Picture: A screengrab from a video, where learners removing shrubs and grass
By OBAKENG MAJE
Some of the parents at Maranatha Primary School in Chiefscourt, near Taung said, they are concerned about the safety of their children. This comes after two learners aged 13 and 14 respectively, were seen in a video that went viral on social media platforms allegedly given hard labour as punishment.
Two Grade 6 learners were allegedly forced to remove shrubs and grass using spades at the school. In the video, a voice of a woman can be heard in the background, admitting that the learners are still young and they do not even know how to use spades.
One of the concerned parents, who refused to be named because of reprisal said: “Truly, I am not sure if this is the right way to punish the kids. The teachers should have opted for a different method to punish them, instead of hard labour. This will also have a negative impact on the children because they will be mocked by other learners.
“We call on the North West Department of Education to investigate the matter. I would like to see them disciplined because this behaviour is uncalled for. These teachers know that corporal punishment has been abolished, so they have implemented a new technique to abuse our children.”
Meanwhile, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said: “According to the school report, the two learners were not being punished. However, all learners were told to be in class and the duo decided to defy the teacher by stepping outside.
“Upon seeing them wandering outside, a food handler asked them what they were doing outside and they lied against the principal saying the principal asked them to do the yard.”
Malindi further said, the department’s labour unit has probed the person, who recorded and circulated the video. He added that, that particular person circulated the video without doing any due diligence of sending background information against the video.
“The department takes this as gross negligence and finds it misleading. As such, the labour unit is running a thorough investigation into the person, who shared it for public viewing and stern measures will be taken.
“Concerning the learners, parents were called to a meeting to reprimand the learners for defying the teacher and lying against the principal,” he said.
More than 30 farmers in Taung received brand new tractors and farming equipment to the value of R8 million recently. The farming equipment including tractors was donated by South African Breweries (SAB) in conjunction with FarmSol.
The ceremony was held at Ipelegeng Cooperative in Taung. One of the beneficiaries, Sipho Sibinda who farms mainly maize and other crops on his share of the 320 hectares welcomed the donations.
“I am happy because our prayers have been answered. I would like us, as farmers to join hands and be one. Without food, there is no life, so let us be strong and grow this company.
“My farming journey started on a rough patch as I struggled to get contractors for farming machinery in Taung. So, the donation from FarmSol has changed his life,” he said.
Sibinda further said, he is now able to make a good profit. He added that he managed to buy a house and was able to take his kids to a good school.
FarmSol Managing Director, Aron Kole said as part of its ongoing commitment to the development of black farmers, FarmSol Holdings in collaboration with SAB saw it fit to donate new tractors and farming equipment.
Kole said the joint effort by FarmSol and SAB aims to put the power back in deserving farmers’ hands and to raise labour and farm productivity.
“This is part of an R8m investment in black growers by SAB and FarmSol’s sought-after grower support program. It also underscores FarmSol’s long-standing efforts to ensure that access to mechanisation and the latest technologies do not become barriers holding back new-era farmers.
“It restores the hope and dignity of despondent people, who have access to land and now at long last, they can make use of this land. This is something very significant,” he said.
Kole said tractors and farm equipment have the power to bring a farm to life and to enable food production that feeds millions. He said, these tools are the most expensive items you can find on the farm, and SAB and FarmSol have made it possible for the farmers to say, they too are owners.
“FarmSol aims to turn smallholder farmers into sustainable commercial producers. Since the company’s inception in 2016, thousands of smallholder and newly-commercializing farmers have been supported through innovative funding, market access, extension services, and mechanization solutions.
“In total, more than R800 million in production loans have been granted to qualifying farmers across eight provinces in South Africa. North West has not been very good at maximizing its agricultural potential. Yet, it is an important contributor to the Southern African food basket with more than 20% of South Africa’s maize crop produced in the province,” he said.
Kole said, there are other agricultural products produced in the province including cattle, poultry and game, sunflower seed and oil, nuts, citrus, and tobacco. He said the province is home to three distinct climate regions, which allow a wide variety of agricultural activity.
“The drier western region is home to considerable cattle and game farming and hunting, while the central and southern parts are dominated by maize and wheat farming and the production of cash crops,” said Kole.
Meanwhile, SAB vice-president of Corporate Affairs, Zoleka Lisa shared the same sentiments. Lisa said that, SAB is pleased to see the strides that farmers are making in Taung and across South Africa.
“As a business, we are dependent on high-quality agricultural crops from thriving communities and healthy ecosystems to brew our beers. We also care about the people who make this happen and have worked hard to support existing and emerging farmer communities to gain access to agronomic information and best industry practices.
“This includes harnessing technology’s power to improve crop yields and productivity. We’re proud of the relationships we’ve created with our South African farmers, and we are grateful for the highest quality ingredients farmers provide us,” she said.
Three foreign suspects and a police officer are expected to appear at Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for dealing with an unpolished diamond. The suspects were arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation for dealing in an unpolished diamond in Mahikeng on Monday.
The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Capt Tlangelani Rikhotso said: “The trio was arrested during a buy and bust operation. They allegedly sold an unpolished diamond and accepted a down payment of R20 000 for the diamond that they were allegedly selling for R100 000.
“The diamond and the vehicle used in the commission of crime were seized for further investigation. They will make their first appearance before the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on 7 February 2023.”
Picture: A sangoma, Nelly Chweu, who is terrorised by vutha
By REGINALD KANYANE
A sangoma and her family from Modimong village, near Taung are living in fear after vutha ravaged her home. Nelly Chweu (49) said she was forced to abandon her house and now she is sleeping in her indumba with her children, while her husband sleeps in a car.
This comes after vutha struck her house three consecutive days last week. Chweu said to make the matter worse, the vutha also destroyed the indumba of her initiate, who is also her neighbour. She believes that, there are some people who want to destroy her life. According to Chweu, the dangerous vutha started in her bedroom at around 3pm in the afternoon.
“What surprised us, on 1 February 2023, vutha only burned my clothes even though they were mixed with my husband’s clothes in the wardrobe. At around 9pm on the same day, vutha came back and burned the bed, but only where I sleep including my pillow.
“Again, we tried to extinguish the fire, but it came back three times and still burned in the same spot. On Thursday, vutha went straight to my children’s bedroom and burned one of my children’s clothes who is doing Grade 10 including the wardrobe,” Chweu said.
She further said, on the same day, it burned the indumba of one of her initiates, Keletso Onkaetse. Chweu added that, on Friday, vutha came back strongly at around 3pm, and torched the learner’s bed.
“My daughter is burned in the leg as we speak. Again at around 10pm on the same day, the bedroom of my son also caught fire. So, we decided to leave everything and go to sleep in my indumba with the children.
“My husband is sleeping in the car and we do not know what will happen next. However, I am happy that the Taung Traditional Practitioners (TTP) members came through on Saturday to assist us by throwing bones and checking what might be the cause,” she said.
The initiate, Keletso Onkaetse (20) shared the same sentiments.
“It was around 6:30am on Thursday when I saw my indumba on fire. I was from the house of my mentor and rushed to the hut to try and extinguish the fire.
“However, the fire gutted my money, including incense and bones. I was surprised at around 3pm on the same day when vutha came back and finished off my traditional attire,” she said.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of Taung Traditional Practitioners (TTP), Kenneth Mpelegang Magano said, they have assisted Chweu’s family and they know what might be the cause of vutha.
Magano said, it is sad to see some individuals who are also traditional practitioners having a hidden agenda against fellow practitioners, simply because they helping people to heal.
Picture: PH Mooketsi Agricultural School learner, Tlotlo Kgolobe
By OBAKENG MAJE
A learner from PH Mooketsi Agricultural School in Taung said he is grateful to be recognized as the overall best top performer. Tlotlo Kgolobe (18) received awards as the overall top best performer in Taung, the top best performer for Life Science, Mathematics, and Agriculture Science subjects during the Greater Taung Local Municipality’s Mayoral Excellence Awards.
The awards that were organized by the Greater Taung Local Municipality mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe, were held at PH Mooketsi Agricultural School in Taung on Saturday.
“The discipline, dedication, and determination that I have put in my school work have paid dividends. I come from a humble beginning in Mamashokwane Section in Modimong village, near Taung.
“I was raised by a single mother, Marble Kgolobe, and received enormous support from my aunt and uncle Mogomotsi and Bonifa Kgopodimetsi. So, I am intending to study Aeronautical Engineering at Witwatersrand University,” he said.
According to Kgolobe, taking his studies seriously has encouraged him to do well. He further said, ensuring that he mastered each and every unit and chapter that teachers taught him, came in handy.
“I would also like to encourage those who did not make it not to despair. I urge them to work harder because this is not the end of the journey for them. There are still other opportunities out there.
“So, just know that you have a lot of potential in you and your destiny lies in the palm of your hands. To the Class of 2022, please go out there and work harder and be dedicated. Kindly put everything in your school work and you will produce positive results,” said Kgolobe.
The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe said: “It is important to assimilate well-deserving learners and most improved schools across Taung. This is the concept from the municipality’s office of the mayor.
“We saw it necessary to reward excellence and recognize the top 10 learners across Taung. We are even recognizing the most improved schools in terms of merits. We are doing this necessarily because we want to encourage other schools.”
Gaoraelwe said, over and above, they believe in education and that’s the whole purpose. He further said, this is an annual event and they hosting these awards for the second time since the inception of the new administration.
“The top 10 learners will receive bursaries, laptops, and printers. We also have some service providers who partnered with us and they have allocated R2000 to each learner.
“There are top schools that have performed well and we are awarding them certificates and trophies. I cannot really quantify how much the municipality has spent on this initiative, but what I know is that the top 10 learners will receive laptops, while top 3 learners will receive laptops including printers and R10 000 cash,” said Gaoraelwe.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Education Specialist in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District, Petrus Meyer said, it is important to celebrate the hard work of these learners. Meyer said, as the district, they are now targeting a 100% pass rate.
“We believe that a 100% pass rate is possible through monitoring, support, and efficient management. Remember, in the past, we targeted 85%. However, from 2023 onwards, we target 100%.
“Mostly, all circuits performed well and there is an improvement. As the district, when the school received 60%, we rendered that as underperforming. Our standard is, schools should get 70% above,” he said.
Picture: Walter Letsie High School principal, Sylvia Moroke
By OBAKENG MAJE
The Walter Letsie High School principal, Sylvia Moroke lauded teachers and learners for their commitment towards attaining great results in the annual National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations compare to prior years. The Manthe-based school received an award as the most improved school during the Greater Taung Local Municipality’s Mayoral Excellence Awards to the Class of 2022.
The awards ceremony was held at PH Mooketsi Agricultural School in Taung on Saturday.
Walter Letsie High School received a 75% pass rate in the 2022 calendar with an improved 23%. Moroke said, in 2021, the school received a 52% pass rate and that encouraged them to work harder.
“We pulled it off because of the support that we received from the office including parents in general. Our teachers worked tirelessly and dedicated their time to learners.
“We had extra classes, where teachers sometimes knocked off at around 6pm to 8pm. Sometimes they will even drive learners home without demanding any refund,” she said.
She further said, despite all odds, they have made it. Moroke added that there were times when they experienced load-shedding, however, teachers made it.
“This award is not meant for me alone, but for learners, parents, and most teachers. We started motivating learners and had extra classes on the first Saturday.
“Also learners were fed because we realised that, the attendance during Saturday classes was very poor in previous years because learners were not given food. So, last year, we have seen improvement because we managed to give them food,” she said.
Moroke said, they have already started with extra classes and teachers have gone out to solicit working strategies from other provinces. She said what is essential is that parents are also involved and there is discipline among learners.
“Those learners who do not attend regularly, are sent back home to bring their parents. Parents have also signed commitment letters and targets set for learners based on the results they received last year. We have also given learners a code of conduct to ensure that they know how to behave.
“They also committed to taking care of their studies, so we are happy. Even though there are some socio-economic challenges, fortunately, we have an SBT Committee that identifies learners who have those challenges,” said Moroke.
She said they have learners who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and some of them come from child-headed homes. Moroke said the committee would check if these learners received social grants and come up with strategic measures how to improve their studies.
“Most of our learners at our school are using scholar bus. So, sometimes we have a challenge of the scholar transport that arrives late or not at all. So, if that happens, learners become late or absent.
“However, the scholar transport driver has improved and learners arrive early. We have also moved our time from 7:20am to 7:45am to accommodate them. The other challenge is the usage of drugs by learners, but we have the Adopt-A-Cop initiative,” she said.
Moroke said the school is working together with the South African Police Services (SAPS) to address this issue. She said they also have QLTC members who are actively involved in dealing with this issue.
“We do not work in isolation because the Department of Health and Social Development always comes on board. So, we plead with parents to buy resources for their learners too.
“Sometimes more than one learner will, for example, rely on one calculator, and this delays teaching and learning. We also urge parents to always monitor the learners’ books and they are more than welcome to visit the school at any given time to discuss any challenges their learners might have experienced,” said Moroke.
Meanwhile, the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe said, it is important to assimilate well-deserving learners and the most improved schools across Taung.
“This is the concept from the municipality’s office of the mayor. So, we saw it necessary to reward excellence and recognize the top 10 learners across Taung. We are even recognising the most improved schools in terms of merits.
“We are doing this necessarily because we want to encourage other schools. Over and above, we believe in education and that’s the whole purpose. This is an annual event and ever since the inception of the new administration, this is for the second time hosting this initiative,” he said.
Gaoraelwe further said, the top 10 learners will receive bursaries, laptops, and printers. He added, apart from that, there were some service providers who partnered with them and allocated R2000 to each learner.
“There are top schools that have performed well and we are awarding them certificates and trophies. I cannot really quantify how much the municipality has spent on this initiative, but what I know is that, the top 10 learners will receive laptops, while the top 3 learners will receive laptops including printers and R10 000 cash,” said Gaoraelwe.
Picture: North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Nono Maloyi/Supplied
By BAKANG MOKOTO
The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Nono Maloyi said, the core mandate of his department is at the rock face of service delivery to the communities.
Maloyi further said the housing delivery intertwines with many other service deliverables such as bulk services, access roads, proper ablution facilities, electricity, and so forth. In his address during the strategic planning Lekgotla, Maloyi appealed to officials within his department to prioritize integrated planning with municipalities, across all three spheres of government.
“Lack of adequate and integrated planning has proved to be creating a lot of challenges for the department and delivery of low-cost housing. So, I would like to make a call to officials to ensure that our APPs are SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.
“Being smart in approach will assist in yielding positive results and the department will record milestones. I would like to commend our officials for spending the departmental budget as expected and we need to ensure that, the spent budget equals services delivered,” he said.
According to Maloyi, they have a contract that they signed with the people of the North West. He added, therefore, there is an obligation to deliver services as promised.
“We are restoring dignity to our people as guided by the Freedom Charter. I am calling on all officials to make this year, a year of delivery, a year where you will triple your efforts in delivering services.
“I want to see results that will simply say the government has achieved its promises and our people are living in habitable houses in peace and harmony,” said Maloyi.
Meanwhile, the Head of Department (HoD), Kgomotso Mahlobo shared the same sentiments. Mahlobo vowed to ensure that, she will be steering the department towards a clean audit, by approaching and doing things differently.
“The transfer of funds to other departments because of the failure to spend by the department is a thing of the past. I urge our officials to also do things differently and comply with the rules and regulations governing the public service.
“We will improve the administrative functions and make a positive impact as expected. Our financial management plans must be fit for purpose, and this we can achieve that if we reach to each other and communicate real deliverables for definite achievements,” she said.
Without reminiscing her words, Mahlobo said she will not hesitate to terminate all developers that abandoned their site and left projects incomplete.
“We are not going to be delayed by unscrupulous developers, who continue to delay service delivery. We must work faster and smarter to ensure that we take the bull by its horns.
“We are a winning team with capable and skilled personnel. We should not be derailed by negative external forces. We are going to do what is expected of us and within the timeframes expected, said Mahlobo.
She said the department has among others resolved to deal head-on with challenges facing the department. Mahlobo said the strategic session committed to prioritizing unblocking blocked projects, treating disaster or emergency situations with the necessary speed, while still ensuring compliance, and improving on subsidy administration and payments of service providers according to treasury regulations.
Picture: Top performing grade 12 learners receive awards
By OBAKENG MAJE
The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe said, it is important to assimilate well-deserving learners and the most improved schools across Taung. Gaoraelwe held Mayoral Excellence Awards at PH Mooketsi Agricultural School in Taung, where he awarded the Top 10 learners.
“This is the concept from the municipality’s office of the mayor. So, we saw it necessary to reward excellence and recognise the Top 10 learners across Taung. We are even recognising the most improved schools in terms of merits.
“We are doing this necessarily because we want to encourage other schools. Over and above, we believe in education and that’s the whole purpose. This is an annual event and ever since the inception of the new administration, this is for the second time hosting this initiative,” he said.
Gaoraelwe further said the Top 10 learners will receive bursaries, laptops, and printers. He added, apart from that, there were some service providers who partnered with them and allocated R2000 to each learner.
“There are top schools that have performed well and we are awarding them certificates and trophies. I cannot really quantify how much the municipality has spent on this initiative, but what I know is that, the Top 10 learners will receive laptops, while the Top 3 learners will receive laptops and printers including R10 000 cash,” said Gaoraelwe.
The Deputy Chief Education Specialist in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District, Petrus Meyer said, it is important to celebrate the hard work of these learners. Meyer said, as the district, they are now targeting a 100% pass rate.
“We believe that a 100% pass rate is possible through monitoring, support, and efficient management. Remember, in the past, we targeted 85%. However, from 2023 onwards, we are now targeting 100%.
“Mostly, all circuits performed well and there is an improvement. As the district, when the school received 60%, we rendered that as underperforming. Our standard is, schools should get 70% above,” he said.
Tlotlo Kgolobe from PH Mooketsi Agricultural School was recognised as the best performer. Kgolobe received the awards for overall top best performer in Taung, and top best performer for Life Science, Mathematics, and Agriculture Science subjects.
He was followed by a learner from Jerry Mahura High School in Dryharts village, Renaleone Olifant.
Kgolobe said: “I come from a humble beginning in Mamashokwane Section in Modimong village, near Taung. I was raised by a single mother, Marble Kgolobe, and received enormous support from my aunt and uncle Mogomotsi and Bonifa Kgopodimetsi.
“So, I am intending to study Aeronautical engineering at Witwatersrand University. I always took my studies seriously, so that encouraged me to do well. I was always disciplined, dedicated, and determined in my work and ensured that I mastered each and every unit and chapter the teachers taught us.”
He also encouraged those who did not make it not to despair, but to work harder. Kgolobe said this is not the end of the journey for them and there are still other opportunities out there.
“Just know that you have a lot of potential in you and your destiny lies in the palm of your hands. To the Class of 2022, please go out there and work hard. Kindly put everything in your school work and that will yield positive results,” he said.
Various schools like Walter Letsie, Thusoetsile and Pudimoe High Schools received awards as the most improved schools.
A proposed three-year deal by the Department of Tourism and SA Tourism to sponsor English Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur has caused widespread consternation and has received plenty of condemnation in what many deem an ill-thought venture.
According to Prof Peet van der Merwe from the research unit TREES (Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society) at the North-West University (NWU), this amount could have been better used for other tourism purposes.
“We know that big-event tourism brings in a lot of revenue – it creates jobs and has a development function. So, to paint it in broad strokes, I think such an approach is a good idea. But, as far as I can discern from the Tottenham saga and the contract that is intended to be signed, the focus will largely be on the branding of South Africa at games, on their equipment and on their kit,” says Prof Van der Merwe.
“This is all well and good, but, I don’t really see any games being played here. I see there are training camps, but ideally, we would like to see Tottenham playing games in South Africa which we can market for South Africans as well as in our neighbour states, who I am convinced would like to watch such games.
“The problem is that reporting about the abundance of crime and the lack of safety in South Africa may deter visitors. If the government wants to do something progressive for the tourism sector, they should start addressing these issues. This will lead to us luring more tourists to South Africa in the long term, rather than spending a heap of money on one single tourism aspect while people are still afraid to visit us.”
NB: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Taung DailyNews and its associates.
Setshwantsho: Matshidiso Mojaki o go begwang a tlhabile le go bolawa ka sekere ke monna wa gagwe/Facebook
Ka BAKANG MOKOTO
Kgetsi ya polao kgatlhanong le monna wa kwa motseng wa Kolong gaufi le Taung, e buseditswe morago ke kgotlha-tshekelo ya Taung go fitlha ka di 2 Mopitlwe 2023.
Thapelo Mojaki o latofadiwa ka go tlhaba mosadi wa gagwe ka sekere le go mo lobela dintshi.
Tiragalo eno, e diragetse ka di 9 Diphalane 2022. Go ya ka se sebueledi sa sepodisi mo Bokone Bophirima, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone, Thapelo gape one a tsatsanka ngwana wa gagwe wa mosetsanyana ka sekere pele a lebotsa phokoje.
“Re ka netefatsa fa mapodisi a kwa Taung ba batlisisa kgetsi ya polao, ga mmogo le ya go keteka ka maikaelelo a go tsenya dikgobalo. Seno se tla morago ga tiragalo e go begilweng fa Matshidiso a ile a tlhabiwa ka sekere, moo ebileng a feleletsa a latlhegetswe ke botshelo.
“Go begwa fa moswi a tlhabilwe ka sekere ke monna wa gagwe. Go ya ka dipego, Matshidiso yo o ne a tsamaya le bana ba gagwe ba le bararo eleng basetsanyana ba babedi ga mmogo le mosimanyana go ya tirong fa a ne a tlhaselwa,” Mokgwabone wa tlhalosa.
Go ya ka Mokgwabone, Thapelo one a ikgorotsa mo tseleng le go kopana le moswi. Go kaiwa fa molatofadiwa ane a batla karata ya banka mo go Matshidiso, mme moswi one a mo kaela fa a sa e tsaya.
“Go begwa fa molatofadiwa a ne a ntsha sekere le go tlhaba moswi, mme one a tlhaba gape le ngwana wa gagwe wa mosetsanyana pele ga a ka lebotsa phokoje.
“Tiragalo eno, ene ya begwa kwa sepodising, mme molatofadiwa one a tshwarwa mo letsatsing le le latelang. One a tlhageletse ka boripana fa pele ga kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la maabane, mme kgetsi ene ya busediwa morago,” Mokgwabone wa tlhalosa.
Thapelo o ka nama a letile kwa ntlo-lefitshwana morago ga go ganelwa ka beile.
Kgabagare, mokwaledi wa lekoko la sepolotiki la EFF mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Amogelang Matuane are: “Jaaka mokgatlho wa rona wa sepolotiki wa EFF, re netefaditse gore go nna le lephata le le thusang ka dikgetsi tsa tshotlakako ya bong mo mokgatlhong wa rona.
“Mme maitlhomo le maikaelelo a lephata leno, ke go samagana le dikgwetlho ga mmogo le dikgetsi tsa tshotlhakako ya basadi le bana. O ka ela tlhoko gore dikgetsi tsa tshotlakako ya basadi le bana digola letsatsi le letsatsi mo sedikeng sa rona.”
Matuane are, jaanong ha go ntse jalo, ba bone go le botlhokwa gore dikgetsi tseo di bewe leitlho. Are ke ka moo ba ne ba ile kgotlha-tshekelo ka maitlhomo le maikaelelo a go supa kemo-nokeng mo batswa-setlhabelong.
“Ha re bua ka tshotlakako ya bong, ga e diragale fela ko motho yo o sa mo itseng, mme le mogare ga malapa a mantsi tiragalo eo e tsaya karolo. Jaanong, re tlile go ema ba lelapa nokeng gore tshiamiso e diragadiwe kgatlhanong le molatofadiwa,” Matuane wa tlhalosa.
The Guardian 