By REGINALD KANYANE

A Taung-born mother, Evelyn Garesape said she was relieved after the killer of her son received a hefty sentence. Tefelo Dikole (31) attempted to rape Evelyn and brutally stabbed Kutlwano Garesape to death on 12^th of August 2016.

The atrocity took place at Jan Kemdorp in Northern Cape where Evelyn was residing. Evelyn, who originates from Manthe village in Taung, relived what happened on that fateful day.

“I was walking with Kutlwano and his brother to school when we came across Dikole. He requested R2 from me and I said I did not have. However, Dikole grabbed and shoved me around in quest to rape me.

Picture: (Tefelo Dikole, who brutally stabbed Kutlwano Garesape sentenced to life imprisonment)

“I screamed for help and Kutlwano came to my rescue. He pelted Dikole with stones. Furious Dikole chased him and brutally stabbed him multiple times. He also tossed Kutlwano’s tiny body in the air and put it along the railway lines,” she said.

According to autopsy, Kutlwano’s intestines were protruded because from stabbing wounds.

“I sometimes blame myself for the death of Kutlwano. However, I believe that wherever he is, he is relieved. This is a befitting gift for him because he could have celebrated his 8^th birthday today if he lived,” she said.

Northern Cape police spokesperson, Capt Olebogeng Tawana said Dikole was also sentenced to seven years for attempted rape.

“The sentences will run concurrently. Kutlwano was dubbed a “Hero Boy” for dying in defence of his mother. The young man took upon himself to defend his own mother when Dikole attempted to rape her.

“He could have turned 8 years-old on the 5^th of June 2018 if he lived. Kutlwano was robbed of his life at the young age. His family lost a light of future in him too,” Tawana said.

Dikole appeared to be very oblivious in court and not seem to know what was happening around him.

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A key witness in the Coligny murder trial broke down as he testified in the North West High Court in Mahikeng on Wednesday, forcing the judge to briefly adjourn the matter.

Bonakele Pakisi told the court how he witnessed 16-year-old Matlhomola Moshoeu being pushed from a moving vehicle on April 20, 2017. He broke down and lost his composure as he relived the incident.

Judge Ronnie Hendricks was forced to adjourn the matter for a few minutes to allow the 28-year-old to recover as he battled to speak.

Pakisi was testifying in the trial of farmworkers Pieter Doorewaard 27, and Philip Schutte, 34, who are accused of killing Moshoeu in Coligny last year. The pair claim they caught Moshoeu stealing a sunflower on April 20, 2017.

Doorewaard and Schutte said they intended to drive him to the local police station, but that he jumped off their bakkie along the way and broke his neck.

Dressed in a maroon shirt and blue jeans, Pakisi told the court that on the day of the incident, he heard gunshots coming from the sunflower field.

‘He was bleeding through his mouth, nose and ears’

He also claimed that he heard Moshoeu crying and screaming: “Mama help, I am dying.”

Pakisi said he saw the accused assaulting Moshoeu and then pushing him from a moving vehicle. He said when the accused saw him, they apparently asked him what he had seen.

“I told them I saw nothing,” he testified.

Pakisi also alleged that the accused drove him around with Moshoeu, who was severely injured.

“He (Moshoeu) was injured on the face. He was bleeding through his mouth, nose and ears. I couldn’t speak to him because I was told to lie down,” he said.

He said while Moshoeu lay in the bakkie injured, the accused “did nothing to assist him”.

“Accused two (Schutte) instructed me to check if the child was still alive. They also instructed me to take off my jersey in order for me to wipe his blood. They said I should lift the child but his [head] was hanging, so I didn’t know if he was still alive,” he said.

‘The police told me that I was crazy’

Pakisi also alleged that the accused forced him to drink alcohol and when he refused, he was then assaulted.

He said after drinking the alcohol, he felt dizzy and started vomiting.

“They hit me with open hands and clenched fists. They hit me on the face…they forced me to eat my own vomit,” he said.

He said they then said they were taking Moshoeu to the clinic.

“I went to the police station the same day and the police told me that I was crazy,” he said, adding that another officer said he was drunk.

Moshoeu’s death sparked protests in the area as some residents believed he was killed because he was black. Several houses and businesses were burnt to the ground.

The accused have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, intimidation, kidnapping, theft, the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and pointing a firearm.

Doorewaard and Schutte are out on R5 000 bail each.

Source: http://www.news24.com 

By REGINALD KANYANE

A 29 year-old man was hijacked his Toyota Corrolla vehicle at Taung Dam in Manthe village, near Taung on Sunday. North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh said the motorist was stranded next to the road after he ran out of petrol.

Myburgh said the motorist, who was with his friend at the time was approached by five occupants driving a white BMW. She said the suspects allegedly offered to assist the gullible motorist and ferried him to the local petrol station.

“The motorist filled his car and drove off to Cokonyane village, in Taung where he dropped off his friend. The motorist was allegedly stopped on his way back by the same white BMW with occupants who assisted him earlier.

“The suspects allegedly forced the motorist to drive towards Manthe village through Taung Dam route. They allegedly stopped and assaulted. The victim managed to escape from the claws of the suspects leaving his car behind at around 23:00,” she said.

Myburgh said a case of assault and car hijacking was opened at Taung Police on Tuesday. She also urged motorists to buckle-up at all times. Few car hijacking were reported recently at Taung and its surroundings.

Meanwhile, two suspects were arrested over kidnapping and hijacking in Taung in November 2017. Tshepiso Monyadiwa, who was driving his Hyundai 120i from Kuruman to Kathu said he is grateful that he is still alive.

“I picked three suspects who masqueraded as hitch-hikers. They hitch-hiked me and pretended to be going to Kathu. Along the way, one of the suspects drew a firearm and pointed it at me. They ordered me to get off the road before they tied me up and squeezed me in the boot of my car.

“They drove with me to Taung and we arrived there at around 4am. The suspects robbed me off my belongings including my cellphone, before they released me. They dropped me off at Taung circle and ordered me to walk away,” Monyadiwa said.

He further said he went to the local garage for assistance. Two suspects aged 35 and 38 were subsequently arrested and appeared at Taung Magistrate’s Court and Hartswater Magistrate’s Court respectively. Monyadiwa’s red Hyundai 120i was also recovered.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

A theft of a motor vehicle was opened at Taung Police Station on Tuesday. North West police said the unknown suspect stole Vincent Marwele’s Toyota Cressida 1.6 vehicle at Taung Complex in Taung.

“A 54 year-old motorist who took his sick father to the doctor, parked his vehicle at Taung Complex parking lot. According to Marwele, he looked back at his car before he approached the surgery. He saw someone in his car and ran back.

“A commotion ensued between the suspect and the driver. The suspect allegedly drove off and dragged Marwele few metres with the car. The victim suffered a broken leg and he was ferried to Taung Hopsital for medical attention,” she said.

Myburgh said the victim was later transferred to Klerskdorp Hospital in Klerksdorp after his situation deteriorated. She said the police are concerned about car hijacking and urged motorists to always avoid situations that make them vulnerable.

“Avoiding those situations is a step in the right direction to stop crime. There are tips motorists can apply when parking their vehicles. They should check their rear-view mirror to ensure that they are not being followed. They must always be on the look-out for suspicious vehicles or persons.

“Motorists must never leave the keys in the ignition when climbing out of their cars to open the gates. Never sit in your parked car without being fully conscious of your surroundings. Sleeping in a stationery vehicle is also dangerous. When exiting your vehicle, be cautious and aware of surrounding obstructions and bushes that may conceal a hijacker,” Myburgh said.

She further said motorists should familiarize themselves with their environment, especially in CBD and unmanned parking lots. Myburgh said those motorists who encounter challenges in Taung can call: Taung Police Station on (053) 994-9222/6 or Emergency number on (10111) or dial 112 on their cellphones.

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Picture: (F4SD PR councillor, Mika Moeti)

By BAKANG MOKOTO

Taung struggle icon, Mika Moeti was sworn-in as PR councillor. Moeti left the African National Congress (ANC) back in 2016 just before Local General elections, where he served the ruling party as a PR councillor.

It is alleged that Moeti was calamitous after the ANC in the Greater Taung sub-region did not submit his name to be nominated as a councillor for 2016 Local General elections.

He joined and lobbied support for the ‘unknown’ National Freedom Party (NFP) in Taung. However, he left the party after it failed to register for 2016 Local General elections.

Moeti allegedly joined Democratic Alliance (DA) before jumping ship to join F4SD where most people believe that he will now end his ‘political prostitution.’

However, buoyed Moeti said he does not care much about what people say. He said he is adamant that the F4SD will do well during 2019 General Elections and will continue to represent the masses.

“I was sworn-in as a PR councillor at the Greater Taung Local Municipality along with Keneilwe Kgosimore. We replaced Soleni Gasetlolwe and Mothusi Montwedi respectively. Our colleague, Dipuo Itumeleng will be a member of Exco. We are still waiting for the GTLM Speaker to allocate us accordingly to various Portfolio Committees,” he said.

A 52 year-old politician was once charged for treason by Bophuthatswana government for his participation in a struggle. He was appointed as the Chief of Staff at North West Social Development department under the stewardship of the then MEC, the late Mosetsanagape Mokomele-Mothibi.

Greater Taung Local Municipality Speaker, Ebusang Tladi said: “We can confirm that the F4SD submitted a letter to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa. We then received a letter from IEC confirming that the F4SD wants to replace two councillors.

“We have not allocated them to various Portfolio Committees and we will do that soon. We wish them the all best and hope that their presence will be necessary in ensuring that they serve their mandate accordingly.”

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By REGINALD KANYANE

A 36 year-old man briefly appeared at Bloemhof Magistrate’s Court in Bloemhof on Tuesday. Buti Senatle was arrested after he was linked to 22 burglary cases and theft case in Christiana and Hertzogville respectively.

North West police spokesperson, Colonel Adele MyBurgh said those cases were committed between August 2017 and April 2018.

“The Christiana police in collaboration with the Provincial Tracking Team arrested Senatle during an intelligence-driven operation on Thursday. During the operation, various household items such as kitchen utensils, linen, tools, clothing and a compressor were recovered.

“The electrical equipment, car batteries and clothes allegedly used by Senatle during the commission of these offences were also recovered.  He was remanded in custody until 12 June 2018,” Myburgh said.

The North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant Gen Baile Motswenyane commended the police involved in the operation for their efforts that resulted in the arrest. Motswenyane said the police will continue to work hard to stamp the authority of the State and bring down the level of serious crimes.

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

FOUR suspects were arrested for dealing with dagga in Batlharos, near Kuruman on Tuesday. Northern Cape police spokesperson, Capt Sergio Kock said the John Taolo Gaetsewe (JTG) Cluster Crime Intelligence unit, JTG Highway Patrol, Kuruman K9 unit and JTG Trio Crime unit all embarked on an intelligence-driven operation regarding dagga sales in Batlharos.

“The police raided a house in Maruping village, in Batlharos and found dagga estimated to the street value of R123 000 stashed in the bedroom and toilet of the premise. The dagga weighed 12.430kg and police confiscated undisclosed amount of money from the suspects. All suspects are Swaziland nationals,”Kock said.

The JTG Cluster Commander, Major Gen Johan Bean lauded the police for a sterling job. Bean also commended the community for their assistance in this regard.

“The police will continue in their quest to uproot the drug dealers and traffickers from our society and they will leave no stone unturned. One female suspect (33) and three male suspects aged 32, 33 and 52 respectively will appear at Kuruman Magistrates Court on charges of dealing in dagga soon. The investigation continues,” he said.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

Taung Agricultural College is the only institution in South Africa accredited to offer Diploma in Irrigation Management course at NQF level 6 and one of two state-owned agricultural colleges in the province tasked with training and producing agricultural technicians to serve communities of the province.

A total number of 27 students graduated and received Diploma in Irrigation Management after they completed a three year programme recently. Back in 2012, the college obtained accreditation to offer a diploma in agricultural irrigation management.

One of top achievers, Badudule Kolisi who was born and raised in Centane in the Eastern Cape acquired 93% in his final year. Kolisi said the top achiever status came as a bonus to sleepless nights and hard work he went through.

“What really kept me motivated was the unshakeable support that I received from my family. My parents always told me that I can achieve great things if only I put enough effort in everything I do. I also want to applaud the college for the quality of service rendered during my stay.

“TAC is one of student-friendly institutions and it offers good quality of education. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree at Tshwane University of Technology and plans to further my studies by pursuing a Master of Technology or Master of Science Degree immediately after completing my BTech,” he said.

Kolisi said he wants to publish atleast one peer-reviewed article in a reputable scientific journal someday before going into farming. He added that many people do not know much about the irrigation management programme and that will assist.

“I had to do a lot of research about irrigation management before I could understand what does it entails. We do not have more female counterparts in the industry, so I encourage young women to choose agriculture as a career.

“We need to relinquish the stigma associated with the field of agriculture. I am going to do my best to assist women in rural areas. Truly, women have always been the backbone of subsistence farming. Empowering them with knowledge or necessary resources will make them to be more productive in the industry,” Kolisi said.

North West MEC of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development department, Manketsi Tlhape said: “In order to realise the National Development Plan vision 2030, we expect agricultural colleges in the province to improve the ratio of graduates. We highly-appreciate the quality of skill and knowledge that is imparted by the Taung Agricultural College.

“We encourage the new graduates to continue working hard and ensure that they participate efficiently in our economy, especially the agricultural sector which is currently faced with a variety of challenges in this climate change conditions. They are well placed to develop water efficient farming models.”

Tlhape added that they also acknowledge the progress made by the college’s community outreach programme that has donated fresh produce to non-governmental organization and schools around Taung. She said the college also provides technical advice to emerging farmers.

The college’s Director for Structural Training and Education, Dr Karabo Mabe expressed gratitude towards the college advisory council on the guidance they continue to give the institution and the efforts put by the staff to ensure that they equip students with knowledge and technical know-how to be ambassadors of agriculture in Bokone Bophirima.

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Picture: (Two suspects arrested in Pudimoe for possession of illegal firearms) 

By REGINALD KANYANE

Three suspects are expected to appear at Taung Magistrate’s Court soon. Taung Detective Branch, SAPS Crime Intelligence and K9 units in Hartswater and Kimberley SAPS Tactical Response launched a joint ad-hoc operation on Monday after a recent robbery of a well-known bottle store in Hartswater and other business in Taung.

Northern Cape police spokesperson, Capt Segio Kock said: “The armed robbery took place over the weekend in Hartswater and soon led to Pudimoe and Vryburg in the North West. Police followed up on information and spotted the suspects in black VW Polo in Pudimoe, where they were stopped and searched.

“Police found and confiscated two firearms, 3 live 7.65 rounds, one firearm magazine, three cellphones as well as the black VW Polo. The three suspects are charged with possession of illegal firearms and ammunition. The possibility of linking them to the business robberies that took place in Hartwater and Taung cannot be ruled out,” Kock said.

Kock said the investigation continues. Greater Taung Anti-Crime Organisation applauded the police for their swift arrest. GTACO chairperson, Peggy Molatlhegi said: “We want to applaud the police for their swift arrest as crime affects our people’s lives. We also urge people to continue to work together with the police in combating crime.

“Criminals have turned Taung into a nest where they practice their criminal activities. However, we will continue to ensure that those who are involved are arrested. There is no place for criminals within our society and people should report any criminal activity taking place within their vicinity.”

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By KABELO KEMP

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s essay writing competition will now see the top three winners receive cash prizes over and above laptops.

The top writer will receive R5000, followed by R3000 and R2000 for the second and third best essayists respectively.

The closing date for the essay writing competition has also been extended to Mandela Day to mark Madiba’s centenary. Topics for the competition remain: A future free of racism; Tolerating racism is racism; and Root out racism.

The cash prizes are sponsored by the foundation.

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Director, Neeshan Balton said: “We hope that the laptops would be a valuable resource which the three winners can use for school or university work and develop their writing skills. The winners can determine how best to use the cash prizes themselves too.

“Apartheid, colonialism and slavery have had an immense impact on the psyche of the nation. It certainly affects current day experiences and perceptions of diversity and race in the country. South Africa’s youth were born in a country free of legislated apartheid and were dubbed the born-frees.”

Balton further said this does not mean that racism, or the negative impact of apartheid has ended. He also provided several examples of racial incidents in the last few weeks alone in South Africa.

“Just recently, a Pam Golding properties agent was called out on social media for declining to rent out a property of a white client, supposedly because the client only wanted white people renting their property. Then, we had the incident involving actor Rajesh Gopie, who referred to violent soccer fans at the Nedbank Cup semi-finals as “baboons”.

“There was also the case of business executive Mark Lamberti, who referred to an ex-employee as a “female employment equity candidate”. We’ve also read reports of investigations into allegations of racism at UNISA,” Balton said.

He added that more recently, there was a video of former Springbok player, Ashwin Willemse alluding to racial issues within the sport. Balton said the competition will make a meaningful contribution in their quest to deepen non-racialism.

“We hope this will make a meaningful contribution towards working for society free of racism, sexism and discrimination. We hope to involve young people in the fight against these problems. The foundation also aim to give young people a voice and a platform to articulate their views on matters that are undoubtedly key to our progression as a country and as a continent,” he said.

• To enter the essay writing competition, submit your essay to: email: youth@kathradafoundation.org ; fax: 011 852 8786; or post: P.O. Box 3240 Lenasia 1820.

Entrants must be between the age of 15 and 21 years. The essay should be a minimum of 1000 words and maximum 1400 words and can be in any one of the South African official languages. Essays containing plagiarism will be disqualified. Only one essay per entrant is allowed. For more information, contact on 011 854 0082.

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