Table of contents for 2024-07-12 in DFA News

A 32-YEAR-old man who stabbed his friend with a butcher’s knife was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Hopetown Regional Court. SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane said the police received a complaint on October 28, 2023, about a stabbing incident in Plakkerskamp in Strydenburg. “A murder case was opened and registered and the suspect was subsequently arrested,” said Shemane. He stated that the accused, Defin Sekoo, stabbed his friend, Barend Matjan, 35, in the chest during an argument. “The deceased was stabbed with a butcher’s knife in the presence of his partner and their two children.” Shemane added that the SAPS remained committed to reducing the occurrence and impact of violent crimes by bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to book. The Pixley Ka Seme district police management welcomed…

THE MAGIC of Rotary is alive and well. In a heart-warming display of international co-operation, the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek in Frederick, Maryland, USA, and the Rotary Club of Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, have joined forces to launch a transformative project aimed at improving lives across South Africa. This ambitious initiative, supported by numerous Rotary clubs and NGOs, including Bicycles for Humanity and Bikes for the World, has mobilised communities in the USA, Canada and Australia to collect used bicycles and ship them to needy communities in South Africa. One of the first shipments, a 12-metre container filled with 450 bicycles, recently arrived in Galeshewe. The container, sent by the Charleston branch of Bicycles for Humanity, left the port of Charleston, South Carolina, aboard the cargo ship MSC…

Griquas are ready to take a bite out of Sharks after Pumas mauling, while the Sharks also need to get their campaign back on track THE SUZUKI Griquas must have been left scratching their heads after the Airlink Pumas kicked off their Currie Cup campaign in spectacular fashion with a decisive 42-22 victory over their hosts at Suzuki Park in Kimberley last Friday afternoon. This triumph for the Pumas was particularly sweet for the team from Mpumalanga, especially after their SA Cup final defeat to the Griquas in May. Last Friday's match was electric from the start, with both teams notching two tries each within the first 20 minutes. Eduan Swart and Stephan Coetzee crossed the line for the Pumas, while Cameron Hufke and Zwelendaba Mnombo kept the Griquas in…

The Northern Cape Indoor Social League’s Season 1 concluded with a tightly contested final match held at the De Beers Athletic Club, where Thole CA clinched the championship by defeating Six Skippas with a narrow 1-0 margin. This victory crowned Thole CA as the season champions, a fitting end to another thrilling season of indoor soccer. Though not a mainstream sporting event, the Northern Cape Indoor Social League has nevertheless been a staple in the region for the past six years, offering an activity that promotes a healthy lifestyle and provides invaluable networking opportunities for working professionals and entrepreneurs. Season 1 of this year, which kicked off in March, showcased an impressive level of competition and community spirit, culminating in the recent final. Kgatliso Manake (pictured right), chairman of the…

SPRINGBOK centre Damian de Allende says the horror results of 2016 and 2017 continue to drive the Springboks to greater heights because many of the players who featured in record losses to New Zealand are still playing. De Allende felt the pain of two 50-point losses to the All Blacks and a first defeat to Italy, and he says the good times the Boks are currently enjoying keep the players working harder because they don’t want to go back to the nightmare of the Allister Coetzee era. The 80-cap veteran says the Boks want to continue breaking records and beating Ireland in Durban tomorrowfor a 2-0 series win is another biggie they want to bank. “In 2016 and 2017 we went through a rough patch of losing a lot of…

A COMPETITIVE bidder who lost out on an opportunity to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant in Barkly West has requested the Hawks to investigate how the R3 million tender was allegedly awarded in a fraudulent manner. Moremi Empire Enterprises/Isi Phanda General Trading joint venture partner Mothusi Bogoto requested Dikgatlong Local Municipality to provide them with all the bid committee minutes. “We have a reasonable suspicion that the service provider was appointed without due tender procedures being followed. We officially launched a dispute against this appointment.” He added that eight companies attended the compulsory site briefing and the appointed company was not present “The municipality adopted a defensive stance and has shown no willingness to co-operate in assisting us in understanding why this company was awarded the tender. In our view,…

DERRICK Fyvers, the accused convicted of shooting a man at a local guest house, this week took the stand in the Northern Cape High Court for mitigation of his sentence. Fyvers shot and killed Ashwin Malan at his mother's guest house in West End on September 8, 2016. He was convicted of the premeditated murder of Malan. Fyvers told the court that he was out on parole after he was sentenced to 38 years for another murder that occurred in 1999. He was also convicted of charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, illegal possession of ammunition and the illegal possession of a firearm. He told the court that he was suffering from a cardiac disease and that he was financially supporting his daughter, who can not work due to a…

SOL PLAATJE Municipality has berated residents for complaining about high electricity prices while they continue to pay for “luxuries” such as DStv subscriptions. Community meetings will convene next week in response to widespread dissatisfaction over the electricity tariffs that were increased by 10.6 percent on July 1. A senior municipal official, who refused to have his name quoted, pointed out that ratepayers could not expect “electricity for free” and that they were obligated to pay for goods and services. “The majority of people in informal settlements have DStv. How can they afford DStv when they can’t pay for electricity?” the official asked. He instructed the DFA to “go to the budget on the website” to look for the answers to media enquiries. He stated further that the municipality was compliant…

Sol Plaatje University’s ‘Gemmie Fire’ burned brightly as the varsity rugby team showcased their prowess, triumphing over Durban University of Technology (DUT) with an impressive 59-5 score in the commanding final of the University Sports South Africa (USSA) tournament held recently. This victory for SPU Rugby not only highlights their dominance on the field but also secures their place in the promotion play-off match against Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) on August 12th. A win against TUT will see SPU qualify for the prestigious Varsity Shield competition in 2025, marking a significant milestone in their sporting journey. Jonathan Francke, the player-coach for the SPU rugby team, shared insights into the team’s performance in what was less than ideal match conditions. It was a rainy day, and we overpowered DUT with…

SPAIN coach Luis de la Fuente said seeing 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal’s performance against France on Tuesday in their Euro 2024 semi-final triumph was like watching “a genius”. Yamal scored a brilliant goal to level after Randal Kolo Muani’s opener for Les Bleus, with Dani Olmo then netting what proved to be the winner for Spain. Named Player of the Match, Yamal became the youngest male Euros goalscorer. “We have seen a genius, the product of a genius,” De la Fuente told reporters. “He’s a player we have to take care of — I have to give him the advice to keep working with the same humility and keep his feet on the floor. “He would keep growing but this maturity and attitude at such a young age is like…

CAITLIN Rooskrantz did not see it coming, not with so many athletics and swimming stars making up a significant number of Team South Africa for the Paris 2024 Olympics. “I feel super-excited and super-proud,” the artistic gymnast said of her appointment as the country’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremony at the Games taking place in the French capital later this month. “She will be partnered by renowned sprinter Akani Simbine. “It’s definitely not something I would have dreamt about. I did not see it coming,” the 22-year-old said on Tuesday night at Sascoc’s official Team SA send-off dinner in Kempton Park. “But I am super-excited nevertheless. I am excited to represent gymnastics and South Africa as a whole to lead us into the Games.” The first South African female gymnast…

NINE-year-old dancer Mia Boughan from Kimberley has made her province and country proud after she clinched three gold medals across different dance categories during the prestigious “Show Your Talent” competition held in New York, USA. The competition, which took place on June 29, culminated in a grand gala event and prize-giving on June 30. Mia’s outstanding performance surpassed all her expectations. The Grade 4 learner from Staats Primary School had initially simply regarded the opportunity to compete on the international stage as “a dream come true”. In the 9-11 age category, Mia secured first place in Hip Hop dance, Jazz dance and Open dance. Her talent extended beyond the dance floor as she also claimed the top spot in all the photogenic categories - Beauty, Catalogue, Commercial, Editorial, Fitness, and…

THE NORTHERN Cape MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform, Mase Manopole, encouraged traditional leaders in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District to preserve their languages and culture, during a livestock handover ceremony this week. The MEC donated over 30 Bonsmara cattle to five principal traditional leaders in Kuruman as part of provincial government’s commitment to donate six cattle to the leadership to ensure that they could become self-sustainable. Premier Zamani Saul handed over cattle to two principal traditional leaders in May, while Manopole handed over the cattle to the remaining principal traditional leaders this week. During the ceremony, which was attended by the JTG District executive mayor Queen Mogatle-Thoane, the chairperson of the Northern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, Kgosi Pelonomi Toto, indicated that the lack of…

SOMETIMES you need to remind yourself, or at least try to convince yourself that all people are not all that bad. There could be a few “good eggs” out there still. Last week, I was pretty upset about the upward tick in crime in South Africa, especially home invasions and attacks on good people, so my mind and my spirit was filled with a lot of anger and frustration. So much so that this week, I had to make an effort to try and restore my faith in humanity. My method is simple: when it gets too dark around you, strike a match by looking for something good, noble, inspiring. And I did exactly that by looking for stories about people being nice, kind, generous … even compassionate. Here’s what…

WITH the DA failing to secure any chairperson positions in the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, it stated that it would assume its position as the official opposition in the Province. Votes from the FF+ and PA ensured that Dr Zamani Saul retained his seat as premier after the ANC failed to win an outright majority in the Province. Following power-sharing talks with the ANC, PA members of the provincial legislature (MPLs) secured three chairperson positions for portfolio committees in the legislature. FF+ MPL Theo Joubert is the new chairperson of the portfolio committee on co-operative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs (Coghsta). PA MPL Sharifa Ferris was elected as the chairperson of the portfolio committee on transport, safety and public works and will also serve as a member of the…

DIAMOND Ladies Football Club took on all comers and emerged as champions of the Engen Under-20 Soccer Tournament held at the FNB AstroTurf in Galeshewe this past weekend. The tournament saw fierce contests as three teams, Diamond Ladies, KHS Ladies, and Royal Wizards, fought for supremacy in a round-robin format, where each team played two matches, ensuring a fair and exciting competition. The first game at 11am saw Diamond Ladies facing KHS Ladies, in what turned out to be a tightly contested match. Diamond Ladies secured a 1-0 victory, earning them an early advantage of three points. The second match of the day kicked off at 1.30pm with Royal Wizards taking on KHS Ladies. This game ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw, with the teams walking away with a point…

ENGLAND’S last-gasp victory over Netherlands in their Euro 2024 semi-final showed their character and resilience and the team are ready to take the final step and lift their first major trophy in almost 60 years, manager Gareth Southgate said. Substitute Ollie Watkins scored in the 91st minute to send England through to their second successive European Championship final with a 2-1 win. Their overall performance was an emphatic answer to the criticism heaped on his side for some earlier languid showings. “We all want to be loved, right?” Southgate told a press conference. “When you are doing something for your country and you are a proud Englishman, when all you read is criticism it is hard. To be able to celebrate a second final is very, very special.” “We have…