Table of contents for 2023-01-20 in DFA News

THE FAMILY of Boipato “Sparch” Mahadika, who was shot dead near his home in Galeshewe on Saturday evening, said that he was receiving death threats but the police seemed to take the matter lightly whenever he reported it to them. Mahadika was shot and killed on Saturday evening opposite his home in Ramatshela Street. The Galeshewe police confirmed that he was shot six times, while another man that he was chatting to was shot in the thigh. The man who was injured in the shooting had apparently called Mahadika to meet him across the road a few minutes before the incident. This is the second time that the Mahadika family will have to bury one of their own following a shooting incident. Mahadika’s older brother, Tshepo Mahadika, was also shot…

AS PER the official update, the matric results for pupils in public schools were scheduled to be announced on January 19 and distributed by schools and exam centres on January 20. Matric candidates will have until February 3 to request remarking or rechecking. A matric rewrite or improvement is available for those who wish to improve their scores in May/June 2023, according to the department. How to get your results: 1.) You can visit: https://www.education.gov.za/MatricResults/ExamResults.aspx 2.) Go to your high school, results should be available from noon. 3.) Send your ID number and exam number via SMS to 35658. Both numbers must have 13 digits to be accepted, and there is a once-off cost of R3 to register. Once registration is completed, results will be delivered by SMS when they…

MY OFFICE is a mess. My desk is cluttered, my shelves are in disarray and if you were brave enough and would dare to venture to open up one of my desk’s drawers, you’d better hope that you have a strong heart. Strangely enough, I know where – more or less – everything is when I need something. My highlighters are in the region of my left forearm, under some papers. Paper clips are in the drawer to my right ... but you may have to move some things to get to them. Fountain pens? That’s easy. They are everywhere. I love using a fountain pen, so there’s bound to be one close by ... somewhere. I think. So why would I believe that my disorganised desk is worth…

COMMUNITY members are outraged after an accused who was charged with the attempted murder of his girlfriend was granted bail of R500 in the Colesberg District Court this week. The incident took place on January 8, when the accused allegedly assaulted and strangled his girlfriend with an electrical cord at their residence in Norvalspont. The secretary of the ANC Edward Mjadu branch, Fuma Eric Bisiwe, said that community members flocked to the Colesberg District Court on Wednesday, where a petition was handed over calling on the court not to grant the accused bail. Bisiwe said the complainant was admitted to Manne Dipico Hospital in Colesberg in a serious but stable condition on January 8. “She was discharged on January 13 but was readmitted on January 15 after suffering complications. She…

Arthur Zwane wants to be backed at Kaizer Chiefs like Pitso was at Mamelodi Sundowns Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane is optimistic about his future at the club and is planning to bring the glory days back to Amakhosi despite a mixed bag of results this season. After finishing the year on a high – winning their last two games – Chiefs haven’t had a great start to the New Year. They lost at home to Sekhukhune United on the day of their 53rd anniversary, before they were hammered 4-0 by AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. These back-to-back defeats came in a space of a week, and Chiefs have lost ground in the title race – which has mounted pressure on Zwane ahead of tomorrow’s clash against league leaders…

World number two Rafa Nadal will be sidelined for six to eight weeks by the hip flexor injury he suffered during his second-round loss at the Australian Open, the Spaniard’s team said yesterday. Nadal’s title defence ended bitterly on Wednesday as he slumped to a 6-4 6-4 7-5 defeat by Mackenzie McDonald, the latest chapter in a long history of fitness problems at Melbourne Park. The 36-year-old had an MRI scan on his left leg in Melbourne on Thursday, which revealed a grade 2 injury in the Illiopsoas, the primary hip flexor. “He will be resting the next days once back in Spain and will start with anti-inflammatory physiotherapy,” his team said in a statement. “The normal time estimated for a complete recuperation is between six and eight weeks.” The…

IT HAS been two weeks into the new year and the people of Kimberley and the Northern Cape are facing increased rolling power cuts as Eskom ramps up load shedding. This has taken a toll on the mental health of many, not just in our Province, but across the country. Load shedding, for many, is more than simply not having electricity. It’s a productivity issue, a safety and security issue, and a health issue - a crisis handled as though it is a minor inconvenience. Agri Northern Cape has already warned of a possible food crisis (see report on Page 3). And if you’ve wondered if the continued power cuts have caused a wave of anxiety and unnecessary stress for millions of people, you couldn’t be more correct. The Gross…

A 60-YEAR-old Galeshewe teacher who is accused of raping a nine-year-old girl is expected to make his second appearance in the Galeshewe Magistrate’s Court on February 17. This is after his bail application was denied on December 14. The bail application was processed following several postponements, ranging from load shedding, availability of a magistrate and a media application to take footage of the court proceedings. DNA results are also still to be released from the lab. The investigating officer (IO), Warrant Officer Cindy Jongh, opposed bail. She based her argument on the fact that the accused had lied under oath and that his release on bail would outrage the community and could trigger public disorder. It was revealed in court that Galeshewe community members had presented a petition to the…

SOL PLAATJE municipal workers have slammed the acting appointment of the acting city engineer, whom they believe is not qualified and does not possess the skills for the position. The workers stated that the acting city engineer’s highest qualification was Grade 9. “He was working as a foreman in roads and stormwater before he was promoted to a superintendent on a T12 band. He was recently promoted to a T14 band. The position requires a degree in engineering,” the workers said. They pointed out that the city was riddled with potholes. “The roads and stormwater drains are in a shocking condition and workers are being blamed for not doing the work while incompetent officials are being placed in senior posts.” Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Thoko Riet said that an acting…

Hope 2023 will be a great year for your golf! Results for the week of January 11-14 are: The Wednesday, January 11 Club sponsored BBS was won by Andries Kori (pivot) and Zayhied Suliman on 48 pts. Second were Phillip Maritz and Connor McNamara on 47 pts with Andres Kori and Zunaid Mobara 3rd on 46 points. The Thursday, January 12 KWV sponsored 9-hole IPS with power play options was won by Luchman Poonawassy with 28pts with Ant Crozier 2nd on 24 pts and Keith Brown 3rd on 22 pts. The Friday, January 13th Flamingo Sun 9-hole IPS was won by William Wepener on 19 pts on a count-out over Helena Janse also on 19 with Gavin Williams 3rd on 18 pts also on a count-out. The Saturday, January 14…

A Saudi Arabian businessman won the bidding to watch the latest chapter in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's celebrated rivalry in global soccer with a 10 million riyals ($2.66 million) bid for a ticket to their showpiece game. The Saudi government's entertainment arm said on Twitter that Mushref Al-Ghamdi, general manager of real estate group AqarOne, was the highest bidder for a "Beyond Imagination" ticket. he winner would attend yesterday's match in Riyadh featuring a combined team from Saudi clubs Al Nassr – who recently signed Ronaldo – and Al Hilal versus Messi's Paris St Germain in the duo's first on-pitch meeting since Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in December 2020. Winning bidder Al-Ghamdi will attend the winner's ceremony after the match, enter the dressing rooms, and meet the two players…

It won’t be easy, but Griquas are keen to pick up where they left off IT CANNOT be disputed that the Windhoek Draught Griquas had a wonderful season in 2022, making it all the way to the Currie Cup final. The two smallest franchises in the competition blasted their way past the top teams, making it a year of upsets. Griquas faced the Pumas and had the opportunity to once again make history by winning the final on home soil. But when the visitors defeated Griquas 26-19, for the players and the supporters, it was a difficult pill to swallow. However, that Currie Cup final will be remembered for many years to come. But that was last year, and now with 2023 in full swing, and a new rugby season…

THE LONG wait is finally over for the Class of 2022 with the release of the National Senior Certificate results today. Delays in the release of the results were attributed to officials needing “more time for analysis” and schools starting late in 2022 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that resulted in disruptions in teaching, examinations and the standardisation of results. City matrics said that they were anxiously waiting to hear if they could be accepted at university. Parents indicated that they had to produce their children’s results before bursaries could be awarded. “It's stressful because some of us have more than one child attending university and they will require us to pay deposits and residence accommodation before the new academic year starts next month. Students have to…

THE OFFICE of the Premier has advised struggling farmers to make use of renewable energy sources during protracted load shedding. Farmers in the Northern Cape have indicated that they are losing their livelihoods because of power outages and that they are unable to make use of alternative energy sources as they also require electricity in order to function. The spokesperson for the Office of the Premier, Bronwyn Thomas-Abrahams, pointed out yesterday that there is an ample supply of renewable energy in the Northern Cape. “Smallholder and commercial farmers should take advantage of the scorching sun rays and strong winds and invest in renewable energy. Government is aware of the challenges confronting the agricultural sector,” said Thomas-Abrahams. She added that the provincial government was working with the national Department of Agriculture…

ENTREPRENEURS who have invested and directed their efforts into chicken farming are facing a crisis that could lead to a countrywide chicken shortage in the coming weeks. According to a tweet by the South African Poultry Association, members have had to cull over 10 million 10-day-old chicks due to disruptions caused by persistent load shedding. This could directly impact poultry farmers' ability to meet the supply demands of the retail sector. In media reports, Izaak Breitenbach, the general manager of the South African Poultry Association, pointed out that, ironically, there was no shortage of chickens. It was the backlog in the slaughtering of chickens causing the crisis. “One can actually say there is no shortage of chickens. The chickens are standing on the farm, and we can’t get them through…

With less than 200 days to go until the Netball World Cup, the Spar Proteas are putting in all the work to be at their best come July. South Africa will start their preparations with the quad series which gets under way tomorrow in Cape Town. The world’s top netball nations New Zealand, Australia and England will compete in the event which should be just the test the host nation need as they prepare for the World Cup. Earlier this month SA coach Norma Plummer named a competitive squad for the Quad Series where her team will pit their strength against the world’s best teams. The Quad series will give the team some insight into where they are in their preparations for the Netball World Cup. Plummer says the team…

Dumax Paints in Kimberley hosted the Under-15 Dumax Back to School Top 8 Soccer Tournament which was held on the artificial turf in Galeshewe last weekend. The following teams faced off at the tournament: Motherwells, Footballers, Tshwaragano, Diamond City, Rainbow Stars, Remy, Reveers and Kimberley United A number of spectators enthusiastic attended the tournament that was played under the scorching Northern Cape sun, and despite the heat, the fans were seen cheering on their favourite teams during the course of the day. After all the games were completed, the two best teams met in the final and in the end Kimberley United won 2-1 against Tswaragano All Stars, thereby securing the title and the bragging rights…

Proteas stick with underperformers for crucial World Cup qualifiers THE PROTEAS knocked me for a six with their flou squad, announced for the upcoming ODI series against England. Beating the leading nation in limited-overs cricket in recent times is going to be a challenge for any team in the world, but for our struggling Proteas, we may as well write them off. We’ve been through a bad patch under previous coach Mark Boucher and I’m quite happy to see him and his low-energy vibes walk off into the sunset. But what was supposed to be a bright new dawn this week just seems foggy to say the least. I don’t see any direction for these guys. Not because of new white-ball coach Rob Walter only arriving for the final ODI.…

WOW. It’s just amazing to see Benni McCarthy get some international recognition in the football world again. For longer than I care to remember, there has been little to celebrate from the South African football fraternity. Outside of Mamelodi Sundowns and coach Pitso Mosimane’s exploits in Caf competition, there is really niks going on for us. We have to keep ourselves satisfied with the PSL. So it’s great to see Benni doing a stellar job at Manchester United. Up until Wednesday night’s Premier League draw at Crystal Palace, the Bafana Bafana legend had helped the Red Devils to nine straight wins in all competitions. His work to get United, and especially Marcus Rashford, firing again shows just how knowledgeable he is a coach. I’ve only had admiration for Benni as…