BY STAFF REPORTER
THE residents of Dryharts village, near Taung are ‘gatvol’ about the being dissipated by some of nurses at Dryharts clinic.

They were so berserk and decided to write a letter to the North West Department of Health regarding stinging behavior from those nurses.

According to some of patients, the nurses ill-treat them daily and drag their feet when helping them. Our crew visited the clinic on Monday and to the shock of our lives, we found close to 30 patients, mostly elderly on the queue waiting to be helped at around 13:40 while two of the nurses enjoying their launch outside.

One of the patients, Agente Motsewabone(56) said it is normal for them to arrive at the clinic at around 07:00 in the morning and will be helped at around 15:00 afternoon.

North West Department of Health spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane confirmed that his department received calls and a letter from concerned residents of Dryharts regarding treatment dished out by some of the nurses at the clinic and does not take that issue very lightly.

“Yes we can confirm that we have received numerous calls and letters from various residents from Dryharts complaining about being ill-treated by some of the nurses during consultation.

“We have discussed a way forward regarding the issue and one of reasons that contributes to poor service rendered at the clinics around the province is shortage of staff at most clinics” Lekgethwane said.

Another victim of bad treatment by Dryharts clinic staff is Veronica Rakoi(45) who said they nurses insult them when rendering service to them.

“It is true and we’re sick and tired of the nurses at the clinic…they must be changed and the department must bring people who are passionate about their work. One will arrive there early, but the nurses will take their own time to help you and some of us can’t spend the whole day without eating” Rakoi said.

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Pic: Chairperson of Portfolio Committee, Boitumelo Moiloa, NEC member for Sanco, Motlalepule Rosho and Dr Tutu Faleni

BY STAFF REPORTER
TAUNG- THE Portfolio Committee on Basic education in the North West province visited Seoleseng Secondary School in Vaaltyn village, near Taung on Friday to assess the state of readiness for the 2015 school year as well as monitoring teaching and learning progress so far.

Some of those who were part of the visit were Chairwoman of the Portfolio Committee, Boitumelo Moiloa, Members of the Portfolio Committee Motlalepule Rosho and Jeanett Dibetso-Nyathi.

The Portfolio Committee visited the school after its re-opening. The school was closed by. The department of Education in North West, but reversed their decision after the community embarked on a protest.

The visit also seek the investigation that led to the department of Education in their attempt to close down the school due to rationalization.

The Chairwoman of the Portfolio Committee, Boitumelo Moiloa said she hope that viable solutions will be found.

The Portfolio Committee interacted with the interim principal of the school, School Governing Body members(SGB), Circuit Manager Mojakhudu Dithejane and concerned members of South African Civic Organisation(Sanco).

“What is important to this committee is ensuring that children of this country receive quality education that will unlock doors of prosperity and meaningfully contribute to the fight against the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and equality” she said.

According to Circuit Manager, Mojakhudu Dithejane the school has only four teachers including principal and two of the teachers have only primary qualifications.

The qualifications of teachers came to light after Grade 10 was introduced at the school, but Dithejane said the school was granted that opportunity temporarily.

“The school was granted to have Grade 10 temporarily and we will monitor the school and take decision afterwards. The school has only four teachers including the principal and some of them have only primary qualifications, but we decided to workshop them until their contracts come to the ends as most of them are of foreign nations” Dithejane said.

However the South African Civic Organisation said the department must come up with strategic plan to see that those 120 pupils at the school receive quality education.

“The department must make sure that they hire more teachers so that those pupils receive quality education. We welcome Portfolio Committee’s oversight visit and hope that when they bring feedback, it will be positive” Sanco Coordinator in the province, James Gadinabokao said.

Portfolio Committee member, Jeanett Dibetso-Nyathi said the committee will also visit underperforming schools within the identified districts to ensure that major shortcomings do not recur in the 2015 school year.

TAUNG- MEC for Tourism in the North West Desbo Mohono officially opened the Taung Hotel School and Convention Centre on Monday. The Institution which has already started with the students intake will operate at full steam as from the beginning of March this year. Thus far 30 students have already being admitted for the academic year and the possibility of admitting more towards the middle of the year is envisaged.

According to MEC Mohono the institution will bring socio-economic revolution to the people of Taung, more especially among women and the youth. She said that people of Taung should be jealous about the institution as it will be a hallmark which the future generation will be proud of. “The opening of this institution further gives impetus approach in seriously championing the issues affecting our youth in general. All affected spheres of government on youth development issues have to radically implement ways and means that will lure our youth to have hunger for education. This is the only way in giving them freedom to a better life,” said the elated Mohono.

MEC Mohono further said that the institution will focus on the education and training of skills and competencies that are required to grow the tourism economy of the North West Province. The institution will also bring an added economic momentum to the Taung region with additional employment opportunities as well as boosting local businesses.

Neonyana Morolong is one of the students admitted for this academic year. She said that she was grateful that she is one of the first students to be admitted and hope to finish her studies in record time. The 35 year old mother of three wants to be a professional chef and finally end up owning her own professional restaurant in Taung.

Meanwhile, MEC Mohono was supported by the local Taung Mayor Kaone Lobelo and Chief Tshepo Mankurwane of the Batlhaping boo Phuduhutswana and the Acting Mayor of Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality Mme Kelebogile Serei who both called for corporation and coordination among government institutions around Taung. They said that through communication and pulling together buy government institutions as one, the institutions will yield positive results and create a booming economy for the people of Taung. They both hailed the gesture by government and further gave it thumps up.

Learners will be offered practical courses of Professional Cookery; Food, Beverage and Accommodation Services for this academic year. The institution will further introduce additional courses by June this year, which will include the Higher Education programmes in Tourism and Hospitality Management. The expansion in curriculum will also be realised as additional infrastructure and the necessary lecturing and support staff will have been appointed.

The infrastructure will be known as the PENTAGON and will house the administration block, lecturers offices, lecture blocks, male and female students residences, a chapel, an auditorium, students canteen, libraries and reading rooms and many others.

Mbombela – An Mpumalanga councillor has been arrested in connection with a clash between members of the ANC and the SACP that left 10 people hospitalised, police said on Monday.

Kanyamazane police spokesperson Andries Shikwambane told a Sapa correspondent that a member of Mbombela local municipality’s mayoral committee was arrested at his home on Monday.

“I can confirm that two people have been arrested for the violence that took place at Kanyamazane on 25 January. The two have been charged with malicious damage to property,” said Shikwambane.

By 16:30 on Monday, the councillor had not yet appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court because police and prosecutors were still waiting for his co-accused to arrive from Barberton, where he was arrested on Monday.

The incident, which made headlines, took place when people wearing ANC T-shirts violently disrupted a memorial lecture where former ANC treasurer general Mathews Phosa and SACP provincial secretary Bonakele Majuba were expected to speak in Kanyamazane on 25 January.

The SACP memorial lecture about SACP stalwart Joe Slovo and slain former Mbombela municipal speaker Jimmy Mohlala had to be called off when the people clad in ANC T-shirts stormed the Kanyamazane community hall, assaulting SACP members and also vandalising the hall as well as cars belonging to SACP members.

Johannesburg – The case of a 45-year-old warrant officer who allegedly caused an accident while under the influence of alcohol was postponed in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court, The Hawks said on Monday.

Spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi said the case was postponed until 13 July as the court waited for the blood results of Warrant Officer George Lantu to be released.

The officer was on duty at the time of the accident and using a state vehicle.

He was arrested on Friday after he tried to flee the scene.

“[He] was restrained by traffic officials until his arrest by police,” Mulaudzi said.

Cape Town – Exactly two years after the death of Bredasdorp teen Anene Booysen, the Western Cape town has been rocked by another death, according to reports.

Police uncovered the body of Kayda Williams, 5-year-old girl, is a bushy area in the town on Monday after she was reported missing on Sunday.

For more http://www.news24.com

Johannesburg – A man was sentenced to two life tems by the Scottburgh Regional Court after pleading guilty to two counts of rape, the KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority said on Monday.

Qunisela Gumede was sentenced on Friday last week for the rape of a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old, spokespersonn Natasha Kara said in a statement.

“The incident occurred in 2012 when the accused called one of the girls into his rondavel to dish food for him. He raped her and then gave her money to buy sweets,” Kara said in a statement.

“Her sister [the second complainant] was standing in the doorway and witnessed what had happened. She was raped by the accused on another occasion.”

He said the complainant told her teacher what had happened and the police were alerted.

Gumede initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but changed his plea after the first complainant testified, she said.

She said the defence argued for the court to deviate from the minimum sentence applicable on the grounds that the accused had changed his plea.

“However, regional court prosecutor Kogilum Naick argued at length, citing various case laws about the seriousness of the offence. A social worker’s report was also handed in,” she said.

“Naick alerted the court to the fact that the children were blamed for the accused’s incarceration. They were constantly abused by their grandfather who blamed them when he was drunk.”

Kara said Gumede was given a life sentence on each count and the court ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

Johannesburg – A third of adults in South Africa fear the police, a Futurefact survey recently found.

“Three in 10 adults fear going to a police station to report a crime themselves, while a third say they are scared of the police,” the research company found.

Seventy percent of respondents indicated they were constantly alert to the risk of crime and afraid of it.

Nearly half, 44%, felt there was no point in reporting crime to the police.

The study was based on the results of a survey conducted late last year on a probability sample of 3 048 adults throughout South Africa, representing 22.8 million adults.

Given the findings relating to fears around reporting crime to the police, the research implied that a more distant method of reporting criminal activity, such as Crime Line, was likely to prove useful.

Last week the SA Institute for Race Relations (SAIRR) released a report, titled “Broken Blue Line 2”, that some SA Police Service members played a major role in perpetrating serious violent crime.

SAIRR CEO Frans Cronje said at the time that such police officers often used their policing powers and official equipment to perpetrate crimes, and that criminal gangs appeared to benefit from internal support from police.

SAPS management have questioned the methodology of the SAIRR report, saying it was based on assumptions and inferences and the research had not been stress-tested.

“The report contains dangerous generalisations, apparently mostly based on media reports, interviews with journalists and some form of engagement with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate,” police spokesperson Solomon Makgale said at the time.

Johannesburg – The SA Human Rights Commission on Monday called on the government to act on the “sporadic attacks” on immigrants and the looting of their businesses across the country.

The SAHRC said it had visited some of the communities affected by the attacks.

“We remain concerned at the attacks which have all the hallmarks of xenophobia, since only foreigners and their property seem to be targeted, save for the few nationals who were also caught in the cross-fire,” it said.

“The targeted approach of these attacks on foreign shop owners irresistibly bears xenophobic undertones and not only as criminality as it has been suggested in a number of statements by some government spokespersons.”

SAHRC said that acknowledging this would enable those responsible in dealing with these challenges to do so from a correct perspective.

The commission said the escalation in the number of non-nationals entering South Africa had posed various challenges and in some instances, human rights violations were reported to be perpetrated against non-nationals.

“The commission has been aware of the simmering tensions between locals and foreigners for some time from the number of complaints we have received and dealt with,” it said.

The commission said that in 2008, South Africa experienced unprecedented levels of violence and discrimination against non-nationals, during which more than 60 people were killed and thousands were displaced.

“The Commission calls on government to move quickly to address the underlying issues that continue to negatively affect foreign nationals in the manner the country has experienced in the recent weeks.”

It said dealing with xenophobia would need a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and collective human rights approach based on basic human rights.

Cape Town – Sentencing proceedings are expected to begin on Tuesday in the case of a Zimbabwean man who pleaded guilty to stabbing Mbuyiselo Manona and removing his heart.

Andrew Chimboza, 35, entered into a plea agreement on the first day of his trial in the Western Cape High Court in Cape Town on Monday.

The State accepted his plea and Judge Ashley Binns-Ward found him guilty of murder without premeditation.

In his plea explanation Chimboza apologised for killing Manona, 62, at the Gugulethu home of a former female client of his, Chimboza’s, in June.

When he arrived there, he said, Manona insulted him, hit him in the face and accused him of having sex with his partner, Chimboza’s former client.

Chimboza said he was aware that Manona wanted to stab him.

He disarmed Manona and used his knife to stab him multiple times.

Chimboza said he knew his actions were wrong and exceeded the boundaries of self-defence.

On Monday, no mention was made of allegations that witnesses saw Chimboza eating pieces of Manona’s heart.

Prosecutor Jacqueline Sibiya said she believed the removal of the heart was not the cause of death per se and thus did not have too much bearing on the plea of murder.

The doctor who performed the post mortem was expected to testify in aggravation of sentence on Tuesday.