5 December 2024- The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng said a total of seven bodies have been retrieved via Margaret Shaft in Stilfontein in the last five weeks. Morweng said the process of identifying the deceased and determining the cause and time of death is underway.
He further said they have noted and welcome the police report that 26 illegal miners have resurfaced from the disused mine in the last 48 hours. Morweng added that, of these, 14 are Mozambicans, 11 are Lesotho nationals and one is a South African.
“There had been an encouraging steady increase of illegal miners who have been surfacing on their own volition in the last seven days. I have been tasked by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to chair a Multi-Sectoral Task Team to encourage miners to surface through safer shafts,” he said.
Picture: The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
2 December 2024- The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng has noted a preliminary ruling by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
Morweng said the ruling follows an urgent application filed by a group referring to itself as Mining Affected Communities United in Action.
In the case filed on 30 November 2024, Morweng has been cited as first respondent.
“I have indicated that the department will comply with the court ruling. The department’s legal team is studying the judgement, but has hastened to indicate that they are intending to oppose the ruling.
“The next hearing is on 5 December 2024,” he said.
Picture: North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
29 November 2024- The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng together with the Greater Taung Local Municipality mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe, led the Thuntsha Lerole Joint Business Compliance Inspection in the Taung Station CBD, Extensions 6 and 7 on Thursday.
The operation that started on Wednesday, inspected 27 tuck shops, retail stores and 16 liquor outlets. The inspection included businesses in the villages of Magogong, Diplankeng, Diphitsing, and Gamoduoana.
Morweng said the joint operation is one of the important activities of the Thuntsha- Lerole Accelerated Service Delivery Programme taking place bi-weekly to address service delivery issues with necessary interventions.
“These efforts aim to ensure that businesses comply with South Africa’s regulatory framework, such as the North West Business Licensing Act, National Liquor Act, Consumer Protection Act, North West Gambling Board Act, Foodstuffs, Cosmetics, and Disinfectants Act.
“This includes Immigration Act, National Environmental Management Act, and relevant municipal by-laws, focusing on safeguarding both business operations and consumers well-being,” he said.
Morweng further said this operation also serves as a proactive response to the country’s rising concerns over food safety, including recent nationwide reports of food-borne illnesses and fatalities. He added that these incidents, which allegedly involved contaminated snacks causing severe illness and even death among children, have heightened the urgency for stringent compliance measures.
“Today’s inspection uncovered several violations of laws regulating the business sector in the province. Demonstrating zero tolerance for non-compliance, the team confiscated and condemned goods valued at R15 000 and issued fines totalling R5000 to non-compliant businesses.
“The transgressions included the sale of expired and dented food items, unlabelled products, and repackaged foodstuffs. Other violations included operating in unhygienic premises lacking ventilation,” said Morweng.
He said what they have also realised is that some business owners sleep inside shops, keeping animals on business premises, absence of rodents and pest control. Morweng said there is also a failure to separate personal foodstuffs from groceries for sale, particularly those stored in refrigerators.
“Improvements were noted in compliance with business legislation among liquor outlets. Of the 16 liquor businesses inspected, only 2 were found to be non-compliant with the National Liquor Act.
“Similarly, progress was observed in the area of labour regulations, wherein the Department of Employment and Labour recorded only 2 cases of non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage Act 9 of 2018 among the 19 shops visited,” he said.
Morweng said the Department of Home Affairs in enforcing the Immigration Act No. 13 of 2002, inspected 11 shops and noted overall compliance. He said the North West Gambling Board on the other hand confiscated 1 illegal gambling machine from a local tuck shop in Magogong, and a fine of R1500 was issued. “These machines promote illegal gambling among minors, which is strictly prohibited for individuals under the age of 18. So, we urge communities to report suspicious non-compliant spaza shops and retail stores for proper assessment and investigation.
“We appeal to our communities to report spaza shops and retail stores that are not compliant. Reports can be made to the DEDECT, municipalities or South African Police Service (SAPS),” said Morweng.
He said as a government through Thuntsha Lerole and other programmes, they will conduct thorough investigations, make arrests where necessary, press charges in line with the law, or even shut down non-compliant businesses. Morweng said they are a government of the people, and it is their responsibility to protect the communities.
“One death is too many. We must act decisively to end the noncompliance within the business environment. We cannot wait for more lives to be lost before taking action.
“The government will continue to intensify business compliance inspections in collaboration with other regulators, ensuring zero tolerance for non-compliance in the business sector and safeguarding communities’ well-being,” he said.
Picture: The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng/Facebook
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
24 October 2024- The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng on Wednesday, embarked on a criss-cross visit to engage with learners from Mothelesi, Totonyane and Seoleseng Secondary Schools in Taung.
The schools are located in the most rural and remote part of Taung and rely on the department’s scholar transport services.
Morweng, who donated food parcels, shared words of encouragement with the Grade 12 learners, who are currently in camp as part of their final examination season that started this week. He also donated food packs to the schools to ensure that they have enough supplies to sustain them until exams are over.
“Today, I came here with the belief that all of you belong in the categories of champions. You are the fearless generation and there is no doubt that you will become excellent future leaders. So, use this as an opportunity to implement what your teachers have taught you in the preparation phase.
“Conquer and lead your schools to the victory they deserve. The government remains determined to ensure that the necessary support is given to learners throughout their schooling journey and more so in matric,” he said.
Morweng further said he was once in their position and coming from a very rural area, he can tell them that the decision to remain focused will pay off ultimately. He added that they should grab the opportunity to learn with both hands, because education is the greatest equaliser.
Picture: Four people died in a head-on collision/Supplied
By BAKANG MOKOTO
30 September 2024- The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels urged motorists to be patient on the road. This comes after the loss of four lives in an N18 head-on collision accident at 11am on Friday.
The accident happened about three kilometres northwards of the Kalgold mine.
Morweng said all the deceased were from one vehicle that was traveling towards Mahikeng. He said five occupants from the other vehicle travelling towards Setlagole, survived with serious injuries and were taken to the public hospital in Mahikeng.
“We send our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wish speedy recovery to the injured. Our heart goes out to the families of the deceased and we wish those who are hospitalised speedy recovery.
“We are appealing to motorists to be circumspect when driving. Research indicates that the country is losing over 12 000 lives annually to road accidents. We have to ask ourselves searching questions on how we behave behind the steering wheel,” said Morweng.
He further said as much as accidents are sudden, on occasions, investigation revealed that some were avoidable and many are human errors. Morweng added that impatience, recklessness, speeding and many other moving violations, including fiddling with mobile phones whilst driving, are all factors that lead to accidents and innocent lives are lost needlessly.
“We are appealing to those who will be traveling as schools are reopening this week, to drive to the conditions of the road rather than to the speed limit.
“We expect all provincial arterial routes including N4, N12, N14 and N18 to have more than normal traffic as many are coming back from the school break,” he said.
Morweng said a culpable homicide case is being investigated.
Picture: North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng during the official launch of the 14th Trans Kalahari Corridor Joint Law Enforcement Operation (TKCJLEO) in Rustenburg/Supplied
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng has officially launched the 14th Trans Kalahari Corridor Joint Law Enforcement Operation (TKCJLEO) in Rustenburg. Morweng said a week long operation, has brought together delegates from Botswana and Namibia to join their counterparts in South Africa with the intent of improving transportation barriers and safety along the N4 corridor.
He further highlighted the great work of the tripartite countries, since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2003, to ease trade and identify development opportunities.
“It was against this spirit of collective purpose that South Africa, Botswana and Namibia signed this pact in 2003. More than 21 years, we are proudly and justifiably grateful for the enduring relationship we forged.
“The enduring relationship between these three Member States,
saw the signing of the 11 Point Plan by Ministers of Labour, Police and Home Affairs in June 2022. This plan seeks to ensure the smooth passage of freight deliveries,” said Morweng.
He added that this was accentuated by the establishment of the National Logistics Crisis Committee, which is multi-stakeholder and inclusive partnership to resolve clogging at the borders. Morweng said on behalf of the North West Province, they reaffirm commitment to the treaty of the TKC Member States in the creation of a conducive corridor.
“Our economic growth will be greatly enhanced, if we can align our strategies with the TKC objectives. The aim is to contribute and promote trade facilitation within the TKC Members States by improving transport efficiency.
“We need to ensure that there are harmonised policies and procedures within the region, simplify cross-border transactions and customs operation, reduce costs of doing business in the freight and logistics environment, as well as to standardise Road Transport Management System (RIMS) and share information across the three countries,” he said.
Morweng has also extended gratitude to all stakeholders, who are part of the South African leg of the TKCJLEO and the presence of members delegated from Swaziland.
Picture: Some of the buses from Atamelang Bus Company/Facebook
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng has applauded the bravery displayed by some of the Atamelang Bus Company drivers for preventing possible disaster that might happen due to conditions of some of the buses used to transport commuters. Morweng said Atamelang is one of the commuter companies that are subsidised by the his department.
Today, the drivers came to the department head offices and requested a meeting with Morweng, asking him to intervene. Of late, the buses belonging to the company experienced mechanical breakdowns with lot of dissatisfaction from commuters, who are mostly workers and learners.
“As a result, commuters have been arriving late to their respective destinations. I was encouraged by the bravery displayed by drivers. One thing that I must express is the bravery they have displayed and not worried about losing your jobs, but putting lives of our commuters first.
“That shows they know their role in the society, unlike keeping quiet when Rome is burning and know they could have taken actions to avert tragedy,” he said.
Morweng assured that, government will intervene in the challenges that commuters using Atamelang buses are faced with everyday and come up with a permanent solution. He further said government cannot sit back and idle when tax payers’ money is being used and there is no value for money.
“You go to work or school as a learner, you are not sure if you will arrive on time. You go home after work, you still not sure if you will arrive home on time. This has to stop and I will soon meet with company owners to hear what are their plans in trying to resolve the challenges passengers are faced with on daily basis,” said Morweng.
The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng said crime is a societal matter and requires all role players to play their part in creating a functional society with low levels of crime. Morweng, who addressed the Community Policing Indaba in Mahikeng, made this notion.
He further emphasised the support required to assist the police and community based structures to fight crime.
“The values our forebears legacy to us is that as we say in Setswana, letsema le kgonwa ka go tshwaraganelwa. We shall not and we will never defeat crime unless and until we begin to work together and report any kind of wrong doing to law enforcement. This country has laws and all of us are subjected to obeying those laws.
“One anomaly that needs to be corrected is that crime fighting is the responsibility of one or two entities. Crime is a collective responsibility of all us. Let me illustrate, trauma counselling of a crime victim is the responsibility of the Social Development and not of Community Safety and Transport Management or the police.
“I would also like to encourage the Indaba to prioritise a community involvement approach as an advanced way of dealing with crime. Recently, we tabled plans to ensure the necessary support to capacitate Community Policing Forums (CPF). What we are doing here today follows a directive from the President that CPF must be strengthened as an added arm to fight crime,” he said.
Morweng further said the CPF strategy was drafted as well as Rural Safety Strategy. He added that when presenting the 2024/2025 Budget Speech two and half weeks ago, he had indicated that as department, they have implemented a number of campaigns in the past financial year to address issues related to the prevention of Gender Based Violence (GBV).
“For CPFs to be effective, we require support of our municipalities. We have to start educating our communities on the role of the CPF and how they, as ordinary citizens can play a role in reporting crime.
“The Community Policing Indaba will chart a new set of ideas on the overall promotion of accountability of the service to local communities. This Indaba is not done in futility, we develop plans and strategies, including identifying areas of priority under the premise of the fundamental pillars which are public education, building community resilience to crime, multi disciplinary collaboration, community policing and public order, communication and marketing as well as capacity, capability and resourcing of CPFs,” said Morweng.
Meanwhile, the North West Deputy Police Commissioner, Maj Gen Gopolang Patrick Asaneng, who provided an overview presentation on Community Policing as an Overarching Integrated Crime Prevention Policy, Rural Safety Strategy and Traditional Policing Concept said in their efforts to fight crime, it is also important to solidify crime prevention programmes to demotivate people from criminality in all its forms.
The Indaba is scheduled to take place over a period of two days, where commissions will deliberate on the pillars of the community policing strategy. This includes the signing of a pledge of support by different stakeholders.
The event was also graced by the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Roads, Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile, the Chairperson of the North West House of Traditional and Khoi- San Leaders, Kgosi Thari Maotwe, the Provincial Chairperson of the CPFs, Robert Malungane and Mmakgosi Seatlholo from the Moral Regeneration Movement who all made meaningful contributions to the programme.
Picture: The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng along with SANSBOC delegates/Supplied
By REGINALD KANYANE
The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng, today met with the Provincial South African Small Bus Operator Council (SANSBOC) officials as part of an introductory meeting. Morweng said the aim was to get first-hand information as to what are the challenges, as well as their plans to take the department forward in line with their mandate.
“We welcomed the engagement with the hope that it should be the start of more interaction with the organisation, so as to build a working relationship, but also to find each other on issues that are beneficial to all stakeholders.
“Furthermore, SANSBOC requested me to form a task team that will resolve some of the challenges that they have encountered and also come up with remedial actions,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of SANSBOC, Final Kgodumo raised issues that he feels Morweng needed to take note of and intervene.
Picture: North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng will present the department’s 2024/25 budget speech at the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL) on Tuesday. Morweng spokesperson, Charles Matlou said this will be in line with key areas of priority that the department will focus on, in order to render better services to the people of the North West Province.
“The speech will also highlight significant progress registered by the department from the previous financial year,” he said.
The Guardian 