By OBAKENG MAJE

The president of Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster in order to respond to the electricity crisis the country is facing. Most South Africans, continue to be plunged in the darkness due to load-shedding and this has affected their livelihoods.

Also, most business owners said they have been hard-hitting by load-shedding and that forced them to close doors.

“National Disaster Management Centre has consequently classified the energy crisis and its impact as a disaster. We are therefore declaring a national state of disaster to respond to the electricity crisis and

its effects.

“The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has just gazetted the declaration of the State of Disaster, which will begin with immediate effect,” he said.

Ramaphosa further said, the state of disaster will enable them to provide practical measures that they need to take to support businesses in the food production, storage, and retail supply chain, including for the

the rollout of generators, solar panels, and uninterrupted power supply.

He added that, where technically possible, it will enable them to exempt critical infrastructure such as hospitals and water treatment plants from load shedding.

“And it will enable us to accelerate energy projects and limit regulatory requirements while maintaining rigorous environmental protections, procurement principles, and technical standards.

“The Auditor General (AG) will be brought in to ensure continuous monitoring of expenditure, in order to guard against any abuses of the funds needed to attend to this disaster.

“To deal more effectively and urgently with the challenges that confront us, I will appoint the Minister of Electricity in the Presidency to assume full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response, including the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee,” he said.

According to Ramaphosa, the appointed minister will focus full-time and work with the Eskom board and management on ending load shedding. He said, the minister will also ensure that the Energy Action Plan is implemented without delay.

“So as to remove any confusion, the Minister of Public Enterprises will remain the shareholder representative of Eskom and steer the restructuring of Eskom, ensure the establishment of the transmission company, oversee the implementation of the just energy transition programme, and oversee the establishment of the SOE Holding Company.

“The process of restructuring government will give us an opportunity to determine the positioning of various areas of responsibilities and how best the various ministries and departments can best serve our national objectives,” said Ramaphosa.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

Six people are expected to appear before Bafokeng Magistrate’s Court on Friday for murder. It is alleged that, these suspects who are between the ages of 21 to 47, were arrested in Lethabong Township, near Rustenburg in connection with the murder of a man (35).

The North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani said, d man. Funani further said the suspects were arrested for allegedly assaulting a neighbour on Tuesday night.

“The suspects allegedly accused the man of housebreaking and theft of a cell phone. According to the allegations, one of the suspects collected his friends with his minibus taxi and went to look for the man.

“They apparently found the man and took him to an unknown place, where they assaulted him with unknown objects. The suspects allegedly dumped the victim at his mother’s place, where he was found lying dead outside a house,” she said.

Funani added that, subsequent to the investigation, police arrested the suspects on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena condemned the incident and asked the members of the community to refrain from taking the law into their own hands. Kwena also encouraged them to rather work with the police for assistance with crime related-problems.

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Ka OBAKENG MAJE

Baagi ba motse wa Lokgabeng gaufi le Taung, ba mina ka nko ele nosi mme ba ikuela gore ba neelwe metsi. Baagi bano, ba paregile mmila-mogolo o golaganyang toropo ya Taung le ya Reivilo ka matlhaku ga mmogo le ditaere tse di tukang.

Ba kaya fa ba na le sebaka sa dikgwedi ba sena metsi. Morulaganyi wa mogwanto o, Mothohela Motshabi, o kaile fa ba emetse majoro wa masepala wa sedika sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Motseothata Maje go ka tla go ba ema ka lefoko.

Fela, Motshabi are ba makadiwa ke ntlha ya gore, majoro wa sedika o boleletse ba dikgang tsa sealemoya sa selegae sa Vaaltar FM gore baagi ba emisitse porojeke ya metsi e e tsweletseng kwa motseng wa bone. Gape Motshabi are, ba ne ba kopane le morongwa wa masepala wa selegae o mogolwane wa Taung, Itumeleng Maribe go ka tla ka toga-maano le tharabololo mo ntlheng eno.

Fela go ya ka Motshabi, kopano eo ga ya ntsha maungo, gonne Maribe one a boeletsa fela se a ne a se bua mo ngwageng o o fitileng.   

“Maribe one a boeletsa fela se a ne a se bua mo ngwageng o fetileng. Jaanong, re setse re emetse majoro khuduthamaga wa sedika, Motseokae Maje gore a tle go re ema ka lefoko. Fela, se se makatsang ke gore, majoro khuduthamaga ntse a bua mo sealemoyeng sa selegae sa Vaaltar FM, mme o kaile fa baagi ba emisitse porejeke.

“Seo ke sengwe se se ntsha mo ditsebeng tsa rona re le baagi. Ebile le rakonteraka le ene one a maketse, mme o kaile fa a sa itse sepe. Metsi a di JoJo tank a reneng re a tshepisitswe ke masepala, ga gwa tsaya le kgwedi re ntse re a bona.

“Go tshotse fela dibeke dile pedi, mme ebile a sa tshelwe mo ditankeng tsotlhe. Gape, se re sa se itumelelang ke gore mapodisi ba thuntse baagi ba sa ba dira sepe,” Motshabi wa tlhalosa.  

Kgabagare, Mokhaserala o o ikarabelang ka tsa mafaratlhatlha kwa masepaleng o mogolwane wa Taung, Itumeleng Maribe are: “Maabane re kopane le baagi ka taelo ya ga majoro, gonne one a na le ditshwarego tse dintsi. Kgang e ene ele kwa setlhoweng e nnile kgwetlho ya metsi.

“Baagi ba ikuela gore ba neelwe metsi, mme rene ra buisana le masepala wa sedika ka ntlha eno. Mo ngwageng o fetileng, go ile ga thapiwa rakonteraka go ka baakanya madutelo a tlisang metsi kwa Lokgabeng.”

Maribe are, gona le kgwetlho ya gore baagi ba ka bona metsi ka ditanka, mme ga se baagi ba motse wa Lokgabeng fela ba ba itemogelang dikgwetlho tseno. Are, jaaka masepala, ba tlile go tswelela go netefatsa ka bo jotlhe a baagi ba bone metsi.

“Re tsweletse go itemogela dikgwetlho ka ntlheng ya di diriswa mo go neelaneng ka metsi go baagi ka mokgwa wa ditanka,” wa tlhalosa.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

The police in Ottosdal request the community’s assistance in locating a missing Mpoletsang Emily Gausi (22). The North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani said, Gausi resides at Extension 5 in Letsopa Township in Ottosdal.

“According to information received, she was last seen by her neighbour talking to an unknown man on the street last year May 2022. A search was conducted around the township and surrounding areas of Ottosdal without any success.

“The extensive investigations were done and all leads were followed up with no success. At the time of her disappearance, no one knows what she was wearing,” Funani said.

She said, Gausi is dark in complexion, has black eyes, with a medium body and afro hair. Funani said anyone with information regarding Gausi’s whereabouts can contact the Investigating Officer, Sgt Lucas Hayman of the Ottosdal Detectives on 060 987 9903.

Anonymous tip-offs can also be communicated via the My SAPS App or you can phone Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

Eskom said it spends more than R2 billion annually to repair its power infrastructure caused by cable theft. Eskom’s Customer Relations Manager in North West, Ezekiel Baruti said, cable theft is rife in the province and that affects their smooth-running operations.   

“There is a syndicate that continues to steal and damage our infrastructure. Cable theft is one of the reasons that most residents in the province have to endure the darkness for a number of days.

“We believe that the amount used to replace stolen cables, delays progress in other areas. That money could have been invested somewhere to do maintenance,” Baruti said.

However, he said, they have beefed up security at most of the strategic substations. Baruti further said, it is unfortunate they do not have the financial muscle to up security at all their sub-stations, including mini-substations.

“The Capital City of Mahikeng is the most hard-hit by cable theft, while Klerksdorp and Rustenburg follow suit respectively. We are working very closely with the law enforcement agencies such as the South African Police Services (SAPS) and the Hawks to ensure we combat this crime.

“We also engage with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to ensure successful prosecution in these cases. We have had successful prosecution in Klerksdorp, where people were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment,” said Baruti.

He added that, unfortunately, successful convictions do not deter these syndicates.

Meanwhile, the North West police spokesman, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said: “The crime is dealt with proactively through day-to-day policing in accordance with the crime threat analysis to enforce various legislation, including the second-hand goods act and criminal matters amendment act.

“The province also has a priority committee on non-ferrous metals, which was established through the crime combatting strategy known as a national overarching plan.”

Mokgwabone said the committee among others, comprises SAPS units, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, State Security Agency (SSA), Business Against Crime, Transnet, Telkom, Eskom, Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, and all major mobile Cell Phones Service Providers.

He said in addition, a dedicated task team known as Economy Infrastructure Task Team has been established to deal with the cases relating to non-ferrous metals.

“It is a fact that alone the police cannot successfully win the fight against crime. Hence, we have Community Police Forums (CPFs) and Community in Blue patrollers. Thus, we urge members of the community to work together with law enforcement agencies in addressing the challenge through the provision of information,” said Mokgwabone.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

A skillful commercial artist, Tebogo John Tlhabanelo urges the North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation to build a gallery in Taung, so that they can be able to showcase their work. Motlhabane (43) from Matsheng village, near Taung said, it is difficult to market his business because he is working from home.

“I make calligraphy, printmaking, drawing, and painting. What I know is that my work is appealing to the public. However, if one works far from Central Business District (CBD), the business is doomed.  

“For now, I am working as a freelance commercial artist and it is not easy. Remember, the intention behind commercial art is to grab the viewer’s attention in order to sell a product or service,” he said.

Tlhabanelo further said, he has realised that commercial art is still under-developed in Taung compared to music. He added that things were better back in the day because they will be given an opportunity to exhibit their work during the Taung Cultural Calabash event.

“I started to become an artist back in 1994, while I was doing Standard 8 at Lephatsimile High School in Molelema. It was during a transaction period and there were riots.

“Schools were torched and shut down, but lucky enough, Mmabana Taung was the only institution that was opened to the public. So, I took advantage of that opportunity because I was passionate about art,” said Tlhabanelo.

He studied drawing and painting at Mmabana Taung, but left for Johannesburg only with the basic skills he acquired. In 2007, Tlhabanelo went back to Mmabana Taung and he also enrolled at Vuselela FET College (Taung campus), where he studied Diploma in Graphic Processing, Drawing, and Painting.

“In 2009, I was employed by Mmabana Taung as a tutor for drawing and painting after obtaining my Diploma from the college. However, I left Mmabana Taung due to illness after I was diagnosed with epilepsy.

“The doctors declared me permanently disabled, so I had to leave so that I could recuperate. I took time off until I fully recovered and now, I am back in business. I do not know what happened to that epilepsy and the myth of me being permanently disabled,” he said.

Tlhabanelo said he is currently doing some odd jobs for the North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sport, and Recreation just to sustain himself. He said, as a freelance commercial artist, he works per order.

“There is no use to make paintings and drawings, while there is no gallery around Taung to store them. It is sad that painting art is still underdeveloped, and not many people are interested in it.

“For example, I can take my materials and go to town, and only a few people who know me will show some interest. There is no recognition here at home, so, I normally use social media to market my business,” said Tlhabanelo.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Parents of Grade 12 learners from Reagile Secondary School in Mokassa village, near Taung, accused the North West Department of Education of refusing to approve the school application to have Grade 12 learners. This comes after over 15 Grade 12 learners from Reagile Secondary School were forced to be transferred to Mokgareng High School, simply because their school does not cater for Grade 12 learners.

What makes the matter worse, these learners were allegedly left stranded at Mokgareng High School for a week without attending teaching and learning, simply because the principal was not aware that they were coming. However, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said, now this is ‘water under the bridge’ as they managed to resolve the matter.

Malindi said: “Those Grade 12 learners from Reagile Secondary School, who were transferred to Mokgareng High School were admitted. So, they are attending classes as we speak.

“The challenge that we had was, most of them did not come with their parents or guardians. Normally, when learners are admitted, they should come with either a parent or guardian who will take responsibility for that particular learner.”

He said, again, the learners were not even in possession of their reports when they arrived at Mokgareng High School. Malindi further said it was difficult to tell if they have passed or not.

“These learners were informed to come back with their parents including relevant documents. There is a criterion that schools should meet before they could be given any extension of grades.

“Unfortunately, Reagile Secondary School refused to be merged with other schools during rationalisation. So, they were left with only primary school teachers who do not meet the requirements,” he said.  

Malindi highlighted that, if the school wants to have Grade 12 learners, the principal has to recruit teachers with proper qualifications for the secondary school. He said that was part of the reason, why the department did not approve their extension to have Grade 12 classes.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Some of the parents at Maranatha Primary School in Chiefscourt, near Taung said, they are concerned about the safety of their children. This comes after two learners aged 13 and 14 respectively, were seen in a video that went viral on social media platforms allegedly given hard labour as punishment.

Two Grade 6 learners were allegedly forced to remove shrubs and grass using spades at the school. In the video, a voice of a woman can be heard in the background, admitting that the learners are still young and they do not even know how to use spades.  

One of the concerned parents, who refused to be named because of reprisal said: “Truly, I am not sure if this is the right way to punish the kids. The teachers should have opted for a different method to punish them, instead of hard labour. This will also have a negative impact on the children because they will be mocked by other learners.

“We call on the North West Department of Education to investigate the matter. I would like to see them disciplined because this behaviour is uncalled for. These teachers know that corporal punishment has been abolished, so they have implemented a new technique to abuse our children.”

Meanwhile, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said: “According to the school report, the two learners were not being punished. However, all learners were told to be in class and the duo decided to defy the teacher by stepping outside.

“Upon seeing them wandering outside, a food handler asked them what they were doing outside and they lied against the principal saying the principal asked them to do the yard.”

Malindi further said, the department’s labour unit has probed the person, who recorded and circulated the video. He added that, that particular person circulated the video without doing any due diligence of sending background information against the video.

“The department takes this as gross negligence and finds it misleading. As such, the labour unit is running a thorough investigation into the person, who shared it for public viewing and stern measures will be taken.

“Concerning the learners, parents were called to a meeting to reprimand the learners for defying the teacher and lying against the principal,” he said.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

More than 30 farmers in Taung received brand new tractors and farming equipment to the value of R8 million recently. The farming equipment including tractors was donated by South African Breweries (SAB) in conjunction with FarmSol.

The ceremony was held at Ipelegeng Cooperative in Taung. One of the beneficiaries, Sipho Sibinda who farms mainly maize and other crops on his share of the 320 hectares welcomed the donations.

“I am happy because our prayers have been answered. I would like us, as farmers to join hands and be one. Without food, there is no life, so let us be strong and grow this company.

“My farming journey started on a rough patch as I struggled to get contractors for farming machinery in Taung. So, the donation from FarmSol has changed his life,” he said.

Sibinda further said, he is now able to make a good profit. He added that he managed to buy a house and was able to take his kids to a good school.

FarmSol Managing Director, Aron Kole said as part of its ongoing commitment to the development of black farmers, FarmSol Holdings in collaboration with SAB saw it fit to donate new tractors and farming equipment.

Kole said the joint effort by FarmSol and SAB aims to put the power back in deserving farmers’ hands and to raise labour and farm productivity.

“This is part of an R8m investment in black growers by SAB and FarmSol’s sought-after grower support program. It also underscores FarmSol’s long-standing efforts to ensure that access to mechanisation and the latest technologies do not become barriers holding back new-era farmers.

“It restores the hope and dignity of despondent people, who have access to land and now at long last, they can make use of this land. This is something very significant,” he said.

Kole said tractors and farm equipment have the power to bring a farm to life and to enable food production that feeds millions. He said, these tools are the most expensive items you can find on the farm, and SAB and FarmSol have made it possible for the farmers to say, they too are owners.

“FarmSol aims to turn smallholder farmers into sustainable commercial producers. Since the company’s inception in 2016, thousands of smallholder and newly-commercializing farmers have been supported through innovative funding, market access, extension services, and mechanization solutions.

“In total, more than R800 million in production loans have been granted to qualifying farmers across eight provinces in South Africa. North West has not been very good at maximizing its agricultural potential. Yet, it is an important contributor to the Southern African food basket with more than 20% of South Africa’s maize crop produced in the province,” he said.

Kole said, there are other agricultural products produced in the province including cattle, poultry and game, sunflower seed and oil, nuts, citrus, and tobacco. He said the province is home to three distinct climate regions, which allow a wide variety of agricultural activity.

“The drier western region is home to considerable cattle and game farming and hunting, while the central and southern parts are dominated by maize and wheat farming and the production of cash crops,” said Kole.

Meanwhile, SAB vice-president of Corporate Affairs, Zoleka Lisa shared the same sentiments. Lisa said that, SAB is pleased to see the strides that farmers are making in Taung and across South Africa.

“As a business, we are dependent on high-quality agricultural crops from thriving communities and healthy ecosystems to brew our beers. We also care about the people who make this happen and have worked hard to support existing and emerging farmer communities to gain access to agronomic information and best industry practices.

“This includes harnessing technology’s power to improve crop yields and productivity. We’re proud of the relationships we’ve created with our South African farmers, and we are grateful for the highest quality ingredients farmers provide us,” she said.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

Three foreign suspects and a police officer are expected to appear at Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for dealing with an unpolished diamond. The suspects were arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation for dealing in an unpolished diamond in Mahikeng on Monday.

The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Capt Tlangelani Rikhotso said: “The trio was arrested during a buy and bust operation. They allegedly sold an unpolished diamond and accepted a down payment of R20 000 for the diamond that they were allegedly selling for R100 000.

“The diamond and the vehicle used in the commission of crime were seized for further investigation. They will make their first appearance before the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on 7 February 2023.”

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