Table of contents for 2022-08-26 in DFA News

THE CHARGES relating to the remaining accused in the Project Darling illicit diamond buying matter were withdrawn in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court this week, although the National Prosecuting Authority has indicated that it may be placed back on the roll at a later date. Project Darling was a covert police operation where an undercover agent was assigned to infiltrate suspects in Kimberley and Johannesburg to sell unpolished diamonds valued at R28 million during 2013 and 2014. The State alleges that the agent who was tasked with selling the illegal diamonds was offered gifts, including a Volkswagen Golf GTI valued at R100 000, a BMW worth R235 000 and two diamond rings, by the accused in order to persuade him to facilitate the illegal dealings. The accused - Ashley Brooks, Patrick…

COSATU members marched to the Premier’s Office on Wednesday calling for urgent action to be taken to avoid an economic crisis due to escalating food and fuel prices and load shedding. It warned that further strike action would follow if its demands were not met in the next 14 days. While some civil servants took to the street to march, others arrived at the Premier’s Office in motor vehicles. All heads of departments were advised that there would be a ‘no work, no pay’ policy on August 23-24 for employees who were absent from work during the strike action and march. Essential workers were forbidden from participating in the march. A memorandum handed over by Cosatu pointed out that half of the population in the country was impoverished and unemployed.…

RESIDENTS of Lerato Park and Lethabo Park want their own satellite police station and have given the police 14 days to respond to complaints over a lack of service at Roodepan police station. The Lerato Park community marched to the police station on Wednesday to hand over a memorandum, stating that they were regularly turned away at the charge office when they tried to lay a criminal complaint. Community organiser Shadrack Magano said complainants were instructed to bring the exhibits, such as the stolen goods, along with the suspect to the police before a charge was opened. “We do not have the manpower to arrest someone and take them to the police station. Some of these suspects are too dangerous to confront. How are we supposed to find the items…

THE OWNERS of The Ark Shisanyama in Kimberley have assured their customers that the removal of the bus, which many residents see as the identity of the business, will not result in the closure of the business. According to one of the owners, Kamohelo Minyatsi, they have merely received notice to remove the bus, but there is no threat to their business operations. "We have received a notice from the traffic officials that we must remove the bus. The concern was that the bus does not have a valid licence disc and that it was taking up parking space. There were apparently complaints that people were unable to use the parking area. We have been having meetings as the owners of the business and decided that we should adhere to…

THE BURN unit at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) in Kimberley this week unveiled a new haven for young burn survivors. The Smile Foundation recently joined forces with the Avela Foundation and the Signature of Hope Trust to facilitate the redesign of the burn specialist section at RMSH. The Smile Foundation has extended its burn treatment plans, which has always been a significant component of its work, in order to better fulfil the urgent demand for medical care for burn survivors. Young burn survivors now have a warm, entertaining and kid-friendly healing refuge in the shape of a contemporary paediatric ward with the completion of the first of three phases. The Smile Foundation and the Avela Foundation announced that phase two of the initiative was launched on Wednesday in their…

SOUTH Africa have finalised their 23-player squad for the Cosafa Women’s Championship that takes place in Gqeberha from August 31 to September 11. Banyana Banyana will not include players that were part of the recent squad that won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Caf Women's Coach of the Year Desiree Ellis will also be absent. Interim Banyana coach Simphiwe Dludlu, the SA Under-17 women's mentor, will be at the helm. Ellis and Banyana’s first-choice players are busy preparing for the World Cup that New Zealand and Australia will jointly host in July next year. Safa are in the process of securing friendlies for the team as part of the World Cup preparations. First up will be the 2022 Copa America Femenina winners Brazil who will come to…

GALESHEWE’S Recreation hall is all set to host the first ever professional boxing extravaganza at the weekend sponsored by the province’s only female promoter in Sinazo Moroke who heads up Moroke Boxing Promotions (MBP). The fighting bill will be headlined by queen boxers. Moroke spoke to the DFA about the upcoming tournament which was initially scheduled for Upington and explained that the change of venue was forced upon her owing to Upington not having the medical facilities which are recommended by the national boxing control organisation, Boxing South Africa. “The bout is happening in Kimberley now at the Recreation hall on the 27th of August in Galeshewe,” she said. Galeshewe’s Recreation hall benefited from Upington’s misfortune as that area‘s district hospital does not have the required surgical ward facility that…

APPROXIMATELY 30 million South Africans are either food insecure or at risk, with one-quarter of South Africans going hungry daily. Social grants remain vital to supporting those vulnerable to poverty, particularly in the highest poverty provinces. Statistics South Africa’s 2021 General Household Survey reports that 59.5% of households in the Northern Cape depend on social grants as their main source of income, while 25,8% of households have inadequate food access. To address the growing crisis of food insecurity in South Africa long-term, South Africa’s largest non-profit food redistribution organisation, FoodForward SA, has successfully launched a branch in Kimberley. FoodForward SA recovers quality surplus food from farmers, manufacturers and retailers and distributes this food to over 800 000 disadvantaged people daily. Through their Mobile Rural Depot Programme, FoodForward SA has already…

THE PLATFONTEIN Lodge and Conference Centre will undergo a multimillion-rand facelift following a decision by the national Department of Tourism to fund extensive renovations to the facility. The spokesperson for the facility, Les Abrahams, said the national department had committed to make the funds available during an oversight visit by Parliament’s Select Committee on Transport, Public Works and Infrastructure and the Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour last week. The parliamentary committees were concerned that the lodge would have to close because of infrastructure problems, poor soil conditions and the overflowing water along the R31. They pointed out that tourism was a major economic driver in the Northern Cape and that despite attempts to repair the facility there were limited funds at…

FORMER DA provincial leader Andrew Louw yesterday decided to take the plunge and join ActionSA after he was suspended on charges of trying to lure members to join other political parties. The DA stated yesterday that it had issued letters of suspension to three of its Northern Cape members, namely Andrew Louw, Mariam Louw and Grantham Steenkamp. DA national chairperson Cilliers Brink said that the members would be suspended pending an investigation into allegations that they sought to lure DA members to join rival political parties. “All three currently also face other, unrelated matters that are already being dealt with by the federal legal commission. These include, but are not limited to, charges of ill-discipline and not performing their duties,” said Brink. “The three were presented an opportunity to respond…

AUSTRALIA coach Dave Rennie has “borrowed” South Africa’s 6-2 bench split ahead of their Rugby Championship clash at the Adelaide Oval tomorrow at 7.30am. Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber surprised friend and foe on Monday when he opted for the extra backline player (Elton Jantjies) on his bench in a 5-3 split, going against his much-feared 6-2 Bomb Squad. By showing his hand, he allowed the Wallabies time to tinker with their plans and their coach Rennie then named a 6-2 split on his bench yesterday for only the second time in 26 Tests since he took over at the start of 2020 to combat the Boks’ replacements. Still, chasing a first win Down Under since 2013, South Africa won’t be bothered by what their hosts are going to present…

AFTER a glittering 27-year professional career in which she became one of the greatest players of all time, Serena Williams is preparing to bid farewell to tennis at the major where it all began. The 40-year-old sporting icon ended the guessing game surrounding her future earlier this month by revealing that the “countdown” to her retirement had started, with her final grand slam appearance coming at next week’s US Open in New York. “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction,” Williams wrote. “That time is always hard when you love something so much. But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just (as) exciting Serena.…

Victory in Los Angeles will guarantee that the Blizboks successfully defend their world crown THE BLITZBOKS will be looking to claim another Series title in the USA this weekend, by winning the final leg of the season – the LA Sevens. Leading Australia by two points at the top of the standings and Argentina, in third, by six, the Blitzboks know that victory in Los Angeles will guarantee that they successfully defend their world crown. Of course other permutations come into play and they could still bag the title by not winning in LA, but captain Siviwe Sonwabile ‘Shakes’ Soyizwapi says they won’t be talking out the calculators just yet. He explains: “We have to keep our own standards and not worry about our opponents ... “We know what the…

THE NORTHERN Cape provincial government has recently received a number of complaints about the state of the road between Koopmansfontein and Danielskuil and it appears that they have now heard the cries of the many motorists who make use of the deadly road. This part of the R31 has been called the “road of death” because of the numerous accidents and extremely hazardous road conditions caused by the enormous potholes and edge breaks. I was one of the drivers that lamented the state of the road because my wife and I have travelled on it a number of times. The road was in such a horrible shape that I had to swerve out of the way of approaching trucks in order to avoid the huge potholes and edge breaks on…

CEMETERIES were once respected and regarded as the final resting place for our loved ones. It was a place where you could go to visit that loved one, maybe have a seat on or near the grave, and just speak to your mother that you miss so much. You know she is not there anymore, but her grave leaves behind a small piece of her for you to hold on to – a tangible reminder of many, many precious memories. In the past, when I was much younger, it was safe to visit a cemetery. Security was visible and the yard was well-maintained and clean. The grass was cut regularly and you would not find a piece of paper lying around, because pride was still a thing back then and…

“MENEER, ons vra iets om te eet.” The girl asking for something to eat was, I estimate, about 16 years old. Her friend carrying the baby could have been the same age, and the toddler, the little boy, with them could have been about four. I went inside and made up a few sandwiches with some of the previous day’s fish pie, grumbling to myself that I would not be having more of the scrumptious pie for dinner. However, I consoled myself that at least there was a jar of peanut butter in the grocery cupboard. Give me peanut butter and life is good. I wrapped the sarmies in some foil – the foil that had covered the pie dish – and placed the foil-wrapped sarmies in a plastic ziploc…

SOL PLAATJE Municipality has instructed Kgalalelo Funerals to vacate a plot of land on the corner of Itumeleng and Magashule streets in Galeshewe that it has occupied to construct a mortuary. The principal of St George Day Care Centre, Thandiwe Makinona, said that Sol Plaatje Municipality had alienated the land for the purposes of a crèche in 2012. “We are currently renting a place to accommodate 60 children between the ages of two and five. We managed to source enough funds to build our own centre, as it will be more economical than renting. We have the documents to prove that we are the rightful owners of the land,” said Makinona. The local councillor, Tebogo Bopape, said he had consulted with the property manager at Sol Plaatje Municipality. “I want…

‘I just think maybe it is their style of play over the years that we struggle to get to grips with’ – Lood de Jager By his own admission, Frans Steyn is no historian and he is no doubt unaware that over the course of his 74-Test career he has lost more times to Australia than he has won, and in fact has enjoyed more wins over the All Blacks than the Wallabies. This probably goes for most of the 32 Springboks who are in Adelaide preparing for Saturday’s Rugby Championship match and neither Steyn nor Lood de Jager — the two were on press conference duty — can put their finger on why the Boks just don’t switch on for a team they should beat nine times out of…

RAFAEL Nadal targets a fifth US Open and 23rd Grand Slam title in New York from next week as Novak Djokovic clings desperately onto a forlorn hope of even being allowed to set foot in New York. Nineteen years after making his debut, the 36-year-old Nadal drags his injury-prone body into a tournament he won in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019, the year of his last appearance. The Spaniard has had to sit out the US Open four times in his career and there are again fresh doubts over his physical ability to survive a gruelling two weeks at Flushing Meadows. Since an abdomen injury forced him to hand Nick Kyrgios a walkover into the Wimbledon final, Nadal has played just once – a first-up loss to Borna Coric in…

Kgosi Galeshewe Athletics (KGAC) club had a send-off dinner last night at Nare Boutique Hotel in Kimberley for four of its athletes who will tackle this year’s down run of the world-renowned Comrades marathon which will start in Pietermaritzburg and go down to Durban. The keynote address at the dinner was delivered by Sol Plaatje municipality speaker Nomazizi Maputle who commended the athletes for their participation in the most grueling race of all. In part of her remarks to the audience the speaker said: “Your bravery encourages many who wish to take this challenge in the future. Continue to shine and fly the flag of Galeshewe high.” Northern Cape Premier Zamani Saul was also among the dignitaries in attendance. The club coach and athlete Sammy Beise spoke at length about…