17 July 2015

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Six suspects were apprehended after anarmed robbery in Bela-Bela.According to information received the six

men attempted an armed robbery at theAckermans store in Chris Hani Drive,Bela-Bela on Tuesday, 14 July.Cluster Unit and Community Service

Centre (CSC) members rushed to the sceneafter being tipped off.According to Warrant Officer Sello

Mangane of the Crime Prevention Unit, thesuspects crossed paths with the storemanager who was leaving the store withmoney as they entered.He said that two suspects entered the shop,

with one of them standing behind thecashier while the other took up positionbehind the only customer in the shop, andinstructed them to keep still.Warrant Officer Mangana said that the

customer managed to escape while thesuspects demanded money from the cashier

Six up for robbingAckermans

Bela-Bela’s Ackermans store, which was robbed recently. Photo: Lizzy Bapela

Lizzy Bapelawho had only R560 in the till. He saidthat the suspects realized that they weregoing to be reported shortly, if notalready, and decided to flee the scene.All six initially escaped in a white

Toyota Siyaya taxi. They stopped at theShell Garage to buy R100 worth ofpetrol and sped off toward the N1, usingthe road to Maubane.They were caught at Mantsole, and

immediately detained. The policeconfiscated their vehicle in addition tothe suspects’ handguns, of which therewere two. The third gun was apparentlya toy gun.The local Criminal Records Centre

members were called to the scene toconduct their investigations. The storewas temporarily closed for theirinvestigations.The provincial commissioner,

Lieutenant-General Fanie Masemolacommended the team for their swift andcapable response.

Teen dies in knife attackMarlene Vermaak

William Sello Nungu (17), a learner atLeseding Secondary School at Leseding,passed away after a knife attack duringthe early morning hours of Saturday, 4July.

“It was probably around half past threein the morning when two of William’sfriends arrived at our house screaming,”said Sello Joseph, his father. “Thefriends told us that our son had beenstabbed with a knife and was notbreathing – they thought he was dead.”

“Of course I rushed to the accused’shouse as quickly as I could. There werealready two police vehicles on the scene,but all four SAPS members were stillsitting in their cars and did not emergewhen I arrived.

I found my son on a bed in theaccused’s home. He was lying lifeless ona bed, and there was a single stab woundto the middle of his chest. The accusedwas already gone. According toWilliam’s friends the accused hadalready been taken away by the police.”

Eyewitnesses reported that William wason his way to meet a friend when heheard someone crying out for help.

“William immediately went to help andran into the house from where he heardthe cries,” said one eyewitness. “Therewere three men and a woman in thehouse. William’s friend Mishack wasalso attacked, but escaped with a fleshwound to his arm. He fled to the clinicfor treatment.”

While he was gone, something musthave gone wrong, and no-one is surewhat happened to leave William dead.

The murder weapon as well as thesuspect’s T-Shirt, was found behind thehouse. Captain Mpete, the StationCommander for the Vaalwater SAPS,was on the scene to help collectedevidence, that was sent to Pretoria forfurther forensic analysis.William’s mother, Annatjie, was

shocked and grieved when The BEATvisited her on Friday, 10 July, before thefuneral. She still wonders why her sonhad to die such an unnecessary death.William Sello Nungu was born on 14

December 1997, and passed away onSaturday, 4 July 2015. He was laid torest on Saturday, 11 July at Vaalwater.A suspect has been arrested and

investigations are continuing.

William Sello Nungu died of a stab woundto the chest on 4 July. Photo supplied

Lephalalerapistsentencedto lifeinprison 2

CRIME beateditor@gmail.com | Website: thebeat.linmedia.co.zaPage 2 THE BEAT 17 July, 2015

Rapist gets lifeTK Mashaba

Mogalakwena Local Municipality hasrecently stated that they are aware ofrumours and allegations of fraudulentactivity going around, and that they arelooking into it.

Municipal spokesperson MaleselaSelokela confirmed that fraudulenttransaction of 5.57 million indeedoccurred in their municipality. Thepayment was earmarked to four differentservice providers.Mogalakwena mayor Councillor

Malesela Parks Sebatjane said that thereport that they received from

Municipality opens fraud caseLizzy Bapela management is that the money ended up

in different accounts instead of theaccounts of the rightful service providers.He added that however, a case of fraudhas been opened and that they have putmeasures in place to curb the recurrenceof this kind of fraudulent activity and alsoto protect the municipal sums availablenow.“Over and above, the police’s

investigations are underway and at themoment we cannot confirm whether it isan internal or external matter. Onceinvestigations are concluded we will beable to point as to what really happened.We view this in a very serious light and

if it can be found that any of our

employees had a hand in that, we willtake urgent measures. We have alsoinformed the Department of ProvincialTreasury (DPT) and the Department ofCo-operative Governance, HumanSettlements and Traditional Affairs(CoGHSTA) and the DPT had alreadydispatched people to come on the groundin the municipality to assist,” Sebatjanesaid.He said that immediately after this was

detected by the officials in their FinanceDepartment, all transactions and paymentswere frozen and the computers which wereused for those transactions we confiscated.Sebatjane added that they cannot go intodetails since investigations are underway.

Waterberg local area crime round up

The police in Bela-Bela are investigating acase of culpable homicide following anaccident on the Settlers road on the morning ofSunday, 5 July.

Police spokesperson Constable Maria Maletosaid that it is reported that the driver of thevehicle lost control and the vehicle swervedand rolled over several times. Four occupants,two men and two women, were in the vehiclewhen the accident happened and two, a manand a woman died instantly. The remainingpassengers sustained minor injuries.* The Bela-Bela police are looking for a man

known as Pieter, who allegedly vanished afterselling his employer‘s truck without hisconsent. Constable Maleto said that the suspectwas working at a farm in Bela-Bela as aforeman. She added that the detectives’ team isworking on the case and hoping to bring thesuspect in for questioning. The police requestthe community to assist in locating hiswhereabouts and anyone with information thatcan lead to the success of the case can contactDetective Lieutenant Annemarie Smith on 0835133 784 or visit the police station.

* Four suspects are expected to appear beforethe Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Court this week ona charge of theft of game. Constable Maletosaid that the suspects were arrested atDroogekloof Farm on Thursday, 9 July, afterthey allegedly poached 15 warthogs from thefarm. She added that the owner of one of the

Modimolle police and their stakeholder structures recently conducted a massivepatrol operation in the area. Photo: Ronnel van Jaarsveld

Ronél van Jaarsveld

plots received a call, informing him thatfourteen of his warthogs were missing.

Three of the farm workers assisted him in thesearch for the missing animals and theymanaged to find three men with the animalsand iron rods, which the police suspect mayhave been utilized to slaughter the animals.Constable Maleto said that the police wereinformed and on arrival the suspects told thepolice that they were waiting for a vehicle totake the warthogs to their homes. After a whilethe other suspect who was driving the getawayvehicle arrived at the scene and was alsoarrested with the other three on the spot.

* Modimolle police, in cooperation with their

Despair turns to joy as mayor provides temporary shelter

Despair turned to joy as the mayor ofMogalakwena Councillor Parks Sebatjanereported on provision of temporaryshelter for the Chueu family, whose houserecently burnt down.

Mayor Sebatjane, along with EXCOmembers and officials, visited the familyof six after the incident. The Chueus wereleft with just the clothes on their backswhen their home burned down recently.The family is now homeless and by thedirective of the office of the Mayor andTraffic and Emergency Services, thefamily were provided with temporaryshelter and also received food parcels andschool uniforms for the children.

Samuel Chueu, said that he works inMarble Hall with his wife. They receiveda call from their children notifying them

Lizzy Bapela that the house was on fire. He added thathe was told that the municipal firefighters arrived after 10 minutes but therewas nothing much they could save as theflame had already spread through theentire house. The neighbours managed tokeep out one vehicle that was in thegarage.

“We would like to thank all ourneighbours and the municipality for thehelp they provided. Our concern is thechildren who have been through a verybad experience. One of them was sleepingand others were studying but thanks toGod they all managed to escape,” Chueusaid.

Mayor Sebatjane said that preliminaryinvestigations suggest that an electricalfault could have been the cause of the firebut that cannot be confirmed asinvestigations are still underway. Headded that they provided a temporary

solution for the family while they seeklong time solutions.“Our people should understand that our

intervention is only temporarily whichobviously will not replace their normalhousing conditions. Despite the familyhaving lost all their belongings which isbad, we are grateful that none of the familymembers were harmed during the fire andwe have arranged a psychologist to meetand assist them with counselling. My officeis committed to assist the family further,should such a need arise,” Sebatjane said.In a show of concern following the

incident, Mayor Sebatjane has urgedanyone who can assist further with anyform of donation especially clothing,blankets, food, school uniform, etc. Fordonations, people are urged to contact themunicipality’s communications headMalesela Selokela on 015 491 9760or: 083 359 6971.

Mogalakwena municipal delegatesattended to the scene after the fire.Photo supplied

stakeholder structures, conducted a massivepatrol operation in the township on Saturday,11 July, which they rated a success. Thestructures include the Neighbourhood Watchand Street Committees and together theymanaged to close down taverns operatingillegally. A stop and search was alsoconducted during the operation, whichresulted in people being arrested for thepossession of dagga, being drunk in public,drinking in public, the pointing of firearms,and road traffic violations.The police sent out a strong message to

criminals that they must know that there is noplace for them in Modimolle.

Increase in theft from vehicles concerns Bela-Bela police

Lephalale can rest easier now, with arapist off the streets.

Johannes Lesetja Malatjie (37) wassentenced to life in prison on Tuesday,14 July, for his rape of a 53-year oldwoman. The sentence was handeddown in the Lephalale RegionalCourt.

“He forcefully overpowered andraped the victim, who was walkingnext to the road,” said Colonel RonelOtto, Limpopo Police spokesperson.The incident occurred on 22September in 2014.

The woman was seriously assaulted,but Malatjie was traced by hiscellphone, which he left at the sceneof the crime. DNA evidence was alsoused to convict.

Johannes Lesetja Malatjie (37) wasrecently sentenced to life in prison.Photo supplied

The Bela-Bela police have expressedtheir concern over a recent increase inmotor vehicle-related cases, especiallythe theft of spare wheels.Police spokesperson Constable Maria

Maleto said that they recently arrested

Lizzy Bapela two men aged 35, who were caughtstealing valuable items from people’scars. She said that the suspects werefound with a tool box, bicycle, and acar radio in their possession. Thesuspects were detained and chargedwith theft from a motor vehicle, andwere expected to appear before theBela-Bela Magistrate’s Court this week.

The two men were allegedly alsolinked with a number of motor vehicle-related cases which occurred from April2015. Constable Maleto also said thatsome of the suspects in these casescome from as far afield as Mokopane tocommit their crimes in Bela-Bela.“Theft of spare wheels is on the rise

currently and we advise members of

the community to ensure that theirvehicles are properly locked beforeleaving them unattended. They shouldpark their cars in well-lit areas duringthe night so that they can see anysuspicious movements around theircars. This will minimize opportunitiesof theft out and from motor vehicles,”she said.

To know how to suggest is the greatart of teaching.Henri Frederic Amiel

GOVERNMENT / POLITICAL THE BEAT Page 317 July, 2015beateditor@gmail.com | Website: thebeat.linmedia.co.za

Men’s best successes come after their disappointments.Henry Ward Beecher

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Another successful mass patrol in Bela-Bela

Human rights organization,AfriForum in partnership with theBela-Bela police and CommunityPolicing forum has managed tostage a very successful mass patrol.

More than 500 people on took partin the patrol on Saturday 11 July inits bid to increase visible policing inthe area.

Ian Cameron, head of communitysafety at AfriForum, said thepurpose of the patrol was toimprove cooperation withneighborhood watches, and toestablish a relationship between thepolice and local farm watches.

A total of 20 arrests were madeduring the patrol all of which wererelated to the illegal sale ofalcohol.

The patrol was said to be one ofseveral projects that students whoare interning at AfriForum wereinvolved in.

“They were taught how patrolswork and how communication onthe ground and betweenstakeholders can be used moreefficiently,” said Cameron.

Radio masts were erected andradio systems were tested during theoperation.

Cameron said young people shouldbecome more involved inneighbourhood watches and patrolsand get the necessary training so

Justin Steyn

that they know how it should beused in situations where needed. Headded that it is also essential that allrole players should be aware ofwhat their dealing with duringincidents of criminal activities.

“This is particularly vital thatcrime scenes must be preserved inorder to improve the chances ofprosecuting offenders,” Cameronsaid.

Esrom Nkwinika of Youth AgainstCrime said that he is pleased aboutthe second patrol.

“The local police and all otherstakeholders performed very wellduring this operation. The weather

conditions were also much better aswe had a lot of rain during the lastoperation and this made visibilitypoor,” he said.Nkwinika said that his

organization would like to conductpatrols like these on a daily basisas he feels this could decreasecrime levels in Bela-Bela’stownship area.“We are more than willing to

conduct patrols like these on a dailybasis. We will be in communicationwith the local police and otherstakeholders and see if we cannotget a car to conduct these patrols,”he said.

Illegal liquor selling was one of the main focuses during the secondmass patrol in Bela-Bela where 20 arrests have been made.Photo: Supplied

A housing officer and a councillorfrom Modimolle Local Municipalityare being investigated for fraudinvolving an RDP house in the area.Ramosebi Andrew Kgati and

Councillor Jimmy Moropeng werearrested following an alleged scam andare facing fraud charges. Kgati wasnabbed on Thursday, 2 July, and wasreleased on a R1 000 bail when heappeared before the ModimolleMagistrate’s Court on Friday, 3 July.Meanwhile, the councillor handedhimself over to the police on Monday,6 July, accompanied by his lawyer andappeared in court on Tuesday, 7 July.According to the information

received, the pair sold an RDP housebelonging to a man named Paul Lakato a resident on the waiting list forRDP beneficiaries named AnnahRamaselela for R11 000. Ramaselelatold the police that she applied for anRDP house during the 2011/2012financial year and approached thecouncillor for advice when shedecided that it was taking too long forher to obtain the house. Moropengallegedly told her that he was selling ahouse belonging to his brother forR15 000 and would speak to Kgatiabout it.Ramaselela and her husband Jan

Zhou said that the two came to theirrental place and drove them to theRDP for viewing, which wasvandalized and had some items such asdoors and windows missing. Becauseof the conditions of the house, thedesperate couple convinced thealleged scammers to reduce the priceto R11 000, who even drove them tothe bank to withdraw the money.“We only had R7 000 in our account,

so we withdrew it all and gave it tothem, agreeing that my wife will applyfor a loan to settle the amount the nextday,” said Zhou. “My wife got a loanapproval of the amount applied for andwent by herself to Kgati’s office as I

Municipal official up for RDP fraud, fugitivecouncillor surrenders

Lizzy Bapela was held up at work and he was alsoalone in his office when he receivedthe money. They pushed us to move inso I quickly renovated and cleaned thehouse and we moved in September2014. We were surprised to receive avisit from Laka, who told us that thehouse was his and he needed to movein. We told him that we bought thehouse and even took him to Kgati andMoropeng, who told him to look for avacant RDP and notify them when hefound one”.Laka said in his statement that all the

houses that he found were in adilapidated state so he told the allegedfraudsters that he wanted his ownhouse back. He then approached theDepartment of CooperativeGovernance, Human Settlement andTraditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) inPolokwane for assistance and theyconducted an investigation, whichrevealed the scam.Laka said that he could not occupy

the house because the local mayorKgaretja Lekalakala told the residentsto wait for the completion of the otherphase of RDPs so that the municipalitycould hand them over at the same time.He also said that he got sick during thetime and stayed with his relatives andkept on checking on the house, whichpreviously got occupied by anotherwoman.It is alleged that during the payment

of the remaining R4 000, Kgaticounted the money underneath thetable in his office as if the money wasillegal and that behaviour raised someserious concerns for Ramaselela. Also,that Moropeng firstly told the couplethat the house belonged to his son whorelocated to Gauteng and the totalcosts of renovations was R12 000.Municipal spokesperson Patrick

Shika confirmed the incident but saidhe was not going to release any mediastatements. A comment from himregarding the matter is still awaited.The two are expected back in court

on Friday, 7 August as their cases werepostponed during their first appearance

and were both released on the sameamount of bail. It is rumoured thatMoropeng also had a mass protestslevelled against him previously byconcerned community membersregarding service delivery in his wardand the similar RDP scams.The police call out to everybody who

might have suffered similar actions tocome out and report their cases.

Modimolle municipal officialRamosebi Andrew Kgati up forRDP fraud. Photo supplied

Fugitive councillor JimmyMoropeng from Modimolle wasalso detained following the fraudcharges. Photo supplied

GOVERNMENT / POLITICALPage 4 THE BEAT beateditor@gmail.com | Website: thebeat.linmedia.co.za17 July, 2015

Community upset over stray cattle proposalResidents in Bela-Bela are up in arms abouta proposal by the local municipalities tolease land in the catchment area of theBela-Bela dams.

This is apparently proposed as a solutionfor the town’s stray cattle, which has been aheadache for motorists.

During a meeting at Laerskool Warmbadon Monday, 13 July, residents who live inthe area stated several reasons why leasingland to informal farmers near the town’sdam area would impact the town in aseverely negative way.

DA councillor Kobus van der Merwestated that the municipality should not beinvolved in farming matters. He sighted thatduring several meetings regarding theproposal, municipal officials had receivedno objections from the local community,which caused the meeting to be called.

Chris Wagner of the Waterberg NatureConservancy Forum stated various reasonswhy farming in the area would hold anegative impact for the area’s environmentand water supply.

“It would be illogical to farm in theproposed area because that is part of wherethe town receives its water. You cannotfarm there without damaging the grasslandsand general environment. Bela-Bela’sgrasslands are slowly deteriorating andbecoming more and more like a desert,” hesaid.

Justin Steyn

Wagner has proposed that the area shouldbe declared a heritage site, and should beprotected from overwhelming humanactivity.

Jan van Blerk, who owns a shooting rangenear the dam, said that the area could see anincrease in the vandalism of privateproperty, theft and trespassing, should thefarming be allowed.

“We see a lot of people walking aroundnear our shooting range, and they chopwood and take it to their homes. We havebeen forced to halt our shooting activitieswhen this occurs. Fishermen have also beenseen trespassing on private property inorder to fish at the dam and I fear that all ofthese may increase should farming beallowed in the area,” he said.

A petition against the municipality’sproposal has since been drafted and passedon to residents to sign. The petition statesthat the provision of water to thecommunity is already at a premium onaccount of the inherent limitations ofpresent water sources.It further states that the municipality

should take steps to protect and conservethe catchment of dams by preventing anyfurther human impact on the area and toprotect it from the ravages of wildfirewhich has impoverished the soil and thelocal biodiversity to the extent that it willtake decades to restore. The municipalspokesperson, Matome Sebelebele, couldnot be reached for comment.“While we understand the anxiety of the

individuals and interested parties, in the endthe responsibility for developing the area inline with our conservation goals belongswith the Municipality. We will publicallyunveil our plans for the area at theappropriate time,” said Matome Sebelebele,the municipal spokesperson. “We are quitewilling to meet with concerned residentsabout this matter, but we do urge the publicnot to run wild on the basis of mere rumour.The municipality is always willing to meetwith residents in order to clarify thesituation and allay their concerns.The cattle suggestion has been made, and

we acknowledge that there is a problemwith stray cattle, but the proposalmentioned above was merely one of manysuggestions to solve the stray cattleproblem.”

Residents are displeased with the proposal to allow farming near the town’s watersupply. Photo: Justin Steyn

Job opportunities as ministerlaunches a sewing project

The executive mayor of the WaterbergDistrict, Councillor Tlotlanang Mogotlane,accompanied the Deputy Minister forCooperative Governance and TraditionalAffairs (CoGHSTA), Andries Nel, invisiting various Community Work Programs(CWP) sites in Thabaleshoba Villagerecently.

The visit took place in MogalakwenaLocal Municipality on Wednesday, 1 July,and encompassed Early ChildhoodDevelopment centres and MogalakwenaNursery Project based at Ditlou PrimarySchool. The dignitaries were accompaniedby the local mayor Councillor ParksSebatjane, Thabazimbi Mayor CouncillorPatricia Mosito, and other local councillors.

The delegation visited all the projects thatare being implemented in the area andthereafter addressed over 1 500 CWPparticipants who are benefitting from theprogram as well as members of thecommunity.

They planted trees at the school and laterofficially opened the Thabaleshoba CWPSewing Project. The participants at thesewing project were encouraged to start bysewing their own uniforms.

Mogalakwena mayor Councillor Parks Sebatjane paved a way during the officialopening of a sewing project in the area. Photo supplied

Lizzy Bapela While addressing participants, the deputyminister said that the youth are building abetter future each day through the CWP, notonly for themselves, but also for theircommunities.

“Over the five years of this administrationthe CWP will put R5,6 billion into thepockets of the poorest of the poor. Theproject has created 202 634 workopportunities during the 2014/15 financialyear in the entire country. We want to create1 million work opportunities by 2019,” hesaid.

Mayor Sebatjane also spoke to theaudience and said that through CWP, theyouth in the municipality are becominginvolved in looking after orphans andvulnerable children, helping sick people,assisting teachers at schools and workingwith local police to improve safety andreduce crime. CPW is a governmentinitiative designed to provide employmentsafety net to eligible participants byoffering by offering them a minimumnumber of regular days of work eachmonth. The program targets theunemployed youth, women, and peoplewith disabilities.

Currently the CWP is being implementedin Wards 1 and 2 of Mogalakwena, whichcomprises 21 villages.

The Concerned Residents of Bela-Bela havetaken their concerns to the provincialgovernment, asking them to forcerepresentatives from the municipality to attendtheir grievance meeting.Their letter of complaint was sent to Limpopo

Premier Stanley Mathabatha, the MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlement, andTraditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) GraceMakhurupetje, Municipal Manager MorrisMaluleka and Bela-Bela Mayor Lucas Nhlapo.The residents held a meeting on Sunday, 12

July, at Sunfa Stadium, which they allege thatthe municipal manager and the mayor did notattend, despite being invited. They said thatthey were planning to meet with the premier onTuesday, 28 July at Polokwane.Among some of the grievances they shared in

their memorandum is the constantunavailability of both the municipal managerand the mayor.“The mayor is always at SAFA meetings or

attending games like he did on Sunday atNorthwest while we waited for him, and themunicipal manager has to travel each day fromTshwane to Bela-Bela,” said Obed Motau, acommittee member of the group. “How do theyknow their community’s complaints if they arealways far away from the community?”

Concerned residents take theirconcerns to the next level

Some of the residents who attended the meeting at Sunfa.Photo: TK Mashaba

Obed Motauaddressed some ofthe residents atthe Sunfa Stadiumon Sunday, 12July. Photo: TKMashaba

TK Mashaba They also complained about the poor deliveryof housing in Bela-Bela.“The lack of land is one of the chief concerns

that the community have and the community isfrustrated and aggressive because of the slowprogress and delays being experienced,” hesaid.He also said that they feel that the community

has been waiting for so long that they ended upoccupying land illegally because themunicipality is not being forthcoming onrelevant places and how many houses are to bebuilt on it.The committee have also taken their concerns

to Facebook where they have a page thatcarries updates about service delivery andanything related to the municipality.“As the municipality we are constantly

engaging with the Concerned Residents and wehave had a number of meetings with themregarding their concerns. We feel that some oftheir issues are political and have nothing to dowith the municipality,” said MatomeSebelebele, municipal spokesperson. “Thosewhich are related to the municipality’s businessare being attended to and we will be attendingmeetings with the minister or the premier. Wedispute the allegations regarding theunavailability of the mayor and the municipalmanager. Both these officials are alwaysavailable. In rare cases where they cannotattend a representative will always be sent.

EDITORIAL 17 July, 2015 THE BEAT Page 5beateditor@gmail.com | Website: thebeat.linmedia.co.za

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A representative of theMogalakwena ResidentsAssociation writes:We reject the appointment of DanThobela as the Technical ServicesManager. Thobela has previouslybeen dismissed based on chargesof corruption and forgery whichprompted his resignation at thetime. We are aware that the ANCProvincial Secretary Knox Seabiis currently staying in theThobela’s home, and we believethat the position of TechnicalServices Manager as a token ofappreciation.

Thobela was previously foundguilty of serious charges duringhis tenure as Technical Manager atMogalakwena Municipality.

Why is the municipality beingforced to appoint people withquestionable reputations?

These developments confirm ourassertion that the provincialsecretary of the ANC and thePremier are the cause of theproblems in MogalakwenaMunicipality.

We are aware that his companymilked our money duringMashamaite’s tenure, and hewants to continue doing that.

As residents of Mogalakwena wehave serious challenges in termsof service delivery, which needimmediate intervention fromgovernment. But the currentsituation in MogalakwenaMunicipality, which appears to begetting worse, is worrisome.

The community is also concernedwith the allegations of sexualexploitation in the municipality.Applicants have raised concernsthat the current Chief Whip andsome councillors demand sexualfavours from women in exchangefor employment. As the MRA weare saddened by this information.We urge our women and youngladies to report incidents likethese to law enforcement, andrefuse these kind of offers out ofhand.

Another concern in thecommunity is that companies thatbelong to Patrick Sekhu andSamuel Matjila continue to beable to tender in our municipalitydespite the fact that SARS hasprohibited these companies fromdoing business with themunicipality.

We request that the ANC NEC tostop the lawlessness currentlyprevailing in MogalakwenaMunicipality and take appropriateaction against corrupt parties,because we the community can nolonger afford the luxuriouslifestyles of the fat cats.

Enough is enough.

Tinus Ras, DA Councillor for Bela-Bela, writes: The DA wishes toinform the residents of Bela-Belaabout the following very importantissues that came to light at the latestmeeting of the FinancialSubcommittee of the municipalityheld on June 18, 2015:

Total debtors amount toR105 984 476.00 of which provisionhas been made to write offR86 307 962.00. The DA objectedto the credit control process andrequested that urgent attention begiven to it.

Municipal personnel owe themunicipality R517 820.00 andcertain amounts are deducted fromthe salaries of those who are inarrears for more than 90 days. TheDA objected to it and demanded thatresidents and employees be treatedin the same way. It means thatservices should be terminated assoon as accounts are in arrears and itshould be applied to residents andemployees alike. This will alsocontain bad debt.

For the past financial year untilApril 30, 2015, rebates ofR14 061 364, 19 were granted toresidents who cannot afford the ratesand who earn less than R2 860.00per month. The DA is in favour of itas long as it is being handled withcare.

For the first six months of the pastfinancial year, water lossesamounted to 574 188 Kilolitre andelectricity 16 131 071 kW hour,representing 30.69% and 32.68%respectively of the totalconsumption. These losses resultfrom a combination of illegalconnections, theft, poor maintenanceand control. The Municipal Managerhas undertaken to pay urgentattention to the problem.

LETTERTO THEEDITOR

May2015 LETTER

TO THEEDITOR

Midos and Crew showed off their skills at the indigenous games. Photo: TK Mashaba

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MODIMOLLE LANDUSE SCHEME, 2004

Notice is hereby given toall whom it may concernthat in terms of clause 23of the abovementionedScheme, I (full name)

MOLEKOA KHARIARON intends applying tothe Modimolle LocalMunicipality for consent toTarven on (property andsuburb) VD 35 also knownas (street name andnumber) Leseding Ext 3situated in an Residential 1zone (Example:Residential 1, bisuness 4etc.)Any objection, with thegrounds therefor, shall belodged with or made inwriting to: The DivisionalManager: Town Planning,Ground Floor, ModimolleMunicipal Building,Private Bag x1008,Modimolle, 0510, within28 days of the publicationof the advertisement in theLocal newspaper viz.Full particulars and plans(if any) may be inspectedduring normal office hours(08:00 - 13:00 and 13:45 -15:00) at theabovementioned office fora period of 28 days of thepublication of theadvertisement in the Localnewspaper.Closing date forobjections:Applicant Street and Postaladdress:VD 35 Leseding Ext 3Vaalwater

0530Tel: 078 774 2959 / 079046 4048. (10&17/07).

MODIMOLLE LOCALMUNICIPALITYAMENDMENT

SCHEMESNotice of application foramendment of the Town-Planning Scheme in termsof Section 56(1)(b)(i) ofthe Town-Planning andTownships Ordinance,1986 (Ordinance 15 of1986).I, NOCOLA LUDIK beingthe authorized agent forthe registered owners ofthe following propertieshereby give notice in termsof Section 56(1)(b)(i) ofthe Town Planning andTownships Ordinance,1986, (Ordinance 15 of1986) that I have appliedto the Modimolle LocalMunicipality for theamendment of the Town-Planning Scheme inoperation known as theModimolle Land UseScheme, 2004 by therezoning of the propertiesdecribed below, situatedwithin the jurisdiction ofthe Modimolle LocalMunicipality as follows:Modimolle AmendmentScheme 335

Erf 3/490 NylstroomExtension 2 located at VanRensburg Street,Modimolle, in Modimollearea of jurisdiction, from“Residential 1” to“Residential 2” at adensity of 46 units perhectare;Modimolle AmendmentScheme 336Erf R/223 NylstroomTownship, located at 61Plein Street, Modimolle, inModimolle area ofjurisdiction, form“Residential 1” to“Residential 3” at adensity of 66 units perhectare;Modimolle AmendmentScheme 337Erf 1157 NylstroomExtension 6 located at 4Third Street NylstroomExtension 6, Modimolle, inModimolle area ofjurisdiction, from“Residential 1” to“Special” for a vehicleshow room and vehiclessales lot and othersubservient and associatedland uses to the primaryuse, excluding noxiousindustries;All relevant documentsrelating to the applicationswill be open for inspectionduring normal office hours

at the offices of theModimolle LocalMunicipality, TheDivisional Manager: Town-Planning, Ground Floor,Modimolle MunicipalBuilding, Harry GwalaStreet, Modimolle for aperiod of 28 days i.e. 17July 2015 to 14 August2015.Any person who wishes toobject to the applicationsor submit representationsin respect thereof mustlodge the same in writingto Private Bag x1008,Modimolle, 0510 or lodgeit with the ModimolleLocal Municipality at itsaddress and room numberspecified above on orbefore 14 August 2015.Name and address ofagent: NICOLA LUDIK,Alto Africa Town Planning& DevelopmentConsultants, P.O. Box3007, Modimolle, 0510,076 606 6372. (17&24/7).

MODIMOLLE LANDUSE SCHEME, 2004

Notice is hereby given toall whom it may concernthat in terms of clause 23of the abovementionedScheme, I (full name)CHAUKE MORONGWAELIZABETH intends

applying to the ModimolleLocal Municipality forconsent to TuckshopMorongwa on (propertyand suburb) 6516 Ext 8Phomolong also known as(street name and number)situated in an Residential 1zone (Example:Residential 1, bisuness 4etc.)Any objection, with thegrounds therefor, shall belodged with or made inwriting to: The DivisionalManager: Town Planning,Ground Floor, ModimolleMunicipal Building,Private Bag x1008,Modimolle, 0510, within28 days of the publicationof the advertisement in theLocal newspaper viz.Full particulars and plans(if any) may be inspectedduring normal office hours(08:00 - 13:00 and 13:45 -15:00) at theabovementioned office fora period of 28 days of thepublication of theadvertisement in the Localnewspaper.Closing date forobjections:Applicant Street and Postaladdress:P.O. Box 5080Modimolle0510. (10&17/07).

CHARITY / ENTERTAINMENT / SCHOOL 17 July, 2015 THE BEAT Page 7beateditor@gmail.com | Website: thebeat.linmedia.co.za

Lizzy Bapela

Joy filled the air when Limpoo PremierStan Mathabatha visited Linah Maruthaof Tauetsoala Villages in Mogalakwenafor a sod-turning ceremony and animbizo last week.

MECs, the Waterberg District MayorTlotlanang Mogotlane, Mogalakwenamayor Parks Sebatjane and othergovernment officials in the district andprovince accompanied the premier onhis visit to the village on Friday, 3 July.

During the sod-turning ceremony,Marutha was deeply touched when sheheard that she heard that she is soon tolive in a house with decent amenities.She has lived for the past ten years in atwo-roomed shack and depends on childsupport to raise her ten children.

She told the delegates that the newhome was a long-overdue developmentand thanked the government for finallyputting a decent roof over her family’sheads.

She said that they had suffered theravages of the seasons through the yearsand that their situation was verydepressing. She said that her dreams arecoming true and her prayers are beinganswered.

Addressing the attendees at the sod-turning, Premier Mathabatha said thatthey hope that the beneficiary will takecare of the structure that will soon be

Lizzy Bapela

Concerned women from andIndependent Christian movement will behosting a women’s conference inAugust.

Christians from different religiousbackgrounds and genders from acrossthe country and abroad are expected togather at the Diens Sentrum in Bela-Bela for motivational and inspirationaltalks.

This is the second such conference.The organizers hope that the conferencewill be held annually. The movement’sleader Pastor Rhetty Matjila said thateveryone should feel welcome to attendand participate in activities due to takeplace during the conference, as theconference is about household leadersand not just women or mothers.

Matjila said that men are able to raisechildren on their own these days, andthere are also child-headed householdswhich need guidelines and motivation tostay positive. Matjila also said thatchildren from families like that need tolearn skills and learn to be independent.

Anyone who is interested in the eventcan attend to benefit.

Limpopo government dignitaries turned the sod for the construction of ahouse to accommodate a family of 11. Photo supplied

built there.“The house will not relieve the family

from poverty, so the mayor should meetup with local businesspeople to addressthe situation as this family cannot allshare a four-bedroom house. We will bekeeping a close eye on developments.Traditional leaders must also assist us inmaking sure that existing RDP house arenot occupied by nurses, teachers, policeand other public servants, as they areintended for the poor,” said Mathabatha.

Limpopo MEC for CoGHSTAMakoma Makhurupetje said that thegovernment will deal with the housingbacklog which had affected a number ofpoor residents in and around Limpopo.She added that they would do their bestto provide decent housing for all people.

Mayor Sebatjane said that thegovernment would do its best to providedecent accommodation for all theirresidents. He added that he was awarethat people are tired of living ininformal settlements without water orelectricity, and that the plan is for theproject to bring an end to their misery.

KEMO Trading, the contractorresponsible for the constructon of thehouse, promised that the work will befinished 25 days from the ceremony.

After the sod-turning ceremony, thedelegation proceeded to the EXCOImbizo held at Masheleng SportsGround, where 5 000 residents werewaiting eagerly to voice their concerns.

Family of 11 gets a decenthome after 10 years

Justin Steyn

After months of hard work in thecommunity of Bela-Bela, local non-profitorganization Light of Africa will finallyhave a place where they can conduct theiroperations.The NPO’s project manager Josias

Ramalekana said that the organization willhave its own facility in the next fewmonths, now that Bosele Dawn Drop-InCentre has relocated to a new location.“I am excited about the projects that we

will be undertaking from this centre. It hasbeen very hard to do our work because weare constantly working in different parts oftown and people are not always aware ofwhere we are,” said Ramalekana.He explained that the centre will allow

Light of Africa’sproject managerand businessdevelopmentmanager, SimonPhaka, are excitedabout having theorganization’s firstestablishedcentre. Photo:Justin Steyn

residents to seek assistance where issuesrelating to substance abuse and families inneed are concerned.“We will finally have an established place

where we can reach out to the communityand also provide services such ascounselling and our feeding schemes.”The organization is also planning to boost

tourism in its next endeavour with a newly-appointed small business developmentmanager, Simon Phaka.“Phaka and I will be going to local

residents and businesses and proposecultural ways for people to grow theirbusinesses. This will boost the town’stourism income,” he said.Ramalekana said that the organization will

also be involved in Mandela Day activitiesas well as a drug awareness campaign at theend of the month.

Light of Africa is excited abouttheir new operations centre

Pastor Rhetty Matjila of theIndependent Christian Movement isone of the religious leaders toaddress the audience at theconference. Photo: Lizzy Bapela

Concerned Christians to host awomen’s conference in August

Justin Steyn

Lizzy Bapela

Lizzy Bapela

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INCONTACTMARIA 014 736 2171/2723

posmabua@icon.co.za

TK Mashaba

The District Indigenous Game has produced71 players in different sports codes who aregoing on to the provincial levels.

The games were held at Modimolle’sEphraim Mogale Stadium on Saturday, 11June. The date for the provincial games hasnot been set yet.

Mogalakwena did quite well in khokho,having nine representatives in that code.Five of their players will be advancing indibeke and six in kgathi. Modimolle has sixplayers going on in morabaraba and four indibeke, and also four in jukskei.

Bela-Bela, however, has one player whomanaged to vastly outperform all the othersin drie stokkies. Morele Thabang managed todo 13.5 meters, well ahead of the competition.Modimolle’s Prince Moruwe did 12.3 meters,equal to Mogalakwena’s Terron Mabulane.

The action-packed annual event isorganized by the Limpopo Department ofSports, Arts and Culture.

Midos and Crew also entertained theaudience after the games were over.

SPORTPage 8 THE BEAT beateditor@gmail.com | Website: thebeat.linmedia.co.za17 July, 2015

71 Indigenous Games players fromWaterberg make it to Provincial level

Morele Thabanag and Prince Moruwe during the drie stokkiesjump. Photo: TK Mashaba

Francis Senyati from Mogalakwena jumps during a kgathi match. Photo: TK Mashaba

Natshasa Moyo from Modimolle did well in drie stokkies. Photo: TK Mashaba

Paramedics were also on standby to assist in case of injuries. Photo: TK Mashaba

TK Mashaba