Community News

The Frances Baard District Municipality (FBDM) tabled its adjustment budget for the 2021/22 financial year on 23 February. According to the Municipal Finance Management Act, 32 of 2000, municipalities may revise their approved annual budgets through an adjustment budget at mid-term. The annual exercise is critical as it assists municipalities…

The Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform informs the public about the escalating outbreak of brown locusts in various parts of the Province, especially in the Pixley ka Seme District (Karoo belt). Most areas are affected by fliers (adult locusts) and there are reports of a new…

As part of promoting long-term behavioural changes such as incorporating regular physical activity into daily routines, Northern Cape Health MEC, Mr Maruping Lekwene encourages members of the community to actively support the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and mental health disorders within the Province. This encompassed…

Judge Mmathebe Violet Phatshoane has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) Council. Judge Phatshoane served on the SPU Council since June 2014 and has played an integral role in the development of the University.  She is poised to lead the Council, until April 2025, as it governs SPU in the next phase of its…

By Karabo Ntanzi Fepang Sechaba Soup kitchen, Tshwaraganang Development Center, Footprint of Hope and Elderly and Disability Center celebrated Mandela Day by hosting an intimate gathering for 107 years old Virginia “Selina” Montlenyane Mancwe and 104 years old Rose Veldman. The centenarians live a stone's throw from one another and were domestic…

By Olebogeng Molale The family of a woman who died in a shack fire with her children early this year has expressed their disappointment at Sol Plaatje Mayor Patrick Mabilo. The Sekgoro family from Galeshewe alleges that the Mayor has not fulfilled his promise that the municipality will build a shack for two of the remaining children of the late…

By Refilwe Mphirime Operation Wanya Tsotsi is a non-profit organisation established in March 2015 due the surge of gangsters within the Galeshewe community. According to Gopolang Daniel “Spencer” Plaatje, there was a clear call from community members to have a public structure that would deal with gangsterism. Discussions took place among the…

By Olebogeng Molale A 35-year-old man who claims to have been assaulted by an off-duty police officer in Galeshewe in February this year has accused the South African Police Service of protecting the suspect in this case. The victim, who wants to remain nameless for fear of victimization, says since opening the case at the Galeshewe police…

Ka Olebogeng Molale Lefapha la thuto mono Kapa Bokone leare le kgotsofaletse ka moo programma ya dithuto tsa tlaleletso tsa paka ya mariga go baithuti ba mophato wa marematlou di tsamayang ka gone, lefa gone naga ya Afrika Borwa ele mo legatong la bone la thibelo ya metsamao kantlha ya koketsego ya dikgetsi tsa mogare wa Covid 19. Lefapha…

By Staff Reporter Since the beginning of the vaccination programme in February this year, by 19th July a total of 97 522 people has been vaccinated in the province. This includes the Sisonke Access Programme for health care workers in Phase 1, Phase 2 of Pfizer for the over 35s and people working in Basic Education and South African Police…

By Olebogeng Molale The South African National Blood Services (SANBS) in the Northern Cape is calling on young people to be champions of change by donating blood to save lives. The organisation held an awareness drive at their center and at the Northern Cape Mall to observe World Blood Donor Day, which takes place on 14 June each year. SANBS…

By Olebogeng Molale An elderly woman from Promised Land was agitated after her pension money was stolen in what is believed to be an ongoing scam in Kimberley. Joyce Busang could not withdraw money using her SASSA card at the Kimberly post office on 7 July. Upon inquiry, she was informed that there were no funds in her account. Busang says…

By Karabo Ntanzi Thugs broke into Tlhabologo Disability Day Care at Helen Joseph Center during the early hours of Monday morning. According to the center's Caretaker, Kinston Sailos, the incident occurred between 3 and 4 am because he made his rounds at 2 am and went to sleep. Sailos, discovered the break-in when he was doing the last…

By Karabo Ntanzi First Lady of Northern Cape Province Tapsy Saul, Mosimanegape Mocomo, Merrisa Meyer and Mark Kotze the visionary of Mark My Words, a reality public speaking competition, traveled the province under difficult conditions to identify suitable candidates for the competition. It took three months for the four judges to conduct…

By Staff Reporter In an effort to restore the Recreation Hall and the Social Centre in Galeshewe to their former glory, teams within the Sol Plaatje Municipality are cleaning and refurbishing the facilities. The Recreation hall, which was vandalised during the 2018 community uprising, will soon open its doors to the public. Sol Plaatje…

The Acting ZF Mgcawu District Commander, Brig Johnny Besnaar commended the ZF Mgcawu District Team who executed drug operations during the early hours of 04 June 2021 in Augrabries and Kakamas targeting drug dealers. The collective team comprising of ZF Mgcawu District office, Upington K9, Upington Crime Intelligence and Kakamas detectives…

An intelligence-driven take-down action was operationalised on Wednesday, 9 June 2021 and netted five adults for dealing in drugs and dagga. The Frances Baard District Detective Team, Hartswater K9 unit, Hartswater Crime Intelligence, Kimberley and Hartswater Highway Patrol pounced on the suspects at 2 am after a series of transactions were…

By Staff Reporter Sol Plaatje University hosted its 6th Graduation Ceremony on 1 May. The virtual ceremony was streamed live across various online platforms such as KimberleyTV, YouTube, Facebook, Zoom and MS Teams. Over 900 people logged in to watch Professor Andrew Crouch, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, preside over his first graduation…

The Acting  Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape, Major General Johan Bean welcomes the life sentence that was handed down to a 50 year old step father in the Kuruman Regional Court on 03 June 2021. On the 4 June 2017 the step father lured his 12 year old step daughter into the room with promises to play a game. The girl was left in the…

Written by Professor Karen Haire, School of Humanities, Sol Plaatje University. With thanks to Lorenco Pinto, School of Humanities, SPU, for his generous assistance. With growing calls to reopen the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital and facing a rising third wave of COVID-19 infections it is an opportune moment in history to reflect on what the…

Ka Olebogeng Molale Lefapha la thuto mono Kapa Bokone le rotloetsa batsadi go ka kwadisa bana ba bone fa paka ya ikwadiso etlabe e simolola gotloga fa kgwedi ya Seetebosigo etlebe e rogwa go fitlha eya kwa bokhutlhong. Lefapha leare fa batsadi ba kwadisa bana ba bone go santse go nale nako seo se thusa mo goreng ba neelwe manno nako e sale…

By Staff Reporter As part of the strategy to manage the resurgence of COVID-19 in the Province, the MEC for Health, Maruping Lekwene, again appealed to all community members to adhere to non-pharmaceutical measures to curb the viral transmissions in the Province. In terms of comparative analysis, statistics indicate that the Province is in a…

By Staff Reporter The MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform, Ms. Mase Manopole, wishes to inform the community members not to panic over the passing flyers of brown locusts in our residential areas. The Department received calls from the public after locusts were spotted in households and playing areas…

By Staff Reporter Deputy Minister of Trade Industry and Economic Development, Nomalungelo Gina said the Northern Cape coastal town of Port Nolloth has the potential to become the beehive of economic activities it once was if all stakeholders work together to implement the nine-point socio-economic development plan produced for the Namakwa…

By Staff Reporter Sol Plaatje University hosted its 6th Graduation Ceremony on 1 May. The virtual ceremony was streamed live across various online platforms such as KimberleyTV, YouTube, Facebook, Zoom and MS Teams. Over 900 people logged in to watch Professor Andrew Crouch, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, preside over his first graduation…

By Staff Reporter In response to an advert placed in December by the Department of Agriculture, 412 applications were received. Eighty unemployed agricultural graduates have been chosen and placed at various farms in the Northern Cape. The MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform, Mase Manopole, welcomed…

By Staff Reporter The Provincial Government, led by the Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, would like to clarify matters surrounding the outcome of various engagements that were held with the United Community of Sol Plaatje Municipality. On Monday, in compliance with the demand made in the memorandum that an urgent meeting be convened by the Premier…

By Refilwe Mphirime The gates of Sol Plaatje Primary School, in Kimberley were closed on 8 April due to the blockage of the sewerage drain. Learners were sent home as a result. “Unfortunately, our school is situated in an area where sewer lines of the municipality are constantly blocking. There is a sewer line that runs down Mandy road and…

By Olebogeng Molale Kimberly residents are frustrated with the ongoing water cuts. They held a virtual meeting on 16 April to vent their anger. According to residents, this problem has been going on for years now where their water is cut off without any notice from the authorities. During the meeting, some members claimed that they…

By Refilwe Mphirime The residents of the Sol Plaatje Municipality took to the streets on the 15 April, after going for 5 days without water, to hand over a memorandum of demands at the Provincial Premier’s office in Kimberley, where they were met by the Premier Dr Zamani Saul and the Mayor Patrick Mabilo. The residents comprised of various…

By Staff Reporter In a bid to lessen the rate of COVID-19 transmissions in communities, the Northern Cape Department of Education  the Department of Health assembled an urgent joint meeting this week to discuss the rapid increase in COVID-19 infections in schools. The Departments are concerned about the resurgence of COVID-19 infections in the…

By Staff Reporter Sol Plaatje University has registered a record 959 new students for the year 2021. Eight hundred and three are first-time undergraduate students, while the number for new postgraduate students is 156. There is a total of 2685 students enrolled at the University this year. By 2030 the number is anticipated to reach over 8000…

The Northern Cape provincial Government has partnered with the Sol Plaatje Local municipality by investing half a billion towards urgent infrastructure challenges. Northern Cape Premier Dr Zaman Saul announced during a media conference on 8 April that the money will be used to bring the sparkle back to the city within the next 12 months. Saul…

As part of celebrating 150 years of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke's birthday, the ANC in the Northern Cape hosted the Charlotte Maxeke Memorial Lecture to honour the stalwart's role as a gender and freedom fighter. The lecture was held on 7 April at the AME St Mary’s church in Galeshewe. Maxeke was known as a religious and political activist who…

Ka Olebogeng Molale Lefapha la thuto mono Kapa Bokone leare letla tsereganya kwa sekolong se segolwane sa EP Lekhela kwa Ipeleng mono Kimberley, ko gone baithuti le baruta bana ba bontshintseng go sa itumele, seno se latela morago ga gore baithiti ba mophato wa borobedi  go fitlha wa marematlou ba dule ba sena baruta bana ba serutwa sa histori,…

By Refilwe Mphirime The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) launched a branch in the Northern Cape on 1 April 2021 at Mitta Sipherepere Convention Centre in Kimberley. The SIU has offices in all provinces, except in the Northern Cape. Advocate Andy Mothibi, gave an overview of the investigative unit. “The SIU is authorised to investigate…

By Karabo Ntanzi The Independent Development Trust (IDT) has handed over Venus and Homevale Primary Schools to appointed contractors to replace prefabricated or pressed board classrooms with brick structures. Construction will take place in phases and learners will be accommodated in mobile classes where necessary.  The duration of the…

Ward 7 residents in Vergenoeg are calling for the closure of Bambanani Community Park following the rape of two nine year old boys at the dilapidated RC Elliot hall on Thursday 19 March. The boys were allegedly grabbed by the suspects at the park, which is situated in Five April street, at around 1pm, while they were about to leave for home.…

Laboratory results points to high iron concentrations as possible cause for waterbird mortalities. The Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Land Reform and Rural Development has received the laboratory results of the tissue samples which were collected following waterbird mortalities at Kamfersdam.  The report comes after MEC Mase…

By Refilwe Mphirime The Northern Cape MEC of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism Abraham Vosloo presented the Provincial budget speech on 10 March. Vosloo quoted the words spoken by the Premier of the Northern Cape Dr Zamani Saul at the first Infrastructure Summit. “Infrastructure is a catalyst for growth. Given our limited resources,…

A man who was accused of fraud and defeating the end of justice was recently sentenced to 7 years imprisonment by the Kimberley regional court. According to the police spokesperson in the province, Sergio Kock In October 2013 the accused  Floyd Teu borrowed a white BMW X6 (valued at R1,3 million) from his business partner, to attend a meeting in…

Baagi ba lefelo leo le itsege ka Morakeng gaufi le Phuthanang mono Kimberley bare ba lapisitswe ke gore nako le nako fa go nale pula ba tshwanele ke go tsenwa ke tsebetsebe ,seno ke jaaka mo malatsing a le malwa a fitileng bantse ba tsweletse ke go tsenelelwa ke pula mo mekhukhu ya bone. Goya ka baagi ditsela kwa lefelong leo le tsone ga di…

Students from Sol Plaatje University (SPU) have joined the ongoing national protest across the country, calling for the government to fund previously disadvantaged students. On Friday 19 March, the students held a peaceful march to the Premier's office to hand in a memorandum of demands. The Student Representative Council (SRC) Chairperson at…

MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Land Reform and Rural Development, Mase Manopole, has called on improving working conditions for farmworkers in the Province’s farms. During the commemoration of Human Rights Day, MEC Manopole indicated that some farmworkers are still subjected to unfavourable working and living conditions. “The…

By Karabo Ntanzi Mme Dimakatso Molahlehi, aged 68, has been stripped off her right to dignity when two sides of her toilet walls collapsed with her inside.  The incident took place in November 2020. However, Molahlehi, who hails from Stock and Stock, struggles to get assistance from the Solplaatje Municipality. The family's ordeal started in…

Thirty-year-old mother, Patricia Sekgoro and her two children Kitso, five, and Bokhutlho, three, were laid to rest on 12 March. The three died when their shack burnt to ashes on 3 March.  It is believed that a burning candle could have caused the fire. On that fateful night, Patricia and her children were asleep when the fire started. Her…

The MEC of Health, Maruping Lekwene has welcomed another consignment of 2000 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses for the Sisonke Early Access Programme. A distinct pattern of increase in transmission and cases of Covid-19 in the Namakwa District has informed the Provincial Health Department's decision with the Sisonke Team to focus in this…

By Refilwe Mphirime In keeping with the Back to School campaign, MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Land Reform and Rural Department, Mase Manopole, visited Tshireleco Senior School on 9 March. Annually the Premier assigns a school to each department, to provide them with necessities. Tshireleco was assigned to the Department of…

Sol Plaatje University (SPU), Chancellor, Judge Steven Majiedt and the Standard Bank, hosted a Golf Day at the Kimberley Golf Club to raise funds for the Chancellor’s Bursary Fund on Saturday, the Talent Pipeline Programme, a pre-university enrichment programme for learners in grades 10, 11 and 12. This programme is aimed at increasing the…