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WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2013
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Elders celebrate icon’s life } Tladi Moloi
THE cold and rainy weather last Tuesday could not stop South Africans from celebrating the life of the late former president Nelson Mandela. The Nobel Peace Prize winner died peacefully at his Houghton home in Johannesburg on 5 December. As the world gathered at the FNB Stadium for his memorial service, others around the country who could not make it to the stadium paid tribute to this hero in their own unique way. In Tshiame B near Harrismith elders aged between 50 and 90 years came together in the Apostolic Faith Mission Church to celebrate. The event was organised by the Masibonisanene Project and, according to the project manager, Collen Charlie, was successful. Charlie said they had seen it fit to invite all the elders to celebrate with them because they were the ones who knew about Apartheid and what the late Madiba had done. “Initially we wanted to make it a celebration for them before Christmas, but we changed our minds as time went by because we could not just celebrate after an icon had passed away,” he said. Charlie said that it hadn’t been the first time they had invited elders to a party but, unfortunately, this year it clashed with Mandela’s memorial service. Makateng Mosia (81) said at first he could not believe that Mandela had died. He said it is painful to lose such a leader. “We are what we are because of him. We’ll always remember him because he was the one who had fought for our people. He did his part, may his soul rest in peace,” said Mosia. There were posters where Madiba’s
REST IN PEACE: The elders from Tshiame B in Harrismith with newspapers sporting the late former president Nelson Mandela.
Photo: Tladi Moloi
service was held and all those who attended said that Mandela would always be remembered for the good things he had
done for the world. Rebecca Matsaseng (60) said: “We are still hurting. Mandela did unbelievable things for us. He was like a
saviour to the South African people because he sacrificed his life in fighting for black people.”
EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE would like to thank all its readers and advertisers for sharing 2013 with the newspaper. This is the last issue for 2013. Express Eastern Free State will appear again on 15 January 2014. The office will reopen on 8 January 2014. We wish you a merry Christmas and prosperous new year.
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EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2013
NEWS
DJ Kwaks shares his experiences } Tladi Moloi
come across in that field and how did you overcome them? Working at the radio station comes with various challenges. You have to put aside your personal view, feelings and perception and reflect what the people desire. You have to be professional and it takes a lot of maturity to live up to that expectation. So one has to stay focused and professional at all times.
JOSEPH MOKOALEDI aka DJ Kwaks is rocking the airwaves with his golden voice. The young award-winning news editor and current affairs presenter at the Setsoto Community Radio Station believes that good things do not come on a silver platter, but through hard work. Kwaks shares his stories with Express Eastern Free State readers:
Tell us about the award. I am very pleased to share with the readers that Setsoto Radio Station was crowned the best community radio station in the Free State for the second consecutive year. I really appreciate the pleasure from being counted among those who played a pivotal role in making Setsoto the best among its peers. It is a motivating factor to be part of this growing radio station. And we cannot forget the role played by our listeners to whom we owe this award.
Who is DJ Kwaks? Joseph Mokoaledi was born 26 years ago in the dusty streets of Meqheleng Township near Ficksburg. I am the first-born child of a family of four. Where did you grow up? My parents were separated in 1995 and my mother raised my siblings and I. I started my primary education at the Meqheleng Primary School and was forced to leave Ficksburg and move to Qwaqwa due to family complications. I finished my primary education at Qholaqhwe Primary just outside Phuthaditjhaba in Qwaqwa. I then returned to Ficksburg where I completed my high school education at the Tlotlisong Secondary School.
Where do you want to see yourself five years from now? I see myself at the highest level of the media industry within the next few years. Yes, I know that it won’t come on a silver platter. But through hard work, commitment and determination, anything is possible and the sky is the limit.
How was it growing up? My childhood was never easy, since my mother also had to be a father figure. She had to do her best in ensuring that she kept the family intact. Did you always want to work at the radio station? Like every young person in my community, I grew up listing to radio and I was a great fan of Xolani Gwala who is a news presenter at SA FM. So radio and news have always being part of my life. When did you join the industry? I was introduced to radio at the age of 24
JOSEPH MOKOALED Iaka DJ Kwaks, the news editor and a current affairs presenter at the Setsoto Community Radio Station. Photo: Supplied in 2011 when I started out as a news reader. It is a dream come true for me. What do you like most about your job? What I like most about my job is that it gives you the ability to rise above many
things. With this job you need to be at your best and alert at all times. It creates an opportunity to interact with various people from all walks of life. And most importantly it gives you experience. What are the challenges you have
What do you do in your spare time? I spend most of my time reading and researching. I am always eager to challenge myself and my mind on various things that happen around the globe. What is your favourite television programme and why? I rate Aljazeera very high. It has creative and innovative journalists who go all out in getting stories as they are. Despite life-threating circumstances that they find themselves in at times, they never despair.
EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2013 3
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EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2013
NEWS
Loyalty or blind faith?
I GREW up around five very strong women. Throughout my childhood I learnt that I should never pick a fight with either of my sisters because it could easily turn into a them-against-me situation. You might wonder, why a trip down memory lane? Well, frankly I have realised how loyal women are to brands, organisations and religion. This theory is proven by the number of women in churches, organisations and societies across the world. You might wonder if this loyalty exposes them to
exploitation. In the ruling party, for example, you find that most volunteers and members are women. Why is it that society will have women who are king-makers when a man is
running for office, and yet the same cannot be said when another woman does the same? Does this loyalty open up a door for blind faith where they cough up money, give away votes freely and blindly follow a leader without question? I often wonder about this and whether I could be on the wrong track, but the facts prove otherwise. Since the number of females is larger than men, are we where we are today because of the votes of and decisions made by women?
Legacy will live on ALFRED MOSIA, Bohlokong, Bethlehem: I FELT torn apart when I signed the condolence book of the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. He was a true son of soil. A born leader who practised what he preached. A hero, prepared to die for a good cause. He was the nation’s humble servant and did not regard himself a master to be worshipped by the people he led. His legacy shall be like a perennial fountain of living water. May the spirit and legacy of Tata Madiba abound and live forever. It was, however, on the same day that I had to pinch our leaders (in Bohlokong, Bethlehem) who are resting on their perceived laurels and do not care about the plight of the people they are supposed to serve. Said memorandum that I send that day is long overdue. Issues the people are pleading and asking for ought to have been dealt with a long time ago. I belonged to the ANC that was led by Tata Madiba and I am proud of that. I am sorry I cannot renew my membership as of this moment.
EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2013 5
NEWS
Find us on Facebook at Qwa Qwa Eastern Free State BAHLANKA BA LESEDI gospel group from Sehlajaneng Village in Qwaqwa entertained the crowd during the Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality’s 16 Days of Activism of No Violence against Women and Children awareness campaign. Photo: Supplied
Act now to stop all abuse THE Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality’s women, children and people living with disabilities unit, in partnership with various stakeholders, recently hosted the 16 Days of Activism of No Violence against Women and Children at the Tsheseng Tribal Office in the village of Dinkweng. According to the municipality’s communication officer, Kedibone Sentle, the event was aimed at increasing awareness on the brutality of abuse on all levels and to further educate the community on all types of abuse and what measures to take when being abused or witnessing others being abused. Present at the awareness event was the member of the mayoral committee for women, children and people living with disabilities, Masetjhaba Lakaje. She was accompanied by officials from the Office of the Executive Mayor and ward councillors. Stakeholders who were present at the event were Mphahlolle Men’s Health, Qholaqhwe Advice Centre, Thusanang Advice Centre, the Department of Justice, Department of Health, Home Affairs, Social Development and South Africa Social Security Agency (Sassa). When addressing people who had attended the event, Lakaje said they should not only act against abuse during the 16 days, but they should act against any kind of abuse throughout the year. She added that it was every South African citizen’s responsibility to stop the abuse. “The South African Police Service members should be our friends because they are always ready to help us to fight abuse. We know that abuse can also affect men and that could be a possible reason for the high levels of domestic violence in our country,” she said.
‘The South African Police Service members should be our friends because they are always ready to help us to fight abuse. We know that abuse can also affect men and that could be a possible reason for the high levels of domestic violence in our country.’ – Masetjhaba Lakaje
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NEWS
Young rings player shows great promise } Tladi Moloi TUMELO MOKOENA (7), a gr. 2 pupil at the Impucuko Combined School in Bohlokong near Bethlehem, is a budding ring game star. Andy Lepesa, who is Mokoena’s coach, said the young boy started showing an interest in ring games a few years back while he was watching the Why Not Rings Club playing against the
Eagles Rings Club at his home town. Nthabiseng Mokoena, Tumelo’s mother, said she was happy that Tumelo had learnt in that game. She said he could not add and subtract the score without using a calculator. “He is not distracted and he always wants to concentrate on his game. He has also improved tremendously in his school work,” she said.
TUMELO MOKOENA, a gr. 2 learner at the Impucuko Combined School in Bohlokong near Bethlehem. Photo: Supplied
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EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2013
Got silver medals in marathon
EASTERN FREE STATE
THE Bethlehem athletes who took part in the 2013 Cherry Marathon in Ficksburg came home with silver medals. They are from the left Lukas Khoao, Simon Sibeko and Mokete Miya. Photo: Supplied
‘We beat Thanda away from home in the league game and the players might be over-confident with this. That is now water under the bridge and we’ll have to treat this game like any other.’ – Morena Ramorebudi
Maluti want second win
READY FOR ACTION: Thembinkosi Lorge, the Maluti FET College right-winger, will be gunning to help his team to progress to the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup tournament. Photo: Tladi Moloi
} Tladi Moloi
MORENA RAMOREBUDI, the Maluti FET College mentor, is adamant his side will beat Thanda Royal Zulu to advance to the last 32
of the Nedbank Cup competition. Maluti will be seeking their second win on their home turf when they welcome the struggling Thanda in the National First Division (NFD) Nedbank Cup preliminary
encounter today. They will face off in the Charles Mopeli Stadium at 15:00. Maluti comes in this encounter with their heads held high after they narrowly beat FC Cape Town by 3-2 in their previous game. The Qwaqwa-based side will be hoping to produce their last season world class form in the cup. It was with this same performance that they hammered the Telkom Knockout Cup runners-up, Orlado Pirates, with 4-1 in the David versus Goliath clash. They were, however, booted out of the tournament by their arch-rivals African Warriors in the last 16 of the tournament, losing the game 2-1. Ramorebudi, the team coach, is adamant that his side will continue with their winning streak. The hard-working and motivated coach said that this year he was aiming for the last 32 target. “I know my players will be dying to progress as far as they can in the tournament and for me that will be a bonus. “They are still young and obviously working hard to make their mark. Our priority is to keep the team in the league for this season. We’ll keep fighting in the cup and we’ll do well in the league games.” Ramorebudi said they would make sure that they prepared the boys mentally ahead of the game so that they did not undermine their opponents. “We beat Thanda away from home in the league game and the players might be over-confident with this. “That is now water under the bridge and we’ll have to treat this game like any other,” he said. Meanwhile, Maluti will welcome Roses United in the NFD contest on Sunday before they close for a Christmas break. The kick-off is scheduled for 15:30 in the Charles Mopeli Stadium.