By BAKANG MOKOTO

Two men sentenced to life imprisonment after finding guilty of rape by the Northern Cape High Court on Thursday. Katlego Marake (27) and his accomplice, Ratanang Seikaneng (26).

According to the Northern Cape police spokesperson, Capt Olebogeng Tawana said the incident took place at Glenred Village near Kuruman back in June 2011.

“A 17-year-old girl was walking home accompanied by her male friend and they were accosted by three men. These men assaulted the man who accompanied the victim and in the event, they dragged the girl to the nearby yard where they took turns raping her.

“After raping the victim, they left her fighting for her life. The girl managed to gain her strength and walked home to seek help. The accused were arrested after being pointed out by the victim,” Tawana said.

He further said the victim’s testimony before the court and forensic evidence which was collected by the investigating officer had positively linked the accused to the crime of rape.

Tawana added that the third accused died while the trial was on-going. He said the deceased was unfortunate that he could not face jail-term.

“The Northern Cape Police Management welcomed life jail term handed down to the accused. It also commended the investigating officer, Sergeant Nowalaza for meticulous investigative work and continued to applaud the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Justice Department for their co-operation in ensuring that justice was served,”

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By KAMOGELO POOE
The North West Province is ready to host yet another successful National Tourism Career Expo (NTCE). The NTCE which is set to run FROM 19-21 September 2019 in Rustenburg.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Fish Mahlahlela said the initiative was officially launched in Potchefstroom recently.

Mahlahlela further said the NTCE is an initiative of the National Department of Tourism, CATHSSETA and the North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism as the host province.

“It is aimed at bridging the information gap between industry, government educators, learners and training authorities within the Tourism sector and its related fields.

“The significance of the NTCE and its objective to contribute meaningfully to the economy by creating sustainable jobs. Tourism is one of the rapidly growing sectors and the NTCE is a catalyst for growth and development within the sector,” he said.

Mahlahlela added that regardless of the economic challenges they are facing globally, Tourism has proven to be a sector which remains competitive.

“It has the potential to create valuable and sustainable jobs and therefore we need to steer efforts towards developing and introducing new growth paths.
“We are pleased with the impact the NTCE has made in terms of skilling young people and raising awareness of the opportunities that are presented by the sector and its multifaceted industries”, said Mahlalela.
The 2019 edition of the NTCE is the 11^th of its kind since establishment and will be running for the second year in the North West.

The MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism, Kenetswe Mosenogi announced that the NTCE attracted over 4000 learners from all provinces in 2018 and this year 5000 learners are targeted to attend.
“In our efforts to diversify and grow the provincial economy we are committed to invest in Tourism. Tourism has contributed largely to the Growth Domestic Product (GDP) and we can exponentially grow our efforts. As a province we are inspired to do extraordinary things to achieve that growth, while working together with our industry players.

“It is for that reason we are certain that this installment of the NTCE will be a great success, ” said Mosenogi.

She said under the theme “Broadening your horizons through tourism opportunities”, the 2019 NTCE will be hosted at the Royal Marang Hotel outside Rustenburg.

Mosenogi said amongst others the event will offer a variety of unique features including Chef’s Corner, Barristers and Mixology platform, Hospitality as well as the Responsible Tourism platform.

(Edited by: Reginald Kanyane)

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

Situation at Dryharts clinic in Taung leaves more to be desired, the Democratic Alliance said in a statement. The DA provincial spokesperson on Health and Social Development, Gavin Edwards said he was dismayed at the appalling condition of the clinic.

“The facility does not only lack vital equipment such as airway support devices, pediatric defibrillation devices and drip stands, adequate maternity or delivery beds, but also keep no drug registers, no infection control registers and the disorganized patient records leave much to be desired.

“The fact that the clinic serves a considerable population in a fairly remote area without adequately trained staff or vital emergency equipment, calls for urgent intervention. The clinic further has no medical waste registers, service schedules and fire extinguishers, which pose a serious medico-legal risk,” said Edwards.

The total dysfunctionality of the clinic was revealed during an oversight inspection by the North West Provincial Legislature Committee on Health and Social Development on Tuesday.

Edwards further said legal action against the department should be avoided at all cost as it is already facing negligence claims amounting to R4bn. He added that the DA will, therefore, write to the MEC for Department of Health, Madoda Sambatha requesting him to urgently address the shortfalls to avoid possible legal action and also the unnecessary loss of lives.

“The following observations made during the oversight will need immediate intervention. The emergency room is not adequately equipped to deal with emergencies, like the layout of the emergency consultation area, is simply too small to provide any meaningful medical care to a patient in need of emergency medical attention.

“The clinic has no Tetanus and Diphtheria vaccinations on-site and also no fridge where drugs can be kept at the correct temperature. Such a fridge is crucial as certain drugs will only be effective when kept at the correct temperature. The Electrocardiogram, Defibrillator and Monitor have no calibration certificate,” he said.

Edwards said there is also no service history or register available for any of the monitoring devices. He said the resuscitation cart has no portable oxygen and the emergency drugs are not locked away.

“Scheduled drugs for sedation are stored in the same unlocked drawer. The mattress on the emergency bed has no linen and no cross-contamination protection. Bloodstains were also visible on the mattress.

“The Emergency Manual Ventilation Devices are stored in the original boxes. Subsequently, medical staff will then have to remove such lifesaving equipment from a box in the event of an emergency. Ideally, these items should be stored in an area that is easy to access.

Oxygen / Medical gas is not stored safely, nor is any register kept of the oxygen inventory,” Edwards said.

According to Edwards, those who are vulnerable in North West are not safe in hospitals and clinics. He said the intention to implement the National Health Insurance Bill will not improve the already collapsed healthcare system. Meanwhile, the North West Health department spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane failed to respond to our questions before going to print.

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