Picture: The former PSL player, Tornado Mongale/Google  

By OBAKENG MAJE

The former PSL player, Tornado Ignatius Mongale calls on sponsors to invest in local football. Mongale (38), who was born and bred in Shaleng village, near Taung said that even though there is no single team in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) from North West and Northern Cape, there is an abundance of talent in those provinces.

He was part of the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) Mayoral Cup competition plying his trade for his hometown team, the Real Traders FC. Mongale further encouraged local players to continue participating in local tournaments to get exposure.

He added that, the main purpose of rural tournaments is to promote local football.

“These kind of tournaments contribute to the development and empowerment of these players. Remember, one can also use sport to address socio-economic challenges, especially facing the youth. Soccer can be used as a tool to influence young people in a positive way.

“So, these kinds of tournaments are imperative because they attract scouts too. I would like to see more tournaments of this nature throughout the year. I will also urge the municipality to ensure that, they follow up on these players who were identified by scouts giving them the necessary support,” said Mongale.

He said that, there might be underlying challenges faced by these players due to their backgrounds, so the necessary support is needed. Mongale said it is not easy for rural players to adopt, especially when plying their trade in the professional leagues.  

“If the municipality can contribute, we will see more development in Taung. When you look around, we do not have enough players plying their trade in PSL including in the First Division. Again, we do not have a single team in the PSL and that needs to change.

“This affects our players to get a breakthrough. Funny enough, I’ve been through the country in provinces like Free State, Limpopo, and KwaZulu Natal, where you see various government entities putting efforts, unlike in North West and Northern Cape,” said Mongale.

He said even though it is not easy to coach in rural areas due to lack of support, he is willing to assist as he knows which doors to knock on. However, Mongale said, that can only be realised if everyone is willing to put in a sacrifice.

“Proper coaching can help rural youth to become skilled players and later play at the national and international levels. This will improve their financial condition as well. So, we need to continue to conduct soccer competitions in rural areas and ensure that all stakeholders form part.

“We cannot wait for players to make it and reclaim them after their success. Instead, we need to be part of the process and be there for them during the struggle. We do have great players around and I was in Jan Kempdorp, where I saw a maestro,” he said.

Mongale said his message to upcoming players is very simple. He said they should be disciplined, dedicated and determined.

“I urge them to surround themselves with good company, instead of indulging in drugs and alcohol. Remember, the wrong crowd will either delay or destroy your career,” concluded Mongale.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Five suspects aged between 30 and 51 were arrested for allegedly dealing in drugs. The Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula said all five suspects are facing charges of dealing in drugs to the estimated value of over R2 million.

Mathebula said the suspects were arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit in collaboration with the National Intervention Unit (NIU), the Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS), Stilfontein Dog Unit, Potchefstroom Drug Task Team, Ekurhuleni District Task Team and Bad Boyz Security on 13 September 2023.

“The arrests were made during a takedown operation, which was conducted in the North West and Gauteng provinces. Information was received about a syndicate alleged to be involved in the distribution and selling of illegal narcotics in the two provinces.

“The information was operationalised and the team pounced on the suspects at various identified houses. They are due to appear in the Potchefstroom Magistrate’s Court on Thursday,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Patrick Mbotho, commended the team for conducting a well-coordinated operation that sought to dismantle a drug trafficking syndicate in the province.

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Setshwantsho: Danny Maotshelo o go kailweng a timetse kwa Modimong/Facebook  

Ka OBAKENG MAJE

Bontsi jwa baagi kwa metse e e faroganeng go ralala Taung, ba kaile fa jaanong ba tshelela mo letshogong. Mme sebakwa sa seno, ele ka mokgwa o batho ba timelang ka teng mo matsatsing a.

Baagi ga mmogo le dingaka tsa setso tse di farologaneng, ba letse ba kokwane kwa lelapeng la rra Matshelo, kwa motseng wa Modimong, gaufi le Taung go ya go lekola seemo sa monna o timetseng eleng Danny.

Go begwa fa Daddy ana le matsatsinyana a ntse a timetse, mme go sena nko e e tswang lemina le go supa gore a ka tswa a le kae.

Jaanong, modulasetilo wa dingaka go tswa kwa mokgatlhong wa Traditional Health Practitioners (THP), Mpelegang Magano are, ba ile ba bilediwa kwa lelapeng leo ke ba bogosi jwa Batlhaping Baga-Phuduhucwana go ya go thusa le go laola gore monna o o timetseng a ka tswa a le kae.

“Jaaka kele modulasetilo wa Traditional Health Practitioners (THP) mo Taung, re ile ra kopiwa ke ba bogosi jwa ga Mankuruane go ya go thusa, jaaka go na le monna o nyeletseng. Ka jalo, re ile ra kopiwa go ya go itaya tlhabane, mme re bone gore re ka thusa ba losika jaang.

“Re ile ra sheba jalo jaaka dingaka, mme re ile ra laela ba lelapa gore ba shebele ntlha efeng. Fela ka maswabi, motho o o nyeletseng mo lelapeng ga a sa tlhole a le mo botshelong jo bo ka kwano,” Magano wa tlhalosa.

Ba lelapa ba ganne go bua le babega-dikgang mo ntlheng eno.

Setshwantsho: Dingaka di kgokane kwa lelapeng la ga Daddy Botshelo

Kgabagare, ba sepodisi mo Bokone Bophirima ba kaile fa batho ba feta sekete go ralala porofense ba ile ba kaiwa fa ba timetse go tloga ka ngwaga wa 2018. Sebueledi sa sepodisi, Mokolonele Adele Myburgh o boleletse ba dikgang tsa rona mo nakong  e e fetileng gore, go tswa go batho ba le 1610 ba go kailweng ba timetse, ke fela bale 536 ba ba iseng ba bonweng.

“Ke batho ba le 1610 ba ba ileng ba begwa fa ba timetse go tloga ka 1 Ferikgong 2018, mme ba le 536 ga se ba bonwe. Jaaka sepodisi, ga re belaele fa gona le segongwana se se dirang ka go utswa batho mo porofenseng.  

“Fa gona le dipelaelo tseo, ba lephata la diphakalane kgotsa The Hawks, batla batlisisa ntlha eo fela bontsi jwa sebaka, matseka ke one a batlisisang bontsi jwa dikgetsi tsa batho ba ba timetseng. Jaaka sepodisi, re tsweletse ka metseletsele le go tsibosa baagi ka go timela ga batho,” Myburgh wa tlhalosa.

 Mongwe wa baagi, Patricia Naledi are ba sentse ba le mo botlhokong jwa go timelelwa ke motsadi wa bone. Kgalalelo Naledi (79) go tswa kwa motseng wa Cokonyane, one a begwa fa a timetse mo kgweding ya Diphalane 2022, mme le go fitlha ga jaana ga se a bonwe.  

Lekgarebe la kwa Modutung gaufi le Magogong, Oratile Mothibi (18), le ene o ne a timela morago ga ma gatwe a gore o kgorogetswe ke banna bangwe ba ba sa itseweng kwa sekgweng, fa a ne a tsamaya le bo monnawe.

Go bigilwe fa banna bao, ba ile ba mo thopa ka dikgoka.

Gape bana ba le babedi go tswa kwa motse-setoropong wa Boitumelong, gaufi le Bloemhof, Rethabile Tshabadira (3) le Matseleng Nteta (7) le bone ba sentse ba timetse morago ga go ya kwa lebenkeleng go ya go reka dimonamone, mme ga senke ba bonwe gape.

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Picture: The missing Hei-Monique van der Westhuizen found/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

A woman who went missing has safely returned home. Hei-Monique van der Westhuizen (29), who resides at Garner Street, Beaconsfield in Kimberley was reported missing on 11 September 2023.

The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said: “Hei-Monique was last seen by a friend in Beaconsfield wearing a black hoody written “number one girl” on the front, black trousers, and white takkies.

“She also has a tattoo on her left hand depicted as “CDK”. The Kimberley police are pleased to inform the public that the missing returned home and is united with her family. The police therefore wish to thank the media and all involved in ensuring her safe return home.”

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Picture: The missing Letitia Bucks/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

The Kimberley police are appealing to the public to assist them in locating Letitia Bucks (29), who is residing at Wit Pad Diamond Park, Green point in Kimberley.

According to the Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam, Bucks was last seen by her mom and congregants on 16 April 2023 when she stepped out of church in Florianville, telling her mom she is going to the bathroom and did not return ever since.

“She was wearing a black and white tight dress, a pink and red hoody tracksuit jacket and white flops. She is slim, with dark brown curly short hair and an “L” shaped gold slit in her teeth.

“Anyone who might have information about the whereabouts of Letitia, can contact Detective Sergeant Kelaegile Emily Mosala on 079 492 2681 or 08600 10111 or either SMS anonymously to 32211 or use the My SAPS app,” he said.

Sam further said all information received will be treated confidentially. He added that, the public is also reminded that there is no waiting period to report a person missing.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Two men were sentenced to three life imprisonment by the Kuruman Regional Court for raping an elderly woman (52) and a mentally-disturbed woman (38) in separate incidents. On 1 May 2016, Thabo Mosieleile (28) broke into a house of an elderly woman, while she was asleep and raped her.

The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam on 15 October 2017, Mosieleile along with his accomplice, Ernst Gaotlhope (37) broke into a house with the intention to rape. Sam further said Gaotlhope raped a mentally-challenged woman.

“The police positively linked the duo to the crimes through DNA samples collected from the victims. Mosieleile was sentenced to two life sentences for rape and a further 12 years for the housebreaking with the intent to rape.

“His accomplice, Gaotlhope was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a mentally challenged victim. Both accused persons’ names will be included in the National Sex Offenders’ database,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola applauded Detective Sergeant Tokkie van Rensburg for her thorough and meticulous investigation of the case. Otola said that the might of justice has no time limits and the police will continue unabatedly to support Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV&F) victims.

“They will dig deeper in ensuring that, perpetrators committing these heinous crimes will feel the full might of the law,” she said.

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Picture: The construction of the Nelson Mandela Drive road project underway

By OBAKENG MAJE

The North West Department of Public Works and Roads said the upgrade of the Nelson Mandela Drive in Mahikeng will be completed in December 2023. This comes after the North West delegation of the NCOP conducted the oversight visit and had a consultative engagement with the department over the controversy surrounding the project.

Last year, the North West Department of Public Works and Roads appointed Khosivuyo Logistics CC to execute special maintenance along a 4km stretch of the Nelson Mandela Drive between Danville and Dada Motors with a contract value of R47 million.

The Whip of the North West’s permanent delegates to the NCOP, Eric Landsman said, however, that the controversy about this project began when its implementation had numerous challenges. Landsman further said the contractor should be in the third section of the road according to the project plan.

“Furthermore, it was reported that, the contractor was under-quoted for this project and that a request for a variation order has since been considered. It appears that neither the department nor the contractor knew the full extent of the project scope and that the bill of quantities was not thoroughly identified before submitting the bid or awarding the contract.

“This came into realisation after almost a year into the project. We also heard that, it was reported that the interruptions were due to the contractor not having the necessary machinery and equipment to complete the project as well as disruptions that were caused by the community at the project site,” he said.

Landsman added that, the delegation prioritised the project to understand the cause of delays and other complications, amongst the other key issues. He said they needed it after a dark cloud of controversy and negative reporting about this and other very important socio-economic infrastructure projects that are still under construction.

“Some of them have taken a very long time before they could see the light of day regarding the implementation of construction, some are beginning to start and, regrettably, some are still on the table waiting to be started. The Nelson Mandela Drive is the busiest road in Mahikeng and an economic transport arterial road, which carries large volumes of traffic, especially during peak hours, and the upgrading of this road includes refurbishment,” said Landsman.

He said they were all happy and welcomed the report. Landsman said they are looking forward to its completion.

“We are here to understand the challenges that delay the completion of all the infrastructure development projects that are much needed for the betterment of all the people of North West,” he said.

Meanwhile, the acting North West Premier, Nono Maloyi assured the delegation about the completion of the Nelson Mandela Drive in December 2023.

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Picture: Prof Waldo Krugell/Supplied 

By BERTIE JACOBS

The first shots of the IRB Rugby World Cup have been fired in France, Titans have been sunk, changing rooms are rife with the walking wounded and rugby fever is at the pitch.

But, the impact of the Rugby World Cup far exceeds entertaining crowds with breath-taking tries and eliciting jeers from aggrieved crowds for off-the-ball scuffles. There are numerous economic factors that fluctuate with the fortunes of the respective teams.

“The economic aspects are, of course, diverse. It is a long tournament and analysts have already warned that it can have an influence on people’s productivity,” explains Prof Waldo Krugell, an economic expert at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences of the North-West University (NWU).

“With South Africa’s matches being played on Sundays, a win or a loss can cause an absence from work on Monday. However, the beer industry is not sure if that will be the case. Consumers are struggling financially and load shedding means that taverns cannot always keep the beer cold. Where people are wary of crime, they may not leave the house to watch matches and this dampens spending,” says Krugell.

“Internationally, a lot of research has also been done on the influence of sports sentiment on the stock market. When a country’s team loses, investors are somewhat depressed, and the next day is often a bad one on the stock exchange. The research has found that this is the case for the FIFA World Cup as well as for international cricket and rugby matches. Other research, in turn, looked at what happens to the stock prices of the big sponsors. In the case of the PGA golf tour and American NASCAR Cup races, sponsors’ stocks do better for the duration of the competition,” Krugell explains.

He does, however, paint a pleasant picture for connoisseurs of certain bubbly beverages.

“Let us enjoy the rugby, and when you have a drink, make it a beer and do so responsibly. Our locally produced beers are a product with largely South African content, and their production process creates jobs and supports small farmers. With that, good luck to the Boks – I am sure that you will make us proud.”

*During the 2019 IRB Rugby World Cup in Japan, more than 857 million people tuned in to the tournament across the globe.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

The four men who gang-raped a woman were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the Hopetown Regional Court. The fifth one was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for attempted rape.  

Northern Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Sergio Kock said four men, Joseph Kasper (32), Pieter Visser(21), Elcardo Demas(22), and Kobus Daniels(32) took turns in raping and assaulting the victim (18).

“The victim managed to fight off the fifth accused, Elton Van Rooyen (30), who also assaulted and attempted to rape her. The incident took place at a house in Strydenburg on 27 November 2010, where the five accused were drinking with the victim.

“The victim escaped and alerted neighbours, who called the police. The men were arrested the following day and received bail eleven months later. The four men were sentenced for rape and one for attempted rape on 12 September 2023,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kock said the South African Police Services (SAPS) Management in Northern Cape lauded D/Sgt Recardo Kock and all other assisting members from the Hopetown Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences unit for their relentless efforts in the lengthy investigation that ensured no impunity is granted to perpetrators of this heinous crime.

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Picture: The bridge collapsed in Kraaipan during torrential rains/Google  

By OBAKENG MAJE

The residents of Kraaipan village, near Mahikeng, said they are happy to see progress in their request to have pedestrian/vehicular bridges in their area. Some of the bridges were destroyed by torrential rains in 2022.

One of the residents, Amogelang Metseyabangwe the collapsed bridges have affected their livelihoods.

“Our livelihoods continue to be affected due to the damaged bridges. We cannot have accessible roads as these bridges link the main road.

“It is difficult for ambulances and other mode of transport to travel to our area. Now, the rainy season is approaching and we are afraid that, there might be a repetition of last year’s turn of events,” he said.

However, Metseyabangwe said, they hope the oversight visit by the North West’s delegation of the permanent delegates to the NCOP will be fruitful.

The North West Provincial Department of Public Works and Roads received an allocation an amount of R130 million from the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure as funding for the Welisizwe Rural Bridges, which is aimed at refurbishing pedestrian/vehicular bridges in the communities.

Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality was prioritised due to floods in 2021/22 in the province. The department identified 35 pedestrian bridges and submitted them for refurbishment. Upon assessment by the South African National Defence Force and the Department of Public Works, only 12 pedestrian bridges were selected for construction in the current financial year.

Meanwhile, the Whip of the North West’s permanent delegates to the NCOP, Eric Landsman called on the North West Provincial Government (NWPG) to provide full support to the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality to ensure that, the district carries on with success with its building plans of pedestrian/vehicular bridges where they are required.

Landsman said the delegation received an update from the provincial department yesterday on the state of roads, refurbishment, and construction plans in place.

“The delegation heard that the process is underway to implement the refurbishment of the six bridges where the SANDF has established sites and has committed to develop an acceleration catch-up plan to deliver the six bridges identified before the end of this year’s second quarter.

“We appreciate the update, in particular the building of a bridge in the Kraaipan village as residents have been calling and waiting for such infrastructural development projects,” he said.

According to the North West Public Works and Roads, the material to build 6 bridges was delivered on 7 September 2023 for construction of the bridges – to create two vehicular bridges in Kraaipan village, two pedestrian bridges in Montshioastad, and one vehicular bridge in Masutlhe village.

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