Mahikeng – More than 40 previously unemployed youth across the province are now ready to enter the labour market after undergoing a year-long learnership programme in Community House Building NQF Level 2, through the North West Department of Local Government and Human Settlements.

The learners started with the programme in August last year and included the following modules: bricklaying, carpentry, tiling and roofing whilst receiving a stipend of R2 500.  Speaking during the graduation ceremony held in Mahikeng, the Acting Head of Department, Moss Kgantsi, encouraged the graduates to continuously improve the skill and knowledge they have acquired through the learnership, by enrolling for other courses.

“As a Department, in response to what the Premier has raised in the beginning of the fifth administration that, the economy of this province will rest on three pillars which are Agriculture, Culture and Tourism (ACT) to achieve 6% of economic growth of the province towards 2019. With this Community House Building Learnership Programme, we remain confident that, we would add value because if you need to attract tourist in the province, you would definitely need buildings of high quality where you become relevant to assist to avoid buildings which collapse from time to time”, he mentioned.

He said the programme was different as it was a work-based programme that combined a structured learning component along with practical work experience and leads to a nationally recognized qualification and is registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

“We need to agree that, our country is faced with major economic challenges, and therefore it remains our responsibility to skill our youth in order to address shortage of skills and unemployment amongst them, and redress the past imbalances within education fraternity, that’s why government has deliberately introduced Skills Development Act, 1998 (ACT No. 97 of 1998), National Skills Development Strategies as well as Sector Education Training Authorities to respond to these challenges”, he concluded.

Meanwhile, one of the graduates, Winnie Tladi said they had to make a lot of sacrifices along the way. “It was not easy but we have made it. We are now looking forward to join the construction industry and build quality houses”, she said.

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There has been no progress on talks between star goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and league leaders Kaizer Chiefs to extend his contract past the end of the season, raising the possibility that the 27-year-old might have played his last game for the club, where he has been for 14 years.

Officials and agents, speaking on condition of anonymity, have confirmed no new deal has been signed with just one month left before Khune is free to enter into contract negotiations with other parties.

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Lawyers representing former President Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, have slammed the Presidency for filing a notice to oppose an application by her to have access to State documents.

Madikizela-Mandela wants government to furnish information about the right of ownership of the former President’s Qunu property in the Eastern Cape.

Lawyer Mvuzo Notyesi says correct procedures have not been followed by the State attorney.

Notyesi says it can never be the correct approach to simply proceed to file notices to oppose before a case is completed.

He maintains that what the State has done is irregular and incorrect in terms of the rules, but he says such will be dealt with according to the rules of court.

According to Notyesi, they have written several notices to the State attorney requesting information pertaining to ownership of the property.

Presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj has confirmed that the State attorney filed a notice to oppose the action, “pending instructions from the President”. – Additional reporting by Sapa

Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, Thabang Makwetla, says prisoners in South Africa receive better health care from government than ordinary citizens who are not in jail.

Makwetla visited the Johannesburg Correctional Centre on Monday to show the media what the facility is doing about HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis (TB) and other communicable diseases.

Members of the media were taken on tour of the Johannesburg Prison, in particular, the clinic which works with the National Health Laboratory Services, making it easy to conduct tests on site.

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

The world is on track to provide antiretroviral therapy to 15 million people by 2015 and to eliminate mother to child transmission within the next few years.

As the focus now firmly shifts to ending the Aids epidemic by 2030, the United Nations Programme on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) (UNAids), is pushing for a fast-track approach that could prevent nearly 28 million new infections and avert 21 million Aids-related deaths over the next 15 years.

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

Johannesburg – Cosatu in the Western Cape has welcomed the 15-year jail sentence imposed on former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

“This must serve as a clear indication to fund managers that they are going to be put in jail for corruption and for stealing from the poor,” Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said in a statement on Monday.
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