning. Mngomezulu said teachers are unable to perform their duties diligently and respond to the individual needs of learners due to overcrowding.

“We also visited Promosa Secondary School in Ikageng Township, near Potchefstroom and the pass rate was very low. However, I am not sure if that was caused by the infrastructure challenges. 

“We had consultative engagements with the National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) and Naptosa, which is a teachers’ labour union, where it presented additional schools including those in Madibeng that still use pit latrines,” said Mngomezulu.

Malindi who was cagey said the department appeared before the commission to present its side of the story and respond to the complaints raised by it. He said the department outlined how it is going to address issues raised in short and long-term periods.”

In 2019, R150 million allocations meant for infrastructure grants, were returned to the national treasury after not being unused by the department.  

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

North West police are investigating a livestock-theft case after five cows were allegedly stolen in a grazing camp in Piet Plessis near Ganyesa. According to the North West police spokesperson in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Sgt Tryphosa van Rooyen, the incident took place on Tuesday, where a case of stock-theft was opened.

“A case of stock-theft was reported to the Piet Plessis police, where five charolais cattle were stolen from a grazing camp. On Thursday, one of the farmers in the Piet Plessis area provided the police with information regarding a stock theft.

“The police in Piet Plessis acted immediately following the information up and with the assistance of the farmer, they managed to track down the suspected vehicle. Upon arrival at the scene, the suspects fled and abandoned the vehicle,” van Rooyen said.

She further said the police allegedly found five cows inside the white minibus taxi. Van Rooyen added that upon investigation, it was found that the cows which were found, had been reported stolen on 29 March 2022.

“The investigation continues and anyone with information that can assist the investigation can contact Warrant Officer Obakeng Kegakilwe on 082 057 1992,” she said.

Meanwhile, the acting District Commissioner, Brigadier Tshenolo Tlotleng commended the Piet Plessis police for their swift response as well as the farmer who assisted with information. He stated that, it is only when the community members and police join forces that they can win the fight against crime.

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

A 30-YEAR-OLD man is set to appear at Upington Magistrate’s Court 1 April 2022 for fraud. The Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit in Northern Cape, Capt Tebogo Thebe said the suspect’s arrest emanates after information received from First National Bank (FNB) that one of its clients from Kwa Zulu Natal, complained that an amount of R20 000 was withdrawn from his account without his permission.

“Upington Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit took over the investigation and established that the suspect allegedly booked himself in at Upington casino hotel, where he spent approximately R80 000 on accommodation, food and drinks using details of three different bank accounts.

“The search and seizure were conducted at the hotel room of the suspect and two cell phones, bank statements and proof of payments slips were seized. The team believes that the said documents will aid the investigation going forward,” Thebe said.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Taung police are investigating a theft of a motor vehicle case. This comes after a Joy ambulance was allegedly stolen in the early hours of Sunday morning. 

According to the North West police spokesperson in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Sgt Tryphosa van Rooyen, the driver of the Joy ambulance reported that at about 2:15am on Sunday morning, he was driving between Kolong and Manthe village near Taung when he stuck without fuel.

“He allegedly locked the vehicle and went to Taung CBD to buy fuel. Upon his return to where the vehicle was stuck, he found that the white Ekhaya minibus was missing. A case of theft of motor vehicle was opened and is under investigation by the Vehicle Clearance Identification Unit (VCIU) of Klerksdorp.

“In addition, motorists should always be vigilant when using their vehicles. When you know that you will be driving for a long distance, ensure that you have sufficient fuel for the journey you are embarking on,” she said.

Van Rooyen further advises motorists not to stop in secluded areas and if there is a need, they should rather stop at a filling station or other places that are safer. She added that motorists should not drive along secluded roads, where there is no regular flow of traffic.

“We also advise motorists to always lock their doors when getting in or out of vehicles,” said van Rooyen.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, the North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col, Amanda Funani said the police would like to warn motorists about escalating car-hijacking incidents happening around the province.

Funani said this comes after several car-hijacking cases were reported at different police stations between 24 and 27 March 2022. She said in Ventersdorp, a man (30) was driving on the N14 road when stopped by a white VW vehicle with police blue lamps.

“According to information at our disposal, four unknown suspects wearing what appeared to be Metro Police uniform, approached the victim and forcefully took him out of his vehicle. They pointed him with a firearm and instructed him to get into their vehicle and ultimately taken to an open field, where he was put into a shack.

“The man was eventually robbed of his vehicle and an undisclosed amount of cash. In another case, a truck driver (42) who was his father driving from Gauteng to Brits, allegedly met with six unknown suspects, who robbed them of their personal belongings, cash and the truck,” she said.

Funani said the suspect then tied the victims with a rope before fleeing the scene. She said the victims managed to untie themselves and went to Brits Police Station, where they reported the matter.

“Motorists are therefore urged to be vigilant at all times, especially when they are stopping their vehicles to assist other motorists,” said Funani.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson, Lizzy Suping said they are probing an alleged rape case against two police officers. According to Suping, a woman (20) alleged that she was at her boyfriend’s place at Lorwaneng village outside Mahikeng on 30 March 2022 when an argument ensued between the two.

“The police were called in and after interviewing them, the police officers informed her that they were detaining her for malicious damage to property as she had broken the windows at her partner’s place.

“She was handcuffed and on their way to the police station, they took a detour and told her that they were taking her home. She alleges that the police stopped near the Maseru entertainment place in Mahikeng, where the police officer who was on the passenger side came to her, pushed her back and forcefully opened her mouth and made her swallow some sweet drink, which made her dizzy,” she said.

Suping further said the woman alleged that the same police officer undressed her and raped her.

“After the police officer allegedly finished, the driver also raped her, and all this was happening while she was handcuffed. The incident happened between 1am and 3am. They took her home after raping her. She was taken to hospital for medical attention by her family,” she said.

Suping said IPID is gathering evidence, so that the investigation process can continue.

Meanwhile, the police spokesperson in the North West, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said: “The provincial police management is shocked by allegations circulating on various social media platforms. Preliminary investigation regarding the allegations revealed that at this stage, no case of rape has been registered at one of the police stations in the Greater Mahikeng.

“The alleged victim and /or her relatives are urged to come forth to lay a charge so that investigation can be instituted. Police management would like to reiterate that unbecoming conduct and criminal activities cannot be condoned in the ranks of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and those who commit crime must face the full might of the law.”

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

The president of Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) student-wing, Jacky Nonong lambasted the justice system and alleged that it favours only those who are rich and connected. Nonong’s utterances come after Walter Sisulu University’s honours student, Sibongile Mani was sentenced to a five-year imprisonment by the East London Regional Court in Eastern Cape today.

On 1 June 2017, Mani who was using the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funds, was erroneously credited with R14 140 000 by the system, instead of being credited with R1400 for her food allowance.

The Hawks regional spokesperson, Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said, on receiving the money, Mani immediately embarked on a lavish spending spree. Mgolodela further said from 1 June 2017 to14 August 2017, Mani had already spent a total amount of R818 469.20 at 48 merchants in the Eastern Cape, Johannesburg and Centurion by that time.

“The error was detected, and her card was immediately blocked. Intellimalli lodged a complaint with the Hawks and the matter was investigated, which revealed that Mani had squandered such an amount in no time.

“Mani was arrested and appeared in East London Magistrate’s Court, where she was released on warning. During the 2017 academic year, she was allocated R18 370 per annum towards her tuition fees and R14 000 per annum towards her food allowance by NSFAS. Both tuition and food allowance were paid directly to WSU by NSFAS,” she said.

Mgolodela said Intellimalli manages allowances on behalf of institutions, funders and sponsors. She said in 2017, the company managed food and book allowance of students who received NSFAS financial assistance on behalf of WSU.

“WSU provided Intellimalli monthly with a spread sheet of all allowances to load onto the Intellimalli system. This spread sheet provided the student number, type of allowance amount and an instruction of the period (number of months) the student must receive the allowance.

“Students can spend their food allowance at merchants that had been approved by the university, on food and toiletry purchases only as all other items were prohibited. The food allowances are uploaded by Intellimalli onto the Student Registration Card as credit on behalf of WSU on a monthly basis,” said Mgolodela.

She said after numerous court appearances, Mani was convicted on 7 February 2022, hence her sentencing on 30 March 2022.

However, Nonong did not mince her words. She said at the F4SD Student Forum, they hold strong views that there are compelling reasons for another court of law to overturn or minimize the five-year sentence dished out to Mani.

“Today, we made an inquiry to engage the lawyers of Mani and will further engage the family in order to appeal the harsh unfair sentence imposed by court. Mani was very remorseful throughout the trial.

“We are talking about a first offender, who was the only hope of the family. We further noted that our justice system is not for the poor since it favours the rich and the few connected. The sentence disseminated on Mani is more like a death, because she has already suffered a lot mentally, now physically at the overcrowded jail cells,” she said.

Nonong further said the report by the correctional service is clear that Mani is not a flight risk, let alone danger to the community. She added that F4SD SF, will not at this stage reveal the entire legal strategy going forward, but can put it on record that this sentence will be appealed and bail application to be instituted in the interim.

Meanwhile, the NSFAS spokesperson, Kagisho Mamabolo said: “We note with great concern and disappointment, the inaccurate, irresponsible and misleading media reports regarding the involvement of NSFAS in the conviction and sentencing of Mani.

“The scheme would like to categorically state that notwithstanding the reputational damage this incident has caused NSFAS, due largely to the inaccurate reporting of this matter in the media and Parliament – NSFAS has not suffered any financial loss due to this incident.

“NSFAS had, when the incident came to light, commissioned an internal audit review of its systems and controls and confirmed that indeed no financial loss was suffered. The outcome of this review is on record.”

Mamabolo said the investigations were also conducted by the WSU and the DHET. He said the facts have revealed that the only entity that suffered financial loss due to the weakness in internal controls and systems that led to this incident was Intellimali, a service provider appointed by Walter Sisulu University.

“We also wish to confirm that NSFAS did not institute any criminal proceedings against the student as there was no basis for it to do so. The NSFAS position is that, while the student ought to have known better to not spend money they were not entitled to, criminally charging the student is irreversibly unfortunate.

“This has the effect of destroying a young person’s future, thereby unfairly allotting all the blame on the student and none on the system of the service provider that should have prevented an erroneous transaction from having to be effected,” he said.

According to Mamabolo, the service provider could have pursued other means to recover the money from the student once she completed her qualification and obtained gainful employment.

He said lastly, NSFAS was approached to furnish the Department of Correctional Services with a Victim Impact Assessment Report, which was duly submitted on 14 March 2022.

“In this report, NSFAS reaffirmed its position on the matter as articulated above,” he said.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

A 27-YEAR-OLD man from Pampierstad was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court for extortion and malicious damage to property. In 2017, Clement Othusitse Seothaeng, who was working at McDonald’s restaurant in Montana, Pretoria as a crew member for two years, recorded himself in a 20-second video clip with his phone preparing a Mcflurry ice cream without showing his face.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana said, Seothaeng who was wearing a uniform, spat inside the Mcflurry ice cream, mixed it and closed the cap while preparing it. 

“After recording himself, he sent the clip to the manager with a different number as a concerned customer demanding R150 000 to avoid the video being circulated on social media. The manager reported the matter to the police.

“Immediately a trap was set up and Seothaeng was arrested a few days later. During the aggravation of sentence, the prosecutor, David Molokomme asked the court to impose a fitting sentence to reflect society’s disapproval of such improper and illegal behaviour using social media for anti-social behaviour,” Mahanjana said.

She said as NPA, they welcome the sentence. Mahanjana further said Seothaeng was given 10 years for extortion and 5 years for malicious damage to property and the magistrate ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

Two suspects aged 34 and 43 are expected to appear before the Klerksdorp and Potchefstroom Magistrate’s Courts respectively following their arrest by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation on Tuesday.

According to the Hawks spokesperson in North West, Capt Tlangelani Rikhotso, the suspects were arrested in separate incidents after the police followed up on information regarding drug dealing.

“The first suspect was arrested at Leask street in Klerksdorp after the police searched his vehicle and allegedly found drugs worth R25 000 and approximately R4800 cash. All the items, including the vehicle, were seized for further investigation,” Rikhotso said.

Meanwhile, on the same day in Potchefstroom, a second suspect was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation police assisted by members of Crime Intelligence. Rikhotso said this follows a search conducted at the suspect’s rental apartment, where packets of Crystal Meth worth approximately R45 000 were found stashed inside the stove oven.

She said the suspect will face charges of dealing and possession of drugs.

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