Table of contents for 2023-04-06 in DFA News

RESIDENTS had to stand in long queues outside the Sol Plaatje municipal offices this week after the electricity supply of those in arrears was cut. Angry residents stated that they were sent from the municipal offices in Galeshewe to the Civic Centre offices on Tuesday morning because the system in Galeshewe was off line. “We have been queuing here since the early hours of the morning and have to return again as the office closed before we could get to the front of the queue.” Some residents called for the Sol Plaatje executive mayor to be removed from office. “We do not have R500 to unblock our metres. Last month we paid R500 and this month our electricity was blocked again so we had to pay another R500. It is…

THE SOL Plaatje municipality unblocked the electricity in Blumanda, Ward 6 on Tuesday afternoon after the residents took their frustrations to the street by blockading the R31 from Barkly Road on the same morning. That is after their electricity was blocked over the weekend. The residents, of whom were mostly unemployed women, accused the Sol Plaatjie municipality of being selfish and inconsiderate of their situation and refusing to register them as indigents. They claim that the municipality demands a reconnection fee of R1000, which they don't have. They were stopped in their tracks by the police just as they were about to start burning tyres at around 7am after they blockaded the road. The police cleared the roads of the rocks and unburned tyres. The residents were addressed by their…

WHILE the people of Kimberley and the Northern Cape face the daily challenges of loadshedding, the country’s cellphone companies are fighting a similar battle behind the scenes . . . just on a far larger scale. On a recent Friday morning north of Johannesburg, the head of South Africa's largest telecoms company surveyed the arsenal of backup systems keeping just one of his 15,000 network towers online amid the worst power cuts on record. A diesel generator. Solar panels. A bank of expensive backup batteries, theft-proofed within a block of concrete. “Our costs have gone through the roof,” lamented Sitho Mdlalose, managing director of Vodacom South Africa. As the national power grid crumbles, leaving the country in the dark for up to 10 hours a day, mobile operators including Vodacom,…

THE R2 billion injection that was allocated by national Treasury and the Department of Water and Sanitation to the Sol Plaatje Municipality will be used to improve infrastructure, water quality and address water leaks. Spokesperson for the Sol Plaatje Municipality, Thoko Riet, yesterday said a project manager, who is a qualified engineer, was recently appointed by the Municipal Manager to track expenditure and progress on the project. “He will report and account to council and National Treasury to ensure that the funds are used for its intended purpose.” Executive mayor Kagisho Sonyoni (pictured) said that the municipal budget was inadequate to properly maintain, repair and refurbish the ageing water infrastructure. “The municipality has been actively sourcing additional funding to address the urgent water infrastructure upgrades.” He indicated that the R2…

WITNESSING a cyclist struggling with the wind can evoke emotions of either mirth, sympathy or envy … I say envy because to be out in the open air on a bicycle, even if the wind is huffing is better than sitting in a motor vehicle, and much better than sitting at a desk. However, when I saw a cyclist struggling with the wind recently, I can swear that I felt flabbergasted, more than envious, amused or sympathetic. There I was driving along in my motorised transport and this two-wheeled warrior was at the traffic light – cycling shorts, helmet, the proper spectacles, and cleats. None of the equipment was new either, which means that this oke was a seasoned cyclist. But there he was, standing at the traffic light, struggling…

THE NORTHERN Cape bowling fraternity is holding thumbs, hoping that the Northern Cape team at the Under-18 National Championships – that are currently taking place at the Orangia Bowling Club in Bloemfontein – will make them proud at this year’s competition. Northern Cape Bowls entered two teams in the competition that has been running since Monday, April 3. The finals take place today (Thursday), and the NC teams are still in contention for the top places. With a total of nine games to play, thus far each of the NC teams has won four of their nine games, while the losses they have taken are by one or two points, so they can still make it to Thursday’s final. The two Northern Cape Bowls teams are made up of four…

KIMBERLEY will be well represented at the highly-anticipated Easter Hockey Tournament taking place in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) from April 7-9. The Saints Men’s team will travel down to the coast, as will the William Pescod hockey club, for what is shaping up to be an exciting weekend of competition. You can bet that the Kimberley sides will be participating with high hopes of bringing home the championship trophy. Both Kimberley teams will be competing in the A section of the tournament, alongside some of the most formidable teams from Gqeberha, East London, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. Needless to say, it is expected to be a fiercely contested tournament, with 12 teams battling it out in Section A alone. This year, a total of 31 teams consisting of men and women…

FREELANCE journalist Douglas Mthukwane, 42, accused the DFA of “publishing lies and misleading information” about him while he told the state prosecutor that she was a “subliminal racist” during cross questioning in the Northern Cape High Court this week. “The case has been dragging on for seven years and I only want to go on and live my life,” he told the court. He indicated that the 14-year-old girl of whom he is accused of raping in 2016, “became happy and was salivating” upon seeing his private parts when she walked into the bathroom. “I was in the bath and was naked at that time. She was watching me salaciously. I did not chase her out of the room because she told me that she was not a virgin.”…

THE national “tate of disaster” declared in February to manage a crippling electricity crisis has been revoked, the government said yesterday. The state of disaster gave the government additional powers to respond to the crisis, including by permitting emergency procurement procedures with fewer bureaucratic delays and less oversight. Government will now work through its Energy Crisis Committee to reduce the impact of power cuts using existing legislation and contingency arrangements, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) minister Thembi Nkadimeng said in a statement. As part of efforts to mitigate the impact of the crisis, newly appointed electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa in recent weeks visited Eskom's power stations and had consultations within government and with Eskom aimed at resolving the electricity shortages, CoGTA said. The government decided to terminate the disaster…

ARCHERS all around the country are honing their skills in anticipation of the National Archery Championships that will be taking place in Kimberley next year. And with the anticipated influx of competitors it’s no surprise that the demand for Basic Archery Instructors (BAI) is on the rise. To that end, Africa Genesis Archery Northern Cape (AGA-NC) is positioning itself to meet the demand for BAIs. These instructors will serve as range officials during the championships, which is expected to attract thousands of top archers and their supporters to the Diamond City. AGA-NC’s Administrative Coordinator, Dawid de Greeff, emphasised the crucial role played by BAIs in ensuring a safe environment for archers to train and compete. Recently, Dawid became the first BAI Trainer (BAIT) in the Northern Cape after completing a…

Simon Westraadt 35 years old, born in Port Elizabeth plays as hooker Previous team: Pumas • What sports do you enjoy apart from rugby: Golf and Cricket • The one person that inspired you: Both my parents • Your biggest rugby hero: Keith Wood • Your biggest sporting hero outside of rugby: Tom Brady • Favourite book: Johnny Wilkinson autobiography • Favourite movie: Gone Girl • What type of music do you enjoy: Rock • Top three favourite songs: Enter Sandman (Metallica), Live this Life (Prime Circle), Out of my way (Seether) • Droëwors? Biltong? Chillibites?: Biltong • Water – still or sparkling: Sparkling • Do you have a pet: Two English bulldogs, Winston and Maggie. Best pets to have around kids and they…

Kimberley Golf Club Results for the week of March 29-April 1 and next week’s programme. Results for the week of March 29 to April 1 2023 are: The Wednesday, March 29 John Dory’s sponsored 18-hole IPS was won by Philip Smith on 39 pts with Muzapher Allie 2nd on 36 pts and Bernard Turton 3rd on 35 pts. The Thursday, March 30 KWV sponsored 9-hole IPS with power play options was won by Jock Robey with 23 pts with Sadick Thomas 2nd on 22 pts and Ant Crozier 3rd on 21 pts. The Friday, March 31 Flamingo sponsored Niner was won by Christof Posthumus on 21 pts with Bernard Turton 2nd on 20 pts. Third was Fuhad Mahri on 19 pts on a count-out of 4th Placed Jaco Janse with…

In what will be a first for Kimberley, the Diamond City will be the host for the ninth All African Tug of War Championships that will be held from May 4-6. Teams from different provinces, as well as teams from several African countries will descend on the Pirates sports grounds to tug it out to see who will be crowned the best of the best. According to Dawie Swanepoel from the Kimberley Pirates Tug of War club, they are still waiting for several countries to confirm if they will be taking part in this event, but one thing can be sure, Kimberley will be getting a boost from this event. “So far, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia have confirmed, but we are still waiting for Lesotho, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria…

PHOKWANE Service Delivery Forum councillor, Michael Castro Sethlogomi, has been elected as the new Speaker of Phokwane Municipality. The provincial convener of the Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD), Moeketsi Ntema said Sethlogomi was elected by all ten opposition councillors after a motion of no confidence was passed against the ANC Speaker, Willem Harmse. “Nine ANC councillors voted for the ANC chief whip Portia Mohale, whose name was also put forward to fill the position.” Ntema added that a motion of no confidence was also brought against the Phokwane mayor, although the item was not discussed at last week’s special council meeting. “The opposition is intent on cleaning up the municipality.” Sethlogomi stated that it was a great honour for him to represent the Phokwane Service Delivery Forum. “I have been…

THE CITY has been forewarned to make provisions for another water shutdown from April 21-23. Spokesperson for Sol Plaatje Municipality, Thoko Riet, said the Riverton and Newton reservoirs would be filled prior to the shutdown. “This will provide the city with a limited supply of water during the shutdown. Roving water tanks and Jojo tanks will be made available, if the need arises.” She added that the shutdown would commence from 6am on April 21 until 6pm on April 23. “This will provide the municipality with enough time to fully drain the affected pipe sections to undertake the repairs and restore the water supply to all communities. This will mark the beginning of a huge improvement to the supply and quality of the water in the future.” Riet explained…

With more than 60% of renewable energy projects located in the Northern Cape, the Province is fast positioning itself as the renewable energy hub of South Africa. These were the remarks made by the MEC of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Abraham Vosloo, during the Energy X Conference and Exhibition which took place at the Protea Hotel in Kimberley on March 29 and 30. The two-day conference saw experts in the renewable energy and business sectors including financial services, discuss the importance of renewable energy as well as how it can not only solve the current energy crisis in the country, but also be a livelihood to communities in the Province. Vosloo indicated that renewable energy can not only resolve the energy crisis but also some of the social challenges…

Easter Drag Racing promises thrills aplenty COME one, come all! The annual Easter weekend drag racing event is revving and ready to go, and this year it promises to be bigger and better than ever before. On Saturday and Sunday, April 8-9, racers from all over the country will once again descend on Kimberley to showcase their skills and determine who has the fastest cars of the weekend on the old Bloemfontein Road quarter-mile strip. It’s doubtful that anyone in Kimberley needs to be introduced to the sport of drag racing, where two drivers compete head-to-head on a straight, quarter-mile track, burning rubber and high octane fuel and tearing down the straight; it is, as the popularity of the sport in Kimberley testifies, a thrilling and intense sport to watch.…

Football fans promised heaps more action in the 2023 Easter Tournament THERE is some good news for football fans in Kimberley with the promise of a thrilling, action-packed long weekend of soccer action on the horizon with the highly-anticipated Sol Plaatje Masters Football League Easter Tournament set to kick off this weekend. And even better news for local fans is that this year’s tournament promises to be even more exciting than the last, featuring four action-packed days of action. The tournament gets under way on Friday, April 7 (tomorrow) at the Diskobolos Sports Grounds, where 35 teams from around the Sol Plaatje area will battle it out in what should be a series of thrilling encounters. The action then continues at Diskobolos on Saturday, April 8 before moving to the…