BY REGINALD KANYANE

THE residents of Mogopa village outside Zeerust in Ramotshere Moiloa local municipality acknowledged government services, which the provincial government brought to their village as part of the Setsokotsane programme. Mogopa village which is about 80km south-east of Zeerust town, has 530 households with around 2 000 community members.

The acting local chief, Monedi Kau said the local traditional council was pleased with the government service to the village.

“We need the provincial government to assemble a 10km road that leads to the village. It is in a very bad state. We have boreholes that need to be fixed, and we are hopeful that the coming of Setsokotsane to our village will bring much needed developments. Traveling to the nearest government offices for services such as application of Identity Documents and Social Grants is always a challenge for the community. But majority of them are happy that their applications have been successfully submitted today. Setsokotsane is in indeed about changing lives,” Kau said.

Masego Rampou, 52, who is a member of Semellang Bomme Agricultural Cooperative, said: “Fixing of the boreholes will contribute a great deal towards saving our livestock. We highly-appreciate the services provided during Setsokotsane outreach. Registration of unemployed youth on the provincial database, bursary applications, and health screening services, vaccination of domestic animals and processing of social grants applications will help.

The Department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs also promoted the upcoming Mahika-Mahikeng Music and Cultural Festival, while registering some of young artists on their database.

North West premier, Supra Mahumapelo said: “Setsokotsane integration and convergence approach employs government efforts to accelerate service delivery as departments, municipalities and state-owned entities bring the much needed services to the people for radical socio – economic transformation and better livelihood to be realised. Setsokotsane will be in Ramotshere Moiloa local municipality for two weeks.”

-TDN

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BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

A 34 year-old man was jailed to three life sentences by Northern Cape High Court on Thursday. Mbuyiselo Fish, 34, was arrested for assault, rape and murder of Betty Thenza, 32. The incident took place during on February in 2013.

Northern Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Sergio Kock said: “The victim and the accused lived together in Promised Land Shanties in Galeshewe, Kimberley. Fish severely assaulted, raped and murdered Thenza before dumping her body in the street. The police followed-up on information and linked the accused to the murder. The accused was arrested and charged on February 14 in 2013. Fish was found guilty and received two life sentences for two counts of rape. He was sentenced to one life for murder and a further two years imprisonment for the assault with the intent to commit grievous bodily harm. The sentences will run concurrently.”

The Galeshewe Cluster Commander, Major General Kolie Matthys lauded the detective warrant officer, Anthony Shuping of Kagisho detective unit for a brilliant job well done. He said: “We are so grateful for your effort in ensuring that the offender is brought to book. We also want to thank the community for their assistance with regard to information provided to the SAPS. The SAPS sees crimes against women and children as priority and will continue with our endeavours to ensure that the society is and feels safe and secured.”

-TDN

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BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

The Democratic Alliance in the North West lambasted the decision taken by the provincial government in dealing with Kopela issue. DA provincial spokesperson in education, Dr Tutu Faleni said: “We are concern with steps taken by the provincial government in resolving the ongoing service delivery protests stand-off in Kopela village near Delareyville. We have been informed that the government has sought a court interdict to coerce the community of Kopela to allow their children to go back to school.”

The residents of Kopela compelled their children not to go to school since August this year. The community demanded to see the MEC for education, Wendy Matsemela and public works MEC, Madoda Sambatha before sending their kids back to school.

Faleni said: “We support the residents of Kopela in their quest for proper roads, water and electricity. However, we strongly condemn any action that hinders children’s right of learning. We recognize the importance of the courts in resolving disputes by enforcing laws in a fair and rational manner. However, the government should have exhausted all other alternatives before approaching the court. The court interdict is a clear indication of the ANC-led government’s conked out relationship with the community,” he said.

According to Faleni, the community leaders have now approached the DA asking an interdepartmental team consisting of the department of education, public works, and the Premier’s office to establish a task team to find solutions.

“We urge premier Supra Mahumapelo to put his citizens first and establish the interdepartmental team as requested by the community. He must put other alternative dispute mechanism in place which will restore the broken relationship between government and the community of Kopela.

“We have the best track-record of service delivery where we govern. It is the same vision that we want to bring to the North West. DA wants a clean and efficient government with transparency.” Faleni said.

The provincial education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said: “The department decided to go legal route because what the community in Kopela doing is infringement of pupils’ rights. Some of community members were served with court interdict so that they can stop interfering with school processes. We have relocated Grade 12s from Kopela to other alternative locations so that they can be able to write their matric final examinations.”

-TDN

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BY REGINALD KANYANE

North West Provincial Legislature Speaker, Sussana Dantjie bid farewell to the longest-serving member of the North West Provincial Legislature, Chris Hattingh.

Democratic Alliance member, Chris Hattingh will be joining the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town. He served in the legislature for 21 years when the first new democratic dispensation was ushered in.

Dantjie described Hattingh as a person who served in the legislature with distinction. “You were the longest serving member of this provincial legislature. You served it with distinction and we hope you will continue to raise the flag of the North West Province at the NCOP,” Dantjie said.

Mahlakeng Mahlakeng who spoke on behalf of the African National Congress described Hattingh as somebody whom had actually taught him. Mahlakeng said Hattingh also mentored most members of the provincial legislature.

“We have learnt a lot from his vast experience. We are actually loosing institutional memory. Quite often we would go back and ask him how they did something in years before we came. He served with all premiers that we had in this province. I am actually sympathising with the Economic Freedom Fighters because they are still new in their role as opposition and now he is leaving them poorer,” Mahlakeng said.

-TDN

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BY REGINALD KANYANE

BLOEMHOF- Two suspects were arrested in Boitumelong location, near Bloemhof for being in possession of dagga on Thursday, says North West police.

Provincial police spokesperson, Sergeant Kelebogile Moleko said: “The police received a tip-off from one of the community members. The community member informed them about dagga business being conducted at particular house. They acted swiftly and conducted a preliminary investigation. The police recovered three dagga pokes wrapped with magazine papers under the bed. They also found undisclosed amount of money.”

Moleko added that the police recovered more dagga hidden in a hole within the yard. She said the two occupants were arrested.

“The suspects appeared before Bloemhof Magistrate’ Court on Friday. The police investigation continues.” she said.

-TDN

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Cape Town – Representatives of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and Parliament’s management will meet again on Thursday morning, with the union vowing that its strike will continue until members’ demands are met.

“The status quo remains; there was no agreement last night. We will meet with the management again at around 10:00 today [Thursday]. The strike continues,” said a text message to News24 from Sthembiso Tembe, chairperson of Parliament’s branch of the Nehawu.

For more http://www.news24.com

Looking for a “unique and meaningful” Christmas present for a loved one? An animal rehabilitation centre might have just what you need.

In its appeal for sponsorships for animals, the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (Crow), a non-profit, has created the sponsoring of an animal project to assist with the upbringing of four black-backed jackal pups that were rescued in September.

The two male and two females pups are amongst the over 400 injured and orphaned animals that have been rescued and admitted to the Crow centre over the past six weeks. They were discovered by cane cutters on a sugarcane farm in the Empangeni area after their den collapsed. After waiting to see if their mother would return, the farmer contacted Crow’s local depot where assistance was on hand.

For more http://www.news24.com

Cape Town – Minister for Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande will launch an investigation into allegations of corruption in the government’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

The department has ordered a forensic investigation into the extent of fraud, corruption, maladministration and collusion in the allocation of financial aid by institutions, NSFAS spokesperson Kagisho Mamabolo told News24 last week.

Many students have labelled the application process for government funding at certain universities as “corrupt” and “biased”, based on a survey hosted by News24.

For more http://www.news24.com

The Rustenburg local municipality has issued water restrictions due to the heat wave, the municipality said on Thursday.

“The municipality has issued water restrictions for consumers and it is important that consumers do understand the seriousness of this. We also hereby request each and every one to keep by the restrictions and conserve our water as it is precious and can’t be replaced,” said municipal spokesman Thapelo Matebesi.

He said the main contributors of water in the municipality were Magalies Water and Rand Water.

“The systems are currently under tremendous strain due to the heat wave combined with the extremely dry season. The level of Rand Water’s Barnardsvlei dropped during the last month from a steady 80 percent to a critical 14 percent. The Bospoort reservoir feeding the Boitekong areas is merely six percent currently,” explained Matebesi.

For more http://www.iol.co.za

The Department of Water and Sanitation said on Thursday that it has deployed water tankers to provide water to areas that had been hardest hit by the drought.

These include rural areas in the KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Limpopo province, which have been declared disaster areas.

Other provinces affected by drought include, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West.

In Gauteng the municipalities are experiencing strain on the supply systems due to high demand and current high temperatures.

Deputy Director General for Planning and Transformation, Deborah Mochotlhi said there were short, medium to long-term measures in place to deal with drought.

For more http://www.iol.co.za