TEL: 057 357 1304 WEDNESDAY 24­26 SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.EXPRESS­NEWS.CO.ZA FREE

}Motlalepule Mokgosi

SEBENZILE NGANGELIZWE,the mayor of the MatjhabengMunicipality, said the munici-pality was not acting illegally inresponse to allegations of anillegal electricity tariff structure.He said last Tuesday at the

media briefing in Welkom wherehe revealed the chaotic situationthe municipality was facingtrying to operate with debt.Ngangelizwe blamed it all on a

culture of non-payment ofmunicipal services by communi-ty members, government andgovernment officials who owethe municipality millions ofrands.Currently, the municipality is

collecting 55% of the envisaged75% monthly.Mothusi Lepheana, the

municipal manager, said thestep-up tariffs of 7, 39% hadbeen approved in a councilmeeting with DA councillorsand Nersa.There was a dispute with the

DA, but the matter was passedby a vote which was won by theANC.“On the budget of R64 906 014

for 2014-’15, the step-up tariffincrease of 7,39% was indica-ted,” said Lepheana.Thabiso Tsoaeli also con-

firmed that the winter tariffswere more expensive than thesummer tariffs.He said buying electricity

from Eskom cost theMatjhabeng MunicipalityR35 million, which in winterincreased to from R54 million toR62 million.Operation Patala campaigns

are in full swing using the officeof the CFO and municipalmanager to act upon defaultersstealing water and electricityfrom the municipality.Residents are encouraged to

settle their accounts.Ngangelizwe said: “The

municipality will be collectingin all areas.“Areas from where we cannot

collect will be reported to thecouncil.“Besides the main issues,

there are also consumers who

can afford to pay for servicesbut who hide behind pensionertariffs.“As we implement our credit

control policy we might cut offservices at your premisespermanently if we discover youare doing this.”As for residents who try to

escape their arrears by install-ing pre-paid meters, this willalso be reviewed.“If there is any illegal bypass-

ing, the meter will be blocked,”Ngangelizwe warned.

Debt makes management difficultCRISIS: Mothusi Lepheana, actingmanager, and Sebenzile Ngangelizwe, mayor of theMatjhabeng Local Municipality, at themedia briefingon the municipality’s critical financial situation. Photo: Teboho Setena

EXPRESS GOLDFIELDS &NORTHERN FREE STATE ispleased to announce the unveilingof a charity drive to collecteducational items to benefit twoEarly Childhood Centres inWelkom’s township Thabong.The beneficiary centres are

Thokoza Progressive Kids Day-care and the Kgotso E AteDay-care Centre.The Thokoza Centre currently

has 43 children while the KgotsoE Ate Centre has 100 (44 boys and56 girls).To make the initiative a

success, the Express Goldfields &NFS team is requesting thesupport of the public, individuals,organisations and companies inthe form of voluntarily donatingeducational and developmentalmaterials, old or new books andtoys for children up to six yearsold.This goodwill initiative is in

line with community socialresponsibility programmesaimed at helping to meaningfullychange the lives of children forthe better.The items needed should be

user-friendly and improve learn-ing of the children. Items thatmay pose a danger such as toyguns are not acceptable.Interested parties can drop by at

the Express Goldfields & NFSoffice, The Strip Building, State-way, in Welkom during officehours to leave their donation(blankets are also welcome)from Mondays to Fridays (from25 September to 31 October).Items collected during this

period will be presented to thetwo centres on 4 November.For clarity regarding the

initiative, call Teboho Setenaon 057-357-1304 during officehours.

Helpupliftlittleones

‘Patala!’‘Patala!’

2 EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2014

NEWS

} Motlalepule Mokgosi

TWO learners of Thabong schoolsoutshone their peers in the FreeState Reading Festival final held inBloemfontein recently.The brightest of them all, Lerato

Sesedinyana and NompumeleloCeba, scooped top prizes in thespelling bee and the read aloudcategory respectively.Both are in gr. 4. Lerato is of the

Hlolohelo Intermediary School andNompumelelo of the Dr MngomaPrimary School in Thabong.Other primary schools of

Thabong that participated in thefestival include Daluvuyo andLenyora.Nompumelelo and Lerato were

among the numerous gr. 3 and gr. 4learners who represented librariesat the provincial competition whichis aimed at fostering and promotinga culture of reading at schools andat libraries.Nompumelelo represented the

Thabong Library 2, while Leratorepresented the Thabong Library 1.Each of them received prizes whichinclude tablets, trophies andrecognition certificates.The two libraries they represent-

ed also received trophies for theircontribution towards the pro-gramme.The learners who came in second

and third place in the final receivedconsolation prizes that includedtrophies and certificates. They areMpho Kabi and Simphiwe Mohloko-ane, both of the Dr Mngoma School,and Reitumetse Medupe andNtsikelelo Jada, gr. 3 learners ofLenyora and Daluvuyo respectively.The delighted librarians Poppy

Makume and Ntsoaki Moroka saidthey were happy with the perform-ance of the contestants throughoutthe competition.The librarians and the schools

librarian in each case worked handin hand to improve the ethos of thelearners through learning pro-grammes regarding comprehension,oral reading, spelling and thecorrect pronunciation of words.The final was the culmination of

work that had begun in August,attracting huge interest fromschools in Thabong.

Bookworms do Thabong proud

THESE three bright gr. 4learners of the Dr Mngo-ma Primary School inThabong are from theleft Mpho Kabi, Nom-pumelelo Ceba and Sim-phiwe Mohlokoane.They scooped the topprizes at the Free StateReading Festival held inBloemfontein. Nom-pumelelo was the big-gest winner, takinghome the champion’sprize for reading aloud,while Mpho and Simphi-we got reading quiz priz-es. Each received a tro-phy and medal, as wellas a certificate.

THE Dr Mngoma Primary School teachers and librarians of the Thabong Library 2 rejoice in the partnership success of the library winninga trophy at the Free State Reading Festival held in Bloemfontein. Displaying the trophy are from the left Jemina Mazinyo (librarian atthe Dr Mngoma Primary School), Belinda Makume (librarian at the Thabong Library 2), Mokheseng Mokapela (the Dr Mngoma PrimarySchool principal) and Thabiso Machitje (educator at Dr Mngoma Primary School). Photos: Teboho Setena

} Teboho Setena

A GROUP of 18 young jewellerydesigners having their crafts-manship perfected at theHarmony Jewellery School inVirginia, received accreditedcertificates at a graduation onThursday.They successfully completed

level two of the intensivetraining programme on theirway to be qualified goldsmiths.These graduates have already

began with level three throughwhich they will further perfecttheir creativity and ability toproduce sterling jewelleryproducts, ranging from earringsand wedding rings to braceletsand necklaces.Sandy Crewe, Harmony

Jewellery School’s manager,said the certificates wereaccredited by the qualificationauthority, adding that thetraining offered has armed themwith skills making thememployable.“Training offered also pre-

pares them for when they wantto venture into entrepreneur-ship,” said Crewe.“Upon successful completion

of level three, they will proceedto level four, after which theywill be qualified goldsmiths.“The students are offered

extensive training in jewellerymanufacturing and operation.”She said the 18 graduates

were selected from over 120candidates through interviews

conducted.Ready to storm the world,

Mothibeli Nqoi, one of thestudents, believes the skillsacquired thus far stood him in agood stead to venture intoentrepreneurship.“I am able to cut rings and

polish various jewellery materi-als to perfection,” said Nqoi.“I have no regret coming here

daily, because it is worth it andoffers lifelong benefits.”Crewe said candidates

interested in jewellery designingmust possess, among others,exceptional interpersonal skills,as well as drawing and design-ing ability.“Further training is being

offered to enable the students toproduce quality products,” shesaid.

Students’ training worth its weight in gold

THIS crew of students enrolled at the Harmony Jewellery School in Virginia received special awards recognisingtheir progress and positive attitude. From the left are Moses Kutu (attendance),Thato Mokgobo (best studenttechnique/manufacturing), DavidMgina (behaviour), UrsulaMoodley (most improved), Obakeng Selaledi (behav-iour), Kgauhelo Thobatsi and Tshepo Mosina (both top students in drawing and design). Photos: Teboho Setena

JEWELLERY by Mothibeli Nqoi.

‘I have no regret cominghere dai­ly, because it isworth it andofferslifelong benefits.’– Mothibeli Nqoi, student of theHarmony Jewellery School

EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2014 3

NEWS

} Selloane Khalane

THE Free State Department of Education hassacked numerous teachers found to haveturned into sexual predators and startedhaving relationships with the learners.This was revealed by the MEC of Educa-

tion, Herbert “Tate” Makgoe, during thesocial cluster media briefing at the LebohangBuilding in Bloemfontein last Thursday.Although Makgoe did not reveal the exactnumber of teachers that had been dismissedfrom the department following allegations ofsexual harassment or consensual relationshipwith pupils, he said there was a significantnumber.According to Makgoe, some of the culprits

dismissed were caught sleeping with girls asyoung as 12 and 13 years old in primaryschools.“There are many teachers who have been

fired for sleeping with the learners. Whatworries me even more is that some wouldsleep with children aged 12 and 13 yearsold,” Makgoe said.He said his department did not hesitate to

suspend a teacher who was accused of sexualharassing a pupil. “In some cases I felt likethe pupil had lied about the incident but Isuspended the teacher anyway because theteacher could also have lied,” he addedfurther. The social cluster includes depart-ments responsible for the well-being of thepublic like the Departments of SocialDevelopment, Education, Health, as wellSports, Arts and Culture.Makgoe, who serves as the chairperson of

the cluster, said the cluster was establishedwith the main objective of improving thequality of education of all citizens of the FreeState. The MEC for Social Development, SisiNtombela, has heaped praise on Makgoe,taking a hard stance against sexual predatorsat schools.Meanwhile, Makgoe revealed that one of

the teachers employed at a Bloemfonteinschool who was implicated in an allegedracism incident pleaded guilty to the offence.However, the culprit’s name has beenwithheld.“We will not tolerate racism because it

plants a seed of hatred which will emerge inthe later stages,” Makgoe explained.Earlier last month, the department

suspended two principals and a teacherfollowing allegations of racism levelledagainst them. The principals were FrancoisSchoon of the Dr Viljoen Combined School inBloemfontein and Charles Liversage ofChristian de Wet in Dewetsdorp as wellTrudy Erasmus, a Life Orientation teacher atthe St Helena Primary School in Welkom.Their suspension followed the findings bythe Human Rights Commission. In an effortto root out racial incidents in schools, thedepartment was recommended to developsystem-wide procedures for monitoring andreporting on initiatives. The department wasgiven a period of six months to develop sucha strategy.

MEC firessexualpredators THIS group of students

received certificates af-ter successful comple-tion of First Level train-ing at the HarmonyJewellery School in Vir-ginia at a ceremonyheld a week ago. Theyare from the left, front:Mamojabeng Lekhole,Nelton Daniel and Ju-lie-Ann van der Ross;back: Pule Moletsane,Adam Takadimane,Shawn Harmse, Mothi-beli Nqoi, BolokanangNtholi andNeoNthebe.

Photo: Teboho Setena

Achievesuccess

SENTENCE has been handed downrecently in the following two cases:

) Two Nkoko cousins, Kleinbooi andTeboho, were each sentenced to 20 years’imprisonment for the murder of the57-year-old Mapeisi Mpondo in November2013.Judge J. Naidoo sentenced them on their

appearance in the Virginia High Court.The two men were found guilty of murder-ing the deceased, hacking her to deathwith self-made swords on 13 November.The two men had accused her of be-

witching their mothers and causing theirdeaths with muti. They attacked thedeceased on the Glen Ross Farm.The pair handed themselves over to the

police in Virginia.

) The Odendaalsrus Magistrate’s Courthas sentenced Aaron Mbuti Tsoaedi (33),Abram Masilo Moronyane (25) and Monge-zi Ndende Sinxezui (27) each to eight yearsin prison for housebreaking and robbery.The trio, who are friends, were also

declared unfit to possess a firearm, whichbelonged to one of them.

Five accusedfound guilty

4 EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2014

NEWS

} Motlalepule Mokgosi

THE talented poet and writerNomthandazo Tsembeni touchessouls and brings ample delight toaudiences when she deliverspowerful renditions of poems.The energetic Tsembeni is a soulwho conveys her rhythmicalpoetic ability through melody anddrums and the powerful weaponof her voice.Recognised by her stage name,

Lady Black Poet, she is thefounder of the online poetrygroup called Poetic Design. Hervocal sound and pacifying wordsfor the heart made her notable toher generation in the Goldfieldsand outside the Free State. Just22 years old, Tsembeni alreadyhas made remarkable footprintsin her journey in creative writingas a poet in the challenging artsindustry. She boasts of significantprizes in her cabinet.Tsembeni’s poem entitled The

Hardest Part won the onlinepoetry competition All Poetry,judged by Michael Thomas in2012 – setting the tone in art byconveying emotions throughwords. She obtained first positionat the 2012 Moduwana DistrictArts Festival. Tsembeni says shenoticed her talent in poetry at atender age.“In 2006, while I was still at the

Welkom Secondary School, I usedto transcribe poems exclusivelyfor occasions at school. At thebeginning it didn’t make sense tome as I was still a novice.Eventually in 2008 I felt it; thewords of the ancestors thatneeded to be told, and in 2010reality set in, my skills werewidely spread and I used codes tocomplete my work,” said Tsembe-

ni. The young woman fromWelkom’s township of Thabong,continues to perfect her craft.Tsembeni featured at a few

poetry events in 2012. Theseinclude the Mangaung AfricanCultural Festival (Macufe) WordFestival and the 30th anniversaryof the Central University ofTechnology (CUT), Free State,performing alongside TinahMnumzana, Hector Kunene andReabetsoe Matobeka. Supplemen-tary she contributed some poemsfor the 2012 Via GrapevineAnthology Volume 1, a BrigittePoirson’s initiative. Last year sheperformed at the O.R. TamboGames.Tsembeni’s creativity has

attracted interest in the musicindustry. She has featured as avocalist in the a cappella musicgenre and also in a compilationproduction of DJs. She was partof a local three-member acappella group, Golden Mystique,which was one of the fivefinalists for the 2014 Welkom’sGot Talent competition.Tsembeni’s rendition saw her

perform recently at the WorldPopulation Day TVET launch inWelkom and Bloemfontein. Shewowed the audience by deliveringa rendition of one of her poems,entitled Mmabotle, at the recentlaunch of the Mining AuthorityQualification at the GoldfieldsFET Tosa Campus in Welkom.Recognition for Tsembeni has

come through invitations andperformances, sharing the stagewith a woman of the soil inNtsiki Mazwai at a poetry eventat the CUT.She was invited to perform at

the Nights of the Poets at theState Theatre in Pretoria where

she shared a stage with Croc eMoses and Carlos Djedje.Tsembeni told Express Gold-

fields & NFS part of her ambi-tions was to take poetry togreater heights by setting up herown poetry centre to develop newtalent and help in how to make aliving through poetry. She iscurrently studying ForensicBiology, the well-spoken poet isalso on the verge of completingher second book of poetry. Bornand bred in Welkom; she is thetenth child of Boniwe andThamsanqa Tsembeni. She hastaken after her father’s artistictalent who was a guitarist of notein his prime.She also drew inspiration from

two motivational speakers andpoet writers Andrea Grabsonfrom Canada and Ngcina Mhlo-phe, well-known South Africanguru.Tsembeni is a former member

of the Drum Ensemble andmagazine Verbal Stream.She is among the 25 finalists

for the cover girl for onlinemagazine Carob and still requiresvotes to go through to the nextround of ten. Tsembeni is theonly candidate from Welkom. Tovote for her readers and fans canvisit http://caroblive.com/COV-ER-GIRL, scroll down to the polland click on the button next toher name.) Video of Tsembeni’s liveperformance at www.express-news.co.za.

IN the mid-1980s I spent 20% ofmy salary to purchase a bottle ofJohnny Walker Black and White750 ml whisky for a friend whovisited me from Bloemfontein.Although I was not a teacher byprofession, I rented a room at theteachers’ cottage facility specifical-ly meant for bachelors, both maleand female teachers.When he arrived, he excitedly

hugged me and in the process, thebottle slipped and as it fell, Idived, trying to save it fromfalling. It is often said that adrunkard would rather hurthimself than see his prized assetbreaking, and that is what Iattempted doing. I laid down therewith my heart bleeding, not withpain, but regretting the aroma ofone of the finest makes of Scot-land going to waste. I did not buythe expensive stuff because I hadnothing else to do with the money.I bought it because I had devel-oped “food poisoning” for beerand brandy. I used to vomit mylungs out after taking the stuff.There are people who, instead of

refraining from drinking whentheir bodies reject alcohol, vomitand use laxatives, saying they arecleaning their stomach. My adviceis that if your body developsresistance to any alcohol, stopdrinking it.The common habit of one for

the road common in people takingan extra glass of beer, could cause

more harm than expected. Alcoholabuse leads to anxiety, epilepsy,high blood pressure, diabetes anddepression. Alcohol abuse isclassified as a psychiatric condi-tion. It has a direct impact on thebrain, the same as a mental healthcondition. Alcohol is chemically anatural depressant that couldcause disruptions in the function-ing of the brain.Alcohol can also reveal our

underlying feelings. If our under-lying feelings are of anxiety, angerand unhappiness, alcohol has thepotential to boost such elements.People who commit suicide, oftendo so while under the influence ofalcohol.Alcohol affects women different-

ly, due to biological factors.Women need to be more carefulthan men, however, I’m notjustifying that it’s right for me todrink alcohol. Pregnant womenabusing liquor are at the risk ofbearing mentally retarded chil-dren. Women’s tolerance foralcohol is lower than what it isfor men. Alcohol beverages mostlyliked by women are sweet. This

leads to women thinking that it ismild while the alcohol content ofthese drinks is the same or higherthan the bitter ones. Girls thinkdrinking is cool when they seetheir mothers celebrating withalcohol.) To comment or express yourviews about the issue highlightedin the column, go to www.express-news.co.za. Express Goldfields &NFS welcomes anyone interestedin contributing to the weeklycolumn as public observers orcitizen journalists. There is nopayment for writers.Send your opinion piece (not

exceeding 450 words) to tebo-ho.setena@volksblad.com.

Drink responsibly, please

Tsembeni a poet of noteTsembeni a poet of note

My viewMoeti MolelekoaSocial observer

“Alcohol can also reveal ourunderlying feelings. If ourunderlying feelings are ofanxiety, anger and unhappi­ness, alcohol has the poten­tial to boost such elements.”

NOMTHANDAZO TSEMBENI drumming up a storm. Photo: Teboho Setena

Tsembeni already hasmade remarkable foot­prints in her journey in creative writing as a poet

in the challenging arts industry.

THE police in the Goldfields townof Odendaalsrus need help findingthree suspects (two of them shownin these identikits) regarding thegang rape of a 19-year-old womanin Kutlwanong on 21 June thisyear.Molebogeng Lechesa, spokesper-

son of the Welkom police, said thevictim had been attacked duringthe night at about 21:45 near theIcoseng Primary School in theOdendaalsrus township of Kutl-wanong. She said the suspects beatand threatened the victim withknives and thereafter took her to avendor shack where they tookturns raping the victim.The first suspect is dark in

complexion, slender, 1,5 metres tall

with a scar on the right shoulderand ribs, and black brushed hair.The second suspect is dark in

complexion, medium built, 1,5metres tall, has a scar under theright eye and black brushed hair.The third suspect is also dark incomplexion, slender, 1,7 metres tall,has scars on the neck and face andblack brushed hair.The police said two men known

as Bongani and Max could assist intheir investigation. Anyone withinformation about the threesuspects’ whereabouts can contactthe investigative officer, WO JuanJansen, at the Welkom FamilyViolence, Child Protection andSexual Crimes Unit on 057-391-6189(office hours) or on 084-538-5909.

Suspects on the looseWANTED rape suspect. WANTED rape suspect.

EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2014 5

NEWS

LECTURERS and nursing students in their final year at the Free State Nursing School’s Northern Campusat the Bongani Regional Hospital in Welkom graced the launch of a community vegetable project at theBophelong Clinic in Kutlwanong, Odendaalsrus, a week ago. From the left are, front: Jabulani Khumalo(lecturer), Thandi Ngamalani and Marica Bezuidenhout (head of department), middle: Sanah Mokgoetsi,Dipolelo Lebusa, Nontozakhe Constable, Shanine Louw and Joyce Radebe, back: Mpho Nogabe, MathewsNyatse, Motlere Sehaule and Jappie Pheko. Photo: Teboho Setena

Attend launch of project

THE South African NationalBlood Service (SANBS) appealsto the public to support itscampaign of blood collection bydonating blood at variouscentres countrywide. The callcomes in the wake of alarming-ly low blood stock levels.Vanessa Raju, SANBS

communications manager, saidthey were experiencing adifficult time during Septemberowing to preliminary examsand preparation towards thefinal quarter of the year.“As a result blood drives at

schools and universities aregenerally not possible at thistime of year. This, togetherwith poor turnouts at companyand organisational blooddrives, has placed immensepressure on the blood stocklevels. The SANBS needs tomaintain a blood stock level offive days at all times bycollecting 3 000 units of bloodper day to meet the demand ofthe thousands of patients whoare reliant on blood transfu-sions for their survival.However, at the moment wehave only 1,6 days of bloodstock available, and we areconcerned that should thiscontinue, we are looking at amajor crisis as we headtowards the festive season,”said Raju.“It is only with the help of

the selfless blood donors thatwe are able to handle thissituation. We have implement-

ed a cut-back approach wherewe are not able to meet therequest by doctors. What thismeans, is, should a doctorrequest four units of blood, theSANBS may only be able tooffer two units and thisapproach will continue untilthe blood stocks recover,” sheadded.Considering the situation, the

SANBS is encouraging allregular donors and those whohave made a conscious decisionto join this cause of “savinglives” not to miss out on theirnext donation date.This is also a reminder to all

donors who selflessly donatedblood on Mandela Day, and toremember that they are due todonate again and continuemaking every day a MandelaDay.Members of the public who

meet the minimum require-ments to give the gift of life bybecoming regular donors areurged to visit the SANBS assoon as they possibly can.Minimum blood donor

requirements: ages between 16and 65 years, weigh 50 kg ormore, good health and lead asexually safe lifestyle.To find out where your

nearest donor centre is, visitwww.sanbs.org.za, call toll free080-011-9031 or SMS your nameand post code of the area youlive in to 31454 and they willSMS you details of yournearest blood donor centre.

Blood levelsalarmingly low

6 EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2014

NEWS

THE Khampepe family society at a recent meeting elected new leaders for the next term. From the left are, front: Pitso, Sati, Moeketsi, Medupi, Mmamotho, Mokhele andButi; back: Teboho, Lesawana, Dimakatso and Dikeledi. The society’s meeting was held in Wesselsbron.

Lead in next term

Entrepreneurial seminarheldThe Elite Entrepreneurs

Seminar, organised by Strate-gic Marketing jointly with theWisdom Cup Media Centre,will be held from 25 to 27September at the ErnestOppenheimer Theatre inWelkom, starting at 09:00.Those interested in attending

the event can contact MmusaMoleli on 057-353-1097 duringoffice hours.

Day-care centre celebratesheritageThe Thokoza Progressive

Day-care Centre, together withZiyaduma Promotions, willhost a one-day culturalfundraising event to celebrateHeritage Day on 24 September.The event will be held at the

community hall in SunriseView in the far-east of Thabongnear the Nanabolela SecondarySchool.

Local crèches and pre-schoolsare invited to participate in theevent. Activities set to start at11:00 include drama, poetry,dance, music, comedy andvisual arts.Admission is R10 per person

for adults and R5 for children.Each member of the participat-ing or performing group isrequested to donate R3 towardsthe initiative. Proceeds raisedwill be in aid of the ThokozaCentre.For information, call Saduma

Miya on 061-369-5528 orThembisile Ngcobo on 083-346-3018.) The deadline for What’s Onentries is Wednesdays at 13:00.Send information toteboho.setena@volksblad.com.

What’s onteboho.setena@volksblad.com

EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Onkgopotse Kgoare, a gr. R-learner at the King-dom Academy School in Welkom, dressed up in her Basotho cos-tumeduring the school’s HeritageDay event. The occasion atwhichthe learners were to dress up in their different cultural outfits waspart of educating them about the various cultures in South Africa.

BIRTHDAY: Little Oageng Kompi (seated centre) celebrated turningtwoyearswith his friendsBokangMokhathi, Happiness Zwane andKhanya Diutlwileng at a fun-filled birthday party held at Reitz Parkin Welkom recently. Photo: Teboho Setena

DRESSED UP to the nines these women attended the Christian Revival Church’s Women’s Day occasion held in Welkom a week ago.From the left are Selloane Moloi, Heidi Kgothule, Mpho Motheo, Annelize Wolmarans, Veronica Seekoei and Vela Bacela.

Photo: Teboho Setena

PERSONAL

SEVICES

FINANCIAL

1420

EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2014 7

NEWS

SIMON DIMANE, Welkom:

SOUTH AFRICANS do not have integritywhen it comes to their very own. In orderfor you to respect and love your father, hemust show that he is a father. He has to takecare of his family in every respect.South Africa has approximately 19 million

black people who are homeless because theydo not have land to build houses on and arejobless. This number includes almost half ofthe population of this country. The other 14million is made up of whites, coloureds,

Indians and Chinese who are better offcompared to their black counterparts.Housing the homeless through the Recon-

struction and Development Programme(RDP) will never solve the problem. The RDPwas given a chance from 1994 until now toaddress the backlog of housing and changethe old picture. However, millions of peopleare still without houses.Do you think that the ANC government

will make the people of South Africa happythrough the RDP? If you say black SouthAfrica must love the ANC, then know it is

wrong. The ANC goes to the side of sinners.God gave South Africa to black South

Africans. Those who want to change God’sgift – they will not succeed.If you go around South Africa, you see in

black locations or townships shacks, dwell-ings and RDP houses – defying black people.It is shocking. The ANC is very oppressivewhen it comes to black people.This model of locations with notable

shacks and RDP houses kill black people’sdignity in every aspect. People are beingseverely attacked in the early hours of the

morning when they go to their places ofwork and on return to their homes. TheANC has failed dismally to govern, makeSouth Africa safe and restore the dignity ofblack people. The way I see it, the ANC’sleadership is far away from God and doesnot care about people who are sufferingbecause of the mentality of people within theANC. South Africa is still waiting for leadersto liberate blacks from suffering in poverty.Townships are generating billions of rands

for Western countries through projects, yetthe lives of black people remain unchanged.

SA still waiting for leaders who can bring liberation from poverty

EMELY KHAMPEPE:

THE Kgotso E Ate Day-care Centremanagement committee, staff and the parentsexpress many thanks to Express Goldfields &NFS for publishing a story about the plightof the centre, its needs and problems in theedition of the paper of 30 July.This is a true people’s paper, because

following publication, good Samaritans in theform of donors and sponsors have showedinterest in helping the centre. Student nursesenrolled for a bridging nursing programmeat the Bongani Regional Hospital answeredby visiting the centre to identify problemsand needs with the view to help. An auditingfirm also donated toys, blankets and breadand kitchen utensils.We thank all the donors and Express for

their good work and generosity.

Story in paperbrings help

THE players of the Avalon FC team are from the left, front: Sekwai Chere, Modupi Mokone, Fekile Tshekela, Boda Lekekela andThabiso Mokotedi; back: Tlale Makgonanyane, Seun Mahloane, William Ramokhoase, Justice Xaba, Elliot Likhethe and JeremiaMaleke. This Kroonstad-based team represents one of the 16 amateur clubs that campaign in the South African Football Associa-tion (Safa) Castle League in the Fezile Dabi region. Photo: Teboho Setena

Fighting fit to face the competition

8 EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2014

} Teboho Setena

A HOST of Free State profes-sional boxers have been dealt adevastating blow following thecancellation of a boxing tourna-ment which should have beenpart of the programme for theMangaung African CulturalFestival (Macufe).This event has featured

prominently in the programmeof the multi-cultural festival overthe past three years with localpromoter Lebohang Mahokopioneering it.The showdown was planned

for 4 October in Bloemfonteinand was expected to featuretalented fighters from the FreeState and elsewhere in SouthAfrica.The cancellation of the

tournament by Mahoko appar-ently followed the decision bythe Free State Department ofSport, Arts, Culture and Recrea-tion to not fund the staging ofthe event due to a lack of funds.“The department informed me

on 9 September of its decision toexclude the tournament, citingbudget constraints as the mainreason.“It is unfortunate and I am

unable to look for an alternativesponsor for the event in such ashort time. Bearing this in mind,I had no option but to call off thetournament. I did this againstmy will, knowing that variousFree State boxers have beeneagerly awaiting this tournamentsince it has become the onlyactivity affording them theopportunity to showcase theirtalent. They put in a lot of workpreparing for it,” said Mahoko.Last month, the department

under MEC Mathabo Leeto,former Matjhabeng and Lejwel-eputswa mayor, sponsored anall-women boxing tournament. Itwas organised by the Welkom-

based promoter Fezile Maboya.The event would have seen

scores of boxers end theirlengthy drought in the ring. Nowit is back to square one for themajority of the professionalfighters who are starving forsome action.Since its inception in 2011, the

tournament has had a goodreputation as the only premierevent enabling a host of FreeState boxers to showcase theirtalent against opponents fromoutside the province.It gradually grew in stature

nationally, attracting interestfrom promoters outside theFree State and also followingreputable championships. Thehighlights of the tournamenthave seen a gruelling champion-ship battle between two of theFree State’s finest boxers,Motsoake Moselesele andThemba “Doctor” Ntsele, in 2012and 2013 with the latter emerg-ing victorious.Ntsele successfully defended

the South African flyweight titleagainst his former hometownboy, Moselesele from Welkom’stownship of Thabong.Ntsele delivered a knockout in

the 11th round of the 12-rounderbout in their first meeting andwent on to win with a majoritydecision in their second meeting.Both events were staged inBloemfontein.However, there were also sad

incidents like the tragic death ofAnele Makhwelo after achampionship fight againstNtsele in 2011. Makhwelo diedfrom subsequent head injuriessustained during his SouthAfrican flyweight titlechallenge.If the event materialised it

would have seen Ntsele defendhis continental World BoxingFederation title against SiphoTwani in the main bout.

THE boxing promoter LebohangMahoko (centre) with boxersMotsoakeMoselesele and Themba "Doctor" Ntsele(left). Photo: Sidwell Guduka

‘I had no option but to call off thetournament. I did this againstmywill, knowing that various FreeState boxers have been eagerlyawaiting this tournament . . .’– LebohangMahoko

Cancellinga knockfor boxing

Human Communications 112658

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