Table of contents for 2023-04-21 in DFA News

The co-owner and dealer principal of Itec Northern Cape, Adam Wilken, said they are elated about the recognition they received. “This is an enormous honour and achievement for any dealer, and especially for the Northern Cape. We are beyond thrilled and grateful for this incredible recognition,” said Wilken. “The success of this company is the evidence of the grace of God and that all glory should go to Him. We also, however, would not have been able to reach such success without the wonderful work from our 40-member team who have shown commitment and passion for the industry. “Plus, our hard work and passion would all be in vain and we would not be where we are today without our awesome customers. We are honoured that our customers continue to…

“EVERYTHING went blank in front of me.” These were the words of a Barkly West man when he discovered that more than R100,000 was unlawfully withdrawn from his Post Bank savings account between October and December 2022. The victim, Olehile Sehako, accused the Post Office of dragging its feet in the investigation while the suspect continues to work at the till and handles money. According to Sehako, he made his last transaction in October 2022 with assistance from the suspect, who is an employee of the Post Office. He said large amounts of money were later withdrawn from his account. According to Sehako, upon approaching the Post Office, he learned that the same employee who assisted him during his last transaction was the one who had been logging into his…

CLIPPING one’s nails … a necessary evil, I suppose; and what a luxury! There’s just something special about, after discovering that your claws have – seemingly overnight – grown to an ugly length, feeling them trimmed and tidy again. I have to admit that, as a man, I cannot understand why some folk either grow their nails or apply synthetic nails. I am not criticising, I am just saying that I don’t understand it. To me, though the attraction may be that it may look fashionable, I just believe that it’s not practical. I am certain that it prevents one from doing many simple, everyday, necessary tasks. One of those jobs involves toilet paper. Also, Freddy Krueger gave me many sleepless nights, and when I see long nails, my mind…

A CITY hero who lost his life while saving two Northern Cape book club members from drowning in the sea in 2019 will be bestowed the Order of Mendi award in silver for bravery by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The ceremony will take place at the Sefako Makgatho presidential guest house in Pretoria today. The incident took place in Victoria Bay when Kgomotso Thomas, 36, the Funda Mzantsi championships regional co-ordinator for the Frances Baard District, and Northern Cape book clubs were attending the 10th national Funda Mzantsi championships in George on September 25, 2019. Thomas, who was a library assistant and official at the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, was swept away by rough seas after saving the lives of a Grade 8 pupil from Upington and a second-year…

Janco Uys ‘Jakes’ 23 years old, born in Nelspruit plays at hooker Previous team: The Bulls • What sports do you enjoy apart from rugby: Golf • Who was the one person that inspired you as a young player: My Parents always motivated me and always supported me. • Your biggest rugby hero: Bismarck du Plessis • Your biggest sporting hero outside of rugby? Roger Federer • Favourite book: High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best • Favourite movie: Gladiator • What type of music do you enjoy: Country music • Top three favourite songs: Zach Bryan – The Good I'll Do, Cody Johnson – Till You Can't, Riley Green – Grandpas Never Die • Droëwors? Biltong? Chillibites?: Biltong • Water – still or sparkling: Still…

Kimberley Golf Club Results for the week of April 12-15 and news about next week’s programme. Results for the week of April 12 to 15 are: The Wednesday, April 12 Darsha sponsored 18-hole IPS was won by Barend Burger with 36 pts. Second on 34 pts was Jacques Gouws on a count-out over Ian Kidson with the same score. The Thursday, April 13 KWV sponsored 9-hole IPS with power play options was won by Johan Herselman on 25 pts with Braam Botes 2nd on 18 pts and André Williams 3rd on 15 pts. The Kriek Wildlife sponsored BBS golf day on Friday, April 14 was won by the team of Wimpie Botha and Jannie van der Westhuizen with 51 pts. Second were Shaun Durant and Reimund Meisenheimer on 46 pts…

SOL PLAATJE Municipality is conducting an audit of prepaid electricity meters that are set to expire in November 2024. By next year, consumers making use of meters with the old encryption key will not be able to load electricity, while any remaining units will be forfeited. Municipal spokesperson Thoko Riet said that an audit was being carried out to ensure that all STS meters’ key revision numbers were changed to a two-part reset key before the November 2024 deadline for the token identifier (TID) roll-over programme. “This will ensure that consumers using STS meters will still be able to purchase electricity.” She added that prepaid electricity meter auditors would monitor whether prepaid meters were working effectively and had not been tampered with. “The company, Ontec, has been contracted to undertake…

IN THE latest twist, the Northern Cape High Court has absolved SA Soutwerke (Pty) Ltd from paying damages to Saamwerk Soutwerke (Pty) Ltd in the long-running tug-of-war over mining rights at Vrysoutpan near Upington. SA Soutwerke was ordered to pay Saamwerk Soutwerke R11.9 million in damages in 2018. The amount was later amended to R9.1 million in 2021. Saamwerk Soutwerke claimed that it had incurred profit losses of R106.7 million when it was unable to mine for 33 months. The directors of SA Soutwerke included former ANC provincial chairperson John Block, former Upington mayor Gift van Staden, businessman Andre Johan Blaauw and his elderly mother, Cornelia Blaauw. In 2007, Block produced a mining permit that did not have an expiry date, which was issued in 2004 by the Department of…

HOCKEY in the Province has been one of those sports that has not been getting the attention like more popular sports such as rugby and soccer, and there are probably many factors contributing to this neglect, like too few games being played, a scarcity of hockey events, and also the lack of funding. But this is hopefully about to change with the NC Hockey Federation launching their Junior Development Programme next month, where all children across the board can participate at no cost to the parents. Children will be placed in different age groups, and they will be able to train and play in matches while the federation will also be supplying the equipment for them to use. “By doing this, we are trying to get more youngsters involved in…

Zanshin students bring home the medals and their Protea colours FOUR students from Zanshin Shito-Ryu Karate-Do in Kimberley recently returned home with medals from Karate South Africa’s (KSA) National League 1 Championships that was held in Cape Town. The four Zanshin Shito-Ryu students had been training tirelessly for months to prepare for the championships, and their hard work paid off. They knew that they were up against tough competition, but they were determined to give it their all and represent Northern Cape Karate with pride. The tournament was held over two days, and the students competed in various events such as kata and kumite. Alex Becker put on a good performance in kata and was awarded a bronze medal. Markus Becker was unstoppable in kumite and returned home with…

THE NORTHERN Cape Symphony Orchestra (NSO), a non-profit company, will hold its official launch at the Northern Cape Theatre tomorrow. Special guest artist Sibongile Mngoma, the Northern Cape Symphony Youth Orchestra and local artists will perform at the event. The orchestra is supported by the Presidential Employment Stimulus, the National Arts Council and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and will provide training and performance opportunities for young musicians as well as generate employment for professional musicians in the Province. One of the directors, Dingaan Chabalala, said the orchestra was the first of its kind in the Northern Cape. “Young aspiring musicians between the ages of 15 and 25 with amazing talent were selected from across the Province to perform in the NSO youth orchestra. They will be trained…

NEHAWU and PSA members will march to the office of the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, as well as the Premier’s office, on April 25, where they are calling for “heads to roll” after three senior officials were implicated in acts of wrongdoing. Lunchtime pickets are also being held daily outside the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture offices in Church Road in Kimberley. The unions believe there is “overwhelming evidence” against the chief financial officer, the chief director of corporate services and the chief director of services delivery programmes. Nehawu branch secretary Moses Vorster said they had not yet received any feedback from the department after handing over a memorandum on April 13. Allegations against the officials include the mismanagement of public funds, maladministration and the irregular appointment…

Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said the incident took place in March 2021 when the woman and her friends went to bed after having a party. “She was woken up by a heavy person who was lying on top of her, who tried to rape her. She screamed and pushed the suspect away and ran to her friends,” said Sam. He added that the police's “meticulous investigation” led to the suspect pleading guilty in court. The provincial head for the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit, Brigadier Sipho Kheswa, commended the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Shawn Brandt, for his “dedication and commitment” to secure the conviction.…

THE SOL Plaatje University (SPU) Sport Precinct, a first of its kind in the Northern Cape, has added yet another sporting code to the long list they already have on offer. The addition of Taekwondo to the list of sports offered at SPU’s Sport Precinct is an exciting development for both the university and the students. This move is reflective of the institution’s commitment to promoting healthy living and providing its students with a comprehensive education that goes beyond academics. The addition of Taekwondo to the list of sports offered at SPU’s Sport Precinct is also indicative of the university’s commitment to promoting a diverse range of sports activities. With a long list of sports activities, including soccer, basketball, netball, volleyball, hockey, and much more, adding Taekwondo to this list,…

MORE than 40 archers from the Northern Cape recently gathered at Vooruitsig Primary School in Kimberley to participate in the inter-school, inter-club, and inter-provincial bull's-eye and 3D archery competitions. The Province’s archers went head-to-head with archers from the Western Cape, both here at Vooruitsig Primary School and virtually, and the local archers achieved remarkable success. The Northern Cape archers also took their Western Cape opponents by surprise in the virtual competition, winning a total of eight medals in different categories. The results for the Northern Cape archers were impressive, with competitors from various age groups and categories showing off their skills. Hennie Victor, Jaco Niemand, and Otniel van Wyk took the top three spots in the Primary Boys Bull’s Eye, while Elrize de Greeff, Lilly Heuwel, and Mariam Richards took…

After the recently-concluded Masters Easter Tournament, it’s now time for the Post-Easter Top 4 Soccer Tournament hosted by De Vees United, and soccer fans are anticipating a thrilling event. The tournament will be held at the Vuyolwethu Secondary School grounds tomorrow, and will feature four clubs from the region. The clubs participating in the tournament feature Royal Chiefs from Petrusburg and three clubs from Kimberley; De Vees United from Donkerhoek, Kappa United, and Roodepan’s Jacksonville FC. With multiple prizes on offer, including the Player of the Tournament, Coach of the Tournament, and Top Goalscorer award, you can be certain that each team will be eager to give it their all to emerge as tournament champions. The chairman of hosts De Vees United, Sipho Mkize, has emphasised that the tournament is…