Tel. 053 831 2331Fax 053 831 2330

Johan Rossouw

Boipelo Mere

Sales Manager

EditorPO Box 1583Kimberley 8300

Northern Cape

TEL: 053 ­ 831­2331 WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2013 WWW.EXPRESS­NEWS.CO.ZA FREE

Northern Cape

Tel. 053 831 2331Fax 053 831 2330

Johan Rossouw

Boipelo Mere

Sales Manager

EditorPO Box 1583Kimberley 8300

Northern Cape

Back from the dead} Boipelo Mere

THERE was a knock at the door.Neo Isaac Bulling almost gave hismom a heart attack when he sud-denlyappeared in front ofherwhenshe opened the front door.Ruth Motsamai said she almost

suffered a stroke and had to go tothedoctor after seeingher sonaliveon 21 March.“I thought I was dreaming be-

cause I had prepared myself to oneday see my son’s face in the news-paper amongst the unknowndead,” she said.Ruth thought her son was dead

after his disappearance on 30 De-cember 2012 as they were unsuc-cessful in finding him at any of thegovernment institutions in the var-ious provinces.Baratang Bulling, his elder sis-

ter, was the last one who heardfromhimon the night he had calledher to inform her that he was indanger.Northern Cape Express pub-

lished an article with his sister’splea for him to return home.The family remained glued to

newspapers and news channels,visited hospital mortuaries and po-lice stations in different provincesin search of Neo.They became even more con-

cernedwhen they read an article inone of the newspapers that exposedfuneral undertakers who killed theill in order to create business.Neo revealed that hehadbeenad-

mitted to the Leratong Hospital,Kagiso, Krugersdorp, and that hehad been unconscious the wholetime.

He described how a taxi from Jo-hannesburg had dropped him off inKrugersdorp while he was on hisway home from visiting LynetteMokae, his girlfriend and themoth-er of their two children.He said there had been no taxis

coming to Kimberley, therefore hisdetermination to reach home hadmade him decide to catch a localtaxi to Krugersdorp as he had beenconvinced that hewould find trans-port along the way.The last thing he could remem-

berwas being attacked by fourmenin Krugersdorp.“I remember hiking at night in

Krugersdorp, trying to get to theN12. I was alone in the vicinitywhen a white car stopped in frontof me. It seemed strange to me thatwhen I approached the car the driv-er got out and walked straight to-wards me in the middle of thenight,” said Neo.Neo said that the driver, whom

he could still identify, had pulledout a knife and had tried to stabhim. But I retreated and that waswhen he tore my shirt. While fight-ing off my attacker I realised thatthere were three other men ap-proaching me from behind. Thelast thing I heard, was the thud ofsomeone hitting me with a heavyobject. I felt the effect on my neckand spine, and then it went dark,”Neo said.“At one time I heard a woman

screaming ‘ba bolaile ngwana wabatho (they killed him)’,” said Neo.According to Neo, he regained

consciousness in a hospital bed atthe Leratong Hospital.“When I asked the nurse how

long I had been in hospital, she re-sponded, ‘wa re malatsi, ga o redikgwedi’,” Neo said with humour.He further explained how one of

the hospital cleaners had agreed tosign him out of the hospital, organ-ised him a lift to Kimberley andgave him taxi fare.“On arrival in Kimberley I was

still confused and did not recogniseanything. I decided not to catch ataxi in fear of not knowing whereto get off and instead just walkedhome. I do not know how, but Ifound myself in my yard,” he said.

Lynette said she was happy andrelieved that her boyfriend wasback. After Neo’s disappearanceshe came to Kimberley and stayedwith his relatives, where she alsosuffered accusations from some ofthe family members that she wasthe cause of his disappearance.“I am so relieved as I felt guilty

and stressed. I was always cryingand blaming myself for allowinghim to leave Johannesburgwhen itwas already late,” saidLynette shy-ly.Neo said people in the street still

gave him strange looks becausethey thought they were seeing aghost. “Some even ask if it is reallyme,” he said and laughed.He is still undergoing regular

treatment for his neck and spinalcord injuries.“Although it is a concern for the

family, we trust that God gave hima second chance and will look afterhim as he did not completely losehis job at the Kathu mines. He wastransferred to Rustenburg,” saidRuth who tried to put on a braveface.

A WARM WELCOME: Neo Bulling surrounded by his loved ones Lynette Mokae (left), his mother, RuthMotsamai (right), and the couple’s children, Bontle Mokae (2) and Pelontle Mokae (10 months).

Photo: Boipelo Mere

‘Express NC’ now also available onlineTHE Express Group of newspa-pers, which includes ExpressNorthern Cape, is now online atwww.express-news.co.zaNot only can readers now read

the physical copy of the newspaper,you can also page through your fa-vourite newspaper online.Readers can now be a part of the

growing interactive Express Noth-ern Cape online community.A page version of the newspaper

will appear every Wednesday onthe website and will keep you up-dated with the latest in news, sportand photos to keep you up to datewith the latest happenings in yourarea.

The website will not only keepyou updated with the latest events,butwill alsobeavaluable (andprof-itable) commodity for our currentand new advertisers and will reachan even wider, worldwide market.You will now be able share your

opinion on the latest stories in thenewspaper with a simple click of a

button.Various groups, including cul-

tural, sports or even welfare organ-isations will also be able to loadtheir details and will thus reachtheir audiences even faster.Columns, opinion pieces, letters,

art and culture news will now alsobe available at the click of a button.

On the website:) Sport) Columns) Letters) Reader photos) News videos) Video interviews) Photo galleries) Reader tips and suggestions.

2 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2013

Kimberley Underground Mines JV is situated in the town of Kimberley in the Northern Cape.The Mine consists of 3 conventional slushier drift block cave mines.

IT Support OfficerThe successful candidate will be responsible for responding to and resolving incidentsinvolving information systems and related equipment used at the workplace and providingassistance to all network users.

Tasks and responsibilities: • Record and action user problems, incidents and requests• Provide first line problem solving to end users • Evaluate hardware and softwareproblems and request/take appropriate action • Diagnose network problems/plan andexecute solutions • Be responsible for all IT-related equipment, policies, asset register andall warranty claims/exchanges • Maintain active directory • Update user and computeraccounts • Build, manage and maintain healthy internal relationship with users • Ensureadherence to Company, Security & SHE policies, procedures and legal requirements • Installand maintain network infrastructure, telephone, surveillance and access control systems.

Minimum requirements: • Grade 12 • A+ and N+ Certificate/recognised Certificate inComputer Studies/diploma in an IT-related field • Valid Code 08 driver’s licence • Minimumof 3 years’ experience as an IT Technician.

Other skills/competencies: • Knowledge of and exposure to hardware and networks• System skills on Microsoft Office Suite • Telephone etiquette • Knowledge of IT andinfrastructure business process/IT practices • Administrative, analytical, reporting, liaisingand engaging skills • Ability to plan, organise, lead, consult and evaluate • Ability to adviseon system policies and best practices • The position requires physical manual labour – interms of the installation of PCs at the various workplaces.

Kimberley Underground Mine JV is an equal opportunity employer and reserves the rightto appoint. Preference will be given to EE applicants. Pre-screening, profile testing, on-mine assessments, medical and security clearances form part of the minimum requirementand selection process. Short-listed candidates will be required to attend a panel interview.Employment of the successful candidate is subject to passing on-mine induction and theaforementioned criteria.

Please complete an application form (available on http://www.petradiamonds.com/careers/current-vacancies) and forward, together with your résumé, qualificationsand ID, to E2-Recruitment@petradiamonds.com or fax: 086 659 1334 before or on22 April 2013. Please note that incomplete application forms and documentation willnot be considered.If you have not heard from us within 30 days of the closing date, please regard yourapplication as unsuccessful.

http://www.petradiamonds.com/careers/current-vacancies

Building a world-classdiamond group

Kimberley UndergroundMines JV

www.humanjobs.co.za Human Communications 97908

NEWS

} Boipelo Mere

ELIZABETH THA-BETHE, the deputyminister of the De-partment of Tradeand Industry (DTI),announced thatthere was no winneramongst the ten pro-vincial schools thathad participated inthe Techno-girl En-trepreneurshipWorkshop Pro-gramme over theweekend.

Tears of joy anddisappointmentwere shed after theprogramme.

The workshop waspart of the DTI’sTechnology forWomen in Business(TWIB) aimed at in-spiring young girlsto take advantageof study opportuni-ties that existed inscience and technol-ogy for the advance-ment of the econo-my.

Only the SteinkopfHigh School made itclose to winning andwere afforded the op-portunity to reworktheir business plan,which focused onliquid compost.

The gr. 10 andgr. 11 group of ninelearners have to doanother pre-sentation in Septem-

ber.The Techno-girl

EntrepreneurshipProgramme is aimedat removing ste-reotypes and biasthat often preventgirl learners fromtaking science-basedsubjects at schooland pursuing ca-reers in science andtechnology with thefocus on entrepre-neurship. The DTI isworking on critical

intervention neededto nurture and growthe talents of manygirls in becomingthe successful busi-nesswomen of to-morrow.

The schools weretasked with the re-sponsibility of sup-porting these girls indeveloping a viablebusiness plan whichthey then presentedto a panel of judges.

The learners’ en-

trepreneurial ideaswere measured interms of credibility,feasibility, practica-bility, originalityand sustainability.

Thebusiness ideaspresented had to re-spond to pertinentissues of technologyand innovation.They also had tohighlight issues ofsocial responsibili-ty, emphasising re-cycling thereby de-

monstrating that theyoungsters wereaware of the nega-tive cost to the envi-ronment broughtabout by waste.

Prizes includeddesktop computersawarded to the win-ning schools by theDTI, as well as afour-in-one printer,which would im-prove the adminis-trative efficiency ofthe schools.

“This programmehas previously suc-ceeded in promotingentrepreneurshipamong young wom-en who are discover-ing suitable careersin the mentionedfields. It further en-courages youngwomen to becomecreative thinkers bydesigning a productand supporting theidea with soundbusiness princi-

ples,” saidThabethe.Steinkopf current-

ly can choose onlytwo of their mem-bers to attend theDTI Budget Speechin Cape Town.

It depends on theirnext presentationwhether they will bedeclared the win-ners or not.

Their prize will in-clude a trip toMalay-sia in June and 11cellphones for them-selves and theirteacher.

Steinkopf won on-ly the computers.

However, the dep-uty minister award-ed the cellphonesthat were availableto the Tetlanyo HighSchool for being themost exemplary andoutstanding school.

According to Tha-bethe, the Tetlanyolearners were go-get-ters and had been

themost shining andfocused schoolthroughout the pro-gramme.

“Even thoughtheir business planwas not good enoughto get a secondchance or to win,they had been themost participatingteam throughout theweekend.

“They were the on-ly school that couldprovide an answerwhen I asked a ques-tion, whether theywere right or wrong.So, they are the oneswho deserve to winthe cellphones,” em-phasised the minis-ter.

Unlike theSteinkopf HighSchool who weretold by the Thabethethat they did not de-serve to go on stageand take pictureswith her, all officials

and the judges werecalled on stage totake a group picturewith Tetlanyo High.

However, thelearners of Stein-kopf expressed theirdissatisfaction withthis unfair treat-ment. They saw itunfair that they hadbeen dissed, eventhough they werethe closest to win-ning.

“We doubt thatwe’ll be able to do an-other presentationbecause we weretreated unfairly.

“We all put inequal efforts andworked hard on ourpresentation. Andnow we have tochoose only twomembers from ourteam.

“It will also bemore difficult be-cause of the June ex-aminations that areapproaching. Theexams are very im-portant to us,” saidGeordene Alley, theSteinkopf team lead-er, who was in tears.

Even though theywere happy for Tet-lanyo, Alley toldNorthern Cape Ex-press they felt theydeserved more cred-it. “Our confidencelevel is very low af-ter this programme.We are now expectedto re-work our busi-ness plan and wedon’t even knowhow to better it. Itwas challenging be-cause we are in dif-ferent grades. Weare really not look-ing forward to it,”she added.

“We are so disap-pointed. We expect-ed that there wouldbe a winner, even ifit was not us. I mean,there we were, excit-ed to be called to thefront, smiling all theway, only to be criti-cised and told tostand below as wedid not deserve to goon stage. This infront in everyone,”said another one.

The team’s teach-er, who refused to benamed, said he wasdisappointed withthe decision becauseit was evident thattheir spirits werevery low.

Programme has no winner

THE Steinkopf High School from Namakwa presented the most promising presentation.Photos: Boipelo Mere

GEORDENEALLEYexpressedher dissatis-faction in tears to the deputy minister.

EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2013 3

UCC reachesout to the needy} Boipelo Mere

KAMOHELO MOLOAN-TOA, who is originally fromLesotho, was more thangrateful for the soup andbread dished out for him atthe dumping site on Satur-day.The unemployed father

was prepared to spendanoth-er day without food, were itnot for the United Congrega-tional Church (UCC) and theNative Independent Congre-gational Church (NICC)Youth members who offeredthem a meal for the day. Hewas amongst the people whoreceived a meal and clothesfrom the youth members, inpartnership with the SAPSProvincial Youth Desk andYouth Against Crime lastweek.Moloantoa saw an oppor-

tunity to earn a living bygathering plastic bottles atthe municipal dumping siteand selling them for the pasttwo weeks.According to him, his job-

less situation pushed him totry a living at the dumpingsite as he is now jobless afterlosing a temporary job as acontractor.In response to the safety

concerns on the site, he re-sponded that he preferred to

scratch around inside theyard because it was toocrowded and unsafe at thegate.“I choose to collect plastic

bottles as other scavengersmostly fight for copper andprefer to wait for incomingcars at the gate,whichmakesthem crowded andmore dan-gerous as they end up fight-ing one another and thatraises safety concerns fordrivers,” added Moloantoa.The youth members from

the two churches proceededto Santa in Galeshewewherethey also offered food and en-tertainment to children whoare mostly seen loitering atthe Homestead ShoppingComplex.They had an oppor-tunity to do house to housevisits where they interactedwith the youth, parents andchildren in the area on theday and realised the need forexpertise knowledge in ad-dressing certain needs inSanta.“We discovered the lack of

educational opportunities,high alcohol consumptionand a high rate of pregnancyin the area that no one seesas a problem.“We also heard the youth

complaining that there areno job opportunities forthem, which leads them to

rather hang around at a localshebeen,” said Dimakatso,one of the organisers of theprogramme.She added that they were

already in the process of in-viting youth from otherchurches to come on boardand create more pro-grammes where they wouldinvolve the community ofSanta in Youth Month.“We as the youth have to

take it upon ourselves to pro-tect ourselves while findingsolutions to the problemsthat we face,” added Lech-wenyo.She revealed that the UCC

and NICC youth have al-ready started on interven-tion measures where theyhad a stay-awake on HumanRights Day and invited moti-vational speakers.“We tackled topics like

students, rape, sugardaddyand sugarmummy issues.We also had a team buildingand leadership workshop,”she continued.Lechwenyo further em-

phasised that the youth arefaced with the biggest chal-lenge of breaking down theboundaries of religion andculture in order to combatsocial economic issues thatthey face in the present eco-nomic climate.

CHRISTOPHERMASHILO fromSAPSYouthDeskwith Letlhogonolo Seekoei, KamoheloMoloantoa(behind) and Thato Sebeela. Photo: Boipelo Mere

IGLO DITHEBE appreciated the youth members’ gesture. Pictured are TshegofatsoMogorosi and Dimakatso Lechwenyo dishing out food. Photo: Boipelo Mere

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4 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2013

NEWS

DIMAKATSO LECHWENYO, Kim-berley:

BANTUBIKOonce said: “Theblacksare tired of standing at the touchlines towitness a game that they shouldbeplay-ing. They want to do things for them-selves and by themselves.” This is oneof the first things that came to mindwhen I saw the picture that accompa-nied the article “DeBeers celebrates 125years” published on Wednesday, 10April 2013. It is a great ache that mygrandfatherworked on thosemines,myuncle worked on those and my peoplecontinue to work on these mines. Ourpeople form the workforce that grind insearch of gold they will never wear,miningdiamonds theycanneverafford.Money is not everything yet when youare one of thousands of miners earninga living wage money could become amatter of this country’s standard of liv-ing. Giving your labourer who formspart of the production process a 13thcheque or a bonus at the end of the fi-nancial year makes no difference. Awise man knows that if you give a mana fish you feed him for a day but teachhim how to fish and you will feed himfor a lifetime. The Oppenheimer familythat owns the De Beers Group have hada chance to make a significant differ-ence within the communities wherethey carry out business but in my opin-ion they fail to teach our communitiesto fish. Our people continue to be de-pendent on this corporation in order tobe able to feed their families. When anopportunity was available for the DeBeers Group to sell their shares I won-der whether they ever considered to do-nate a 3% share to the communitieswithin which they carry out business.Sometimes even social responsibility isnot enough. Our people are continuous-ly treated like charity cases when it istheir hardwork and for some their livesthat were sacrificed in building thesebillion rand corporations. In themiddleofKimberley thehistory of the diamondrush is scattered all over. We are con-stantly told of Cecil John Rhodes andBarnato yet you never hear or see a pic-ture Orekeng Lechwenyo, GaolatlweDiphikwe or any name my people areable to recognise. As De Beers cele-brates 125 years . . . I find it my respon-sibility to pay honour to all our peoplethat never received a standing ovation,some who have lost their fingers, theirlegs and some their lives.

Unsungheroes

LettersExpress Letters, P.O. Box 1583,

Kby, 8300Boipelo Mere

Boipelo.mere@volksblad.comTel: 053-831-2331. Fax: 053-831-2330

THE first of its Operation Naledi wasreported to be a success whereby seniorpolice members carried out duties so as toset an example to junior members on howto conduct policing duties.Altogether 122 SAPS senior officers and

managers, 14 local traffic officials andeight Home Affairs officials were commis-sioned to perform operational duties inGaleshewe, Kagisho, Roodepan and thegreater Kimberley area.Various actions ranging from static

road-blocks, vehicle control points,stop-and-searches, enhanced visibility byfoot, vehicle and air-wing, tracing ofknown and wanted suspects, compliancevisits to taverns, raiding of illegal she-beens, visits to businesses, visits toRoodepan flats and distribution of pam-phlets were performed on the two days of12 and 13 April.According to a report from Lieutenant

Donald Mdhluli of Corporate Communica-tion at the SAPS, 13 suspects werearrested for crimes ranging from assaultwith intention to cause grievous bodilyharm, house-breaking and theft, robbery,driving under the influence of alcohol,theft and possession of dagga.Altogether 84 litres of liquor were

confiscated, 699 empty bottles for liquorwere seized, 70 crates as well as 2 fridgesand 1 freezer were also confiscated.Altogether 25 kg of dagga estimated atR30 000 (with a suspect) was seized. Fourknives were further seized.The report further revealed that 99

traffic fines were issued and 9 people werearrested for traffic offences.Mdhluli also stated that 3 654 people

were searched during the search of 1 517vehicles. Ten undocumented persons werearrested when 50 taverns and 120 flatswere visited.

Operation Naledi huge success

RIGHT: Lt DonaldMdhluli with an of-ficer of the Depart-ment of Home Af-fairs.

AN SAPS officialduring a visit to alocal tavern.

Photos: Supplied

}Boipelo Mere

THE late Sarah Oliphant and herlate husband will be turning intheir graves after being strippedoff their parental dignity by theirremaining children.In their lifetime Sarah and her

husband had eight children andby the timeSarahpassed away allof them were married and hadtheir own homes.Lettie was married to the late

MohammedDichabe, but she con-tinued to live at home. Aswas thecase withmany black people whocould not own property in theapartheid era the Oliphants hadonly the government issuedhouse in Adam Nomakola toleave to their children.Isaac and Willie Oliphant had

settled in Roodepan with theirfamilies. Their five other siblingshad unfortunately passed awayleaving Isaac, Willie and Lettiethe joint owners of their parents’estate.The threewere living inharmo-

ny, evenwhenWillie got divorcedand left his home in Roodepan toreturn to his parents home to re-build his life. After overcomingthe pains of the divorce, he metand married a new love and isstaying in Lorato Park.In the meantime Isaac (the eld-

est brother) registered their par-ents’ home in his name in 1993andbecausehe ismarried in com-munity of property, the propertyis therefore part of his marriageto the exclusion of his other sib-lings.“I received a letter from Van

der Wall Attorneys that statedthat our parents’ house had beendonated by Isaac to Willie as awedding gift. While still shocked,Willieandhisnewwifecamehereto tell me that I had to vacate thehouse by the end of April,’’ saidLettie Dichabe.Lettie said she had been ad-

vised to go check this at theDeedsOffice and had been shocked tofind that indeed the house was inIsaac andhiswife’s nameandhadjust been donated to Willie andhis wife as a wedding gift.“The problem is that I am not

educated, so my brothers think Iam not wise. I know for instancethat by law all our names shouldappear under our deceased par-ents’ names as beneficiaries.Whoever did the transfer shouldhave asked for the surviving sib-lings and the death certificates ofthe departed ones. It has not hap-pened and that can only be attrib-uted to some kind of fraud,’’ saidLettie.“Is it possible for children to

strip their parents of the dignityofhaving left themahouse?askedLettie.Lettie mentioned that she had

always toyedwith the idea of sell-ing the house, but had alwayscontacted her brothers.“What Lettie told you is only

half the truth,’’ said her brotherswhen asked to give their side ofthe story.“The truth is that our late

mother registered the house inIsaac’s name and none of us hadproblems with that,” said WillieOliphant. “Whenouryounger sis-ter proposed that we sell thehouse, Isaac did not have a prob-lem and we started the arrange-ments to have the house sold andI opted to buy it, so that I couldpay them off,” continued Willie.“The sale was concluded with

her full knowledge and becausethe housewas sold for R60 000, wehave to share what remains afterpaying legal andmunicipal costs.Her share is already available.We’ll never rob her. Did she tellyou that she had tried to sell thehouse for R15 000?’’ asked Willie.The matter of the house can be

mediated after Lettie engaged theLegal Aid Board for relief.

Inheritance leads to rivalry

LETTIE DICHABE in the doorway of her late parents’ house thatshe said her brothers had sold without her consent.

Photo: Boipelo Mere

EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2013 5

NEWS

} Boipelo Mere

IN a fight against water leaks thedeputy minister of Water and Environ-mental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi,and the Kareeberg Local Municipalitygot their hands dirty to fix leaking tapsat identified households experiencingwater leaks in Carnarvon.

This was during Mabudafhasi’srecent visit to the area as part of thewater conservation public educationand awareness campaign and deepeningthe National Water Week theme: Wateris life, Respect it, Conserve it, Enjoy it.

The Kareeberg Local Municipality isamongst the municipalities who incur ahigh loss of revenue through unac-counted water loss exacerbated byleaking pipes and taps.

Leaking taps were fixed at fivehouseholds on the day whereby themunicipality will continue the pro-gramme.

The deputy minister further urgedthe community to report internal tapleakages to their local municipality aswell in order for the municipality totake charge and fix them. This isunlike before, where the municipalitywas only in charge of fixing burst

pipes and taps that were outside theyard.

The Department of Water Affairsintroduced the War on Leaks Projectwhich aims to eradicate leaks athousehold level, educate users aboutwater conservation, fixing leaks,creating jobs for young people andskills development with the aim ofreducing water loss by half cum 2014.

The deputy minister highlighted thatSouth Africa was ranked amongst the30 driest countries in the world,although its current water supply wasadequate to meet the country’s currentneeds.

“There could be a problem inmeeting future needs if we do not actnow to secure effective and timeoussmart water-management options.Water leaks are a major cause forconcern that if not arrested timeously,might lead to disaster,” she pointedout.

The deputy minister further remind-ed how lack of access to water had antremendous effect on many SouthAfricans’ health, their developmentand their dignity during the apartheidera.

“South Africa is already faced with

scarce water resources and is furtherthreatened by high levels of pollutionin dams and rivers. We are also facedwith water wastage that occurs in ourhomes, schools and businesses as aresult of leaking taps and pipes,” addedMabudafhasi.

She further announced the implemen-tation of the 2020 Vision Programmewhich is a school-based and communityoutreach programme.

“This programme continues toeducate gr. R to gr. 12 learners aboutintegrated water resource management,climate change and the environmentincluding water-related careers.

“The respectful use and conservationof water starts with our children, butthis does not mean that adults cannotadopt water-saving practices. Whilst itis our children and our youth who arein the learning phase, our adults arethe ones who are active in commerceand industry, and who will also sharethe responsibility of guiding our youngpeople to implement good waterpractices for tomorrow,” concluded thedeputy minister.

Mabudafhasi proceeded to plant treesat the Carnarvon Primary School aftera Public Participation Programme.

Gloves off in water warTHE deputy minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, fixing a leaking tap at one of the identifiedhouseholds.

} DimakatsoLechwenyo

ALLOWme to be thevoice that speaks topieces of my nation

The generation ofrhythmic sisters whoswing their hipsacross the streets ofGaleshewe Sisters ofminewho name theirchildren Lerato forthis is what their hearts ache for

Sisters whom seek their beauty in the eyesof fella boys who drive snazzy cars and wearpower suits and dik-sand ninga’s who weargold around their neck and across their teeth

Sisters who know they deserve respect andhonour

Yet they settle for bad boys who smell ofcheap perfume, treat sisters like trash

And scream ‘tjsek’ to prove a pointThese are my sisters that I hug with words

from the inner depths of my soulPieces of me that lies within the beauty

queens of my societyThese are the black roses, the sunflowers,

the blue diamonds and the white goldThat is more valuable then the diamonds of

Kimberley’s Big HoleThese are the sisterswho find themselves in

the claws of abuse, hunger and no self-esteemWhere any job from the government is a

blessing and an opportunity to prove them-selves

These are BEE sisters who dress in overallsand sandals in order to make their wildestdreams a reality

Allowme to speak theminds of the offspringof these mothers who strive to build

Families for their childrenAllowme to tap into the games of the 9 year

olds who begin to speak FrenchBefore they know how to spell it...Young boys who do not know the feeling of

being held by their own fatherYet know that babies were conceived on the

nightswhen sisterswere brought home drunkBy some guy their heard but know they will

never see againSome of these boys grow to be the men that

we loveYet does not know it for his idea of love is

buying a sister a bottle of boozeAnd dancing like Rihanna and Beyoncé

seeking the attention of Jay-ZOnce they leave the club, its give and take

and he leaves her drunk at her mama’s doorAttempting to be the guy who is heard and

will never be seenAllowme tobe thevoice that says that judge-

ment should not be passedUntil you know the story and come to find

that you are part of that societyAllow my voice to tell every woman that no

matter what they say you are beautifulNo matter how many times you have fallen

you are worthy of only the bestWhat you have is sacred to youPut a small value on yourself and no man

shall raise your priceYou were fashioned to be able to overcome

painTake 5 and stand tall….for you endured it all

and you are stillSTANDING….

The voice ofmy nation

DIMAKATSOLECHWENYO

6 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2013

NEWS

} Boipelo Mere

THE South African DemocraticUnion (Sadtu) in the NorthernCape mourns the untimelypassing away of its deputyprovincial secretary, RuthOliphant.Oliphant passed away due to

an unsuccessful hernia opera-tion at the Mediclinic Kimber-ley.She is also reported to have

served in the PELRC of theunion, was a former chairper-son of the Urban FET counciland a community activist inthe ANC and SACP localstructures.The provincial secretary,

Sipho Mayongo, describedOliphant as a loyal and de-dicated leader who served theunion from school level toprovincial level with totalcommitment and sacrifice.“All members will miss her

tenacious leadership skills andexpertise in our quest for totaltransformation of our publiceducation.“As a parent to her two

children Ruth Oliphant wasexcellent, given the workingclass she comes from,” saidMayongo.The memorial service will be

held today at the Social Centre,Galeshewe, at 12:00.Her funeral will take place on

Saturday at her home in CeciliaStreet, Colville.

‘Ruthwasaloyalleader’

THE deputy provincial secretaryof Sadtu, Ruth Oliphant, haspassed away. Photo: Supplied

} Boipelo Mere

BOITUMELO OLIPHANT (15) ofthe Tetlanyo High School is carry-ing the whole province on hershoulders.She will be travelling with the

deputy minister of the Departmentof Trade and Industry (DTI), Eliza-beth Thabethe, to the annual Glo-bal Summit forWomen inMalaysiawith various countries. Oliphantwill further attend the DTI’s Budg-et Vote in Cape Town and the DTI’sprestigious TWIB Awards Ceremo-ny later this year.This is after the gr. 10 learner

was picked out of a 100 girls by thedeputy minister for being the mostoutstanding and exemplary learn-er.All these opportunities she sin-

gle-handedly obtained during theTechno-girl EntrepreneurshipWorkshop over the weekend.For three days Boitumelo has

been the one in charge of her teamduring the workshop.Thabethe was impressed by her

leadership skills as her team wasthe most disciplined of all.In tears, she also bravely prom-

ised the deputy minister that shewould not have a baby before shewas independent enough whilstthanking her for the opportunities.According to Boitumelo, this is

the second time that she is awardeda deserving opportunity due to herhard work.She revealed that in 2005 she

went to the United Kingdom (UK)for the Learner Skills ExchangeProgramme.“I am so happy that I can’t de-

scribe my emotions. I can only di-rectmy gratitude tomy team for al-lowing me this opportunity. I ammore happy because I made all ofthose around me proud. I must ac-knowledgemy teachers and family,including all the role players in ourbusiness plan, including my fa-ther,” said Boitumelo.She further thankedGodwho an-

swered her prayers when sheprayed and asked for his guidance.In response to the challenges of

being a team leader Boitumelo ad-mitted and added that her team un-derstood when she would become abit bossy.“They choseme as a team leader.

I am a perfectionist and alwaysstress about punctuality and order.For the past three days Iwoke themup at 04:30 and checked if their uni-forms and presentations wereready,” she added.Boitumelo revealed to Northern

Cape Express that she was beingraised by her father after her mompassed away in 2009. She also trainspart time at the Transnet School ofRail as a train driver.“Engineering is not really my

field, it’s just that I am an activeperson who likes to try everything.I am doing Commercial subjectsandMaths and dreams of becominga chartered accountant,” conclud-ed Boitumelo.

Diligent learner going toMalaysia

BOITUMELOOLIPHANTwas given a golden opportunity by the depu-ty minister, Elizabeth Thabethe. Photo: Boipelo Mere

Awarded for outstanding work during workshopTHE Tetlanyo High School’s teamof ten girls won the heart of the deputyminister of Trade and Industry during the Techno-girl Entrepre-neurshipWorkshopover theweekend. Theywere awarded cellphones for being themost examplary andoutstanding school throughoutthe programme. Photo: Boipelo Mere

} Boipelo Mere

SPEAKING to more than 260 en-thusiastic Cosatu provincial shopstewards in the Northern Cape,Zwelinzima Vavi gave a stark ac-count of the state of the workingclass struggle and the possible de-mise of the glorious movementwhich helped to achieve workers’gains South Africa is proud of.Looking inwardly Vavi laid the

problemat the doorstep ofCosatu.“The wrong thing is that Cosatuno longer trains shop stewards,there is a collapse of discipline,there is no longer training forleaders and organisers, no sup-port for officials, and there is a so-cial gap between the officials andthe workers,” said Vavi.He continued to tell shop stew-

ards that in a survey they con-

ducted to check on their successin defending their members, itproved that 54% of cases are wonby employers at the CCMA, as op-posed to the 46%won by workers.“How can it be that the body we

helped set up, is the one thatseems to work against us? The an-swer lies in the quality of servicewe provide to our members. Ser-vicing members is the life anddeath of the federation,” contin-ued Vavi.Vavi, who has been in thework-

ing class struggle from the timehe worked at Vaal Reefs, made anexample of worker representa-tives who often go to hearings un-prepared, untrained and mostlyarrive late. He attributed this tothe lack of resourcing officials.Vavi encouraged shop stewards

to do basic things expected of

them, such as having pens andnotebooks. Cosatu is engaged in alistening campaign dubbed Ear

on the floor from which they hopeto gather the concerns of theworkers. Vavi asked shop stew-ards to have programmes to closethe gap between them and the un-employed as a sign of solidarity.Turning to corruption, Vavi

said that the perception that thegoverning party, and by exten-sion the alliance, is corrupt is go-ing to haunt them in the next elec-tion.“As a result we in the alliance

must be united and that unitymust be based onprinciples,” saidVavi.However, throughout his ani-

mated address, the applause andstanding ovation one could feelthe threat hovering over his head.This coming Friday, some unionswill start to testify against Vavion the controversial charge of

corruption and disloyalty. Thecharge stems from the allegationthat Vavi sold the old CosatuHouse for R10 million to his fami-ly while Popcru wanted to buy itfor R15 million.The disloyalty charge stems

from allegations that Vavi sup-ports Dr Mamphele Ramphele’sAgang Party.“I promise, if they can find me

guilty, I will simply walk away.”The gathering was also ad-

dressed by Norman Shushu of theSACP, Anele Gxoyiya, BarbraBartlett of the ANC and RobbieTsikwe of Sanco. The 2013 May-day eventwill be celebrated in theGaleshewe Stadium inKimberleyto commemmorate the ten-yearanniversary of the Saulspoort bustragedy that will be addressed byPres. Jacob Zuma.

Vavi gives stark account on working class

ZWELINZIMA VAVI shows thesocial gap between the officialsand theworkers.Photo: Boipelo Mere

EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2013 7

Nominate a deserving sports starARE you good at sport, or issomeone in your school or placeof education good at sport? Areyou a young coach who iscoaching future stars? Are yougetting people active at yourschool, community or gym? Wewant to hear from you and makeyou famous.In 2008 Z PR and SuperSport

identified the need amongst theyouth to get more active. Withthis in mind SuperSport and Let’sPlay, in association withMedia24’s Express Group, havelaunched a special initiative: Wewant to find and give recognitionto learners at either primary orhigh school who excel in sport orwho are helping others to be

more active. The SuperSport Let’sPlay Star of the Month is acompetition for anyone aged 6 to18. You can nominate yourself orbe nominated by a friend, or byany teacher, lecturer or coach atyour school or place of education.You can even be nominated by afamily member or friend whoknows how good you are.The winner is chosen from all

the nominations received for thatmonth. The monthly winner willreceive a Let’s Play hamper filledwith goodies.From all the entries we receive

each month one player will bechosen as the SuperSport Let’sPlay Star of the Month.At the end of the year one

player from all the Star of theMonth winners will be chosen asthe SuperSport Let’s Play Star ofthe Year.Let’s Play is an initiative to

enhance recreation and develop-ment at schools through play andsport. Every school or place ofeducation has talented sportsmenand -women. Don’t be shy – wewant to know who you are.Send us your nomination today

(nominations received before the20th of every month will beincluded in that month’s selec-tion. Nominations received afterthe 20th of every month will becarried over to the next month’sselection).Your nomination must include

your name, age and a shortparagraph (less than 200 words)on what you have achieved, aswell as your contact details. Forexample:Name:Age and grade:School or place of education’s

name:What you have achieved (200

words or less):Contact telephone number or

address:You can email your nomination

to supersport@zpr.co.za or SMS072-311-7716 (no phone calls willbe accepted; normal cell phonerates apply) or fax 086-552-4922 orhand deliver your entry to Z PRat 22A Reid Street, Westdene,

Bloemfontein.For more information please

call Lynne at Z PR on 051-430-3027.

8 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2013

Diamonds take the goldTwo finalistsworthyopponents} Boipelo Mere

AN HEROIC penalty stoppage catapultedSipho Davids, goalkeeper for RealDiamonds, into an instant hero forcheering soccer lovers who had spentthe day watching participating teamsas they devoured each other fightingfor a place in the finals during theVuduka Sports Tournament.

Diamonds and Ghetto United wereworthy finalists as they displayed defttouches and attacked each other non-stop.

It was Ghetto who opened the score-line and looked as though they hadbagged it. The scoreline remained 1-0at interval.

When the game restarted, the tempoincreased, but many clear chances werewasted by strikers and midfield playersof both sides.

However, Diamonds levelled mattersand the game went to penalties.

Easy shots were taken and scored untilSipho heroically saved a final kick fromGhetto, sending the crowd into raptureswith those crowding him calling himKhune, the Kaiser Chiefs goalkeeperhero.

Kagisho Matile, a coach at KimberleyBoys’ High School and a well-knownfigure in Northern Cape soccer circles,said that it was amazing how the prov-ince and Kimberley were endowed withso much talent, but because of a lack ofparental and governmental support suchtalent could go to waste.

Vincent Kasingesi, ecstatic coach ofReal Diamonds, said that he was morethan satisfied that his team had set atrend.

“We have to keep the momentumgoing. We have to keep the respect ofthe other teams and respect amongstourselves.

“I was expecting to win because wehad worked together as a team to keepup our good reputation,” added thecoach.

Kasingesi further revealed that theyhad had a good year because theyhad also won at the World Aids Tour-nament.

He concluded by thanking VudukaSports for sponsoring this tourna-ment.

GHETTO UNITED equalising with 1-1. Photo: Boipelo Mere

REAL DIAMONDS were declared the winners during the Vuduka Sports Tournament. Photo: Boipelo Mere

GHETTO UNITED lost 5-4 during penalties. Photo: Boipelo Mere