Picture: Two dead rock pythons and a monkey found in the man’s possession/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
A Lesotho national is set to appear at Ganyesa Magistrate’s Court on Monday for being in possession of endangered species. The North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col, Amanda Funani said the suspect was arrested during a crime intelligence-driven operation by the Vryburg K9 Unit in Tlakgameng village, near Ganyesa on Friday.
“This comes after intelligence gathered information about a man who was in a possession of endangered species. During the operation, a search was conducted in a house leading to the discovery of two pangolins, two dead rock pythons, and two dead monkeys.
“As a result, the suspect was arrested after failing to give a reasonable explanation for the possession. He is expected to appear in the Ganyesa Magistrates’ Court on 13 February 2023 for contravention of Section 57(1) of the National Environmental Management Bio-Diversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004),” Funani said.
Picture: The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe
By OBAKENG MAJE
The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe said, they will embark on a short-listing process for the municipal manager position today. According to Gaoraelwe, the proceedings will take place at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) offices in Klerkdorp.
The position was left vacant after the former municipal manager, Katlego Gabanakgosi’s contract was terminated unceremoniously. This comes after Gabanakgosi suspended Director of Corporate Services, Dikagisho Mokoma for allegedly misleading the municipality over the R2500 danger allowance.
He also appointed the independent law firm, Magagane Attorneys to investigate Mokoma’s misconduct. The Magagane Attorney presented a damning report that implicated Mokoma and said the municipality has lost over R500 000 due to her action.
However, that report was pushed aside by the municipal council. This resulted in Mokoma’s suspension lapsing and she returned to work without facing any disciplinary hearing.
Gaoraelwe said Mokoma’s suspension was illegal and irregular because there was no council resolution on the decision to suspend her.
“It is true that we will be embarking on a short-listing process for the municipal manager position today. The short-listing process does not have a specific venue, besides, we had a challenge with the availability of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) and SALGA officials, who should be part of the process.
“So, we decided to go to Klerksdorp, because we do not have any problem of travelling. During the process, the Human Resource Manager (HR manager) and five other officials will form part of the panel,” he said.
Gaoraelwe further said SALGA and COGHSTA officials are normally being used as observers and advisors. It is alleged that Gaoraelwe snubbed unions.
He said, the embattled Director of Corporate Services, Dikagisho Mokoma will also be part of the proceedings.
“Remember, the HR Manager reports to the Director of Corporate Services until her issues are settled, but she is back at work. The role of the HR Manager is to do secretariat services during the proceedings such as taking minutes.
“Even though Mokoma will be there, she will not form part of the panel. We have received 37 applicants, so I cannot tell how many people will be short-listed until we sit down and go through the process,” said Gaoraelwe said.
He added that, the number does not really matter because, if all applicants meet the requirements, they should be short-listed.
Meanwhile, in a leaked audio that is been circulated on various social media platforms depicting Gaoraelwe’s voice, he was heard vouching for Mokoma for the municipal manager position on an acting basis.
“I promised Mokoma that, I will fight her battles and she must fight my battles inside because I also have some. For now, I want to talk about the issue of acting municipal manager. I have just received a call from Collen, while I was on my way to Mokassa. When I return, I was called by Sense and when I come to you, Mabogola also called.
“They wanted Makuapane as the acting municipal manager by any means necessary. However, to tell the truth, I wanted Mokoma to be acting municipal manager for my own personal reasons,” said Gaoraelwe.
He allegedly said, the reason he wanted Mokoma for the position was because of some new contracts coming and the next financial year that was approved in December. According to Gaoraelwe, there will allegedly be an increase in the number of consultants at the municipality too.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) said, it will challenge president, Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision after declaring the ‘state of disaster’ over the energy crisis.
Ramaphosa said this during the State of the National Address (SONA) on Thursday evening at City Hall in Cape Town. However, the DA leader, John Steenhuisen said the decision is ‘dangerous and desperate’.
“We have already briefed our lawyers to challenge the announcement in court. South Africa has been down this road before and during the COVID-19 disaster, we saw the fatal flaws in the National State of Disaster legislation.
“That allowed the ANC unfettered power to loot without any parliamentary oversight. The DA is already in court to declare the Disaster Management Act unconstitutional and we will now do the same to prevent the ANC looting frenzy that will follow Ramaphosa’s dangerous and desperate announcement like night follows day,” he said.
Steenhuisen further said, the country simply cannot survive another round of the looting and irrationality they saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that, last time around, the lack of accountability under the National State of Disaster enabled Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – who is again in charge of managing the ANC-made load-shedding disaster – to issue nonsensical and economically destructive regulations that were entirely disconnected from COVID-19, including banning everything from cooked chicken to open-toed shoes and alcohol.
“The National State of Disaster under the guise of dealing with the load shedding crisis will similarly empower the ANC to abuse procurement processes and issue nonsensical regulations that have nothing to do with the electricity crisis.
“The DA will not sit back and allow the ANC to abuse the electricity disaster it created to loot and further abuse the people of South Africa. Instead of punishing the people with a sweeping disaster declaration for the damage wrought by decades of ANC corruption and cadre deployment at Eskom, the DA has consistently called for urgent and focused interventions in the energy sector,” said Steehuisen.
He said, they reiterate their call to urgently loosen the regulatory noose around the electricity system’s neck by incentivising massive private sector investment in generation and removing impediments like localisation requirements and BEE to enable Eskom to recruit the skilled people it so desperately needs to speed up maintenance and unbundling.
Steenhuisen said the rest of Ramaphosa’s address was characterised by the same delusion that led to the disaster declaration.
“He talked of electric cars in a country that does not have electricity. He talked of hope in a country that has lost all hope. He also created yet another minister to add to the other two already getting in the way of a solution to the energy crisis.
“Instead of decentralising control and trusting in the market mechanism, Ramaphosa has opted to centralise even more power in his own Super Presidency – which lacks democratic oversight mechanisms, with Parliament lying in ruins and the Presidency having no portfolio committee to oversee it,” he said.
Picture: The president of Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa
By OBAKENG MAJE
The president of Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster in order to respond to the electricity crisis the country is facing. Most South Africans, continue to be plunged in the darkness due to load-shedding and this has affected their livelihoods.
Also, most business owners said they have been hard-hitting by load-shedding and that forced them to close doors.
“National Disaster Management Centre has consequently classified the energy crisis and its impact as a disaster. We are therefore declaring a national state of disaster to respond to the electricity crisis and
its effects.
“The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has just gazetted the declaration of the State of Disaster, which will begin with immediate effect,” he said.
Ramaphosa further said, the state of disaster will enable them to provide practical measures that they need to take to support businesses in the food production, storage, and retail supply chain, including for the
the rollout of generators, solar panels, and uninterrupted power supply.
He added that, where technically possible, it will enable them to exempt critical infrastructure such as hospitals and water treatment plants from load shedding.
“And it will enable us to accelerate energy projects and limit regulatory requirements while maintaining rigorous environmental protections, procurement principles, and technical standards.
“The Auditor General (AG) will be brought in to ensure continuous monitoring of expenditure, in order to guard against any abuses of the funds needed to attend to this disaster.
“To deal more effectively and urgently with the challenges that confront us, I will appoint the Minister of Electricity in the Presidency to assume full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response, including the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee,” he said.
According to Ramaphosa, the appointed minister will focus full-time and work with the Eskom board and management on ending load shedding. He said, the minister will also ensure that the Energy Action Plan is implemented without delay.
“So as to remove any confusion, the Minister of Public Enterprises will remain the shareholder representative of Eskom and steer the restructuring of Eskom, ensure the establishment of the transmission company, oversee the implementation of the just energy transition programme, and oversee the establishment of the SOE Holding Company.
“The process of restructuring government will give us an opportunity to determine the positioning of various areas of responsibilities and how best the various ministries and departments can best serve our national objectives,” said Ramaphosa.
Six people are expected to appear before Bafokeng Magistrate’s Court on Friday for murder. It is alleged that, these suspects who are between the ages of 21 to 47, were arrested in Lethabong Township, near Rustenburg in connection with the murder of a man (35).
The North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani said, d man. Funani further said the suspects were arrested for allegedly assaulting a neighbour on Tuesday night.
“The suspects allegedly accused the man of housebreaking and theft of a cell phone. According to the allegations, one of the suspects collected his friends with his minibus taxi and went to look for the man.
“They apparently found the man and took him to an unknown place, where they assaulted him with unknown objects. The suspects allegedly dumped the victim at his mother’s place, where he was found lying dead outside a house,” she said.
Funani added that, subsequent to the investigation, police arrested the suspects on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena condemned the incident and asked the members of the community to refrain from taking the law into their own hands. Kwena also encouraged them to rather work with the police for assistance with crime related-problems.
Setshwantsho: Baagi ba motse wa Lokgabeng ba tsweleditse mogwanto ka ntlheng ya tlhokego ya metsi
Ka OBAKENG MAJE
Baagi ba motse wa Lokgabeng gaufi le Taung, ba mina ka nko ele nosi mme ba ikuela gore ba neelwe metsi. Baagi bano, ba paregile mmila-mogolo o golaganyang toropo ya Taung le ya Reivilo ka matlhaku ga mmogo le ditaere tse di tukang.
Ba kaya fa ba na le sebaka sa dikgwedi ba sena metsi. Morulaganyi wa mogwanto o, Mothohela Motshabi, o kaile fa ba emetse majoro wa masepala wa sedika sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Motseothata Maje go ka tla go ba ema ka lefoko.
Fela, Motshabi are ba makadiwa ke ntlha ya gore, majoro wa sedika o boleletse ba dikgang tsa sealemoya sa selegae sa Vaaltar FM gore baagi ba emisitse porojeke ya metsi e e tsweletseng kwa motseng wa bone. Gape Motshabi are, ba ne ba kopane le morongwa wa masepala wa selegae o mogolwane wa Taung, Itumeleng Maribe go ka tla ka toga-maano le tharabololo mo ntlheng eno.
Fela go ya ka Motshabi, kopano eo ga ya ntsha maungo, gonne Maribe one a boeletsa fela se a ne a se bua mo ngwageng o o fitileng.
“Maribe one a boeletsa fela se a ne a se bua mo ngwageng o fetileng. Jaanong, re setse re emetse majoro khuduthamaga wa sedika, Motseokae Maje gore a tle go re ema ka lefoko. Fela, se se makatsang ke gore, majoro khuduthamaga ntse a bua mo sealemoyeng sa selegae sa Vaaltar FM, mme o kaile fa baagi ba emisitse porejeke.
“Seo ke sengwe se se ntsha mo ditsebeng tsa rona re le baagi. Ebile le rakonteraka le ene one a maketse, mme o kaile fa a sa itse sepe. Metsi a di JoJo tank a reneng re a tshepisitswe ke masepala, ga gwa tsaya le kgwedi re ntse re a bona.
“Go tshotse fela dibeke dile pedi, mme ebile a sa tshelwe mo ditankeng tsotlhe. Gape, se re sa se itumelelang ke gore mapodisi ba thuntse baagi ba sa ba dira sepe,” Motshabi wa tlhalosa.
Kgabagare, Mokhaserala o o ikarabelang ka tsa mafaratlhatlha kwa masepaleng o mogolwane wa Taung, Itumeleng Maribe are: “Maabane re kopane le baagi ka taelo ya ga majoro, gonne one a na le ditshwarego tse dintsi. Kgang e ene ele kwa setlhoweng e nnile kgwetlho ya metsi.
“Baagi ba ikuela gore ba neelwe metsi, mme rene ra buisana le masepala wa sedika ka ntlha eno. Mo ngwageng o fetileng, go ile ga thapiwa rakonteraka go ka baakanya madutelo a tlisang metsi kwa Lokgabeng.”
Maribe are, gona le kgwetlho ya gore baagi ba ka bona metsi ka ditanka, mme ga se baagi ba motse wa Lokgabeng fela ba ba itemogelang dikgwetlho tseno. Are, jaaka masepala, ba tlile go tswelela go netefatsa ka bo jotlhe a baagi ba bone metsi.
“Re tsweletse go itemogela dikgwetlho ka ntlheng ya di diriswa mo go neelaneng ka metsi go baagi ka mokgwa wa ditanka,” wa tlhalosa.
Picture: The missing Mpoletsang Emily Gausi/Supplied
By BAKANG MOKOTO
The police in Ottosdal request the community’s assistance in locating a missing Mpoletsang Emily Gausi (22). The North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani said, Gausi resides at Extension 5 in Letsopa Township in Ottosdal.
“According to information received, she was last seen by her neighbour talking to an unknown man on the street last year May 2022. A search was conducted around the township and surrounding areas of Ottosdal without any success.
“The extensive investigations were done and all leads were followed up with no success. At the time of her disappearance, no one knows what she was wearing,” Funani said.
She said, Gausi is dark in complexion, has black eyes, with a medium body and afro hair. Funani said anyone with information regarding Gausi’s whereabouts can contact the Investigating Officer, Sgt Lucas Hayman of the Ottosdal Detectives on 060 987 9903.
Anonymous tip-offs can also be communicated via the My SAPS App or you can phone Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
Eskom said it spends more than R2 billion annually to repair its power infrastructure caused by cable theft. Eskom’s Customer Relations Manager in North West, Ezekiel Baruti said, cable theft is rife in the province and that affects their smooth-running operations.
“There is a syndicate that continues to steal and damage our infrastructure. Cable theft is one of the reasons that most residents in the province have to endure the darkness for a number of days.
“We believe that the amount used to replace stolen cables, delays progress in other areas. That money could have been invested somewhere to do maintenance,” Baruti said.
However, he said, they have beefed up security at most of the strategic substations. Baruti further said, it is unfortunate they do not have the financial muscle to up security at all their sub-stations, including mini-substations.
“The Capital City of Mahikeng is the most hard-hit by cable theft, while Klerksdorp and Rustenburg follow suit respectively. We are working very closely with the law enforcement agencies such as the South African Police Services (SAPS) and the Hawks to ensure we combat this crime.
“We also engage with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to ensure successful prosecution in these cases. We have had successful prosecution in Klerksdorp, where people were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment,” said Baruti.
He added that, unfortunately, successful convictions do not deter these syndicates.
Meanwhile, the North West police spokesman, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said: “The crime is dealt with proactively through day-to-day policing in accordance with the crime threat analysis to enforce various legislation, including the second-hand goods act and criminal matters amendment act.
“The province also has a priority committee on non-ferrous metals, which was established through the crime combatting strategy known as a national overarching plan.”
Mokgwabone said the committee among others, comprises SAPS units, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, State Security Agency (SSA), Business Against Crime, Transnet, Telkom, Eskom, Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, and all major mobile Cell Phones Service Providers.
He said in addition, a dedicated task team known as Economy Infrastructure Task Team has been established to deal with the cases relating to non-ferrous metals.
“It is a fact that alone the police cannot successfully win the fight against crime. Hence, we have Community Police Forums (CPFs) and Community in Blue patrollers. Thus, we urge members of the community to work together with law enforcement agencies in addressing the challenge through the provision of information,” said Mokgwabone.
Picture: A commercial artist, Tebogo Tlhabanelo designing a logo/Facebook
By OBAKENG MAJE
A skillful commercial artist, Tebogo John Tlhabanelo urges the North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation to build a gallery in Taung, so that they can be able to showcase their work. Motlhabane (43) from Matsheng village, near Taung said, it is difficult to market his business because he is working from home.
“I make calligraphy, printmaking, drawing, and painting. What I know is that my work is appealing to the public. However, if one works far from Central Business District (CBD), the business is doomed.
“For now, I am working as a freelance commercial artist and it is not easy. Remember, the intention behind commercial art is to grab the viewer’s attention in order to sell a product or service,” he said.
Tlhabanelo further said, he has realised that commercial art is still under-developed in Taung compared to music. He added that things were better back in the day because they will be given an opportunity to exhibit their work during the Taung Cultural Calabash event.
“I started to become an artist back in 1994, while I was doing Standard 8 at Lephatsimile High School in Molelema. It was during a transaction period and there were riots.
“Schools were torched and shut down, but lucky enough, Mmabana Taung was the only institution that was opened to the public. So, I took advantage of that opportunity because I was passionate about art,” said Tlhabanelo.
He studied drawing and painting at Mmabana Taung, but left for Johannesburg only with the basic skills he acquired. In 2007, Tlhabanelo went back to Mmabana Taung and he also enrolled at Vuselela FET College (Taung campus), where he studied Diploma in Graphic Processing, Drawing, and Painting.
“In 2009, I was employed by Mmabana Taung as a tutor for drawing and painting after obtaining my Diploma from the college. However, I left Mmabana Taung due to illness after I was diagnosed with epilepsy.
“The doctors declared me permanently disabled, so I had to leave so that I could recuperate. I took time off until I fully recovered and now, I am back in business. I do not know what happened to that epilepsy and the myth of me being permanently disabled,” he said.
Tlhabanelo said he is currently doing some odd jobs for the North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sport, and Recreation just to sustain himself. He said, as a freelance commercial artist, he works per order.
“There is no use to make paintings and drawings, while there is no gallery around Taung to store them. It is sad that painting art is still underdeveloped, and not many people are interested in it.
“For example, I can take my materials and go to town, and only a few people who know me will show some interest. There is no recognition here at home, so, I normally use social media to market my business,” said Tlhabanelo.
Picture: Reagile Secondary School in Mokassa village, near Taung
By OBAKENG MAJE
Parents of Grade 12 learners from Reagile Secondary School in Mokassa village, near Taung, accused the North West Department of Education of refusing to approve the school application to have Grade 12 learners. This comes after over 15 Grade 12 learners from Reagile Secondary School were forced to be transferred to Mokgareng High School, simply because their school does not cater for Grade 12 learners.
What makes the matter worse, these learners were allegedly left stranded at Mokgareng High School for a week without attending teaching and learning, simply because the principal was not aware that they were coming. However, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said, now this is ‘water under the bridge’ as they managed to resolve the matter.
Malindi said: “Those Grade 12 learners from Reagile Secondary School, who were transferred to Mokgareng High School were admitted. So, they are attending classes as we speak.
“The challenge that we had was, most of them did not come with their parents or guardians. Normally, when learners are admitted, they should come with either a parent or guardian who will take responsibility for that particular learner.”
He said, again, the learners were not even in possession of their reports when they arrived at Mokgareng High School. Malindi further said it was difficult to tell if they have passed or not.
“These learners were informed to come back with their parents including relevant documents. There is a criterion that schools should meet before they could be given any extension of grades.
“Unfortunately, Reagile Secondary School refused to be merged with other schools during rationalisation. So, they were left with only primary school teachers who do not meet the requirements,” he said.
Malindi highlighted that, if the school wants to have Grade 12 learners, the principal has to recruit teachers with proper qualifications for the secondary school. He said that was part of the reason, why the department did not approve their extension to have Grade 12 classes.
The Guardian 