24 March 2025- Seven murder accused were remanded in custody. This comes after their brief appearance in the Brits Magistrate’s Court on 17 March 2025.
The accused, Katlego Maila, 30, Tebogo Morale, 25, Kopano Makwela, 24, Kgomotso Koma, 30, Tshepang Makwela, 25, Tumelo Sengwani, 27, and Joseph Chauke, 26, were remanded in custody until 24 March 2025, for bail application and legal representation. The accused were arrested on 13 March 2025, in Letlhabile, outside Brits, in connection with the murder of John Mashile (30) on 12 March 2025.
The North West police spokesperson, Captain Mpho Manyoba said it is alleged that police in Letlhabile were summoned to the local clinic, where they were shown Mashile’s lifeless body. Manyoba said the reports suggested that the victim escaped from a church premises where he and other people were seemingly treated for mental illness and doing drugs.
“Although initial reports indicated that the man was killed by the public, it transpired during the questioning that the accused allegedly assaulted and killed him after he attempted to escape from the centre.
“The accused were as a result, arrested for murder,” she said.
Meanwhile, the acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng, welcomed the arrest and commended the members for the breakthrough.
9 December 2024- The Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) in the North West on Monday declared the granting of bail to a deputy principal (63), who is accused of raping a learner (12), from Kgwanyape Primary school in Majakaneng village, outside Brits, as a travesty of justice and a setback against fighting Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
Pastor Lesiba Kgwele, who is a convenor of the MRM North West Interim Committee, called on the North West Department of Education to immediately suspend the official facing charges of sexual grooming, sexual assault and statutory rape.
Kgwele said this comes after the accused allegedly kissed the victim in 2023, and purportedly began to send her nude pictures.
“It is reported that seeing the messages, the victim’s friend informed her mother and a teacher requested them to bring the phones to school for observation. The mother of the victim was subsequently informed of the incident by the school and a case was opened against the accused on 23 November 2024.
“The accused was arrested on 25 November, after he handed himself over to the Brits Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences offices,” he said.
Kgwele further pointed out that MRM will be referring the matter to the South African Council of Educators (SACE), to probe the deputy principal’s alleged conduct, which it views as despicable, unethical, violation of educators’ code of conduct and bringing the teaching profession into disrepute.
He added that educators are expected to act in ‘loco-parentis’ and to at all material times protect learners in keeping with values adopted by their respective school communities.
“The granting of bail to perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence & Femicide (GBVF), undermines the objective to send an unequivocal message that there is no place in our society for those who have no regard for women and children’s rights, including the sanctity of life of the most vulnerable in our communities,” said Kgwele.
He declared that miscarriage of justice contributes significantly towards eroding public confidence in the criminal justice system often resulting in communities opting for desperate measures that include taking the law into their own hands.
Kgwele said their disappointment is that the alleged perpetrator was granted bail besides evidence presented suggesting that he had reportedly attempted to intimidate witnesses.
“We emphasise that education authorities and school governing bodies are expected to exercise zero tolerance to sexual violence against learners in order to tackle the scourge of GBVF.
“This also includes ensuring that everyone employed at their various institutions are not registered on the National Sexual Offenders Register,” he said.
Two children aged 3 and 10 died after allegedly eating porridge, chicken feet and wheat. It is alleged that a woman (32) from Regogorile in Sonop, outside Brits, cooked a meal for the family on 17 November 2023. The North West police spokesperson, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said, all family members, including their neighbours’ three children, ate the meal and everybody went to sleep.
“The children aged between 2 and 17, became ill and vomited in the early hours of Saturday morning, 18 November 2023. An ambulance was called, but one of the children was declared dead at the scene, while others including the neighbours’ children as well as the woman who cooked the meal, were taken to Brits Hospital for medical attention.
“Regrettably, the second child died at the hospital, while two other children were later transferred to George Mukhari Hospital. The police have opened an inquest docket for investigation,” he said.
The Guardian 