Committee welcomes turnaround strategy for Madikwe Game Reserve

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Picture: Elephants at Madikwe Game Reserve/Generic

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

20 June 2025- The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism said it welcomes the turnaround strategy presented by the North West Parks and Tourism Board (NWPTB) regarding the management of the Madikwe Game Reserve. This follows a recent oversight visit by the committee to the Madikwe Game Reserve, attended by the North West MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism, Bitsa Lenkopane, as well as senior officials from the department and NWPTB.

The engagements focused on challenges facing the reserve, the strategic direction of the Madikwe Future Company and reports of animal welfare concerns, particularly in relation to elephant mortality.

The Chairperson of the committee, Mpho Khunou sought clarity after reports surfaced in the media highlighting high rates of elephant deaths allegedly linked to negligence. Khunou said during the session, the acting CEO of NWPTB, Jonathan Denga, confirmed that the reserve has lost 75 animals—mostly young elephants—due to malnutrition caused by overpopulation.

“With 1,633 elephants, Madikwe faces significant ecological strain, far exceeding the carrying capacity of its 60,000-hectare footprint. Current elephant density is at 2.7 per km², compared to the recommended 0.79 per km² for state-run reserves.

Lenkopane informed the committee that a provincial task team has been established, in collaboration with the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. She said the task team includes NWPTB, SANBI, SANParks, DFFE and academic institutions, and will oversee the implementation of the turnaround strategy.  

“The proposed measures include sustainable elephant population management through regulated trophy hunting, contraception, and selective culling of animals with health deficiencies, aiming to preserve biodiversity and strengthen the wildlife economy.

“The strategy also aims to recover at least 65% of the R85 million in outstanding debt, improve contract consistency for concessionaires and traversing rights, and introduce access control systems at Pilanesberg and Madikwe gates to reduce revenue losses,” said Lenkopane.

Khunou said they are pleased to note this strategy and look forward to its implementation as it will resolve long outstanding issues that have seen the deterioration of the NWPTB—especially regarding employee salary payments, poaching control systems, and ensuring the surrounding communities benefit meaningfully from tourism activities.

He said the committee requested several reports from the department and NWPTB, including a comprehensive audit report on Maape and Kgomo, and Golden Leopard Resorts.

“This includes clarification on the Pilanesberg Landing Strip governance, inclusion of unaddressed infrastructure challenges in the turnaround plan and a detailed financial strategy with clear implementation timelines

“The Committee further recommended that the department strengthen its communications strategy to keep communities better informed of opportunities and developments in the conservation and tourism sectors,” said Khunou.

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Committee calls for investigations into non-compliance in senior govt appointments in North West

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Picture: The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi

By REGINALD KANYANE

20 June 2025- The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Premier and Finance has requested urgent investigations by the Commission for Gender Equality and the Public Service Commission (PSC) into alleged non-compliance with recruitment and selection procedures by the Office of the Premier.

This follows the appointments of Heads of Department (HoDs) for Education and for Economic Development.

During a recent follow-up meeting with the Office of the Premier, Director-General, Paul Mogotlhe acknowledged that, while advertisements for the HoD positions—along with the post for the Department of Social Development—encouraged applications from women, persons with disabilities, and marginalised communities, the selection panel ultimately recommended two male candidates for the vacancy in the Departments of DEDECT and Education. Mogotlhe said two male Heads of Department have since been appointed.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Nathan Oliphant said he noted with concern the continuing underrepresentation of women in senior roles. Oliphant said currently, there are 324 males and only 127 females occupying positions at level 13 and above across provincial departments and entities.

“We express disappointment that the report from the provincial government showed no progress since the previous meeting. We were misled. The provincial government indicated that no appointments were made in our sitting on 5 June 2025, and subsequent report that two men have been appointed for vacancies preferred for female candidates and persons with disability.

“Despite this, the appointments proceeded and did not reflect the advertised criteria. We are calling on both the Commission for Gender Equality and the Public Service Commission to investigate potential bias and discrimination against women, people with disabilities, and marginalised communities,” he said.

Oliphant further said the Office of the Premier, which should be leading by example, has failed to meet its employment equity obligations. He added that they will also request the Department of Labour to investigate the provincial government’s overall non-compliance with employment equity targets set for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2025, as no meaningful progress has been made.

“The committee’s position is that the provincial government must review these appointments, as they undermine the employment equity framework and continue to exclude those it is meant to uplift.

“The Premier and selection panels will be called to account. The Premier, as the appointing authority, apologised for his absence from the committee,” said Oliphant.

Meanwhile, the Commission for Gender Equality CEO, Dr Dennis Matotoka, confirmed that the Commission has engaged the provincial government on employment transformation since 2011, but progress remains slow.

“Equitable representation of previously disadvantaged groups—particularly women—in leadership roles is critical. Departments must adopt innovative, inclusive strategies to meet employment equity targets. Unfortunately, current recruitment practices are falling short,” said Matotoka.

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Molapisi commits to advancing housing for Military Veterans

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Picture: North West MEC for COGHSTA, Oageng Molapisi

By OBAKENG MAJE

202 June 2025- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi said his department has promised to expeditiously arrange a meeting between North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi and the province’s military veterans. This comes after a Provincial Imbizo on the Military Veterans Housing Programme held at Mogwase, near Rustenburg.  

Molapisi further said the Imbizo was held in line with the resolution of the Human Settlements MINMEC, provided feedback and information on the interventions approved by Cabinet to fast-track the delivery of adequate housing to Military Veterans.

He added that key challenges affecting the programme include disagreements about approved plans by the Department of Military Veterans, locations, where homes are built, qualifying criteria, untraceable members and beneficiaries, and a lack of serviced sites amongst others.

“This is despite veterans of the armed forces being either homeless, living with their families, or living in unfavourable conditions as a result of the programme’s poor performance.

“Before the start of the Imbizo, we handed over three completed houses to Military Veterans at Mabele-A-Pudi village and Bapong. We urge the veterans to exercise patience as the government works in their best interest,” said Molapisi.

He said that as a caring government, they recognise the sacrifices of military veterans towards achievement of democracy and freedom. Molapisi said he will personally facilitate the meeting between the departments and Mokgosi to address their challenges.

“We are aware of most of them and we are more than willing to address them. We further promise to engage with municipalities through the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to encourage them to also address their needs, such as the provision of service sites for the construction of houses.

“The Department of Human Settlements should also ensure that they make provision for those who are still in service and earning more and are not qualifying for the houses through the First Home Finance Programme,” he said.

Molapisi said other resolutions he made were to engage the Department of Public Works to avail properties that are no longer in use.

“To track and monitor progress, the Military Veterans Housing Programme will now be discussed at MUNIMEC meetings, where I interact with municipalities on a range of issues about service delivery.

“As our liberators, I pledge to do everything in my power to make sure you get what you deserve, and I will use the departmental budget speech to further address your concerns. There will be less talk and more action this time,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to military veterans, most of their challenges emanate from mistreatment from government officials, as most of their calls are not being answered. They said their applications take forever to be processed and the fact that they do not want to be served by people who have never been in the military, as they would not understand their plight.

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Kgetsi ya polao e buseditswe morago

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Setshwantsho: Molatofadiwa, Kabelo Mogongwa 

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

19 Seetebosigo 2025- Kgetsi ya polao kgatlhanong le monna wa dingwaga di le 47 wa kwa motseng wa Khibitswane, gaufi le Taung, e buseditswe morago go fitlha Phukwi a tlhola matsatsi a le 7, ke kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung. Kabelo Vincent Mogongwa o latofadiwa ka go bolaya lekgarebe la gagwe, Tsholofelo Nde Emphukile (38).

Go begwa fa Mogongwa a ile a tshwarwa morago ga dipego tsa gore o thuntsitse lekgarebe la gagwe, Emphukile ka tlhobolo e eseng mo molaong. Go ya ka lephatha la bosekisi, Mogongwa o rerile loso la kgarebe ya gagwe pele ga a ka mo thuntsha.

Go begwa fa lekawana le, le lekgarebe la gagwe, ba ne ba dula botlhe kwa phaphosing e e hirilweng kwa motseng wa Khibitswane, gaufi le Taung.

Go ya ka sebueledi sa sepodisi mo Bokone Bophirima, Mokaptein Aaftje Botma, yo ga jaana a rotseng tiro, moagisani wa monna o, o ile a tlhalosetsa sepodisi fa baratani ba, ba gorogile ka ura ya bongwe mo mosong, mme go ile ga tsoga kgakgauthano magareng ga bone.

“O kaile fa a utlwile modumo wa sethunya. Sepodisi se ile sa biletswa kwa lefelong la tiragalo, mme se ile sa fitlhela moswi mogare ga bophadiphadi jwa madi.

“Sepodisi se ile sa patelesega go shaga burglars, gore ba kgone go tsena mo ntlung. Molatofadiwa o ile a tshwarwa, mme one a ganelwa ka beile,” Botma wa tlhalosa.

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School construction project to resume after delay

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Picture: The Sediko Primary School learners in Jouberton Township, near Klerksdorp/Facebook

By OBAKENG MAJE

19 June 2025- The North West Department of Education said it wishes to assure the residents of Jouberton Township in Klerksdorp that the construction of Sediko Primary School will resume. This comes after the project experienced significant contractual challenges, primarily related to change management issues, which posed a serious risk to its continuation.

The North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi said, fortunately, these matters have now been resolved and the contractor is back on site, actively preparing to resume in full-scale construction activities. Motsumi said the project focused on renovating the existing classrooms, new ablution facilities, science laboratory, media centre, new block of Grade R learners and a new block of classrooms.

“The construction project halted at 90%, and it will only take four months to complete the remaining work. Due to the considerable lapse in time during which the project was on hold, the previously issued construction work permit has expired.

“In accordance with regulatory requirements, this permit must be renewed with the Department of Labour before any construction related work can recommence on site,” she said.

Motsumi further pleaded with the community to allow learners to write examinations peacefully. She added that her department assures parents and learners that the contractor will resume with the construction project.

“I would like to appeal to the community of Jouberton to allow examinations to unfold smoothly without any challenges. Currently, the construction staff is busy preparing for the construction project to resume.

“They are removing all the unwanted materials from the construction site while awaiting the approval of the Construction Work Permit from the Department of Labour,” said Motsumi.

She said as a department, they are fully aware of the inconvenience caused by the delay in completing the project. Motsumi said following the issuance of the construction work permit, the project is expected to require an additional four months to reach completion.

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A case against two pitbull owners postponed

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Picture: The victim, Remoratile Maphike

By OBAKENG MAJE

17 June 2025- A case against two owners of the pitbull dogs that allegedly mauled a girl (13) has been postponed to 15 July 2025, by the Vryburg Magistrate’s Court. It is alleged that the victim, Remoratile Maphike, was attacked by the dogs of the suspects, Anneme Bam-Smith (42) and Raynold Izak van Niekerk (46), after entering the yard, to get to the residence, where they rented a room with her family.

The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen said, following the attack, Remoratile was taken to hospital for medical attention.

“The suspects were summoned and are attending court. The case was investigated, and then taken to prosecution for a decision, hence the suspects were summoned,” said van Rooyen.

“The law clearly states that owners are liable for any injuries caused by their dogs, and it is imperative that we hold them accountable to ensure the safety of our communities.

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Kgetsi ya polao e buseditswe morago

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Setshwantsho: Bangwe ba ba latofadiwa, Bakang, Phenyo Katong le Katlego Mosimege mo kgetsing ya polao

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

18 Seetebosigo 2025- Kgetsi ya polao kgatlhanong le banna ba le bane ba kwa motseng wa Manthe, gaufi le Taung, e buseditswe morago ke kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la gompieno. Bakang Katong (32), yo o atlholetsweng dingwaga di le robedi kwa kgolegelong mo kgetsing ya petelelo, ga mmogo le balatofadiwa nae mo kgetsing ya polao, Thabang Lenyai (23), Katlego Mosimege (31) le Phenyo Katong (34), ba ne ba tshwarwa dingwaga di le tharo tse di fetileng morago ga go latofadiwa ka go bolaya Thabiso Mothibedi (35), setlhogo.

Go begwa fa ba ile ba mo teketa le go mo golegelela mo generateng. Seno se tla morago ga gore ba mo latofatse ka go ba utswetsa madi a seatleng a lekanyediwang go R20 000 le motsoko wa R600.

Sebueledi sa sepodisi mo Bokone Bophirima, mokaptein Sam Tselanyane, o ile a tlhalosetsa ba lekwalo-dikgang la The Guardian Newspaper gore dipatlisiso di shupa fa tiragalo e, ele ya di 29 Moranang 2022. Tselanyane are go ile ga begwa fa moswi a ile a siela kwa motseng wa Longaneng.

“Fela, go begwa fa balatofadiwa ba ile ba tswa letsholo le go mo latela. Go begwa fa go gorogeng ga bone kwa motseng wa Manthe, ba ile ba mo gokelela mo generateng, mme ba mo teketa go fitlhelela a tlhokafala.

“Go begwa fa balatofadiwa ba ile ba tabogisetsa moswi kwa kliniking ya selegae fa ba bona a neela mowa. Baoki ba ne ba tlhalosa fa go se sepe se ba ka se dirang go boloka botshelo jwa moswi, gonne one a setse a balelelwa le badimo,” Tselanyane wa tlhalosa.

Kgabagare, ka di 1 Motsheganong 2022, baagi ba ile ba bolotsa mogwanto kgatlhanong le balatofadiwa, mme ba fisa matlo a bone a le mararo mo tiragalong e. Gape, baagi ba ile ba thuba le go senya ntlo-maitiso ya balatofadiwa, mme ba itseela nnotagi.

Go begwa fa Katong a boleletse lekgotlha ka mokgwa wa tiriso ya lekwalo gore o ipona molato mo ditatofatso tsotlhe kgatlhanong le ene. Lenyai le ene go ne ga begwa fa a ipona molato mo ditatofatsong tsotlhe kgatlhanong le ene, fela one a fetoga mme a kopa lekgotlha fa a batla go fetola mmueledi wa gagwe.

Katong o tlhaloseditse lekgotlha fa Mosimege le mogoloe, Phenyo, ba ne ba sena seabe mo tiragalong e. Kgetsi e buseditswe morago go fitlha 26 Phatwe 2025.

Kgabagare, bosekisi le bone bo tlhalositse fa boitekanetse go ka tswelela ka tsheko, mme bo shupa fa bona le kgetsi e kwenneng kgatlhanong le banna ba, ba le bane.

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Committee addresses urgent health system challenges

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

18 June 2025 – The Select Committee on Social Services met on Wednesday received a briefing from the provincial health departments of Gauteng, Limpopo and the North West on their readiness to implement the Health Patient Registration System (HPRS) and action plans to address the findings of the Auditor-General.

During the presentations, the committee heard challenges persist within the healthcare system, including inadequate infrastructure, insufficient training of personnel, and issues related to the utilisation of technology in health services.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Desery Fienies said the departments highlighted that facilities are still operating on outdated systems and there is an urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to transition to electronic systems that enhance service delivery. Fienies said, according to the North West Department of Health, as of June 2025, the HPRS has registered approximately 3.4 million patients, with follow-up visits totalling about 10.5 million.

“However, only 101 out of 319 facilities are actively using the HPRS, reflecting a data synchronisation rate of just 16% for June 2025. The department said many facilities are facing challenges, including old system versions and connectivity issues.

“In Limpopo, the committee heard that implementation of the HPRS faces challenges, particularly in training and integration into existing workflows. The provincial department acknowledged the slow pace of training and the need for comprehensive support to ensure that healthcare workers can effectively utilise the HPRS,” he said.

Fienies further said, however, the committee members have highlighted the urgency of addressing these training gaps to enhance service delivery and ensure that the technology functions as intended. She added that in Gauteng, the provincial department’s approach to the HPRS has yielded mixed results.

“The initial rollout began in 2017. Committee members highlighted the importance of a seamless integration between various health information systems to enable comprehensive data management, which is essential for improving patient care.

“The Auditor-General’s findings from the 2023/24 financial year highlighted the need for improvements in data management and infrastructure. The North West Department of Health has developed an action plan to address these findings, dividing the plan into two parallel segments with clear objectives,” said Fienies.

She said the committee emphasised the importance of collaboration between provincial health departments and the National Department of Health to address these gaps. Fienies said the committee noted with concern matters pertaining to human resources.

“Members were informed of staffing shortages, irregular appointments and inadequate training, which were cited as major barriers to effective service delivery. The committee has called for strict adherence to recruitment policies and the implementation of consequence management to ensure accountability among healthcare workers.

“Members of the committee said these measures are deemed essential for building a capable and responsive workforce that can effectively utilise technological resources like the HPRS,” she said.

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Committee welcomes presentations of SEDFA

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Picture: SEDFA logo

By BAKANG MOKOTO

18 June 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development said it has welcomed presentations on the 2025-2030 strategic and 2025/26 annual performance plans of the Department of Small Business Development and the Small Enterprise Development Finance Agency (SEDFA). The committee said the presentations tabled three strategic objectives to be achieved by both the department and SEDFA by 2030, namely the creation of 3.8 million jobs, 3 trillion in investment in medium, small and micro enterprises and contribution to 3% GDP growth.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Masefako Dikgale said, however, the committee raised concern about the department’s incubators and intermediaries in the service value-chain to the medium, small and micro enterprises sector, saying that the department needs to monitor them closely and implement consequence management where there are failures. Dikgale said their position on incubators and intermediaries was informed by unfavourable feedback that they received from beneficiaries on the ground during the committee’s oversight visits to the Northern Cape and Limpopo.

“The department and SEDFA’s strategic plans are anchored in the 2024-2029 Medium-Term Development Plan of the 7th administration, which outlines three strategic priorities, namely driving inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living and building a capable, ethical and developmental state.

“Accordingly, both of them will be contributing directly to strategic priority one, to lift economic growth to above 3% and reduce unemployment to below 28% by 2030,” she said.

Dikgale said the committee will meet to deliberate on the department’s proposed budget for the 2025/26 financial year, which is spread across four programmes. She added that, the names of the programmes are Administration, with a proposed budget of R199.9 million, Sector Policy and Research, with a proposed budget of R81.9 million.

“This includes Integrated Co-operatives and Micro-Enterprise Development, with a proposed budget of R489.2 million; and Enterprise Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, with a proposed budget of R2.147 billion,” said Dikgale.

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Northern Cape MEC for Health to ensure effective access to healthcare services  

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Picture: The Northern Cape MEC for Health, Maruping Lekwene

By REGINALD KANYANE

18 June 2025- The Northern Cape MEC for Health, Maruping Lekwene said his department’s continued efforts are underway to ensure effective access to healthcare services, quality of service standards and responsiveness to community needs and efficiency in the system. Lekwene said his department works tirelessly towards improving and sustaining the ideal healthcare status of facilities throughout the province.

Lekwene further said this noteworthy move, as informed by the ‘Ideal Health Facilities Realisation and Maintenance (IHFRM) Programme’, aims at ensuring that all public health facilities meet specific norms and standards, which among others include suitable infrastructure, adequate medical and surgical supplies and efficient administrative processes for the provision of quality healthcare services to the communities. He added that, as part of the department’s strategy to monitor the implementation of this important programme, they have launched support visits to the Madoyle and Phuthanang clinics in the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality.

“These are two of the six facilities previously identified by the department for the implementation of the Bokamoso Digitisation Pilot Project, which seeks to implement the provincial e-Health strategy, to enhance service delivery and to improve patient experience in our facilities.

“Over and above the rehabilitation and upgrading of the facilities infrastructure, the department has implemented a fully integrated approach for the provision of equitable and sustainable health services in public facilities,” said Lekwene.

He said factors such as health technology, management and personnel, remain an integral part of this important programme. Lekwene said that will ensure the facilities are able to meet the required level of care and ensure universal health coverage. 

“In the last financial year, our department conducted ideal status determination for 159 out of 161 facilities. During the same period under review, the Ideal Clinic Status programme improved from 75 in the last quarter of 2024, to 84 in the first quarter of 2025.

“Five facilities achieved silver, eight achieved Gold and 71achieved platinum. A total of 41 public health facilities have been accredited by Office of Health Standards and Compliance (OHSC),” he said.

Lekwene said it is important to note that not all facilities have been assessed by the Office of Health Standards and Compliance in our province. He said the Ideal Health Facility Realization and Maintenance Framework and OHSC tool are aligned for all required domains.

“Furthermore, the department internally established the Permanent Perfect Teams for Ideal Clinic Realisation and Maintenance Technical Working Group (PPTICRM/TWG) Committee.

“The purpose of this committee is to work towards improving our performance in attaining ideal clinic/facility status and its maintenance,” said Lekwene.

He said this will be done through understanding the ideal facility framework, periodic analysis of the ideal performance against targets, provision of strategic guidance to districts, lobbying resources from related stakeholders and making recommendations for additional resource mobilization based on the critical situation analysis of each district. Lekwene said the Centralised Chronic Medication Distribution and Dispensation (CCMDD) programme is continuing well with over 118 000 chronic patients registered on the programme.

“The aim of this programme is to decant stable chronic patients from our healthcare facilities by means of allocating their pre-packed medication for collection at the closest facilities identified as pickup points.

“It is for this reason that the department wants to ensure that patients access quality health services at their convenience in terms of choice and time. Following these support visits, the Executive Management will be visiting public healthcare facilities in the Phokwane Local Municipality to monitor the Contracting Unit for the Primary Health Care project,” he said.

Lekwene said this project is to test the implementation of the capitation payment model for primary healthcare through a proof-of-concept phase, which will be used to test NHI policies, systems and processes on the ground. He said the project also aims to assess the practicability and scalability of the designated elements for a CUP, while identifying opportunities for variation and enhancement before further rollout to other districts.

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