Table of contents for 2024-09-06 in DFA News

A TUCK shop owner has yet to be apprehended after he allegedly fatally struck a 29-year-old customer over the head with a hockey stick in Stanley Batyashe Street in Galeshewe. Community members were concerned that the suspect was a flight risk as he had “disappeared” following the alleged incident that took place on August 9. “The longer it takes to arrest him, the more time he will have to leave the city. We do not know if he is legally in the country,” they stated. It is believed that the deceased, Kevin du Pont, was assaulted after the shop owner accused him of using a counterfeit note to purchase cigarettes, cooldrinks and sweets. The chairperson of Operation Fiela, Thabiso Louw, said Du Pont suffered severe head injuries and received medical…

NORTHERN Cape municipalities are collectively indebted to Eskom to the tune of over R5.1 billion, as of June 2024 This startling figure was confirmed by the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta) in response to questions from the DA, according to Gizella Opperman, the DA’s provincial spokesperson on Coghsta. Opperman pointed out that the debt had surged dramatically compared to the amount of R2.68 billion that was reported by the auditor-general in June 2023. “The situation is critical, with R4.5 billion overdue for more than 90 days,” she said. “The auditor-general’s report also reveals that 61 percent of the Province’s municipalities are in severe financial distress. Alarmingly, 92 percent of municipalities cannot meet their 30-day payment obligations and are struggling to manage their financial commitments.” Opperman…

BACK in 1980, I had some lofty dreams. For example, I would dream of sitting and having a meal in a restaurant with my family – like I saw in the movies – instead of having to buy our meals from the takeaway counter, or through a little window around the corner from the establishment’s main entrance. I was in Standard five then; a primary school senior, and I dared to dream of a better day, a day that our parents and the other adults whispered about in hushed tones, afraid that the mysterious and sinister “they” would hear the revolutionary ideas being discussed. Five years later, I was in matric; things had changed. Already I had enjoyed the privilege of sitting down in a steakhouse and, on occasion entering…

Bridge the gap TO HELP bridge the communication gap between the deaf community and the broader public, the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) will release basic South African Sign Language (SASL) videos across various online platforms. The news of the launch was warmly welcomed by a Kimberley mother, Tatum Amsterdam, whose 20-year-old son Xavier is living with a hearing impairment after he contracted meningitis. “Sign language has been recognised as an official language, yet not many people have an interest in being taught how to sign. There are apps available that can teach community members the basics of signing,” said Tatum. “Unfortunately, our society often judges or pities deaf individuals. Some people mistakenly believe that those who are deaf or have hearing impairments are uneducated or mentally ill. My…

WITH THE 2024 Carling Currie Cup approaching its climax, the top three semi-final spots have already been snapped up, but a thrilling battle looms for the final play-off place. The Airlink Pumas and Toyota Cheetahs face off in what can be regardfed as a crucial “quarter-final” clash at 1.30pm tomorrow at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. The winner of this crunch encounter will join the Fidelity ADT Lions, Vodacom Bulls, and Hollywoodbets Sharks XV in the knockout rounds. Last hurrah for Griquas The action-packed Currie Cup weekend begins this afternoon in Kimberley with the Suzuki Griquas hosting DHL Western Province at 3pm. Though both teams are out of semi-final contention, they enter the match with a renewed sense of confidence. Griquas upset the reigning champions, the Cheetahs, last week, while WP…

THE TOWN of Keimoes in the Northern Cape is grieving the loss of nine loved ones who were among the victims of Monday’s bus crash on Vanrhyns Pass in the Western Cape. The construction workers had spent the weekend with their families and on Monday were on their way to Ceres where they worked at the Scatec solar energy farm. The bus they were travelling in, owned by TP Williams Vervoer, reportedly had a tyre burst and then veered off the road and rolled down the slope, landing at the foot of the mountain. The accident happened between Vanrhynsdorp and Calvinia at around 5pm, leaving 10 people, including the driver, dead, with 29 injured people taken to hospital. One of the dead, Sebastiaan Nimeerhoudt, 28, had worked for Scatec for…

THE INDIVIDUAL convicted of murdering the Steenkamp family on their farm Naauwhoek near Griekwastad in 2012 will remain in prison after being denied parole. In terms of the Criminal Procedures Act and Child Justice Act, he cannot be named as he was 15 years old when the offence was committed. He has served 10 years of his sentence and is now 28 years old. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the brutal killing of Deon, Christel and their 14-year-old daughter Marthella Steenkamp by the Northern Cape High Court in 2014. He was also convicted of the rape of Marthella, as well as defeating the ends of justice. The family members were shot multiple times in their heads and bodies and blood was left splattered all over the house…

THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Health has appealed to the public for assistance in locating the family of a patient currently under its care. The patient, identified as Pauline Pieterson, is estimated to be around 48 years old and is being treated at the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) in Kimberley. According to departmental spokesperson Lulu Mxekezo, Pieterson was found in Ritchie and subsequently transferred to RMSH. “She is sometimes confused and unresponsive, and cannot provide any particulars of her family or where she is from,” Mxekezo stated. The department has urged anyone with information that could help identify the patient to contact the Social Workers Unit at RMSH at 053 802 2703 as soon as possible. Your assistance could be crucial in reuniting Pauline Pieterson with her family.…

IN WHAT can only be described as a heroic act, a firefighter from the Sol Plaatje Municipality Fire Department, Ryno Griesel, drew on his decades of training and experience to save a Kimberley resident from a house engulfed in flames. Griesel and his team responded to an emergency call about a fire at a house on Kekewich Drive, Monument Heights, on August 27. “The Kimberley emergency services received an urgent call at about 23.37pm about a fire that had engulfed a house on Kekewich Drive. Within six minutes after the call, our team arrived at the scene. We found the front part of the house fully ablaze,” Griesel recounted. As the crew worked to extinguish the blaze, Griesel said he noticed someone trapped inside. “As the firefighting crew battled the…

THE CITY of Kimberley in the Northern Cape is preparing to welcome archery enthusiasts from across South Africa as the 2024 AGA-SA National Tournament kicks off at the SANDF base at Diskobolos. The tournament is set to run from September 25 to 28, with teams being given a chance to register, settle in and orientate themselves on Tuesday, September 24. This tournament promises to be a thrilling showcase of archery talent, with over 1,100 archers expected to participate in various competitions, including the AGA-SA Inter-Provincial Championship, the Adult Archery Generation Championship, and the Inter-School Championships. For many of the competitors, this event will be an opportunity to qualify for the prestigious 2025 National Teams. The excitement surrounding this year’s tournament follows on the heels of South Africa’s Adult Archery Generation…

The Kay Motsepe Under-13 Boys and Girls League continues with the provincial play-offs happening in Kimberley, and Vaal Oranje Primary School, from Douglas will be out there strutting their stuff on the field of play today. A while back, on Saturday, August 24, 2024, Hopetown in Thembelihle became the battleground for young athletes as schools across the Pixley Ka Seme District converged for the highly-anticipated Kay Motsepe Under-13 Boys and Girls League District play-offs. Vaal Oranje Primary School, from Douglas, emerged as the standout performer in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions under the guidance of their dedicated coaching team. Head coach Ernest Smit, along with assistant coach and team manager Lincoln Grootboom, led their teams to remarkable victories, securing spots in the upcoming provincial play-offs. The Vaal Oranje Primary…

THE SUSPENDED chief director of Human Resources at the Northern Cape Department of Education, Thomas van Staden, has been appointed as the municipal manager at Siyathemba Local Municipality. The position was vacant and had been filled by an acting municipal manager for over 25 months. Van Staden is currently challenging his suspension at the Department of Education, asserting that he was falsely accused of sexual assault by his subordinates. He was placed on precautionary suspension in February following protests that were staged outside the department’s offices in Kimberley by gender-based violence and femicide advocacy groups. Northern Cape Department of Education spokesperson Lehuma Ntuane stated that, to their knowledge, Van Staden remains employed at the department. “We have not been advised otherwise by him regarding his alleged new employment at Siyathemba…

THE FF+ in the Northern Cape is seeking legal advice after fruitless, wasteful and unauthorised expenditure amounting to millions of rand was written off by the municipal public accounts committee (MPAC) at Phokwane Municipality between 2017 and 2023. The provincial convener of the Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD), Moeketsi Ntema, called for a thorough investigation to be conducted into all deviations mentioned in reports. “The reports were tabled while the majority of councillors did not attend the committee meeting last week.” The MPAC committee indicated that it was unable to pay debts, interest and penalties owed to Eskom because of a “constrained cash flow”. Interests and penalties to Eskom on overdue accounts, including R11.2 million incurred during 2019/20, R8.9 million during 2021/22 and R22.2 million in 2022/23, were written off.…

THE KIMBERLEY SAPS Serious and Violent Crimes unit has appealed to the public for help in locating two men wanted in connection with an armed robbery that took place on July 14 in Kimberley North. According to police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock, the incident occurred at around 3.30pm. Kock said a 21-year-old man and his friend were walking along Beit Street in Kimberley when they were confronted by a group of men. Two of the assailants allegedly brandished a knife and a firearm, threatening the victim. The victim’s friend managed to escape, but the two men robbed the victim of his cellphone. The suspects are described as of medium build and they were wearing red and yellow T-shirts at the time of the incident and spoke Afrikaans. Kock said that…

AUDITOR-General Tsakani Maluleke has highlighted the high incidence of irregular and wasteful expenditure incurred by Northern Cape municipalities, without any consequence management. According to the 2022/23 audit outcomes, irregular expenditure amounted to R3.4 billion, while fruitless and wasteful expenditure totalled R417.5 million. Maluleke pointed out that no action was taken against the officials responsible. “Municipal public accounts committees should urgently investigate all instances of non-compliance to ensure that the irregular expenditure closing balance is dealt with in line with legislation,” said Maluleke. REVENUE MANAGEMENT She stated that 65 percent of municipalities in the Northern Cape did not have the liquidity to cover fixed monthly operating expenses for at least one month. “Most municipalities with unfunded budgets are using cash on hand to pay salaries. This leaves very little for service…

KEMPTON Park Cricket Club recently claimed victory at the third National Club Championships that was held in Kimberley. The Veterans Cricket Association of South Africa hosted the competition in the Diamond City that ran from August 29-31. The tournament brought together nine of the country’s top cricket clubs, all league champions of their respective provinces and regions. After a series of intense matches, it was Kempton Park Cricket Club that emerged as the tournament champions. The competing clubs were Bohemian CC (Border, 2022 Club Champions), Northville (EP), Stellenbosch Strikers (Boland), Primrose (WP), Old Edwardians (Lions), Phobians (Titans), King Cetshwayo (Dolphins), Kempton Park (Eastern Storm), and the host club, Black Diamonds (NC). The tournament, which took place over three days, saw teams divided into two groups. Group A featured clubs from…