Table of contents for 2023-03-17 in DFA News

KIMBERLEY businesses fear that there will be chaos and looting during the EFF national shutdown that is scheduled to take place on Monday, March 20. The EFF has been vague about its intentions regarding protest action although it was indicated that groups of people will gather in residential areas, at major roads and intersections and request all businesses to close, as they call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down and an end to load shedding. Despite assurances from the EFF that their protest actions will be peaceful, there are concerns that they will not be able to control sporadic incidents of vandalism and violence. There is also uneasiness that the national Human Rights Day commemoration that is set to take place in De Aar on Tuesday may be disrupted.…

IN RESPONSE to the need to improve the quality of early childhood care and education in the Frances Baard area, a training programme has been implemented by Matla A Bokone Solar to help provide 14 local early childhood development (ECD) practitioners to further their education and earn an accredited qualification. The focus is on enhancing early childhood care and education and increasing access to quality early learning programmes in the Northern Cape. Funded by Matla A Bokone Solar, in collaboration with the Department of Education, this ECD Practitioner Capacity Building Programme is designed to assist practitioners in obtaining their ECD NQF Level 4 qualification, issued by ETDP Seta. The community liaison officer for Matla A Bokone Solar, Lesego Moisane, elaborated that early experiences play an important role in shaping the…

THE UNEMPLOYMENT Insurance Fund (UIF) will launch an online portal later this year, where services can be accessed on smartphones. The UIF commissioner, Teboho Maruping, who visited Kimberley this week, stated that this would eradicate long queues at labour centres. “The free, unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) and mobile application will allow clients to access services from the comfort of their homes,” said Maruping. “The self-service app will allow clients to check their claims, lodge complaints and submit a request for payments.” Maruping also indicated that the UIF would provide free wi-fi at labour centres. “Fully-equipped buses will take services to clients in remote areas of the Province. We are mindful of the vast geographical spread in the Province and the high levels of poverty,” he added. Maruping said that…

THE OWNERS of seven shacks in Snake Park accused Sol Plaatje Municipality of tricking them and then kicking them out after they were told to start the process of applying for plots from scratch. The owners of the shacks were temporarily moved to make way for the development of bulk infrastructure, with the agreement that they would be among those who would be relocated to the extended phases being developed in Snake Park. They now claim that the municipality has U-turned on this promise after waiting for almost two years for discrepancies around their plots and relocation to be sorted out. According to them, they were disregarded when the time came for them to be relocated in October 2021, regardless of having sacrificed their homes to make way for the…

Bafana Bafana have been handed a huge boost as Al Ahly forward Percy Tau has made his way back into the squad as head coach Hugo Broos announced his final 23-man squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers. Broos also unsurprisingly rewarded Mamelodi Sundowns 21-year-old forward Cassius Mailula with his first senior call-up following his outstanding performance at club level. South Africa will face Liberia at home on March 24, before meeting them in Monrovia four days later. If Bafana were to claim just four points from their two meetings with Liberia they would all but ensure AFCON qualification after both teams lost to Morocco. Zimbabwe’s disqualification from Group K and banning from international football means that Morocco are almost guaranteed to qualify for the showpiece in Ivory Coast,…

CHARGES have been laid against an EFF councillor after he allegedly assaulted a Dikgatlong Municipality driver while he was delivering supplies to water-stricken areas in Barkly West. A fellow municipal worker indicated that the incident took place on March 12 when the councillor and his friends approached the municipal employees. “The councillor swore at us and instructed us to immediately deliver water to his friend’s house. We informed him that we were following a schedule and would attend to his friend once we were done. We advised him that it was unbecoming of him to act in this manner as he was a public figure. He threatened to hit us and stated that he was not worried about being fired.” He added that after leaving, they heard a noise from…

THE KATHU Regional Court this week sentenced Baatlhodi Mabale, 29, to 15 years’ direct imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances. This follows a successful conviction on March 7 after a thorough investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team. Mabale was arrested, along with his co-accused, in November 2019 by the Kathu SAPS and Rhino Security officers shortly after they robbed employees from PEP Stores who were on their way to deposit money at the bank. The employees were robbed of an amount of R75 000 at Kathu Mall. The matter was then referred to the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit for further investigation. The probe by the Hawks team led to the successful conviction of both accused. Mabale and and his co-accused Kabelo Lechoene, 31, remained in…

THE POLICE arrested two male suspects on March 15 after acting on information regarding alleged illegal firearms at a shack in an informal settlement in Modderrivier. The 32- and 42-year-old male suspects are expected to appear in the Ritchie Magistrate’s Court today on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm. Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said the team operationalised the information, obtained a search warrant and raided the shack. “The team managed to confiscate one unlicensed firearm and ammunition hidden under a sofa in the shack,” said Sam. Sam said the proliferation of illegal firearms remains a priority for the SAPS and unabated efforts will continue to address this crime.…

WARRENTON residents have lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) as there has not been a drop of water in their taps since February 21. It is believed that Magareng Municipality has managed to secure R5.5 million towards repairing the bulk pipeline. Last week, the municipality indicated that R15 million was needed to re-route the pipeline to the N18 low-lying bridge in the meantime until the main pipeline is fixed. Residents complained that the borehole water was making them feel ill and their skin “itchy”, while others indicated that there were not enough trucks delivering water to the community. “Our arms are tired of carrying containers of water.” Some community members added that load shedding was also preventing residents from accessing water from the boreholes. The…

Kimberley Golf Club Results for the week of March 8-11 and news about next week’s programme. Results for the week of March 8-11 are: The Wednesday, March 8 Darsha sponsored 18-hole BBS was won by Zayhied Suliman on 39 pts on a count-out over Muzapher Allie on the same score. Third was Phillip Maritz with 38 pts. The Thursday. March 9 KWV sponsored 9-hole IPS with power play options was won by Dee Kidson with 27 pts with hubby Ian 2nd on 24 pts and Johan Herselman 3rd on 21 pts on a count-out over many others. The Friday, March 10 Flamingo sponsored Niner was won by Donald Witbooi on 20 pts with Bernie Turton 2nd on 19 pts on count-out over Greg Jones and C Gordon 3rd and 4th…

THE NORTHERN Cape Cricket awards took place on Wednesday night at Kimberley’s Diamond Oval, and it was an eventful evening for all involved. The MEC for Sport, Arts, and Culture, Desiree Fenies, was in attendance and addressed the audience on behalf of the Department. Northern Cape Cricket president Gibson Molale also gave a heartfelt speech, expressing appreciation for the players’ hard work and dedication to the team. It was abundantly clear that the Northern Cape Cricket Association aims to develop and promote cricket in the region, and the annual awards ceremony serves as a platform to encourage and motivate the players and umpires to continue working hard and striving for excellence. Several awards were handed out during the ceremony, and it was a night to remember for the winners. Northern…

THREE heavily-overloaded taxis that were transporting city pupils to school were impounded last week. While Sol Plaatje Municipality is in the process of establishing an impound facility, municipal spokesperson Thoko Riet said yesterday that they were making use of the services of a towing company. “The owners of the vehicles are liable for the towing and storage costs of their vehicles at the towing company’s premises and any fines that are payable when they appear in court,” said Riet. She stated that one taxi transporting 38 pupils to Kimberley Boys’ High School and Adamantia High School, a taxi that was overloaded with 36 pupils from William Pescod High School and one taxi ferrying 24 pupils from St Boniface High School were impounded on March 8/9. “All the kombis have the…

“I AM BRINGING my heart and my soul.” That is what the ever humble musician and legendary guitarist Jonathan Butler has promised his fans ahead of his live concert at the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre in Kimberley on Sunday. In an interview with the DFA, the 61-year-old Butler said that he can't wait for the concert after his last visited Kimberley while he was still a young boy. He said he is at his happiest on stage and would like to share that experience because music is in his blood and he feels that he was born to do it. Butler, who is based in Los Angeles, has been back in the country for about six weeks and is enjoying the hot weather, which he said is completely the opposite…

A WHOPPING budget of more than R14 billion has been allocated to the Northern Cape by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral) to address the road infrastructure challenges experienced in the Province. Sanral’s manager for the Western Region, which includes the Northern Cape and the Western Cape, Randall Cable, said the budget will cover a wide range of important road maintenance and construction projects in the Province over the next three years. Sanral currently has a footprint in the Northern Cape that spans 4 409 kilometres, of which 952 kilometres was recently incorporated from the Northern Cape provincial government. In addition to the routine and periodic maintenance projects, which cover all the major routes in the Northern Cape, such as the N1, N7, N8, N9, N10, N12,…

THE WINDHOEK Draught Griquas Currie Cup season didn’t get off to the start they hoped when they lost 42-19 to the Free State Cheetahs in the opening game of the 2023 Currie Cup competition. Therefore, with the team playing the Cell C Sharks this Sunday, they will surely be working on certain areas of their game that they saw needed some work. Griquas assistant coach Barend Pieterse said during a media briefing this week that there were a few areas they were not happy with, but that they have worked on those easily fixable flaws this week, saying it is not an issue that will keep them up at night. “A lot of the things came down to physicality, and they were much better than us on the day; their…

The sport of archery is slowly but surely gaining traction at Sol Plaatje University. Earlier in the week, students started with their first introduction to archery classes at the university sport grounds. More than 80 students responded to the invitation to join, and a total of 52 students asked to shoot. Then on Monday, 25 students lined up and were introduced to the sport. They picked up a bow and arrow for the first time, aimed and shot, keen to hit the bull’s eye. The next day, on Tuesday, 30 more students arrived for their introduction and got accustomed to the feeling of holding a bow. It was not long before most of the students got the hang of it, and arrows started flying true, hitting their mark. Tshepo Edison…

The DFA is giving readers a little casual insight into this season’s Griquas players. This week Danie van der Lith speaks to Gustav du Rand and Kudzwai Dube. Pictures by: Louis Botha Gustav du Rand ‘Goose’ plays as hooker 23 years old, born in Benoni Previous Teams: NWU Eagles (Pukke) and Leopards • What sports do you enjoy apart from rugby: I enjoy playing golf, soccer, and cricket • Who was the one person that inspired you as a young player: I would say my dad had always been a role model as he was also a good rugby player, and that is the reason why I would want to take rugby as far as possible. • Your biggest rugby hero: Schalk Brits – I feel that we play a…