Table of contents for 2022-10-21 in DFA News

NORTHERN Cape Premier Dr Zamani Saul has rubbished allegations made by Dr Allan Boesak that Saul and President Cyril Ramaphosa had instructed that Boesak be denied access to visit former provincial ANC chairperson John Block in prison. Block is currently serving a 15-year sentence at the Correctional Services facility in Upington after he was found guilty on charges of corruption and money laundering. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Saul labelled Boesak’s remarks as “desperate lies”. “The Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, has noted with grave concern the unfounded allegations and desperate lies made by Dr Allan Boesak during his visit to the former chairperson of the ANC, comrade John Block,” a statement from the Office of the Premier reads. “The Premier has visited comrade John Block…

A 19-YEAR-old accused appeared in the Richmond Magistrate’s Court earlier this week on a charge of murder following the rape and murder of Sophia Miles, 82. She was brutally murdered in her home last weekend. A neighbour discovered her body on Monday. National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the accused, Godfrey Coenrad, was expected to apply for bail on October 25. “He appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon. The matter has been postponed for further investigation. At this stage he is facing a charge of murder although additional charges may be added during the investigation,” said Senokoatsane. He added that they were still waiting for the preliminary forensic report detailing the nature of Miles’ injuries. Police spokesperson Captain Olebogeng Tawana said they were also still waiting for the…

RESIDENTS of Ward 7 in Galeshewe, near Dunston, have complained about a “wetland” on the corner of Kelotlhoko and Africa streets that is attracting dangerous reptiles and has become a health hazard. The area is flooded with stinking water and overgrown with reeds. According to the residents, the problem started a few years back and they have been reporting the matter to Sol Plaatje Municipality, but the local authority has “simply turned a blind eye” to it. The residents pointed out that former Sol Plaatje executive mayor Patrick Mabilo knew about the problem as he did inspections with the ward councillor, Valdes Diphahe, on several occasions. To make matters worse, some residents have given up on the municipality ever clearing the area and have started dumping rubbish there. Concerned community…

It’s not every day that you get to achieve something that allows you to represent your nation and proudly raise its flag on an international stage. However, this is precisely what happened for a 12-strong local Kimberley Hip Hop dance group that will travel with the South African Sport Aerobic, Fitness Federation (Sasaff), and Hip Hop Federation delegation to the Hip Hop Unite World Championships, which will take place in Obidos, Portugal from October 27 to 29 where these local dancers will feature as South Africa's representatives. This Mega Crew that calls themselves ‘Culture’ performs at the Noleen Andrews School of Dance, a dance studio in the Diamond City of Kimberley. The crew, which is led by coaches Liam and Noleen Abrahams, won the South African Sport Aerobic, Fitness, and…

The results from the Kimberley Golf Club for the week of October 10-16 are as follows: The Wednesday Konica Minolta sponsored BBS competition was won by Barend Burger and B van Zyl with 46pts with Zullie Sulliman and Doc Allie 2nd on 43pts. Third was Nige Page and Jason Barnes on 42pts. The KWV sponsored Thursday Niner was won by Trevor de Reuck with 25pts with Shane Arthur 2nd on 24pts and A Williams 3rd with 22pts. The Friday Flamingo Casino Niner was won by K Anderson on 21pts with Cedric van der Ross 2nd with 20pts. Third was Donald Whitebooi on 16 pts and 4th Bernie Turton on 14pts. The Saturday FNB Golf Day saw a great turnout of 123 golfers and it was a very tight finish with…

NEWLY acclaimed double world champion Max Verstappen has every right to enjoy celebrating his second drivers’ championship success in relaxed Texan style this weekend. But, as he seeks to break another on-track individual record at the United States Grand Prix two weeks after his title triumph in Japan, his Red Bull team boss Christian Horner will be fired by two more serious ambitions. His first is to defend the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s reputation amid claims that they “cheated” on their way to powering Max Verstappen to his two consecutive drivers’ title successes in 2021 and 2022. The accusation that has tarnished their recent achievements came after Red Bull were found to have been in breach of an official budget cap for 2021 – for which they have yet to learn…

LGBTIQA+ groups in the Northern Cape have requested the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to intervene following the gang-rape and murder of Tankiso Tawanyane, 34, who was doused with paraffin and set alight on October 7 near 3 SAI military base in Roodepan, Kimberley. Tawanyane managed to flee from the scene and collapsed in a nearby informal settlement. She had, however, sustained serious injuries and died in hospital the following day. The three suspects who allegedly raped her have not been arrested yet despite a R50 000 reward being offered by the police. A meeting was held at the Mayibuye Cultural Centre this week where it was decided that Minister Cele should be called in to intervene in speeding up the arrest of suspects involved in the brutal rape and…

THE time of Diwali is one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year. Diwali literally means a row of Lights. It is a time filled with light and love; a time when Indians all over the world rejoice. It is the darkest night of the darkest period, yet it is a celebration of light! Diwali is heralded as the triumph of good over evil. The meaning of Diwali, its symbols and rituals, and the reasons for celebration are innumerable. Diwali celebrates Lord Rama’s glorious and long awaited return to his kingdom of Ayodhya after his fourteen years of exile in the forests. It commemorates Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakaasura who had kidnapped and terrorised the gopis of Vrindavan. It is also celebrated as the day…

SHEER determination and an unbreakable spirit have seen a Northern Cape High School Grade 12 pupil, Casner Casner, achieve more than he personally ever imagined. Casner was crowned the winner in the Conspirito Nationals, which took place on September 24, and will be heading to Boksburg for the Tip of the Tongue National Speaking competition that will take place tomorrow. On top of those achievements, Casner also carries the title of Mr Kimberley. From his appearance and tone, one can see and feel that Casner has a remarkable presence. However, he says that he was not always such a comfortable and confident person. “I only started participating in public speaking last year when I was in Grade 11,” Casner explains. “I did my first competition then and I won. I…

THE GOOD old days were pretty intense! No seriously! People had very little chill back then. By ‘very little chill’ I mean that generally punches were not pulled in society. It was pretty rough. In fact, one can question why the old days are so often referred to as ‘good’? Back then we were an insensitive lot. The insensitivity was even reflected in the nicknames by which the neighbourhood youngsters were called … from ‘Brackets’ the boy with the big ears, through ‘Hennie Haakneus’ and down the line to ‘Snottie’ – need I explain why these boys were called by these names? Actually, it happened one day that the logic and genius behind Snottie’s nickname became obvious. It just so happened that the lad had sticky fingers and a bicycle…

THE WINDHOEK Draught Griquas’ latest player acquisitions include signing on the exciting former Rugby Sevens and Springbok player Rosko Specman as well as Mihlali Stamper ahead of their match against the Free State Cheetahs in the Toyota Challenge today. At yesterday morning’s virtual presser regarding tomorrow afternoon’s match in Bloemfontein, Pieter Bergh, the Griquas head coach was, from the onset, compelled to answer to the now-confirmed rumours of the signing of Specman by his team. “Yes. We are naturally very happy to have signed on a player of the calibre of Rosko Specman. He will start with us on 1 November. “We signed him on and gave him a year’s contract. He will stay with us for this season until the end of October next year. I think over the…

THE ‘festival of lights’, Diwali, will be celebrated this year on October 24. It is a five-day-long celebration that commences with Dhanteras and ends with Bhaiya Dooj. The festival of Diwali is celebrated on the darkest night of the year in the Hindu month of Kartik. When we talk of ‘Diwali’, the first thing that comes to our mind is light, crackers, fun, and joy with family and friends. But, the biggest thing ignored by everyone is ‘pollution’. While we share many posts on social media proclaiming “say no to pollution”, we are the ones who do nothing about it in real life. Well, how about trying to make a change? Below we have put together a list of eco-friendly alternatives that you should try your hands at this Diwali.…

A THIRD-year student at Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley tried to commit suicide after he was allegedly raped by another student at the campus he was staying at. In a cry for help, the student stated that he never received any assistance during his ordeal and implored the university to take the necessary steps to prevent other students from having to endure the same struggles as he did. In a message, he indicated that he was going through a difficult time after losing his boyfriend to cancer. “There was no one really to talk to because at the time my family did not know that I was gay.” He said that he was unable to attend a disciplinary hearing after he was charged with assaulting two of his best…

THE HEAD of surgery at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital and a member of Gift of the Givers, Dr Ahmed Bhyat, along with a team of volunteers, will be performing surgeries from October 28 to 30 to address theatre backlogs at the Kimberley facility. Patients with life-threatening conditions have been waiting for up to seven weeks for surgeries to be performed, where they were informed that the backlog is due to a shortage of theatre nurses, laundry, beds and other resources as well as because of water shortages during municipal shutdowns. Bhyat said that he requested the assistance of anaesthetists and scrub sisters to perform 40 catch-up surgeries at the end of the month over a period of three days. “We want to operate on patients who have been waiting for…

Kimberley skateboarding Olympian has an eye on international stardom KIMBERLEY’S rising skateboarding star, Boipelo Awuah has indicated that her next and greatest goal is to make an international name for herself; this after she walked away as the overall winner of the recent Street Lines Skate Tournament in Pretoria. Awuah had to battle 15 female opponents of different ages before walking away as the winner in the female division. She said her passion for skateboarding has given her the endurance to make it thus far, and added, with determination, that her journey is far from ending. “If I could skate each day and not do anything else, that would be awesome,” she told the DFA. “I absolutely love skateboarding. I, however, do not like doing challenging styles,” she added. “I…