By OBAKENG MAJE

North West Premier, Bushy Maape said he has confidence in the incoming councils that they will change the face of local government in the province. This comes after most municipalities in the province are regarded as dysfunctional.

According to the News24 Out of Order Index, calculated from a set of data painstakingly collated over the last two months, suggests that the crisis in the frontline of service delivery is likely to deepen.

The News24 Out of Order Index suggests a further 43 municipalities across the country are deep in the danger zone of collapse and the Greater Taung Local Municipality is one of them. The municipality failed to submit its annual financial statement as required by Section 126(1)(a) of the Municipal Finance Management Act of 2003.

“The 43 are municipalities which have not already been named in other officially published lists from the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) department or the Auditor-General as being delinquent or under administration.”

However, Maape said the provision of services such as water, housing and roads will top the agenda of the province.

“Through the District Development Model government, we will attract investment and this will result in the creation of jobs. We are a predominantly rural province and we need to spend the little resources we have wisely.

“This includes putting systems in place to ensure the financial stability of municipalities. I am confident that the incoming councils will comprise people who are ethical and qualified,” he said.  

Maape also implored the incoming councillors to be of service to the communities who have entrusted them with their votes and to fight the challenges of unemployment and poverty gripping many localities.

He further said his government has commissioned Taung Dam and this will allow residents to have access to clean and drinkable water.

“It is almost complete and residents will be allowed to get water from it. The dam has been commissioned and the project will kick-starts within two months. This will assist us to deal with lack of provision of water.

“The new cohort of councillors was selected through a rigorous process by the ANC. The ruling party had involved communities and requested those councillor candidates’ curriculum vitae (CVs),” said Maape.

He maintained that the new type of breed of incoming councillors is different from the older ones. Maape added that his provincial government will not allow parallel structures across municipalities.

“We saw parallel structures in Tswaing Local Municipality where there were two municipal managers, two mayors and two chief whips. So, we did not hesitate to dissolve that municipality. We cannot have parallel administration within the municipalities,” said Maape.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Hollywoodbets Super League log leaders and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC are on the brink of retaining their title and need only a point to mathematically seal their second successive title.

SAFA said in a media statement: “Sundowns Ladies FC who are also the COSAFA Champions and are currently out of the country representing the COSAFA Region in the CAF Women’s Champions league final in Egypt, will be crowned champions if they get a point from their remaining four matches.

“The best the chasing pack can master is 61 points, considering they win all their outstanding matches and Sundowns lose their remaining matches, something very unlikely to happen.”

Meanwhile, this weekend will see six matches taking place following the 1-1 draw between University of the Western Cape and First Touch Academy during the week. First Touch Academy will host Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies in Polokwane at Seshego Stadium on Saturday, 6 November 2021.

Coal City Wizards will entertain JVW Ladies at Witbank Stadium, Tsunami Queens host Thunderbirds Ladies at Itabawze Sport Complex in Harrismith while University of the Western Cape entertain Ma-Indies FC at Vasco Stadium in Cape Town. All of the Saturday matches will be played at 3pm.

Sunday will see Durban Ladies hosting Golden Ladies at Princess Magogo Stadium at 13h00 and the live match of the day will see Tshwane University of Technology take on Richmond United at TUT Stadium at 15h00. This match will be live on SABC 1 from 14h30.

Clubs in the Hollywoodbets Super League have also sent messages of support to pending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies ahead of their opening match of the CAF Women’s Champions League finals tomorrow, where they will face Kenya’s Vihiga Queens FC.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Two suspects aged 31 and 32 linked to the murder of the former Vaaltar FM presenter and socialite, Tshepang Seelo (32) has been arrested. They are expected to appear at Taung Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for assault and kidnapping.

Seelo, who was kidnapped on 31 October 2021, was found dead in a furrow at Khibitswane village in Taung on Wednesday. It was reported that Seelo, who was from a local tavern, was kidnapped while walking in the streets with his girlfriend in Modimong village near Taung.

He allegedly saw the two suspects stealing roof sheets from a certain house and called them out. It is alleged that the two ‘attackers’ accosted him, but his girlfriend managed to escape unharmed.

The suspects allegedly abducted Seelo, shoved him in a white bakkie and drove away with him.

The North West police spokesperson, Capt Aafje Botma said: “I can confirm that the body of Seelo was discovered yesterday after he was allegedly kidnapped on Sunday. He had bruises in his face and an open wound in his back. The deceased was identified by his family.

“A post-mortem will be conducted today to determine the cause of his death. Two suspects are expected to appear today in court for kidnapping and assault.”

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Manthe Legends Football Club honoured the late Tebogo ‘Jomo’ Motshitshi. According to Manthe Legends FC co-coach, Mmoloki ‘Tsiki-Tsiki’ Batlang, Motshitshi who was born and bred in Manthe village in Taung, was one of the most versatile players ever to lace up a pair of boots around Taung.

“Jomo was an exceptional player who could do wonderful things with a ball. He is one player who could do the impossible. We will continue to honour and remember him as the illustrious player who was very passionate.

“At the very peak of his powers, Jomo could do an admirable job in the field of play. Funny enough, I grew up watching him play and I was so fortunate to end up playing with him. Indeed, it was an honour to play with a great player who had a rare breed of talent like him,”

Batlang further said they decided to honour Jomo as a ‘sign of respect.’ He added that this will inspire the new crop of players to work hard.

“Jomo always encouraged us to work hard. He made football look simple and fashionable during his playing days. What I liked about him, he was so disciplined, dedicated and determined even at training.

“Even though he was a genius, Jomo always remained humble which is something lacking from our current players. He was special and you could feel his presence when he entered the field of play,” he said.

Batlang said Jomo was unequivocally loved by the young and older generation equally and even other players ‘worshipped’ the soil he walked on out of admiration.   

“Jomo was so talented that he also designed his own clothes. I remember vividly that when there was a game, he would come with different hairstyles and that made him unique. I wish the current players saw him displaying what he knew best. Unfortunately, God had different plans as he met his untimely death a few years ago.   

“He was one player we expected to turn professional. His name will continue to be engraved in the hearts of many because he immensely contributed to the growth of football in our area,” said Batlang.

Meanwhile, Motshitshi’s childhood friend and a former player, Benny ‘Benito’ Setumisho who is also a co-coach, shared the same sentiments. 

Setumisho said he met Jomo at the age of 12.

“It is very rare to find a player of Jomo’s calibre from the new crop. Jomo took every game seriously and he had achieved a lot from the humbling beginnings.  So, it is befitting to honour him.

“I would like to encourage the current players to take a leaf out of Jomo’s book. He was so disciplined and well-behaved. It was unfortunate that he did not turn professional because his talent was unmatched,” he said.

Setumisho said what impressed him about Jomo was that he used both of his feet. He said the current crop of players need to understand the basic football principles and they are supposed to learn that from the development stage.

“Unfortunately, we are not well-resourced in the rural areas to develop complete players. We need recreation centres across and we urge our government to assist us. However, all is not lost as we have opened the Benito Soccer Academy in quest to develop players from grassroots level,” said Setumisho.

He also called on businesspersons to come on board and support this initiative. Tshepo Velaphi, who is Jomo’s first born son, accepted the award on behalf of the family.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

The family of Ntombi in Manokwane village near Taung wants justice after the death of their loved one. Thataone Ntombi (26) was allegedly killed by three men at Nhole village in Taung on Saturday night during a confrontation.

According to Thataone’s mother, Mogomotsi Ntombi, a fight ensued between Thataone’s uncle and the suspects. Ntombi said Thataone  tried to mediate but he was allegedly attacked instead.

“I received a call on Sunday at around 6pm informing me that my son is missing. I searched for him at Taung District Hospital and various mortuaries around with no success. I also went to Nhole village where he was residing.

“On my arrival, I met with his grandmother and went to confront those individuals who are suspected to know something about his disappearance. We confronted one of the suspects and he was too arrogant to us,” she said.

Ntombi further said one of the suspects confessed that he allegedly hit Thataone with a spade on his head. She said she decided to go to Taung Police Station and open a missing person’s case.

“When I arrived at the police station, the police requested me to go and fetch an identification document (ID). I went back to fetch the ID and went back to the police station. 

“The police wrote a statement and went to the suspects. But on our way, one of the police officers received a call informing him about a lifeless body of a person floating in the river near Manokwane village,” Ntombi said.

She added that the police decided that they would go to the scene and check if the deceased was not Thataone. Ntombi said indeed the lifeless body was positively identified as Thataone. 

“Then police said they will open a murder case and erase a missing person case,” she said. 

However, Bontsheng Mampane, who is also a family member said: “I am not happy with how the police are handling this matter. There is shrewd evidence that Thataone was killed. His lifeless body was still bleeding from injuries.

“So, we urge the police to go and arrest these suspects before they flee. It cannot just be normal while we lost a loved one through immoral deeds. We call for justice and the police must do their work properly.”     

Meanwhile, the North West police spokesperson, Capt Aafje Botma said: “I can confirm a murder case is being investigated. A person that was reported missing was found at a river in Manokwane village.

“The rescue team retrieved his lifeless body that was floating in the river. The deceased was identified as Thataone Ntombi and his body had a wound on the back of his head and a broken leg.”

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Former Vaaltar FM presenter and socialite, Tshepang Seelo (32) has been kidnapped. It is alleged that Seelo was walking in the streets with his girlfriend in Modimong village near Taung on Sunday when his ‘attackers’ accosted him. 

According to the North West police spokesperson, Capt Aafje Botma, Seelo’s girlfriend ran away and allegedly saw these people abducting Seelo and shoved him in a white bakkie. She confirmed that a kidnapping and human trafficking case has been opened at Taung Police Station.

“It is alleged that the duo was attacked by two persons. Seelo’s girlfriend allegedly ran away to seek help. On her return, they could not find Seelo at the scene of crime. She confirmed that she saw a white bakkie that she suspects might have been used to kidnap him.

“However, as the police, we could not confirm that and investigations are underway,” she said.

The family spokesperson, Keobakile Mothupi said, the incident has affected them as a family. Mothupi also urged anyone with information to contact them or the police. 

“We are worried as a family because in most cases, incidents like these do not end well. We want to urge anyone who could assist the police to contact them or the family. As the family, we need to find Seelo whether dead or alive.

“We hope he is safe and sound wherever he is. The police found bloodstains at the crime scene and we also understand that two suspects have handed themselves over to the police today,” he said.   

According to the disrupthumantrafficking.com, human trafficking industry generates $150 billion a year for criminal organizations across the globe. The website says this can no longer go uninterrupted.

“Our mission is to identify and expose human trafficking rings internationally while working with law enforcement agencies to hunt down, disrupt, and dismantle the practice of human trafficking.

“We do so by implementing intelligence gathering techniques currently used by the intelligence community and planning extraction operations. There are more humans being sold today in the world than at any other point in human history.”

It further urges people to join the fight to identify these trafficking networks, cut their financial lines and help to recover the trafficking victims.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Some political parties in Taung have rendered the 2021 Local Government Elections (LGE) not free and fair. This comes after allegations that one of Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials in Matsheng village near Taung interfered with voting processes.

It is alleged that the presiding officer, Lebogang Senokwane (35) at Makgethe Middle School voting station in Matsheng village near Taung opened a sealed ballot box in the absence of the political party agents on 31 October 2021.

Azania Independent Community Movement (AICM) representative, Khunou Sebitso said: “What happened yesterday, the voting station closed at 12pm as the presiding officer said he wanted to prepare for 1 November 2021. All party agents left after ballot boxes were sealed. However, at around 2pm, we received a call informing us that the voting station had been re-opened and there were people voting. 

“We rushed to the voting station immediately and indeed it was opened. We then asked the presiding officer why he opened the voting station without party agents’ knowledge. He alleged that he had received a call that there were 12 people who wanted to vote, but they found the voting station closed.”

Sebitso further said they asked Senokwane who gave him a directive to open the voting station and unsealed the ballot box? He said they have not received any answers from him thus far.   

“We went to the Taung Police to file a criminal case against him. However, the police advised us to write a report instead. The police said we should return to the voting station and compare the ballots and check if they correspond on 1 November 2021.

“However, that has not happened and we are worried. We also visited a voting station in Tlapeng village and found ANC volunteer canvassing inside the polling station. We informed the presiding officer there about the incident, but she did absolutely nothing,” said Sebitso.  

EFF party agent, Dorah Mokwai also shared the same sentiments. Mokwai said they demand answers from the IEC.  Meanwhile, the embattled IEC presiding officer, Lebogang Senokwane said he received a directive from the IEC manager to re-open the voting station.

“As the IEC employee, I received a call from the Area Manager telling me that apparently there was a complaint that the station has been closed, while voters are standing outside stranded. So, he gave me the instruction to come back and re-open the voting station.

“Indeed, I came back and met with some party agents along the way. The Area Manager arrived a few minutes afterwards and gave me the VMD to open the station. One voter arrived immediately after I had opened and indeed the ballot box was sealed.

“So, I went back to the Area Manager to request a nylon bag to use as a ballot box. However, he said using a nylon bag will be a bit dangerous because it will create many uncertainties,” he said.

Senokwane said he spoke to the IEC Manager in Taung, Gerry Mpotla who gave him a go ahead to unseal the ballot box. He said according to IEC regulations, a voter cannot be denied an opportunity to vote simply because there are no party agents.

The Electoral Commission said it has received the report and investigations are underway. The IEC also reported that as at 10h30 this morning, 27 per cent of the 64 502 results expected had been finalized. 

The IEC spokesperson, Kate Bapela said this status is in line with expected result capturing process.

“It is estimated that 905 of the results would be finalized by evening. The balance of 10% would take another 24 hours to complete. The Northern Cape has completed 74% of its results, followed by Western Cape at 46%.

“In third position comes Free State at 26%, while the rest of the provinces’ completion rate ranges between 15 and 37%. The result capturing involves a number of processes including the verification of the result slips, the capturing, scanning and the auditing of the results,” she said.

Bapela added that the IEC would like to call upon all leaders of political parties to act and speak responsibly as the result collation process unfolds. She said the commission had anticipated the prospect of a lower voter turnout already in July and approached the Constitutional Court.

“Nonetheless, the commission implemented an extensive education and communication campaign to ensure that voters turnout to out. This included educational programmes that assured voters that it would be safe to be at a voting station.

Furthermore, it is important to realize that voter turnout is a multifaceted phenomenon influenced by different factors. Some of the elements that motivate voters to go relate to factors outside of the purview of the Commission such as disruptions to services, levels of trust in political institutions,” said Bapela.

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By REGINALD KANYANE

A suspect (31) arrested for allegedly raping a disabled woman has been remanded in custody by the Itsoseng Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. It is alleged that a woman (30) with disability and utilising a wheelchair, was visiting friends and later went to a tavern on 22 October 2021 in Bodibe village near Itsoseng.

North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh said: “The woman was about to leave the tavern at around 7pm when Otsile Juell Boinamo volunteered to take her home. However, on their way, the accused instead took her to his place in Zone 1, where he allegedly raped her.

“On 23 October 2021, the victim allegedly managed to escape by crawling out of the house into the streets, where she was assisted by a passer-by. The police were contacted and as a result, a case of rape was opened for investigation.”   

Myburgh said Boinamo was arrested after he handed himself over to the Itsoseng police on 25 October 2021. He subsequently appeared before the Itsoseng Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on a charge of rape.

“The accused will make a second court appearance on 4 November 2021, for a formal bail application,” said Myburgh.

Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena condemned the incident and described it as appalling. Furthermore, Kwena urged women to be wary of strangers, but rather move in groups of well-known friends, especially at night.

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

It is all systems go as more than 42 000 learners commenced with their final basic education examinations on Wednesday. North West MEC for Education, Wendy Matsemela who visited Pinagare High School in Taung, said her department has prepared 439 centres that have been audited for compliance in terms of facility, staff capacity security for storage of question papers as well as full adherence for Covid-19 protocols.

“Of these centres, 417 are public centres, 20 are independent and 2 designated centres for those improving their matric. Printing and packaging is done under very secure conditions with surveillance cameras and physical security at all strategic points.

“Security point for question papers is intensified with strong rooms, double locking systems, 24-hour Security guards, storage managers, alarm system, CCTV monitoring. Training for monitors, chief invigilators and invigilators was rigorous and this contributes to the successful administration of the examinations,” Matsemela said.

She further said two to three officials per school are trained to ensure smooth running of the examinations in the centre. Matsemela added that the training includes protocol for writing of the examination, process of conduct of examination, reporting on the conduct of the examination, and process to be followed at the distribution point.

“Markers have been selected and are awaiting appointment. We want to assure that all measures were considered to prepare the 2021 cohort. Covid-19 has been a disruptor in the administration of year end examinations in 2020.

“The class of 2021 found us ready and we equipped learners with much needed assistance to sit for their examinations. We have a set of committed teachers, and subject advisors that played a huge role in equipping our learners and I couldn’t be more proud,” said Matsemela.

Last week, she had an engagement with learners as they signed the pledge of commitment to a cheat-free examination. Matsemela said learners were eager and ready as the eighth cohort to be exposed to the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS).

“Learners are also the beneficiaries of the educational transformation that heralded the move towards a technologically enhanced curriculum. We were monitoring the first day of examinations at Pinagare Secondary School in Taung,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said: “I would like to wish all candidates the best of luck with their final examinations. I urge them to continue working hard and to keep their focus.

“I know it has been a challenging few years since your schooling was disrupted due to Covid-19 in 2020, but I am sure you have the support of the whole country. It has truly been a catch-up year for this cohort.”

She said it was a very strenuous academic year and called on parents, family, friends, educators, officials and the community at large to help create the best conditions and environment for these learners to study.

The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in the North West shared the same sentiments.

SANCO Provincial Chairperson, Paul Sebegoe said they wish all matriculants well in their exams and appealed for support.

“We also call for no disruption of the examination programme. As the civic movement, we express concern about Eskom load-shedding, which it characterised as a disruptive and very suspect programme.

 “However, we wish all learners who will be sitting for their examinations the very best and urge them to stay focused and not to be distracted from the task at hand. The sacrifices and extra effort they have had to put to prepare for the exams throughout the year under very trying Covid-19 conditions must be jealously guarded so that they achieve their objective to pursue their dreams,” he said.

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