Category: General

On Thursday afternoon, 2 June 2022, members of the Stabilisation team were patrolling around Motlhabeng village outside Mahikeng when they spotted a suspicious vehicle.

The said vehicle was stopped and searched. Although nothing illegal was found during the search, the driver led the police to a certain house where he alleged there were suspected drug dealing activities.

On arrival at the identified house, the members found a plastic bag containing white powder suspected to be drugs and a firearm with 25 live ammunition hidden and wrapped in a black plastic bag. Moreover, the suspect, aged 24, failed to produce a license for the firearm which the serial number was filed off. He was thus, arrested.

The estimated street value of the drugs is R4000.00.

The suspect is expected to appear before the Molopo Magistrates’ Court in Mmabatho on Monday, 6 February 2022.

The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena expressed gratitude to the members for their efforts in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal proliferation of firearms.

Source: South African Police Service

As the 2022 Child Protection Week draws to a close, Western Cape SAPS management welcomes the conviction and sentencing in the Western Cape High court of a grandfather from Paarl for charges relating to rape, creation and possession of child pornography.

In handing down the sentence on Friday, 03 June 2022, the judge presiding over the case sentenced 52-year-old, Wikus van Deventer to 25 years imprisonment for child rape and eight years for creation and possession of child pornography. Three years of the sentence for the creation and possession of child pornography will run concurrently thus effectively resulting in the imprisonment of the accused for 30 years.

The case was opened in Paarl in May 2021 after a two year old girl was left in the care of her grandfather. It was upon the return of the mother of the child that it was discovered that something was amiss. Further investigation of the matter resulted in the discovery of the child’s naked pictures and videos in the accused’s cellphone.

Warrant Officer Robin Taudie of the Serial and Electronic Crime Investigation (SECI) unit initiated an extensive investigation that saw van Deventer’s cellphone sent for forensic analysis in Pretoria.

Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt General Thembisile Patekile lauded both the investigation and prosecution teams for ensuring van Deventer is incarcerated.

“With the perpetrator behind bars, we are relieved because children who were in his proximity are safe”, says Lt General Patekile.

Source: South African Police Service

The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr David Mahlobo has sent out an emphatic plea to South African residents to use water sparingly and stop the pollution of the resource amid persisting effects of Climate Change, impacting on water supply in many parts of the country.

Deputy Minister Mahlobo was speaking during a Journey of Water Reunion Dinner organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Kramerville, Sandton on Wednesday night, 01 June 2022.

Supported by Deputy Minister Dikeledi Magadzi along with WWF South Africa senior officials, Deputy Minister Mahlobo said that Climate Change was no longer a phenomenon anticipated to show its effects in the future, however, a reality hard felt by the majority of South Africans and citizens across the world now.

“We can no longer say Climate Change is upon us, it is here, and we are all experiencing it. We have all witnessed the unfortunate and heart rendering floods in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of North West as well as the dire effects of drought in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in the Eastern Cape province,” he said.

“South Africa is a water scarce country, and we all need to pull our weight to protect this scarce and precious resource, all of us. Yes, it is the mandate and the responsibility of government to ensure consistent water supply for all, but we cannot do so if we still have business and individuals who continue to pollute the resource senselessly,” said Deputy Minister Mahlobo.

He sent out a stern warning to polluters saying that the Department will not hesitate to apply the polluter-pays principle where it is found that water is being polluted and thus affecting supply to communities.

Also speaking during the Reunion Dinner which saw a number of media personalities who pledged their support to both WWF and the Department to help raise awareness about the importance of water conservation, WWF Water Source Areas Manager, Samir Randera- Rees shared his experiences of being a part of the journey of water campaign since 2013.

The campaign, which seeks to raise awareness that water does not come from a tap has in the past attracted the attention of members of the public to journey through streams in order to understand the value of water.

Randera- Rees emphasized the need for behavioural change and collaborative efforts to help preserve water, while putting put up his hand to make the change in his environment.

“No single entity can sort out water challenges faced in the country alone, we all need to make those changes and make those changes now. It is up to us to ensure that we do this not only for ourselves but for generations to come,” he said.

Deputy Minister Mahlobo’s address was titled: “The importance of water conservation in South Africa” and galvanised support from the private sector, business and civil society.

Source: Government of South Africa

Minister Simmers delivers houses in Qolweni in record time

In less than 10 months since breaking ground and a few weeks shy from a year since the project was handed to the Western Cape Government, the approved beneficiaries of Qolweni will receive its first set of keys to their brand new homes.

On Friday June 3, 2022, Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers will hand over keys to 30 beneficiaries from this community, to mark the completion of Phase 1 in a development that’s earmarked to yield 169 top structures.

Minister Simmers said: “ It gives me great joy to return to this community and hand over state of the art units, in less than a year since the community and municipality of Bitou requested the assistance of my department to take over the development in its entity.”

All media are invited to attend.

Source: Government of South Africa

U.S. Government, NDoH celebrate COVID-19 Vaccine Partnership

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Heather Merritt will this week announce a surge of support to South Africa through Global VAX in Pietermaritzburg, in the district of UMgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natal on Friday June 3, 2022.

Global VAX is a U.S. Government effort to contribute to the global goal to vaccinate 70 percent of the population of every country against COVID-19 in 2022. This approach builds on the extraordinary commitment President Biden has made to donate more than 1.2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of 2022 and intensifies United States’ efforts to get shots in arms.

Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Government is planning to donate nearly 800 million rand (over $49 million) to support the Government of South Africa’s efforts to vaccinate South Africans in every corner of the country.

As part of ongoing efforts to increase access to COVID-19 vaccine, the Department of Health and Right-to-Care, supported by USAID, have developed a web-based app called FindMyJab.co.za to make it easy for South Africans to locate vaccination site closer to their places of work or residence.

The app is accessible from any device and includes the name of vaccination site, address, contact information and operating hours of sites across the country. Once you enter your location, you will see a list of sites closest to you, including the pop-up sites

The event serves to celebrate the partnership between the governments and people of South Africa and the United States of America.

The U.S. Government supports a diverse array of activities, including providing quick, safe, and equitable access to vaccines.

The launch will be in the form of a community event, including door-to-door community engagement, led by a delegation consisting of the Minister of Health and leadership of the U.S. Government in South Africa.

This will be followed by dialogues with the community, and their leadership to discuss structural barriers to vaccination uptake and how to overcome vaccine hesitancy.

Source: Government of South Africa

The Presidency has quashed allegations of criminal conduct on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s behalf following a burglary at his Limpopo farm during 2020.

This after former Correctional Services Commissioner, Arthur Fraser, released a media statement on Wednesday, alleging that during the 2020 incident, at least $4 million had been stolen from the President’s farm, and that President Ramaphosa had “concealed the crime” from police and the SA Revenue Service and “thereafter paid the culprits for their silence”.

In a statement, the Presidency rubbished those claims.

“President Ramaphosa is clear that there is no basis for the claims of criminal conduct that have been made against him in Mr Fraser’s statement. The Presidency can confirm that a robbery took place at the President’s farm in Limpopo on or around 9 February 2020, in which proceeds from the sale of game were stolen.

“The President was attending an African Union Summit in Addis Ababa at the time the incident occurred. On being advised of the robbery, President Ramaphosa reported the incident to the head of the Presidential Protection Unit of the South African Police Service for investigation,” the statement said.

The Presidency said President Ramaphosa is “ready to cooperate with any law enforcement investigation of these matters” after Fraser laid charges against the President based on the allegations.

“President Ramaphosa remains resolute in leading the fight against corruption, restoring the integrity and capability of public institutions and overcoming the legacy of State capture, and will not be deterred by disinformation campaigns,” the statement read.

Source: South African Government News Agency