Table of contents for 2023-04-14 in DFA News

THE NATIONAL Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) and the Public Servants Association (PSA) staged a lunchtime picket outside the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture offices in Kimberley yesterday, where they called for the suspension of the chief financial officer, the chief director of corporate services and the chief director of services delivery programmes. Allegations that were levelled against them include the mismanagement of public funds relating to a “ghost festival” that was supposed to be held in Colesberg on December 16, 2016. A R1 million tender was awarded to Traffic Events Management to organise the Umsobomvu Youth Tourism and Cultural festival, although the event never took place. The public protector in 2020 ruled that public funds were misappropriated and that the department had acted improperly, where the…

WHILE the people of Kimberley and the rest of the country were once again hit by Stage 6 load shedding, the new electricity minister stated that South Africa should not shy away from spending to fix the country's power crisis. This comes ahead of a Cabinet decision later this month on his proposals to end the worst power blackouts on record. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, appointed last month to the newly created role, was speaking in an interview less than two months after the National Treasury granted state utility Eskom R254 billion of debt relief over the next three years. Government has made repeated attempts to improve power availability but failed to make progress. Ramokgopa’s appointment is the latest effort to make a breakthrough before national elections next year at which the…

WHILE more than 2 000 youths in the Northern Cape will be selected for skills development and training following a memorandum of agreement that was signed with the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSeta) this week, it was admitted that it is a struggle to retain these skills in the Province. Northern Cape Premier Dr Zamani Saul said the three-year skills development programme would amount to a R210 million investment in the city. “Our business proposal has been approved at the end of March and we will submit an implementation plan in the next week. There is an urgency to get unemployed youths to become economically sustainable,” said Saul. He acknowledged that they would have to develop a retention strategy to retain skills in the…

Adventure Archery Club to host African Bow Hunting Organisation’s 3D shooting event THE KIMBERLEY Adventure Archery Club will be hosting the African Bow Hunting Organisation’s 3D Leg 1 competition in Kimberley from April 22-23 at the Kimberley Big Hole Driving Range. This will be the first ever sanctioned 3D event held in Kimberley, and archers or hunters will be able to rack up scores that will eventually count toward their yearly totals. From these totals, they will be able to receive district, provincial, national, and Protea colours in archery. And if anyone is curious about what 3D bow hunting is, it is an exciting and challenging activity that combines archery and hunting skills. Unlike traditional archery, which is practised in a controlled environment such as an indoor range, 3D bow…

is for the birds DRAG racing is big in Kimberley and is alive and well, as the annual Easter drag racing event held recently on the old Bloemfontein road proved. On display at the event was a lot of talent and some really fast cars. Now if you start asking around about drag racing in Kimberley, you will be bound to notice that one name will keep popping up: Mr. Neville Barnes. Born and raised in Kimberley, Barnes, 70, is well known in the drag racing community, not just in Kimberley but all around the country. He has laid the foundation for drag racing in Kimberley and has become a legend in his own right in the racing community. The DFA recently had a chat with Barnes to find out…

LAW ENFORCEMENT members from the Northern Cape police, the provincial Department of Home Affairs, municipal traffic, the Northern Cape Liquor Board and the provincial emergency services conducted a successful operation over the Easter holidays where illegal drugs were seized and a number of fines were issued for various transgressions. The men and women in blue, led by the Northern Cape provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, ensured that the law was upheld during Operation Paseka, which was conducted in all five districts of the Province. Northern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock said vehicle patrols and roadblocks were conducted and dagga and suspected stolen copper cables were confiscated during the operation. “The police conducted 16 117 vehicle patrols, while 1 310 stop and searches were conducted and 130 traffic fines were…

MINE waste across the Northern Cape, and especially at the Kumba Iro Ore mine, could soon find a new life. South Africa, Sweden and Australia are at the forefront of a push to transform piles of mine waste and by-products into rare earths vital for the green energy revolution, hoping to substantially cut dependence on Chinese supply. Prices of the minerals used in products from electric cars to wind turbines have been strong, and a rush to meet net-zero carbon targets is expected to further boost demand. Europe and the US are scrambling to wean themselves off rare earths from China, which account for 90% of global refined output. Six advanced projects outside China, including one operated by Swedish iron ore miner LKAB, are now being developed to extract the…

THE GALESHEWE Muslim Association will host its 3rd annual mass street Iftar to break the fast in Seochwareng Street, on the tarmac in front of the mosque, at sunset on April 15. The chairman of the Galeshewe Muslim Association, Aslam Mxolisi Tawana, said the entire block between the corners of Speedy Grey and 4 Way Wessels would be cordoned off and traffic diverted for the duration of the event. Tawana added that this “only one of its kind” event in central South Africa was expected to attract 400 people. “Muslims from around Kimberley and surrounding towns as well as those who do not belong to the Muslim faith are welcome to witness the event. “The objective of this event is to foster social cohesion between the various Muslim communities within…

Aztec Masters have their eyes set on the league title after Easter tournament win THE SOL Plaatje Master Football League's annual Easter soccer tournament was a huge success, with 35 teams taking part in the keenly contested event. Teams from across the region battled it out for glory on the field, but in the end, it was Aztec Masters and Macarena Masters that faced off as the eventual finalists in the tournament. The final match was an intense showdown between the two teams, with both sides giving their all to come out on top. However, in the end, it was the Aztec Masters who ultimately proved too strong for their opponents, winning the game 3-1 and securing the coveted 2023 title. Throughout the tournament, the fans showed their unwavering support…

BACK IN 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”. Oh, excuse me, pardon my French. That means “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. When I read that, I wondered what made Karr so despondent. I was even tempted to read Karr’s book. However, I will have to put that off as I have a few chores to take care of. Once again I need to fill bottles, barrels and containers with water, seeing as there is yet another water shutdown looming, with taps running dry next weekend. What’s encouraging this time though is that we are being reassured that the city’s water woes are almost a thing of the past. After all, according to our Municipality’s spokesperson in…

THE NATIONAL Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) will march from the Kemo Hotel to the Premier’s Office next week to protest against non-compliant security companies as part of the national security march that will be held on April 19. Numsa had to intervene when members employed at airports in Kimberley, Upington and Bloemfontein were not paid last month. A list of 24 security companies operating in the Northern Cape that are allegedly not complying with the labour laws, including the non-payment of provident funds, medical scheme payments, unemployment insurance fund and tax compliance, will be handed over to the premier for investigation. Numsa local organiser Mamello Gasa pointed out that the majority of these security companies, which are providing services to government departments, are based outside of the…

Cebolenkosi Dlamini ‘Big D’ 21 years old, born in Eshowe plays at prop Previous Team: Vodacom Blue Bulls • What sports do you enjoy apart from rugby: National Football League (NFL) • Who was the one person that inspired you: Dewald Wolmarans • Your biggest rugby hero: Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira • Your biggest sporting hero outside of rugby? Aaron Donald (NFL player) • Favourite book: The Bible • Favourite movie: Fast and Furious (All of them) • What type of music do you enjoy: Rap • Your top three favourite songs: Got it Right – Rod Wave, Rags2Riches 2 (feat. Lil Baby) – Rod Wave and Headlines – Drake • Droëwors? Biltong? Chillibites?: Biltong • Water – still or sparkling: Still • Favourite drill in the…

Kimberley Golf Club results for the week of April 5-9 and next week’s programme Results for the week of April 5-9 2023 are: The Wednesday, April 5 Konica Minolta sponsored 18-hole BBS was won by the team of Phillip Maritz and Danie Liebenberg on 44 pts. Second were the team of L Mills and J Williams on 41pts with Barend Burger and Jacques Gouws 3rd on 40 pts. Ian Kidson and Gary Hepburn were 4th on 38 pts. The Thursday, April 6 KWV sponsored 9-hole IPS with power play options was won by Sadick Thomas on 25 pts with Braam Botes 2nd on 24 pts and Kareem Anderson 3rd on 23 pts. Friday, April 7 saw the start of the Easter Golf Challenge played over three days with teams…