Table of contents for 2024-01-12 in DFA News

MURDER accused Alberto Matthews, 47, abandoned his bail application in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court this week. Matthews has been charged with the murder of his ex-wife, Mandy Bailey, 43, who was employed as a senior state accountant for salary administration at the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta). The legal representative for Matthews, Etienne Matthewson, explained that his client had decided to temporarily abandon his right to apply for bail. “We will bring a new application once things are calmer,” said Matthewson. According to the police, Bailey was shot in the head and shoulder in Main Road, Kimberley, on December 27 during an apparent domestic dispute. Bailey’s nine-year-old daughter, who was on the scene at the time of the incident, was not harmed. Police spokesperson Colonel…

In a display of grit and determination, and with a heart devoted to charity, 19-year-old Hugh White from Hartswater emerged as one of the remarkable participants in the Clarens Ultra, a staggering 450-kilometer cycling trip traversed in a single day. However, his motivations transcended personal accomplish-ments, as he pedalled to drum up support for Jan Roux, an 18-year-old bravely battling the rare myoepithelial carcinoma (MECA). Hugh, the youngest member of the Skema 2 Sea Clarens Ultra team, spoke to The DFA about his inspirational journey and the driving force behind his involvement. “I grew up witnessing my father’s passion for cycling and his charitable endeavours,” Hugh shared. “In 2019, I became more serious about cycling after witnessing his tours aimed at supporting individuals like Shilo Grewar, a fellow resident of…

THE ZIMBABWEAN national who was arrested in Kimberley on charges of human trafficking claimed that she was transporting 14 undocumented children from Harare to their parents who were living in Cape Town. The accused, Beulla Mandpdukudza Maruza, 41, appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court this week, where her bail application was postponed until January 15. Her co-accused, Tafadzwa Otis Nakakurwa, 46, was charged with being an illegal immigrant and was released on bail of R5 000 last month. The duo were arrested at the Engen garage in Oliver Road on December 5, 2023, at around 1am, when the bus they were travelling in stopped over in Kimberley. They were en route from Midrand to Cape Town when a passenger noticed that the children, who are between the ages of six…

AND JUST like that, January is upon us, and secured by the fridge magnet, or jotted down in a journal is your list of resolutions for 2024. I sincerely hope that nothing derails your plans, because I have experienced how suddenly and heavily these derailments can occur. A few years ago I was driving back to Kimberley from Port Elizabeth and I was somewhere between Cookhouse and Cradock, when an unexpected, and rather unpleasant ‘derailment’ of my plans occurred. Up to this point, my car had been cruising like a dream. It was a hot day, but the air-conditioner kept the cabin cool. My favourite playlist was coming through the sound system, already I was thinking of the meal I was going to buy when I got to Cradock, and…

In the heart of Hartswater, around 1,141 metres above sea level, a small but determined team of cyclists dared to take on a monumental challenge: to cycle an unfathomable 450-kilometres to the town of Clarens, at an altitude of 1,816 metres, in just one day. Yet, the aspirations of the Skema 2 Sea cycling team extended beyond personal feats and glory; their aim was to rally support for a local hero, 18-year-old Jan Roux, who is locked in a courageous battle against myoepithelial carcinoma (MECA) a rare form of cancer. The call for assistance had echoed through the small town, generating a wave of support. As a human being and in my capacity as a journalist for the DFA, I felt an immediate pull towards this cause. To me this…

SOL PLAATJE Municipality intends to beef up security following a spate of break-ins at their offices at the civic centre. A break-in at the chief financial officer’s office took place shortly before New Year’s Eve while the executive mayor’s office was also broken into and a memory stick was apparently stolen. It was speculated that the memory stick could have contained sensitive information regarding the water shutdowns that took place during December, while questions were raised as to how access was gained to the offices that are supposed to be locked. Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock said the Kimberley SAPS was investigating a case of business burglary after the office of the Sol Plaatje executive mayor was broken into between January 3-4. “No arrests have been made as yet and…

BOTH President Cyril Ramaphosa and former president Jacob Zuma are expected to visit Kimberley over the next few weeks as election fever heats up. The newly launched uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party will hold a motorcade through the city on Saturday, starting from the Galeshewe circle at 12 noon. MK Party provincial organiser Clifford Sekgoro said Zuma was scheduled to visit the Northern Cape on February 2 before the final voter registration weekend. “Our membership is growing daily and the minimum membership fee is R10. If you want to pay more, it is up to you. We have voters from the ANC, EFF, DA, PA wanting to join. People are tired of all the lies and promises. My phone is like a call centre and I have to keep on printing…

Bafana Bafana found themselves facing a potential injury scare among the core of the side that could potentially disrupt head coach Hugo Broos’s plans for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The Mamelodi Sundowns trio of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, defender Mothobi Mvala and star midfielder Themba Zwane have been ruled out of the national team’s final warm-up match against Lesotho today. Broos revealed that his medical team had been monitoring minor issues on the sides of both Williams and Zwane, with more concern placed on Mvala, whose issue seems to be more serious. “We have a few problems. A few little and a big one,” Broos said yesterday, with Williams and Thabang Monare sat beside him, in Johannesburg. “So, the little one is here on my right. Ronwen didn’t train…