Picture: (Locals walk past an RDP house which the Groot Marico police station commander allegedly took over) 

The North West MEC for local government and human settlements Fenny Gaolaolwe has registered a case of trespassing against a local top cop for refusing to vacate an RDP house belonging to an impoverished woman.

The MEC stepped into the matter after reading in Sowetan about the plight of Tsholofelo Molefe, 34, of Groot Marico near Zeerust.

Molefe had been fighting a lonely battle for years over her state-issued house which is now occupied by station commander Margaret Mokgatlhe.

Mokgatlhe “inherited” the house from her now late boyfriend, who had occupied the house ahead of its legal owner, Molefe.

She had been fighting to evict Mokgatlhe since 2015. The top cop claimed her lover had spent a fortune renovating the house.

Molefe reported the matter to the public protector who ruled that the house must be returned to her.

Yesterday, Gaolaolwe said she could not allow the matter to drag on.

“I [have] opened a case against the station commander,” the MEC said.

Her spokesman Ben Bole said they investigated the matter after Sowetan’s report and found out the house indeed belonged to Molefe.

“In our view the station commander does not qualify, that is why the MEC has opened a case against her,” Bole said.

He said they would also find out how the house allocated to Molefe ended up being occupied by the now deceased man. He said such problems were widespread in the area.

“We first get a number of beneficiaries from the municipality before we build the house[s]. We even know whose house we were building for, and house number 1152 belonged to Molefe.”

Molefe, who now rents a backroom for R600 a month, said she would be happy only when the house is returned to her before the end of winter.

“I have put my trust in God. I believe that the MEC will help me get it back,” she said.

Mokgatlhe could not be reached for comment.

North West police spokesman Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said they were investigating the “case of trespassing against the station commander”.

Source: http://www.sowetanlive.co.za 

Picture: (North West Premier, Supra Mahumapelo)

The North West government is on the brink of a total collapse due to corruption. The startling disclosure came out of a briefing by the Inter-Ministerial Committee appointed by Cabinet to assess the governance situation in that province.

It was briefing members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in parliament on Thursday.

The Committee painted a picture of a government that is almost dysfunctional. It appeared from the briefing, that Public Finance Management Act had been completely disregarded.

Almost all municipal governments were dysfunctional. Twenty of a total of 22 received disclaimers, while 12 of them were totally dysfunctional.

But according to the Committee, the rot was deeply embedded in the Premier’s office.

Technical Task Team Mpumi Mpofu says:”The office of the premier failed to provide administrative leadership to the entire province and was not able to prevent conditions or responsibilities of oversight in this instance come to question.”

The most scathing report was the one presented to the Inter-Ministerial Committee by other stakeholders.

The Committee has recommended immediate interventions to stop the rot.

The NCOP will be visiting the province soon to conduct its own oversight.

Source: http://www.sabc.co.za

Picture: (Vryburg-based author, Lesego Ndima)

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
Lesego Natalia Ndima (17) who is a young writer from Vryburg has published her second book. Ndima said people need to embrace reading especially school children to improve their literacy skills.

She is currently doing Grade 12 at Vryburg High School in Vryburg and stays with her father and siblings. She said reading plays a pivotal role in children’s growth, creativity and well-being in the widest possible sense.

“I started to develop the love for writing at the tender age. I was in Grade 3 when we were given an essay assignment and that is where I found my niche in writing. I started to write short stories and published my first book calledAdopted and Abducted in 2016.

“This novel narrates a story of a young girl who was adopted at the younger age, but met her real parents after she has grown up. Now, after she realised that those who raised her were not her biological parents, she decided to run away. Unfortunately, she was abducted by the same family that raised her,” Ndima said.

She published another book calledInside the Broken Soul in 2018. Ndima added that all her books are doing fairly-well in the market despite circumstances.

“I am working with a world-renowned writer, Freddy Nyama, who is my manager. I met Mr Nyama through my father and he assisted me a lot to develop my writing skills. I would like to write more books in the future. The aim is to touch more people through my writing skills and change the world for the better.

“I am not concern that many people do not read, however, I would like to encourage our youth to spend more time reading. We need to ensure that more people understand the wider role of reading in order to build a new, much more effective and holistic approach to life,” Ndima said.

She is also a young motivational speaker and stays with her father who works at the Public Works and Roads department in Vryburg. Ndima said she enjoys spending time with her family, but unfortunately her mother is based in Pretoria as she is working as a police.

“My family is amazing and it gives me a necessary support. My parents always encourage us to study hard and they believe in education. I want to study medicine next year after finishing my matric. Maybe going to Cuba will be a great idea.

“I am planning to visit schools to inspire the culture of reading. Reading contributes to children’s lives more broadly and we must also encourage government to build more libraries in our areas respectively,” Ndima said.

She said young children must use social media correctly and download books on various online websites. Ndima said it is also important to have Book Clubs across all areas.

“We are originally from Soshanguve in Pretoria, but we moved this side after my father was transferred here. I received a warm welcome and I feel part of the Vryburg community now. It is important to empower each other as individuals so that we can eradicate poverty, inequality and unemployment.

“We also have socio-economic challenges that are affecting young people such as crime, poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, unemployment, HIV and AIDS pandemic. We need to seek guidance from our parents and ensure that we work together to fight against these challenges,” Ndima said.

She said those who want to order her books can contact her Manager, Freddy Nyama on 0763941127/ 0767662129

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Picture: (DA Provincial leader, Joel McGluwa)

By REGINALD KANYANE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West is furious after the ‘Presidency’s office denied them access to the Inter-Ministerial Task Team report on the North West. However, the DA Provincial leader, Joe McGluwa said they will appeal the decision.

“It is shocking how the African National Congress (ANC) denies communities the right to know how the problems within North West will be fixed. The report is in the public’s interest as it has a direct impact on their daily lives. It is important that our communities have access to all the findings by the IMTT.

“A month ago, we lodged a Promotion of Access to Information Act of 2000 (PAIA) application to ensure that the people of the North West gain access to the IMTT report. The Deputy Information Officer in the Presidency, Lusanda Mxenge informed us of the decision to keep the report a secret,” McGluwa said.

He further said the decision by The Presidency to keep the IMTT’s report under wraps is in contradiction with the democratic principles of accountability and transparency. McGluwa added that the IMTT has, to date, done nothing to bring order to the province and North West will remain in shambles while they govern here.

“The people of the North West have been caught in the middle of an ANC factional battle, where the casualties are the people and service delivery. The fact that the North West is still without an elected Premier shows that South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa lacks the political backing and will to put the people of the province first.

“As we have long said, the IMTT along with the Section 100 intervention are a smokescreen used to cover up the fact that Ramaphosa clearly has no political will to deal with the deep-rooted problems here and he clearly does not want to act against Supra Mahumapelo and his cadres,” he said.

McGluwa added that while they play cat and mouse, it is the people who ultimately suffer. He said the communities need action that will bring order and change the lives of the people for the better.

“The ANC has failed the people of the North West and we are sceptical that the ANC will ever be able to put the people first and turn the province around. We will not be discouraged by their refusal to make the report public and will consider all avenues to get the truth out in the open.

The North West needs the kind of change that only a DA-led government can bring,” he said.

However, Mxenge said: “I wish to bring to your attention the provisions of section 12 of PAIA which reads as follows. This ACT does not apply to a record, (a) of the Cabinet and its Committees. I have considered the aforementioned request and made the decision to refuse the access to the record.

“Kindly be advised that you have the right to appeal against the refusal for access in terms of section 74 of PAIA within the prescribed period.”

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) welcomed the signing of the public sector wage settlement agreement granting between 6%-7% increases. SANCO spokesperson, Jabu Mahlangu said the civic organization also welcome the de-linked housing allowances for spouses of civil servants employed in government who were denied the benefit.

Mahlangu further said they urge government as well as unions to focus on resolving outstanding labour disputes and improving service delivery.

“We commend parties for appreciating the economic challenges, budget constraints, competing development priorities as well as external factors facing the country as it strives to address poverty, unemployment and inequality.

“Some communities have in recent months been negatively affected by unprotected strikes that stems from alleged corruption and maladministration. These will need to be urgently addressed to remove impediments to service delivery and avoid a re-occurrence,” he said.

Mahlangu added that labour peace will contribute positively towards the country’s economic recovery, efforts aimed at attracting foreign direct investments and creating jobs.

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