By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

Four suspects were arrested by community members in Maphoitsile village, near Taung on Tuesday for theft. This come after the alleged criminals ransacked the Kobane Middle School by stealing furniture, roof sheets, and door frames.

Kgosi Keaobaka Saku said, even though they have not opened a criminal case, they have arrested four suspects, who were allegedly in possession of stolen goods. Saku said, they still want to engage with other stakeholders before they could open a criminal case.

“We are aware of where those goods are and the people involved. So, we aim to recover those stolen goods and this will need all stakeholders involved. We condemn any subverted, reckless, and irresponsible attempts to vandalise our infrastructure,” he said.

Many schools affected by rationalisation continue to be vandalised across the province. The school was shut down during rationalisation back in 2017.

The North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Sgt Tryphosa van Rooyen said she was informed that the school falls under Hartswater Police Station and this could be the reason the case was not opened at Taung Police Station.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Department of Basic Education (DBE) and MP, Angie Motshekgwa said then, that the existence of the micro-schools compromises effective teaching and learning.

“South Africa comprises rural, farm, township, suburban, and urban settlements. Some of these settlements are located in remote areas with very small population sizes. 

“Despite the size of these settlements, the government is expected to provide social services to these communities, in cost-effective ways. Micro schools are a common phenomenon in these small human settlements, some having been developed by the local communities,” she said.

Motshekga further said the existence of these micro schools is that the sector is not able to provide its services cost-effectively. She added that it also compromises the quality of teaching and learning due to multi-grade teaching that becomes necessary, and the unavailability of wide subject choices, especially for secondary school learners.

“Following the problems associated with micro-schools, the Department of Basic Education assessed means by which quality education could be provided in an affordable manner in the immediate and long-term.

“This led to a need to consider closing down some of the micro-schools and merge them with other schools, doing so after extensive technical assessments and inclusive stakeholder consultations have been carried out,” said Motshekga.

She said this was done as part of the school rationalisation and re-alignment process. Motshekga said they have presented the guidelines for rationalisation and re-alignment of public schools – a holistic approach to guide the basic education sector, stakeholders, and service providers on the processes and procedures to be followed when undertaking the school rationalisation and re-alignment processes.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

A boy was killed by a vehicle in Modimong village, near Taung. According to the North West police spokesperson, Capt Aafje Botma, Loeto Morweng (3) was allegedly playing with other children when he was hit by a reversing car in a yard.

It is alleged that the suspect, who was reversing a car in a yard did not see the deceased. The atrocity took place on Monday. 

“The police can confirm that culpable homicide is being investigated. This comes after the suspect, who was allegedly reversing a vehicle in the yard, hit the child. The suspect’s warning statement was obtained and will be presented to the public prosecutor,” Botma said.

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

The residents at Pudimoe Township near Taung said they do not feel safe anymore because police officers allegedly lock themselves up at night. This comes after some residents allegedly visited the police station and found the gates locked. 

One of the residents, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal said: “I was surprised when I visited the police station at around 20: 50 and found the gates locked.

“I had to scream my lungs out before the police could open for me. But why would the whole police station lock its gate after 20:00? I think the police station offers a 24-hour service, but it seems I am wrong.”

 Another resident said running to the police station to report criminal activities in their neighbourhoods at night, will only be a waste of time because the gates are closed.  

Meanwhile, the North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Sgt Tryphosa said: “The Pudimoe Police Station gates were not locked, but only closed as confirmed by the Station Commander. As per instruction, after 6pm, the access to the police stations must be monitored accordingly and therefore gates must be closed and not locked.

“Service delivery will not be hampered since the gates are not locked and if, there is a victim of a crime that needs assistance they are still able to access services as they will be able to enter.”

Van Rooyen said in addition, they request any member of the public who alleged that the gates were locked and had proof, should be referred to the Station Commander in order to receive immediate attention.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

A police bakkie was torched by angry community members in Extension 1 in Jouberton Township, near Klerksdorp. This comes after a missing girl, 10, was allegedly found in the shack next to her home in a company of a man.

According to the North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh, the police were informed of a missing girl late at night on 9 August 2022. Myburgh said a missing person’s enquiry was opened and police did preliminary investigations.

“On 10 August 2022, at 10am, the community members mobilised and started to search for the missing girl. At around 4pm, the girl was allegedly found inside a shack close to her home in the company of a male, who was allegedly assaulted by members of the community. 

“The police were summoned to the scene and on arrival, they rescued the man who was subsequently admitted to hospital. According to information, the members of the community, then stabbed and damaged the tyres of the police Nissan bakkie and ultimately torched it,” she said.

Myburgh further said a police officer was injured during a brawl after he was hit by a stone. She added that, the girl was taken together with her mother to Thuthuzela Care Centre for a medical examination.

“At this stage, a case docket has been opened for malicious damage to property and is under investigation,” said Myburgh.

Meanwhile, the North West Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena condemned in the strongest possible terms an attack on police. Kwena expressed his displeasure about the incident and urged the community to work together with the police in the fight against crime through recognised structures such as Community Police Forum (CPF).

“The attack on police is an attack against the state and the damage caused will have a negative impact on service delivery,” he said.

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

A case against 87 illegal miners arrested at Shaft 2 in Orkney on 21 October 2021, has been postponed to 6 September 2022 by Stilfontein Regional Court for dockets and consultations. The accused, who are in police custody, intend to apply for bail and have since appointed a different attorney to represent them just for this application.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Henry Mamothame said they initially abandoned bail, owing to their illegal status in South Africa.

“They are charged with six counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, conspiracy to commit robbery, illegal mining, possession of automatic firearms, attempted murder, and contravening the immigration act.

“The police reports indicate that eight of the accused were wounded, while other six were fatally wounded during a shootout with the members of the Special Task Force, assisted by Hawks Organised Crime in the North West, during an intelligence-driven operation,” he said.  

Mamothame said eight accused who were injured during a shoot-out, have since been discharged from the hospital and are now in police custody. He said police discovered two mini-buses, illegal mining paraphernalia, gold-bearing material, eleven illegal firearms (3 x shotguns, 3 x rifles, 4 x pistols, and 1 x revolver), and bags of food.

Meanwhile, Mamothame said the 88^th suspect, Thethile Master Boyce, 60, was added to the charge sheet. He further said Boyce, who is a taxi driver, allegedly transported the suspected illegal miners to and from the mine and also transported food.

“His taxi was seized by the Hawks after his arrest. He is currently out on R2000 bail and also appeared with the other 87 accused. In the last three postponements, the defense attorney committed to providing the state with a hard drive, at which the state will provide the content of the docket, which includes video footage.

“However, such was not fulfilled and the attorney cited a lack of co-operation from the families of the accused, who have been committing to provide him with the hard drive. He recommitted in court to provide it on 30 August 2022 as instructed by the court,” said Mamothame.

He added that the magistrate indicated that no further postponement will be granted.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

Even though the provision of houses continues to be a backlog in the North West province, that could be a thing of the past soon. This comes after the North West Human Settlements department embarked on a benchmarking in Mpumalanga Province at the same department on the housing delivery approach.

The Head of Department in North West, James Mashigo said both provinces have unanimously agreed that they should implement housing delivery according to policy prescripts, despite little innovation in the structure of houses being built. Mashigo further said the two provincial departments agreed to share best practices.

“The benchmarking program was undertaken by the two provinces following advice by the National Department of Human Settlements on the delivery of military veterans’ houses. “As the North West province, we are highly impressed by what Mpumalanga is doing in consulting with military veterans’ beneficiaries on how they would want their houses to be like, but not moving away from policy prescripts.

“We build houses of the same size, but with different features as agreed with beneficiaries. Our visit to Mpumalanga was a great eye-opener for both provinces. We shared best practices and I think that we should continue to do the same going forward,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of Department (HoD) at Human Settlements in Mpumalanga Province, Hazel Zitha shared the same sentiments. Zitha said, they all construct the said houses according to policy, however, the only difference is the innovation in coming up with the final product, which is still within the housing quantum.

“We hail the move by both the departments as critically important and will further bring more innovation in service delivery. We welcome the move and the best practice we learned from the North West province.

“The session was critically important to us as a province. We need to ensure that, as both provinces are predominantly rural, we have a common understanding and approach in delivering services,” she said.

Both provinces further highlighted that they experience common challenges such as the construction of services such as sewerage systems, especially the septic tanks, provision of Jojo tanks for water supply, and the negotiations between the beneficiary and the contractor on how the house should be like.

Another common challenge is the continued questions of low-cost houses constructed next to other houses in one yard. According to Mashigo, people should understand that in villages, families stay within one yard and parents would most like their children to remain next to them.

He said hence they find qualifying beneficiaries directing contractors to build their house in or close to their parent’s home.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Many women came out in numbers to commemorate National Women’s Day at Khudutlou village in Taung on Tuesday. The event was organised by Tshimologo Rural Sports Centre founder, Obusitse Monchusi and graced by the North West MEC for Social Development, Boitumelo Moiloa.    

Monchusi said it is imperative to commemorate this day as it marks 66 years since approximately 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria against the country’s pass laws that required South Africans defined as “black” under The Population Registration Act to carry an internal passport, known as a pass, that served to maintain population segregation, control urbanisation, and manages migrant labour during the apartheid era.

“Tshimologo Rural Sports Centre is a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) and its mission is to assist the community. So, our main objective is to ensure we promote sport and education. We want to see excellence and we can achieve that through working together.

“We need to accept ourselves and ensure that we do that with integrity. The power of association is important hence we have partnerships with all stakeholders. We have short and long-term plans as the organisation,” he said.

Monchusi further said they are also going to engage with the department of education to ensure that there are sports activities in schools. He added that, as the NGO, they would like to call on all funders or sponsors to come on board to ensure that, they achieve their objectives.

“Last month, we lost our Secretary-General because of cancer, so we are doing an awareness campaign too. The centre does not belong to anyone, but the affected individuals. I am just a messenger and I want to urge everyone to ensure that we grow it together,” Monchusi said.

North West MEC for Social Development, Boitumelo Moiloa said: “What is happening here today, is a day that was set aside to commemorate Women’s Day. We continue to celebrate women’s month in August without saying other months are less important.

“In 1956, women stand up against the apartheid system and embarked on a peaceful march. If it was not because of them, we would not have been here. We are not only focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), but cancer too as it continues to affect many women across.”

She said, what is important is that all stakeholders have come together to ensure that the day becomes a success.

“As women, we need to stand against all odds because we are raising the society. We also need to stand together going forward. Remember, women are very strong because of what they are subjected to. I also want to appreciate all men who are here and continue to show love to us.

“However, there are animals who continue to rape women and endure the abuse. As women, we are not free to walk in the street freely nowadays. I would like to see one day men marching against GBV and standing against those perpetrators, who continue to abuse women,” she said.

Meanwhile, Community Development Worker (CDW) in Khudutlou, Tebogo Motshebe said there are still many challenges in the area. Motshebe said many women continue to be subjected to abuse, but they are working around the clock to assist those victims.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Three accused, who were arrested during a business robbery at Shoprite store in Taung are back in court. On 1 August 2022, Belcarid Salvadon Malate (39), Mosimanegape John Sebolao (49), and Monnapula Tshabadira (29) allegedly entered the store, while it was about to close and held staff captive.

They allegedly robbed them of an undisclosed amount of money and some belongings. The North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Sgt Tryphosa van Rooyen said, the police in Taung received a call of a business robbery in progress as Shoprite was about to close.

“The Community Service Centre and Crime Prevention Unit members were immediately dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival at the scene of the crime, the police found three suspects who were about to exit the store.

“The suspects were immediately arrested and the stolen property was confiscated. A case of business robbery was opened and the suspects appeared in the Taung Magistrate’s Court on 3 August 2022,” van Rooyen said.

However, the magistrate postponed the case to 10 August 2022 for a formal bail application and also instructed the investigating officer, Kemoletile Samuel Paul to ferry Sebolao and Malate to Taung District Hospital for medical attention.

Malate allegedly suffered injuries during his arrest, while Sebolao is diagnosed with diabetes. Also, he requested the state to ensure that Malate gets a foreign language interpreter as he is from Mozambique.

Meanwhile, the acting District Commissioner, Brigadier Tshenolo Tlotleng lauded the police for their swift response, which led to the arrests of these suspects.

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By OBAKENG MAJE 

The residents of Manthe village in Taung, call on the North West Department of Health to prioritise and refurbish infrastructure at Manthe clinic. The primary healthcare centre building is dilapidating and ceilings are falling off.

According to Bagwebi Ba-Maidi Business Council, the condition the building is in, does not provide effective and safe health services. The Bagwebi Baga-Maidi Business Council Secretary-General, Lebone More called for the “ideal clinic”, saying that the clinic would ensure the provision of quality health services to the community through good infrastructure.

“We have experienced challenges regarding the structural facility of the Manthe clinic building. Last year, we wrote a letter to the Office of MEC, Madoda Sambatha complaining about the dilapidating building of the clinic.

“The ceilings are falling off and that contributes negatively to the hygiene of the patients and staff. The department promised to construct a Community Healthcare Centre in our area, however, our clinic is in a dire state and we cannot wait any longer,” More said.

He further said, the construction project of the new CHC could take four years, but he does not think the building could stand until 2026. More added that even though he was happy to see some departmental officials visiting the clinic for the tender reviewing process recently, they raised various concerns regarding the roofing of the building.

“We urge the department to ensure that the roofing is completely removed because it is not in good condition. We believe that the roofing is leaking and the clinic is not conducive especially during the rainy season,” he said.

The North West Department of Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said: “The department is aware of the infrastructural defects at Manthe clinic. Specifications for the renovation were designed and advertised for bidding and the procurement process is underway.

“No contract has been awarded yet and the renovation of this clinic is to ensure that healthcare service delivery is rendered in a safe and healthy environment to ensure compliance to occupational health and safety standards. This renovation is in no way replacing the building of a new clinic.”

Lekgethwane said the department has prioritised the building of a replacement clinic in the area. He said the Baga-Maidi Tribal Authority has awarded a site for building the replacement clinic. He said the primary healthcare centre is at the design stage and a tender will be advertised after this process.  

Meanwhile, most public healthcare centres in North West do not have medicines such as antiretroviral (ARVs). This damning report was released by the Ritshidze organisation and painted a grim picture of how North West is lagging behind in extending the supply of ARVs. 

The project manager at Ritshidze organisation, Ngqabutho Mpofu said, their detailed report into the state of the public healthcare system in the North West found improvement in certain indicators and deterioration in others over the last year. 

“The report is based on the results of data collected through Ritshidze’s community-led monitoring of 13 facilities in the province together with additional data collected at 57 facilities by Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Stop Stock-outs Project and Ritshidze related to stock-outs,” he said.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

More than 3000 households in Vryburg, North West were left impoverished after the Naledi Local Municipality cut off their electricity due to non-payment. One of the community leaders, Keneilwe Pipi (35) said the municipality blocked their electricity metres and demand they pay R700 before the blockage can be lifted.

“The municipality alleged that we owe it rates and taxes and many households are now without electricity. It has been over a month since the electricity metres were blocked and several residents have been struggling to pay their municipal bills.

“With blocks placed on the meters, residents are unable to buy electricity until they pay the R700 the municipality demand for the blockage to be lifted,” she said.

Pipi said they have been trying to engage with the municipality and plea for leniency, however, nothing positive came out of those negotiations. 

She also alleged that, the municipality sent them the outstanding electricity bills amounting to R14 000 each household, however, (the municipality) failed dismally to explain how they (residents) have accumulated it.

“Most households affected are poor and rely on social grants as their main income. We understand that there is a budget for free basic services allocated for indigents, but we have not received any forms from the municipality.

Another resident, Aubrey Munyai said what the municipality did was unfair because they do not receive any basic services from it. Munyai said roads are inaccessible in their area, no clean and drinkable water, while sewer spillages are the order of the day.

“The municipality does not take us seriously as residents. Our roads are not accessible, especially during the rainy season, but we should keep quiet. The municipality never bothers itself to come and assess water metre readings, but sent us huge municipal bills,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Naledi Local Municipal Manager, Modisaotsile Segapo said the implementation of disconnection is a result of non-payment of services. Segapo said the communities in all affected areas were informed timeously before the execution of electricity cut-offs.

“Yes, it is true that the municipality has commenced with its implementation to cut off electricity to all areas, where they are licensed and authorised to. The cut-off is part of the mechanism by the council to implement debt collection.

“So, the disconnection is implemented in all areas such as Kismet, Vryburg Town, Colridge, and both Extension 25 and 28. In relation to the Extension 25 and 28 areas, the communities have already been notified during the month of March 2021 and again in April 2022,” he said.

He further said in November 2021, the municipality embarked on the indigent registration process, which included both extensions. Segapo added that the households affected are those that do not qualify for the indigent.

“The areas affected are either places operating as a business or rented out and also those who did not come forward to make arrangements. The municipality has decided to implement the minimum of R700 as payment at this stage, which includes a portion of the outstanding,” said Segapo.

He said most of the households in the area, owe the municipality around R14 000 for services.

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