Picture: President Cyril Ramaphosa

By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

Since the advent of democracy nearly 30 years, South Africa has pursued an independent foreign policy. With the outbreak of Russia-Ukraine conflict, however, there has been extraordinary pressure on the country to abandon its non-aligned position and take sides in what is in effect a contest between Russia and the West. Other countries on the African continent and elsewhere have been put under similar pressure.

One of the most impressive features of the international anti-apartheid movement was that it drew support from countries and citizens from across continental and ideological divides. The struggle to end apartheid was taken up in capitals from Africa to Europe, from the Americas to Asia. Our leaders worked hard to gain the support of governments, lawmakers and citizens across the divisions of the Cold War.

That experience – of reaching out across political divides and building relations with very different countries – has helped to shape our foreign policy. This has been coupled with a firm belief in the value of an inclusive multilateral world order and the peaceful resolution of conflict through dialogue.

This explains South Africa’s membership of the Non-Aligned Movement, a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. South Africa has also used its membership in other international forums like the G20 and BRICS group to advance the views and interests of countries in Africa and the rest of the Global South.

Throughout, we have been firm on this point: South Africa has not been, and will not be, drawn into a contest between global powers.

That does not mean that we do not have a position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Consistent with our stance on conflicts in other parts of the world, South Africa’s view is that the international community needs to work together to urgently achieve a cessation of hostilities and to prevent further loss of life and displacement of civilians in Ukraine. It needs to support meaningful dialogue towards a lasting peace, which ensures the security and stability of all nations.

As a country, we are committed to the articles of the United Nations Charter, including the principle that all members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means. We support the principle that members should refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of other states.

Our position seeks to contribute to the creation of conditions that make the achievement of a durable resolution of the conflict possible. The reality is that the Russia-Ukraine conflict – and the tensions that underlie it – will not be resolved through military means. It needs to be resolved politically.

We do not accept that our non-aligned position favours Russia above other countries. Nor do we accept that it should imperil our relations with other countries.

Last year, I travelled to Washington to meet President Joe Biden and to London to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In my talks with both leaders, I restated our non-aligned position and explained that South Africa believes that this conflict should be resolved through dialogue. In August, I will be hosting the leaders of Brazil, India, China and Russia for the summit of the BRICS countries. South Africa has strong and enduring relations with all these countries.

In all our interactions with these countries, we restate our belief that the United Nations remains the only viable mechanism through which the global community can strive for peace and common development.

Yet the conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the weaknesses in the structure and practices of the United Nations. The composition of the UN Security Council, in particular, does not reflect the realities of the current global landscape. It needs to be overhauled so that there is an equitable representation and a more inclusive mechanism for resolving international disputes.

South Africa is a sovereign state, governed by a democratic Constitution and committed to the consistent application of international law. We will continue to fulfill our obligations in terms of the various international agreements and treaties to which we are signatories.

These are among the principles that inform our approach to allegations that arms were loaded onto a Russian vessel that docked in Simon’s Town late last year. Since we do not have concrete evidence to support these allegations, we are establishing an independent inquiry headed by a retired judge to establish the facts.

South Africa’s position on this issue was well explained by my envoy, Prof Sydney Mufamadi, and his delegation who recently travelled to Washington DC for discussions with representatives of the United States government.

We are determined, in both word and action, to maintain our position on the peaceful resolution of conflict. Guided by the lessons of our history, we will continue to resist calls, from whatever quarter, to abandon our independent and non-aligned foreign policy.

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Picture: The accused, Paul Pokes Mabe, and his wife, Gladys Machwe/Facebook 

By OBAKENG MAJE

A stock theft case against a couple from Tlola O Nyele Section in Khibitswane village, near Taung is set to resume in court today. Paul Pokes Mabe (46) and his wife, Gladys Machwe (40) were arrested on 6 May 2023 for allegedly stealing two cows back in November 2022.

According to the North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen, a stock theft case was opened by the rightful owner of two cattle after they were allegedly stolen in Cokonyane village.

“As the investigation progressed, information was obtained, which led to the recovery of the two cattle at Matsheng village in January 2023. Further investigation was done and led to the arrest of two accused, who were positively linked to the stock theft case.

“The third suspect is still at large. The accused briefly appeared at the Taung Magistrate’s Court on Monday and were remanded in custody until 15 May 2023 for a formal bail application. The alleged stolen cattle were handed back to the rightful owner after being identified by the brand mark,” she said.

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Picture: A body of a man lying next to the killer truck in Mokassa/Supplied   

By OBAKENG MAJE

A man was killed after he was run over by a truck in Mokassa village, near Taung on Friday night. It is alleged that the deceased was one of the farm workers in the same truck that was ferried to Mokassa village, near taung. 

It is alleged that, the deceased, who was under the influence of alcohol, jumped out of the truck. The truck driver (30) allegedly ran over him when he was reversing his truck. One of the eyewitnesses who refused to be named for fear of reprisal said, the skull of the deceased was crushed open and the brains were strewn around.

The North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen said: “Yes, the police are aware of the incident and have opened a case of culpable homicide against the driver. However, no one has been arrested thus far and we are not at liberty to name the deceased.”

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Picture: The late Billy Masetlha, who was the South African ambassador to the Republic of Algeria/Facebook

By OBAKENG MAJE

The heartfelt condolence messages continue to pour in after the passing of the South African ambassador to the Republic of Algeria. Billy Masetlha passed away on Sunday after a long illness. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said the passing of Masetlha deeply saddens it.

The minister of Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor said: “Masetlha has served the government in various capacities, including as the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and was deeply involved in the anti-apartheid movement, including as a member of Umkhonto We Sizwe.

“Masetlha was exiled in Botswana and Zambia. During this time, he worked with the youth and student organisations in the fight against the apartheid regime. South Africa has lost an experienced and dependable representative and a firm believer in the ideals and goals of Pan-Africanism.”

Pandor further said, as the department, they sent their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Masetlha.

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Picture: North West MEC for Social Development, Boitumelo Moiloa/Google

By OBAKENG MAJE

There is a tug-of-war between the North West Social Development, Boitumelo Moiloa, and the Head of Department, Relebohile Mofokane. This was revealed during a meeting, where the department appeared before the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development and Health on Thursday.

It is alleged that the squabbles between Moiloa and Mofokane were caused by an R130 million security tender that Mofokane allegedly signed off on, even though the Provincial Internal Audit warned him about some discrepancies in bid documents.

The department was scheduled to appear before the committee to process its Annual Performance Plan (APP) and budget for the 2023/24 financial year. However, the chairperson of the committee, Gavin Edwards, sent them packing to sort out their ‘nonsense”.

“The department was sent away because of its failure to resolve persistent squabbles between Moiloa and Mofokane. We felt that the squabbles will affect service delivery. We have resolved to write to the Leader of Government Business, North West MEC for Cooperative Government, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Nono Maloyi, and the North West Premier, Bushy Maape to urgently intervene.

“The meeting was halted after Mofokane revealed that he had been stripped of his powers as the accounting officer and that he had not been part of developing the APP. So, members of the committee were astonished by Mofokane’s revelation that he had been stripped of his powers as it has been revealed that he signed off tenders two weeks prior to the meeting,” Edwards said.

He further said Mofokane had signed off tenders for security contracts to the value of R130m two weeks ago and it is surprising that he alleged that he had been stripped of his powers. Edwards added that they want to understand what is happening with service delivery because it is clear that Mofokane and Moiloa cannot work together.

“This is not the first time the department has been turned away by the Portfolio Committee. Last year, the committee questioned Mofokane’s appointment and his qualifications.

“Repeated requests by the committee seeking clarity on his appointment were simply ignored by Moiloa and subsequently Maape. Members of the committee raised their concerns with both Moiloa and Mofokane, questioning what actually happens to service delivery, while they are clearly more concerned with internal squabbling and battles rather than ensuring effective services,” he said.

 Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the member of the committee, Freddy Sonakile said: “As the Democratic Alliance, we are quite perplexed and believe that this is unprecedented whereby, we see such arguments between the Moiloa and Mofokane over a legal document that was supposed to assist the department and the residents to be able to get funds for the department to start functioning.

“What is funny is that it is not the first time that the department was turned away by the committee due to its internal squabbles. So, we are not taking this lightly and we believe that action must be taken, especially against Mofokane who in this case, clearly failed on his fiducial duties.”

Sonakile said they have been contacted by a number of NPOs, whose survival depends on funding from the department. He said they told them that they are struggling because they cannot get hold of their subsidies and SLAs are still not signed by the department.

The North West Social Development spokesperson, Petrus Siko said, he will respond to the allegations after he had gathered more details. The response will be incorporated into the article when received.

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Picture: The Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Dipuo Peters

By OBAKENG MAJE

The Deputy Minister for Small Business Development, Dipuo Peters will hand over equipment to informal business owners in Pampierstad, Northern Cape today. Peters is expected to lead a delegation of senior officials and program managers from the Department of Small Business Development to hand over machinery and equipment to informal business owners.

“The Informal and Micro Enterprises Development Programme (IMEDP) provides developmental support to small businesses that are mostly operating in townships and rural areas of South Africa.

“The initiative is a nationwide trajectory striving to accelerate the growth of informal and micro enterprises by improving their competitiveness and sustainability to become formal businesses in the mainstream economy. He added that the focus is mainly on designated groups such as women, youth, and people with disabilities,” she said.

Peters further said, as a government, they are committed to an inclusive economy, responsive to the needs of rural and township businesses with a special focus on women and young people in our society as well as informal traders.

She added that, it is their view as the department, through this support in the form of machinery and equipment, they will see greater efficiency and jobs being created by the supported enterprises.

The event will be held at Revival Family Church, Mangope Avenue in Pampierstad at 9am.

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Picture: Three of four accused persons, Bakang, Phenyo Katong, and Katlego Mosimege in a murder trial/Facebook 

By OBAKENG MAJE

A murder case against an alleged drug lord and his co-accused persons is ready for trial. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the state has received the results of the DNA sample that was taken from one of the accused persons, Phenyo Katong’s vehicle.

The presiding officer, magistrate Boy Zulu highlighted that, the state has acquired the services of the new magistrate to preside over this case. Zulu has since excused himself from this case as he presided over a rape case involving one of the accused persons, Bakang Katong.

Katong was found guilty of rape and Zulu is expected to sentence him on 6 June 2023.   

Bakang Katong (32), Thabang Lenyai (23), Phenyo Katong (34), and Katlego Mosimege (31) were arrested a year ago for allegedly killing Thabiso Mothibedi (35) after accusing him of stealing R20 000 cash and cigarettes worth R600 from Katong’s house in Manthe village, near Taung.

The four accused persons briefly appeared at the Taung Regional Court on Wednesday and their case was postponed to 24 May 2023 for trial.

The North West police spokesperson, Capt Sam Tselanyane said the preliminary investigation revealed that on 29 April 2022, the deceased was at Longaneng village in Taung, when the accused fetched and ferried him back to Manthe village.

“Upon arrival, the deceased was allegedly chained to a generator and assaulted. After the assault, the victim was reportedly transported to a local clinic by the accused for medical attention, however, he was declared dead upon arrival. The accused were arrested and charged with murder,” Tselanyane said.

On 1 May 2022, the community members were up in arms and torched three houses and a bakkie belonging to Katong’s family. Seven people have been arrested regarding the incident and charged with arson and looting.

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Picture: Prof Binu Luke receives honorary award in UK/Supplied  

By OBAKENG MAJE

The North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha lauded Prof Binu Luke on his achievements. This comes after Binu was conferred with Honorary Fellowship award by the Royal College of Physicians. Sambatha said that even though the honorary award was conferred back in 2020, the ceremony was held last week in London, United Kingdom.

“Prof Luke is one of our best specialist clinicians and has demonstrated his

capabilities as the Head of Clinical Services at Klerksdorp/Tshepong Complex Hospital. His expertise has benefitted the rest of the province, as our hospitals refer patients to Klerksdorp/Tshepong Complex Hospital.

“It is not surprising that his expertise and contribution have caught the attention of the international community. We encourage other clinicians in the province to emulate Luke,” he said.

Sambatha further said, the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District is fortunate to have

a brilliant mind like Luke and that the province is truly proud to see his work being recognised by his peers in the international community. He added that, this award comes after a rigorous peer review by international peers and it is based on contribution to medicine and Royal College over many years.

“An honour like this is a wonderful tribute to one of the best medical minds we have in the department. It comes hot on the heels of a bitter battle Luke led against the COVID-19 pandemic. Luke is currently the Head of the clinical department at Klerksdorp/Tshepong Complex Hospital Complex since 2014.

“He is also a Tertiary Medical Co-ordinator, serving as a medical advisor to the Deputy Director-General for clinical services in the province,” said Sambatha.

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Picture: North West MEC for Social Development, Boitumelo Moiloa

By OBAKENG MAJE

The North West Social Development is under siege after it is accused of contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) after it ‘irregularly’ awarded an R130 million security tender. According to the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Premier, Finance and Cooperative Government, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs, the department proceeded with the awarding of the tender, despite being warned by the Provincial Internal Audit after it highlighted some discrepancies in their bid documents.

The chairperson of the Committee, Aaron Motswana said, they will urgently write to the North West Treasury to investigate the possibility of reviewing and setting aside this tender. Motswana further said, according to the information at their disposal, the department had advertised for the panel of security companies for 36 months (NW/DSD/07/22) on 31 August 2022.

“However, the same tender advertised for 36 months, is now awarded for eighteen months. On 2 May 2023, the department awarded ten companies, six of which are based in Gauteng, a tender valued at more than R130m. The department had earlier in September 2022, given the same ten companies, contracts varying at R566 000.

“This simply implies that, the adjudication process of this bid was already pre-conceived from September 2022. Between that time and now, these companies had earned R 4 528 000 for eight months on site. The Provincial Internal Audit report is very clear on inconsistencies applied in advertising, evaluating, and adjudicating this tender,” he said.

Motswana further said, they implore the North West MEC for Finance, Motlalepula Rosho to pull all the stops and investigate whether there was compliance.

“This irregularity confirms the view held by the majority of Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) that, companies of the North West are being deprived and throttled by their own government in favour of other provinces. The economic opportunities are exported at a grand scale.

“The Office of the Premier has to date, failed to respond on how a person who in the Public Service Commission (PSC) report of 6 March 2019, possessed only a matric, but suddenly had qualifications by September 2020 when he applied for a post of Head of Department (HoD) of the North West Social Development,” said Motswana.

He added that, the PSC report has not been taken on review to date, yet the Office of the Premier ignored that the report was adopted and tabled. Motswana said it remains a House Resolution and by implications, not only they are dealing with a fraudulent HoD, but the department is in contempt of parliament.

Meanwhile, the North West Social Development spokesperson, Petrus Siko said he is still gathering more details on the matter.

“Look, I’ll look for answers and come back to you,” he said.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

A man has been sentenced to double life imprisonment by the North West High Court in Mmabatho on Tuesday for killing his ex-girlfriend (29) and her mother. The North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani said, in 2018, Boitshoko Abednigo Swanepoel (36) went to his then ex-girlfriend’s house at Lonely Park, outside Mahikeng to speak with her regarding a court interdict issued against him, but an argument ensued between him and his ex-girlfriend’s mother (52).

Funani further said, Swanepoel then took out a firearm and shot the ex-girlfriend, the mother, and their daughter.

“Upon hearing the gun sound, the ex-girlfriend’s brother went to check at the house, but Swanepoel also shot at him. The daughter (2) was ferried to Baragwaneth Hospital in Johannesburg with serious injuries.

After the shooting incident, Swanepoel fled the scene and the police searched for him. He was arrested on 28 September 2018 at Setlagole village, outside Mahikeng. Swanepoel has been behind bars ever since his arrest,” she said.

Funani added that Swanepoel was also sentenced to a further 20 years imprisonment for two counts of attempted murder. She said this comes after he attempted to kill his daughter and his ex-girlfriend’s brother.

“The court ordered that all sentences imposed run concurrently with the two life imprisonment. Swanepoel was also declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of section 103 of the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act No. 60 of 2000),” said Funani.

The North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, and the Director for Public Prosecution, Advocate (Dr) Rachel Makhari welcomed the sentence. Kwena applauded the Mahikeng Flying Squad Unit, Detective Unit, especially the Investigating Officer, Detective Sergeant Kebaabetswe Chabaemang, and the business watch who assisted the police in effecting the arrest.

“We would also like to laud the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) prosecutor, Advocate Goloda for his cooperation with other role players for the meticulous handling of the matter and subsequent securing of the conviction,” he said.

Meanwhile, Makhari expressed her gratitude for the securing of the conviction, which she attributed to collaborations of the South African Police Service (SAPS), NPA, and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). She said the sentence will definitely send a clear message that crime, including Gender-Based Violence (GBV), will not be tolerated. taungdailynews@gmail.com