Rustenburg – Marikana in North West near Rustenburg is one of the areas where police found it difficult to police, acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane said on Friday.

“There are areas such as Marikana where police find it difficult to work. officers are attacked when responding to complaints,” he said at the national police day at Ikageng in Mosenthal near Rustenburg. He said events such as the national police day were intended to bring the police and the community together in order to fight crime. “We must find peace, we must bridge the gap. We are not enemies of the community.”

Residents of Marikana West marched to the Marikana police station on December 8 last year, and declared their area as a no go area for the police. They allegedly told the station commander that police would enter Marikana West at their own risk, that afternoon a man was hacked to death by a mob of over 30 people.

Six people including activist Napoleon Webster have been arrested in connection with that murder, they were expected to appear in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court sitting in Tlhabane on Monday for bail.

Tension between Marikana residents and the police stems from the death of 34 mineworkers who were killed by the police at a koppie near Nkaneng informal settlement four years ago, following a violent wildcat strike at Lonmin platinum mine Marikana operations.

In total 44 people, including two policemen and two Lonmin security guards, where killed during the violent strike. Phahlane said in the previous financial year, 81 police officers were killed.

“In the 2015/2016, financial year 81 officers were killed, this figure include those who were killed in [road] accidents while on duty, 40 died in the line of duty. Since April, 45 officers were killed and those who died in the line of duty are 27.”

Earlier, the SA Policing Union (Sapu) said it was worried at the number of police officer who were killed. “Our members are mercifully killed,” said Sapu North West provincial chairperson Letebele Mothobi.

He said the union would continue to fight for better working conditions of the police officers and called on the community to work with the police to defeat crime.

African News Agency

Rustenburg – For 80-year-old Johannah Kolobe of Ikageng near Rustenburg, the police are not her protector but, helped to put a roof over her head.

The pensioner was close to shed tears on Friday, when the police handed over a newly built house to her. “I was not expecting this, I did not believe, this is a surprise. God is great,” she said clapping her hands together.

She said when she saw a truck delivery a load of bricks, she was convince she would have a house.

“I was left with nothing when the fire ate my house. I bought building material bit by bit to rebuild my shack but, when I saw load of bricks delivered to my yard I was realised it was going to get a house.”

The furnished house consists with two bedrooms, lounge, kitchen, a shower and a toilet.

Her shack burnt to ashes on December 16 last year, and she was left with only the night dress she was wearing.

She shared the house with eight people, including her son and his wife, together with four grandchildren.

Police Minister Nathi Nhleko flanked by acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane and North West provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane handed the house to her on national police day.

The police also bought grocery to the Kolobe family and other 100 families, they also bought full school uniform to five school children.

African News Agency

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Johannesburg – North West church leaders have come out in support of a bishop after he made headlines for making homophobic comments during a sermon.

Pastor Lesiba Kgwele from Mahikeng Ministers Fellowship on Sunday said the sermon of Bishop Dag Heward-Mills delivered at the Grace Christian Church was not targeted at gay communities, but was preached out of love.

“Dag Heward-Mills did not cross the line for his sermon to be considered hate speech. It is a pastor’s mandate to preach the word of God and that message was preached out of love. People prefer to hear a Gospel that tickles their ears.”

Kgwele said Grace Christian Church should have supported Heward-Mills and not distanced itself from him after the bishop reportedly said homosexuality was unnatural while discussing the soul and sins.

“Which animal has one partner? It’s just like homosexuality, you don’t have male and male. You don’t find two male dogs, two male lions, two male impalas, two male lizards. You don’t find that in nature. That is unnatural. There is nothing like that in nature,” Heward-Mills was reported as saying.

However, Kgewele said the message was aimed at making people repent.

“The Word of God is not preached to adorn, support or endorse our sinful nature, but is invariably at odds or at enmity with that which prevails as the conventional and accepted wisdom,” Kgwele said.

Local celebrity Somizi Mhlongo set Twitter abuzz after he posted on Instagram that he had stormed out of the church following Ghanaian-born Heward-Mills’s homophobic comments.

But Kgwele said: “Somizi must be reminded that Christians are called to be pilgrims, strangers and sojourners in the world and that the primary function of preaching is to jolt God’s people into an awareness of the degree to which they have unconsciously succumbed to the world and its values.”

He said everyone was created in the image of God and should be loved in that way.

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Residents of Mahikeng and surrounding areas requested Parliament to give them more time to study the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill in order to make meaningful contributions on the draft legislation.

They told the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs that the time allocated for the public hearings on the Bill was not adequate, as some citizens only had less than a day to go through the Bill and were then expected to make comments.

“The time is not enough for the community to engage on the Bill, some of us only saw it for the first time today. Can you please allow us more time to go through it and come back for the public consultation,” Dipuo Matlhonoko said.

Another member of the community who claimed to have seen the Bill for the first time on the day of the public hearing, Mr Goitseone Motseoakhumo, said he needed two weeks to study it before he can make an input.

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Other members of the community advised 

Parliament to host more public 

educationsessions on the bill especially in 

rural areas  under traditional leadership and 

Khoi-San 

communities which, they argued, were mainly 

affected by the draft legislation.

Kgosi Gobusamang Shole from the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders asked the Committee to have the Bill translated into local languages, documents must be available is Setswana and for the Bill to be renamed “Traditional Affairs Bill”.

“The documents must also be available is Setswana. It is always good to read for yourself than to rely on interpretation and I also think the legislation should be renamed Traditional Affairs Bill because the current title makes the Khoi-San special than other tribes,” he told the Committee at the packed Mafikeng Civic Centre on Tuesday.

He also advised the Committee to consult further with houses of traditional leaders at local and provincial levels.

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Goitsemodimo Gaborone said the Bill will give 

more powers to the chiefs and was not in the 

interest of the community.

“Rural communities under traditional leadership are excluded from benefiting from natural resources, yet they are the owners of the land.

“Chiefs are still oppressing the people in rural communities, it is not true that communities do not respect traditional leaders – people feel undermined. Makgosi do not own the land, we all have equal rights to the land and the natural resources,” he said.

Committee Chairperson Mr Richard Mdakane said the Committee will return to the North West Province to meet with traditional leaders on issues raised by the public that were not related to the Bill.

“We are not here because we are scared to go to the Constitutional Court, but because the Constitution enjoins us to consult the public and we are here also to learn because we do not know everything, we value the views of our people,” he said.

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BY BAKANG MOKOTO

RUSTENBURG Local Municipality could be under new leadership in no time if what Forum 4 Service Delivery’s utterance is anything to go by. 

F4SD national spokesperaon, Elias Mogoru said they will robustly meet with the African Independent  Congress (AIC) for a high level discussion regarding the future of the Rustenburg Local Municipality.

“F4SD is of a view that the AIC is gradually seeing the light and will in due course release Rustenburg Municipality into the hands of community so as to take control the affairs of their platinum municipality,” Mogoru said.

No political party has won with the outright majority during Local Government elections back in 2016. 

He further said the coalition between the AIC and ANC was not based on what the people of Rustenburg were looking for from the AIC. 

“It is our strong conviction as F4SD that people of Rustenburg who voted against those who cannot deliver on their promises since 1994, wanted a corrupt-free and clean-run municipality. They also did that to strengthen our maturing democracy,”he said. 

Mogoru added that the wishes of the people of Rustenburg must be honored. According to Mogoru, AIC has agreed to meet with them to discuss the matter. 

“F4SD is confident that after this meeting, our counterparts in the Ekurhuleni will follow suit and AIC will listen to the voices of the masses on the ground,” he said. 

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BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

A MAN has been arrested in connection with murder of a police officer in Kimberly. Mzwandile Majosi, 28 appeared in Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

The Hawks provincial spokesperson, Capt Philani Nkwalase said the body of Constable Lentswe Edward Mogorosi was discovered in the veld near Lerato Park on January 8 at around 05:45am.

“The police officer had sustained multiple stab wounds on his face and body. Some of the deceased’s personal items were allegedly recovered during Majosi’s arrest.

“The investigations revealed that Majosi was convicted of robbery in 2008, theft conviction in 2010 and has a pending case of possession of drugs in Kimberley. Majosi decided to abandon his bail application soon after Hawks’ Investigating officer presented evidence against his bail application,” Nkwalase said.

Northern Cape Hawks Provincial Head, Major General Kholekile Galawe welcomed the court outcome and applauded the investigating team for their commitment in ensuring that cop killers remain behind bars.

The case was postponed to March 23 for further investigation.

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BY REGINALD KANYANE

MEC for health, Dr Magome Masike will meet with all the CEO’s and Chairpersons of Hospital Boards at North West EMRS college in Orkney on Friday.

The department spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said: “The purpose of the meeting is to assess service delivery progress, identify challenges and chart way forward. Chairpersons of Hospital Boards are elected in terms of the National Health Act no 61 of 2003 to represent communities in their struggle to find their legitimate share in the governance and transformation of the health institutions and the health system generally.

“They will therefore be expected to present issues that communities have raised as matters of concern or which hampers health service delivery. Masike will also hear from them suggestions from communities on how best to improve health care service delivery in the province.”

Masike will also use the platform to update the meeting on how far the department is in resolving some of the known community complains like shortage of medication, shortage of ambulances, shortage of health professionals and others.

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Johannesburg – Terror-accused twins Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee Thulsie are expected back in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

They would hear whether the court would grant the State a three-month postponement for further investigations.

The twins were arrested in July during raids in Newclare and Azaadville on the West Rand. They face three counts of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act.

According to their charge sheet, the brothers, who were arrested along with siblings Ebrahim and Fatima Patel, were allegedly linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State group and were allegedly planning to set off explosives at a US embassy and “Jewish institutions” in South Africa.

The investigating officer found the twins had been active on social media prior to their arrests, allegedly discussing matters that could incriminate them.

Their lawyer, Annelene van den Heever, argued at their last appearance that the matter should be struck off the roll until the State had its house in order.

NPA spokesperson Phindi Louw told reporters outside court after their last appearance on Monday that the investigation was complex. She said they were convinced they had a case against the twins.

For more http://www.news24.com

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BY KATLEGO MOKAILA
Despite the good rains in recent months, our normal water needs still cannot be met and we are not out of the clear yet. The drought is far from over and even with a normal season it will take a number of years for the system to stabilize to an acceptable level.

North West province, which according to 2011 Census report has more than 3 million people is one of the driest province that is largely dependent on ground water. This then would mean that the drought situation must be taken seriously by everyone because  surface water is declining rapidly.

Climate change is still in our midst and South Africans have observed its effects first hand, even today we are experiencing changes in rainfall patterns and increasing heat. To say water is a precious resource is not an exaggeration from government but a reality. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, most of the three percent of freshwater is inaccessible. Over 68 percent of the freshwater on earth is found in icecaps and glaciers, and just over 30 percent is found in ground water. Only about 0.3 percent of our fresh water is found in the surface water of lakes, rivers, and the earth’s fresh water available for human consumption. This means that South Africa as a thirsty country, beyond doubt it is squeezing its limited drops to meet the demands of its people.

Government has had to spend millions of rands on drought relief interventions such as water tankers and borehole drilling among others in worst affected provinces and it is still not enough. This clearly means we should save water and change our casual behavior in our daily use.

The recent rainfalls have not made that much of an impact, it was like just a drop in the ocean, let’s continue being water wise. Every drop should count, as long as there climatic conditions such as El Nino and La Nina, water scarcity will continue to be a lifetime headache to all because is not a passing occurrence hence we need to adapt to it.

Let’s also adapt to rain water harvesting. Water should not go to waste, rain water is free and it should be used for meaningful things and not wasted.

The following tips could be useful:

·         To store rain water, use a drum or bucket when it is raining so that you can use the water after it has rained, but be careful and close the bucket so that children should not fall in and drown in it.

·         Educate children on how to save water and not to play with water as it is dangerous.

·         Use a bucket to wash your car

·         Save water that falls off during a shower

·         Save grey water and store rain water

Most people do not take the drought situation seriously because they are always fetching water from their taps or they wait for a water tankering truck to deliver water to them and if that doesn’t happen, they object.

In thirsty Municipalities such as Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality (DrRSMDM), dams such as Wentzel have no water, in fact there is no drop of water to be precise; however emergency support such as tankering have been deployed to all affected areas in the North West Province, including Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality.

Currently 211 dams are monitored by the Department of Water and Sanitation, 28 falls under North West Province. Dam levels in the North West Province are currently up from 1.6% to 67.3%. Remember dam levels are monitored weekly.

This forecast is still quite concerning with regard to the recovery of our dams. While we have seen some slight improvements in dam levels with the national average increasing, the drought is not over and we need to intensify our efforts to save water. Water restrictions measures will continue to be implemented until South Africa becomes a water wise alert society.

NB: Katlego Mokaila is the Communications Manager in the Department of Water and Sanitation, North West Region

 taungdailynews@gmail.com

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BY KEDIBONE MOLSETSI
A murder case against six suspects who allegedly killed Democratic Alliance councillor, Johannes Baatjies and his associate, Shuping Nose was transferred to Kimberley High Court on Monday.

The Hawks provincial spokesperson, Capt Philani Nkwalase said Zonisele Magawu (29), Charles Thompson Mpondomisa (39), Matthews Legodu (49) Richard Hasana (33), Paullis Mvuleni Mgcera (50) and Tsame Frak Baxane (31) appeared in Postmasburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

“The matter was referred to Kimberley High Court for trial from March 13 and all six suspects remain in custody as their bail application was denied last year.

“They are facing the murder charges relating to the killing of Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor, Johannes Baatjies and his business associates Mr. Shupping Nose which occurred in August 2016,” Nkwalase said.

He added that Magawu was arrested shortly after the incidents, Mpondomisa, Legodu and Hasana were arrested in September while Mgcera and Baxane were arrested in October. 

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