Table of contents for 2023-02-10 in DFA News

THE MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta), Bentley Vass, is considering all available options to intervene at Thembelihle Municipality, which he described as being “dysfunctional and on the verge of collapse”. The municipality did not have any senior managers to authorise salary payments last month. During a press briefing this week, Vass identified Thembelihle Municipality Speaker Danny Jonas’s ongoing court battles as the main obstacle that was preventing the smooth running of council. Vass stated that no council meetings had taken place since the council was established in 2022. “The municipality is therefore dysfunctional. Council is not sitting because of the uncertainty of the Speaker’s position, which is a matter that is currently in court. “The council was inaugurated in November 2021. Thembelihle is a coalition…

WITH no known substitute for life-giving blood, the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) has called on citizens to help bulk up stock levels to give health stakeholders one less hurdle to overcome. The SANBS called for South Africans to urgently donate blood to help it keep up with heightened demand as it announced that the state of the nation’s blood stocks was “significantly low”. Thandi Mosupye of the SANBS said they were experiencing a high demand for blood from hospitals across the country, so much so that the nation’s blood stocks were strained, necessitating their appeal for increased donations to help those who may need transfusions at this time. Mosupye said that in recent days blood stocks had “lingered below three days over a prolonged period” and to avoid…

PARENTS of pupils at HTT Bidi Memorial Primary School in Postmasburg have accused the school management of using the school, which receives financial support from the local mines, as their personal cash cow. The angry parents threatened to remove the school HOD and acting principal, the former school governing body (SGB) chairperson, the deputy secretary and the school management team (SMT) from the school if the Northern Cape Department of Education does not suspend them while investigations are under way. They also threatened to shut down the school if the department does not take action and suspend the identified officials. That is after concerned SGB members wrote a letter to the department in which they listed their concerns. The parents also vowed to lobby for political intervention and called for…

THE NATIONAL Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has issued a warrant of arrest for Ilunga Kalasa, who was charged with the rape of a 17-year-old patient in August 2022 and the sexual assault of a 25-year-old patient in April 2022 at a medical practice in Barkly Road in Kimberley. The charges against Kalasa were struck off the roll due to insufficient evidence and he was released from custody in January. Although Kalasa holds a medical certificate that was issued by the University of Kamina in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), he is not registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). According to the State, a health-care professional who is not registered with the HPCSA may not diagnose or treat, offer health advice or prescribe medication. NPA regional spokesperson…

ADMIT it, it is not every day that you can win a lot of money when a cow poops into a block you purchased with a raffle ticket. I know, it sounds a bit confusing, but let me explain. Let’s start here … The Kimberley Pirates Tug of War Club has been really busy trying to raise funds to send a delegation to the International Club Championships in Retie Belgium which will be held on May 19-20 this year. Due to the financial costs that such a trip will demand, in order to get the team there a plan had to be made to collect money. The plan the club came up with is something that initially you’d instinctively want to pull your nose up for. But perhaps you should…

Results from the Kimberley Golf Club for the week of February 1-4 are: The Wednesday, February 1 Darsha sponsored 18-hole IPS was won by Jacques Gouws on 34 pts with Jason Barnes 2nd on 33 pts and Harry Welham 3rd on 32 pts. The Thursday, February 2 KWV sponsored 9-hole IPS with power play options was won by André Williams on 23 pts on a count-out over Kareem Anderson on the same score with Ant Crozier 3rd on22 pts also on a count-out. The Friday, February 3 Flamingo Sun 9-hole IPS was won by Donald Witbooi on 19 pts with Zayhied Suliman 2nd on 18 pts and Neville Parker 3rd on 16 pts on a count-out. The Saturday, February 4 KGC BBS competition was won by Cedric vd Ross…

HAS ANYONE else noticed that tennis isn’t one of those sports that gets a lot of attention or exposure to the limelight in South Africa? In fact, not many people even speak about the sport, come to think of it, so you don't hear much about it or the tennis competitions that take place in the province. Usually, the only spectators during one of these less popular sporting events are the parents standing close to the field to watch the event and cheer on their youngsters. But there are those for whom tennis is a sport that they play regularly and they have such a passion for it that they actually want to expand interest in the game to others, especially the younger generation. One such person is Itumeleng Nkopane…

SOL PLAATJE Municipality will commence with the blocking of the electricity supply of households, businesses and government departments that are in arrears, from next week. Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Thoko Riet said yesterday that the local authority was owed R2.7 billion in outstanding payments. “We will be embarking on a mass electricity blocking in the city due to non-payment of municipal accounts, as from Monday, February 13,” said Riet. “The total debtors book has escalated, while amounts owed to our creditors such as Eskom are also on the rise. “It is important that our customers work with us towards a common goal and a better life and opportunities to sustain ourselves and our city.” Riet encouraged customers to pay their municipal accounts or to enter into payment arrangements. “We have…

CITY residents should prepare themselves for a massive hike in food prices. South African manufacturers and retailers of food and other essential products warned earlier this week that consumers will face much higher prices unless the government urgently finds solutions to the power cuts that are crippling the economy. Food, consumer goods companies and retailers in the Northern Cape and across the country are cranking up diesel generators and spending more on back-up power supplies, adding to the pressure from soaring costs for raw materials, transportation and packaging. Kimberley businesses and households are spending between six and 10 hours a day without electricity as state-owned utility Eskom implements some of the harshest blackouts in living memory owing to breakdowns at its coal-fired power plants. In an open letter to President…

REMEMBER that scene in Rush Hour 2 where Jackie Chan, who plays the part of officer Lee, practically ran up some bamboo scaffolding to beat the stuffing out of some bad guys? It was hilarious when Chris Rock, who played the part of Carter, Lee’s partner, starts to climb up to assist Lee but realises what a dangerous prospect that would be after one of the bad guys comes plummeting down in front of him. “Oh hell no,” Carter says to himself, shaking his head and climbing back down the three rungs he had gone up. He then looks up and shouts: “Lee! I’m taking the stairs!” Being a bit timid when it comes to heights myself, I understood Carter’s misgivings about following Lee. But with Action star Jackie Chan…

For the next few weeks, the DFA plans to bring readers a little insight into the young men, the pride of the province, who run out onto the rugby fields around the country playing their hearts out and making us proud. So, what makes these young men tick? Let’s find out: This week Danie van der Lith spoke to Reagan Oranje and Janu Botha Raegan Oranje ‘Raegz’ scrumhalf and wing 26 years old, born in East London Previous teams: Bulls and UP Tuks What sports do you enjoy apart from rugby: NFL (American Football) Who was the one person that motivated, inspired, and mentored you ? My Dad Biggest rugby hero: Francois Hougaard Your biggest sporting hero: Ray Lewis (American former professional football player) Favourite book: Rise by Siya Kolisi…

THE NORTHERN Cape’s first inter-schools and inter-club competition for 2023, Africa Genesis Archery (AGA), is scheduled to take place next Saturday, February 18 at Adventure Archery Club, 51 Anderson Road, Diamond Park, Kimberley. Archers from various schools in Kimberley have already started their preparation for the new season, that runs from February to October, aiming for the gold ring (the bullseye) and working to accumulate a sufficient average score over the next few months, leading up to the Northern Cape provincial competition set to be held on August 5. A good-enough average score will ensure that archers achieve a sufficient ranking to qualify for the provincial team and their provincial colours, which will be awarded at the upcoming national competition. The junior and senior teams that will be announced at…

DIAMOND Ladies Football Club based in Galeshewe, Kimberley were eager to congratulate one of their superstars could potentially very soon be playing for Banyana Banyana. Thirteen-year-old Ntshepeng Ndlwana was scouted through the South African Football Association (Safa) provincial trials for the High-Performance Center (HPC) based in Pretoria. This happens to be the first time in more than a decade that a girl from the Northern Cape was selected to go to the (HPC). This young lady will start her new journey representing the team and making her home province proud when, one day in the near future, she plays for the national team. Ndlwana was born in Phutanang in Kimberley. She started school at Tswarelela primary school where she played with the boys Under-13 team and actually captained the…

STEPPING into a "minefield" about how to slow global warming, scientists in developing nations have won new funds to study whether dimming sunshine by mimicking volcanic eruptions can be a sufficiently safe way to temporarily cool a hotter planet. Research into "solar geoengineering", perhaps using planes or balloons to spray sun-reflecting sulphur into the stratosphere, has made scant progress despite alarm over rising temperatures and a sluggish global shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Trying to build momentum, the Degrees Initiative, a UK-based non-government group, announced this week R16 million in new solar geoengineering funding for researchers in 15 countries including Nigeria, Chile and India. The money will pay for things like computer modelling to study how solar geoengineering - also called solar radiation modification, or SRM - might…

SOUTH Africa’s junior mining sector revenue has grown strongly since 2018 and the global energy transition holds even further promise, with, for instance, the Northern Cape a treasure trove of energy transition minerals waiting to be exploited. This was according to Minerals Council South Africa Junior and Emerging Miners Desk director Grant Mitchell, who said at the Mining Indaba this week that that the Minerals Council could no longer just be viewed as an industry body for the very large mining groups, as had been the case in previous years. The organisation now has 38 junior mining company members out of 77 members. Of the junior mining companies, five are exploration companies and do not generate turnover. He said in 2018 the junior mining sector was estimated to have generated…

ASHLEY Oosthuizen, who is serving a life sentence in a Thailand prison, has penned a heartfelt letter to her family and friends, saying she draws strength from knowing that “nothing is permanent”. The 22-year-old from George had moved to Thailand after getting an opportunity to be a preschool teacher on the island of Koh Samui after matric in 2018. It was there that she met a 32-year-old American teacher who was employed at another school on the island and soon the pair were an item. It is believed Oosthuizen had accepted a package containing MDMA (ecstasy) while working at his restaurant before she was arrested for international drug trafficking. She received the death penalty, which was commuted to life in prison on August 18 2021. In a letter to friends…

The Proteas women’s team completed their preparations for the T20 World Cup with a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in their final warm-up game at Boland Park on Wednesday. Here we select five game-changers in the Proteas squad who are set to make a significant impact when they face Sri Lanka in the tournament’s opening game at Newlands today: The all-rounder has been a revelation for the Proteas recently. She has eased the concerns that came with the omission of Dané van Niekerk by showing just how capable she is with both bat and ball. A batting strike-rate of 140 in T20 internationals proves just how dangerous she is. She followed up her unbeaten 57 in the Tri-Series final earlier this month with a career-best 65 in the warm-up match against…

What sports do you enjoy apart from rugby: Golf, UFC, Cricket Who was the one person that motivated, inspired, and mentored you as a young player: My parents, both of them. Your biggest rugby hero: Ollie Le Roux Your biggest sporting hero outside of rugby: World heavyweight champ Tyson Fury Favourite book: La Roux gastronomique (Not a cook book, but a culinary encyclopaedia) Favourite movie: Lion King What type of music do you enjoy: Classics from the 70s through to the early 2000' If you could pick your top three favourite songs, what would they be: Piano Man – Billy Joel; Don't Stop Believing – Journey; I'll Do Anything Aor Love – Meatloaf Droëwors? Biltong? Chillibites? or Vegetarian: Geelvet Biltong Still or sparkling water? Still Do you have a pet?…

I AM ALMOST certain that, like me, many have always believed that experience is something you cannot lose and that knowledge is power. However, it happens all too frequently that people who have all the skills and knowledge retire or quit working for various reasons resulting in all of that information and experience being wasted at home. But this is all about to change for the soccer fraternity in the Northern Cape after the Masters and Legends Football Association was established in Kimberley. The Association will be a massive boost for Northern Cape football clubs and upcoming stars. The DFA spoke with the SAFA Northern Cape Provincial Chairperson, Lebogang Riet, during the first elective congress that was held in Kimberley recently. The Northern Cape, according to Riet, is home to…

WITH three of the Cape’s four Nedbank Cup hopefuls at home in this weekend’s Round-of-32 action, none of the hosts are in a generous mood. Cape Town Spurs entertain Baroka, Stellenbosch have Swallows over, while Cape Town City roll out the red carpet for Royal AM. Only Clarewood JPM are away, making the trip to Thohoyandou to face Mpheni Home Defenders for an all-ABC Motsepe League clash at 3pm tomorrow. Kicking off the action in the Mother City tonight are Spurs and coach Shaun Bartlett warns they will rock Baroka Bon Jovi style at Athlone Stadium, saying: “This week when I was in the gym, listening to Bon Jovi’s This Is Our House. “Nobody is gonna come here and rule. That’s the mentality and hopefully the players show that in…