Platinum
Disruption Almost daily blockages of roads in the area, such as at the Steel Bridge next to the R555 and in Burgersfort are causing major disruptions in routines and the economy - more on page 2.
Gazette Water for Mapareng - p 3
Fetakgomo Tubatse Burgersfort, Steelpoort, Ohrigstad, Apel
12 Oktober 2018
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NEWS
12 OCTOBER 2018
Protesters bring town to standstill The truck driver had no chance as the protesters climbed on the truck and forced him out while pulling the vehicle straight in front of oncoming traffic to block the road. They then fled with the keys to the vehicle. Platinum Gazette’s reporter saw this happen as an angry mob came running through the streets of Burgersfort on Wednesday afternoon. They blocked various roads in town with trucks hi-jacked in this manner. The last few weeks were marked by serious disruptions as protesters used trucks, rocks and tyres to block roads to various mines. This severly impacts on the local economy which is trying to stay afloat amid global challenges. On Wednesday however a group from the Ngwaabe area came to the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality (FTLM) head office in Burgersfort to follow-up on demands made weeks earlier. FTLM Communications Manager, Mr Thabiso Mokoena spoke to the newspaper over the phone on Wednesday. He said that the group demanded that the Mayor, Cllr. Maudu Johannes Phokane recognises them as the official structure repre-
senting their community. Previously it was agreed that a month would be given for the Mayor to mediate between the different groups wanting to be recognised as legal representatives of their communities. Mokoena added that the time frame set for this mediation has not yet expired. The protests of this week was seen as an attempt to force the proceedings forward prematurely. The SAPS reacted to the chaos errupting in the CBD of Burgersfort and gave chase after the troublemakers. Some of them were arrested at the Tubatse Crossing Mall Shopping Centre. (Photograph on the right. The suspect’s figure was digitally altered to hide his identity. By law the newspaper may not publish the suspect’s face or anything that may identify him/her while in police custody without the written permission of the Commissioner of Police). Constable Victoria Maluleka of the Burgersfort Police Station confirmed that by late Wednesday afternoon six suspects had been arrested. They will be facing charges of Public Violence and was due to appear in court this week.
(Photograph above: Kobus Pienaar).
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‘We are thankful’ When you travel from Ohrigstad to Strydom Tunnel, you need to turn right just after the Echo Caves road to go to Graskop via the scenic Blydepoort / Three Rondavels / God’s Window road. It is a beautiful route. Less beautiful is when you cross bridge number 2310 after you have turned right from the R36. This bridge takes you over a stone dry Ohrigstad River. If you look northwards past the lush farmlands, you will see a village on the other side of the river, called Mapareng. Although farmers in the area make use of boreholes, the borehole in Maparang has gone dry and the river only flows in a good rainy season. Humans were suffering and animals were dying of thirst. Two farmers in the Ohrigstad area, Mr Fritz Marx and Mr Henry Burger learned of the dire situation in Mapareng through employees who live there and decided that they will sponsor a new borehole in the village. Drilling started this week and by Wednesday Platinum Gazette witnessed the event as the drill struck strong water at 50 metres down. The village’s pump will be installed on the new hole within a short time and water will be available again. Said one of the villagers on the scene “We asked you to come here because we want people to know, our farmers support us and we support them. They give us jobs and we cannot survive without them. They also cannot survive without our labour. We come years and years together in the valley. We support them, just as they now support us with this water crisis. Unlike the government who only promises and try to be with us during elections, we and the farmers never fail each other. We are thankful”.
Bottom: The Ohrigstad River near Mapareng.
Mattheus 16:2-3 2 Maar Hy antwoord hulle: “In die aand sê julle: ‘Daar kom mooi weer, want die lug is rooi;’ 3 in die môre sê julle: ‘Vandag sal dit onweer wees, want die lug is dynserig rooi.’ Julle weet hoe om die voorkoms van die lug te beoordeel, maar die tekens van die tye kan julle nie onderskei nie. Matthew 16:2-4 (KJV) 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
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Fuming about the petrol price October may be called the most beautiful month because of spring being in full swing, but this year October also brought with it a very large petrol price increase. Petrol prices reached an all time high with consumers paying R17.08c/l for 95 ULP in Gauteng. At the coast it is still below the R17 mark with 95 ULP selling for R16.49 c/l. The petrol price is complex and only about half of it is influenced by the global petroleum prices and the rand-dollar exchange rate. It is also made up of about 15% earnings for different role players in the value chain, while various levies make up the rest. The Road Accident Fund for example receives R1.93 from every litre of petrol being sold. Many are calling for government to intervene and bring down the fuel prices which are currently having a ripple effect on consumers across the board. In theory this is possible, but then government will have to raise taxes elsewhere to make up for the loss of income through the sale of petrol. Experts expect the fuel levy to raise about R70 thousand million rand in the fiscal year. Global issues such as impending sanctions of the USA against Iran, are also currently impacting oil prices. Gwarega Mangozhe, CEO of the Consumer Goods Council of SA (CGCSA) recently said that they are seeing consumers cutting on luxury goods and thinking more careful about how they spend their money. Many consumers are now becoming bargain hunters. This week also brought with it the fifth Finance Minister in three years for South Africa. Tito Mboweni, a previous governor of the Reserve Bank, was sworn in after President Cyril Ramaphosa accepted the resignation of Nhlanhla Nene as Minister of Finance. Platinum Gazette asked readers how are they feeling the impact of the record petrol price and what do they think about Mboweni’s appointment.
Ms Petunia Mashilo said: “I don’t think there will be a solution soon for the petrol price increases. I don’t think our new Finance Minister will have an impact. The price never comes down properly. It is going to a place where we will pay R20 for a loaf of bread. Transporting goods are costing more. Our salaries do not go up accordingly. I foresee a Zimbabwe for South Africa. We will end up having a R20 note that cannot buy anything”.
Mr Mervin Shai said: “ The petrol is costing too much. They must make a plan to decrease it. The taxi fare is going up and our jobs are affected by it. Maybe this new Finance Minister will improve our economy”.
Mr Amir Javed said: “Everything goes up, but the budget and my own money is not going up. We struggle with this petrol price and all the strikes around here. In Pakistan they would have arrested these people blocking the roads. They would be called gangsters and be arrested. We struggle, what can we do? Everything is just going up”.
Mr M.D. Mampa said: “We are struggling. Everyone is affected. Let’s hope our new Finance Minister will improve things”.
Left: Mr Nelson Maedimola said: “My wife is working as a facilitator and I used to take her to work with the car. Because of the petrol price she is now using a taxi. Even coming in to town, you have to think twice. I only stay about 5km from town, but sometimes it is better to take a taxi. Tito Mboweni has a good background. I think he will get our economy back on track”. With him is Prince.
Ms. Ilze Louwrens said: “ No, Mboweni will not make a difference. Finance Ministers in South Africa change like toiletpaper. The petrol price is having an impact on my business. I have a crèche and parents cannot afford to send their kids anymore. The petrol price is too high. It really has a negative impact.”
Mr Solly Skhosana said: “As a pastor it is affecting me very badly. It becomes difficult to visit the people of my congregation. Many Finance Ministers change, but we don’t see a difference in the economy. We hope this time it will be different”.
Mr T. Themba said: “It has affected South Africa in a very negative way. People struggle to go to work. Groceries…everything’s price went up. I think we are in a recession or perhaps already in junk status. How can we export petrol to Botswana and they sell it for 8 pula (plus minus R11) there? This petrol price will impact the future of our children as we struggle to pay for transport to school and school fees. Our salaries are much lower than our expenses”. Left: Mr Tumai Mago said: “As an individual Tito Mboweni cannot do anything. The collective ideas and policies need to change. The petrol price is really unacceptable. I’m struggling. I sometimes struggle to be at work on time because you have to check your pockets to see if you’ll be able to come back home again”.
Mnr Simon Mthake sê: “Transport is nou meer. Alles kos nou meer. Gelukkig het ons nou die man wat hulle die week aangestel het – Tito Mboweni”. By hom is Francina Mthake en Smello.
Mr David Mokoena said: “It has totally affected me. Even public transport prices increased. Previously you could travel per taxi from here to Gauteng for R200. Now it is R220 per trip. Because of this petrol price increase my fridge and grocery unit are empty. I really hope Tito Mboweni will make things better”.
Ms Mary Muroa and Ms N.M. Makgopa said: “The petrol price increase affects us a lot. We cannot afford this more than R17 a litre of petrol. Our petrol is really costing too much. Government must do something. Mr Mboweni is not new to the game, so let’s give him a chance. Maybe he will make a difference to our economy. There are no scandals around him”.
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Have you seen this man?
They just got married
The police in Leboeng have launched a search operation to locate a man from Kgautswane village in the Leboeng policing area. According to the family, Hendrick Sipho Kgoedi (50) was last seen on 7 October 2018 when he left his residential home to work at Witbank. He travelled using public transport. He never arrived at the destination. He was last seen wearing a sky-blue trouser, with blue and brown t-shirt and black leather jacket. The Police were informed and together with the family searched for the victim at friends and relatives, but he was not located. Anyone who knows the whereabouts of this missing man, may contact Constable Malepe Mashale Aubrey at 076 537 9053 or nearest police. Alternatively, Crime stop number at 08600 10111 or SMS Line 32211.
Report the sale of counterfeit goods The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) undertook a provincial roadshow to educate communities about their rights and the laws in place to protect them. the Director of Commercial Law and Policy at the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), Mr Desmond Ramabulana said: “Consumers have the right to quality products. Whatever that they are purchasing must be of good quality. However, we have had cases where consumers were sold expired goods and we say to those people that they have the absolute right to return the products within a period of six months”.
According to Ramabulana, the Consumer Protection Act also provides an opportunity to institute legal action in situations where consumers believe their rights were violated. He specified that consumers can lodge grienvances through the National Consumer Commission or National Consumer Tribunal. He encouraged communities to exercise their power and to report sellers of fake goods and products to authorities. Intellectual property is protected by law and counterfeit products infringes on this. Anyone knowing of the sale of counterfeit products can report it to the local police station or the dti.
‘Consumers have the right to quality products’
Know you rights when it comes to borrowing from loan sharks Loan sharks have no place to operate in our communities. This was said by the Director of Commercial Law and Policy at the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), Mr Desmond Ramabulana (photo below). He was addressing community members in Mutale, during the education and awareness campaign to educate communities on the positive impact of legislation administered by the dti. The dti has been on a provincial roadshow to create awareness about different aspects in various communities. “We have taken note that there was an opportunity to empower the community about their rights as consumers, especially in their day-to-day dealings with the credit industry. It is evident that credit consumers are taken for granted and their consumer rights are
constantly violated by the credit providers,” said Ramabulana According to Ramabulana, the gap in the market in terms of lack of information has been abused by loan sharks that extend loans outside provisions of the National Credit Act (NCA), and charge unreasonable fees. He also said that they undertake dubious collection methods such as the seizing of the clients’ bank cards and identity documents. “We realise we will never completely stop underground lending. In fact, one of the biggest challenges is that community members protect these loan sharks as in some instances they are the sole gateway to accessing credit in this weakening economy. However, the change in legislation will make it easier to close them down and it will be more difficult for the loan sharks to collect their loans as they will be illegal,” added Ramabulana Ramabulana further advised unregistered credit lenders to register as credit providers because failure to do so could result in the credit agreement being declared null and void. “Under the new legislation if you loan money to someone through a lending platform you will have to be registered as a credit provider irrespective of the amount you are handing over to the individual,” he concluded.
Above: Frans Thobakgale and Fezile Hlongwa tied the knot on 23 September 2018 at Seelane Village. The wedding celebrations included many friends, family and church leaders coming to wish them well. Right: Levinsky Dikgamanyane Tsimane were married to Angelinah Ntinana Murwa on 29 September at Ga-Mphahlele. The wedding celebrations continued over two days and ended at Ga-Manyaka on 30 September. There the couple cut the wedding cake and thanked everyone for their support. (Photographs and information: Jenny Mogolane Phala)
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Platinum Gazette
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NOTICE OF SALE IN EXECUTION IN THE MAGISTRATES COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF BURGERSFORT HELD AT TUBATSE CASE NO: C01451/16 In the matter between: VICTOR SOBOPHA (EXECUTION CREDITOR) and PHOENIX K9 SECURITY SQUAD (1st EXECUTION DEBTOR) and JAN H COMBRINK (2nd EXECUTION DEBTOR). Persuant to a judgment granted by the Honorable Court on the 06 June 2018 and the subsequent writ, the following goods shall be sol in execution on the 24 OCTOBER 2018 by the sheriff TUBATSE, time - 11h00, venue SHERIFF’S OFFICES (PRAKTISEER) 1) 1x1 FORD RANGER D/C (WHITE) REG NO: JHZ 054 MP 2) 1x1 TOYOTA HILUX (WHITE) REG NO: HKP 401 MP DATED AT BURGERSFORT ON THIS, THE 05TH DAY OF OCTOBER 2018 K.N.S. MGIBA ATTORNEYS EXECUTION CREDITOR’S ATTORNEYS P.O. BOX 2199, BURGERSFORT, 1150 TEL: 013 231 7933, DIRECT FAX: 086 719 3091, GENERAL FAX: 013 231 7932, CELL: 082 457 3505, E-MAIL: kenny@mgibalaw.co.za REF: KNM/M0823
Get your hard copy of the newspaper here: * Bronrich Slaghuis * Praktiseer Build It * Vyfster Slaghuis *Fouché Medical Practice * Mooifontein Kafee * Mahlasedi Health * Health Zone Gym * Cheap Cheap * CTM * Boxer Steelpoort * Tubatse Build It * Themba Filling Station * Supa Dry Cleaners Burgersfort * Dr Phetla Medical Practice * Platinum Petroleum Filling Station * Shoprite Tubatse Crossing Mall * Pick ‘n Pay Tubatse Crossing Mall * Aloe Spar * Department of Education Circuit Office Burgersfort * Fastfit Burgersfort * Total Filling Station Steelpoort * Sasol Filling Station Steelpoort
12 OKTOBER 2018
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Steelies on a ‘sea school’ trip
Grade 7 learners from Steelpoort Academy went on their annual ‘sea school’ trip in September. As always it was an incredible experience. The trip included swimming in the ocean, a visit to the Sharks Board, a boat trip on the Sarie Marie, a day at Ushaka Marine World, ice skating, Jump 4 Joy and an evening at RJ’s that included ten pin bowling. The last night the group slept at Shakaland. “It was an unforgetable tour with great memories that the grade 7 learners can cherish for many years,” said Mrs. Colleen Language. (Photographs and information: Colleen Language).
Initiation school successfully completed Last weekend was another proud moment for many parents who sent their children to attend the traditional initiation school. Kgosi MG Maila released approximately 500 initiates who attended the initiation school from 26 September 2018 to 6 October 2018. The initiates successfully completed their initiation school and received their certificates in the Maila Segolo area. (Photographs & Information: Jenny Mogolane Phala)
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Platinum Gazette
SPORT Central United FC plays in final The Central United team participated in a soccer tournament in Middelburg last weekend. Five teams competed against each other. They were SADTU FC from Middelburg, Mzinoni FC from Bethal, Barlo-World & Steve Tswete FC from Middelburg, Central United FC from Burgersfort and the T-Masters FC from Witbank. Central United FC topped up group B while Barlo-World & Steve Tswete FC topped up group A. In the final Central United lost 1-0 to Barlo-World & Steve Tswete FC. The stadium was packed with spectators for the final and the players gave a good perfor(Photographs and information: Frans Kganane and Protus mance, despite losing. Sikhakhane).
Burgersfort Masters play away The Burgersfort Masters visited Ga-Skororo to face the Skororo 11 and Mogafeng Masters. The first game was between Burgersfort Masters and Skororo 11. Burgersfort Masters did not make many mistakes and won the game 4-0. Later in the day they took on the Mogafeng
Masters. It was a tough and rough game. This time the Burgersfort Masters were on the losing end as they eventually lost three players due to rough tackles. The team also complained about the referee officiating the game. The score however came to a 1-1 draw. (Photographs and information: K.S. Makgopa).