EASTERN FREE STATE
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WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2014
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Was it sabotage? FREE
Blame thrown back and forth for failure of lights at stadium } Tladi Moloi SPECULATIONS are rife that the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality was responsible for sabotage that resulted in the Free State Stars and Orlando Pirates league game being called off due to the Charles Mopeli Stadium’s floodlight failure on Wednesday night. Two lights on the west side of the stadium were off and resulted in the game being called off. Even though many people put the blame on the troublesome Rural Maintanance for the lights’ failure, it is alleged that one of the municipality’s officials had turned off the lights and left the venue with the keys. It is further alleged it was because Free State Stars had failed to pay the required money to book the venue. However, Free State Stars general manager, Rantsi Mokoena, dismissed the rumours that they had not paid for the bookings. “These rumours are not true. We did pay to use the stadium and it is obvious that the municipality would not have opened the gate for us if we had not paid,” he said. Moeketsi Lebesa, the Member of the Mayoral Commitee for Public Safety and Transport at the municipality, said on his Facebook account which had 290 comments: “Ke eo he RURAL . . . They threatened to sabotage health services. Today they allegedly sabotaged the Free State vs Orlando Pirates game. Where are the agents of Rural? This is war.” However, Jacob Mabaso, public relations officer, said they were
THE Charles Mopeli Stadium in Qwaqwa. not responsible for the floodlights’ failure and that they were not responsible for the maintenance of the stadium. “Our responsibility is electricity, not to see if the lights are working. There was electricity in the stadium and everyone witnessed that,” he said. Mabaso said they had been called to assist at the stadium,
but when they arrived they found that the circuit breaker that supplied electricity to the lights had been switched off. “We wanted to help, but the area was locked and we could not establish who had a key. We could have helped them if they had called us earlier, but it was late when we got there. In order for those lights to work we would
Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/Backpagepix
have had to bypass some of the cables and that process would have turned off the lights in the whole stadium. We could not do that because there were people in the stadium,” he said. Mabaso said they had not threatened the health services, but they had placed an advert in the paper showing the community how much the hospitals owed in
electricity. Express Eastern Free State gave the municipality ample time to respond by sending questions to Kedibo Sentle, the municipality’s communication officer, on Friday, but when going to print no response had been received. A follow-up was done on Monday and she promised to send a response immediately.
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EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2014
NEWS
Employers should comply with labour laws THE Department of Labour warns employers to comply with labour laws or face the possibility of prosecution. The department’s Free State chief director, Marsha Bronkhorst, says the department does not derive any pleasure in taking employers to court because of the time and resources which could be used efficiently elsewhere. This comes after six employers
were taken to different courts in the province for failing to comply to several legislations. These legislations include the Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA), Compensation for Occupational Diseases Act (COIDA), Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) and Sectoral determinations protecting vulnerable workers. “If employers continuously ignore our plea to work
together, we have no any other option but to use our legislative powers to force them to comply. “It is the duty of Labour inspectors to guide employers on how to comply to the law, however it is the employer’s responsibility to comply. If the employer disregards inspector’s orders, we will unfortunately use the stick approach,” said Bronkhorst.
Four employers in the Eastern Free State were taken to the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court on charges ranging from failing to comply to Labour inspectors’ instructions after they had been served with compliance orders. Their non-compliance range from non-payment of prescribed minimum wages, salaries and overtime to employees. Meanwhile, in Ficksburg, two
wholesale and retail employers also appeared before the Ficksburg Magistrate’s Court for not complying with the Wholesale and Retail Sectoral Determination, UIA and COID Act. In terms of the BCEA section 92 (e), if convicted of such an offence, the employer may be sentenced to a fine or an imprisonment of not longer than one year.
Girl (10) raped by intruder TWO elderly women and a minor were attacked in their homes during a robbery on two separate incidents which took place in Bluegumbosch and Mabolela Village in QwaQwa. According to a police report, one of the pensioners was allegedly stabbed with a knife while her granddaughter was kidnapped and raped. The other elderly woman was also allegedly raped at her house. The police requests the community to work with the them in giving information that may lead to the locating, arrest and conviction of the two unknown suspects. Sgt Mmako Mophiring, police spokesperson, says it is alleged that on Friday at approximately 02:00 at Bluegumbosch near Mbeki Park section, a pensioner (70) was sleeping with her granddaughter in their house when they were attacked. “They were both awakened by someone who had gained entrance through a window. The suspect allegedly confronted the pensioner looking for money. The woman was then allegedly stabbed by the suspect. She sustained a head wound. Her granddaughter heard her
screams for help but the attacker turned to her. It is further alleged he forcefully took the 10-year-old to an open veld where he raped her. He left her stranded while she went to nearby houses for assistance. Two cases of housebreaking, assault with intend to cause bodily harm, kidnapping and rape are being investigated,” he says. Mophiring says on the same day at approximately 03:00 a 65-year-old pensioner from Mabolela Village was also attacked in her house by an unknown man who allegedly raped her outside her home. “It is alleged that the pensioner was sleeping. She woke up and saw the man standing in her house. He demanded money. They got into a fight but she ended giving him money. The suspect took the pensioner out of the house where he allegedly raped her. A case of house robbery and rape is being investigated,” he says. Any person with information that may lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspects can contact Crime Stop 08600 10111 or send information via the SMS Crime Line 32211.
Murder suspects on the loose } Tladi Moloi THE Tsheseng police are looking for three suspects including a woman who allegedly shot two people in the tuck shop at the Turffontein section in the Makeneng Village of Qwaqwa. A mother, Lebohang Mpela (48), and her son, Lentswe Mpela (28), died in the Mofumahadi Manapo Regional Hospital two days after they had been shot. The police spokesperson, Sgt. Mmako Mophiring, says the incident took place last Monday at approximately 18:00. Lebohang and Lentswe were at their family’s tuck shop when they
were allegedly attacked by two men and a woman. Lebohang was shot in the stomach and her son in his leg and stomach. “The suspects left the scene on foot,” he says. Mophiring says the motive behind the murder is unknown as nothing was stolen. The police are still looking for the suspects and the investigation continues. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspects can contact Det. Lt Zimkaze Radebe on 082-419-7084, Crime Stop 08600 10111 or send information via the SMS Crime Line 32211.
EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2014 3
NEWS
Only 7 attend mining meeting } Tladi Moloi THE first meeting of the Thabo Mofutsanyana Mining Association in the Dihlabeng Local Municipality was a disaster. Only seven people attended the meeting which took place in the Bakenpark Hall on Wednesday. Matowane Mphuthi, the chairperson of the association, and Lipuo Matsoso, the coordinator of Moripe Holdings Integrated Business Solutions, say they were disappointed with the attendance considering the fact that Dihlabeng has a lot more miners. However, Mphuthi says they will make sure that they go out to invite people to their meeting and adds that they will be hoping for a better turnout for their next meeting. “We made a big mistake by asking the municipality to invite people for us and this shows that the message might not have reached the targeted people. We will, however, go out and talk to the miners,” he says. The meeting was aimed at announcing the existence of the association as well as giving a brief overview of the benefits that miners in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district will get if they join. According to Mphuthi, the association was established last year and they were hoping to recruit more members to join the association. Mphuthi says their association is neither a forum nor a cooperate – it is an association where
PEOPLE who attended the Thabo Mofutsanyana Mining Association meeting in the Bakenpark Hall. They are from the left Tshepiso Nhlapo, Ceaser Matla, Matowane Mphuthi (the chairperson of the Thabo Mofutsanyana Mining Association), Lipuo Matsoso (the coordinator of Moripe Holdings Integrated Business Solutions), Lerato Mofokeng, Mantwa Mofokeng and Baile Mashinini. Photo: Tladi Moloi they mobilise all the small-scale miners. “We are talking about people who mine sandstone, sand, coal and more. Those are mineral resources which are available within our district,” he says. He says they will make sure that they help all the illegal miners to become legal and help
them to obtain a market. “There are also those miners who are legal, but do not have a market. It is our duty as the association to help them get a market. We are going to invite all the stakeholders to the meeting to present our association to them. “The Department of Human Settlement is one of the stake-
holders that will be invited, because they will need sand when they build the RDPs,” he says. Matsoso says he was disappointed with the attendance considering the number of the miners that they had on the list from Bethlehem. “That was not the true reflection of what we had on paper,”
she says. She says after a summit in Bethlehem sometime last year, they realised that there should be a miners association in the Thabo Mofutsanyana district. “The association was formed and we are hoping to help them with policies, marketing and many other things,” she says.
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EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2014
NEWS
From humble beginnings LEMAKO LEMAKO (39), current chairperson of the Municipal Accounts Committee (MPAC) of the Dihlabeng Municipality, was born on Kleinste, a farm near Rosendal. He is the fifth and last-born son. LEMAKO LEMAKO He grew up in abject poverty, raised by a struggling divorced mother. He was her favourite child and she always believed in his potential and encouraged him to study and work hard. He moved to Mautse at an early age and attended school there. He passed st. 10 (gr. 12) at the then Mautse Combined School (now Taung High School) in the late 1990s. His mother could not afford to send him to any tertiary institution so she opted for him to get a driver’s licence. Political life: Whilst at the Mautse Combined School, he met Stimela Motaung, a local activist and clerk at the school. They became friends and eventually Motaung convinced Lemako to join local youth politics, particularly the ANC Youth League (ANCYL). He rose through the ranks as local youth leader and eventually became part of the local ANC leadership collective, later to serve as both branch chairperson and secretary. Currently he is the head of media for the ANC in the Thabo Mofutsanyana region. Career: Lemako had a short stint working for Vaal Colliers before becoming an ANC councillor after the 2000 local government elections. Since then he has served in various capacities having been in the Dihlabeng Local Municipality Exco, Thabo Mofutsanyana Mayoral Committee, Dihlabeng Mayoral Committee and now as Dihlabeng MPAC chairperson. Since he became a councillor 13 years ago Lemako has acquired numerous academic accolades, including: ) National Diploma in Youth Development: Unisa; ) Executive Leadership Development Certificate: University of Pretoria; ) CPMD: University of the Witwatersrand; ) Master of Management in Public & Development Management: University of the Witwatersrand (currently finishing it); ) A string of certificates in leadership development and change management. Lemako is married to Mmato Olga and is the proud father of Tokollo (14).
Top school honoured
} Nkareng Moloi
THE Thabo Mofutsanyana District Education in partnership with Kagiso Trust held the awards ceremony for the schools and educators for the class of 2013 achievement. The ceremony was held at the University of the Free State’s Qwaqwa campus on Friday. The awards were aimed at acknowledging the work done by the class of 2013. Trophies, certificates and vouchers were awarded to the deserving schools. Amongst the top schools was the Rantsane Secondary School. They went from a 59% to 100% pass rate, securing the fifth position in the district. This school is the only public school that received 100 % in the district. The MEC for Education, Tate Makgoe, says: “This is the great motivation to the schools and educators. We had this kind of event last year and the results motivated other schools to work harder, hence we are number one in the country.” Makgoe said last year at one of the functions he had promised that he would not make a speech should they obtain position one adding that said he would request Tshiame Kenneth Mopeli to do the speech. “That was because most of the schools here have been built under his adminis-
BUSI TSHABALALA (Thabo Mofutsanyana Education district director), Tate Makgoe (Free State MEC for Education), Tjhetane Mofokeng (Dihlabeng Local Municipality executive mayor), and Mbongile Mthombeni (Free State Department of Education chief director) were captured during the Thabo Mofutsanyana District education in partnership with Kagiso Trust awards ceremony. Photo: Nkareng Moloi tration. It shows that he values education more than anything. “You must remember that this district came first in the province. I am dedicat-
ing this achievement to him, even if he is not here. “We invited him, but he couldn’t make it as he is not feeling well.”
Nominations awaited for teachers DO you know of a teacher who has changed the lives of the people in his or her community? A teacher who has gone the extra mile, someone who made a difference in your life? Via Afrika Publishers, in partnership with the Department of Basic Education, would like to acknowledge such special people with the Via Afrika Publishers’ People’s Choice Award. The Via Afrika Publishers’ People’s Choice Award was established to honour and reward teachers who make a difference in their communities. Community members can nominate a teacher of their choice who made a difference in their life. The teacher must, however, still be actively teaching. Entries close on 27 February. A panel representing various stakeholders will adjudicate all entries and the provincial finalists and winner will be announced at the National Teacher Awards Ceremony.
The call for nominations commenced on 1 February and ends on 27 February, both days inclusive. If Via Afrika Publishers are unable to reach any person or complete the verification process after drawing his/her entry for whatever reason, such person will be disqualified and another participant will be contacted under the same terms and conditions. Should any dispute arise in relation to the interpretation of these competition rules, Via Afrika Publishers’ decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. All queries relating to this competition can be directed to Maria de Witt on 082-339-2687 during office hours on weekdays only. Email your entries to maria.dewitt@viaafrika.com or fax to 086-535-4036 or call Vuyani Jumba on 079-872-0533 or 073-4034528.
Entry forms can be obtained from M. Smith on 051-409-8383 or 083-297-9799 for entries from Bloemfontein or the Goldfields area. Entrants from the Eastern Free State can call F. Molema on 051-404-8645 or 079-503-5711 while Northern Cape entrants should call D. van Niekerk on 053-839-6500 or 083-792-9827 and 082-202-5188. Please take note that entries must be in English only. In the motivation, you should say what evidence you have that the person has done the important things you are nominating them for. This could be photographs of them in action, a testimonial from a school principal or community leader, or a newspaper article that has been written about them. As the nominator you must tell the person you are nominating him or her so that they can prepare evidence to support the entry.
EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2014 5
NEWS
Voters’ registration SABC’s Motsoeneng ‘should be fired’ increased - IEC
} Sidwell Guduka
A RECORD number of South Africans have registered to vote in the upcoming elections. According to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), over 25,3 million South Africans are registered and ready to vote in the national and provincial elections to take place on Wednesday, 7 May. The final registration weekend saw 1 259 560 new voters registering a fortnight ago. “The new registrations lifted the overall registration level from 76.9 % prior to the (final registration) weekend to 80.5 % of all eligible voters today. “Combined with the 1,1 million new voters who registered for the first time in November, some 2,3 million new voters will have been added onto voters’ roll for the first time since 8 November 2013. This is about 17 % higher than the target the Electoral Commission had set of 2 million,” Kate Bapela, IEC spokesperson, says. “Encouragingly, 79,89 % of all new registrations in the final registration weekend (1 006 260) are voters under the age of 30. This included 691 002 voters aged 20-29, 255 398 voters aged 18 and 19, and 59 860 voters aged between 16 and 17,” she adds.
Along with new registration, Bapela says, a further 1.48 million registered voters also used the final registration opportunity to change their new voting station. “About 183 377 people re-registered at the same voting station. In total, just short of 3 million people visited our 22 263 voting stations during the final registration. That is 16 % higher than the 2,5 million who visited voting stations in November,” she explains. The upcoming elections will be the first time South Africans living and travelling abroad will be able to register to vote while overseas. “Registration has also been underway for overseas voters at South African diplomatic missions abroad. As of yesterday (last Tuesday) we had received 3 521 applications for registration. According to figures provided by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), we anticipate approximately 700 more
Eligible voters
THE overall registration level against the estimated eligible population for the provinces is: ) Eastern Cape: 85,3% ) Free State: 85,8% ) Gauteng: 77,0% ) KwaZulu-Natal: 83,6% ) Limpopo: 81,0% ) Mpumalanga: 77,3% ) North West: 78,5% ) Northern Cape: 84,3% ) Western Cape: 77,8% applications are being couriered to us for capturing. Prisoner registration was also conducted at correctional service facilities throughout South Africa. This process resulted in 9 949 applications for registration by prisoners,” Bapela concludes.
‘The new registrations lifted the overall regis tration level from 76,9 % prior to the (final reg istration) weekend to 80.5 % of all eligible voters today.’ – Kate Bapela, IEC spokesper son
11 000 never pitched for test } André Damons MORE than 600 000 prospective drivers were tested for drivers’ licences and learners’ licences in the Free State during the past five years. The Free State Department of Police, Roads and Transport said in a statement almost 670 000 people have been tested over the last five years in the province. Between 1 April 2009 and January this year 88 422 people who were tested for their drivers’ licences passed, while 163 370 were not so lucky. This means an average of 50 000 people are tested for licences each year, says Saki Mohono, spokesperson for the Department of
Police, Roads and Transport. According to him, 217 537 people received their learners’ licences during the same time while 205 480 have failed. On average almost 84 000 people are annually tested for their learners’ licences. “The department has experienced problems with many people who have appointments for their learners tests, as well as their drivers licence tests, but do not show up. “We ask people to cancel their appointments on time if they know they will not make it,” he says. According to Mohono, more than 11 000 people had appointments during said time, but never showed up for their appointments.
For more news and photos go to www.express-news.co.za
THE Congress of the People (Cope) says SABC acting chief operations officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng should be fired as soon as possible. Cope says Motsoeneng should join the ranks of unemployed people. “The SABC must not wait for a long time to fire Motsoeneng. He should have been fired before business on Monday,” says Johann Abrie, the national spokesperson of Cope. He says the Public Protector’s finding that Motsoeneng’s misrepresentation of his qualifications “is improper and constitutes a dishonest act” must be acted upon immediately. “It is especially damning that the Public Protector further finds that Motsoeneng has shown no remorse. “Cope also is severely shocked by the finding that, despite the fact that he has no matric qualification, Motsoeneng’s salary was increased by 63% in 12 months. “Although Motsoeneng is a political deployee of Pres. Jacob Zuma, he should have been ensuring that the SABC was an unbiased and objective broadcaster. Instead, there is obvious bias in broadcasting. Instead of being an unbiased and objective state broadcasting service, the SABC has been turned into a propaganda tool for the ruling party,” he says. Abrie says this is contrary to the provisions of section 192 of the Constitution which requires the broadcasting authority to “ensure fairness and a diversity of views broadly representing South African society”. “Cope supports the remedial action
“Although Motsoeneng is a political deployee of President Jacob Zuma, he should have been ensur ing that the SABC was an unbiased and objective b r o a d c a s t e r. I n s t e a d , there is obvious bias in broadcasting. Instead of being an unbiased and ob jective state broadcasting service, the SABC has been turned into a propa ganda tool for the ruling party.” – Johann Abrie outlined by the Public Protector in her report. We urge the board to implement every single one of the recommendations without any delay and to restore integrity to the SABC. “It is worrying to note how many senior officials at the SABC were involved with giving Motsoeneng his irregular salary increases. We echo the concern of the Public Protector who has said it is discouraging to see how the current SABC has leapt to the defence of Motsoeneng,” he concludes.
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EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2014
PERSONAL SEVICES
LEGAL & TENDERS
HERBALISTS
GENERAL NOTICES 1435
GENERAL & HOME SERVICES
MISCELLANEOUS 1845
FOR ALL TOMBSTONES and repairs to damaged tombstones, as well as epitaphs, etc. Phone 058 303 4840. BHM.
4010
NOTICE OF THE ISSUING OF WASTE MANAGEMENT LICENCES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW WASTE WATER TREATMENT WORKS AND CLOSURE OF OLD OXIDATION PONDS AT PAUL ROUX IN THE DIHLABENG LOCAL MUNICIPALITY With reference to the Waste Licence application for the construction of a new waste water treatment works and closure of the old oxidation ponds at Paul Roux. Please be advised that the National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) granted the waste licence on 5 February 2014, in response to the submitted Environmental Impact Assessment and Basic Assessment Reports. If you wish to lodge an appeal, a notice of intention to appeal must be submitted to the MEC of DEA within 10 days of this notification. A copy of the waste licences with the licence and appeal conditions, as isssued by DEA in this regard, is available from our office. Please contact Mr Tom Hugo on cell 082°070°0735 or fax 086°743°6864 or e-mail: tom@emtrix.co.za for further information.
No ce of Public Par cipa on Process No ce is hereby given in terms of the Na onal Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998) (NEMA) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regula ons of 2010 that the Dihlabeng Local Municipality has applied for Environmental Authorisa on to upgrade the exis ng Waste Water Treatment Works at Rosendal (on the Remaining Extent of the farm Rosendal No. 299, Ficksburg RD) and Fouriesburg (on the farm Groenfontein No.188, Fouriesburg RD), Free State province. The following ac vi es, listed in GN 544, Lis ng No ce 1 of 18 June 2010, are being applied for: Ac vi es 11(xi), 18(i), 28, 40 (iv), 56 (Ac vity 56 is only applicable to the Fouriesburg project). Basic Assessment processes are being undertaken for the above two projects in accordance with the NEMA EIA Regula ons of 2010. Water Use Licence Applica ons will also be submi ed to the Department of Water Affairs for ac vi es that will require licences or general authorisa ons in terms of Sec on 21 of the Na onal Water Act, 1998 (Act No. 36 of 1998). Invita on to comment on the Dra Basic Assessment (BA) Reports: The Dra BA Reports for the above two projects will be available for public review and comment at the following places from 20 February to 10 March 2014: * Rosendal Project: On the following website: www.enviroworks.co.za * Fouriesburg Project: On the following website: www.enviroworks.co.za Note: The above projects were also adver sed on 28 August 2013 in terms of the Na onal Environmental Management Waste Act, 2008 (Act. No. 59 of 2008). The relevant scheduled ac vi es in the NEM:WA were subsequently repealed by Amendments to the NEMA Regula ons, hence this re-adver sement.
SEEK, BUY, SELL
To register as an Interested and Affected Party, and/or to comment on the proposed projects or the Dra BA Reports, please submit wri en comments to: Emmeren a Marais (Rosendal Project) or Jano Louw (Fouriesburg Project) at: e-mail: emmeren a@enviroworks.co.za or jano@nsvt.co.za Postal address: Suite 116, Private Bag X01, Brandhof, tel. 086 198 8895 or fax 086 719 7191.
EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2014 7
NEWS
Finally a win for FS Stars under Sithole } Tladi Moloi THEMBA SITHOLE, the Free State Stars coach, has finally registered his first win since taking the Stars’ coaching reins. The win was also the team’s first since November last year. Ea Lla Koto narrowly beat Golden Arrows 2-1 in a relegation battle which took place at the Goble Park Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Paulos Masehe and Richard Henyekane netted the two goals for Stars while Bonginkosi Ntuli scored the consolation for the Durban-based side. As a result of their win, the Bethlehem side now has a three-point gap from Arrows who are at the bottom of the league. However, they still lie second to last on the league table regardless of their win. They are two points away from Polokwane City and one point from Maritzburg United who are sitting 13th and 14th respectively. A win came as a boost for Stars since they last celebrated a league victory against Polokwane City on 9 November last year under the mentorship of Steve Komphela who is currently with United. Sithole believes that they have turned a new page, adding that the win has boosted the moral of the players. “We have worked very hard in our last games but the results were not showing. We are happy that we had managed to collect three points today.
“Hopefully, this is the beginning of the good things to come,” he says. Sithole has bemoaned the lack of goals, pointing out that players should score more goals which will help them at the end of the season. When asked how he motivated the misfiring Henyekane he says: “We don’t just motivate the players; we also teach them how to convert the chances. “They are doing everything right at the training sessions but come game time, things are different. We will keep on working on that because we know what we want as a team.” Stars will welcome the National First Division campaigners of Witbank Spurs in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday. Kick-off is at 15:00. The two teams have battled it out before. They once shared the stage in the same tournament. Stars kicked them out by winning that game 1-0 at the Charles Mopeli Stadium. Sithole says they will make sure that they respect Spurs regardless of them playing in the NFD. “We know those small teams are full of surprises and we will have to be very cautious. We will also use that game to build our confidence ahead of the Orlando Pirates game,” he says. ) Do you think Stars will escape from the relegation zone? Send us your comment on our Facebook page Qwa Qwa Express Eastern Free State.
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You can be a star SUPERSPORT’S LET’S PLAY and Express Qwaqwa and Eastern Free State are searching for youths in the region who excel at sport. Are you good at sport or is someone in your school or place of education good at sport? Are you a young coach who is coaching future stars? Are you getting people active at your school, community or gym? We want to hear from you. SuperSport’s Let’s Play identified the need amongst the youth to get more sports active. With this in mind, SuperSport and Let’s Play, in association with Express Qwaqwa and Eastern Free State, have launched a special initiative for 2014. They want to find and give recognition to learners at either primary or high school level who excel in sport or who are helping others to be more active. SuperSport’s Let’s Play Sports Star of the Month is a competition for anyone aged six to 18. You can nominate yourself or be nominated by a friend, any teacher or coach at your place of education. You can even be nominated by a family member or friend who knows how good you are. The winner is chosen from all the nominations received for that month. The monthly winner will receive a Let’s Play hamper filled with goodies. From all the entries received each month, one athlete will be chosen as the SuperSport Let’s
Play Sports Star of the Month. At the end of the year one candidate from all the Star of the Month winners will be chosen as the SuperSport Let’s Play Sports Star of the Year. Do not worry, the organisers do an overall annual summary of all entrants’ achievements at the end of November before the year’s winner is chosen. 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. Nominations must include your name, age and a short paragraph (200 words or less) on what you have achieved, as well as your contact details. For example: Name, age and grade, school or place of education’s name and contact telephone number or address. You can email your nomination to supersport@zpr.co.za or send a fax to 086-552-4922. For information call Lynne or Juanré on 051-522-9574.
Wits and Dla2 top of league } Tladi Moloi MIGHTY WITS FC and Dla2 FC are back at the top of their respective streams of the Safa Thabo Mofutsanyana SAB Regional League. This after both teams’ competitors, Free State Development Academy and United Wanderers FC, dropped points at the weekend.
Academy played to a 2-2 draw against FK FC from Senekal while Wanderers lost by 1-0 to Green Vultures. Wits moved to the top of the B stream after they had hammered A-Z FC of Paul Roux by 3-0 in the Bohlokong Stadium on Sunday while Dla2 FC defeated Dikwena FC, securing a place at the top of the A stream. In the B stream, Wits have collected 27
points in 13 games. Academy is just one point behind with 10 games, followed by FK who are third with 25 points in 11 games. Meanwhile, Dla2 are four points clear from their strong challengers, Wanderers. They have secured 28 points in 12 games while Wanderers has 24 after the same number of games. Dikwena is sitting third with 21 points after 10 games.
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EXPRESS EASTERN FREE STATE, WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2014
Have a laugh
EASTERN FREE STATE Conversation among the presidents: RUSSIA – “We are the first to go to the SPACE.” USA – “We are the first to land on the MOON.” South Africa (Zuma) – “We will be the first to land on the SUN.” USA – “No, the SUN is too hot, you cannot land on it.” Malema – “We are not stupid, we’ll go at night.”
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Soccer registration now open PRIMARY SCHOOLS across the country are invited to become part of the biggest youth football tournament in the world by entering their u.12 teams in the Danone Nations Cup. The South African leg of this worldwide competition will start in April and schools have until 27 March to get their entries in. The competition is organised with the support of the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA). Games begin at Cluster level with the winners progressing to regional finals culminating in the nine provincial winners playing in the national finals to determine the national champion. The eventual national winners are awarded the honour of representing South Africa at the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in Brazil later this year and will be one of 32 national champion schools from across the globe. Last year’s world finals were in London and Mpumalanga’s Daniye Primary School represented South Africa and will be back in action again this year. Yenzani Ernest Mabunda, Daniye’s principal, says he believes they can still win the tournament because they still have players who played in London last year. Mabunda says that winning the title last year has had a positive effect on the school. “We have become a popular school in the area with a 20% increase in our registrations as a result. It makes me proud as the headmaster to know that more kids want to be a part of our school,” says the principal. For their achievements, Daniye was named the 2013 Developing School of the Year at the South African Sports Awards. “More kids have signed up for soccer this year, they know the benefits of being part of the school’s soccer team. Going to London also changed the boys. They gained a lot of confidence. They came back as different people. The attention they received made them feel that they matter and that they are important too,” he says. Njombo Aden Mabunda, who played for the team in London last year, says he never gets tired of talking about the trip. “We learned a lot. We got to learn about healthy eating and after we had met all these countries we went back to school and started asking our teachers to teach us about them. So we learned during the trip and even after the trip,” he says. ) From Intune Communications & Entertainment
SANDILE MHLABA in the South African jersey, fights for the ball with a player in the Argentinian colours.
Infighting floors boxing in FS } Teboho Setena THE participation of the amateur Free State Boxing Organisation (FSBO) nationally and membership of the South African National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) remains uncertain. This follows the national body’s leadership reiterating the stance to not rescind its decision to suspend the provincial leadership indefinitely from participation from all activities amateur boxing events. The provincial body also faces the threat to have its membership terminated by the national structure due to unresolved internal bickering. A week ago the Free State leadership was notified of its suspension after the provincial elective annual general meeting held on 1 February did not produced the desired result. This was after the provincial leadership dismally failed to elect new office bearers at the elective meeting. It failed on three occasions to elect a dignified leadership due to a power struggle. The first and second elective meeting was held in Welkom in November and December. However, due to the power struggle it was adjourned to 1 February this year in Bloemfontein. After members failed
to reach consensus at a meeting in Bloemfontein, the national leadership decided to suspend the Free State leadership. The provincial leadership has been at loggerheads that now seems to have paralysed amateur boxing provincially. Sanabo’s national executive is set to decide the participation and membership of the FSBOat its meeting on 11 March. In a letter address to the FSBO leadership, the national body has instructed the province to make written submission to Sanabo for consideration of the lifting of its suspension. The FSBO leadership has further been instructed to submit proof of operation. These include a copy of the FSBO duly adopted Constitution, a declaration that the FSBO will adhere to Sababo and the AIBA regulations, districts’ constitution, districts’ financial statements, minutes of all districts’ annual general meeting, a yearplan for 2014, complete membership list and proof of affiliation and list of districts’ executive members. This instruction comes after the trouble-ridden FSBO leadership disputed its suspension from participation from all activities. The provincial leadership has also taken its case to the Free State MEC for Sport, Dan Khothule, for intervention.
Photo: Supplied