Table of contents for 2022-11-04 in DFA News

WHILE the investigation into the R2.1 billion Kimberley mental hospital is said to be “ongoing”, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions has indicated that it is no longer a “high-profile” case following the death of an alleged benefactor. The cost of the hospital, which has been labelled a “monument to corruption”, ballooned from R290 million to R2.1 billion and it took 14 years to complete. In 2021, the Hawks’ investigation was said to be at an “advanced stage”, where it was reported that the arrest of private entities, high-profile personalities and government officials was “imminent”. However, to date, no arrests have been made. The owner of Vista Park Developers, Andrew Scholtz, was the first of three contractors on site. Advocate Brian Mdlalose from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Specialised Commercial…

THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has expressed its outrage after vandals defaced the Upington 26 Memorial. Spokesperson for the department, Morapedi Sekhoane, said one of the alleged perpetrators was the daughter of two deceased Struggle icons, Evelyn Debruin and Gideon Madlongolwane, who were sentenced to death for the role they played in the Upington 26 freedom fighters in the 1980s. “The department is appealing to law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute those who are defacing and vandalising national monuments. The department has observed with disdain the recent defacing of the Upington 26 Memorial,” Sekhoane said. “The latest incident follows the vandalism of the same monument last year. The department views the removal of the three faces from the memorial as tantamount to the exclusion of…

STARTING your international coaching career at a venue where your country has never lifted the silverware is one thing, succeeding a legendary coach after a decade is another. Throw in some tropical storms that suspended training sessions, a strict tournament hotel bubble and having to wait till 24 hours before kickoff to know whether anyone in the squad delivered a positive Covid test. And for good measure, a new qualifier of the World Rugby Sevens Series as your first opponent on the opening day. Come today and the kickoff of the Hong Kong Sevens and you will find new Springbok Sevens coach, Sandile Ngcobo, rushing towards those uncertainties, not hiding from it, with the Blitzboks squad following his lead as they embrace whatever challenge comes their way. The 33-year-old Ngcobo…

THE WORLD Cup is just over two weeks away and the planet’s best are gearing up to bring their A-game. Ahead of the tournament, players are fine-tuning their form and skills to be at the very top of their game. So we’ve narrowed the list of players who can make an impact down to 16 – eight big names and eight bright young players. The Big Names Argentina: Lionel Messi The 35-year-old can crown his glittering career, by redeeming himself after coming agonisingly close in 2014, in what he admits will be his last World Cup. With 11 goals and 14 assists in 12 games since the start of the season, he is as consistently brilliant as ever and has a cast around him to help carry the load. Belgium:…

A 39-YEAR-old man from Modder River, Paul Conradie, will today know whether he will be handed two life sentences after he was found guilty of raping and murdering his 65-year-old mother. The Northern Cape High Court found Conradie guilty on both charges on Wednesday for the incident that occurred in 2020. The court heard from witnesses who testified that the deceased was found lying with her dress pulled up to her waist. Her biological son, Conradie, was found lying next to her. The incident apparently occurred after the Conradie and his mother had consumed home-made ginger beer. Testimony from Doctor Lemaine Fouchè, who conducted the autopsy on the deceased, stated that the mother was penetrated 24 hours before her death. Fouchè testified that she died of strangulation. Fouchè said pressure…

IMAGINE waking up one morning, opening your eyes, and seeing an assailant, blunt weapon in hand, looming over your bed, ready to bring the heavy weapon down on your head. What would you do? This actually happened to someone I know. To this day he tells the story of how he was preparing for some pretty intense college examinations while simultaneously juggling his duties as husband to a wife who worked shifts and father of an energetic three-year-old. One Friday night, and into the wee hours of Saturday morning, this young man had sat hunched over his books cramming information into his head until it felt like his cranium would pop. “Tomorrow’s Saturday,” he consoled himself. “I can sleep in a bit and hopefully recover for the work I still…

MURDER accused Mbubanzi Zwakala, a 48-year-old Warrant Officer employed at the SANDF, was denied bail this week in a case where the court believes that matric pupil Amogelang Assegaai, 19, was senselessly killed in cold blood over a cellphone. Assegaai was shot outside his home in Impala Street, Verwoerdpark on October 23 and died on the scene after sustaining internal injuries. Zwakala, who is the father of five children, was arrested after a .9mm pistol was found under his bed, while a .9mm cartridge was found at the scene of the crime. During his bail hearing in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court this week, it was indicated that while Zwakala did not have any previous convictions or pending cases, he was fined R3 500 at the Lohatla military base in 2013…

A CLASH between the Refitlhile Taxi Association and Phumatra bus service in the Phokwane municipal area this week, which led to the closure of the Pampierstad/Hartswater main road, left commuters concerned about their safety. The road was barricaded by angry taxi operators on Monday for about an hour in an effort to get the attention of the bus company, which they accused of snatching their customers and hurting their businesses. Frustrated motorists were stranded for about an hour near the Pampierstad bridge, while one of the main concerns was for the matric pupils who are writing exams. The police were called to the scene and arrived before any violence was reported. Engagements between the operators and the police are expected to start today around route operations. Northern Cape police spokesperson…

The results from the Kimberley Golf Club for the Barney week of October 24-29 are as follows: The Tuesday New Vaal Motors sponsored winner was D Thomas on 42 pts with Zullie Sulliman 2nd on 41pts and Dries Mostert 3rd on 40 pts. The Wednesday Distell sponsored winner was P Niemand on 44 pts with Neil Langley 2nd on 40 pts and Zain Mobara 3rd on 39 pts. The Thursday Tullemore D.E.W. sponsored winner was D Wykes on 41 pts with C Alexander 2nd on 39 pts and Doc Allie 3rd on a count-out also on 39 pts. The Friday Sun Flamingo Casino sponsored winner was Helena Janse on 43 pts with K Aysen 2nd on 41 pts and Gail Aysen 3rd on 40 pts. The Saturday KWV sponsored winner…

PIT BULLS have come back into the spotlight recently, with a number of reports of people being attacked and, in some cases, killed. Many have argued that they should be prohibited from breeding and entering South Africa since they are “aggressive and deadly” dogs. I absolutely think that dogs are not born vicious, just like people. Pit bulls have already failed due to external factors - bad socialisation skills, poor training and a lack of breed knowledge - as soon as they find the wrong owner. I myself own a "power breed" (bull terrier), and when I walk my dog the proverb "If it has teeth, it can bite" is often heard. In all cases, when I convince the person to interact with or rub my dog, they see that…

THE KIMBERLEY Commercial Crimes Court convicted and sentenced Patricia Staffa, 41, for fraud and forgery. Staffa was on Wednesday sentenced to a fine of R60,000 or three years imprisonment, as well as a further two years imprisonment wholly suspended for a period of five years. Police spokesperson Captain Tebogo Thebe said that Staffa was employed as a licence testing officer at the Traffic Unit of Siyathemba Local Municipality between September 2016 and June 2018. During that period, Staffa “unlawfully, falsely and with the intent to defraud”, misrepresented to the Siyathemba Local Municipality in Prieska that she was awarded a Grade 12 Senior Certificate in 1999 by the Department of Education. “The municipality suffered an actual prejudice amount of R492,334.98 as a result of misrepresentation,” said Thebe.…

THE PROTEAS had Pakistan on the ropes early in their T20 World Cup Group 2 match at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday, but they dropped the ball to go down by 33 runs thanks to the Duckworth/Lewis system. Needing a win to book their place in the final four, South Africa now have to wait until Sunday when they face the Netherlands in a must-win match at 2am in Adelaide to confirm a final-four place. The defeat has left the Proteas second to India, who play Zimbabwe at 10am on Sunday, in the group, with Pakistan, who face Bangladesh earlier at 6am, one point behind and breathing down their necks. A slip-up against the Dutch, or even if the match washes out, could see the Proteas on the next flight…

IF YOU find it difficult to differentiate between the Springbok and Ireland players tomorrow, it won’t be the first time it happens. The Irish Rugby Football Union revealed their 2022 alternate jersey late last week, which they will wear against the Boks in Dublin (7.30pm kick-off, SA time) – and it is likely to result in a colour clash with the South Africans’ traditional dark green and gold tops. The Ireland kit is made up of a navy blue front, interspersed with light green horizontal stripes and solid light green trim on each side. There was a similar problem in 2017 when the Boks were last in Ireland, with the home side donning a solid dark grey number and dark green stripes on the sleeves. Ireland actually had a crisp,…