Picture: The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Nathan Oliphant/Facebook
By BAKANG MOKOTO
25 March 2025- On Wednesday, the North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Premier and Finance, will be conducting public hearings on the North West Appropriation Bill 2025 at White Hall in Brits, Madibeng Local Municipality, Tigane Community Hall in Tigane, Matlosana Local Municipality, Bona Bona Community Hall in Bona Bona, Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality and Delareyville Municipal Hall, Delareyville, Tswaing Local Municipality at 10h00.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Nathan Oliphant said the North West Appropriation Bill 2025 aims to effect the appropriation of money from the Provincial Revenue Fund for the requirements of the Province in respect of the 2025/26 financial year, and to provide for matters incidental thereto. Oliphant said relevant stakeholders have been invited to attend the public hearing.
The public hearings will be streamed live on the North West Provincial Legislature Facebook page.
Picture: A man sentenced to life imprisonment for rape/Generic
By BAKANG MOKOTO
25 March 2025- A man (37) sentenced to life imprisonment for rape. On 18 September 2022, the girlfriend left her boyfriend with her younger sister and visited her mother in hospital in Postdene, near Postmasburg.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Molefi Shemane said, however, the boyfriend raped the younger sister (13). Shemane said that evening when the sister returned from the hospital, she found the child extremely upset.
“The victim reported the incident to her sister, who subsequently contacted the police and a case of rape was registered the same night. The accused was arrested the following day, 19 September 2022.
“On 17 March 2025, the Postmasburg Regional Court found accused guilty and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment for rape and life imprisonment for rape. Count 1 to run concurrently with the sentence of count 2,” he said.
He further said the boyfriend who was entrusted to look after a girl, rather took advantage of the situation and sexually assaulted and raped her. He added that the accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm, and his name is to be entered into the National Register of Sexual Offenders.
“He was also declared unfit to work with children,” said Shemane.
Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, has embraced the hefty prison sentence handed down to a child rapist. Otola applauded Detective Sergeant Gaolatlhe David Mongake of Postmasburg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for the meticulous investigation conducted in ensuring the accused is removed permanently from society.
25 March 2025- The MM Sebitloane Special School in Lokaleng village, near Taung, has been rocked by an alleged job-for-pals scandal involving the school principal, Boipelo Gloria Mmokwa. This was after community members embarked on a protest at the school on Monday and demanded to be appointed.
According to some community members, Mmokwa appointed her cronies on various posts without even advertising. They alleged that those who were appointed come as far as Zeerust, Hartswater and Limpopo, while they are not being considered.
One of the community members who refused to be named for fear of reprisal said: “We have seen those posts a few months ago, but they were cancelled. However, we only realised now that there were people who were subsequently appointed.
“Those posts were not advertised. So, we demand fair treatment as a community of Lokaleng. We all meet the necessary criteria for those posts. So, we are not going to allow Mmokwa to run this school to the ground and undermine us,” she said.
Meanwhile, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Mphata Molokwane said: “According to the information provided by MM Sebitloane, the School Governing Body (SGB) advertised positions for sports-related roles in response to a decline in sports participation. The SGB aimed to recruit individuals who could engage learners in various sports activities after school hours.
“Members of the community were given the opportunity to apply for these positions. All appointed individuals reside in Taung, a village in close proximity to the school.”
Molokwane said Mmokwa also refuted allegations that individuals were recruited from Hartswater, Zeerust areas and Limpopo Province. He said the SGB, as a legal entity, possesses the authority to appoint personnel and utilise their fundraising efforts to compensate for the services they require.
“Typically, SGBs provide stipends rather than salaries, as their budget does not permit such expenditures. In hostel schools, positions are created based on household needs, implying that the roles are defined according to the specific requirements of the hostel.
25 March 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements has raised concern about the management of the housing beneficiary lists for the Hillside View project in Mangaung in the Free State and called on all levels of government to work together to find urgent solutions. The committee yesterday concluded the first day of its week-long oversight visit to the Free State.
The Chairperson of Portfolio Committee, Nocks Seabi said it is concerning that the committee was informed that due to a contractual impasse, a contractor was responsible for the management of the list of beneficiaries, which has left the Department of Human Settlements with dual beneficiaries. Seabi said the committee has always maintained that an electronic list is critical to ensure that the right beneficiaries receive houses.
“It is completely unacceptable that the title deed registration was a contractor-driven process, which has led to discrepancies. The current challenges identified in Hillside View are the reason why the department must streamline its systems to ensure that the correct beneficiaries receive houses.
“The committee has, meanwhile, also raised concerns about the conflicting reports between the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality and the provincial Department of Human Settlements about the Caleb Motshabi informal settlement,” he said.
Seabi further said, while the committee welcomed the assurance that an audit will be done to assess the project’s progress, it is concerned that the municipality says the project is at 66% completion while the province says the project is complete. He added that the fact that there is this disparity highlights a somewhat smell of corruption, but they will have to wait for a full audit report to reach a conclusive finding.
“We urged the provincial department to improve its project management and monitoring to ensure that such disparities do not develop in the future.
“The committee finds it extremely unacceptable that two spheres of government could have such disparities on project implementation. What worries us more is the working relationship between the two spheres, post the oversight visit by the committee,” he said.
Seabi said they also remain worried about the reported infrastructure vandalism and illegal connections in Mangaung, which destroys infrastructure and leads to additional expenses. He said the committee emphasised the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the provincial Department of Human Settlements to prosecute those that are at fault and are destroying critical infrastructure.
“Meanwhile, we also raised concerns about the challenges military veterans face in accessing quality houses in the province. While we acknowledge that the current departmental leadership has made great strides in strengthening relations with military veterans, it remains concerning that the department largely ignored the veterans’ concerns about the types and quality of the houses.
“The current leadership must ensure accountability because officials are hired to serve the people and not to stonewall them. The committee also reiterated its concerns about the appointment of inadequate and incompetent contractors to deliver projects,” said Seabi.
He said the committee’s concerns are based on the fact that these appointments lead to substandard housing and delays, as well as subsequent challenges like vandalism, financial loss due to rectifications and unauthorised occupation of the units.
“It remains important that the department appoints competent contractors that are able to deliver projects on time and to the requisite standards. The continued appointment of incapable contractors is tantamount to dereliction of duty.
“The committee will today continue with site visits in the Greater Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality,” said Seabi.
25 March 2025– During its oversight visit to the North West province on Monday, the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration raised concern about the number of unfunded vacant posts in the provincial government. The committee is on a week-long oversight visit to the North West and Gauteng provinces to assess the state of public services.
The Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Jan De Villers said noting that there are 6756 vacant unfunded posts, committee members said this might create a temptation
to fill these posts. De Villers said, however, it urged the provincial government to avoid a situation where it overspends on employee compensation and encouraged the province to remove these posts from its organograms, as per Treasury guidelines.
“The committee is conducting the oversight to better understand the issues affecting public service in the province. Often there is much waste in the public sector, especially with so-called ghost employees in the system and on the payroll.
“This creates incredible waste that should be investigated, as it works against efforts to create a professional and ethical public service. The committee has decided to prioritise this,” he said.
De Villers further said they are here to see what has been done to reduce wastage in the public service. He added that they raised the issue in the presence of the North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi and asked what systems are in place to guard against it.
“The first step, the committee urged, is to clean up the province’s persal system. Noting the 255 misconduct cases the province recorded by quarter 3 of the 2024/25 financial year, the committee asked why finalising these cases takes so long.
“The committee heard that legal experts who chair these disciplinary hearings are often unavailable and the province has been advocating to run the process internally,” said de Villers.
He said the committee also heard that by the third quarter of this financial year, the cost for 15 officials on precautionary suspension was already in excess of R9 million and urged the department to finalise these cases more speedily. De Villers said the committee also said that relevant officials should be sent for training on disciplinary management.
“The Public Service Commission also made a presentation that outlined, among other things, the qualifications of senior management in the provincial administration.
“Members heard that based on data the PSC received from 11 departments in November 2023 and one department in May 2024, the departments of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism, and Social Development and Public Works and Roads were the only departments in which all senior management members met the minimum requirements for their respective posts,” said de Villers.
He said the committee again stressed the need for adequate skills to build a capable and professional state. De Villers said the members also visit the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital to assess staffing and the level of service provided, among other things.
“Members asked about the status of the neonatal ward after the hospital made headlines about newborn babies placed in boxes amid a shortage of cribs a few years ago. The committee also raised concerns about the number of acting posts, including the hospital’s CEO.
“Members noted the frequent long waiting times caused by the hospital’s manual filing system. The committee was encouraged by the Centre for Public Innovation’s offer to assist in efforts to digitise systems,” said de Villers.
He said the committee also heard that the province, which was subject to a Section 100 intervention, is unsure about the status quo, as it never received a close-out report. De Villers said this is now affecting operations.
“The committee undertook to raise the issue with the relevant ministers and committees in the National Council of Provinces. Today, the committee will visit the Moses Kotane Hospital and the Home Affairs offices in Rustenburg before it makes its way to Gauteng for the second leg of the oversight visit,” said De Villers.
Setshwantsho-papiso- Sethunya se se dirisitsweng mo bosinying se thopilwe ke sepodisi
Ka OBAKENG MAJE
25 Mopitlwe 2025- Sepodisi sa Taung se batlisisa kgetsi ya go kgothosa o tlhometse. Se se tla morago ga gore banna ba ba sa itsiweng ba le ba tlhano, ba kgorogelo mong wa lebenkele (tuck shop) kwa kgaolong ya Dube kwa motseng wa Manthe ka Labotlhano bosigo.
Go begwa fa banna ba, ba ba neng ba rwele dithima-sefatlhego (balaclavas), ba ile ba kgorogela monna wa motswa-kwa. Go begwa fa ba ile ba mo shupa ka sethunya, mme ba mo tseela madi a seatleng a lekanyediwang go R4500, airtime ga mmogo le metsoko.
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.
“Dipatlisiso mo kgetsing e, di tsweletse mme mongwe le mongwe o a ka tswang a na le tshedimosetso mabapi le tiragalo e, a ka ikgolaganya le sepodisi ka go leletsa seteishene sa Taung kgotsa 10111,” van Rooyen wa tlhalosa.
25 March 2025- More than 900 suspects were arrested for various crimes during the multi-disciplinary high-density operation conducted between 17 and 23 March 2025. The Operation Shanela, which was intended to prevent and combat crime, resulted in the apprehension of 932 suspects across the province.
The North West police spokesperson, Captain Mpho Manyoba said the successes were recorded after the execution of 5562 actions, which amongst others, included vehicle check points (VCPs), stop and searches, foot and vehicle patrols, compliance inspections at second hand dealers, scrapyards, recyclers, private security, firearm dealers, formal and informal businesses, farms and mines.
Manyoba said during the VCPs and roadblocks conducted across the province, a total of 1499 vehicles and 1994 persons were stopped and searched.
“As a result of these actions, 117 suspects were arrested for assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH), common assault, car-hijacking, seven for murder and attempted murder, rape, robbery, burglary, contravention of the Immigration Act.
“Others were arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, possession of drugs, dealing in drugs, possession of illegal cigarettes, illicit mining, and illegal dealing in liquor,” she said.
Manyoba further said in the efforts to eradicate the proliferation of illegal firearms, five firearms that included four handguns and one rifle were confiscated and four persons were arrested for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. She added that a variety of drugs, liquor, dangerous weapons, 13.5kg of copper, two cellular phones, two vehicles and tobacco products were also seized.
Meanwhile, the acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng, expressed his gratitude to all law enforcement agencies, for their continuous efforts in ensuring that crime is prevented and combatted throughout the province.
25 March 2025– Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has been left frustrated after it emerged that his charges will not be able to train at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, a day before they face Benin in a crunch 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Benin will host the South African senior men’s national team in Côte d’Ivoire after their home grounds were deemed to be unsuitable for international matches. But this arrangement has been complicated by the fact that Côte d’Ivoire host the Gambia at the same Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny on 24 March 2025, and this means both Bafana Bafana and Benin cannot access the venue a day before their own match.
Broos is understandably upset as the visiting team is entitled to a training session of up to one hour on the pitch where the match is to take place, on the day before the match.
“First of all, I have to tell you that I’m really not satisfied with the decision that we can’t have a pre-match training in the stadium where the game takes place. I think this is a FIFA rule, that every team has the right to have a preliminary training before the game of 60 minutes in the stadium where you play, where the match takes place.
“I don’t understand. I understand it because there is another game. But this is bad when people who make the rules don’t follow the rules. Will that have an influence on the game?” he asked.
Bross further said he does know and if he knows if tomorrow after the game, he is not at the press conference, there will be a sanction. He added that they have to follow the rules.
“Where are the rules now? And you will tell me, yes, that’s for both teams. I don’t think so. I think Berlin has already trained in that stadium because they were here before us.
“So, it’s all nice to say, follow the rules, follow this. We have to follow everything. But we have the right to train today in the stadium where the match takes place, and we can’t. And this is not honest and this is not correct,” said Broos.
Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams said the team was happy to be back in Côte d’Ivoire after winning the Africa Cup of Nations bronze medal in the country in February last year. Williams said the South African senior men’s national team won the bronze medals after beating DR Congo 6-5 on penalties in the AFCON third-place play-off.
“It’s going to be a tough one. Benin is a very good team, but we believe in our qualities, we believe in what we’ve been building over the last year. So, we’re looking forward to the game. It’s going to be a tough one, a lot of challenges, but I think this team is strong enough to overcome all those challenges.
“It’s going to be a tough one, but we’re excited and we’re looking forward to it. We know how important and vital this game is for the group. We know that we can open up a gap and we know that a gap can be closed as well,” he said.
Williams said this is a big, big, big game in these qualifying rounds. He said it’s obviously the halfway mark now and after today one will have an idea as to who the favourites are in the group.
“So, we want to be there and we want to stay on top of the group,” said Williams.
Bafana Bafana had their first training session in Côte d’Ivoire yesterday afternoon.
25 March 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa said the country should share belief in the profound importance of Bana Pele – putting children first. Ramaphosa who addressed the Bana Pele 2030 Roadmap Leadership Summit at Atlas Studios, Johannesburg recently, said this belief is the cornerstone of their vision for a brighter future for South Africa.
Ramaphosa further said it is because of this shared vision that they unite and collaborate today, committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive by the age of five. He added that their immediate focus is to extend access to early childhood development to every child.
“It is one of the most powerful levers we have to unlock the potential of our nation. We recognise today that investing in ECD is not just about education. It is about shaping the next generation of skilled, capable and entrepreneurial citizens who will drive our economy forward.
“Early childhood development provides children with the foundational skills they need to build a successful future. It helps to break the cycle of poverty that is handed down from one generation to the next,” said Ramaphosa.
He said Early Childhood Development is about giving children from all backgrounds the opportunity to grow into confident, capable citizens who contribute positively to society. Ramaphosa said children who receive a strong start are more likely to succeed in school and the workforce, reducing societal costs in areas such healthcare, crime prevention and welfare.
“A research report published to coincide with Brazil’s G20 Presidency, estimated that in South Africa, an investment of 2.1% GDP in universal childcare could have supported 10.5 million women to join the workforce over three years.
“Because of the profound effect that ECD can have on social well-being and development, we have decided to put our children first. Last week, the Minister of Finance announced an additional investment of R10 billion in ECD over the next three years,” he said.
Ramaphosa said they are all aware of the statistic that 80% of children in South Africa are unable to read for meaning by the age of 10. He said early childhood is critical for developing foundational skills such as language, literacy and numeracy.
“The experiences and interactions children have can significantly influence their future learning potential. This is why ECD must be treated as an urgent priority. We therefore welcome this wonderful initiative for business, civil society and government to work together to shape the future of early childhood development.
“This initiative will assist the strategic reorientation of the basic education sector to strengthen foundation learning. The benefits of universal access to ECD extend beyond the education of the child,” said Ramaphosa.
25 March 2025- The North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi said she is pleased to announce that the North West Provincial Team has secured 3rd place at the National Primary Schools Track and Field Championships, held at Germiston Stadium from 20 to 22 March 2025. Motsumi said the team’s impressive performance is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and teamwork displayed by the learners and coaches.
She further said her department is proud to recognize their efforts and congratulates the team on their outstanding achievement. Motsumi added that they are incredibly proud of the team for securing third place at the national championships.
“This is a remarkable achievement, and we are grateful for the hard work and dedication displayed by our learners and coaches. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated educators and supportive parents who have played a vital role in nurturing and guiding our young champions.
“The North West Department of Education wishes to extend its congratulations to the North West Provincial Team on their outstanding achievement and wishes them continued success in their future endeavours,” she said.
Meanwhile, the National Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships are expected to take place in Bloemfontein in the first week of April 2025.
The Guardian 