Picture: Patients left stranded at Taung District Hospital/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
Taung District Hospital continues to be under siege for all wrong reasons. This comes after the hospital allegedly failed to provide a referral transportation to ferry patients to Klerksdorp/Tshepong Complex on Monday.
Patients with some ‘chronic diseases and disabilities’ were left stranded at Taung District Hospital after being told that their referral transportation had been broken. Some patients were up in arms and allegedly stormed into the hospital CEO, Tumediso Setlhodi’s office demanding answers.
One of the patients who refused to be named for fear of reprisal said: “We arrived at the hospital in the early hours of Monday morning, but we were only told about the broken transport at around 6am.
“Truly, we are crestfallen on how the hospital has handled this matter. We were supposed to be on our way to Klerksdorp now, however, we are still stuck here because of the hospital management’s incompetence. They should have the audacity to call us before time rather than treat us in this inhumane manner.”
Another patient shared the same sentiments. She said the least the hospital management could have done was to be more professional and inform them on time. Now, we will miss our referrals because of this unsavoury behaviour. We urge the hospital management to treat us like human beings please.
“They need to understand that transportation is an important social determinant of health especially in rural communities. By the way, this is not my first time experiencing this kind of treatment. They do care less and continue to fail us dismally. I guess it is about time we see an overhaul of the whole hospital management,” said the patient.
Meanwhile, the North West Health department spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said: “The department can confirm that there was a delay in ferrying of the patients for referral. However, there was a meeting with those affected yesterday morning and the matter was resolved.
“There was a vehicle breakdown at Klerksdorp on Friday and unfortunately, the transport office failed to inform the referral office to inform patients that there will be no transport yesterday morning and that only renal patients were prioritized with the use of a private vehicle.”
Picture: Former North West MEC, Wendy Nelson/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
Former North West MEC for Finance, Wendy Nelson has breathed a ‘sigh of relief’ after she was acquitted of fraud by the North West High Court sitting in Mafikeng on Tuesday. Nelson was arrested alongside the former Head of Department (HoD) at the North West Health Department, Dr Thabo Lekalakala.
The two were acquitted on a charge of fraud related to the appointment of Lekalakala to the position of Superintendent-General in the Department of Health, wherein Nelson was chairing the panel during the interview.
The state’s case was that Nelson had knowledge of Lekalakala’s misrepresentation on the job application form (Z83) but went on to recommend him for this senior position to the then North West Premier, Supra Mahumapelo.
“My heart is sore because of my dad who kept asking me if I will be fine. However, he could not be here to experience this. I believe he just sees from the top because he passed away seven months ago and it is painful that I have been vindicated,” she said.
Judge Ronald Hendricks said: “The state failed to prove that the accused unlawfully, forcedly and intentionally defrauded either the North West Department of Health when the then North West Premier, Supra Mahumapelo appointed the accused number one as Head of the Department.
“He did not need requirements to be appointed. So, the state failed to prove the guilt of accused number one beyond any reasonable doubt that he unlawfully and intentionally stole money in the amount of over R7 million from the department of health. No case whatsoever was made out in this regard.”
Hendricks further said consequently, both accused are therefore found not guilty and were discharged on the main count of fraud. He also found not guilty the accused number one and discharged him on the alternative count of theft.
Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Henry Mamothamme said they welcome the judgement, however a thorough study of the judgement will be undertaken.
“This process will afford the state time to make an informed decision to establish if there isn’t a need for further action,” he said.
The ANC Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) spokesperson, Kenny Morolong said they welcome the judgement against Nelson. He said Nelson will be incorporated back into the ANC structure.
Nelson was appointed as a member of the ANC IPC in August 2019 and she stepped-aside from her leadership responsibilities earlier this year following her arrest.
“The ANC commends Nelson for her discipline and cooperation at a time when the organisation enjoined her to step aside from her leadership responsibilities so that she can clear her name.
“Whilst the ANC believes in the legal principle of presumption of innocence, we also firmly believe that cadres of the ANC who are formally charged for corruption or other serious crimes must immediately step aside from all leadership positions pending the finalization of their criminal cases,” he said.
Morolong said in the light of this judgment, the IPC officials will formally engage Nelson with a view of re-incorporating her into their formal structures.
He further said they also wish to reaffirm their confidence in the ability of the courts to dispense justice without fear, favour or prejudice.
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.
Picture: F4SD leader in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region, Mika Moeti/Supplied
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
Residents of Myra village in Taung said they are happy that their preferred councillor candidate, Seakgamoriri Mmokwa has emerged as ward councillor. There was some dispute at ward 6 after the residents accused the ANC Interim Regional Committee (IRC) of replacing Mmokwa with the ‘unknown’ Boikanyo Pulatso.
One of the residents, Felica Maape said: “We took a bold decision that our preferred candidate will contest the Local Government Elections (LGE) for Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) after ANC leadership was too arrogant to listen and snubbed us.
“We are grateful that Mmokwa won the ward. We always maintained that Mmokwa was our preferred councillor candidate and also submitted the dispute to the ANC IRC in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region.”
F4SD leader in the region, Mika Moeti applauded all voters who voted for them. He said even though they are not happy with their general performance across, they are grateful that there was a lot of positivity.
“We are appreciative that we have secured two seats at the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) and one seat at Lekwa-Teemane. We had candidates at Mamusa, Naledi and Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipalities but unfortunately we did not perform accordingly.
“As F4SD, we have seen a lot of positivity and managed to win ward 6 in Taung. What pleases me is that, we have won that ward with big margin and this shows that people have confidence in the party,” he said.
Moeti further said they will go back to the drawing board after the party showed a declined compared to the 2016 Local Government Elections. The F4SD have 23 seats across all councils in the province.
Meanwhile, ANC president, Cyril Ramaphosa said: “A week ago, millions of South Africans went to the polls to cast their votes in the sixth local government elections since the advent of democracy.
“Once again, these elections were held in conditions of peace and stability, where every citizen was able to cast their votes freely and without fear. The holding of regular free and fair elections is one of the great strengths of our constitutional democracy.”
He further said this was the most difficult election campaign for the ANC in the 27 years of democracy. Ramaphosa added that this is the first time that the ANC’s share of the national vote has fallen below 50%.
“The ANC’s support declined in all provinces and we only achieved an outright majority in two of the eight metro municipalities in the country. The low voter turnout is of great concern.
“Only 46% of registered voters cast a ballot in this election, compared to 56% of registered voters in the last two local elections. Beyond the impact that such a low voter turnout had on the ANC’s performance, such a low turnout has grave implications for our democracy, for building an active citizenry and for the standing of our local government institutions.”
He said the ANC will be undertaking an extensive and detailed assessment of these election results and the factors that were critical in determining the outcome.
Picture: Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC player/FarPost
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.
Picture (deceased): Former Vaaltar FM presenter, Tshepang Seelo/Supplied
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.”
Picture: The late football player, Tebogo ‘Jomo’ Motshitshi/Supplied
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.
Picture: Manthe Legends FC players honouring the late Tebogo ‘Jomo’ Motshitshi/Supplied
“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.
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.”
Picture: Former Vaaltar FM presenter and socialite, Tshepang Seelo
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.
Picture: Makgethe Middle School in Matsheng village, near Taung
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.
