Table of contents for 2023-03-03 in DFA News

ARTISTS in the Northern Cape no longer have to travel to other provinces to record their music following the opening of a new state-of-the-art recording studio, which came with a R2.9 million price tag. The new recording studio, which is located at the Northern Cape Theatre, was officially opened by Northern Cape Premier Dr Zamani Saul, in conjunction with the provincial Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and the provincial Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, including the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council (NCACC). The provincial spokesperson of DSAC, Conrad Fortune, said the studio will not only benefit local musos but will also attract other musicians from other parts of the country to the Province. “The Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, indicated that as the provincial administration, we…

JUST this past week, I was reading through some inspiring quotes. I often do this when I feel a bit low, or unmotivated, or a bit frustrated and wretched. My reasoning is that by looking at what inspired others through the ages, I can perhaps get some steam back in my boiler to keep my engine chugging along. This week, a quote by EA Bucchianeri hit home. She writes: “Sometimes we can make our own opportunities, sometimes we can see them coming, but more often than not they are like pop quizzes, they are sprung on you like a challenge to test your skills, almost like a dare to see if you can take that leap of faith to make whatever it is a success. Wait too long, and an…

AS MOTORISTS in Kimberley rushed to petrol stations to fill up their tanks before the petrol price increase came into effect earlier this week, many indicated with a heavy heart that the fuel increase, along with constant load shedding, was making life a misery for them. This follows the announcement by the Department of Minerals and Energy that the price of petrol would increase by R1.27 as from Wednesday, March 1, 2023. City residents said that the ever-increasing cost of living was “killing” them. One resident pointed out the basic necessities now come with a hefty price tag. “We are caught in a web where one has to fight to make it. Everything is so expensive. We were so happy to hear about the announcement of the decrease in the…

Kimberley Golf Club results for the week of February 22-26 and the next few week’s programme. Results for the week of February 22-26 are: The Wednesday, February 22 John Dorys sponsored 18-hole IPS was won by Barend Burger on 38 pts with Joshua Edwards 2nd on 36 pts and Harry Welham 3rd on 35 pts. The Thursday, February 23 KWV sponsored 9-hole IPS with power play options was won by Braam Botes on 27 pts with André Williams 2nd on 26 pts and Johan Herselman 3rd on 25 pts. The Friday, February 24 Sun Flamingo sponsored Niner was won by William Wepener on 19 pts with Shane Arthur 2nd on a count-out with 18 pts over Zughdi Adikary also on 18 pts and Eugene Snyman 4th on 17 pts.…

Six black and brown belt students from the Zanshin Karate-Do Academy will participate in the Karate Sa Children, Cadet, and Juniors National Elite Championships in Durban later this month. Recently, several of his students from the Zanshin Karate-Do Academy competed in the 2023 Karate Association of the Northern Cape Provincial Trials, and nine of these students were chosen to represent the provincial team. Six of those black and brown belt students will participate in the Karate South Africa Children, Cadet, and Juniors National Elite Championships in Durban from March 17-19. According to Shihan Peter Stegmann, the proprietor of the Zanshin Karate-Do Academy, their primary goal for this championship is to win medals. “Receiving a medal around your neck is a reward for something that you accomplished, and it demonstrates that…

A FORMER Sol Plaatje Municipality employee, Mpoletsang Beauty Kilelo, 47, was handed a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to 140 charges of fraud and money laundering in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court (SCCC) in Kimberley. Kilelo was charged with 70 counts of fraud and 70 counts of money laundering, involving an amount of over R800,000. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said that Kilelo falsely and unlawfully misrepresented that ghost workers were entitled to receive remuneration when they were never employed at the municipality between November 2011 and December 2013 and between May 2016 and July 2016. “The accused worked hand in hand with her supervisor and other colleagues by creating ghost workers and paying them monthly, therein defrauding the municipality. After multidisciplinary investigations that were initiated by…

WITH the aim of not only making online learning accessible and fun, but to also boost the provincial matric results, a classroom learning solution company, Edukite, in partnership with the Northern Cape Department of Education, has donated more than 13,000 tablets to Grade 12 pupils in the Province. The tablets, which are equipped with the Edukite Learning App, enable pupils to study and watch videos for six major school subjects, without the use of data. The featured subjects include Mathematics, Geography, Physical Science, Business Studies, Accounting and Life Science. The Northern Cape Department of Education launched the provincial roll-out of the e-Learning Initiative at Vuyolwethu High School in Kimberley on February 27 and pupils in other parts of the Province received their tablets this week. The founder and director of…

as local swimmers smash their personal best times At last weekend’s Flamingo Aquatics swimming gala held at the Karen Muir swimming pool, two young swimmers, 13-year-old Janco Grobbelaar, and 14-year-old DeWet Gous broke their personal best lap times. Their impressive performances may have been due to their hard work, fitness, or just plain luck, but it's also possible that they were inspired by the voice note that was played to all the swimmers that day. The note came from Karika Human, daughter of Karen Muir, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 60 from breast cancer. In the voice note, Karika welcomed all the swimmers and supporters to the swimming gala, highlighting the pool's rich history and inspiration. She shared her mother's incredible achievements, which started when Muir…

as young guns prepare for SA Junior Nationals TWO NORTHERN Cape High School learners, Kieran Kelly, 17, and Keegan Minopetros, 14, have been selected to represent their province at the South African Junior National Bowls Championship being held in Bloemfontein from April 3-6. Speaking to 14-year-old Keegan Minopetros it became clear that he inherited his family’s passion for the sport of bowls. “My father, grandparents and uncle are all devoted players, and witnessing their games inspired me to take up the sport as well,” he told the DFA. At just 11 years of age, Keegan first rolled the woods down the greens, and despite only playing for a brief period, he demonstrated exceptional skill. Eventually his abilities were noticed and this earned him a spot on the provincial team for…

THE ART of archery is blooming for young Hennie Victor who has slowly started making a name for himself among his peers. Even more so after he shot his personal best of 283 out of 300 during the Inter-Schools/Inter-Club Competition that was held recently by the Adventure Archery Club at the newly-established AGA-NC Vooruitsig Primary School range where 37 archers from Kimberley and Bloemfontein competed. This nine year old from Eureka Primary School started with archery in 2021 at the age of seven and has proven that his aim is true. The young archer also recently shot a straight 50 during the same competition, meaning that all five of his arrows were shot into the bull to achieve a 50 straight score from a distance of 10 metres. “I was…

THE LOCAL taxi industry has labelled the latest fuel price hike as a “slap in the face of the poor voters who put the ruling party in power”. The latest increase saw petrol rise by R1.27 while diesel went up by around 30 cents on March 1. The fuel increases come at a tense time for the local taxi industry, which has been experiencing route-related clashes on a daily basis. The Kimberley Local Taxi Association (KLTA) greeted the increase with frustration and they once again questioned the long-promised intervention from government for the industry to be subsidised. The KLTA has, however, assured communities that there is no taxi fare increase on the cards yet. The association pointed out that its operators are at risk of losing customers as they serve…

THE BARKLY West Regional Court handed down a 12-year direct imprisonment sentence to Gaston Hilton James, 38, for the rape of his male partner and another year for contravention of a protection order. Both sentences will run concurrently. James was on trial for assaulting and raping his partner, a 40-year-old man, between December 22, 2021 and January 4, 2022. James went into hiding until he was traced and arrested on January 30, 2022. The investigating officer in the matter, Detective Warrant Officer Daniel Satisfied, said he was even more motivated to crack the case because he wanted the public to take note of the conviction as it involved members of sexual minority groups (LGBTQI+ communities). The Galeshewe SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Marli Strydom,…

GIFT of the Givers teams are assisting residents of Keimoes after the rapid rising waters of the Orange River left them stranded on various islands after the flood gates of the Vaal Dam were opened recently. A portion of the R27 road to Keimoes was closed on February 26 by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral) and provincial traffic, following reports of localised flooding along certain low-lying portions of the road due to dams overflowing upstream in the Orange River. Gift of the Givers Northern Cape community liaison officer Emily Thomas said they were working with disaster management teams as well as local and district mayors to provide aid and food hampers to the residents stranded on the islands. “Gift of the Givers hired a helicopter on…

Flamingo Aquatics swimming coach Francois Theron recently proved his credentials as a mentor when he clocked eight miles (almost 13km) over two days in open water at the 2023 Midmar Mile that took place between February 9 and 10. Theron has been Flamingo’s swimming coach since 2021 and the 27-year-old said that he has been swimming since he can remember. So when a friend asked if he would like to swim the Midmar Mile for a charity event, he could not say no to that invitation. The funds raised from the Midmar Mile charity event are used to support various charities and organisations that work towards improving the lives of South Africans. Over the years, the event has raised millions of rands for charity, making it a truly worthwhile cause.…