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DINGWE tsa diruiwa tsebaagi ba Galeshewe ba lelang gore ga di batlege mo lekeisheneng. Mopresidente wa AFASA (African Farmers Association of South Africa) mo Kapa Bokone, rre Sehularo Sehularo. Photos: Boipelo Mere
Afasa e thusa barui
} Boipelo Mere
MOSO o mongwe le o mongwe le thapama engwe le engwe dithekisi le badirisi ba dikoloi ba lwanela tsela le diphologolo tse fa di kgabaganyetsa kwa mofulong le kwa masakeng a a fitlhelwang kwa John Daka le kwa Gogapomp. Bao ba goletseng mo Galeshewe ba tlhabilwe ke ditlhong fa ba gopola ka moo ba digwang seriti ke diruiwa tse ka bare di bopame. Fela barui bona ga ba e bone jalo. “Mme wee, se nka go bolelelang sona ke gore, bakgweetsi ba dikoloi ba tshwanetse fela go tlhaloganya gore rotlhe re batla go iphemela. “Re borre ba malapa, re tsholofetswe go baa dijo mo tafoleng bo bokhutlong jwa letsatsi. diruiwa tse ke tsone letseno la rona ka gonne bontsi jwa rona barui ba lekeishene ga rea tsena dikolo, re itse lone leruo fela.” Ga bua jalo Daniel Ketso (70), e leng mongwe wa barui ba mo Sol Plaatjie. O ne a bonwa ke mokwaladikgang yo, wa Express Northern Cape a thiba dipodi tsa gagwe mo
mmileng wa Nobengula, a di tlodisa mmila gore di fule mo sekgwaneng se se gaufi le tsela. Le fa go ne go tletse matlakala a a latlhetsweng ke batho foo, o ne a sa tshwenngwe ke seo, a tlhagisa fa podi e le seruiwa se se tiileng. O lela fa go sa tlhole go nale mafelo a mafulo a makalokalo mo lekeisheneng ka ntlha ya fa palo ya batho ba ba tlhokang bodulo e oketsega letsatsi le letsatsi. “Ke ruile jaana ka ntlha ya gore ke batla bana ba tsene sekolo,” a rialo Ketso. Go ya ka Ketso, ga a bone go ka kgonagala gore ene le barui jaaka ene ba fiwe polasi jaaka ba ne ba solofediwa ke mmasepala le lefapha la temothuo ka gonne mmasepala o nale dikgwetlho tse dintsi le tse di botlhokwa go feta. “Se ke se eletsang ke gore ba ka re thusa ka luserene le melemo ya diruiwa gore di tle di kgone go ata ka gonne re a itse gore re ka se tsamae re filwe dipolasa. “Re tla nna re itlhokomelela diruiwa tsa rona ka mokgwa o re o tlwaetseng. “Re a itse gore baagi ba lekeishene ba na le mathata le go dula gaufi le meraka.
“Ba tletleba ko mmasepala gore menkgo ya diruiwa e ba tsenya matlhoko. Ke lone lebaka leo nna le mmereki mmogo wame re ikagetseng lesaka la rona kgakajana le matlo. “Fela mekhukhu e re latetse ebile gare itse gore re ka tshabela kae.” Ketso ga bua. Ketso o ne gape a tlhagisa fa a eletsa gore baeteledipele ba ka ba fa sebaka sa go kopana le bona gore ba ba bolelele matshwenyego a bone pele ba ka dira melao. A re ba itse gore ga ba a tshwanelwa go rua mo lekeisheneng fela “retla ja eng, bana ba rona batla tsena dikolo ka eng,” ga re jalo Ketso. Mo poisanong le Mopresidente wa AFASA (African Farmers Association of South Africa) mo Kapa Bokone, rre Sehularo Sehularo go totobetse gore mathata a temothuo mo Kimberley ke gore lefatshe ga leo. Le gale rre Sehularo a re go ya ka ene puso e leka ka bojotlhe go rekela batho lefatshe la temothuo mme fa ele batho ba ba ruileng mo lekeisheneng go thata go ba rotloetsa go tswa mo lekeiseneng ka fa ba ikutlwa gonna gaufi le malapa a bone.
“Go ya ka nna morui o tshwanetse go ruela mo lifelong le le letlelelang diruiwa go bona mafulo le metsi a a lekaneng. Re rotloetsa barui go ikgolaganya le rona gore re bone gore re ka thusa jang. Temothuo go ya ka nna e tshwanetse go lebisa ko kgolong ya morui, thata thata fa morui yoo a tsaya karolo mo ditlhatlhelelong tse di fiwang barui ke puso,” ga re jalo rre Sehularo. Sehularo a re AFASA e simolotse ka 2011 mme mo Kapa Bokone go na le makala mo Masepaleng o mongwe le o mongwe. O solofetsa gore ka kgwedi ya Mopitlwe wa ngwaga o o tlang go tla nna le diofisi tsa profense le tsa dimaspala go thusa maloko botoka. Rre Sehularo Sehularo, a ka letsetswa mo nomoro e, e latelang: 071 256 7657 kgotsa mo e lokwalo la gsekaifarming@gmail.com.
) O naganang, etela mafaratlhotlha a rona www.express-news.co.za le facebook o tlogele tshwaelo ya gago.
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Legbo opens new office } Boipelo Mere LEGBO, which has been in existence for the past 11 years in the Northern Cape, has opened an office in Stamford Street in the Utility area in Kimberley. The organisation, that has been operating from home under difficult circumstances, had the fortune of finding financial backup from Right 2 Care to deliver services to the Frances Baard District Municipality. Legbo’s main purpose is to give unwavering support to the HIV, TB and STI programmes and to act as support to lesbians, gays, bisexual, trans-gender and intersex (LGBTI) communities and Men having Sex with Men (MSM). The director of Legbo, Past. Shane Griqua, said the financial support from Right 2 Care had come at a time when the organisation was facing difficulties due to a lack of funds and general support for the course. Griqua said that they were humbled to be given an opportunity to care for the people of Frances Baard. “The doors for this building are wide open for all members of the community. “We do HIV testing and counselling here and we can even pay home visits to conduct a test in the comfort of one’s home. “We also do spiritual and clinical referrals. “We have professional nurses on site and as a result we are able to do TB an HIV screening,” said Griqua. “In a way ours can easily be
PAST. SHANE GRIQUA, director of Legbo, in their new offices.
Photo: Boipelo Mere
referred to as a drop-in centre, since people can come in and receive necessary support,” continued Griqua. Griqua further said that they did counselling, condom and lubricants distribution, organised support groups, community dialogue and educational movie screening. The centre has a website and they can be accessed by going to
www.legbo.co.za. They are also on WhatsApp at 079-6528-833 and the number serves as their hotline. They can also be contacted via email at info@legbo.co.za and their office number is 053831-1313. They are available at the office from Mondays to Saturdays between 08:00 and 18:30.
SARB notes rating decision THE South African Reserve Bank (SARB) says while it has taken note of rating agency Moody’s decision to downgrade Capitec Bank Limited, it does not agree with the decision. Two reasons were given for the rating action: a lower likelihood of sovereign systemic support based on decisions recently taken in relation to African Bank Limited (African Bank), and heightened concerns regarding the risk inherent in Capitec’s consumer lending focus. “The SARB notes the decision by Moody’s Investors Service to downgrade Capitec Bank Limited by two notches, and place it on review for a further downgrade. While the bank respects the independent opinion of rating agencies, we do not agree with the rationale given in taking this step,” said the bank’s head of Group Strategy and Communications, Hlengani Mathebula. “With regard to the first point, it is important to reiterate that the approach taken by the SARB to any resolution to address systemic risk will always be based on the circumstances and merits of the particular prevailing situation. “Decisions will also be informed, as was the case with African Bank, by principles contained in the Key Attributes for Effective Resolution Regimes proposed by the Financial Stability Board (FSB), which have the objective that a bank should be able to fail without affecting the system. This is in keeping with evolving international best practice,” said the bank on
Saturday. Earlier this month, the Reserve Bank announced that African Bank Investment Limited (Abil) has been put under curatorship and that it would pay R7 billion of African Bank’s bad loan book. Abil will receive a R10 billion capital injection by a range of banks such as Capitec Bank and Investec Bank Limited, which have formed a consortium to underwrite the R10 billion capital raising. In the case of African Bank, bond holders and wholesale depositors are taking a 10% haircut, which is generally regarded as being very positive, given that the trades following the announcement of African Bank’s results were taking place at around 40% of par. “In fact, substantial support was provided, not reduced. Moreover, all retail depositors were kept whole and are able to access their accounts fully. “Moody’s statement justifies the rating action further on the basis that Capitec follows a similar business model to African Bank. This is incorrect; the two lenders do not share the same business model. While both are active in the unsecured segment of the market, Capitec follows a very conservative approach to risk and prudent provisioning practices, and considerable diversification has been taking place in a steady manner in product, client and revenue streams,” said the SARB. The central bank reiterated that the South African banking sector remained healthy and robust. – SAnews.gov.za
Trust replies to funding allegations } Boipelo Mere THE John Taolo Gaetsewe (JTG) Developmental Trust wants to set the record straight concerning reports that the trust has received funds from the Northern Cape Provincial Government to build roads in the Joe Morolong Local Municipality. According to the trust it funds all the projects it implements through the revenue it derives from the dividend flows from the Sishen Iron Ore Community Development Trust (SIOC-cdt) and Ntsimbintle Mining. They do not receive any funding from any other entity, including the government, to run projects. The trust expressed that the service delivery protests in the Joe Morolong Local Municipality and the disruption of schooling in the areas around that munici-
pality were of great concern to them, more so because it had invested a significant amount of money to improve the levels of education in the schools around that area. Calling on media reports that were published last week, it has also expressed great dissatisfaction that they were not given a chance to present their side of the story. “The trust is not affiliated to any political organisation and therefore request political parties to refrain from dragging the trust into their party political squabbles,” stated the CEO of JTG Developmental Trust, Tumelo Mpolokeng. “The trust is a beneficiary trust of the SIOC-cdt which is a 3% shareholder in Kumba Iron Ore. We are also a 15% shareholder in Ntsimbintle Mining which holds shares in Tshipi e’ ntle Manganese Mining.”
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Ritchie women richer after motivation } Boipelo Mere NERINA SMITH, a motivational speaker for women, reminded the women that it was no use drinking themselves to death at taverns. Encouraging the worthiness of women, she also said that they did not need men to prove a point. “Your worth does not lie in a bank account either,” she emphasised. Smith was speaking during the Late Harvest Ministries Women’s Conference when she was invited with Pastor Marie
THE women were encouraged by Neria Smith to seek all their answers in the Bible.
Willemse by the leading pastor of Late Harvest Ministries, Irene Farland, in an effort to give hope to the women of Ritchie through inspirational and spiritual healing. Ritchie is reported to be torn apart by the high rate of unemployment, resulting in the abuse of alcohol and crime in the small town. Apart from encouraging women to make a success of their lives, no matter what their circumstances, Smith shared some strong business tips with the women to encourage self-employment. As a disabled woman who has managed to survive cancer, Smith felt that she was the perfect person to address the women because she sees potential in the Ritchie community. She believes that teachings about principles, stewardship and money usage will serve as a way to improve their lives. “I am sharing with you the success that God called me to minister. The fact that you were born is a sign that you are valuable. You were created by a father. It does not matter whether your mother did not want you or wanted to abort you,” said Smith. Referring the women to seek all their answers in the Bible, she referred them to Luke 1:36. She added: “If you want to know God, then you must build a relationship with Him.” She also reminded the women that the enemy did not want anyone to be the King’s daughter. “But God has good plans for you. God loves you. That is why we can also dance in his house.” Encouraging the women to seek forgiveness from God, Smith said: “God does not look back to your past mistakes. He forgives you the moment you ask for his forgiveness.” The guests were later entertained by the spiritual and dance worshippers.
DALENE APPIE and Rerishnie Farland entertained the guests.
Photos: Boipelo Mere
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Municipality taking lead Benneli Olivier Van der Walt
Take part in cultural evening THE formidable choir of the Kuruman Primary School took part in a cultural evening of prose, song and dance which was held at the Seodin Primary School in Kuruman on 14 August. The evening was presented in conjunction with the ATKV Kalahari branch. This choir has achieved many awards for extraordinary performances. Photo: Ilse Watson
Ruth First put truth first } George Mutloane THE first time I chanced upon Judge Albie Sacks was in 1991 in the Shell House, the then headquarters of the ANC before it moved to the present day Luthuli House. At the time many exiles were being processed and those who were arts and cultural activists within the movement had the idea of forming a regional cultural desk in order to avoid the unending stream of people to Shell House. Then a white man passed by and Comrade Dan Selebano told us that the white guy was comrade Albie Sachs who survived a bomb blast in Mozambique, but sadly the bomb killed Ruth First. Later in the same year Sachs was a penalist at the International Writers’ Conference organised by the Congress of South African Writers (COSAW) at the Wits University. In his paper, Sachs mentioned that he went to a night club in Johannesburg which had whites as patrons. As he was enjoying himself, some white guy came to him and asked him if indeed he was Albie Sachs. In affirming his name, Sachs told him that the guy told him in Afrikaans “verskoon my, asseblief”, which means please forgive me, while pointing at Sachs’ crippled hand. Sachs told him: “Hierdie bonito (nightclub) is die verskoning”. So it is not by accident that when I am to write in Portuguese about Ruth First, I always refer to Judge Albie Sachs. To those of us enjoying the fruits of liberation watered by the blood of First and others, to borrow from Solomon Mahlangu, it is important to remember that on 17 August 1982 in Mozambique, First’s blood watered the tree of liberation. First is and will always remain a writer whose ink laid bare the atrocities of injustice and apartheid in South Africa for the whole world to see. First considered herself to be primarily a labour reporter, and during the 1950s she wrote up to 15 stories a week. Despite this high work rate, her writing remained vivid, accurate
RUTH FIRST
Photo: Internet
and often controversial. Her investigative journalism was the basis of her longer pamphlets and later her books. The transition to more complex writing came easily. During the state of emergency following the Sharpeville shootings of March 1960, First fled to Swaziland with her children, returning after the emergency was lifted, six months later, to continue as Johannesburg editor of New Age (successor to The Guardian). In the following two years she wrote South-West Africa, a book, which remains the most incisive history of early Namibia. During this time she also helped to organise the first broadcasts of Radio Freedom from a mobile transmitter in Johannesburg. The family settled in North London and First threw herself into anti-apartheid politics, joining the Anti-Apartheid Movement, holding talks, seminars and public discussions in support of the ANC and SACP. Her book 117 Days, an account of her arrest and interrogation in 1963, which was published in 1965, was also made into a film with First playing herself. During the 1960s, First researched and edited Mandela’s No easy walk to freedom (1967), Govan Mbeki’s The peasant’s revolt (1967) and Oginda Odinga’s Not yet Uhuru (for which she was deported to Kenya). With Ronald Segal she edited South-West Africa: Travesty of trust (1967).
From 1973, First lectured for six years at the Durham University, England, on the sociology of underdevelopment. In the 1970s she published The barrel of a gun: The politics of coups d’etat in Africa (1970), followed by Libya: The elusive revolution (1974), The Mozambican miner: A study in the export of labour (1977), and, with J. Steele and C. Gurney, The South African connection: Western investment in apartheid (1972). It was during this time that she read contemporary feminist works, resulting in a work which she wrote with Anne Scott, Olive Schreiner (1980). Many of these works were landmarks in Marxist academic debate. In 1977, First was appointed professor and research director of the Centre for African Studies at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique. She began work on the lives of migrant labourers, particularly those who worked on the South African gold mines. The results of this study were published as Black gold: the Mozambican miner (1983). Following a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) conference at the centre on 17 August 1982, First was killed by a letter bomb, widely believed to have been the work of security agencies within South Africa. Until her death she remained a “listed” Communist and could not be quoted in South Africa. Her close friend, Ronald Segal, described her death as “the final act of censorship”. Presidents, members of parliament and ambassadors from 34 countries attended her funeral in Maputo. Hers and those of her ilk is a life well lived, hence one is always overcome with pride when one enters the Northern Cape Legislature through the Ruth First auditorium. Imagine the kind of pride one will feel if the whole legislature complex were to be named after her and the citizens will be given a chance to place bouquets and ribbon wreaths every year on the 17th Women’s Month as a sign of respect to Ruth Heloise First.
THE Gamagara Municipality is committed to change in Mapoteng near Kathu. The municipality, along with several volunteers and a supermark in Kathu, picked up rubbish and cut grass in and around Ward 5 in Mapoteng. The whole Gamagara municipal council, including the mayor, municipal manager, administrative and general workers, participated in the effort. According to the Gamagara Municipality’s communication officer, Kamogelo Semamai, Mapoteng has become one of the fastest growing townships in South Africa. This has resulted in a high level of illegal dumping as well as refuse thrown everywhere by consumers. The Gamagara council, through the Department of Community Services, has resolved to restore the town’s glory of being one of the cleanest towns in the Northern Cape as well as South Africa. All towns in Gamagara will be targeted from Mapoteng. The council will move to other towns in the Gamagara district, at the same time conducting consumer education to teach people that everybody must keep his or her refuse in the yard up until the collection day by the municipality. Restrictions for littering will also be put in place. The mayor of the Gamagara
DINEO MOYO, Kathu’s mayor, enthusiastically helped to pick up rubbish with her fellow municipal workers. Photo: Benneli Olivier Van der Walt
Municipality, Dineo Moyo, said the Gamagara Municipality was taking the lead in keeping the township clean. “The community must now do their bit to keep the area clean, because the municipality’s efforts are ultimately for you as a community.” At the event a Kathu supermarket donated several bags of mealiemeal, sugar and rice to the Mapoteng Soup Kitchen.
Shortage of houses leading to increased competition WHEN there’s a shortage of well-priced housing stock as there is in South Africa now, buyers have to learn to deal with more competition for those homes. The CEO of BetterBond Home Loans, Shaun Rademeyer, notes that there have recently been more homes for sale than buyers. That has been happening for several years after the 2009 recession. According to the company, buyers got used to being able to pick and choose between several options and being able to take their time over purchasing decisions. “But historically low interest rates and steadily rising demand have absorbed just about all the excess stock and, with developers having been so cautious about bringing new projects to market for the past few years, a clear shortage of homes for sale has now arisen in many popular areas. And the result is that an increasing number of buyers are finding themselves in the unfamiliar position of having to compete with other prospective buyers for the properties they want,” added Rademeyer. However, he says, a home purchase is still a complex transaction, and they should take care not to make mistakes in the heat of the moment that could cause them many years of financial regrets. “The most common mistakes that buyers in a competitive market make, is to go into that market without enough cash. “A lot of lower-priced homes are now being sold for cash to buyers who have spent the past few years preparing for home ownership by ruthlessly eliminating debt and
saving up every spare rand so that they won’t have to take out a home loan. “It is very difficult to compete with such buyers unless you, too, have cash in hand – at least for a sizeable deposit and all the transaction costs.” BetterBond also strongly suggests, he says, that buyers who do need home loans to finance their purchases clean up any blemishes on their credit records and work with a reputable bond originator to obtain pre-approval for a home loan before they go house-hunting. “This definitely helps to give sellers the confidence that if you do make an offer to purchase, you will be able to obtain the necessary loan and go through with the transaction.” Another mistake that prospective buyers make, says Rademeyer, is to put the car before the home. “Your debt-to-income ratio is one of the first things lenders look at when it comes to assessing how well you’ll be able to afford mortgage payments, so it’s very important to have as little debt as possible before you go looking for a home to buy.” Next, he says, prospective buyers should be sure to actually visit the areas they are interested in, and find agents they can work with who are familiar with these markets and the actual selling prices that are being achieved there – before they start going to show houses and making offers. Then, no matter how competitive the situation is, Rademeyer says, buyers should take their time when viewing properties – and not hesitate to call in a professional home inspector.
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Intervention now needed
} Ilse Watson
IN the John Taolo Gaetsewe District (JTG), 55 schools around Kuruman have closed since June, eight of them high schools. This closure affects approximately 17 000 learners. Communities affected by this are voicing their anger and frustration by burning down parts of schools. On 30 July the staff room at the Keaglolelwa Primary School in the Coleston Village was set alight. These actions are causing an unsafe environment for learners who wish to attend school, especially matriculants. The situation is on a knife-edge and can turn violent very quickly. The DA is calling for immediate and urgent intervention in the district to ensure that all children can return to school safely. “It is simply unacceptable that poor service delivery by the Department of Roads and Public Works is depriving our children of their right to education in a safe learning environment,” said Safiyia Stanfley, DA provincial spokesperson for Education. According to Stanfley, the Department of Roads and Public Works had to take full responsibility for those disruptions because it was due to the failure to construct a road, already promised in 2012, that 55 schools in the region were still closed. “The Department of Education is not responsible for this mess. Issues raised by residents are not being dealt with quickly enough. “The promised construction of the road (130 km) has not commenced yet.” Sylvia Lucas, the premier of the Northern Cape, recently announced that school camps (tented camps) would be set up in order for learners to receive the necessary education. These measures were also implemented in 2012 – school camps were erected near Barkly West. Teachers came to these camps and some children also stayed at the camps. Some
SAFIYA STANFLEY (left), Northern Cape provincial DA member of the Education portfolio committee, and Annette Lovemore, national DA Education potfolio committee, opened a case against the community members of the John Taolo Gaetsewe district who have prevented the children from going to school for the past three months. Photo: André Botha learners could not finish their school year. Many matriculants and other learners could only complete their exams in 2013. In a conflicting statement Grizelda Cjikella, the Northern Cape MEC for Education, said that no camps were being planned. “We don’t expect any disruptions so we don’t have the resources for camps.” Dawid Rooi, the MEC for the Northern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works, said that parts of the road works had already been completed, but mentioned that they were far behind schedule with
other sections that still needed to be tarred. “Schools will only open when the roads are tarred,” said a spokesperson for the Joe Morolong Road Forum, Lebogang Batshabane. “This problem must be resolved between the Department of Education and the Department of Roads and Public Works now. “However, the work on the roads won’t be finished until 2015 and, therefore, some agreement needs to be reached in order for learners to complete this year’s education,” said Rooi.
Nominate a sports star ARE you good at sport, or is someone in your school or place of education good at sport? Are you motivating or training others to be good at sport? Are you getting people active at your school, community or gym? Express Northern Cape wants to hear from you. SuperSport and Let’s Play, in association with Express Northern Cape, has launched a special initiative. Express Northern Cape wants to find and give recognition to learners at either primary or high school level who excel in sport, or helping others to be more active. The SuperSport Let’s Play Sports Star of the Month is a competition for anyone aged 6 to 18. You can nominate yourself or be nominated by a friend or teacher, lecturer or coach at your school or place of education. You can even be nominated by a family member or friend who knows how good you are. From all the entries received each month, one will be chosen as the SuperSport Let’s Play Sports Star of the Month. The monthly winner will receive a Let’s Play hamper. At the end of the year one entry from all the monthly winners will be chosen as the SuperSport Let’s Play Sports Star of the Year. Your nomination must include your name, age, contact details and a short paragraph (less than 200 words) about your achievements. ) You can email your nomination to supersport@zpr.co.za or send a fax to 086-552-4922. ) For more information, call Lynne or Juanré at Z PR on 051-522-9574.
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Care with a ‘Gentle’ hand } Boipelo Mere “I HAVE cared for terminally-ill people my whole life and was very fortunate to have helped my eldest and second-eldest sister till the very end.” Those were the words of Ivonne Gentle, the founder of the Gentlecare Care Centre in Britstown, when she explained where her passion for caring for cancer patients came from. She was motivated to open the care centre to care for its terminally-ill patients after losing three sisters to cancer. She saw her dreams coming true when she received a R75 000 donation from De Aar Solar Power. The donation enabled her to run the centre with tremendous compassion together with other strong women. Gentle, who, together with her husband, Tommie, founded this dynamic programme of care in 2007, has been caring for the frail and ill from the poverty-stricken rural communities around Britstown since then. The centre is managed by 12 women, including Gentle and her 91-year-old mother, Anna. Life led the Gentle family into the field of care. Gentlecare helps poor terminally-ill, frail patients who need care and don’t have homes or relatives to provide for them in most circumstances. It also provides a service for family members who need to work to sustain their families and are unable to stay at home to look after terminally-ill patients. Although the majority of the centre’s inhabitants comes from the immediate vicinity and the surrounding towns, the facility has been known to lend a helping hand to community members from as far as Cape Town. “If we have a bed, anyone is welcome, depending on their illness and the referral from their local day hospital of course,” explained Gentle. She said that the centre could only accommodate 21 patients at a time. She stated that the age range was as wide as the geographic distances that they opened their arms to, from as young as just a year to as old as 98; their care and kindness have no limit. Being a wife, mother to three children and a grandmother, Gentle sites her
Fund aimed at jobs for youth THE National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Sefa) have launched a R2,7 billion youth fund aimed at creating millions of sustainable jobs. The three agencies joined hands to launch the fund following the signing of the Youth Employment Accord of April last year where government and its social partners made a commitment to prioritise youth employment and skills development. The Youth Employment Accord is one in a series of social pacts intended to help achieve the New Growth Path goal of five million new jobs by 2020. Sefa has set aside R1,7 billion for the fund, with the IDC contributing R1 billion. Khathutshelo Ramukumba, the CEO of the NYDA, said the launch of the fund was good news for youth development, adding that it would help break the chains of poverty for jobless youth. The NYDA would play the role of screening and recommending young entrepreneurs offered by the IDC and Sefa. He urged young people to aim higher and apply for funding in the production sector of the economy in order to amass enough wealth to generate large scale jobs. The Sefa CEO, Thakhani Makhuvha, invited youth to apply for finance. He said unlike commercial banks the agency was a developmental institution that does not require collateral to grant an applicant finance. It offers funding of between R500 and R5 million to proposals that can demonstrate a sustainable business model. He said even those who had debt from study loans are welcome to apply for funding as the agency never shut its doors on high risk customers. – SAnews.gov.za
All invited to seminar THE interior of the Gentlecare Care Centre in Britstown. mother as her greatest role model. At almost 92, her mother still helps with the centre’s administration and assists with cooking food and even finds time to help a friend out with her business’s bookkeeping. “She is such an amazing woman, I learn from her every day,” adds Gentle. The daily routine at Gentlecare includes basic care and essential medical administration and their hopes of building a new ward and ICU where they can care and treat people with dignity have become a reality.
Photo: Supplied
“We are currently looking after underprivileged weak patients who have been sent home from hospital, but in reality have nowhere to go. We take them to the local day hospital and on instruction we give them their medication. We love them, feed them three meals a day and see that they are warm and comfortable. “In short we give them the care that they would usually receive at home,” continued Gentle. The Gentlecare Centre is funded by donations and by selling crafts.
} Boipelo Mere THE Women Empowerment Movement International (WEMI) will be hosting its eighth seminar at the recreation hall in Galeshewe on Saturday at 15:00. The seminar, which will cater for both men and women, will be held under the theme Let’s stand together to build a better South Africa. According to Past Lilly Fritz, the founder of WEMI, it will be all about motivating women in general. Attendants will be charged R70 per person due to the catering. To make bookings, members of the community are encouraged to call Fritz on 084-023-7040.
EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST 2014
NEWS
Bring out the Bling on Casual Day CASUAL DAY will again provide the country with the opportunity to show their solidarity with persons with disabilities, at the same time enjoying teambuilding and camaraderie with their fellow participants. On 5 September, South Africans will be given the opportunity to be creative and have fun while contributing to the betterment of society. It is community spirit in action. Celebrating the day under the theme Bring out the Bling, the theme is expected to be unique and special. Rolene Strauss, the current Miss South Africa, has also shown her support for Casual Day. “The theme is appropriately celebratory,” says the project leader, Celeste Vinassa. “We have been dressing casually for the past two decades, but this year is a special occasion. We thank all the celebrities who have helped us raise awareness for our project, including every Miss South Africa for the last 19 years. So our message to you is to rustle up a little razzle dazzle and dress up in the official colour of the year, dazzle blue. Casual Day is all about fantasy and
dressing up in things you can find around the house. Be creative with glitter, fabric, shiny paper or just wear your sticker and a posh casual attitude.” Casual Day is South Africa’s most successful fundraising project for persons with disabilities – and the amount raised for last year has climbed to R24,8 million. Sponsored by the Edcon Group, Casual Day is the flagship project of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA), which this year celebrates 75 years of service to the community of persons with disabilities. Stickers are available from Edgars, Jet, JetMart, Boardmans, CNA, Red Square and Legit, Absa outlets, Game and DionWired stores, Shoprite and Checkers stores. Or you can donate online. You can contact the organisers of the project on 011-609-7006 or visit their website at www.casualday.co.za. Keep abreast of activities at Casual Day on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CasualDaySA Twitter: @CasualDay_SA #BringouttheBling #CasualDay
AN Alma School Learner, Oratile Mtsweni, with Rolene Strauss, current Miss South Africa. Photo: Supplied
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EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST 2014
‘We have a formidable squad this year, but you need to be very sharp against a quality side like Pirates. I can confidently declare that we will give Pirates a good run for their mon ey.’ – Owen da Gama
POINTING THE WAY: Owen da Gama during the Nedbank Ke Yona boot camp at the Bidvest Stadium last month.
Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Game dream come true for Ke Yona } Sidwell Guduka
DREAMS will be fulfilled when the Nedbank Ke Yona team tackles the 2014 Nedbank Cup champions, Orlando Pirates, next month. The venue and kick-off time for the match is yet to be announced. Coaches Shakes Mashaba, Khabo Zondo, Owen da Gama and Mike Mangena have been taking a 23-man squad consisting of ordinary amateur players from across the country through their paces at the HighPerformance Centre in Pretoria as they prepare for this unique football fixture. Rubber Doll, as Da Gama is affectionate-
ly known in football circles, said the players were responding positively to their tactics and instructions. “Come match day, they will be ready,” Da Gama told Express. “We have a huge task ahead of us in taking on Orlando Pirates. The boys are fired up and eager to go onto the pitch, but we still need to sharpen certain areas both in attack and defence. “We have a formidable squad this year, but you need to be very sharp against a quality side like Pirates. I can confidently declare that we will give Pirates a good run for their money,” said the former Bloemfontein Celtic mentor.
Programme gets the youth active } Boipelo Mere THE Meglomate Youth Development Movement, a non-profit organisation, will be launching the Youth in Church in Sports programme (YICS) on Saturday, 6 September. The programme aims to address the social challenges of crime and drug abuse among the youth by using sports as a tool to achieve social cohesion. The programme is expected to co-ordinate and administrate the running of different sporting leagues for recreational soccer, volleyball, netball and indigenous games, as well as chess, among the churches in Kimberley.
The YICS programme will be sponsored with equipment by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. According to Theo Nteshe, the YICS chairperson, eight churches have signed up to participate in the programme. “It is expected that more churches will come on board,” he says. According to Nteshe, more churches are invited to take part in the programme in an effort to ensure greater awareness. He also states that the success of the programme will lure more young people into sports and away from alcohol, drugs and gangsterism.
For these players, many of whom are Pirates fans themselves, this will be the ultimate footballing experience and possibly the start of a professional career that may one day see them donning the famous black and white colours of the Buccaneers. Vladimir Vermezovic, the Pirates coach, said he welcomed the idea of playing against the Nedbank side and hoped that the Ke Yona team would gain valuable experience on the day. “I think this is a great opportunity for football development in the country. It is a good initiative from the sponsors. With regards to playing them we are looking
forward to a highly competitive match. We will approach it like any other professional match and play to win,” said Vermezovic. The Ke Yona team players were selected during the regional trial and boot camps in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Limpopo, Cape Town and Gauteng. They might lack in technical ability and experience compared to Pirates, but they will go out to prove to their role models that they are worth their salt to compete against the professional footballers – knowing that history beckons for them if they can get a positive result. ) For more sports stories, visit www.express-news.co.za.