A primary school teacher (47) was arrested for allegedly raping two learners aged 12 and 14. This comes after the mother and the principal of the two minors registered cases at the Wolmarastad Police Station on Tuesday.
According to the North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani, the incident took place in Leeudoringstad, near Wolmaranstad. Funani said the suspect allegedly would ask the two minors to help him carry books or go and fetch something at his office, where he performed sexual acts.
“He was arrested at the school on 16 May 2024. The teacher was remanded in custody until 21 May 2024, for formal bail application,” she said.
Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, condemned the incident and said it is sad that the victims were allegedly abused by someone, who was supposed to protect them.
Two people aged 38 and 34 died in a horrible car accident on the R385 Road, near Groenwater in Postmasburg. The police said they have opened a culpable homicide case.
Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said the preliminary investigations indicate that, on Tuesday, the patient transporter was travelling from Kathu to Kimberley with one patient and a co-driver on board.
“The driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle. The police are investigating the circumstances that led to this tragic loss of life. The investigations continue,” he said.
Picture: Members of the MRM North West Interim Committee with the newly launched MRM structure for Schweizer Reneke/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
The Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) on Saturday declared that the Charter of Elections Ethics (CoEE) Provincial Prayer Service that was held earlier in the week at the Ipelegeng Multipurpose Centre in Schweizer Reneke, was a resounding success that culminated into the launch of an MRM structure in the area.
Veteran community activist and founder of the Centre for Good Governance and Social Justice NGO, Boyce Mpembe, was appointed as a convenor of the 12- member structure with Grace Leeuw from the Ipopeng Women’s Organisation as coordinator.
The convenor of the MRM Provincial Interim Committee (PIC), Pastor Lesiba Kgwele, highlighted that an induction session will be prioritised for the newly established structure that should be independent yet work closely with the Office of the Speaker of Mamusa Local Municipality, Doctor Batsi for support.
“The structure was launched for coordinated action to empower local communities through programmes to among others deal with moral decay that has manifested itself through breakdown of families, escalating crime levels, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), bullying in schools, teenage pregnancies, drug and substance abuse among our young people.
“We express confidence that the engagement on the CoEE that was presented by member of the MRM PIC, Professor Gilbert Motsaathebe as part of civic education programme, has laid the firm foundation to address voter apathy as well as encourage responsible conduct during campaigning by political parties, independent candidates and voters,” he said.
Kgwele further said acts of intimation as well as falsehood are an affront to the constitutional values. He added that, no one should ever try to pressure, manipulate or intimidate anyone into voting a certain way.
“Religious, racial and tribal fears should never be used to influence anyone’s vote. Political party campaigning must promote tolerance, national unity, reconciliation as well as integrity,” said Kgwele.
Meanwhile, Father Stephen Marokane preached a message of hope in his touching sermon delivered before the CoEE Prayer.
“The 30 years of democracy represents a new beginning and restoration, just like Jesus Christ started his ministry at that age. Our country will despite all the turmoil experienced be restored.
“Thirty years is a significant year in the anointing. It is a year of redemption. The church must trust GOD to raise a leader that would take his rightful position at the Union Building or Ga-Rona Building in Mahikeng,” he said.
Marokane said the period leading to the elections should be one of prayer and discernment in order to elect ethical leadership.
The CoEE is an initiative of MRM in partnership with the South African Council of Churches (SACC), the Southern African Catholics Bishops Conference and the South African Community of Faith Based Fraternals (SACOFF) seeking not only to encourage eligible voters to participate in the forthcoming elections but remind them to vote ethically.
Lephata la sepodise la bosinyi jo bo rulagantsweng le le itsegeng ka the Hawks kwa Kapa Bokone, le ikuela go baagi kwa Pampierstad, le metse e mabapi go kaya go tsaya makwalo-itshupo a bone kwa seteisheneng sa sepodisi sa Pampierstad.
Seno se tla morago ga gore diphakalane jaaka the Hawks di itsege, ba puruputshe dikgwebo tse di adimisanang madi tse di seng mo molaong kwa Hartswater. Sebueledi sa the Hawks mo Kapa Bokone, Lieutenant Col Tebogo Thebe are, dikgwebo tse di amegileng ke Quick Cash Loans, Tswaro Charlotte April, Betty Mogomotsi Mosala le Pankie Puseletso Phepheng ko Sakhile Section kwa Pampierstad.
“Mapodisi a tlile go nna kwa seteisheneng sa Hartswater go tloga ka di 20-24 Motsheganong 2024. Mapodisi a tla neelana ka makwalo-itsupo fela go beng ba one,” Thebe wa tlhalosa.
Picture: Equipment allegedly used for illegal mining confiscated/Supplied
By REGINALD KANYANE
In the ongoing fight against illicit mining activities in the Namakwa District, the multi-disciplinary team of Operation Vala Umgodi, conducted an intelligence-driven operation in Kleinzee on 16 May 2024. Four suspects were arrested at the identified mining location.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Molefi Shemane said three Lesotho nationals aged between 25 and 32 and one Zimbabwean national aged 31, were arrested for illegal mining.
“Equipment and tools believed to be used in the commission of illegal mining activities were confiscated from the arrested suspects,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, lauded the police for collaborative efforts and their relentless attempts in eradicating illegal mining in the district. Otola also encouraged the local community to refrain from allowing illicit mining activities and harbouring illegal miners in their communities.
Picture: The auroras that were captured by NWU’s solar telescope/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
The spectacular aurora also known as the Southern Lights, caused by a solar storm that impacted the earth on 10 and 11 May 2024, was seen and captured across the southern hemisphere, including in places such as Gansbaai and Namibia in Southern Africa.
A team of researchers from the North West University (NWU), captured this rare and historic event through the university’s solar telescope observatory on the Potchefstroom Campus.
This observatory daily records solar activity, and on the NWU’s Open Day on 4 May, two researchers and a student from the Centre for Space Research at the NWU noticed a particularly active region when they did their observations.
The NWU’s Dr Ruhann Steyn and a Master’s Degree student, Calmay Lee, decided to focus the telescopes on where the activity was as part of a demonstration to prospective students and their parents. Steyn said at that stage, they were unaware that they were recording one of the largest active regions in recent history.
“During the next week, the team focused their attention on the active region (AR 3664, shown in the image), while it produced several large solar flares that caused the aurora.
“Calmay recorded a large solar flare produced by AR 3664 in real time at 09:00 on 11 May – an extraordinary event to capture on the NWU solar telescope. Although AR 3664 has now moved out of sight, it is still producing large solar flares,” he said.
Steyn further said while a repeat of the auroras seen in South Africa is not expected, the team will continue observing active regions in the hope of learning more about the sun. He added that, there is yet little understood processes that generate such beautiful phenomena here on earth.
“This is the largest solar storm in more than two decades. During the evening of 10 May 2024, and the early morning of 11 May 2024, the people in many parts of the world were treated to a sight rarely seen outside the polar regions.
“The aurora is a result of a solar flare transporting solar energetic particles from the sun to earth, along the sun’s magnetic field. Some of the particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field and are then carried to the South and North Pole,” said Steyn.
He said the particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the earth’s atmosphere, emitting light with a particular colour, depending on whether it collided with either an oxygen or a nitrogen atom.
Steyn said the majority of aurora sightings in South Africa were red, which means that these collisions were mostly with oxygen atoms at an altitude between 240 and 450km above the surface of the earth.
“On 10 May 2024, AR 3664 spanned over 200 000km across the solar disk. To give an idea of the magnitude of this region, it is the equivalent of more than 15 times the diameter of the earth,” he said.
Meanwhile, the NWU’s Centre for Space Research, Prof Eugene Engelbrecht said the presence of solar flares is not unusual, as solar activity has increased over the past five years, with the sun approaching the peak of its usual 11-year solar cycle. Engelbrecht said what was different this time was the magnitude of this particular flare, along with the sheer size of the active region it came from.
A man (33) was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by the Calvinia Regional Court for raping a woman (35) in Calvinia on 17 March 2022. Henry Niewenhoudt and the victim, were together at a friend’s house, where the accused forced himself on the victim and repeatedly raped her.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said “Niewenhoudt was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for 2 counts of rape and the court instructed that his name be recorded in the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm.”
Meanwhile, Northern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Otola, commended the investigating officer Detective Sergeant Jaco Swartz from the Calvinia Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) for the thorough investigative work, ensuring that justice is served for victims of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
A man was sentenced to 26 years by the Northern Cape High Court sitting in De Aar for killing his girlfriend. Franklin Meas stabbed his girlfriend to death multiple times in Richmond on 30 October 2023.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson,
Sergeant Timothy Sam said Meas concealing her body in a wild pig hole afterwards. Sam said the court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment for murder and 6 years for defeating the ends of justice.
“Both sentences will run concurrently. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, commended the Investigating Officer Detective Sergeant Stephany Koen for being meticulous by presenting all necessary evidence in Court, ensuring that the perpetrator of Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) was brought to book.
Picture: The North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi announces new changes at Maano Secondary School/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
The North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi said she is proud to announce the official conversion of Maano Secondary School in Masutlhe II village, outside Mahikeng, to an Agricultural Focus School on 17 May 2024. Motsumi made this announcement during the second-last instalment of the Thuntsa Lerole Accelerated Service Delivery program led by the acting North West Premier, Nono Maloyi.
She further said Maano Secondary School, previously a public ordinary school, was selected as one of seven Agricultural Focus Schools in Ngaka Modiri Molema in 2023, with the aim to equip learners with the skills and knowledge they need to participate in the agricultural economy and develop a love for farming.
Motsumi added that North West is an agrarian province and the establishment of agricultural schools is crucial to enforce these skills and love for agriculture amongst our learners.
“This will ensure a brighter future not only for our learners, but for the entire province’s agricultural sector. The school received a R2.5 million from the Maths, Science, and Technology Conditional Grant, to establish its agricultural production lines.
“Currently, the school boasts of a crop production, poultry production (including broilers, layers, free-range chickens, and egg housing), goat production, and plant production in the form of orchard,” said Motsumi.
She said the conversion of Maano Secondary School coincides with the distribution of National School Nutrition Program (NSNP) utensils to the school. Motsumi said other schools in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district that benefited from the NSNP, include Kebonang Secondary School, Kgosi Kebalepile Secondary School, St. Mary’s Special School and Motheo Thuto Secondary School.
“We also visited Boitsanape Technical School, which is currently refurbishing its school furniture. The school is additionally providing training to its General Assistants to help them further develop their skills.
“The department remains steadfast in providing its learners with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. By fostering a love for agriculture and equipping students with the necessary skills,” she said.
Millions of South Africans will be going out on 29 May 2024 to cast their votes in various voting stations across the country. However, sometimes violence erupts in some voting stations due to intolerance between political parties.
However, the police in Northern Cape said they are well prepared to deal with any violent situation. The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Colonel Cherelle Ehlers said the police will be out in full force to ensure that the General National Elections (GNE) will be safe and secure for all citizens.
Ehlers said to ensure personal safety during the elections period and beyond, they will implement precautionary measures that need to be adhered to. She said no intimidation, threats and incitement of violence in any form, including on digital platforms will be allowed.
“Sharing false information, rumours, or threats online or in person is discouraged. Under the Cyber Crimes Act, Act 19 of 2020, individuals who use social media and digital platforms to send threatening or inflammatory messages, incite violence, or cause harm to others, may be criminally charged.
“Offenders may face charges of intimidation and incitement of violence. Any person who threatens to destroy property belonging to a group or person will be guilty of a criminal offence. People found guilty of contravening the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, Act 18 of 2015, will be convicted, fined or may be sentenced to imprisonment,” she said.
Ehlers further said any person who tampers with, damages and destroys essential infrastructure is guilty of contravening the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, Act 18 of 2015. She added that those found guilty will be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years imprisonment or fined.
“The police will act upon the unauthorised removal or concealment of any voting or election material. Unauthorised damage or destroying any voting or election material, defacing or unlawfully removing any billboard, placards or poster published by a registered party or candidate.
“Incidents of this nature are deemed an Electoral Offence in terms of the Electoral Act, Act 73 of 1998. Offenders will be subject to a fine or 10 years imprisonment,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said: “Some of the Bill of Rights in South Africa’s pioneering constitution grants all citizens aged 18 and older the right to vote, but the question often asked is whether voting will really make a difference. Of course it does.
“Voting gives you an opportunity to be part of decision-making that affects your life and the future of our country. If you don’t vote, others will make the decisions for you. History shows that democracies in danger of losing their freedom register frighteningly low voter turnouts.”
IEC said in thriving democracies, people vote in large numbers and the people’s voice remains supreme. It said people should vote because they can.
“You may take your right to vote and all other rights in our constitution for granted, but 30 years ago most of the people in our country were not allowed to vote. Many of them were arrested and jailed for demanding this most basic human right. Others were tortured and killed. Because of their sacrifice, today you can vote simply by presenting yourself at a voting station with your ID during a registration event that puts you on the voters’ roll for life, and lets you vote in every future general and by-election in your area.
“Elections have consequences and you have the power to decide on the quality of life you want for yourself and your community, and even future generations. Voting is your chance to stand up for the issues you care about. This is your life – take the time to help decide what’s best,”
It said voting rather than just venting on social media or protesting is the best way to make your voice heard and make a positive input on the issues that concern you. Not voting is giving up your voice.
“Elections are decided by the people who go out and vote. If you don’t vote, someone else will make the decision for you. If you don’t vote you get stuck with other people’s choices – and you can’t even complain about it because you let it happen.
The Guardian 