TEL: 053 ­ 831­2331 WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2014 WWW.EXPRESS­NEWS.CO.ZA WWW.EXPRESSPAPER.MOBI FREE

Northern Cape

} Boipelo Mere

SIBONGILE TYHOKO (18)of the Tetlanyo High Schoolin Galeshewe cannot believethat she has been declaredthe 2014 Youth Championin the 69 kg boxing division.Sibongile was crowned the

champion after she hadbeaten Amanda Jantjies ofEastern Cape Mdantsane inthe finals at the annualNational Junior and YouthChampionships that wereheld in Pretoria.Sibongile, who is now in

gr. 10, became the centre ofattention at her schoolafter she had been handedher gold medal by NCOBOpresident Archie Jack at herschool’s assembly last week.According to Sibongile, it

was all thanks to herboxing coach, RaymondMothobi, who believed inher.“Amanda looked much

tougher and stronger thanme, but when we climbedinto the ring, I realised thatfitness was what mattered.I just walked over her,” shesaid proudly.Still excited about the

achievement, she said it

was a dream come true forher.“I am so happy because I

have achieved my goal inboxing.“Now I’ll move up to

become a world champion.”According to Jack, the

Northern Cape teamperformed well overalldespite the lack of resour-ces in the province.“We would like to thank

the Department of Sport,Arts and Culture who madeit possible for us to attendthe annual National Juniorand Youth Championships,”said Jack.Revealing the results Jack

highlighted that FrancoisPain from the NorthernCape had lost to BonginkosiZulu of KwaZulu-Natal inthe semi-finals in the juniorcategory and had received abronze medal.“Shuping Maseng (NC)

lost to Lwazi Phiri ofKwaZulu-Natal in theyouth category andreceived a bronze medal,and Njabulo Dube (NC)lost to Ntuthuho Nyawoof KwaZulu-Natal in thefinals in the 75 kg andwon the silver.”

was a dream come true for

“I am so happy because Ihave achieved my goal in

become a world champion.”According to Jack, the

despite the lack of resour-

“We would like to thankthe Department of Sport,Arts and Culture who madeit possible for us to attendthe annual National Juniorand Youth Championships,”

Revealing the results Jackhighlighted that FrancoisPain from the NorthernCape had lost to BonginkosiZulu of KwaZulu-Natal inthe semi-finals in the juniorcategory and had received a

“Shuping Maseng (NC)

received a bronze medal,and Njabulo Dube (NC)lost to Ntuthuho Nyawoof KwaZulu-Natal in the

Winner packs a punchSibongile (18) namedYouth Champion

SIBONGILE TYHOKO (18) of the Tetlanyo High School wascrowned the 2014 Youth Champion in the 69 kg boxing division.

Photo: Boipelo Mere

‘I am so happy because I have achievedmy goal in boxing. Now I’ll move up to

become a world champion.’

– Sibongile Tyhoko

2 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2014

NEWS

Promise to littleLerato fulfilled at last} Boipelo Mere

MAVERICK STATE kept itspromise.The company delivered after they

had announced four months agothat they would offer support to thenow six-month-old Lerato – whohad been raped when she was sixweeks old.They pledged R50 000 of the Kirk

Franklin, Joyous Celebration andKhaya Mthethwa concert whichthey had promoted in December2013.A portion of their proceeds was

indeed donated to help the childand her mother.The delegation visited the family

last week on the day that babyLerato turned six months old.The company sponsored a home

makeover, which included a doublebed, a wardrobe, a cot for the baby,chairs and couches for the lounge.Maverick Estate also decided to

include a stove, burglar bars forthe baby’s room and other equip-ment to make the baby’s livingconditions more suitable, as well asa R2 000 grant for a period of 12months.According to Mbuso Thabethe,

the CEO of Maverick Estate, theypledged R50 000 overall to thefamily, which included the homemakeover to make their home childfriendly.Maverick Estate came under

scrutiny two weeks ago when itwas reported to have pulled apublicity stunt using baby Lerato’stragedy. The story was aired onnational TV.Thabethe was happy to set the

record straight and said that thedelay in delivering their promisehad been caused by a decision bythem and the Northern CapePremier’s Office as to how theywere supposed to use the pledge.“We were delayed because we

had to decide if we wanted to setup the pledge as a trust fund,which needed trustees of course,and to do it through a needsanalysis. But then we realised thatit would take longer to access the

funds through a trust fund.” Headded that it was very unfortunatethat some people had tried to makea controversy out of the situation.“The needs analysis, conducted

by the Department of SocialDevelopment, was only sent to uson 9 April which gave us thego-ahead at last.”Lovingly holding onto a cheerful

baby Lerato, the mother expressedher appreciation at Maverick Estatefor going beyond fulfilling theirpromise.“I am also proud to announce

that my baby’s birthday is just a

day after yours (Thabethe’s), so wewill be expecting a birthday wishfrom you every year. This will alsomake us never forget your genero-sity.“I am so proud and I regard

myself lucky to be raising my babyin a child-friendly environmentfrom now on.“You have really wiped away my

tears. It is because of people likeyou that I have forgiven mybrother and have moved on.“I did not know that six months

later I would be able not to lookback and move on.”

HELGA COHEN and Mbuso Thabethe, the CEO of Maverick Estate,made good on their promise. Photos: Boipelo Mere

HAPPY in her new baby­walker.

TALAMA SQUARE will be constructed next to Shoprite in the Kimberley CBD. The construction of the McDonald’s Restaurant isexpected to start this week. Photo: Boipelo Mere

Talama Square to replace parking} Boipelo Mere

IT is all systems go for TalamaSquare and bye-bye to the oldGariep Arts Festival swingspot.The quiet parking lot that

has been used by hawkers andas a parking lot for Shoprite

will soon be a centre ofactivity for university stu-dents.Also, a McDonald’s restau-

rant will soon spice up theblock.Lionel Koster from Strata

Africa, the contractor, revealedthat the first phase of the

construction will be McDon-ald’s, then a block of flats.Construction for McDonald’s

will start in a week’s time,while the construction for theblock of flats will start early inJune.According to Koster, the plan

for Talama Square has already

been approved, but there stillremains an undecided sectionof the land that will beconstructed as phase 2.Efforts by Express Northern

Cape to get comment from theSol Plaatje Municipality failedas the line remained unan-swered.

Power linebirths projectsON 10 April an event was held inGa-Mothibi to mark the official hand-over of a range of community uplift-ment projects that were undertaken byMkhulu Electro Distribution Projects(EDP) in collaboration with Eskom.In August 2011, Eskom awarded

Mkhulu EDP a project to construct a200 km overhead transmission line of400 kV.The line runs from Kathu to Vryburg

and forms part of the Eskom Kimber-ley Strengthening Project aimed atstabilising the electricity supply for thearea.The collaboration between Eskom and

Mkhulu EDP led to the implementationof the following social and economicdevelopment projects: BoitekongPre-school and Bothetheletsa School’srefurbishment, Arbor Day celebrationand the Ga Mothibi Community Hall.Various dignitaries representing the

communities from the John TaoloGaetsewe (JTG) District Municipalityattended this auspicious celebration.After the opening prayer, Jean

Marcello Lamperini, managing directorof Mkhulu, welcomed all the partici-pants and thanked the community fortheir hospitality.Speaking on behalf of Eskom, David

Zola educated the community on therisks that the electricity pylons posedand requested that the communityhelped protect the assets by reportingtheft or any form of vandalism.He furthermore requested the commu-

nity to ensure that they established amaintenance programme for all theprojects so that they remained an assetwithin the community.

EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2014 3

NEWS

ANGIE SEEKOEI, one of the school teachers, with Norman Shushu, the MEC of Agri­culture and Land Reform, giving learner Rethabile Moss the first push on her newbicycle. Photo: Supplied

Learners receive bicyclesA TOTAL of 100 under-privileged learners fromten schools in the JohnTaolo Gaetsewe Districthave received bicyclesfrom the Northern CapeProvincial Government.The bicycles were

handed over by JohnBlock, the MEC for theDepartment of Finance,Economic Developmentand Tourism, and KennyMmoiemang, the speakerof the Northern CapeProvincial Legislature, atthe Mmamoratwe MiddleSchool at Seven Miles.Block and Mmoiemang

also teamed up withrepresentatives of thefoundation Gift of theGivers to distributeblankets to needy familiesin the area.They also handed out

goodie packs, groceries,shoes and many otherbasic necessities tocommunity members.A number of schools

will benefit from furnitureto be donated by theentourage.The John Taolo Gaet-

sewe District has beenidentified as one of themost impoverished

districts in the NorthernCape.The rural district was

identified as one ofpresidential nodal pointsneeding urgent interven-tion.The donation of bicycles

in this area will help thelearners who often haveto travel long distances toaccess education.The visit by government

leadership and its stake-holders comes as part of anumber of programmesplanned as build uptowards the celebrationsof 20 years of democracy.

Upbeat Selloreleases first CD

} Boipelo Mere

SELLO MOLEKO’S (38)dream has come true.Many did not believe him

when he said he wanted torecord an album.Well, this people’s person

from the notorious neigh-bourhood of Club 2000, hassingle-handedly released hisown 10-track album entitledLefatshe letlo fella kae. Eventhose who know him stillcannot believe it.“I always wanted to

record my own album. Myvision became even strongerin 2010,” he said proudly.He recalls waking up in

the middle of the night andstarting to sing and writehis songs.Now he sometimes

pinches himself to seewhether this is really true.“My late partner, Obak-

eng Mqomo, used to saythat I am crazy. The songswould come as a dream, andthen I had to sing them outloud. I made it a rule towrite them down so Iwouldn’t forget anything.”He revealed that he did

not manage to record thealbum in 2010 as he hadplanned due to the passingof his partner in 2011.Sello, who attends the

Zion Christian ChurchLeeba, was a member of thechurch choir from the ageof 13 and was also a choirconductor.He said he just woke up

one Sunday and got theurge to call his Johannes-burg producer, SfisoTerrible, to enquire aboutthe procedures.“During our conversation

he asked me to sing overthe phone. That is when Igot the appointment.”Recording his first album

on his own did not deterhim. He rather preferred itthat way, because he wasnot sure whether otherpeople would share the

same passion for his albumas he did.“The only challenge I

experienced during therecording was battling withmy style of voice. I wouldsometimes plan to sing altoand then sing tenor. But myproducer was very support-ive and professional,” hesaid.“I must admit that I was

nervous at first, but then Imanaged to relax. That ishow I managed to recordthe album in one week.”He said his positive and

confident attitude was theone thing that made himachieve his dream.Sello, who did everything,

including marketing hisown CD, still does not havea manager or any backupsingers. He plans to get ateam together with his nextalbum.He revealed to Express

Northern Cape that heplanned to record his nextalbum in December andafter that at least one albuma year.“Music is my life, and it

is in my blood. All I have todo is live it. It is all aboutmy God-given talent that Ifeel I have to share with theworld. I will tell you when Iofficially launch my CD,”said Moleko.

SELLOMOLEKO proudly holding his first 10­track album, Lefatshe letlo fella kae. He wroteall the songs and marketed the CD on his own. Photo: Boipelo Mere

} Boipelo Mere

4 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2014

NEWS

Protest opposes bill} Boipelo Mere

“PRES. ZUMA, please don’t signthe bill; the people shall govern andshall all have access to humanrights; hands off our water; commu-nities were not consulted.”

This is how the placards readthat were carried by members ofthe Mining Affected CommunitiesUnited in Action (Macua) in theNorthern Cape.

Disgruntled members joinedforces and picketed peacefullyoutside the provincial office of theDepartment of Mineral Resources(DMR) last week Wednesday.

The protest was aimed at puttingpressure on Zuma not to sign theMineral and Petroleum ResourcesDevelopment (MPRDA) Bill intolaw.

That after the bill had beenapproved by the National Assemblyon 13 March.

The picket, that lasted until lunchtime, was staged in seven provincesand excluded the Western Cape andLimpopo.

The members also tried to gaincommunity support by disseminat-ing information in the CBD.

Macua’s concern is that thesigning of the bill will allow miningcompanies to pollute water.

“We are a community-basedorganisation. The bill will makecommunities suffer, as it will givethe mines the right to operatewithout a water licence,” saidTebogo Moitsi, a committee memberof Macua.

According to Macua, the contro-versial bill was passed in a periodof three days at the NationalCouncil of Provinces. They askedthe president to send the bill backto parliament for communityparticipation.

The organisation accused govern-ment of passing bills withoutcommunity recommendations.

“The people’s participation in lawmaking and decisions that have animpact on our lives is a central partof democracy and, yet, despite ourConstitution, companies are treatedas more important than people,”they said in their media release.

Macau stated it was unacceptablethat when the MPRDA and theRestitution of Land Rights (RLR)had first been introduced toparliament, they asked parliamentto listen to them when they request-ed for communities to be included,but that that did not happen.

“Instead, they treated communi-ties who went to parliament verybadly, questioning their mandatesand ridiculing their language use,”said Moitsi.

He revealed that Macua wasplanning to stage a protest action inKuruman on 23 April to addressother issues, including sociallabour.

He pointed out that they wantedto set the ball rolling and ensuretheir grievances were addressed.

Moitsi said even Premier SylviaLucas, who had promised tointervene during their 27 Novem-ber march, where they barricadedthe Hotazel Road, had not helpedthem.

“During that march we weredemanding that mine managersmeet with us because our districtmunicipality refused to interveneand said we must approach themines on our own without theirpresence.”

According to Mike Cohen’s articleon Bloomberg.com, by signing thebill into law, the ruling ANC wouldbe pushing for the state to play a

bigger role in the economy to tryensure the nation benefits morefrom its mineral endowment comethe elections on 7 May.

With South Africa being thecontinent’s largest coal and goldproducer and the world’s biggestplatinum supplier, the law willsecure the state a free 20% stake inall new energy ventures and enable

it to buy an unspecified additionalshare at an agreed price.

He wrote that it would alsoenable the minister of the Depart-ment of Mineral Resources todeclare minerals as strategic whichwill require that supplies be madeavailable to local producers at minegate pricing or another agreedprice.

MEMBERSofMacua emphasised that the community’s human rightswerebeing trampled on during their peaceful protest in front of the provincialoffice of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR). Photos: Boipelo Mere

Desk gives voiceto elderly in NC} Boipelo Mere

THE Northern Cape OlderPerson’s Forum (NCOPF)wishes to extend its visits toall five regions in theprovince to engage minoritygroups in the services andsupport that are available forolder persons.

They call on the govern-ment to provide assistance inthis regard, given thevastness of the province.

This was the plea of theorganisation’s chairperson,Don Jacobs, during thelaunch of the Older PersonsDesk in Upington.

The launch, hosted by theNCOPF, the ProvincialDepartment of SocialDevelopment and thePremier’s Office of theDirectorate Special Pro-grammes, is aimed atensuring that the voices ofthe elderly are heard andthat issues impacting ontheir lives are addressed interms of the Constitution ofSouth Africa as well as theprovisions of the OlderPersons Act (Act No. 13,2006).

The desk will also ensureadherence to the UN Declara-tion 46/91 on the Rights ofOlder Persons, which wasratified in 1999.

The Northern Cape Forumwas formed just like in allnine provinces in 2012 afterPres. Jacob Zuma’s an-nouncement of the OlderPersons Desk at the Presi-dency and in all ninepremier’s offices.

According to Jacobs, theirachievements include theiractive participation withSASSA in meetings withmembers of the CustomerCare.

They also establishedpensioner pay points andconducted visits to servicecentres at local and districtlevel to create awareness oftheir programmes.

He made a request to thePremier’s Office to advocatefor stronger law enforcementby the SAPS in an effort toprevent elderly abuse athomes and centres.

On behalf of NCOPF, thechairperson asked thePremier’s Office to engage inappointing a Volunteer FocalPerson (VFP) in all depart-ments and at municipal levelto address and highlight theissues of elderly people.

The launch was attendedby delegates from differentorganisations and govern-ment departments from allthe five regions of theNorthern Cape.

MORE placards displaying the plea for Pres. Jacob Zuma not to sign thebill into law before the communities participated.

THE members word T­shirts with messages that opposed the MPRDA Bill.

THE Older Persons Desk was launched in Upington. Picturedare the elderly playing a guessing game during the event.

Photos: Supplied

A local cultural groupentertained the guests,reminding the elderlyof their young days.

THE MEC of Social De­velopment, Tiny Cho­telo, handing out giftsto the elderly who at­tended the event.

EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2014 5

6 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2014

NEWS

VARIOUS churches observed Palm Sundayby marching through the streets of Galesh­ewe to commemorate theday. PalmSundaycelebrates Jesus Christ’s triumphant entryinto Jerusalem riding a donkey and peoplespreading palms on the road for the donkeyto walk on. Photo: Boipelo Mere

Palm Sunday

Rangerspounce onpoachersSOUTH AFRICAN NATIONALPARKS (SANPARKS) authori-ties say gains are being made inthe war against rhino poaching,with eight suspected poachersarrested in the past week.

“The past week proved to beone of the busiest weeks foranti-poaching units in theKruger National Park, with asmany as three heavily armedgroups of suspected poachersdetected by rangers in theiconic park,” said SANParksmedia specialist Ike Phaahla onMonday.

According to SANParksspokesperson Reynold Thakhuli,the week saw rangers chasingand successfully apprehending anumber of armed suspectedpoachers, with a total of sixarrests over the weekend.

He said that most of theincidents of the past week werein the southern part of the parkin areas such as CrocodileBridge, Kingfisherspruit,Tshokwane and Stolsnek.

Two SANParks employeeswere arrested on 7 April onsuspicion of poaching, bringingthe number of arrests related tosuspected poaching to eight.

The two SANParks employeesappeared in the White RiverMagistrate’s Court on Wednes-day, 9 April, and the case wasremanded to 16 April for aformal bail application.

Thakhuli said that on 10April rangers from CrocodileBridge apprehended twosuspected poachers leaving thepark.

He said the two suspects,believed to be Zimbabweannationals, were arrested on thespot. He said a G3 military typerifle, silencer and ammunitionwere confiscated on the scene.

On 11 April, rangers from theKingfisherspruit area cameacross two suspected rhinopoachers but managed to arrestonly one of them. A .458 rifle,

silencer, ammunition andpoaching equipment wererecovered.

He said Tshokwane rangerspounced on two suspected rhinopoachers on Saturday andconfiscated a .375 hunting rifle,ammunition and poachingequipment.

He said one of the suspectshad managed to escape intoMozambique, while the othersuspect had been arrested.

Sunday, 13 April, was also avery busy day for Stolsnekrangers. They nabbed a groupof five suspected rhino poach-ers. Two of the suspects werearrested with the help of theSANParks airwing and canineunits. The remaining threesuspects escaped.

Thakhuli said the proactiveactions of everyone involvedhad finally paid off and that thepossibility of more arrests couldnot be ruled out, as follow-upinvestigations were underway.

“This is a clear indicationthat resilience and patiencepays off and we are gratefulthat no lives were lost duringan encounter with these heavilyarmed suspected poachers,” hesaid.

He said the SANParksanti-poaching units were readyfor the long weekends, withmany deployment routes beingplotted out, particularly inhotspots.

“We are not resting thiscoming weekend, as we believethere are quite a few poachingincidents being planned bypoachers,” said Thakhuli.

“We will be ready and waitingfor them and we would like torequest the support andcooperation of all members ofthe community in identifyingand reporting suspiciousbehaviour that could lead to theapprehension and conviction ofthese criminals.”– SAnews.gov.za

THE view from the luxurious chalets at the Basotho Cultural Village in the Golden Gate Highlands NationalPark with the veld teeming with wild animals, including blesbok, eland and zebras. Express and SANParksare running a competition in which one lucky reader who enters before the end of April stands a chanceto win a weekend stay for a family of four at the Basotho Cultural Village in the Golden Gate HighlandsNational Park. All you need to do to win is to visit the Express mobi­site (www.expresspaper.mobi), login and enter by answering an easy question. If you have not yet registered, now is your chance. To register,go to the mobi­site by opening your phone’s internet browser, type in www.expresspaper.mobi and enter.Follow the instructions to register. Directions on how to enter the competition will be on the site. Thewinners will be announced in the Express edition of 7 May. Photos: Christo van Staden

Win a weekend for four in Golden Gate

EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2014 7

NEWS

MODISE LETSELEBE, Parks Leburu dis-trict chairperson of the Young CommunistLeague:

INDIVIDUAL political consideration andpersonal interest can’t be allowed tooverride the collective and democracy.If we allow a hypothetical alliance of

counter-revolutionaries to suggest that wemust create spoiled votes, then we areequally allowing the country and itsdemocratic principles to disintegrate.The current stand-off and position of

Ronnie Kasrils that people of South Africashould spoil their votes is a foregoneconclusion, a pipe dream of reactionaryelements who think that they are megalo-maniac (super-natural being to be heroworshipped) in relation to other humanbeings.When he was on the parliamentary list to

become the minister of Intelligence, MrKasrils did not suggest that people mustspoil their votes. Why now?Ideology is a science of ideas, our former

central committee member of the SouthAfrica communist party, Mr Ronnie Kasrils,we appeal to you to cease renderingyourself unto counter-revolutionaries.The battle of ideas is not neutral and will

never be neutral. As a communist, orformer communist, you ought to know thatcommunist cadres require self-criticism andself-cultivation, regardless of one’s short-comings and struggle credentials.Propensities of yearning for the limelight

which undermines our revolution anddemocratic gain as a liberation movementare primeval (not welcome), these are

foreign reactionary practices, we havestructures and platforms.An intelligent veteran, who was a

deployee of the African National Congressas minister of Intelligence Services inSouth Africa, deflect from the collective ofthe liberation movement, to being ahand-maiden of counter-revolutionaryforces, appearing vulnerable to procurehimself to a neo-liberal agenda throughmanipulation and reactionary views forsectoral, narrow, personal interest.The Parks Leburu district of the Young

Communist League condemns in thestrongest terms possible the disruption ofthe election process and acts of violence orintimidation during campaigning andvoting on 7 May, among others, stalwartsand/or rank and file of the ANC who arecalling for the spoiling of ballot papers andvoting in opposition of the ANC by mem-bers of the ANC and the general voters.These should be stamped out and those

responsible for any form undermining ourdemocratic gains should be dealt withseverely, if they deliberately find them-selves on the wrong side of the law.We call on all South Africans to exercise

their prerogative to vote on 7 May in apeaceful and safe environment without anyincitement of violence and propaganda.

Kasrils’s call a pipe dream

} Boipelo Mere

THE impoverished community inHanover were “over the moon” yester-day when police and their localEmtanjeni Municipality gave them foodparcels and fresh fish for Easter.The project, Masi Khothane Amanxe-

ba’, meaning let’s support each other,was initiated by a Hanover memberof the police in2012.The project was

first held in Philips-town, then Rich-mond and now inHanover.Stakeholders in

this project includedthe Department ofEnvironmentalAffairs, Departmentof Social Develop-ment, NatureConservation, Sassa,Department ofHealth and thepolice.Police members were allowed to fish

in the Vanderkloof Dam and distributedtheir catch to the local community.Each family received two fishes to

prepare for Easter.Police members from ten stations in

the De Aar cluster prepared sumptu-ous fish meals and fed the community,and the participating membersreceived an incentive and a certifi-cate for the best three dishes pre-pared.The winning stations were De Aar

(first), Hanover (second) and Colesberg(third).

Brig. Nomahlubi Sofika, the clustercommander of De Aar, stated thatduring this time, everyone is eatingfish and there are those who cannotcelebrate Easter as they have no food.Therefore, all the stakeholders

worked together in bringing smiles tothe many faces of the Hanover commu-nity.The aim was also the strengthening

of the relationshipbetween the police,the community andother partners.The huge success

of the projectregarding theseaims was clearlyevident to all.“We can all work

together in alle-viating povertywithin the com-munities, as wellas decreasingcrimes,” Sofikasaid.The provincial

head of visible policing, Brig. Tl-hokomelang Kennethia Diakanyo,added in her address: “It is crucialthat we continue with this type ofengagements as a way of increasingpublic confidence and enhancing ourrelationships with the communities.“Through enhanced relationships we

will be able to prevent more crimesas opposed to always reacting to issuesof crime.“The police can do little alone, but

together we can do more in squeez-ing crime to zero in the NorthernCape,” she said.

Police donatefish to the poor} Boipelo Mere

THREE suspects are facing charges ofarmed robbery and possession of suspectedstolen property after they were arrestedduring a heavy police chase in Kuruman.The suspects, aged between 33 and 41,

were arrested after several items, allegedlystolen during an armed robbery in Carding-ton in the Bothithong area, were alsorecovered from them. A firearm wasrecovered not far from the scene where thesuspects had been arrested.The chase happened after the police had

been called in to the armed robbery. It isalleged that three male suspects entered abusiness premises with a firearm to commitrobbery and robbed the owner of thebusiness of several items, including anundisclosed amount of cash, a laptop,

hairclips, cigarettes and airtime, as well asa vehicle which the suspects allegedly usedas a get-away car.Several units in the police were imme-

diately activated, which included thehighway patrol in Kuruman, public orderpolice from Kimberley, Kimberley air-wingand detectives in Bothithong.The community assisted the police by

keeping an eye on the suspects and in-formed the police in which direction theyhad fled. The police chase forced thesuspects to abandon the vehicle and run tothe bush where they were arrested.Whilst the police were busy at the scene,

two community members tried to helpthemselves with some items suspected tohave been stolen during the armed robbery.The police managed to apprehend the twoaged between 25 and 33.

Suspected robberscaught after chase

For more news and photos go towww.express-news.co.za.

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The Independent Electoral Commission(IEC) finalised the candidate lists followingthe conclusion of the objection and appealprocess in which only a single objectionwas upheld by the IEC.“The IEC is not aware of any appeals

which have been lodged with the ElectoralCourt.“The way is therefore now clear for the

finalisation of the candidate lists and issueof certificates to all candidates, in termsof Section 31 of the Electoral Act,” aspokesperson of the commission said onTuesday.Certificates will be issued to candidates

by tomorrow.The IEC originally received 45 objections

in respect of lists submitted by the follow-ing parties:) African Christian Democratic Party.) African National Congress.) Agang SA.) Congress of the People.

) Democratic Alliance.) Economic Freedom Fighters.) United Democratic Party.) National Freedom Party.) Ximoko Party.Of these objections, the IEC upheld only

one against a candidate who was convictedof an offence and sentenced to more than12 months imprisonment without the optionof a fine.This disqualification ends five years after

the sentence has been completed, whichwill be after the 2014 national and provin-cial elections.“The candidate has thus been disquali-

fied,” the IEC confirmed.There were also matters raised as

objections, which the commission ruledwere administrative and referred them foradministrative resolution.South Africans will head to the polls on

7 May for the country’s fifth democraticelection. – SAnews.gov.za

Candidate lists finalised

“Through enhanced re-lationships we will beable to prevent morecrimes as opposed toalways reacting to is-sues of crime. The po-l i c e c a n d o l i t t l ealone . . . ”

8 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2014

THIS year golfers in rural areas will alsohave the opportunity to take part in theOld Mutual International Pairs SouthAfrican (Omipsa) Tournament.

Birdies, eagles or albatrosses are invitedto participate in the upcoming tournamentthat will be held on 28 May at the KathuGolf Course.

The competition, which is one of thebiggest competitions for amateur golfers inthe world, is also part of the InternationalPairs Golf Tournament.

The winning pair of the Omipsa AgriInvitation Series will play against thewinners and runners-up of regional elimi-nating events in the Omipsa 2014 ClubSeries to participate in the South Africanfinal in order to determine who willrepresent the country in the internationalfinals in Scotland.

Koos Nel, head of Old Mutual’s Agrimark,said they were extremely proud tobe involved in the South African legof this very special competition thisyear.

He added that it was previously limitedto the larger centres, which made itdifficult or impractical for farmers and

golfers in rural areas to participate.“So this year we’re bringing it closer to

them.“Not only can golfers look forward to an

enjoyable day of terrific golf, but they alsohave the opportunity to make it to the nextround and the grand prize waiting at theend,” continued Nel.

“At Old Mutual we’ve been involved withthe farming community since we openedour doors 168 years ago, and we offer acomprehensive range of solutions for thefarmer and agri businesses.

“We value partnerships with our farmersand look forward to spending the day withthem.”

Players will be responsible for their owncourse fees and the costs of caddie cars andcaddies.

The halfway house, dinner and prizes aresponsored by Old Mutual.

The costs of the winning pairs who makeit to the next round will also be carried byOld Mutual.

Participants can contact Galatia Bostan-der on 053-8071003 or their local Old Mutualoffice for more information about thecompetition and an entry form.

Rural golfers can also play

ARE you good atsport – or issomeone in yourschool or place ofeducation good atsport? Are youmotivating ortraining others tobe good at sport?Are you a youngcoach who is coaching future stars? Areyou getting people active at your school,community or gym?Express Northern Cape wants to hear

from you.SuperSport’s Let’s Play identified the

need amongst the youth to get more sportactive.

With this in mind SuperSport and Let’sPlay, in association with Express NorthernCape, have launched a special initiative.Express Northern Cape want to find and

give recognition to learners at eitherprimary or high school level who excel insport or who are helping others to be moreactive.

The SuperSport’s Let’s Play Star of theMonth is a competition for anyone agedsix to 18. You can nominate yourself or benominated by a friend or any teacher,lecturer or coach at your school or placeof education. You can even be nominatedby a family member or friend who knowshow good you are.

The winner is chosen from all thenominations received for that month. Themonthly winner will receive a Let’s Playhamper filled with goodies.

From all the entries received eachmonth, one player will be chosen as theSuperSport Let’s Play Star of the Month.

At the end of the year one player fromall the monthly winners will be chosen asthe SuperSport Let’s Play Sports Star ofthe Year.

Send your nomination today. Nomina-tions received before the 20th of everymonth will be included in that month’sselection. Nominations received after the20th of every month will be carried over tothe next month’s selection.

Your nomination must include yourname, age and a short paragraph (lessthan 200 words) on what you haveachieved, as well as your contact details.

You can email your nomination tosupersport@zpr.co.za or send a fax to086-552-4922.

For more information, contact Lynne orJuanré at Z PR on 051-522-9574.

Search on forstudentsexcelling insports

}Boipelo Mere

IN an effort to revive volleyball in schools,the Northern Cape Volleyball Federationlaunched a volleyball festival at the A.R.Abass Stadium.

A total of 20 schools (ten high and tenprimary schools) were identified to take partin the festival where coaches from thefederation trained them.

Four special schools also attended, namelyRetlameleng, Elizabeth Conradie, NJ Heynsand Boitumelo.

Quick sets were set up on the field where

the learners practised.According to Rodrique January, secretary

of Northern Cape Schools Volleyball, all theparticipating schools would be given quicksets to practise for the volleyball league.

He could not provide dates for the league,but said the league winners would qualifyfor the regionals which would lead toeventually five regions competing in theprovincials.

“Northern Cape Volleyball will send outtrained coaches to train teachers at theirrespective schools,” he added.

He explained that even handicapped

children could easily compete in this sport.“This is not a physical sport. Teams from

special schools will compete in the normalstream, especially the deaf and intellectuallyimpaired. “They will only have their owncategory at provincial and national level.”

He said the special school teams did nothave other schools to compete against atpresent.) According to Wikipedia, volleyball is ateam sport in which two teams of six playersare separated by a net. Each team tries toscore points by grounding a ball on the otherteam’s court.

Project to revive volleyball in schoolsSCHOOL VOLLEYBALL CLINICS were held at the A.R. Abass Stadium. Photo: Boipelo Mere