1056 suspects nabbed during Operation Shanela

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Picture: Some of drugs confiscated by the police/Supplied

By BAKANG MOKOTO 

20 May 2025- More than 1056 suspects nabbed during Operation Shanela. Out of 1056 arrests, 356 are circulated wanted suspects, who were nabbed after being linked to the committed crimes through forensic DNA leads.

The North West police spokesperson, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said the weekly joint law enforcement operations focusing on enhanced crime prevention and combating, conducted across all five districts between 12 and 18 May 2025, under Operation Shanela. Mokgwabone said this resulted in the arrest of suspects for different crimes and the seizure of copper cables, a variety of drugs, liquor, dangerous weapons and ammunition.

“The operations, which were led by commissioned officers, resulted in the apprehension of 65 illegal migrants who were arrested for contravention of Section 49 of the Immigration Act, 2002.  

“The suspects included 161 arrested for assault with the intent to do Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) and common, eight for murder and attempted murder, 12 for rape and attempted rape, 26 for burglary business and residential,” he said. 

Mokgwabone further said 51 suspects were nabbed for driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, 147 for possession of drugs and 32 for illegal dealing in liquor. He added that, as part of the operations, actions such as vehicle check points (VCPs), stops and searches, foot and vehicle patrols, compliance inspections at second hand dealers, scrapyards, recyclers, private security, firearm dealers, formal and informal businesses and farms were executed.

“In Mahikeng, a crime intelligence-driven operation resulted in the arrest of four suspects in Magogwe, Montshioa Stadt and Setlopo villages on 15 and 16 May 2025, for three separate cases of robbery, assault with intent to do GBH and theft, which were allegedly committed between December 2024 and April 2025. 

“In another intelligence-led operation executed by Mahikeng K9, on 16 May 2025, three suspects, including a Nigerian foreign national were arrested for possession and dealing in drugs. The suspects were arrested at Bradford Park taxi rank in the Central Business District (CBD) and Mahikeng dumping Site,” said Mokgwabone. 

He said the team confiscated drugs that comprised rock cocaine, crystal meth and khat with an estimated street value of R41 000. 

Meanwhile, the acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng, indicated that community leaders, parents and civil society need to work closely with the police in addressing the pandemic of drugs, especially the highly toxic nyaope, which is destroying mostly the youth. Asaneng said it is no longer pure conjecture that more and more of the country’s youth have become not only drug addicts, but also drug mules and slaves of drug dealers who are mostly illegal foreigners.  

“These drug peddlers are apparently aided and abetted by technocrats, government officials and residents who allow them to enter the country illegally or with fraudulent papers,” he said.  

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91 suspects nabbed for illegal mining  

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Picture: Some of items confiscated by police/Supplied  

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

20 May 2025- The North West police said since the inception and deployment of Operation Vala Umgodi unit to prevent and combat illegal mining and related crimes in the province’s identified illegal mining hotspots, hundreds of arrests and confiscations have been made. 

The police said through high density integrated intelligence-initiated operation, the sting has resulted in the disruption, arrests and seizures of illicit goods such as unrefined gold, gold bearing material, drugs, firearms and ammunition, as well as counterfeit goods including illicit cigarettes and equipment such as pick axes, shovels, generators and groceries, among others.

The North West police spokesperson, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said during the operation conducted by the Vala Umgodi team in the Bojanala District, 91 suspects involved in illegal mining were arrested from 13 to 19 May 2025. Mokgwabone said the suspects were arrested at Kroondal, Geelhout Park and in the Rustenburg policing and Tlhabane precincts, as well as at Skeerpoort, Moonooi and Hartbeespoort in the Bojanala 1 district and in Tlhatlaganyane, Ledig and Mabele-A-Podi villages policed by Sun City and Mogwase Police Stations. 

“Seventy seven out of 91 arrested zama-zamas (illegal miners) are from Lesotho, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, who are in addition to being charged with mining without the necessary permits (illegal mining) are also charged with contravening Section 49(1) of the Immigration Act, 13 of 2002, while the remaining 14 are South Africans are charged with mining illegally.

“The team confiscated equipment used to mine illegally, which included 16 petrol/diesel generators, hammers and jack hammers, shovels, electric extension cords, grease pumps and self-made sifting contraptions commonly referred to as Pendukas  and steel balls,” he said.

Mokgwabone further said all the suspects will appear before the Mogwase, Brits, Tlhabane and Rustenburg Magistrate’s Courts.

Meanwhile, the acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng, lauded the Vala Umgodi team for their bravery, dedication to duty in combating the threat of illegal mining, which is not only part of organised crime and illicit economy, but which is a national security threat that undermines the authority, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state. 

Asaneng said all South Africans who aid, abet including harbouring illegal migrants and who are involved in illegal mining must know that the police will pursue them relentlessly and that they will face the full wrath of the law for their treasonous criminal conduct.

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Monna o latofadiwang ka go ja polony ya bana o atlholetswe dingwaga di le 18 mabapi le polao  

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Ka REGINALD KANYANE

20 Motsheganong 2025- Monna wa dingwaga di le 21, wa kwa motseng wa Manokwane, gaufi le Taung, o kolopetswe dingwaga di le 18 kwa ntlo-lefitshwana ke kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung. Se setla morago ga gore Thato Darlington Lekaowa a tlhabe le go bolaya malomagwe, Jonas Othusitse Lekaowa (46) ka thipa.

Sebueledi sa bosekisi (National Prosecuting Authority) sa kgaolo mo Bokone Bophirima, Sivenathi Gunya are tiragalo e, e diragetse fa Tlhakole a ne a tlhola matsatsi a le 14 ka ngwaga wa 2020. Gunya are go ile ga runya kgakgauthano ya mafoko magareng ga Thato le moswi, Onthusitse.

“Go begwa fa Thato a ne a kgalemelwa ke mamalomagwe morago ga go ja polony ya bana ya sekolo. Se, se ile sa baka bosula jo botseneletseng magareng ga Thato le malomangwe. Go begwa fa Thato a ne a tlhaba malomagwe ka thiba mo mokwatleng.

“Go begwa fa Thato a ne a tsena ka lenga la seloko morago ga tiragalo. Moswi one a tabogisetswa kwa bookelong, fela one a begwa fa a setse a ragile kika mo kgorogong ya gagwe kwa bookelong. Kgetsi ya polao e ile ya bulwa kgatlhanong le Thato, mme o ile a tshwarwa,” Gunya wa tlhalosa.

Gunya are Thato one a neelwa beile. Gunya are fela Thato o ile a palelwa ke go tlhagelela kwa kgotlhatshekelo, mme seo se ile sa lebisa kwa go rebolweng ga lekwalo-tshwaro kgatlhanong le ene.

“Thato o ile a tshwarwa gape, mme a dula kwa ntlo-lefitshwana go fitlhelela a atlholwa. Le fa go ile ga nna le tiego mo kgetsing e, kwa bofelong e ile ya tswelela.

“Thato one a bega fa a sena molato, fela mosekisi, Rebaona Mokgopa, o ile a neelana ka bopaki jo bo kwenneng kgatlha le ene. Gape Mokgopa, o ile a bontsha fa Thato a sa bontshe maikotlhao a tiro e a e dirileng,” Gunya wa tlhalosa.

Magistrata, Bhuti Zulu o ile a tlhalosa bomasisi jwa kgetsi e, mme a tlhalosa fa dikgotlhatshekelo di tshwanelwa ke go tsaya dikgato tse di gagametseng kgatlhanong le ba ba molato. Zulu are bosenyi jwa mothale o, bo tlisa go sa iketla mo baaging.

Kgabagare, tlhogo ya bosekisi mo Bokone Bophirima, Dr Rachel Makhari, o akgotse babatlisisi ba kgetsi ga mmogo le bosekisi.

“Katlholo e, e tla romela molaetsa o gagametseng le go lemosa badiri ba bosenyi gore NPA e tsaya dikgato kgatlhanong le bosenyi,” Makhari wa tlhalosa.

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Orbit College FC receives financial backing 

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Picture: The Orbit College FC players

By BAKANG MOKOTO 

20 May 2025- The North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation has reaffirmed its unwavering support for Orbit College Football Club, a rising star in South African football, as the team is sitting on position 2 on its National First Division campaign with 53 points after 30 games. The department said Orbit College FC has made significant strides on the national football stage, and their journey has been met with admiration and support from the North West Provincial Government. 

The North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation spokesperson, Shuping Sebolecwe said as a testament to this commitment, the department has already invested over R1 million into the team’s development and operations this season. Sebolecwe said during the playoffs held in Pietermaritzburg, the department covered critical expenses, including transport and accommodation totalling to R490 000.

“This support ensured that the players and technical staff could focus solely on their performance without the burden of logistical challenges. In celebration of the team’s historic promotion to the NFD, the department further

awarded Orbit College FC a financial token of appreciation amounting to R300 000, a move that was widely praised by sports lovers across the province.

“Beyond once-off contributions, for the 2024/25 financial year, the department signed a memorandum of understanding that will cover the costs of all accommodation for both home and away matches, a commitment worth more than R700 000,” he said. 

Sebolecwe further said the long-term support is part of a broader strategy to develop grassroots talent and elevate the profile of sport in the North West. He added that Orbit College FC represents the talent and resilience of the province. 

“Their dedication on and off the field reflects the spirit of the North West, and we are proud to walk this journey with them. The department is committed to supporting the team even further.

“The department has called on the people of the North West to rally behind the team as they continue their campaign. This is our team, our pride. Let us support them in every way possible in the stands, in our communities, and through our collective encouragement,” said Sebolecwe.

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Mamelodi Sundowns FC crowned Champions

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Picture: Mamelodi Sundowns FC players celebrating

By REGINALD KANYANE 

20 May 2025- Mamelodi Sundowns concluded their league campaign with a 2-0 victory on Sunday night when they hosted Magesi FC at Loftus Versfeld. Lucas Ribeiro was the hero of the night as his brace saw the team record their 15th victory in their backyard.

It only took four minutes for Masandawana to break the deadlock. It came through Arthur Sales’ awareness inside the area, who delivered it to Iqraam Rayners. With a drop of a shoulder, Rayners then handed it to Ribeiro, who only flicked it towards the goal with a backheel pass.

A few minutes later, Ribeiro almost made it two for his side. The ball came from Aubrey Modiba from a tight angle on the left flank. He crossed it to Ribeiro, whose shot deflected and went slightly wide.

In the 18th minute, Rayners drove the ball to the danger zone and shot it, but the shot was cleared by the goalkeeper with his feet. Four minutes later, a second goal was witnessed at Loftus Versfeld, and it was Ribeiro again. 

After being awarded a free-kick just a short distance from the area, Marcelo Allende handed the ball to Ribeiro. From range, Ribeiro shattered the net to double the advantage for Downs.

Another set-piece almost saw the Brazilians pulling a third goal before the break. Teboho Mokoena had taken the free-kick, which he fired onto the target from range. 

The goalkeeper, however, with his feet again and his body on the ground, kicked the ball away. Magesi tried to take the ball to Downs’ half, but the rear-guard of coach Miguel Cardoso was steadfast and cleared any chances to deny them a goal.

This saw the hosts head to the interval with a two-goal advantage.

The Magesi side witnessed in the second stanza looked more threatening, and they were attacking the ball. They opened the last 45 minutes of the game by taking the ball to the danger zone. 

Luckily, Ronwen Williams sniffed the danger and quickly moved from his mark to snatch the ball. For a while, the Brazilians remained patient in their half, until Modiba made an interception, then a clever defence-splitting pass to Rayners, who fired a shot, but the keeper caught it.

A mistake was made by the Downs defence near the area towards the end of the encounter, but Malibongwe Khoza managed to clear the danger away to maintain the clean sheet.

Sales came again with a big chance after Peter Shalulile handed him the ball on the right flank. His shot was smacked away to deny him his first goal of the night.

It’s the visitors who concluded the match with an attempt, but Khoza, again, cleared the ball away, this time, with his chest, then a kick. In the end, Masandawana collected the maximum points and managed to maintain a clean sheet.

Sundowns finished their Betway Premiership campaign with a perfect home record, defeating Magesi 2-0 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Sunday.

The league champions won all fourteen of their league home games this season in the process of bagging their 24th win of their Betway Premiership campaign.

The victory means Masandawana have broken the record for the most wins in a 34-game season in a campaign of just 28 games. The record was held by Manning Rangers with 23 wins in the 1996/97 season, and equalled by Kaizer Chiefs in the 1998/99 season and Sundowns in the 1998/99 and 1999/2000 seasons.

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Monna wa kwa Lesotho o tshwere ka sethunya 

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Setshwantsho-papiso: Sethunya se se seng mo molaong

Ka BAKANG MOKOTO 

20 Motsheganong 2025- Monna wa kwa nageng ya Lesotho o tshwerwe mabapi le go tshola sethunya se se seng mo molao. Go begwa fa monna o wa dingwaga di le 53, a tshwere kwa masimo kwa motseng wa Manokwane, gaufi le Taung ka Lamatlhatso. 

Go ya ka mongwe wa baagi o sa batleng leina la gagwe le itsiwe, monna o, go belaelwa a le mo nageng ntle le ditokomane tse di maleba. Go begwa fa a ne a tshwarwa ga mmogo le bana  ba gagwe. 

Sebueledi sa sepodisi kwa sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen are, sepodisi se ile sa longwa-tsebe mabapi le monna o nang le sethunya se se seng mo molao. Van Rooyen are sepodisi se ile sa bona lekwalo la go puruputsha, mme ba leba kwa lefelong le le kailweng.     

“Mmelaelwa o ile a tshwarwa ka sethunya se se seng mo molaong, mme o tlhageletse kwa kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la maabane,” van Rooyen wa tlhalosa. 

Kgabagare, go ya ka dipego tse di sa totobalang, kgetsi ya monna o gay a dula kwa kgotlhatshekelo, mme go begwa fa a tsene ka lenga la seloko.  

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A man sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for murder

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Picture: A man holding knife smeared with blood and still dripping/Supplied

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI 

20 May 2025- A man sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the Pretoria North Regional Court for stabbing a man to death. On 23 January 2024, in the evening, Tshireletso Manamela (20), went to the local tuck shop to buy cigarettes in Soshanguve Township, near Pretoria. 

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana said while Manamela was at the tuck shop, he came across the accused, Tebogo Boikie Selowa (31), who pointed at him with a knife. Mahanjana said a community member who was nearby witnessed the altercation and tried intervening, but Selowa pushed him away.  

“Thereafter, he proceeded to stab Manamela twice in the neck, and he died on the scene because of his injuries. Selowa then fled the scene. However, the following morning, he handed himself over to the Soshanguve Police Station.

“In court, Selowa pleaded not guilty to the charge of intentionally killing the deceased. Instead, he told the court that he acted out of self-defence. However, the state prosecutor Hanlie Du Preez led compelling evidence from witnesses who were on the scene when the incident happened and proved that indeed Selowa intentionally stabbed the deceased unprovoked,” she said. 

Mahanjana further said during sentencing proceedings, Selowa, through his legal representative, asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years’ direct imprisonment because he is young and has also shown remorse by apologising to the family of the deceased. She added that Du Preez argued against the deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence because Selowa was convicted of a serious offence that is very prevalent in the court’s jurisdiction. 

“Furthermore, she said that the deceased was a young man, who had a bright future ahead of him and in just minutes, his entire future was robbed from him. His family was also robbed of a son. Du Preez argued that Selowa showed no sincere remorse for the offence because he only apologised to the family of the deceased after he was found guilty of the offence. 

“She also handed in Victim Impact Statements (VIS) facilitated by the Court Preparation Officer, Maano Magondo, where the deceased parents stated how the death of their son left them traumatised and heartbroken, as they had hopes that their son would grow up and make them proud,” said Mahanjana.

In delivering the judgement, Magistrate Pieter Nel agreed with the state that Selowa did not show sincere remorse for the offence and continued to add that a young man’s life was taken away from him for no apparent reason. 

“Unfortunately, our country has a high criminal rate as such, the community expects the court to protect them from perpetrators such as this one, by removing them from society. The VIS clearly shows the court that the murder of the deceased left a severe and traumatic impact on the family. 

“Therefore, I found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence. I also ordered that he be declared unfit to possess a firearm,” he said.

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 ‘Declare high rate of unemployment a disaster’

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Picture: The SACP Provincial Secretary, Madoda Sambatha/Facebook

By OBAKENG MAJE 

20 May 2025- The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the North West has called on the North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi to declare sky-rocketing unemployment as a disaster. This comes after North West recorded the highest unemployment rate this quarter of 40.4%. 

SACP provincial secretary, Madoda Sambatha said the unemployment in the province relates to the mining industry. Sambatha said this is one of the sectors that contributed negatively to the employment figures. 

“I was highly shocked that our unemployment statistics in the province are not decreasing. While it is not also decreasing across the province, ours is the worst component. Surprisingly, we are credited as one of the provinces that have mineral deposits still not extracted from the ground. 

“So, we call on Mokgosi to declare unemployment statistics and status in the province as a provincial disaster. Each provincial department and private sector must be convened to come up with options on how to address the disaster of unemployment,” he said. 

Sambatha further said unemployment is easily a disaster of hunger and inequality. He added that they call for the implementation of the National Development Strategy that was adopted by the government. 

The ANCYL Provincial Secretary, Brian Huma shared the same sentiments. Huma said they have noted with sadness the Q1 of QLFS and its unintended consequences on the plight of young people. 

“North West as a province forms part of the 50.2 % unemployment rate of young people in South Africa. We further note that young people face the highest barriers of entry to entering the workforce. Whilst the challenges facing young people are not new as a result they are trending negatively in many cases.

“The report by Statistics SA, makes a good point by sharing the uneven ground between the rural youth and urban youth. This is corroborated through the staggering 58% of unemployment, which is mainly attributed to the economic exclusion,” he said. 

Huma said the situation has to be turned around. He said with three public TVET colleges and 6 state colleges of agriculture, nursing and hotel schools respectively being present in our province we need to propel the revolution of making sure that young people acquire impactful skills that will contribute towards the growth of our province. 

“We have made significant points as far as the reforms are concerned in the province. The first point is on our state of SOEs and how they ought to be realigned for a better realisation of the impact they will have in as far as economic growth and job creation are concerned. 

“Further support the move for an establishment of a road agency of the province and further advancing for the absorption of many graduates and artisans that are unemployed to propel the transformation and growth agenda for our province,” said Huma. 

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Patients sleeping on the floor at Ganyesa Hospital 

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Picture: Some of patients sleeping on the floor at Ganyesa District Hospital/Facebook

By OBAKENG MAJE 

20 May 2025- The North West Department of Health is under scrutiny after patients were found sleeping on the benches and floors at Ganyesa District Hospital. It is alleged that some of the waiting patients have chronic diseases. 

One of the community members in Ganyesa, who refused to be named for fear of reprisal said, he believes that the North West Department of Health is at the ‘brink of collapse’ because this has been going on for a long time. He further said what is happening is uncalled for and the hospital management seems not to care. 

“Patients continue to be subjected to harsher treatment at the hospital and nothing is being done. We call on the North West MEC for Health, Sello Lehari to launch a high level investigation into the matter. 

“These patients have left their homes and come here so that they can be reviewed. Even though the hospital provides transport for them to go to tertiary hospitals, I think it must also provide them with beds to sleep in when waiting overnight for transport to other hospitals,” he added. 

Meanwhile, the North West Department of Health spokesperson, Tshegofatso Mothibedi said following a concern raised on social media related to patients sleeping on the floor, while awaiting transportation to Klerksdorp, the facility managed to source out 30 beds and 60 blankets to be utilized by these patients. Mothibedi said the Nursing Manager responsible for the night shift will supervise the process daily and report in the morning during handover.

“The institution would like to report that the reason for accommodating patients in the Outpatient Department (OPD) is that the identified area for overnight stay was damaged by fire on 30 November 2024, and is currently under renovation. So, due to limited space overnight, the patients await OPD and arrangements have been made for accommodation of patients from 13 May 2025,” he said. 

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Monna o thopilwe ka dikgoka 

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Ka KEDIBONE MOLAETSI 

19 Motsheganong 2025- Sepodisi sa Taung se batlisisa kgetsi ya go thopa ka dikgoka le kgothoso. Se, se tla morago ga gore monna wa dingwaga di le 61, a kgorogelwe ke banna ba le bararo fa a ne a robetse kwa ntlung ya gagwe kwa motseng wa Lokaleng, gaufi le Taung ka Lamatlhatso bosigo. 

Go begwa fa banna ba ba sa itsiweng ba, ba ile ba tsenya monna o mo sejanageng sa gagwe le go mo amoga karata ya gagwe ya banka le mogala wa letheka. Go begwa fa ba ile ba tsamaya le ene, mme ba ile bam o latlhela kwa motseng wa Cokonyane, gaufi le Taung, le go tshaba ka sejanaga sa gagwe. 

Sebueledi sa sepodisi mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen are: “Ga gona ope o tshwerweng go fitlha ga jaana mabapi le kgang e, fela dipatlisiso di tsweletse.”

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