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WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER 2013 WWW.EXPRESSNEWS.CO.ZA
‘This is our land’ } Boipelo Mere
“WE’RE not going anywhere,” shouted Mmadede and Michael Macomo to the official of the Sol Plaatje Municipality. This was the reaction of the community after this official tried to intimidate them to remove their shacks. He also allegedly told them to wait for the municipality to contact them to set up a meeting. “Why didn’t you remove the other squatters in Seleke, Colville, Roodepan and Phutanang who were not even approved? You must start with them because they are even more illegal than us. We’ll be waiting for your so-called interdict,” the crowd shouted at the retreating official. This community built shacks on land in West End. They claim this land was approved for construction of RDP houses. They refused to be intimidated, even after one of the shacks was allegedly vandalised by six security guards of the Sol Plaatje Municipality on Sunday morning. On Sunday afternoon the official was instructed to present proof that he was a municipal official or to leave – he left in a hurry. According to Nombulwane Skotch (62), the owner of the vandalised shack, guards came at around 02:00 and started to take down her shack while she was sleeping in it with her grandson (2). “I am an old woman, desperate for a place to stay. I am a pensioner and I am tired of renting. That is why I moved in immediately.
Why did they have to wait until 02:00? Is it such a sin to look for a place to stay? I only realised that they were from the municipality by the branded vans.” According to the residents, land between Reserve Road and Waterloo has long been identified for development and occupation. It was identified even before the late city manager, Mac Makume, passed away. They started to build on the land three weeks after it was cleaned, after being removed from it in February this year. They said the municipality had stalled the process by asking them to submit a list of beneficiaries and form a task team. According to Oumatjie Sebego, former councillor, who was holding a pile of documents at the site, she has proof that the land was approved for 235 plots in 2010 already. One of the documents she showed Express Northern Cape was a map of the area she states was approved. “Every councillor knows of this project, now they’re all drawing up their own lists of beneficiaries to put their people on the land. R500 000 was approved and set aside for the development of this area. I am surprised to see that the area doesn’t appear on the present IDP anymore, even though it was finalised during my term. What happened to the resolutions, approval and the money?” Sebego said she was trying to invite all homeless community members to put up their shacks on that land. She said she was amongst those councillors who were used
wrongly by not making the land available during her term. Express NC spotted Kerileng Moela (51) sitting patiently next to her furniture waiting for her shack to be finished. “I am so relieved to hear that we are not building illegally. I am tired of renting and wish to stay in my own place with my four grandchildren. I am willing to put a up a fight for this place,” she said. Stoffel Soetmelk (83) was also spotted with a shovel in his hand, digging holes to put up a structure. The old man proudly showed off his ANC membership card which dates back to 1992. Sello Matsie, spokesperson of the Sol Plaatje Municipality, warned the residents to stop building as the police were authorised to enforce the court order that was issued in March this year on all the mentioned areas.
KERILENG MOE LA (51) sat pa tiently next to her belongings and waited for her shack to be finished. She had nowhere else to go after her shack had been broken down.
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STOFFEL SOETMELK (83) is so old, yet he is still looking for his own place to stay. Although he is forgetful, he never forgets to mention how he went to prison for his party, the ANC, of which he has been a member for 13 years. Photos: Boipelo Mere
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Boipelo Mere
Sales Manager Johan Rossouw
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EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER 2013
NEWS
Workers ill-treated } Boipelo Mere
CONTRACT WORKERS who are working on a solar panel plant at De Aar have received accommodation at private houses in De Aar after their company was busted for accommodating them at an old abattoir and in an exhibition hall at the show grounds. This comes after the Northern Cape Department of Labour followed up on reports that the employees were living under inhumane conditions. According to Mothusi Legwale, the department’s spokesperson, the accommodation facility, which the company rented for R15 000 a month, was used for more than 100 workers. “They come from as far as Limpopo and were expected to sleep inside the fridges and cold store rooms. The rooms didn’t have ventilation (windows or air conditioners). Inspectors issued a prohibition notice to the managers, and workers were instructed to vacate both places.
ABOVE AND RIGHT: The inhumane conditions the workers had to endure. Visiting the premises is Lefu Ntana, an occupational health and safety inspector. Photos: Supplied
“The employer only promised to get alternative accommodation for the workers around De Aar after we alerted the South African Police Services about the notice to comply with the prohibition as a matter of emphasis,” said Legwale. According to one of the workers – who was heard being interviewed by a local radio station – they felt they had no choice as they were desperate for accommodation, as they came from far away. Patrick Fellies, the deputy director for Labour Centre Operations, advised the employees not to subject themselves to living under inhumane conditions. He also pleaded with employers that whenever they brought a workforce to an area, they had to always provide suitable accommodation that met health and safety requirements. The De Aar Solar Power Project is expected to be completed in March 2014.
EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER 2013
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School garden’s dry spell ends } Boipelo Mere THE Tshwarelela Primary School in Kimberley has once again got the support needed to save its school food garden from closing down. According to the Tshwarelela teachers, this is a sign that they are supposed to feed their learners for the whole year, because it is the second time this year two private companies reached out to the food project garden. This year the school received the good news from Woolworths that it had been chosen as the only school in the province to benefit from the company’s EduPlant project. A volunteer team from Woolworths arrived and got their hands dirty by digging beds, mending fences and planting seedlings, as well as by donating much-needed tools to the school, with the aim of helping to boost the productivity of the food garden. EduPlant, the national schools’ permaculture food gardening programme of the Woolworths Trust, will save this food garden from closing down after it was started in 2002. “This is a real blessing to us, because we have been struggling to sustain our food garden and expanding our food programme as we wish, due to a lack of funds. “Due to water constraints and being unable to afford buying seeds we could not sustain our food garden. We ended up paying the municipality exorbitant amounts of money, which caused us to stop the food garden,” said the vice-principal of the Tshwarelela Primary School, Kolokie
‘Due to water constraints and being unable to afford buying seeds we could not sustain our food garden. We ended up paying the municipality exorbitant amounts of money, which caused us to stop the food garden.’ – Kolokie Gaborone
THE team from Woolworths, the Department of Education and the Tshwarelela Primary School in the school’s food garden. Photo: Boipelo Mere Gaborone. But they managed to re-start the school food garden again in 2011. The vice-principal revealed that they applied for sponsorship at EduPlant where they stated their challenges and were awarded the sponsorship.
Gaborone further revealed that they got a sponsorship for a PlayPump from Itron in April this year. As the children play, the merry-go-round’s motion powers the pump. “This kind of assistance will definitely support us in augment-
ing the school feeding scheme and sell some of the vegetables in order to maintain the garden. We will also be able to trade seedlings with neighbouring schools in order for them to go green,” she added. Gaborone further highlighted that it was heartbreaking to
witness other schools having run out of food with which to provide learners with meals, because some of the learners depend on that meal for the day. According to Anine Rabie from Woolworths they have been helping to address the challenges of establishing sustainable food systems for improved food security and nutrition in South Africa through their long-term support of environmentally friendly school and community food gardening projects. In line with the social development and environmental goals of the Woolworths Good Business Journey, the trust has donated more than R17 million to the EduPlant programme, trained more than 47 000 educators in permaculture techniques to manage sustainable food gardens at their schools, resulting in 80% of the schools using the fresh vegetables and fruits to supplement feeding schemes at the schools.
Our Kuruman Branch has been revamped and reopened. We have completed renovations and are now open again to assist you with your banking needs. We hope to see you at our new and improved branch soon! Contact us on (053) 712-1021 for more information.
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EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER 2013
Website registration HOW to register with your email address? ) Go to express-news.co.za. ) To the right of the Express masthead, click on “Login”. ) At the bottom of the page, click on “Register”. ) Fill in the necessary details and click “Submit”. ) Express will send you an email to the email address you’ve provided to confirm your registration details. ) Open the email and click on “click here” to complete the registration process. (If you do not receive an email, check your spam email folder. Otherwise contact Nico Gous at Nico.Gous@volksblad.com.) ) Go back to your internet browser and click “Register now” to complete the registration process. How to register with your Facebook account? ) Go to express-news.co.za. ) To the right of the Express masthead, click on “Login”. ) At the top of the page, click on “Login with Facebook”. The link will take you to
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WITH the help of his interpreter Queeny Tshite, Pastor Dirk Venter managed to put a smile on the faces of Retlameleng learners in Kimberley. Photo: Boipelo Mere
Pastor brings hope to the deaf } Boipelo Mere PASTOR DIRK VENTER of the Deo Gloria Congregation in Pretoria dedicated his love for deaf people to opening a non-profit organisation (NGO) called Deaf Friendly five years ago. The organisation is mainly aimed at reaching, retaining and empowering deaf people. He said the NGO started training deaf pastors at the National Institute for the Deaf with four-year courses with the aim of empowering them. Venter pointed out that deaf people were the ones who carried the personal baggage of not being recognised and reached. Through assistance from Pastors Louise and Irene Farland from Late Harvest Ministries in Ritchie, he was able to reach out to more deaf people from across the Northern Cape. After his motivational ceremony in Ritchie, learners of the Retlameleng Special School in Galeshewe were also fortunate enough to be touched by Pastor Venter’s love and presence. During his visit to the school to spread the gospel of God, Venter expressed how deaf people were close to his heart because he was born into a deaf family. “Both of my parents were deaf, that is why I have so much understanding and love for deaf people,” he said in Afrikaans while also communicating in sign language. All the learners could communicate the testimony because three languages were used. A teacher, Queeny Tshite, also interpreted the message into Setswana. While explaining to them the importance of true love, Venter encouraged the learners to give their heart to God and to believe in Him. “It is your choice –you are not forced. God loves everyone, including me. My heart is close to the deaf people. That is why I am very proud to be here and to tell deaf people that,” added the pastor. He explained that the organisation aimed to reach out to more deaf people and empower them. “I am here as the spokesperson of the organisation and doing outreach programmes. After sessions like these, I usually withdraw and allow deaf members like yourselves, who are far more effective, to perform the retaining and empowerment process,” he explained. Venter clarified that deaf members were far more effective in dealing with new members because there was a cultural and mutual understanding. In response to whether all the pastors completed their courses, Venter revealed that the students’ potential was tested through the discipleship course, before they were trained as ordained pastors. “Up to now we have trained 13 pastors, including the ones who will be graduating this year. We are in partnership with Deaf Christian Ministry Africa (DCMA) for the training
accreditation before we deploy the pastors to different areas.” As to how he managed to run the organisation Venter said: “God has stirred people’s hearts to help us with funds. We also run different projects within the organisation without money, but they always succeed.” Venter told the Express reporter he never manipulated or asked anyone to make financial contributions. “People just see the need to contribute. God has opened a door for me through them. I must say that I sometimes feel the process is too slow for me to reach more of them, but His is a seed-work and we are getting there. Every deaf person should hear the message of Jesus. Our motto is about the gospel and to do biblical teaching. We also equip our students to qualify as councillors, to create HIV/Aids awareness, to do financing and business studies when they complete their courses,” he added. “I therefore appeal to members of the public to assist in identifying deaf people in their communities and contact me on 082-880-2060 or email dirk@deaffriendly.co.za,” said Venter. Community members are requested to alternatively contact Pastor Louise and Irene Farland in Ritchie on 071-809-8751.
DEMONSTRATING the love of Jesus in a less boring and entertaining manner, the learners are encouraged to “marry” God. Photo: Boipelo Mere
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NEWS
Ready for exams } Boipelo Mere
MR AND MISS KINDERGARTEN. From the left are, front: Tshepang Malebogo, first princess, Tswelopele Matone, the winner, and Oratile Nkosi, second princess; back: Tshidiso Thekiso, first prince, Fikile Mathews, winner, and Nyembe Ngebo, second prince. Photo: Boipelo Mere
Fun and tears at pageant
} Boipelo Mere TEARS were shed with parents running out of ideas for consoling their six-year-olds during the St Boniface beauty peagent on Saturday. Although the Mr and Miss Kindergarten pageant seemed to be a
success as all the tickets were sold out for the event, it was too painful for the little contestants to accept that they could not all be winners. The six finalists (three boys and three girls) had to stand against tough competition after being selected from the top six in their respective catagories.
All contestants pulled their best outfits as girls looked like little angels while each boy charmed the audience with their dancing moves whenever they hit the make-shift ramp. “They were amazing, I have always took my little boy for the worst dancer, but he really sur-
prised me. I guess you can never really know everything that they can learn and do when they are together. “Well, he is not shy, but really, I am impressed,” said one of the mothers ) Go to www.express-news.co.za for more photos of the contestants.
THE Northern Cape Department of Basic Education (NCDOE) revealed that it was more than ready for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams and that its state of readiness was proved by the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) annual visit in the province. “The DBE team declared the Northern Cape Department of Education fit and ready to administer the 2013 NSC examinations.” He added that such a visit was conducted by the DBE on 1 October at the provincial head office, Frances Baard, John Taolo Gaetsewe and ZF Mgcawu District Offices to establish the readiness of provinces to host the National Senior Certificate, Abet L4 and ANA examinations. “CAT will be written at 67 centres and IT at 9 centres. All of these centres have been audited to ensure the smooth running of the examinations. “A voluntary pledge-signing ceremony across the country is scheduled to take place on 18 October at 10:00 to instill a sense of commitment to comply with the examination code of conduct. This will also serve to announce the commencement of the 2013 NSC examinations,” stated Sydney Stander, the spokesperson for the NCDOE. According to Stander, chief invigilators and amanuensis were trained during August, with mop-up sessions to be concluded to ensure that gr. 12 candidates in need of a scribe during the writing of the NSC examination, is assisted by a trained person. All examination processes will be monitored with a focus on the writing phase of the examination. “The NCDOE is confident that all our plans and hard work will result in a credible and error-free 2013 NSC examination and to ensure that marking will take place at three different venues in Kimberley,” he said in conclusion.
THE Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters, recently visit ed the province with the Road Accident Fund. She de livered a message to all road users. Go to our website, www.expressnews.co.za, for the full article, pictures and a recorded message.
RAMA KISTIAN, Northern Cape provincial coordinator, Kgakgamatso Motebe, ECTAET Chamber, Wayne Cotton, chief financial officer: Seta, Mandi Wallace, Seta board member, CEO Nombulelo Nxesi, Winni Ngobeza, Miranda Malele, chief operations officer, and Louwrens Strydom of Naptosa during the ribboncutting. Photo: Boipelo Mere
Seta office opens in Kby } Boipelo Mere
Health and safety discussed THE Free State branch of the South African Occupational Health and Safety Association will hold its monthly meeting on 17 October at 13:30. The meeting is free and takes place at the Free State Residential Care Centre, Rayton, Bloemfontein. Dr André Roos of the University of the Free State will discuss ergonomic hazards and the associated
injuries and how they can be prevented. In addition Federated Employers Mutual Assurance Company Limited (FEM) will also do a presentation on the effects of ergonomic injuries. For bookings and more information call Johan van Wyngaard on 083-534-2377 or Johan Dempers on 083-679-8554 or go to fsbranch@saiosh.co.za.
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THE CEO of Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP Seta), Nombulelo Nxesi, has confirmed that not enough support in terms of bursaries and study loans are being given to older learners who are still at school by themselves. She, however, suggested that the forum must come together with the Education Department and various stakeholders to discuss this issue. According to Nxesi, most learners seem to fall behind when they reach gr. 10, where they are under severe pressure and end up choosing difficult subjects that they cannot handle at a later stage. “We are all aware that that is when the learners decide to become scientists and doctors, then decide
to choose Mathematics and Science,” she revealed. ETDP-Seta, which is reported to be the most successful and reachable Seta, officially opened its doors in Kimberley last week. The vision of the ETDP Seta has been to promote and facilitate the development and improvement of the skills profile of the education, training and development sector so that it will benefit not only employers, but employees as well. “We are here to improve the quality of practice of education as the mother of all Setas,” she explained. According to the CEO, the decision to open their office in Kimberley instead of in the rural areas that they serve was due to the fact that it was where many people converged. “We wanted to take what you
need and put it in a suitcase for you, not just bring an empty suitcase. This is a province of diamonds. Here we brought gold to add to those diamonds to shine more,” said Nxesi. She further said that they also gave support to NGOs in terms of education, training and development. “We need to engage with other Setas in order to give enough support to the province. We also aim to support the minister of Education in emphasising his effort in providing bursaries to all students,” added the CEO. In a plight to encourage higher education, Nxesi called on community members to assist by reporting illegal colleges or institutions. “We can discredit institutions or service providers that are not registered,” she concluded.
EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER 2013
NEWS
Choose your future MATRICULANTS have only a few days left to apply for access to most public universities, while gr. 9 learners need to make their selection of subjects for the National Senior Certificate examinations they will write in three years’ time. The matric exams are expected to start on 28 October and matriculants in the Northern Cape Province will be writing their English and music papers. It is bye-bye to the matric farewell mood and crunch-time for at least the whole month until they finish their final paper on 28 November. According to Natasha Jones from LANGE 360, an Independent Institute of Education (IIE), the best advice for gr. 9 or matric learners is not to panic at long-term decisions they have to make, but to equip themselves with as much information as possible in order to decide their next course of action. “This time of the year is for big decisions to be made by young people who are generally not necessarily ready to make decisions that have such long-term consequences,” said Dr Felicity Coughlan, director of the Independent Institute of Education which provides higher education on more than 20 registered campuses in South Africa. “This is a time for measured action. These choices are daunting because they have long-term consequences, particularly in a country such as ours where space within the higher education sector is limited. As long as the decisions that need
to be made now are made, based on as much information as you can possibly access, you can mitigate the limiting effect of wrong decisions down the line,” advised Coughlan. IIE suggested that the learners spend time investigating the websites of public and private post-school institutions to get a quick understanding of what courses there are on offer, and what their entry requirements are. “It is important that you look beyond what you already know, as even if you are sure about what you want, looking at other options will do no harm and will, at the very least, confirm your choice. “However, look at programmes and institutions you have not considered before, or fields that you have heard very little – or perhaps even nothing – about on institutional websites as they are the best place to find lots of information about a variety of fields,” continued Coughlan. She continued to advise learners to conclude their research by looking at the required results for entry to courses and determine whether their goal is realistic. “There is a difference between a goal and a dream. We could all dream of being vets or rocket scientists, but this is only a realistic goal for some of us if we know what we need to achieve to access this line of study and if we can detail what we are going to do to achieve what we need. If your answers are vague about what you will need to do, then you are chasing a dream and not a goal,” said Coughlan.
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Sports stars can be nominated ARE you good at sport, or is someone in your school or place of education good at sport? Are you a young coach working with future stars? The SuperSport Let’s Play Star of the Month is a competition for anyone aged six to 18. You can nominate yourself or be nominated by a friend, teacher, lecturer or coach at your school or place of education. From all the entries received each month one player will be chosen as the SuperSport Let’s Play Star of the Month and will receive a Let’s Play hamper. At the end of the year one player from all the Star of the Month winners will be chosen as the SuperSport Let’s Play Star of the Year. Send us your nomination today (nominations received before the 20th of every month will be included in that month’s selection. Nominations received after the 20th of every month will be carried over to the next month’s selection). Your nomination must include your name, age and a short paragraph (less than 200 words) on what you have achieved, as well as your contact details. You can email your nomination to supersport@zpr.co.za or SMS 072-311-7716 (no phone calls will be accepted; normal cellphone rates apply) or fax 086-552-4922, or deliver your entry to ZPR at 22A Reid Street, Westdene, Bloemfontein. For more information call Lynne at Z PR on 051-430-3027.
SHAKING HANDS: Jimmy Augousti, chairman of Bloemfontein Celtic, with Ernst Middendorp, Bloemfontein Celtic head coach.
Photo: Sidwell Guduka
Middendorp joins Bloem Celtic } Sidwell Guduka
BLOEMFONTEIN CELTIC on Monday announced the appointment of Ernst Middendorp as their new head coach. This is after head coach, Clinton Larsen, resigned following a string of poor results in the league, including a 0-4 hiding the team suffered at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns in the Telkom Knockout. Their elimination from the lucrative competition means that they will not be able to defend the title they won against the same side in December last year. “I am happy to officially unveil Mr Ernst Middendorp as the new head coach of the club. He is one of the most respected coaches in the PSL, having worked for teams such as Kaizer Chiefs, Golden Arrows and Maritzburg United,” said Jimmy Augousti, chairman of Bloemfontein Celtic. “We have given him a three-year contract. I have no
OVER 1 800 people from the nine provinces in South Africa, including the South African Police Service members, participated in the national karate champi onships at KwaZuluNatal’s Westville Campus. The dif ferent categories were tra ditional martial arts, musi cal formation and full con tact, as well as disabled groupings. Two partici pants, sensei Macray Bos man (third den black belt) and sempai Tahnia Pillay (first den black belt) from the Northern Cape received bronze medals in their age group for the kumite cate gory. Shihani Sam Nkosi (sixth den black belt) re ceived bronze for the kata and kumite categories re spectively. Photo: Supplied
doubt that he will find the new challenge at Bloemfontein Celtic a worthwhile enhancement to his career. “We wish Ernst everything of the best at Bloemfontein Celtic. He has my full support, and all the support from the senior management of the club. We hope he can turn this ship around for us. “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Clinton Larsen for what he has done for Celtic during his tenure as head coach of the club in the past four seasons. He stabilised us into a top six team and also won us the Telkom Knockout Cup. Such is the nature of football that you are only as good as a couple of results,” Augousti added. Middendorp, who still has to get to know his new players, will have to hit the ground running. “I decided to join Celtic because I have a soft spot for the club. They have great infrastructure which is at the level of (Kaizer)
Chiefs and (Orlando) Pirates. They are the different reasons I took their offer,” Middendorp told Express after his first training session in Bloemfontein on Monday. “There are a lot more things one can achieve as coach at Celtic than at Maritzburg. I am working with a group of hardworking players here. I am confident we will achieve success together,” he said. Middendorp’s first match in charge of Celtic will be against Moroka Swallows at the Free State Stadium in Botshabelo next Wednesday (19:30). “I have ten days to prepare the club before our next assignment against Swallows. I believe I can turn around the fortunes of the club. Celtic deserve to be in the top eight bracket,” said Middendorp. “I will not rush into making changes in the team. I will have to assess the players at my disposal before reinforcing the squad.”