News

The police’s multi-disciplinary high-density four-day Operation Shanela, which kicked off on Thursday in Kimberley and in other areas, focused on reducing contact and violent crimes, as well as property related crimes in hotspots areas.

Actions and police activities executed during the operations included vehicle check points (VCP's), stop and searches, foot and vehicle patrols, compliance inspections, drugs and other commodities smuggling.

Nineteen VCP's and eleven roadblocks were conducted across the province during which 2049 vehicles and 4700 persons were stopped and searched. at least 318 compliance inspections were executed at second-hand dealers, liquor premises, formal and informal businesses as well as farms.

Numerous operational successes were achieved and these include: 

• Arrests of 356 suspects for contravening the firearms controls act, possession of dangerous weapons, attempted murder, robbery, assault, burglary, theft out of motor vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol, malicious damage to property, dealing and possession of drugs as well as illegal dealing in liquor.
• 20 undocumented immigrants were also apprehended and detained.
• 184 wanted suspects were traced and arrested by detective teams in all five districts as follows: 60 in Frances Baard, 24 in John Taolo Gaetsewe, 27 in Pixley Ka Seme, 44 in ZF Mgcawu and 29 in Namakwa district.

Prior to the  quarterly review session on 26 /27 July 2023 in Kimberley, the 91 station commissioners from across the province participated in high density police actions in the greater Kimberley area.

The station commanders as well as provincial components were led by the Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Policing, Major General Luntu Ngubelanga.

Numerous seizures including dagga, copper cables, alcohol and homemade brew, numerous dangerous weapons and cash believed to be the proceeds of crime were made.

The Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape, Lt General Koliswa Otola indicated that Operation Shanela will continue to stamp down the authority of the state in an endeavour to reclaim communities from criminals and restore the trust of the public in the police. 

She also appreciated the efforts of the SAPS members, the external role-players and the community policing structures for their unabated efforts in fighting crime collectively. – SAnews.gov.za

Over 52 000 households in the Moretele Local Municipality in the North West stand to benefit from a sustainable, reliable and continuous supply of potable water from the Moretele South Bulk Water Supply Scheme Project.

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu visited the site of the a 25 megalitres per day (ml/d) reservoir in Dilopye village and a 36.2km bulk pipeline in Mogogelo on Saturday to witness the construction of the infrastructure, which started last month. 

Phase 3 of the project will ensure a reliable supply of potable water to the far west of Moretele Municipality. 

A total of R640 617 000 has been budgeted for the scheme from the department’s Regional Bulk infrastructure Grant (RBIG). 

Phase 1 of the project included the upgrade of the Klipdrift Water Treatment Works from 18ml/d to 42ml/d, which was completed in 2022. Phase 1 ensured that there is adequate potable water from the treatment plant that will be transferred to various networks of reservoirs and bulk pipelines, and ultimately to communities. 

Phase 2 included a 30km bulk pipeline from the treatment plant towards the far west end of Moretele, while Phase 3, which is currently under construction, started in June 2023. Its completion is anticipated for June 2024.

Mchunu said upon completion, Phase 3, which includes the construction of a reservoir and bulk pipeline, will ensure reliable supply of drinking water to, among others, seven villages identified in Moretele including Swartdam, Noroki, Ratsiepane, Moeka, Ga-Motle, Kromkuil and Mmakaunyana. 

While some of the villages have reticulation from Moretele Municipality, which is a water service authority, Mchunu said the villages depend on unreliable sources for drinking water, including boreholes, water sold from private water tankering and rainwater harvesting due to inconsistent provision from the current system. 

The Minister said the 25 ml/d reservoir will have capability to store excess water above the daily required demand and ensure sustained reliable supply to its network of communities uninterrupted.

Addressing the community at Mathibestad’s Lepono Sport Grounds, Mchunu urged the community to be patient, and assured them that water will soon be available in their households. 

“We went see the site where the reservoir and the trench of the 36km pipeline are being constructed and are satisfied with the progress. Although we would have loved to come and tell you that we have completed the work and water is being reticulated, we are happy that we are very close to that, Mchunu said. – SAnews.gov.za

By Anele Zikali

As the country prepares to host the first ever Netball World Cup (NWC2023) in Africa from 28 July to 6 August 2023, it is all systems go for South Africa’s netball team, the SPAR Proteas.

The team’s head coach Norma Plummer said the 15-member squad’s preparations for the tournament are well on track.

“We are working on two training sessions a day now, just to fast-track the combinations on the court ... We will drop to one training session a day and focus more on the analysis of other teams going forward,” said Plummer.

She has a wealth of experience to draw on as she readies the team for NWC2023, which is being hosted by the City of Cape Town.

The netball veteran, who features in the Australian Netball Hall of Fame, has more than 50 years’ experience and is a former world cup winner as a player and coach for the Australian team.

With the SPAR Proteas playing on home soil, Plummer reflected on the pivotal role Netball South Africa has played in ensuring that the public gets behind the team.

“When we walk into the stadium it will be a great thing for them [the players] to have the support that they normally would not have. The visitors will enjoy [what] has been put together by the organisation [Netball South Africa].”

She said there has been growing support and publicity for netball in the country.

“I get surprised when I see a lot of men on the court, watching the games or even playing. They are not shy to raise their hands and play netball. It shows that this game is as tough and competitive as men’s sport. This will help to bring in more sponsors,” she added.

SPAR Proteas team manager Nisha Rupnarain thanked the sponsors that have helped the team with resources. 

“The City of Cape Town has done a lot of hard work in preparation. The excitement is building up. We are absolutely grateful to the city for making sure that this event is a success. We are thankful to the sponsors, Netball South Africa and government for their support,” added Rupnarain. 

For the latest updates, follow Netball South Africa on Twitter: @Netball_SA or Facebook: Netball South Africa. – SAnews.gov.za

*This article first appeared in Vukuzenzele

 

By Anele Zikali

As South Africa’s netball team, SPAR Proteas, takes on the rest of the world at the Netball World Cup 2023 (NWC2023), the players have encouraged fans to work hard if they want to follow in their footsteps.

Captain of SPAR Proteas Bongiwe Msomi (34) said hard work is the key to success. 

“When some of the kids say ‘I want to be like you one day’, I always say: ‘You can even do better’.  “It is hard work to play and constantly be at your best,” she said.

She added that highlights of how well someone played during a game do not show the hard work and preparation that go on behind the scenes before each game.

Msomi, who is from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, said the team is well settled ahead of the NWC 2023 and is looking forward to playing in front of the home crowd.

The NWC2023 will take place at the Cape Town International  Convention Centre. “We have an advantage of playing in front of our people, who back us … We will be playing in front of our siblings and parents, which is just amazing,“ said Msomi. 

A rising star in the SPAR Proteas team is Emeré van der Berg (20), from Bloemfontein in Free State, who plays in the goal attack and shooter positions.

She was recently selected for the SPAR Proteas team that will play in the NWC2023. 

“I feel very honoured and privileged to represent my country. I am ready to go on court and put on the best performance and give it my all every time,” said Van der Berg. 

She added that the team was focused and ready to represent the country. 

“We are working hard and have the determination to keep on showing up at the training sessions in preparation for the NWC2023,” concluded Van der Berg.   

NWC2023 takes place from 28 July to 6 August. To buy tickets for the event, go to: https://nwc2023.org.za/tickets/. – SAnews.gov.za

*This story first appeared in Vukuzenzele

President Cyril Ramaphosa says although load shedding will not be resolved overnight, Eskom and government is making “significant progress” in areas aimed at reducing and eventually removing it altogether.

The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter on Monday.

“Today, we are releasing a detailed report outlining the work done to improve the performance of Eskom’s power stations, accelerate the building of new generation capacity and drive regulatory reforms to transform the electricity sector.

“The winter months will soon be coming to an end. Although load shedding has continued, as was anticipated, we have managed to avert a worst case scenario by stabilising the performance of Eskom’s power stations and reducing demand,” President Ramaphosa said.

He explained that the power utility is hard at work to address challenges at power stations.

“Eskom’s generation fleet continues to show sustained improvement. Unplanned losses have been reduced to less than 16 000MW in in the last two months, down from more than 18 000MW previously. Planned maintenance has been reduced during the winter period, with Eskom having undertaken significant maintenance in the months preceding winter.

“Looking ahead, damaged units at the Kusile and Medupi power stations are being returned to service on an expedited basis. In combination, these units represent more than 3 000MW of capacity.

“The Eskom debt relief package announced by the Minister of Finance will enable necessary investment in maintenance and expansion of the transmission network,” he said.

Energy Action Plan

A year has passed since President Ramaphosa announced the Energy Action Plan aimed at addressing load shedding and achieving energy security for the country.

President Ramaphosa said since then, fervent work has been done “to add as much power as possible” to the vulnerable power grid.

“Eskom has unlocked close to 400 MW from companies with extra available capacity, and a further 600 MW is currently in the contracting process. We have sourced an additional 400MW from Cahora Bassa in Mozambique.

“We are fast-tracking the procurement of new generation capacity from renewables, gas and battery storage. Later this year, the first three projects from the emergency power programme are expected to connect to the grid. Also later this year, around 2 300MW from the most recent bid windows of the renewable energy independent power producer programme should be in construction,” he said.

President Ramaphosa explained that home and rooftop solar uptake is one of the key outputs of the Energy Action Plan coupled with accelerated private investment in capacity generation.

“It is encouraging to see that more municipalities are allowing customers to feed electricity into the grid when they have surplus electricity. This will provide yet another incentive for businesses large and small to invest in alternative energy sources.

“Regulatory changes have helped to boost private investment in new generation capacity. This work has enabled a massive boom in private investment in electricity generation, with a pipeline of more than 10 000MW of new capacity that will begin to connect to the grid later this year,” he said.

The President acknowledged that although load shedding remains a challenge, gains are being made in addressing it.

“We have maintained that load shedding will not be resolved overnight, but we are making clear progress towards reducing it and eventually bringing it to an end.

“Let us maintain this momentum, and let us all play our part, wherever we can, as we lay the groundwork for an energy secure future,” President Ramaphosa said. – SAnews.gov.za