Tag Archives: Oageng Molapisi

Military Veterans receive new homes

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Picture: One of beneficiaries receives a house

By REGINALD KANYANE

9 April 2025- Military veterans in Ganyesa were on cloud nine as they moved into their new houses. This comes after the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, presented them with keys to their houses recently.

Molapisi said the handover marked a significant milestone in the department’s commitment of eradicating the military veterans housing programme backlog and providing quality houses to them, thereby improving their livelihoods. He said during the handover, he emphasized that the provincial department, in conjunction with the National Department of Military Veterans, have resolved and agreed on the standard plan nationally and that made way for these houses to be constructed.

“The department remains committed to ensuring that all military veterans are traced and get access to their benefits, including building houses for them. It remains the department’s mandate to ensure that the military veterans housing backlog becomes a thing of the past.

“This is possible, if we work together to ensure that our military veterans are given back their pride and dignity for all the sacrifices they have made for the freedom we are enjoying today,” he said.

Molapisi further said he is proud to stand before them to witness their patience finally paying off. He added that they kept their faith and thanked them for that.

“This is your home, please look after it,” said Molapisi.

The acting mayor of Kagisano Molopo Local Municipality, Karolo Mothwane, welcomed the delivery and handover of the houses. Mothwane said the municipality prides itself to be recognised as the first municipality in the North West to hand over houses to military veterans.

“As the municipality we are very privileged to be home to these great men who committed their lives to the fight for freedom, their legacy will forever be preserved for prosperity” he said.  

Former Bophuthatswana Defence Force (BDF) member and one of the beneficiaries of the military veterans housing programme, Patrick Nampa (54) said he is happy that his dream of owning a house has been realised. Nampa has been living in his family house with his wife and children.

Another beneficiary, Motlapele Otto (59) said that he is happy for his family now that they have their own home. Otto worked for the Bophuthatswana Defence Force from 1986 to 1994, then joined the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) until 1997. He is currently staying with his wife and children, and he is a military veteran’s grant recipient.

“I want to thank the department for taking care of the military veterans. This really shows that we were not fighting the Apartheid regime for nothing,” said Otto.

Both Nampa and Otto urged other military veterans to be patient, because they believe that their turn will also come.

Meanwhile, out of the targeted 33 houses for the previous financial year, the department has managed to build and complete 13 military veterans’ houses. Seven are in Ganyesa, two in Tlakgameng, one in Kgokgojane and the other three are in Mabele-a-pudi and Bapong villages respectively.

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A complete paradigm shifts necessary to achieve mandate of COGTA

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Picture: North West MEC for COGHSTA, Oageng Molapisi addressing the CoGTA Strategic Planning Session/Supplied 

By OBAKENG MAJE

2 October 2024- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, addressed the start of the three-day Strategic Planning Session held in Mahikeng. Speaking at the strategic planning session, which coincided with 100 days of the 7th administration, Molapisi called for a paradigm shift from managers towards achieving the mandate of the department.

“We call on all officials to build on the work done over the years to restore the dignity of the institution, accelerate pro-poor service delivery and rural development.

“We also advised managers to discuss ways to improve departments’ audit status from consecutive unqualified opinions to a clean audit outcome; use of available performance information of municipalities to inform a strategy to support improved municipal audit outcomes and focus on research and innovation for solutions,” he said.

Molapisi further called on the administration to take the lead in ensuring that the District Development Model (DDM) is institutionalised across all municipalities. He added that leaving this session, they must have aligned their strategic plans with available resources, driving development and growth.

“We must prioritise the people on the ground at all material times. Our department must focus on the three key priorities as outlined in the Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) 2024-2029, with specific focus on building an ethical and developmental state,” he said.

Molapisi added that they need a renewed determination and a realistic plan to improve the delivery of basic services and bring stability to local government.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the North West House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders (NWHTKL), Kgosi Thari Maotwe, senior officials led by the Head of Department (HOD), Dr Ben Bole, SALGA and other stakeholders, were amongst attendees.

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North West MEC, Elizabeth Mokua conducts oversight visit to Military Veterans Housing Programme in Ganyesa

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Picture: North West MEC for Public Works and Roads, Elizabeth Mokua with beneficiaries/Supplied 

By REGINALD KANYANE

17 September 2024- The North West MEC for Public Works and Roads, Elizabeth Mokua conducted an oversight visit to the Military Veterans Housing Programme in Ganyesa, near Vryburg. Mokua’s oversight visit was part of the Provincial Government’s Accelerated Service delivery Programme, Thuntsha Lerole.

Mokua, who was standing in for the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, was accompanied by local ward councillors and Dikgosi. She expressed her satisfaction in the progress made by the department in ensuring the provision of housing to the Military Veterans in the province.

“We also engaged with beneficiaries of the three houses amongst those that the department has constructed. During these engagements, we observed, registered and acknowledged progress in relation to the specifications on these houses.

“These include built -in kitchen, stove, bedroom cupboards and fitted bathroom amongst others. The house is also making provision of an additional 3rd Bedroom replacing the carport, which beneficiaries have requested for,” said Mokua.

She further reiterated that it is in the interest of the department to complete all backlogs as it is the department’s commitment to redress and restore dignity in the lives of communities in the province. Mokua added that they are mindful of different circumstances the beneficiaries are faced with.

“The department will continue to conduct due diligence in every project they are working on and quality assurance, compliance and accountability forms part of the contract with service providers,” she said.

Meanwhile, the emotional Tsimane Kamanyane, who is one of the beneficiaries, showed his gratitude and appreciation to the gesture that the department has extended.

“I am very emotional because I now see that indeed, the government is caring. I am an owner because I now have a dignified home,” he said.

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DA: “Ditsobotla Local Municipality heading toward a total collapse again”

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

5 September 2024- The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ditsobotla said it will write to the North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi, the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Oageng Molapisi, as well as the North West MEC of Finance, Kenetswe Mosenogi, to urge them to take decisive action in dealing with the defiance and deliberate flouting of laws by the municipality.

The DA Constituency Head in Ditsobotla Local Municipality, Joe McGluwa said deliberate disorder and lawlessness have once again rendered the municipality unstable and will soon lead to the total collapse of the municipality once again. McGluwa alleged that the ANC is finding itself in the centre stage once more, as its divided caucus plays a key role in the commotion within the municipality.

“Pairing this with the defiance from councillors representing the EFF, F4SD and Save Ditsobotla, the instability of the municipality creates a ripple effect shaking the municipality to the core.

“Despite being warned by the Department of COGTA that the municipality cannot afford to appoint a Municipal Manager (MM), the grouping persisted,” he said.

He further said last week, the Speaker cancelled a planned sitting citing a security threat. McGluwa added, however, the grouping went ahead with the sitting, tabled a motion against him and nominated a new Speaker.

“Today, the new Speaker called for a council sitting to appoint senior managers—another irregular appointment process. All this is taking place within a municipality that cannot afford to pay salaries or even deliver the most basic services, such as water and electricity, to the residents.

“Last week, the Auditor General (AG) also revealed in his report that Ditsobotla is one of only two municipalities in the country that did not submit its 2022/2023 Annual Financial Statements (AFS),” said McGluwa.

He said if no response on their letters comes forth within the next seven days, they will have no choice, but to seek the intervention of COGHSTA Minister, Velinkosi Hlabisa. McGluwa said the residents and businesses of Ditsobotla are suffering.

“We call on all parties in the GNU at national level to bring the national sobriety into this municipality for the sake of the residents of Ditsobotla, who deserve none of this current drama.

“Although the DA in Ditsobotla wishes to distance itself from the chaos that is the municipality, we will not stop fighting for the residents until Ditsobotla Local Municipality and the town as a whole return to their former glory,” he said.

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Two initiates died, over 100 rescued from 17 initiation schools in North West

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Picture: One of the illegal initiation schools burned down as part of its shut down/Supplied

By STAFF REPORTER  

More than 100 initiates were rescued from 17 initiation schools across the province. According to the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, his department, through the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) and in collaboration with South African Police Service (SAPS), has successfully closed down these initiation schools.

“The shutting down of the schools follows the extensive oversight visits conducted by the PICC across the province, to clamp down on illegal initiation schools since the beginning of the 2024 winter initiation season in line with Section 15 of the Customary Initiation Act No 2 of 2021 (CIA).

“The committee was monitoring compliance in terms of Sections 20, 21, 23 and 24 of the CIA with, verifying the qualifications and credentials of initiation school practitioners i.e. principals, care-takers and traditional surgeons. They also inspected the facilities and resources to ensure they meet minimum standards as per Section 30 of the CIA,” he said.

Molapisi further said these operations have ensured the safety and health of numerous young initiates whom some were found to be in a dire condition. He added that the PICC has opened cases at various police stations and the school principals were arrested. 

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of PICC, Kgosi Godfrey Ramosetlho Gasebone, has expressed deepest concern over the non-compliance of the initiation school principals, which resulted in an increase of illegal schools and deaths of 2 initiates. Gasebone said the proliferation of illegal initiations is driven by money and greed by individuals who want to extort money from the parents of initiates.

“During our capacity building session which occurred in April 2024, the PICC has done its best to engage the school principals across the province about the new customary initiation law and to follow before establishing the initiations school. This was done in an effort to prevent the emergence of illegal initiation schools.

“We are happy that the school principals have been arrested and they will face the full might of the law. We will continue to work with the police to clamp down on these illegal acts and until everyone follows the dictates of the CIA,” he said.

Gasebone also condemned the recent attack of the PICC Deputy Chairperson Andries Stemmer’s son, an act of intimidation by those running illegal initiation schools. He said this incident occurred following a community tip-off about illegal initiation schools in Lichtenburg and Coligny, where 13 initiates were found.

“Other initiates were rescued from illegal schools Moretele, Motla, Makapanstad, Kromkuil, Klipgat, Kgabalatsane, Hebron, Letlhabile, Tigane, Goedgevonden, Mahikeng, Mareetsane, Coligny, Boikhutso, Makouspan and Madibogo, which were shut down. The rescued initiates were taken to neighbouring clinics and hospitals for further check-ups and assistance.

“No initiation school will exist without following the prescripts of the CIA, which amongst other included medical check-ups of initiates and acquiring consent from parents of initiates. What is happening is totally unacceptable. It is illegal and shows no regard for life,” said Gasebone.

He said they appeal to communities to help the department and PICC to stop these criminals, who abduct schoolboys and initiate them without the knowledge and consent of their parents. Gasebone said two deaths would have been avoidable.

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