Table of contents for 2022-12-09 in DFA News

TWO INMATES at Tswelopele Correctional Centre in Kimberley are attempting to open criminal charges against the head of the examination unit as they were allegedly prevented from sitting for their final exams. It was reported that the head of prison had promised to assist the two inmates, who are 33 and 32 years old, to open the cases, although they were still waiting for the police to take their statements. The two offenders have stated that fraudulent affidavits were made on their behalf, claiming that they did not want to write their exams. It has been alleged that the head of the examination unit felt that the two inmates would not allow the centre to achieve its target of a 100 percent pass rate. A total of 16 inmates were…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has declared December 27 a public holiday. The Presidency, in a statement, said South Africans will get the Tuesday off as Christmas Day (December 25) falls on a Sunday. “This follows a declaration to this effect by President Ramaphosa in terms of Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act. The act states that whenever a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be a public holiday.” However, December 26, the Day of Goodwill, is also a public holiday. Cosatu and Fedusa had urged Ramaphosa to declare December 27 a public holiday, saying it would also show appreciation for the sacrifices workers had made in keeping the economy moving.…

THE EXAMS are over! And with that, many city pupils are free and out having fun during the school holidays, looking forward to the forthcoming festive season now that the 2022 academic year is officially over. A number of others, however, have nothing to rejoice about. Several concerned parents have recently contacted the DFA regarding the placement of their Grade 8 children. According to the parents and caregivers, the children themselves are stressed out, and what is happening to them right now is terrible for the pupils and family members. “My granddaughter will start Grade 8 next year,” said one city grandmother. “We jumped in as soon as the registration portal opened and registered our youngster. Northern Cape High School was our first choice, then Kimberley Girls’ High School and…

There were more people involved in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal than just David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, Warner's manager said yesterday. James Erskine told Australian radio that opener Warner had “protected” his teammates on his advice after ‘Sandpaper-gate’ erupted in South Africa in March 2018. Warner was adjudged to have played the leading role in the scandal and was banned from elite cricket for a year and from leadership positions for life. Smith was also banned for a year and from leadership positions for three years, while former Test batsman Bancroft was given a one-year ban from leadership positions on top of a nine-month playing suspension. Erskine told SEN radio there was more to the story. “The truth will come out,” he said. “There's lots of people ....…

OVER the past weekend, the Kimberley Clay Target Club hosted the final Kimberley Compak Trial for the year 2022. Shooters from all over the nation gathered in the Northern Cape capital to compete for the title of best shooter and the bragging rights that accompany the title. After two days of shooting were done, the top three shooters were announced. Alexi Cavaleros of Central Gauteng, who fired 190 clays in total, took first place. Deon Steyn of the Free State took second place with a score of 188 clays, while Craig Smith of Central Gauteng took third with a score of 182. Two Under-13 colt shooters also took part in the weekend’s Compak Trial and put their hands up as up-and-coming talents who will be taking the sport further in…

THE COMMUNITY of Magareng handed over a petition to the Frances Baard District Municipality calling for the development of a shopping complex in Warrenton to be fast-tracked. Residents have demanded that the District Municipality Planning Tribunal (DMPT) expedite the process and authorise the development in order for the project to commence. The residents hope to put pressure on the DMPT to approve the plans after reports were conducted prior to the announcement of the development in 2017. The community has also demanded answers as to what the delays are, as the project has already been advertised on boards throughout the small township. A concerned resident, Boitumelo Johnson, said that the community has liaised with the developer of the complex, whose hands have reportedly been tied for more than two years…

MORNING Glory Security Services intends to take legal action against the Northern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works as the company is owed in excess of R12 million by the main contractor. The company indicated that it was unable to pay salaries, while workers had sought relief from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) on November 30. It has submitted invoices amounting to R1.7 million for outstanding payments for November and December. A lawyer’s letter was sent to the head of the provincial Department of Roads and Public Works, Dr Mac Kay, giving them until December 8 to provide proof that the main contractor, Batsha ba Tirong Financial Management (Pty) Ltd, was appointed in line with procurement processes. The R88 million contract that was awarded to Batsha…

VIOLENCE and harassment in the workplace have affected more than one in five people, a new International Labour Organisation (ILO) report has revealed. According to the UN agency, almost 23% of employees have experienced violence and harassment at work, whether physical, psychological or sexual, according to a new analysis by the ILO, Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF) and Gallup. Although the report said violence and harassment at work were difficult to measure, it found that only half of victims worldwide had disclosed their experiences to someone else, and often only after they had suffered more than one form of violence and harassment. The most common reasons given for non-disclosure were “waste of time” and “fear for their reputation”. Women were more likely to share their experiences than men – 60.7% compared…

THE CAPE Town Sevens is back in the Mother City today after a two-year break because of Covid-19. With the 2020 and 2021 tournaments cancelled because of the pandemic, South Africans will be flocking to Cape Town Stadium in their hordes for a massive party and to egg on their team who last one the event back in 2015. The Cape Town Sevens will be the 22nd South African leg of the series, with the first tournament being staged at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch back in 1999, before it moved to Kings Park in Durban for two years. From there, the tournament was staged at Outeniqua Park in George for nine years and then stopped at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium for four years before heading to the…

ONLY a fool would try to predict what’s going to happen in this weekend’s World Cup quarter-finals. Having watched almost every minute of the action in Qatar, I know better than most not to forecast results. But let me do it anyway. What I can say with some confidence is that whoever wins this weekend will have a one in four chance of lifting the trophy next Sunday. And having stated the obvious, Tuesday and Wednesday’s semi-finals will probably be cagey affairs, which means a possible Argentina vs Brazil final-four clash will be a nailbiter. I’m also seeing a France vs Portugal match-up next week for a place in the final. But before all of that, let’s check out how this weekend is going to play out in a breakdown…

RESIDENTS of Greenside in Kimberley indicated that they fear another Krugersdorp gang rape incident and an increase in criminal activity in their area should illegal mining activities in the area not cease. As one drives into the area, large groups of artisanal miners are visibly hard at work digging for diamonds. Some were digging deep holes behind the fences of some of the houses in the area while others were busy mining on an open piece of land situated at the end of one of the streets. Residents said that about four people had started digging in the area about three weeks ago. However, after news spread that two diamonds were found, a mini-diamond rush ensued. “About four or five people, who stay in the area, started mining on the…

MY WORD, here we are hurtling towards the Festive Season at a rapid rate of knots – you know, the time of ‘peace on earth and good will to all men’ – and yet there’s so much anger around. Just last week there was a story online where two golfers in Mississippi got into a post-round argument that turned into a scuffle, then a brawl and on to a fight. The result of their disagreement was that one of the men bit off his playing partner’s nose. I could not help wondering what could have been so serious about a game of golf that it caused one person to permanently and deliberately disfigure another? After all, enemies will not spend a good few hours together playing a game of golf,…

THE DA in the Northern Cape has warned that a shortage of vaccines in the Province could place livestock and the agricultural industry at risk. DA member of the provincial legislature Reinette Liebenberg said unpredictable rainfall patterns were creating conducive breeding conditions for the spread of deadly animal diseases such as the bluetongue virus (BTV) - a viral disease affecting sheep, cattle, goats, buffalo and antelope. “The Province has also seen a significant number of deaths of rabbits since the rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) outbreak in October,” said Liebenberg. “In January 2022, agricultural organisations, experts and the DA warned that animal vaccine production at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Training Centre could fail. This is fast becoming a reality.” Liebenberg added that the Onderstepoort veterinary centre did not have BTV and RHD…

TUG OF WAR is slowly gaining traction in South Africa, and here in Kimberley, the sport is growing in popularity by the day. On the local front, the sport has been growing, hand over fist in recent times from humble beginnings. During the year-end function and awards ceremony of the Pirates Tug of War Club in Kimberley, coach Anton Groenewald said that in 2018, after a couple of children from Landboudal came to Kimberley and participated in tug of war, he decided to form a club in the city. “We were only 12 people who came together at the driving range on that day to start making arrangements,” Groenewald told the DFA. “We then started training at Adamantia High School, where we didn’t have lights to practise with but used…