Picture: A police officer, the late Fundiswa Motlhaoleng/Facebook
By REGINALD KANYANE
15 January 2025 – The acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng conveys his heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, relatives and colleagues of the late Sergeant Fundiswa Motlhaoleng (45) who was allegedly gunned down on Tuesday afternoon, 14 January 2025, at Randlespark, Klerksdorp.
According to Asaneng, Motlhaoleng who is stationed at Jouberton Visible Policing and in full uniform, was shot by unknown suspects while in her private vehicle, on her way to work. He further said the incident took place on Taljaart Kruger Street, Randlespark, where three empty cartridges and ammunition were found.
“Motlhaoleng’s body was found with what appeared to be gunshot wounds on the right jaw and hand respectively. A black Volkswagen Polo vehicle with four occupants, was allegedly spotted driving off from the scene at a high speed.
“The motive of the incident is yet to be determined and no arrest has been effected and investigations into the matter by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) are underway,” said Asaneng.
He added that they condemn the incident, which he described as intolerable and callous, considering that the loss of a police officer impacts negatively on service delivery and the entire organisation. Asaneng ordered the investigation team to work around the clock to ensure that alleged perpetrators are arrested. “We remind our members to constantly be alert whether on or off-duty,” he said.
15 January 2025 – The Northern Cape Premier, Zamani Saul, extends his best wishes to all learners, teachers, School Governing Bodies (SGBs), and communities as they embark on the 2025 academic year. Saul emphasizes that education is a societal responsibility that requires collective effort.
According to Saul’s spokesperson, Naledi Gaosekwe, the Premier will kick off the Northern Cape Provincial Government (NCPG) Back-to-School campaign. As part of this initiative, Saul will visit Khiba Secondary School in Gamopedi, located in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District. He will be accompanied by the District Mayor, Queen Mogatle-Thaone.
“The Northern Cape Provincial Government’s Back-to-School Campaign aims to ensure that all teachers and learners arrive in class on time and begin their learning activities on the first day of school. Through this campaign, the government will confirm that everything is in place for the academic year,” said Gaosekwe.
She further noted that Saul’s government is committed to collaborating with its social partners to invest in initiatives that enhance access to quality basic education. This includes upgrades to school facilities, the construction of new schools, the expansion of modern digital learning opportunities, and the provision of additional resources for students in need.
Additionally, Saul encourages those who faced challenges in the previous year to take advantage of all opportunities provided by the government for a second chance.
15 January 2025- The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi set to visit Dirang Ka Natla Comprehensive School and Khuma Primary School in Stilfontein, on Wednesday to assess their state of readiness as schools will be re-opening for the 2025 academic year.
Mokgosi’s visit to these schools is part of the province-wide Back-to-School campaign, which is aimed at ensuring that teaching and learning take place on the first day of schools re-opening, and to reaffirm the provincial leadership’s support to learners, teachers and School Governing Bodies (SGBs).
Mokgosi spokesperson, Sello Tatai said Dirang Ka Natla Comprehensive School achieved a pass rate of 90.1% in the 2024 matric results, which is an improvement from 80.7% achieved in 2023.
Meanwhile, on 15-17 January 2025, the Speaker of the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL), Desbo Mohono together with Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) will conduct oversight visits at various school across the North West to check and assess their state of readiness for the 2025 school year.
15 January 2025- The South African Police Service (SAPS) said during yesterday, a total of 106 alive illegal miners were retrieved and arrested for illegal mining in Stilfontein Mine. The police said 51 illegal miners were certified dead.
The national police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said they have arrested 67 Mozambicans, 26 Lesotho nationals, 11 Zimbabweans and 2 South Africans.
“Operations will resume on 15 January 2025. From August 2024 until 12 January 2025, over 1576 illegal miners were arrested before the extraction operation commenced.
“Those arrested include 997 of the arrested are Mozambicans, 427 are Zimbabweans, 118 are Basotho nationals from Lesotho, 21 are South Africans, while one is from Malawi and another one from Congo,” she said.
Mathe further said 1540 illegal miners are still in police custody. She added that 121 illegal miners have already been deported, which include 80 Mozambicans, 30 Basotho nationals, 10 Zimbabweans and one Malawian.
“Over 46 illegal miners have already been found guilty of illegal mining, trespassing and contravening the immigration act. The court handed down a sentence of R12 000 or six months wholly suspended imprisonment sentence for five years on condition that they are not found guilty of similar crimes.
“Confiscated materials since the start of operations in Stilfontein (December 2023), include over 640kg of gold-bearing material, 6.2 kg of refined gold, explosives, firearms, and cash amounting to R52.49 million seized,” said Mathe.
Picture: Some of houses destroyed by heavy rains in Kgomotso village
By REGIBALD KANYANE
14 January 2025- More than 10 houses in Kgomotso village, near Taung, were destroyed by disruptive rains on Monday afternoon. Heavy rains driven by a tropical low-pressure system hit the area and left a trails of destruction and some individuals were forced to seek refuge from relatives and good Samaritans.
The Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsibly for Infrastructure, in Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM), councillor Itumeleng Mribe said the heavy rains caused significant damages.
“There was power outage due to the severity of heavy rains and more than ten houses were affected. However, the municipality has activated disaster management protocols and teams continue to monitor conditions in the wake of heavy rains.
“We advise residents to take precautionary measure. The roofs of those houses were blown away. Walls of others collapsed and we are busy doing assessment. We will also engage other stakeholders to ensure that those affected receive remedy to the situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Gaoage Oageng Molapisi said the North West Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PMDC), working together with Municipal Disaster Centres said it remains on high alert for incidents of disaster across the province.
Molapisi said there is as disaster management teams are on the ground conducting needs and impact assessment following heavy rainfall that affected many parts of the province and damaged infrastructure, properties and possessions.
“North West province has experienced heavy rainfall in the past few days and the district municipalities that were largely affected included Bojanala Platinum and Ngaka Modiri Molema.
“Both formal and informal houses were damaged by the heavy rains including municipal infrastructure such as culverts, roads and bridges. Kromkuil bridge in Moretele has collapsed, scores of houses in Moretele, Rustenburg, JB Marks, Ditsobotla, Ratlou and Mahikeng Local Municipalities were flooded,” he said.
Molapisi further said roofs of houses at Mokgola in Ramotshere Moiloa and Ledig in Moses Kotane were blown away. He added that mud houses at Moshwaneng in Ratlou Local Municipalities were affected and faced possibilities of collapsing.
“Public amenities such as hospitals, clinics and schools were also not spared. Lehurutshe Hospital, Moses Kotane Hospital in Ledig and General Delarey in Lichtenburg are some of those which were affected. Bogosi Clinic and Primary School in Moretele was also water-logged.
“Mop-up operations are underway to bring all affected facilities back to full operation. We have directed coordination on the ground to assist affected residents and communities across the province. The provincial preparedness and response contingency plan have been developed and are being implemented,” he said.
Molapisi said various sector departments and municipalities have been briefed and activated in line with their roles and responsibilities, and they use their own resources to respond to emergencies/disasters incidents.
Picture: Northern Cape Premier, Zamani Saul with Grade 12 top performers/Supplied
By BAKANG MOKOTO
14 January 2025- The Northern Cape Premier, Zamani Saul said his government has recorded a number of milestones in 2024. Saul, who delivered a keynote address during the release of provincial 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results on 14 January 2025 in Kimberley.
He further said as a province, they received the highest number of clean audits, 8 clean audits in total. Saul added that they have achieved this by putting proper systems in place in an effort to enhance accountability and transparency.
“We also managed to create a huge number of jobs last year. In the first three quarters of the year, we created 27 000 jobs. This, we managed to achieve due to the initiatives rolled out by the provincial government with our key stakeholders.
“Last year, amongst our key highlights for the year is the matric results that we are celebrating here today. We broke an all-time record by receiving 84.2%. So for the provincial government, 2024 was a good year and we are working towards an even better year in 2025,” he said.
Saul said reaching many little milestones that might seem insignificant for some, but for them and the people of the Northern Cape, it is the little milestones that count. He said although they will do it again when they enter the hall, allow him to, on behalf of the Northern Cape Provincial Government (NCPG) to congratulate the top three learners and their parents for the sterling performance last year.
“Kutlo Motlhoioa (Kimberley Technical High School), Petrus Nel (Duineveld High School) and Kutlo Motshwana (Galaletsang High School). You have made us proud. We sincerely wish you well in your future endeavour and look forward to welcoming you back into the province to come and help us build a Northern Cape we are all proud of.
“Today, we can proudly state that we are reaping the rewards of years of investment into a system that we believe can change the Northern Cape. You will remember that in 2019, The Northern Cape Provincial Government (NCPG) took a conscious decision to prioritise Health and Education,” said Saul.
He said they will not be able to attain their vision of modernising, growing and making the Northern Cape a successful province, if they do not educate the young people. Saul said they went out galvanising support from their key stakeholders to help them improve the education system.
“The annual release of the matric results provides us with the opportunity to benchmark our education system against national standards. It further allows us to give recognition to our top achievers, who have excelled academically and prepare for their tertiary education.
“The Class of 2024 has done remarkably well and exceeded our expectations. This is also an indication that our education system in the province has stabilised and we are witnessing a gradual improvement in our matric results year on year,” he said.
Meanwhile, a total of 179 978 answered scripts were marked by 839 markers, 45 chief markers and 45 internal moderators. The quality assurer, Umalusi found that they have sound systems in place and the whole examination process was conducted with integrity.
Setshwantsho-papiso: Monna wa kwa motseng wa Modimong o lomilwe ke noga
Ka OBAKENG MAJE
14 Ferikgong 2025- Monna wa dingwaga di le 60 go tswa kwa motseng wa Modimong, gaufi le Taung, o tlhokafetse morago ga go lomiwa ke noga. Go begwa fa Majojo Seboco a ne a longwa ke noga mo letsatsing la maabane, mme a tabogisetswa kwa bookelong jwa Taung go bona thuso ya potlako.
Fela go begwa fa Seboco a ile a tlhokafala moragonyana kwa bookelo, mme kgetsi ya morago ga loso e ile ya bulwa ke sepodisi.
Sebueledi sa sepodisi mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Sarasanta Tryphosa van Rooyen are: “Ee, ke nnete kgetsi ya morago ga loso e butswe morago ga gore monna o, a longwe ke noga.
“Go fitlha ga jana ga go itsiwe mofuta wa noga e e mo lomileng.”
Picture: A baby boy discovered behind a house in Galeshewe Township, Kimberley/Generic
By BAKANG MOKOTO
14 January 2025- The Galeshewe Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit seeks assistance in locating the family and mother of a new-born baby boy, who was discovered behind a house in Jerusalem in Lerato park.
On 23 December 2024, occupants of a house in Jerusalem heard a baby crying behind the house. Upon investigation, they discovered the baby boy.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Merapelo Pilane said the police were informed and the child is currently under the care of the Department of Social Development. Pilane said any person with information is requested to contact Captain Godfrey Kgatwane on 082 495 4725 or 053 807 6161.
“Information can be reported via the MySAPS App or 08600 10111. All information will be treated confidentially,” he said.
14 January 2025- Rescue operations at shaft 11 in Stilfontein commenced yesterday afternoon with the retrieval of 35 illegal miners. This follows the clearing of the site over the weekend and the arrival of the 45 tonne Mobile Rescue Winder crane that can reach a depth of 3000 meters underground.
The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) spokesperson, Makhosonke Buthelezi said once they are extracted, the illegal miners are inspected for any illicit items such as gold nuggets, illegal firearms and thereafter assessed by paramedics on site. Buthelezi said those that require further medical care are taken to a health facility for further medical care, while those who are in good health are immediately detained.
“All illegal miners are processed to determine their nationality and their immigration status, and once that is done they are detained in police cells. Regrettably and it is unfortunate that of the 35, nine corpses were recovered in yesterday’s operation and pathology services have removed them from the scene.
“Following the deaths of these illegal miners, the police are investigating allegations that the food that was sent down, was allegedly limited and kept from these illegal miners as well as allegations of abuse and cases of assault, following videos that emerged from underground showing some illegal miners being beaten and tortured,” he said.
He further said Mine Rescue Services will resume operations in the morning and the operation is anticipated to last for the next 10 to 16 days.
Picture: The executive mayor of Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, Nikiwe Num along with other dignitaries/Supplied
By REGINALD KANYANE
14 January 2025- The Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality said it has taken a significant step towards revitalizing the economy of Leeudoringstad and its neighbouring areas by acquiring a state-of-the-art building for its municipal offices.
The official handover of the facility took place on 13 January 2025, marking a historic moment for the region. The building, formerly the head office of SENWES, was handed over to the municipality.
The executive mayor of Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, Nikiwe Num said the impressive 225-room double-story facility boasts modern amenities tailored to meet the needs of the municipality and its staff. Num said key features include an IT internet server room with internet infrastructure already in place, a gym, a welcome room for guests, and a dedicated standalone building for the fire department.
“Additionally, the premises offer an open field with tennis courts, enhancing its multifunctional appeal. A built-in generator, linked to the entire building, ensures uninterrupted operations during power outages.
“The acquisition of this building is expected to have far-reaching impacts, consolidating the municipality’s offices in Orkney, while accommodating the fire department previously based in Wolmaransstad,” she said.
Num further said this centralization of services will improve operational efficiency and enhance service delivery across the district. She added that this signifies economic development.
“This investment demonstrates our commitment to not only improving municipal operations but also contributing to the economic revival of Leeudoringstad and its surroundings.
“By bringing employees and services closer to the community, we are fostering accessibility and growth. This building represents more than just infrastructure,” said Num.
She said it is a ‘beacon of progress and hope’ for the community. Num said they are excited to begin a new chapter of enhanced service delivery and economic stimulation.
“The state-of-the-art facility is set to become a hub for municipal operations and a catalyst for economic activity in Leeudoringstad, positioning the area as a key player in the district’s development agenda,” she said.
The Guardian 