Express QQ 24 April 2013 by Northern Cape Express Express

EASTERN FREE STATE

TEL: 058 3035411

Man in court after murder } Tladi Moloi TOKELO MOKONA (20), who has been accused of killing Lebohang Tjobinyana (25), will re-appear before the Tsheseng Magistrate’s Court next week Thursday after he briefly appeared before the same court on Friday. Mokona allegedly approached the ward councillor last Tuesday and asked him to summon the police to his home after he had allegedly killed his wife. The police in the Tsheseng village went to the crime scene where they found the body of Tjobinyana with wounds to the head and legs on the bedroom floor. Sgt Mmako Mophiring, police spokesperson, said a piece of wire and a spade had been found on the scene and were exhibits in the investigation. He said on their arrival at the scene the corpse had been found lying on the floor next to the bed, but had already been cleaned and had been dressed in clean clothes. “The husband allegedly accused his wife of being involved in satanic worship and could not bear it any longer,” Mophiring said. “Domestic, personal or other problems do not justify murdering a partner, friend or family member. We need a society that lives peacefully. Let us identify the problems and find amicable solutions or advice. Do not take the law into your own hands because crime does not pay,” said Lt. Gen. Khehla Sithole ,the provincial commissioner of the Free State.

WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL 2013

WWW.EXPRESSNEWS.CO.ZA

FREE

‘Not good enough’ houses go down } Tladi Moloi HERSEY MOFOKENG (34), who hails from Bluegumbosch in Qwaqwa, cried as she watched her two-room house being demolished when Ace Magashule, the Free State premier, assisted by a bulldozer driver, destroyed it on Wednesday. However, Mofokeng said she was not hurt at all, but that those were just tears of joy. “I am happy that our government is going to build a house for me,” she said. Mofokeng said the two-room house was not enough for her and the family as she had to share a room with the children. “We have been promised a house with two bedrooms – then I would have my privacy. They said it would take two months for the house to be completed,” she said. The demolishing of the two houses in Bluegumbosch was part of the Operation Hlasela outreach, planned to ensure that services reach the intended beneficiaries and that the government yields the expected results from the service delivery programmes it has embarked on since it came into office in 2009. Olly Mlamleli, the MEC of Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements for the Free State, said they have allocated R54 million which would be used to build houses in the province. She said the premier stated during his State of the Province Address that they should come up

GOING DOWN: Ace Magashule, the premier of the Free State, is in this bulldozer which is destroy ing one of the houses in Bluegumbosch, Qwaqwa. Photo: Tladi Moloi with a strategy to get rid of all the two-room houses in the province. “We have prioritised some of the areas where those houses were found in the province and Bluegombosch is one of them. We have found that there were 3 400 one door (two-room) houses in the area,” she said. She said she was not in a position to say how many houses would be built in Qwaqwa and added that they would have to wait for the two contractors who

have requested to build two show houses. “We have two contractors here who have requested us to do the show houses. We have given them a chance, as we want to see what kind of houses they would build and after that we will determine how many houses would be built in that place. After having built those houses we will again call on the community and get their views so that we can continue,” she said.

The MEC said those houses where identified by the premier during his door-to-door campaign which was aimed at finding out how people have been living. “I like it because it brings us to the people who entrusted the provincial government to us. When I arrived here I was not happy with one of the houses where two doors from a bedroom and bath room where coming straight to the kitchen. I asked myself where the dignity of our people was.”

EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL 2013

NEWS

MEC unhappy with conditions at Phekolong } Tladi Moloi “WA bona dipetlele tsa rona” meaning, “You see our hospitals”. These were the words of Benny Malakoane, the new Free State MEC for Health, talking to one of the officials who accompanied him during a surprise visit to the Dihlabeng Regional Hospital and the troubled Phekolong Hospital in Bethlehem last Tuesday. Malakoane said this after he had found that the ear, nose and throat set (ENT) and a suction machine at Phekolong were not working. The nurses at the hospital failed to show the MEC that these things were in working order and they ended up

pointing fingers at one another. “We cannot tolerate such things in our hospitals. Next time when I find these things not working whoever is responsible, must voluntarily resign, because he or she wants to go home,” he said. Soon thereafter he had said this, Shelly-Ann Danster, the nursing head, said: “I will resign”. Malakoane said to her: “You see, now you are laughing about it, but when we come, we will send you home.” Malakoane was unhappy with many things at Phekolong. He also pointed out that they could not keep people in the passageway and calls to admission waiting and said people

should not be kept long. It was established that people wait long while staff have to search for their files in a small, dark back room which Malakoane was also not happy with. “There has to be an improvement in the IT system to avoid this. This is an old style of filing and we cannot still be using it in 2013,” he said. Malakoane also pointed out that tea time must be abolished because it is being abused. He said he was going to investi-

gate whether it was a condition of employment. “If it is not, we should stop it immediately. You will find nurses ignoring people in the queues and going on a tea break and that is unacceptable,” he said. The MEC did not have many concerns about the Dihlabeng Regional Hospital of which a part is under construction. “We should get more contractors so that they can finish the process as soon as possible,” he said.

IN HOT WATER: Ouma Noosi, a nurse at the Phekolong Hospital, says “But that one is working” to Benny Malakoane, the Free State MEC for Health.

Photo: Tladi Moloi

EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL 2013

NEWS

Factory destroyed by fire } Tladi Moloi

ABOUT 600 people from Qwaqwa might lose their jobs after Khwaja Lounge Furniture, a factory in the industrial area of Qwaqwa where they had been working, was consumed by fire on Wednesday afternoon. The workers had to run for their lives after the fire had been spotted by some of them. No one died in the incident, but Cassim Somrey of management told Express Eastern Free State that two people, a worker and the owner, had been rushed to the Manapo Hospital and MediClinic Hoogland in Bethlehem for treatment. It was the second time that the same factory was consumed by fire after it had suffered the same fate three years ago and it was then moved to another premises. Some of the employees claimed that the management might have intentionally burnt down the factory after they had claimed that they had no money to pay them. A worker who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons, said: “They had a meeting with our supervisors and soon after the meeting the factory was on fire. I smell a rat . . . Let’s wait for the investigation and see.” The cause of the fire is still unknown and Somrey said the

damage could not be estimated as they had to wait a few days to establish the damage. “Everything happened so fast. I was walking around the factory when I saw the smoke. I then rushed to the workers and instructed them to go outside quickly because we had some explosive items which could have been dangerous to them,” he said. Somrey said he had been worried about some of their people who had been taken to hospital and added that they were, however, happy that they had managed to save a number of people from dying or getting injured. Joseph Tshabalala, a cleaner at Khwaja, said: “I am still shocked. The fire started at the back of the factory and we don’t know what caused it. We were busy cleaning one of the rooms and when we went out, we saw people screaming and running from the factory. I looked around and saw smoke and I told one of the guys who was working with me to go out and we ran,” he said. Some of the workers tried to load furniture onto a truck, but they were stopped by management and told to get out of the factory leaving the Fire Department personnel only. Sgt Mmako Mophiring, the police spokesperson, confirmed the incident and added that a case of arson had been registered.

NCOP unhappy about FS progress THE National Council of Provinces (NCOP) delegation on a week-long service delivery oversight to the Free State has expressed its displeasure at the snail’s pace with which the province was implementing its 2010 recommendations. The delegation, led by Mbuyiselo Jacobs, Free State whip in the NCOP, found among others that the housing problems they found in the Maqhekung settlement in Qwaqwa were still not resolved despite being identified during the Taking Parliament to the People campaign held in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District in 2010. Quoting from the 2010 NCOP Taking Parliament to the People report, Jacobs said that these houses were supposed to be provided with running water and sanitation. “It is worrying that the same houses we visited more than two years ago are still experiencing the same challenges. We hope the MEC responsible for Human Settlements in this province will be able to explain this in our meeting with the provincial government tomorrow,” said Jacobs. The delegation was also not happy with the status quo at the Maluti Dairy Farm. According to the delegation, the farm was supposed to have been revived and revamped so that it could continue with its operations. However, they were shocked to find that the situation was far worse than the last time they visited. Pockets of progress were

found at the Bluegumbush Clinic where the NCOP recommended, among others: the introduction of flexi hours to ensure availability of nursing staff at all times, hiring of retired nurses to deal with the issue of skill shortage as well as the upgrading of the clinic to accommodate the large number of patients. The delegation learnt that the clinic has been able to address most of these recommendations, but believed more had to be done especially on the upgrading front. The importance of prioritising the clinic’s upgrade was emphasised as the delegation believed it would enable the staff to carry out their operations more effectively. The delegation’s stance was strengthened by patients who complained that the clinic was too small and they found themselves crammed into small waiting areas and procedure rooms. The Manapo Hospital, which was tasked to develop a recruitment and retention plan for competent medical staff, was another site where progress was evident, though the delegation still had concerns. The hospital CEO reported on how the hospital had improved its recruitment drive, however the delegation felt his retention strategy did not yield any results as he admitted that the hospital was still experiencing a high turnover of doctors and professional nurses.

ON FIRE: Some of the Khwaja Lounge Furniture management and workers were captured looking at the burn ing factory. Photo: Tladi Moloi

EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL 2013

GRANITE & MARBLE: Kitchen tops, vanities, bar counters, etc. Tel. 058 303 4840/ 082 807 7456.

Sale agents urgently

needed to sell personal loans and allied products. Commission only. Commission paid daily. No experience required. Training provided. Start immediately. To apply contact Thabiso 076째628째6438.

LETSATSI FINANCE AND LOAN

QUICK CASH Need to consolidate? Get consolidation loans of up to R100 000. 1-hour approval. Same-day pay-out Tel. 058째713째2387 www.letsatsifinance.co.za Qwa Qwa Letsatsi Finance and Loans is an authorised financial service provider Registered Credit Provider, Reg.: NCRCP895

SEEK, BUY, SELL

LEGAL NOTICES For the placement of your legal notices.

Contact Adelina at 058 303 5407/084 673 9986 or e-mail adelina.mokoena@volksblad.com 911/QWA/18 AUG10/JJ

EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL 2013

EASTERN FREE STATE

On track to win } Tladi Moloi WITH nine league games remaining for the National First Division (NFD) campaigners, African Warriors, their mentor, Thami Ngubane, is adamant that the first spot is within their reach. Maihlome Ihlasele are sitting third on the league table with 34 points after 21 games. They are just 4 points away from the log leaders Thanda Zulu Royal after the same number of games. “The league race is wide open and any team can win. If you look at the gap between a team on top and third position you’ll realise that anything is possible,” he said. Ngubane who has said on numerous occasions that his main focus is to win the league is hoping to collect maximum points in all the remaining games to guide the

Qwaqwa-based team to the elite league. Warriors will welcome Blackburn Rovers in the Charles Mopeli Stadium today at 15:00 before visiting Roses United in Bloemfontein on Saturday. They are still to play Polokwane City home and away, Thanda Zulu Royal away, Witbank Spurs away and Milano United home. Three games are not registered on the league fixtures, and it is not yet clear what will happen. They were supposed to be played at the start of the league, but the teams boycotted the games because there was a dispute between the Absa Premier League and the NFD. The good news for the blue and white boys is they still have to play the log leaders and they will have to fight like soldiers to win the game which could see them reducing the gap by a point.

They will, however, have to rely on other teams to do them a favour and beat the log leaders while the show goes on. Should they finish where they are at now, Warriors will have to play in the promotional play-off against the team that finished second and the one that finished second last on the Absa Premier League table. ) Free State Stars, who played to a one-all draw away against the University of Pretoria on Saturday, will welcome Amazulu who also played to a goalless draw against Mamelodi Sundowns. The game will take place on Saturday afternoon in the Goble Park Stadium in Bethlehem. The kick-off is at 15:00. Tickets will be available at the Free State Stars sports shop and the Lotto Shop, Phuthadithjaba, from Friday.

DEDICATED: The focused African Warriors head coach Thami Ngu bane believes that his team is on the right track to win the league. Photo: Tladi Moloi