Bulletin newspaper 13 November 2020

13 November 2020

www.reallysa.co.za

015 306 0198 • 072 930 1462 • 064 650 7123

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Rural areas:FREE • Platteland: GRATIS

ANARCHY AT THE WHITEHOUSE

MOPANI STEPS IN TO FIX PHALA PLUMBING

After weeks of reporting on the failures of the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality to fix their own burst water pipes, the district municipality (MDM) this week sent a crew to mend the water pipes in President Brand Street. Our reporter was on the scene and you can read the full report on page 2 inside. Be sure to follow us on Facebook @Far North Bulletin to stay updated on the news that actually matters in your area.

SPORT

Chaos erupted at the GTM building in Tzaneen on Tuesday morning when SAMWU protestors burnt tyres on the doorstep of the Whitehouse and overturned dustbins in the presence of the police. Read the full story on page 3.

Photo: Joe Dreyer

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Mopani steps in to patch pipes Personeel | Personnel Kantoor: 015 306 0198 Redakteur / Editor Joe Dreyer 072 930 1462 joe@bulletin.us.com Joernaliste / Journalists Roelof de Jonge 078 672 7306 roelof@bulletin.us.com Billy Sibuyi 081 429 2040 billy@reallysa.co.za Drukker/Printer: Novus Print

Office: 064 650 7123 Ontwerp / Design Tessa Thompson 079 653 6317 tessa@bulletin.us.com Ontwerp / Design Deborah Varrie debz@bulletin.us.com Bemarking / Marketing Chrizelle Dreyer 082 628 4181 chrizelle@bulletin.us.com Admin / Finance Jacqueline Allan admin@bulletin.us.com

Verspreiding | Distribution Tzaneen • Haenertsburg • Modjadjiskloof • Mooketsi • Letsitele Gravelotte • Ofcolaco • Lenyenye Nkowankowa • Phalaborwa

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Posbus/P O Box 3838, Tzaneen, 0850.

Tel: 015 306 0198 072 930 1462 (Joe) Fax: 086 502 1853 E-posadresse/E-mail addresses: Agri-advertensies/Agri ads: chrizelle@bulletin.us.com Briewe/Letters: joe@bulletin.us.com Events: tessa@bulletin.us.com Nuus & foto’s/News & photos: joe@bulletin.us.com Copyright © 2020 Far North Bulletin All rights reserved. No part of this publication (including editorial, artwork and layout) may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission by Far North Bulletin.

Website Visit our website at www.reallysa.co.za and read the latest news, as well as back copies.

Noodnommers Emergency numbers Tzaneen

Ambulance / Ambulans Police / Polisie Fire Brigade / Brandweer Electricity / Electrisiteit Water Municipality / Munisipaliteit Letaba Fire Protection Ass. Fire / Brand nr.

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Van Velden Hospital/Hospitaal Mediclinic Tzaneen Child line

10177 / 015 307 7077 10111 / 015 306 2129 015 307 5555 / 7000 015 307 4356/8190 a/h 015 307 8000/8190 a/h 015 307 8000 076 550 2260 076 844 1646 Foxtrot Papa Alpha/ Letaba Fire Ops. 015 307 8800 015 306 8500 0800 055 555

ARITZ Street Aqua Park Tzaneen

STNET # 911 TE BAG X 4019 ANEEN, 0850

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■ Billy Sibuyi A month of diligent reporting on the thousands of litres of potable water being wasted through the inability of the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality to maintain and repair their aged infrastructure, has finally led to the district municipality intervening and rectifying the situation, or at least a portion of it.

The district municipality dispatched a team of plumbers to repair the water leaks despite initially claiming that they were not responsible for the repairs and maintenance of the water system, but rather only responsible for the bulk supply of water. The MDM plumbers managed to fix the leaks on said streets within a matter of hours, albeit four months later.

Residents heaped praises to the DA ward Councilor, Sybrandt de Beer, for his consistence in responding to disgruntled residents about the water situation.

The repairs of the burst pipes in President Brand Street adjoining HOWI Church is seen as a big breakthrough to those who are living within that vicinity, however, other streets urgently still need to be repaired. Phalaborwa still experience complete water shortages at least twice a week.

Considering that the MDM stepped in and repaired the damaged infrastructure within the jurisdiction of the BPM, Bulletin wanted to know what

prompted them to act and whether this would become a regular occurrence. In our enquiry sent to the spokesperson of the MDM, Odas Ngobeni, we sought clarity on the matter.

“Your question is somehow sarcastic, you cannot ask us how many broken pipes we are going to fix when we do not know how many broken pipes we are going to have,” stated Ngobeni.

“We work within the principles of Cooperative Governance, and are willing at all times to support our local municipalities in the spirit of putting peo-

ple’s interests first. We cannot ignore the concerns of people of our district,” he continued. “We will assist the local municipalities as and when there’s a need to do so, but that is also informed by the availability of human as well as capital resources.

But it remains the responsibility of local municipalities. That is why it is the local municipalities that are responsible for billing. We may not be able to spend money, we cannot recover,” stated Ngobeni when asked whether they will be taking over the repairs.

Hawk steps off perch Ramaphosa finally updates nation after lottery probe ■ Jeff Jackson

■ Joe Dreyer

in October, the DA has been privy to an internal Department of Social Development document which showed that Mr Muluadzi suspiciously changed the name of his NPO from the “Hangwani Mulaudzi Foundation” to the “Bono Foundation” in August 2020,” Cuthbert said.

He further alleged that the internal document revealed that Mulaudzi’s foundation failed to submit annual reports and compliance documents since 2018, which simply makes the donation of funds from the NLC more sinister. “It is imperative that a proper and thorough investigation takes place into the alleged misappropriation of funds from the NLC. Claims such as this cannot remain untested. If Mulaudzi genuinely believes that this is nothing but a smear campaign against him, he would have no problem giving his complete cooperation to an investigation into the matter,” concluded Cuthbert.

The Hawks spokesperson, Hangwani Mulaudzi, has resigned in the wake of a lottery scandal.

It came after the DA laid a complaint to police Minister Bheki Cele regarding the millions he allegedly received from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) to establish a sports centre in Limpopo.

Mulaudzi’s foundation, the Bono Foundation, allegedly received R3-million from the National Lotteries Commission, to establish a sports complex in Limpopo. Mulaudzi has been reported as saying he has no real influence in the Hawks, nor is he the sole director of the foundation.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has however claimed there is a clear conflict of interest. “We welcome Mulaudzi’s resignation as we believe there is sufficient prima facie evidence in the public domain to suggest that an urgent investigation be done regarding his alleged involvement in the misappropriation of National Lotteries Commission (NLC) funds,” said the DA MP Mathew Cuthbert.

According to reports from the DA a non-profit organization (NPO) that was named after Mulaudzi, allegedly received the R3 million for the building of a sports centre in Mashamba, Giyani, in Limpopo from the NLC. If true, this is a clear conflict of interest as the Hawks were already probing other matters of alleged corruption pertaining to the disbursement of NLC funds.

In a statement issued by the DA, Cuthbert said that the funds intended for the sports centre were allegedly spent on items unrelated to the actual project itself such as the purchasing of mini-bus taxis and kickbacks paid to NLC officials.

Hangwani Mulaudzi “As4000already stated 084 911

After two months of silence from his office, President Cyril Ramaphosa finally addressed the nation to update his citizens on the government’s plans to manage the global pandemic. The president extended the national state of emergency yet again to the 15th of December. According to him, this decision was made to prevent the so-called “Second Wave” of infections which has swept through parts of Europe this past month.

Ramaphosa cited an increase in the total number of new Covid-19 cases. He said that there have been massive spikes in the Eastern Cape and for the last month there has been a sustained increase in hospital submissions.

In response to the rising infections, a resurgence plan developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) will be implemented. Developments in areas where higher than average rates of new infections are being recorded will be closely monitored to ensure that all necessary preventions are kept in place.

“Masks can be a hassle and are cumbersome, but wearing a mask is better than retur -ning to lockdown and shutting down the economy once more,” warned Ramaphosa. “Cloth masks are cheap, and it still remains the best defense against the spread of the virus.”

The President once again called on every South African to download the Covid Alert Mobile App. According to Ramaphosa, more than 700 000 citizens

have already downloaded the application and he urged all organizations to encourage staff and visitors to their premises to download the app when they enter their shops or offices.

The African continent needs US$12 billion and 750 million doses of an effective vaccine, according to him and in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union, Ramaphosa has established a Covid-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task team to lead this effort. South Africa was appointed as co-chair of the Global ACTA initiative that is facilitating access to vaccines for all countries. Countries are going to have to allocate funding to ensure that they have access to these vaccines.

Johnson and Johnson entered into a preliminary agreement with locally-based Aspen Pharmacare to manufacture and package its candidate vaccine.

Aspen has the capacity to ma -nufacture 300 million doses of this vaccine at its plant in Nelson Mandela Bay. Alert Level 1 regulations were amended to allow the return to normal trading hours for liquor retail stores and international travel ban has been lifted provided travellers present Covid-19 negative certificates upon entry or exit of the country.

He further announced that the 25th to the 29th of November will be days of mourning and the country will observe five days in remembrance of all the lives lost during the pandemic. All citizens are urged to wear black armbands and black clothing. All flags will be at half-mast.

072 98 98 911 084 22 00 911

www.crisisrescue911.com

dave@rescue911.co.za

COMMUNITY CRISIS SERVICES Help for Tourists

4 Maritz Street, Aqua Park, Tzaneen urists in any predicament can phone their 24 Hour Tourist Friend on 084 4000 911 or 072 98 98 911 dave@rescue911.co.za d help will be on the way.

e TZANEEN Crisis Centre is offering all tourists to our area absolute peace of mind when visiting this beautiful part the Limpopo, absolutely free of charge

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e Crisis Centre offers access to a 24 hour emergency control room, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue services, SA Police, med response, trauma counseling, roadside assistance etc.

e also support victims of crime, violence, accidents, fires, floods, rape, child abuse or just a lost tourist.

ed a mechanic, a dentist, lodging after hours? Personnel of the Crisis Centre will help with any problem, and even ke most of the arrangements on behalf of the tourist.

Stand van Damme Dam Levels

Source: www.dwa.gov.za Information updated: 09/11/2020

Tzaneen 9.4%

Ebenezer 14.2%

Merensky 100.8%

Dap Naude 98.7%

Middel Letaba 0.7%

Blyde Rivier Poort 84.4%

Klaserie 97.1%

Tours 24.8%

Vergelegen 98.4%

Ohrigstad 8.3%

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13 November 2020

3

SAMWU demands Matlala’s head

Hundreds of municipal employees joined their union to embark on an aggressive protest against the municipal manager and the mayor of the GTM this week. By the time of going to print on Thursday (yesterday) the group was still present at the GTM building, chanting and littering despite a Polokwane High Court order prohibiting their actions. No arrests were made either. Photos: Joe Dreyer

■

Joe Dreyer

Members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) embarked on a protest action at the entrance to the Greater Tzaneen Municipality’s (GTM) offices in Tzaneen on Tuesday morning. The reason behind the protest was the encashment of employees’ annual leave days, which they claim the municipality did not want to pay out to them because of corruption in the top management structures.

The focus of their apparent anger was once again the GTM’s Municipal Manager, Thapelo Matlala, and the GTM’s Mayor, Maripe Mangena, who had not approved the pay outs. The refusal to give into the employee demands was in accordance with the Main Collective Agreement which is an agreement entered into by SAMWU leadership and GTM officials in 2015 at the SALGA Bargaining Council.

This agreement, which was initially valid until 2020, but was later extended to 2022, clearly states the prerequisites for accumulated leave to be “cashed out”. The agreement is endorsed by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) who applauded Matlala for standing his ground in the matter.

Municipal employees are entitled to 24 annual leave days. Leave days may accumulate up to a total of 48 days if the leave days are not used by the employee in cases where work commitments deemed it impossible (for instance in the case of an emergency shutdown).

Only if it is proven that the employee could not take leave, the employee may apply to have the accumulated leave days “encashed”, meaning that the monetary value of the leave days is paid out to the employee.

Because in the past there has never been any real control over this process, the encashment of leave days cost the municipality in the region of R10 million annually. There have been reports of workers booking sick leave instead of annual leave during the year, in order to benefit from cashing in their accumulated leave days just before the festive season. With the arrival of Matlala two years ago, a number of the systems at the GTM were relooked. This included the cutting of the overtime budget from over R3 million a month to just more than a million, and the implementation of strict control over leave days encashment. Both Matlala and Mangena believe that the money should be used to maintain the municipality’s infrastructure which is at an advanced stage of aging.

SAMWU however believe that the municipality is corrupt, and that Mayor Mangena wishes to use the employees’ leave encashment funds to finance his mayoral campaign in the runup to the next by-election in 2021. This is the same union who in the past have accused Matlala of being ‘too bossy’ and who have campaigned for his removal from the Municipal Manager’s seat since he took office in April 2018.

There have been clear, concerted efforts ever since to render the municipality ungovernable by members of a faction within the GTM, who view both Matlala and Mangena as threats to their decades-long hold over the municipality’s coffers. Both men have received death threats and since mid-2019, gatherings have continuously been disrupted. In September last year, a group of protestors stormed the building and forced their way into the council chambers while a council sitting was in progress. The group was armed with a canister

of petrol and threatened to assassinate Matlala. This caused the municipal manager to exercise his executive powers and employ private security from Midrand as an emergency measure to ensure the safety of the personnel and members of the public at the municipal buildings. When SAMWU caught wind of this appointment, they again accused Matlala of misusing municipal monies for personal gain and once again attempted to oust him.

On Tuesday this week, SAMWU returned once more with their members embarking on a legal protest. Matlala had agreed to meet with the group at the municipal swimming pool complex in Crown Street, to prevent any business interruptions at the main building where the public would be renewing licenses and paying accounts.

The SAMWU members ignored their manager’s call and instead took up position in the main parking lot at the entrance to the main building. They took down the temporary tent that was erected to provide shade to the residents waiting to pay their bills, and emptied bags of garbage across the lot. Soon, a bakkie arrived with vehicle tyres, logs and wooden pallets which the group used to build a bonfire on the steps to the municipal building. Thick black smoke blotted out the sun and drifted into the windows of the offices on the second storey.

Joining in song, the municipal workers, including the traffic department’s officers, danced around the bonfire with much glee, taunting the municipal security officers who were standing guard on the steps at the building’s entrance, as they did so. The police were present in the form of two vehicles and seven officers parked at the entrance to the parking lot – they had been present since before the group started protesting. No arrests were made for arson or malicious damage to property.

At one point, SAMWU Chairperson, Moses Malatji, addressed the workers and called for them to “fight to the end, because it is money or nothing”. According to him the ANC leadership at the GTM had enriched themselves through tender fraud and had appointed a person with a criminal record as the chief financial officer. He said that the union had obtained a certificate to strike, and they would escalate their efforts until they are heard.

“The municipality had put a person who had looted money from

the VBS in the office. Now that person is telling us that we are not going to get money for our leave days. We will now go and open a case against the mayor, after which we will tell the provincial secretary, Soviet Lekganyane, to implement conference resolutions in which comrades who have been criminally charged, are relieved of their duties. Therefore, the mayor will sit at home and deal with his issues.”

He was referring to the case of corruption SAMWU had opened with the police in Tzaneen against the municipal bosses whom they accused of embezzling the money which was meant for the workers encashment of leave days. Malatji concluded by warning the ANC that they would not support them in the coming elections if they’re demands are not met. “It will be better to rather have an EFF or DA run municipality than to have these ANC cadres who don’t care about us.”

Bulletin received information from a source within the union later that afternoon, that members were planning to sabotage key structures of the GTM the following day (Wednesday), should their demands not be met. Local security companies and the police were alerted and by Tuesday evening, an order was granted in the Polokwane High Court which prohibited any further protest action on the municipal premises. The order was handed down to the police in Tzaneen by the sheriff of the court.

On Wednesday morning, the sheriff of the court, Tertius Robertson, read the court order out to the SAMWU gathering over a loudspeaker as instructed by the court. The order prohibited the illegal activities of the protestors and forbade them from entering the municipal grounds.

Despite this court order however, the SAMWU members were again burning rubble and tyres in the parking lot of the GTM main building, in the presence of the police. Bulletin was at the scene and filmed a fire truck arriving to extinguish the flames. Shortly after this, the crowd directed their attention to our editor. The chairperson of SAMWU instructed him to leave claiming “we don’t want you here because you tell lies about us. You must go!” He was not willing to set the record straight on camera and behaved in a threatening manner which resulted in Bulletin leaving the scene. The police stopped him and a couple of other protestors from following the journalist to his vehicle. At the time of going to print it was not clear whether any arrests had been made.

The Regional Chairperson of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU), Victor Manyama, was at the forefront of the disruptive protest action at the municipal offices this week. On Wednesday he was leading the SAMWU members despite a court interdict prohibiting their presence on municipal property.

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Hippos steamroll pathway to upliftment

Warrick and Ryan Gibbs from HIPPO ROLLER together with volunteer community rangers who received the Hippo Rollers.

■ Billy Sibuyi The Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) in partnership with Wild Response, Hippo Roller, INSCENT, Down to the Wire, and Kilo9 Kennels handed over six Hippo Rollers to Phalaborwa volunteers who form part of the community anti-poaching unit. These individuals regularly assist in anti-poaching and snare removal operations.

In previous anti-poaching operations on the reserve neighbouring the communities of

Ba-Phalaborwa, with the help of local community volunteer rangers, over 400 illegal wire and cable snares were located and removed.

A large amount of these snares was donated to Down to the Wire to be made into jewellery, sold and the income generated, ploughed back into conservation, a story Bulletin ran last week.

The Hippo Roller is a 90 litre water drum with handles, designed to ease the collecting of water by rural community members who do not have access to running water.

“Having easier access to greater quantities

Deathroad claims four ■ Billy Sibuyi Four people died and nine others were injured following a headon collision between a taxi transporting staff, and a Ford Fiesta on the R71 on Wednesday evening, the 11th of November. It is believed that reckless and negligent driving was the cause of the fatal collision.

The Department of Roads and Transport and Community Safety confirmed that two people, a female passenger in the taxi, and the driver of the Ford Fiesta, were certified dead on the scene by the emergency services. The two others, also passengers of the taxi, died upon arrival at the hospital.

The accident occurred about two kilometres outside of Phalaborwa town, and it is the second of this nature on the same road in less

than month. Just two weeks ago, a VW Polo collided head-on with a taxi killing two people before the minibus caught fire.

According to reports, the minibus which was carrying 11 passengers, was transporting staff members of a clothing shop in town to their respective homes in the township outside of town when the accident occurred.

The police preliminary investigations revealed that speeding, reckless, and negligent driving was the cause of the accident after one of the drivers, reportedly that of the taxi, was overtaking on the barrier line. The department of roads and transport has urged motorists to drive with caution and also to drive within the prescribed speed limit.

Investigations are continuing.

of water at a time is greatly beneficial to users of the Hippo Roller. Water is taken for granted by most, but if you don’t have access to it, it negatively affects every part of your life,” said the Co-Founder of PNHF, Eugene Troskie. “The Hippo Rollers would be handed out during a mass community meeting to local men and women who are most in need and have the least access to water.”

According to Hippo Roller, more than 60 000 Hippo Rollers have already been distributed to 51 countries over the past 27 years and have

positively impacted on a conservative estimate of at least as many direct beneficiaries and many more indirectly.

Hippo Roller is a social enterprise organization based in South Africa that manufactures and distributes Hippo Rollers with the aid of sponsors and donors for the past 27 years. The Hippo Roller was first designed in 1991 by two other South Africans, Pettie Petzer and Johan Jonker who received their first design award in 1992 from the SABS (South African Bureau of Standards) Design Institute.

No more thirsty voters here

■ Jeff Jackson

Lack of fresh drinking water in the Muthumeni section of Ntwanano village seems to finally be a thing of the past. This after two boreholes were sunk by the Mopani District Municipality (MDM) to supplement the three the community sunk among their homes. The provision of water in the area was long overdue, and finally, only after a visit from parliamentarians, did the district municipality spring into action.

When residents in the area could not stomach sharing water with cattle and donkeys in the nearby stream, they called a meeting and collected money to drill their own boreholes.

Thereafter, as revenge against the ANC who failed them for so long, the community members all joined the Democratic Alliance (DA) and urged more people to follow suit. The visit by the DA’s Constituency Head and Member of parliament, Desiree van der Walt, was the catalyst that finally changed the minds of the people and forced the MDM to execute their mandate in the provision of drinking water.

The first time the village attempted to sink their own borehole, they raised funds through donations. When they had reached the required amount, they readied themselves to employ a contractor to sink their borehole. Shockingly, one group within the community vanished with the money and has never been caught. The splinter group seemed to have used the lockdown restrictions to make their getaway.

Louis Nkhwashu, told the Bulletin he felt grateful that the MDM has provided them with water. He said that he survives of his social grant and could not afford to sink water for himself. According to him, the community has finally started receiving water from a faucet, and they are grateful now.

Residents of Ntwanano South also benefitted from the two boreholes provided by the MDM after the DA’s intervention.

“They started with pinning a tank to a street corner and thereafter came to sink the water. Now, they are in the process of building a housing unit for the water pump as is the case with Muthumeni,” added Nkhwashu.

This church is not a pay point

■ Jeff Jackson

The usage of the local church in Khujwana as a pay point for the government grants has stopped because apparently there was no money to pay rent. According to community members, the venue had to change because the residents could not afford to raise money for the rent. However, an open area outside the church would be used as the pay point henceforth.

On Wednesday this week, hundreds of recipients gathered at the nearest fuelling station to collect their grants. The street hawkers however, were not affected because before the venue change, they were selling their products outside the church grounds, which they will continue do. Pensioners who spoke to the Bulletin said that it was not the first time there was a change in venue as in the past, shops were used as pay points.

“We stopped receiving money at the pay points after the shops were targeted by criminals. This prompted some of the shop owners to seek compensation through charging a fee when money is accessed in their shops. As a result, we acquired a vacant stand where a hall will be built for the community. This promise, however, has not yet been fulfilled,” said one pensioner.

The pensioner said they elected a pension committee many

years ago. The committee was tasked with facilitating grant payments to the recipients, as well as solving the challenges people might experience on the way. The pensioner said that some years later the stand was taken by a farmer and it had since been a matter of meetings after meetings concerning the building of the pay point.

A community leader who is also a member of the ward committee, told the Bulletin (on the basis on anonymity as they are not allowed to speak to the media) that the problem of pensioners not having any place from which to access their grants, was a thorny issue within the community. There is a stand just outside the church from which they had been evicted, which the community is supposed to use for a pay point, but a farmher had taken the land, with no action from authorities against him.

Members of the pension committee in the village could not be traced, and there were reports that such a structure did not exist. It was reported that though it used to exist in the past, with time it had to be abandoned. When this reporter arrived at the pay point on Wednesday it was business as usual with loan sharks also mingling among the recipients to get their share.

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13 November 2020

5

Craft(ists) not deterred by ‘20Trauma’ ■

Roelof de Jonge

Paint Pot in Tzaneen held an art competition from beginning September until the 26th of October which attracted school pupils and adults alike.

The theme for this year’s competition was simple - 2020.

‘20Trauma’ would have been more fitting though, given impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on people’s lifestyles and the economy. The Paint Pot Art Competition offered local artists the opportunity to illustrate the impact 2020 had on them and their community.

The winners of the respective categories were announced at the start of November. Sandra Muller, co-owner at the Paint Pot Group with her husband Anton, gave the go ahead for the competition to take place. The personnel of the Arts and Crafts Store innitiated the actual idea for the competition to be staged.

“Art for me is a fantastic way to release emotions, feelings and just express yourself. We promoted the competition through the Paint Pot Group’s Facebook page and contacted schools in our area to encourage their pupils to enter,” Muller said.

The competition was a first of its kind for the Paint Pot Group. Following an amazing response though, this art competition seems set to become an annual event. Muller added that in future, the competition could do with a bit of tweaking to make it more streamlined, but she was happy with the outcome nonetheless.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the level of quality from the entries we received, and the artists came up with some great ideas. We have some truly creative minds out there!”

Artists were able to enter in the Arts and Crafts categories for persons 16 years and older. For children between the ages 7 and 15 years there was a single Crafts category. Provision was also made for children younger than 7 years by means of a Kiddies Colouring Page Category.

The winners, runners-up and third-placed contestants all received cash prizes. Peter Parrish, an art teacher at the Paint Pot Tzaneen’s Arts and Crafts store, assisted with

the judging of the entries.

“This is one of the ways our brand wants to give back to our community. For us here at Paint Pot, there’s more to business than just business, there is caring and spreading hope. To all the children and adults that participated in our themed 2020 Art Competition, it was a great success, we are amazed at the talent this beautiful town of Tzaneen has.”

Thanking the judges, Muller expressed her sympathy with the tough decisions they were expected to make. “A special thanks to all of the judges, I am sure it was not an easy task to select the respective winners. Some of the work we received was truly amazing.”

Paint Pot’s Arts and Crafts store hosts regular arts and crafts classes for young and old, to teach aspiring artists a wide range of new techniques and crafts. The store stocks, amongst others Deco podge, pewter, mosaic, multimedia material, scrapbooking, arts with two ranges of watercolours, three oil ranges and three ranges of acrylic.

If a child has a school project pending, and the parents have no idea to show their child how to make it. No stress, the talented, creative staff members at the Arts and Crafts store have some fantastic ideas at hand on how to do such projects.

Its scrapbooking division has over 450 different pattern papers and 150 different coloured cardstocks, with all the necessary embellishment, glues, tapes, ribbon, flowers and letters to go with it. The store stocks over 300 different types of tiles and embellishment to help you create the perfect mosaic project.

Paint Pot Tzaneen and the Paint Pot Arts and Crafts Store can be contacted at 015 307 3265. The store is situated at 54 Boundary Street.

FIRST PLACE Arts Category Sinead van Zyl

FIRST PLACE Crafts Category Nicolette Odendaal

SECOND PLACE Crafts Category The Rautenbach family

FIRST PLACE Children’s colouring Katelyn Jacobs

SECOND PLACE Children’s colouring Yael Kadiry

THIRD PLACE Children’s colouring Unini Mkhawana

THIRD PLACE Junior Crafts Category Kopano Maake

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Her What the hell is going on!?

The last few days have had me so confused; I find myself thinking that this must be a joke. Either that or I’ve somehow teleported to a distant planet in an upside down galaxy. Or could this all be part of some sick game?

Think about it, what actually makes sense in the world right now? Our government is toying with our lives. Our children are not receiving the education/school time they deserve (and what we pay for) and people are fighting over private parties. People are beheaded in public; bodies being chopped up. Paedophilia is seen as simply “ sexual orientation” as if it can be likened to homosexuality or bi-sexuality. Children are being raped. The elderly tortured. Corruption is the “new” way of doing business and being violent and destructive is fine. And these are but a few aspects of our modern society that blow my mind.

I do not know if I should cry or laugh about this. And this has been going on for years, it did not start now. My heart is beating rapidly as I am writing this because I can not grasp the concept of when and how humans became so inhumane. Soulless in my opinion. I want to believe that I am not the only person feeling like this.

I fear for the world and what it is becoming. I fear for our children and their future. Life is hard enough, with all this nonsense going on it makes it even harder. Death is inevitable, it does not make it easy.

Murder is something else. Torture is something else. In our country, every citizen suffers from a form of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), all the time and that is about as abnormal as it is unhealthy.

It's not okay to sexually abuse anyone. You have a serious problem. It is not okay to take another human’s life. You do not have the right. Our justice system is screwed. Who do we go to for help?

Real help. You cannot trust the people in power, they only care for themselves and their wellbeing – as the saying goes, “ultimate power corrupts ultimately”. Why can everyone not just respect each other, I am not saying you must like everyone, but stop doing bad things to innocent people. To people who have done nothing wrong, to people who do not even know why you are fighting them, to people who just want to be left alone to live.

A friend and I have been talking about this for awhile and trying to figure out how we can try and help women who are being abused. She found this amazing phone application, MiVoice. This app has a vault where you can store evidence meaning photo’s, recordings and videos. It also has an emergency button, let’s say 10 people installed this application in your town, when you press the emergency button the people in your area will receive a notification. All you need to do then is play for time because you know someone is on the way to help you.

I encourage all women and men to download this app to their phone. We all know someone who is being abused (man or woman), emotionally or physically. Speak up, you do not have to go through this alone. There are amazing people in this town willing to help you. You are worth more. Your life matters! Stand up for yourself, you have a say. I will listen!

It is time to take back your life, stand up against what is wrong without fear or shame. The last few weeks have taught me a few lessons. Never expect loyalty from anyone.

Things may seem fine, but they are not. The smile you see on a person’s face does not mean that person is happy, it means they are dealing with life and are trying their best.

Never underestimate a good night’s sleep. Your opinion only matters if someone is willing to listen, and sometimes if you are willing to truly hear what people are telling you, you will soon discover that what they say and what they mean are two different things. With that said, I will keep on trying to be a better person each day.

I will keep on caring with the knowledge that though I may not be able to magically fix all the wrongs, I can start a chain reaction that just might. Phone me if you need someone to talk to, or to lend a shoulder to cry on, or if you need help. I will do my best to help where I can. My number is on page 2.

Much love!

oh my!

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In the estate of the late SELLO DAVID MAKHONANYANE Identity number 5403295458088, Master’s reference number 5756/2020, married in community of property to MAGGIE MAKHONANYANE, identity number 6002021255088, and who was ordinarily resident at House 1293, Ga-Kgapane, Limpopo Province and, who died on the 6 AUGUST 2020.

All persons having claims against the above estate are hereby called upon to file their claims with the undersigned within 30 days from the date of the publication hereof.

Joubert & May Attorneys P.O. Box 35 Tzaneen Ref.: A E Rech/R15515 Nov201_____________________

LIQUIDATION AND DISTRIBUTION ACCOUNT IN DECEASED ESTATE LYING FOR INSPECTION In terms of Section 35(5) of Act 66 of 1965 notice is hereby given that copies of the liquidation and distribution account (first and final) in the estate specified below will be open for the inspection of all persons with interest therein for a period of 21 days from the date of publication hereof, and at the offices of the Master in Polokwane and the Magistrate’s office in Naphuno. Should no objection thereto be lodged with the Master concerned during the specified period, the executors will proceed to make payment in accordance with the account.

Registration Number of Estate: 3909/2019 Surname: MODJADJI Name: SELLO OBED

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Lost or destroyed deed Notice is hereby given in terms of regulation 68 of the Deeds Registries Act, 1937, to the intention to apply for the issue of a certified copy of Title Deed T.36799/2013, registered in the name of MANIE CAROTO FAMILIE TRUST: Registration Number: IT.9256/04 in respect of ERF 5756 TZANEEN EXTENSION 47 TOWNSHIP,

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All interested persons having objection to the issue of such copy are hereby required to lodge the same in writing with the Registrar of Deeds, 101 Dorp Street Polokwane, Limpopo, within two weeks from the date of the publication of this notice.

Dated at Tzaneen this 2nd day of NOVEMBER, 2020 Applicant: THE TRUSTEES OF THE TIME BEING OF MANIE CAROTO FAMILIE TRUST c/o Thomas & Swanepoel Attorneys / Ref: ZVR/M4458 Address: 19 Peace Street, Tzaneen E-mail Address: zilla@tslegal.co.za Contact number: 015 307 1027 Nov203____________________

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Tracy hunts World Cup title ■ Roelof de Jonge

The International Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation Africa (IBFF Africa) held its first Pro Diva Show on Saturday the 7th of November in Roodepoort. This is the return to the arena after the lockdown started in March which prevented sportsmen and women from participating in any form of sport.

Tzaneen’s professional bodybuilder and fitness trainer, Tracy Petersen, competed at this Pro Diva Show on Saturday and added yet another trophy to her award-winning titles cabinet. She entered for the Fitness and Fitness Over 40 divisions and went on to win the Fitness category.

“The rules of IBFF Africa determines that you can enter more than one division, but if you won a category, then you are not allowed to compete in the remaining category or categories. By winning the Fitness division, it eliminated me from competing in the other remaining category,” said Petersen.

Like any professional sports person who aspires to reach the highest level possible, Petersen aims to compete and prove herself against the best in the world. That is one of her ultimate goals. She has also received the required Pro Card* that enables her to compete at professional international contests.

An IBFF Africa Pro Card is essentially the golden ticket that proves you have put in the hard work and have competed in amateur level competitions and won. You cannot apply for a Pro Card, nor can you obtain one by being discovered, or from doing “okay” in a bodybuilding or physique competition.

“I would like to compete on the international stage again, to be able to share the stage with the best in the world. Competitions of this nature are very draining though, and requires plenty of preparation

beforehand.”

The next event is an international competition to be held in South Africa. Petersen is currently training to compete in the IBFF Africa World Cup Pro-Am competition on the 5th of December at the Vodaworld venue in Midrand.

“What makes it especially difficult preparing for competitions and keeping my body in tone, is the fact that I have to follow a strict protein-based diet. That, while my daughter is having pizza! It surely takes a lot of commitment to stick to my diet, but it is not easy at all.”

“My daughter, Leah, is certainly one of my biggest supporters. She’s almost like my own personal coach. Even at shows, she will indicate to me when I am not doing a pose correctly. She is very good and could most probably teach some bodybuilding trainers a thing or two.”

Petersen said it’s easy to pose in front of the mirror, but a whole different scenario when one is on stage. “I do not realise sometimes when I am doing something wrong. That is where my daughter’s support comes into play. She even helps me with the selection of my outfits for competitions.”

Being a businesswoman working for herself, and a personal fitness trainer, Petersen has little choice but to get up early in the morning to spend at least two hours in the gym for her daily training session.

“This sport can be a real patience tester, but it is definitely worth the while when you reap the rewards for your hard work. I would like to focus on my weak points and to improve on that. For the future I am thinking of rather doing one event per year which would suit me better. Aside from the hard work and time it requires, it also costs a lot of money to compete at this level.”

Those interested in sponsoring Tracey for the upcoming IBFF Africa World Cup Pro-Am competition on the 5th of December at the Vodaworld venue in Midrand, and for future events, can contact her on 063 136 7090.

Lizzy Conradie, Tracy Peterson and Michelle Jacobs