Table of contents for 2022-06-24 in DFA News

PUPILS and staff at Loeriesfontein Primary School were excited to receive a new school bus, which was recently handed over thanks to funding from Loeriesfontein Wind Farm. The donation forms part of the wind farm’s socio-economic development programme, which has a strong focus on youth upliftment and education through investment in sport and recreational activities, as well as academic programmes. Over 400 pupils are expected to benefit from access to transport, which will be used for out-of-town sport, cultural and academic events. The economic development manager for Loeriesfontein Wind Farm, Vanessa Fredericks, said prior to receiving this support, most of the pupils were unable to attend school events hosted outside of Loeriesfontein. “This support will also empower learners to participate in extramural activities that are being offered at the school,”…

OPINION LAST Friday, after Griquas bundled his team out of the semi-finals of the Currie Cup, Gert Smal called for the competition to be reconsidered – maybe even shelved. The Currie Cup, said the Blue Bulls coach, was being devalued. Maybe he should ask the people of Kimberley and the Griqualand West rugby diaspora if they agree. The last time the Currie Cup final was played in Kimberley – 52 years ago – Griquas won. The opponents were, strangely enough, the Blue Bulls. Nobody checked the annals of the Diamond Fields Advertiser this week to find out if the Pretoria-based coach then had argued that the competition was being devalued too. But that’s because he probably didn’t. Smal’s choking on the sourest of sour grapes because if his team had…

THE SOUTH African Local Government Association (Salga) has advised Sol Plaatje Municipality to review or rescind the appointment of the acting municipal manager, Lydia Thekisho, as she is also the chief financial officer (CFO). During an engagement between the Salga national executive committee (NEC) and municipalities in the Northern Cape this week, it was pointed out that this could create more trouble for the municipality. “It is not palatable for a CFO to act as an accounting officer. The NEC must engage and persuade the municipality as it can plunge the municipality into deeper problems if the appointment is not reviewed or rescinded. “It takes away the checks and balances as the role of the CFO, amongst other things, is to advise the accounting officer.” Salga NEC president Bheke Stofile…

GENDER-based violence is happening all around us all the time, and it is especially directed against women and young girls. We often hear about it on the news, as well as in our own communities, and yet, the tragedy is that the majority of attacks, assaults and violence occur in secret, behind closed doors. We have heard of women and children being beaten, raped, demoralised, and often killed at the hands of men, the same men that are supposed to love and protect them. Statistics suggest that it is usually men who are closest to the victims that are the abusers. Fathers, boyfriends, and brothers lift their hands and beat women, breaking down the emotional well-being of women to the extent that they feel hopeless and unloved. It is a…

LOCAL gospel icon Puleng March has been nominated for a South African Music Awards (SAMA) award in the category of Best Traditional Faith Music Album, with her latest album Heaven’s Scroll. The nomination comes after March was also nominated in four categories for the ninth Independent National Gospel Music Awards (Ingomas). For the Ingomas she was nominated in the categories of Best Female Artist, Best Sleeve Cover, Best Live Recorded DVD and Best Songwriter. The live recorded Heaven’s Scroll DVD, was recorded on April 30 2021 amids Covid-19 related challenges which most of the artists had to go through. The Sama award winners will be announced on July 31. The main event for the Ingomas will be on August 27 at the Red Conference in Johannesburg. March added that voting…

THE WINDHOEK Draught Griquas have made limited changes to the team that will take the field against the Airlink Pumas in what is expected to be a thrilling Carling Currie Cup final at Windhoek Draught Park in Kimberley tomorrow afternoon. The Griquas’ technical team has made changes to the team’s second row for tomorrow’s encounter, deviating slightly from the team selection that took the field against the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last Friday evening. Cameron Lindsay comes in at number four to replace Johan Retief this time around while Derik Pretorius merely swaps places from the left to the right on the second row for this clash. Werner Gouws, who was on the bench for last week’s game against the Bulls, is now the preferred blind-side flanker in place…

TOMORROW’S Currie Cup final between Griquas and the Pumas in Kimberley at 3pm, will be a historic one. For the hosts, it is a chance to win the Currie Cup for the first time since 1970, while their visitors have never even been to the final. The magnificence of the moment is not lost on Griquas coach Pieter Bergh, who says: “For so many years, Griquas have talked about 1970. I have been involved with Griquas as an assistant coach from 2012 to 2018, and every year in that time, we never made a semi-final, with good teams, very good Griquas teams. “There was always the talk of winning the Currie Cup, and talking about 1970 …” Griquas also have extra motivation in that they are playing for famous fan…

THE MURDER of Moulana Danyal van Niekerk has sent shock waves through the local community. The police are investigating a case of kidnapping, theft of his motor vehicle and murder after his body was found in the veld near Samaria Road on Tuesday. It is believed that he was lured to a business meeting by four unknown men who fired several shots at him. No arrests have been made yet. A family friend, Aslam Mxolisi Tawana, said the theologian was killed following his disappearance on June 18. “His body was discovered by a passer-by in the vicinity of the Samaria Road informal settlement, with bullet wounds. We implore the law enforcement agencies to hunt down those responsible for the murder of our brother and friend and bring them to justice.”…

THE KIMBERLEY Stewarts & Lloyds team handed over school shoes and socks to pupils at Du Toitspan Primary School recently. The Stewarts & Lloyds group, as a company, strives to give back to the community in many ways and for the past two years they have given back through their annual winter blanket drive. According to Kimberley retails sales manager Almari Janse van Rensburg, they will buy blankets and have the Stewarts & Lloyds logo printed on them and these will be handed over to organisations catering for those in need. This year, one of their administrators, Annelize Kruger, nominated Du Toitspan Primary School as one of the beneficiaries for their annual drive, but this time not for blankets but for school shoes. Benefit Annelize was once a pupil at…

OPINION OOM BUSHY always believed this day would come, and here we are. We can’t say we were not warned. So, my fellow Kimberlite, I don't know about you, but I cannot wait to go and watch the Currie Cup final between the Windhoek Draught Griquas and the Airlink Pumas tomorrow. Just pause and think about it for a minute, just think about what is going to take place tomorrow in Kimberley at Windhoek Draught Park. In a nutshell, two of the smallest unions will battle it out to see who will victoriously lift the Currie Cup trophy. It will be Griquas’ first appearance in the final in 52 years – 52 years – just imagine that! And as for the visitors, it will be the first time ever that…

WIMBLEDON starts on Monday without Russia’s world number one Daniil Medvedev and Belarus’s former top-ranked Victoria Azarenka but the grasscourt Grand Slam will hardly feel like an exhibition event despite no ranking points on offer. The 2022 edition of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament will be held without points after organisers decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from participating following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The men’s ATP and women’s WTA, which do not govern the four tennis Grand Slams, called the move discriminatory while stripping Wimbledon of ranking points that determine a player’s ability to enter tournaments and receive seedings. Britain’s Andy Murray won the singles title at the All England club in 2013 and 2016. He feels Wimbledon “will never be an exhibition and will never feel…