Community News

By Thato Mgoma & Palesa Mofoti The parliament of South Africa hosted a public participation hearing regarding the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill on 4 June at the Mayibuye Multipurpose Centre. The purpose of the session was to allow the public to voice their opinion and insight on whether they accept or reject the BELA Bill.…

The Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, Boitumelo Moloi told employers that the Department has noted with concern that agricultural and mining sector employers are comfortable in employing undocumented foreign nationals. Moloi was delivering her keynote address to an Employers Session that was held at Kuruman Lodge, in Kuruman today, 25…

By Karabo Ntanzi Karabelo Dithebe, Support Officer from Grassroot Edge, said they are thrilled to be part of the Men Dialogue by assisting in trying to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, including other ailments. Grassroot Edge targets the youth, ages 14 to 24, through offering services ranging from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)…

Story Supplied The Kimberley Harriers Running Club, in partnership with Meals on Wheels Community Services – Northern Cape, is hosting a Saturday run to celebrate World Hunger Day on May 27 from 07: 00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The run will start at the Engen Garage, Oliver Road, Kimberley. Community members are invited to join this initiative by…

ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mme Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, commemorated the International Day of Families in Platfontein, a San community in Francis Baard District. This also demonstrated the government's commitment to providing essential social development services to local…

By Lebogang Mokae Africa Beyond Fourth Industrial Revolution (AB4IR) in partnership with Goethe Institute, an organisation from Germany, held a graduation ceremony after an intense two weeks course in theory and practical training on drones. Twenty three young women from Kimberley, who happen to be the first group in the province obtained…

By Karabo Ntanzi Mayibuye Cultural centre was hyped up last Friday when Pathways for Change facilitated a men’s dialogue in partnership with Grassroots, Operation Fiela, Galeshewe Community Policing Forum, National Prosecuting Authority and other related stakeholders. Seithati Maboi, a Social Worker from Pathways for Change, said the…

Story supplied by Sol Plaatje University Picture supplied by Sol Plaatje University Graduation day is a significant event, marking the culmination of years of effort and commitment. On 6 May 2023, joyful celebrations took place at Sol Plaatje University’s 8th Graduation Ceremony, held at Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre, with proud…

Story supplied Pictures sourced As part of the Informal and Micro Enterprise Development Programme (IMEDP), Deputy Minister for Small Business Development Dipuo Peters and handed over equipment to 63 small businesses owned by women, youth and people with disabilities at Phokwane Local Municipality. The programme supports small businesses…

By Karabo Ntanzi Picture supplied Twenty-two young women from Kimberley get to the forefront of technology through the Drone Diva project.Africa Beyond 4th Industrial Revolution (AB4IR), a digital innovation hub based in Pretoria, is changing lives for women by training to use drones, a flying robots used for surveillance. CEO and founder…

By Karabo Ntanzi In commemorating International Nurses Day, the Northern Cape Department of Health and the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) Sr Huibrecht “Tokkie” Fourie was nominated to represent the Province for the Marilyn Lahana Caring Awards. International Nurses Day was attended by 300 hundred nurses from all…

By Karabo Ntanzi Pictures by:  Rebaone Prophy Community members from Galeshewe joined Operation Fiela in its quest to restore dignity to the Indian Centre by cleaning the premise. Twenty people accompanied by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and traffic officials marched from Kemo Hotel to the Indian Centre last Friday. The…

By Karabo Ntanzi Government Information and Communications Systems (GCIS) hosted their annual National Intersectoral Meeting in Kimberley to benchmark the effectiveness of the Thusong Centres. The one-stop government service centres were established in 1999 to redress the imbalances of the past by bringing services and information closer to…

Picture:  Supplied Story from Parliament The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy held the first public hearing on the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development (UPRD) Bill in Northern Cape, at Frances Baart District at the Recreational Hall in Galeshewe, in Kimberly, on Friday 14 April. Followed by John Taolo…

Story supplied The Northern Cape provincial government has partnered with manufacturing and Engineering and related services (merSETA). The deal worth R210 million will provide the youth with training, bursaries and employment. Over 2000 young people in the province will benefit from the project. Premier Dr. Zamani Saul said he is happy that…

Story supplied Picture sourced The Media Development & Diversity Agency (MDDA) is pleased to welcome Ms Nomkhosi Peter as the new caretaker Chief Executive Officer. Ms Peter has been seconded from the shareholder department of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS where she is the Chief Director: Strategic Planning,…

Story supplied by the Department of Employment and Labour The Supported Employment Enterprises (SEE) has the potential to employ 3 000 People with Disabilities (PwD) in their factories as they transition into the labour market. SEE Chief Executive Sibusiso Phakathi said the entity was a key pillar in helping transition PwD into the labour…

Sol Plaatje Municipality is conducting a widespread prepaid electricity meter audit to ensure that all STS meter key revision numbers are changed to the required 2-part reset key before the November 2024 deadline for the Token Identifier (TID) roll-over programme. Consumers using STS meters can still purchase electricity. On November 2024, the…

By Karabo Ntanzi The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an entity of the Department of Arts, Sports and Culture, held a road show for the Presidential Employment Stimulus Project (PESP). PESP was introduced four years ago during COVID. The purpose of PESP was to assist artists in invigorating the industry and to create jobs…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco  The Premier’s Mme Re Ka Thuso trust fund this week hosted a three-day workshop in Magareng for small business enterprises at the Warrenton cultural resort. The small business colloquium was held in collaboration with the Magareng local municipality and other stakeholders. The purpose of the event was to pave a way for…

By Karabo Siyoko  The Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) last week held its annual stakeholder forum on the work done for small enterprises in the last financial (2021/22) year at the Kalahari Lodge. The event had about 40 attendees including the SEDA stakeholders along with their respective partners from the Small Enterprise Finance…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and members of the South African Democratic Students Movement (SADESMO) conducted a door-to-door prelaunch campaign in the Northern Cape last weekend. Petros Ngubane, the Umzinyathi district mayor in KwaZulu Natal, led the IFP delegation to Kimberley. On Saturday last week, Ngubane…

Sixty eight young, unemployed agriculture candidates on Thursday graduated from the Northern Cape’s Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform’s two-year on-the-job training programme. The programme was supported by the Northern Cape government to the tune of R7.2 million. MEC Mase |Manopole gave the…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has paid out almost half a billion rands to 114 000 beneficiaries in the Northern Cape according to Commissioner Teboho Maruping who visited Kimberley this week to brief on the fund’s priorities for the current year. Maruping, together with officials from the national Department of…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco The national strike by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) continued unabated this week as the union protested against a 3% salary increase and austerity measure introduced by the Government. The union’s Northern Cape chapter also joined in the strike by picketing outside gates of the Robert…

Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Commissioner Teboho Maruping has joined forensic auditors knocking on the doors of employers who benefited from the Covid-19 TERS Relief Scheme in Cape Town as part of Phase Two of the "follow the money" Project. During a visit to Rickard Air Diffusion in Lansdowne, Cape Town, yesterday, the Commissioner had…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco Local artists will subsequently have the luxury of recording their music here at home, thanks to a sponsorship by the Northern Cape Government which unveiled a state-of-the-art recording studio in Kimberley on 27 February. Premier Dr. Zamani Saul presided over the unveiling of the new studio along with MEC for Sport, Arts…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has paid out almost half a billion rands to 114 000 beneficiaries in the Northern Cape according to Commissioner Teboho Maruping who visited Kimberley this week to brief on the fund’s priorities for the current year. Maruping, together with officials from the national Department of…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco  Last Thursday, the Department of Health in the Northern Cape hosted a “Move for Health and Human Papilloma virus” mass mobilisation campaign in Roodepan, Kimberley, to advocate for healthy lifestyles in society. The Roodepan community came out in numbers, from young to old and eagerly participated in aerobics exercises…

The budget in a nutshell as tabled by Minister Enoch Godongwana on 22 February 2023 in Cape Town. Economic outlook  Global : Since the 2022 Budget global growth estimates for 2023 have been revised lower. The International Monetary Fund projects global growth to slow from an estimated 3.4 per cent in 2022 to 2.9 per cent in 2023. Domestic…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco The Sol Plaatje University (SPU) and the Students Representative Council (SRC) have agreed to find accommodation for registered students and to a new start date for the academic year. This agreement follows student protests at the SPU’s central campus last week related to dissatisfaction with the lack of accommodation,…

By the Department of Employment and Labour Employment and Labour Minister, Thulas Nxesi, has raised the minimum wage of farmworkers and domestic workers by a whopping 9.6%. The increase will take effect from March 01. The increase will also cover workers employed in the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), Learnership allowances, the…

09 February 2023 The Frances Baard District stations namely Galeshewe, Kagisho and Kimberley and Crime Intelligence in conjunction with the Northern Cape Gambling Board and Home Affairs, executed an intelligence driven operation in the Solplatjie local municipal area on Wednesday , 08 February 2023. The team led by Brigadier Charlotte Makgari…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco The Northern Cape Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) hosted the inaugural provincial arts indaba at the Horseshoe Inn last week in Kimberley to identify challenges and resolve issues such as policy and advocacy, funding, skills development and training including community art centres. Hundred and fifty…

By the Dept of Health Pregnancy Awareness Week is commemorated in February this year from 10-19. The aim is to strengthen pregnancy education, highlighting important issues that will promote a healthy pregnancy, safe motherhood and early booking at a health facility. The theme for this year is: “Equalise to Eliminate Sexually Transmitted…

Picture: Karabo Siyoko By Karabo Siyoko Retlameleng Special School situated in Galeshewe, is a school for learners with physical disabilities, visual and hearing impairments was erected in 1993 with funds donated by the Lions Club, an organisation for people with physical disabilities. The school can accommodate 200 leaners with…

Picture: Supplied By: Siphiwe Ngcongco The 12th edition of World Radio Day (WRD) was celebrated on 13 February under the theme: "Radio and Peace." According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the objective of WRD is to promote the importance of radio and inspire those in positions of…

5 February 2023  The police in Galeshewe are investigating a murder case following the death of a 44 year old male in Robert Mangaliso Sobukhwe Hospital in Kimberley on Saturday 23 July 2022. Preliminary investigations indicates that the deceased was allegedly assaulted by 3 unknown assailants who were driving a white "bakkie" in Masupha…

The Executive Members of Sol Plaatjie Masters Football League! Standing from the back: Chicco Bikwa (competition member), Nzwandile "Zon" Flatela(Head of the competition), Kagisho Kwanampe (treasurer), Seabata Makhele(Chairperson) and Richard Thomas (Competition member) Sitting in front: Tshepo Seboko (Deputy Sec), Papie Dibeco(Secretary) and…

The water levels at Newton and Riverton have now reached full capacity, therefore the nightly shutdowns are now suspended. However, residents are encouraged to continue using water sparingly. The Sol Plaatje Municipality thanks the community for your patience and understanding during these interruptions.

By Karabo Siyoko Floors No2 High School in Galeshewe suffered severe vandalism during the festive holidays. Criminals gained access to the school premises and damaged the electrical infrastructure forcing the school to function without electricity. Criminals forcibly removed burglar bars from classroom windows. All light bulbs and switches…

By Karabo Siyoko As part of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) towards contributing to the herd immunity of the Northern Cape Community and the well-being of learners in schools, the Northern Cape Health MEC, Maruping Lekwene and MEC for Basic Education,Zolile Monakali conducted an oversight visit at Roodepan and St Peters Primary…

Picture: Supplied. Sensei Lawrence Booi and two karateka of the Kyokushin Sako Juku dojo seen here during a practice session at the Galeshewe Open Air Arena preparing for the world championship due to take place in Thailand from 25 -29 August this year. Left to right : Thato Booi (14), sensei Lawrence Booi and pupil Xolani Sokoyi (16).

2023 STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS By Neville Motlhabakwe This is the shortened version of president Cyril Ramapahosa’s “State of the Nation” address delivered at the opening of the South African parliament on 9 February 2023. New jobs:  Between the third quarters of 2021 and 2022, around one and a half million new jobs were created in our…

By Karabo Siyoko Kimberley based visual artists led by renowned painter Janine Peters-Titus splashed AR Abass stadium with anti-drug abuse and anti-Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) messages. The project was funded for R350 000 by the National Arts Council (NAC) as part of the presidential employment stimulus programme. The funds were…

On 03 February 2023,  Sandile Vaaiboom (35) was handed down three life sentences in the  Kimberley High Court  for 3 counts of murder and 5 years each for 2 counts of malicious damage to property. The accused was on trial for fatally stabbing and killing 3 family members namely  Petrus Vaaiboom (64), Kerileng Kgatlane (54) and Vuyisile Vaaiboom…

From the Department of Labou This was said at a two days' training scheduled for Organised Labour representatives by the Compensation Fund which is focusing on Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) and Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) Act compliance in the work place. Its main objectives are to provide the…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco Kimberley - The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) in the Northern Cape is disappointed at the low provincial percentage matriculation mark achieved in 2023, a slight progress of 2% compared to the previous year. The comment follows a joint statement issued by the Northern Cape Premier, Dr. Zamani Saul and…

By: Siphiwe Ngcongco Pictures by: Tshepang Gatane The Democratic Alliance in the Northern Cape (DA) The Democratic Alliance party conducted a picket against load-shedding “Power To The People” in Kimberley on Wednesday, 25 January, blaming the African National Congress (ANC) led government for the spike in electricity tariffs. Picketers…

By the Departments of Labour and Agriculture Pictures sourced The Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi, has warned farmers in the Northern Cape that food security will be affected if preservation of livelihood of farmworkers is not prioritised. On Monday, 23 January 2023, the Minister, together with the Northern Cape MEC for…