Taung – Plans by government to start with the 2015 academic year in Taung Hotel School are well underway.

This was confirmed by the North West MEC for Tourism Desbo Mohono after her visit to the institution on Monday.

MEC Mohono confirmed that the currently under refurbishment Taung Hotel School and Convention Centre will be ready and fully operational for the 2015 academic year. MEC Mohono said that the establishment should not only be seen as a training facility, but it should also serve as a sanctuary of poverty eradication for the people of Taung.

“This institution should be a pedestal for socio-economic transformation in this area. It should bring tangible change in the ordinary lives of the people, especially the locals before it could benefit surrounding areas.

“As government one of our quest is to turn around the tide of poverty and establish this hotel school in a rural town like Taung will definitely make an impact”, said Mohono.

While addressing the current staff of the institution, MEC Mohono encouraged them to take pride in the institution.

She said that they should protect it at all times and ensure that it succeeds in all its endeavors.

“This institution belongs to you. Take care of it and in return it will also take care of you. Once it is fully operational, there will be jobs created for the locals and there will also be local economic stimulation which will greatly benefit the locals”, concluded Mohono.

Academic Manager, Herman Phetlhe said that for the 2015 academic year the school is looking at accepting about 30 students in various courses. “For that year we are going to start off with three courses of which will be offered at a two years National Diploma Level.

“We will be offering National Diploma in Professional Cookery, National Diploma in Food and Beverages and National Diploma in Accommodation Services. We will then gradually increase our academic scope and courses in due time. We will add two or three courses every year until we have a fully blown academy and faculty”, he said.

He added that there will still be major construction and refurbishments taking place at the institution. “Once completed, it is envisioned that this institution will boost a fully fledge academic complex with lecture halls and full academic staff.

There will also be student accommodation completed with recreational parks and sports field”, he said.

The Taung Hotel School and Convention Centre was officially launched in April 2014 after the North West Development Cooperation acquired the former Taung Tusk Hotel from the Peermont Group due to a need for the province to establish a second hotel school.

MEC Mohono was accompanied by the academic manager of the institution, Herman Phetlhe, acting Head of Department, Charles Ndabeni and Head of Hotel Schools Division at the North West Parks and Tourism Board: Joseph Akwa.
-TDN
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MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management in Bokone Bophirima, Gaoage Molapisi intensified road safety awareness for this year’s festive season through the Setsokotsane programme that was led by Premier Supra Mahumapelo in the Ramotshere Moiloa Municipality.

Molapisi interacted with taxi commuters and drivers at Zeerust taxi rank where he distributed pamphlets and led the road safety ambassadorship.

MEC said the awareness is to encourage safe road usage to reduce incidents and fatalities during the season. “We continue to experience high number of accidents and fatalities during this season and this leads to government losing billions of rands that could have been utilized in service delivery hence we are here to initiate a positive change on our roads caused by unbecoming attitude by road users.

We also call upon long distance drivers to take a rest in every two hours or 200km of driving because fatigue is one of the factors contributing immensely to fatalities,” said Molapisi who emphasized that the department will further intensify pedestrian safety awareness.

In their interaction with Molapisi, taxi operators and commuters shared their frustrations with MEC and informed him that they have been operating for more than 10 years without having a well structured taxi rank. The concerned operators said they have since started operating at the area on interim basis but to date they have lost hope from the municipality in building a proper rank.

They showed the MEC their facilities which included the toilets that are not working for ages and that is health hazardous. In his response, Molapisi said his department will engage with the municipality and further urged operators to work on ways of resolving challenges they are faced with through their taxi associations.

“We must work in an integrated manner to resolve these kind of challenges, I believe we share the common goal and it is important to partner in service delivery,” he said.

On the other hand, truck drivers traveling between Zeerust and Mahikeng felt the pinch of law enforcement when traffic authorities at the Zeerust weighbridge joined the Setsokotsane and ensured that all trucks passing through were compliant.

More than 100 trucks were weighed and traffic fines worth R2500 were issued in seven hours. About four trucks were found to beoverloaded and proper steps were taken to ensure that they get on the road with permisible loads.

MEC Molapisi called on truck owners to take the responsibility of ensuring that their trucks are not overloaded and sends a warning to those defaulters.

“Weighbridges are established and built as control measures to monitor truck overloading and we are aware that despite having them in the province, there are those chance takers who continue to carry excess weight but I must warn you that we will definitely catch up with you during this festive season and beyond.

We will not relent until there is no overloading on our roads and truck owners must take responsibility for ensuring that their vehicles are not overloaded from the point of origin up to its final destinations. At has to be a collective responsibility,” he said.

Molapisi said overloaded trucks damages roads and they also contribute to road incidents and fatalities.
-TDN
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Harare – South Africa’s economy is better connected to the rest of the global economy and others on the continent than its peers in the region, according to the Africa Integration Index.

However, sub-Saharan Africa economies remain “substantially unconnected” to the rest of the world, noted experts in the index that was released by Visa on Tuesday.

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Bokone Bophirima Community Safety and Transport Management MEC Gaoage Molapisi appealed to taxi operators in the province to observe the 16 Days of Activism Against Women and Children.

Speaking at the Zeerust Driver License Testing Centre (DLTC) when he addressed taxi owners who attended the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) adjudication processes of applications on taxi operating permits, Molapisi said it is important for operators to join government on its objectives of ending abuse against women and children.

“It is good that we are moving away from an abusive behavior of taxi drivers which is gradually improving and we must march on in achieving our quest to an incident free taxi industry.

“This industry is commonly known for all the bad driving, bad attitude towards their customers and only profit orientated. Unfortunately, the most vulnerable people are women and children who needs our protection from some of the men who have created themselves to be monsters. We are duty bound to protect our beloved mothers, sisters and children. “I plead with you all the men who are here that you should be the best men and should commit that this will be a Holy 16 Days of Activism and incident free”.

The departmental MEC further appealed to public transport operators to comply with the road rules to avoid been on the wrong side of the law.

“Your ignorance and inconsiderate conduct causes us deaths’ and pain, now we all need to observe the rules and always make sure that our vehicles are road worthy as we transport our people to different destinations during this festive season,” he said.

About 35 taxi operational permits applications were adjudicated by the PRE in addressing the backlog of 2012 applications in the Lehurutshe area.

Molapisi proceeded with his consistent unannounced visits to police stations to assess the compliance and service delivery standards in the stations, which are been conducted through the Setsokotsane Programme.

At the two police stations visited today, Molapisi continuously encouraged the officers to attend attentively to cases of abuse on women and children reported and make proper investigations.

“We must attend to cases of abuse of women and children, perpetrators must be taught a lesson that they will never forget. Our actions and reactions to these cases must send a strong message to these monsters that abuse women and children and must never be tolerated, concluded Molapisi.
-TDN
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Mahikeng – Life will never be the same for a family of 13 in Madibe-a Makgabana village near Mahikeng after the family was handed over a three bedroomed house by the North West MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements, Collen Maine during the Provincial Government’  service delivery programme known as Setsokotsane. 

Prior to the Department’s intervention, Boitumelo Moteu (43) is unemployed and also expectant, had been staying with her mother, siblings, husband and their 13 children in a dilapidated shack. Moteu relies on her husband’s meagre salary which he gets by working at a nearby farm that produces peanuts.

The Moteu’s living condition came into light during Nelson Mandela Day on 18th July 2014 and MEC Maine made a commitment to mobilise resources to change the life of the Moteu family as well as restore their pride by building them a decent house. Her siblings are also beneficiaries to the new type of houses following the increment of the subsidy at the beginning of April 2014.

The new design features the following:

∙The minimum floor area of the house must be 45m2 ; have two bedrooms, kitchen and living / dining area; kitchen with sink; bath, hand basin and a toilet; smooth internal floor finish; face brick 

∙Basic electrical installation/ comprising at least one light in each room, two lights in   the combined kitchen/living area and electrical plug in each bedroom and two plugs in the kitchen/living room
∙All internal doors installed; external doors (combination doors); Chromadek roof sheeting, minimum thickness 0.5mm; Installation of ceiling for the whole house; Internal plaster (include painting) and Aprons
Meanwhile, the residents of Logageng in rural Ratlou local municipality are to benefit from a 200 housing project worth over R21 m and is set to be completed by the March next year. Also, as a temporary measure to the water challenge, 27 water tanks (10 000 litres) were also placed in strategic points in the area, while the lasting solution is sought.
-TDN
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Johannesburg- Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has named his squad for this weekend’s Nelson Mandela Challenge.

Bafana will host Cote d’Ivoire in the annual showpiece at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday, a day after the Telkom Knockout Final between SuperSport United and Platinum Stars.

As the international tie falls outside of the FIFA calendar, clubs are not obliged to release their players for it.

SuperSport and Stars were not asked to avail any of their players owing to their cup commitments.

The Nelson Mandela Challenge, played in honour of the former state president and anti-apartheid icon, has been a regular feature on the senior national team calendar since 1995.

African champions Nigeria won the previous edition of the competition with a 2-0 victory over Bafana in August 2013.

Bafana squad:

Goalkeepers: Brilliant Khuzwayo, Jackson Mabokgwane, Dumisani Msibi

Defenders: Siyabonga Nhlapo, Patrick Phungwayo, Mulomowandau Mathoho, Ntsikelelo Nyauza, Kwanda Mngonyama, Ayabulela Magqwaka, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Siyanda Zulu

Midfielders: Themba Zwane, Mzikayise Mashaba, Oupa Manyisa, Vuyisile Wana, Fagrie Lakay, Jabulani Shongwe, Bongani Zungu, Asavela Mbekile

Strikers: Siyanda Ngubo, Puleng Tlolane, David Zulu, Lerato Lamola

Cote d’Ivoire squad:

Diallo Ismael Jean Chester, Sangare Badra Ali, Moukoro Cheikh, Zirignon Badi Jean Daniel, Cisse Abdul Karim, Angban Victorien, Diabate Inza, Magbi Gbagbo Laurent Junior, Britto Dagou Willie, Kessie Franck Yannick, Diaby Ibrahima, Sangare Ibrahima, N’Guessan Yao Serge, Diomande Sory Ibrahim, Gniangbo Dogbole Franck Anderson, Soumahoro Ben Mamadou Junior, Bini Kouman, Diavara Adams, Bagate Salif, Doumbia Lamine.
For more http://www.kickoff.com
-TDN
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Madibogo- Service Delivery will be the order of the day when MEC for Department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs Mme Tebogo Modise together with Kgosi Phoi will be conducting a sod turning ceremony at Motsitlane Madibogo today.

“This will mark the commencement of a construction of a Cultural Village , this patriotic project will go a long way in transforming the community of Motsitlane as well as the adjacent Villages”, said MEC for Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs Mme Tebogo Modise.

The Sod turning Ceremony will be held as follows:

Date: 25^TH November 2014

Time: 12:00

Venue: Motsitlane, Madibogo

-TDN

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Ottosdal- Preparations for the annual launch of 16 Days of Activism for no Violence Against Women and Children on Tuesday are at an advanced stage, North West MEC for Social Development Fenny Gaolaolwe said on Monday.

“On Tuesday we will launch this campaign under the theme: “Count me in, working together for a safer South Africa.” We have already shared information through door to door  campaigns about our victim empowerment services to more than 760 households in ward 11, 12, 13 at Ottosdal,” Gaolaolwe said adding that  political leaders including representatives of religious groups and community members will sign a living pledge to curb gender violence.

Gaolaolwe said she will also  provide humanitarian assistance to the victims of violence and abuse at the launch.

Various crime hotspots at Ottosdal have been identified and will be cleared to reduce crime in the area.

Tswaing local municipality mayor, SAPS, Provincial Aids Council, House of Traditional leaders will be part of the event.

The launch will be held as follows:-

Date: 25 November 2014
Venue: Letsopa Community Hall, Ottosdal
Time : 09h00
-TDN
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