Table of contents for 2021-07-16 in DFA News

Boipelo Mere A 27-YEAR-old Northern Cape man was sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment this week for raping his then seven-month pregnant stepsister in 2016. The incident dates back to April 2, 2016, when the accused raped his stepsister at their home in Bankhara, Kuruman and also hit the victim with his fist when she tried to fight back. The accused was arrested on April 5, 2016 and bail was successfully opposed. The provincial head of the SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit in the Northern Cape, Brigadier Nicky Mills, welcomed the sentence handed down to the accused by the Kuruman Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and his name was recorded in the National Register for Sex Offenders.…

Thobile Mazibuko OVER the past few days most parts of South Africa have seen a significant drop in temperatures. Taking to social media, Storm Report South Africa has shared images of Sutherland Observatory in the Northern Cape covered in snow. In the images captured by South African Large Telescope (SALT) telescope operator Thea Koen, the observatory is white, which could be the reason other parts of the country have been so cold. Before the snowfall, the South African Weather Service warned South Africans about the gale-force winds and extreme cold front, snow, extremely high waves, and rainfall leading to flooding in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape from July 12, until today. “Very cold conditions are also expected to set in, with daytime temperatures plummeting to below 10°C…

Boipelo Mere THE NATIONAL Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) indicated yesterday that only two incidents of looting were recorded in the Northern Cape, both in Galeshewe, while one person has been arrested. The situation remains calm in Kimberley following the deployment of SANDF members and after leave and rest days were cancelled for police officials. This followed panic by residents and businesses who feared the possibility of widespread looting and vandalism in the city. NatJOINTS spokesperson Major-General Mathapelo Peters said that nationally the number of arrests stood at 1 234, while the number of fatalities is now at 72. In an apparent attempt to join the looting and vandalism, a meeting under the banner of “Kimberley Shutdown Meeting” was called at the Galeshewe circle on Monday evening. However, community…

Mike Greenaway British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has wasted no time in steering into action recently arrived reinforcements Alun Wyn Jones (pictured) and Marcus Smith. The pair have just arrived from the UK and the big lock has been included on the bench to face the Stormers tomorrow while Smith is straight in at flyhalf. Smith is fresh from starring for England in their heavy defeats of the USA and Canada and is covering the injured Dan Biggar, while Jones will be completing an astonishing comeback. Jones, the original tour captain, suffered what seemed to be a serious shoulder injury playing for the Lions against Japan in a warm-up game but three weeks later he has been cleared to rejoin the tour after coming through practice sessions with…

Tim Collings Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team will seek a potentially decisive ‘knockout’ triumph over defending champions Mercedes and home hero Lewis Hamilton in this weekend’s British Grand Prix which features a new form of qualifying. After reeling off his first hat-trick of successive wins to move 32 points clear of seven-time champion Hamilton, the 23-year-old Dutchman is in imperious form. Red Bull are revelling in five straight victories to lead both championships after nine races. But he recognises that Hamilton, 36, remains a formidable force, especially on home soil at Silverstone. The Briton has won a record seven times at the often windswept former war-time airfield in central England where a capacity crowd of 140 000 is expected on Sunday. It will be the biggest attendance at…

Benida Phillips OVER 11 000 educators and support staff were vaccinated during the Northern Cape Department of Education's vaccination programme, which came to an end on Wednesday. The department made use of 29 vaccination sites across the Province and the vaccination process started on June 23. Department spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said yesterday that there were, however, individuals in the education sector who opted not to be vaccinated. “A total of 11 012 educators and support staff were vaccinated, which represents 76.4% of the 14 425 targeted population in the Province. This indicates that we still have 3 388 educators and support staff at schools that have not yet chosen the route of vaccination. We are currently engaging the Department of Health for a possible ‘mop-up’ programme, which will…

Sandi Kwon Hoo SOL PLAATJE University will continue with its online academic programme under the adjusted alert Level 4 of the lockdown restrictions that are expected to continue until July 26. The university’s vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Andrew Crouch, said yesterday that academic staff would also be permitted to work from home if they preferred to do so. “Staff over the age of 60 years or with comorbidities will work from home,” said Crouch. “Practical or laboratory work is not permitted. Schools must make provision for students to catch up on this work once we can do so safely.” He advised that physical study groups were not permitted and that any group studies could only take place via MS Teams. “The use of the university library for study purposes will…

Siphelele Dludla THE SOUTH African Liquor Brandowners Association (Salba) and the National Liquor Traders (NLT) said they have written to President Cyril Ramaphosa, urgently calling on the government to declare a State of Emergency under section 37 of the Constitution and the State of Emergency Act to protect people, communities and businesses in areas affected by the recent violent unrest that has hit areas of the county. “The mass looting, threat to lives and livelihoods, and destruction of property have reached proportions that require the rapid and effective deployment of SA National Defence Force (SANDF) troops to assist business owners, Salba chief executive Kurt Moore said in a statement on Wednesday. “Many of these are small and medium enterprises and are unable to protect their employees, businesses and livelihoods alone.”…

Lance Fredericks IT IS HARD to describe how it felt to read a couple of paragraphs on the South African government's website recently. “In July, South Africa celebrates former President Nelson Mandela's birthday. July 18 has been declared Nelson Mandela International Day, but as South Africans we embrace the chance to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s life for the whole of July. “This gives everyone the opportunity to heed the call to action for people to recognise their individual power to make an imprint and change the world around them.” The very next paragraph says: “A global movement for positive change begins with small actions. As each person acts, they fuel momentum toward positive change, raising awareness and expanding the reach of Mr Mandela’s values – fighting injustice, helping people in need…

Michael Sherman JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Justin Harding signed for an opening three-under 67 in the first round of The Open at Royal St George’s Golf Club, in Sandwich, yesterday. As one of the morning starters, Harding found himself in a share of third by the time he finished his round. Despite a double-bogey seven on the par five seventh which dropped him to one-over, the 35-year-old was able to rally with three birdies in his last five holes to bounce back into contention “On 14, I hit two 3-woods and probably about 10 or 15 short of the green and hit lovely chip up there to a couple feet. On 15, I had a good up-and-down, short-sided myself, so that was nice, as well. “On 16 and 17, rolled…

Benida Phillips PETROL stations in Kimberley have advised residents not to panic about fuel tanks running dry as they have enough supply. This follows after a large number of panicked motorists in the city made their way to various petrol stations to top up their tanks as concerns grew over the violent unrest that hit parts of the country Owners and managers of petrol stations said that they have witnessed an influx of customers over the past few days following the announcement that the refinery in KwaZulu-Natal had been closed due to the ongoing violence and looting in that province. The manager of the Caltex petrol station on the corner of Du Toitspan and Lennox streets, Shaistha Kadir, said yesterday that there is no shortage of petrol. “We receive our…

Sandi Kwon Hoo THE SAPS in Upington this week assisted members of the community in Diedericks flats and raised awareness regarding theft and the possession of stolen goods. Members from Social Crime Prevention and Corporate Communication, Warrant Officer Jerry Meyer and Sergeant Omphile Masegela, also took to the streets to deliver services, including certification of documents and taking of affidavits, as well as attending to complaints. Masegela said that these services would continue in different areas in an effort to reduce the number of walk-ins at the community service centre, in observation of the Level 4 lockdown regulations.…

Sandi Kwon Hoo THE POLICE and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) in the Northern Cape has urged members to resist the temptation to “opportunistically benefit” by participating in looting. Popcru provincial secretary Boitumelo Pheleo believed that the country would suffer serious setbacks as a result of the ongoing looting, violence and vandalism. “While we agree to a certain extent that some protesters are underprivileged and marginalised, they are not living on the edge of starvation, given the social security system. People living in much worse social and material conditions have been able to organise themselves into political forces with clear agendas,” said Pheleo. He believed that the rioters lacked a clear programme to express their dissatisfaction. “We condemn the violence, looting and destruction of property that amounts to the highest…

Wynona Louw Ernst van Rhyn (pictured) will lead the Stormers in their friendly against the British and Irish Lions at Cape Town Stadium tomorrow (kickoff 6pm), while Springbok Centre Juan de Jongh has been named in the match day squad. The Stormers face the tourists in their last game before the three-Test Series against the Springboks. Van Rhyn will be partnered in the second row by JD Schickerling, while in the front row Neethling Fouche, JJ Kotze and Leon Lyons Will pack down. In the loose trio, Nama Xaba and Johan du Toit will start on the flanks, with Evan Roos at No 8. Godlen Masimla and Tim Swiel form the halfback pairing, with Dan du Plessis and Rikus Pretorius in midfield. Out back, Seabelo Senatla, Edwill van der Merwe…

JOHANNESBURG – It is not just the coveted star above the club crest Kaizer Chiefs would gain should they beat Al Ahly in Saturday’s CAF Champions League final in Casablanca, Morocco. Amakhosi stand to earn much more than the title of African champions, which will see them give their long-suffering fans respite from the ridicule they’ve endured from their Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns adversaries, whose clubs have long decorated their jerseys with the star reserved for the winners of the continent’s premier club title. The brand growth aside, there are 90 million reasons why Kaizer Motaung will implore Bernard Parker and Co to overcome Pitso Mosimane’s Red Devils. Victory at the Stade Mohammed V will see Chiefs swell their bank balance by a minimum of R90million. That’s the equivalent…