TEL: 053 ­ 831­2331 WEDNESDAY 2 JULY 2014 WWW.EXPRESS­NEWS.CO.ZA FREE

Northern Cape

} Boipelo Mere

POLICE in Kimberley are investigating acase of armed robbery following an incidentwhere a 34-year-old shop-owner was robbed.This was on Saturday at about 12:30.

The incident took place at MadeliefieAvenue, Square Hill Park, Kimberley. Twomale suspects allegedly entered the shop,wearing balaclavas, and demanded cash.

The shop-owner was threatened with afirearm and one of the suspects took a cell

phone from the complainant whilst theother suspect jumped over the counter andtook an undisclosed amount of cash.

The two suspects then left the shop onfoot and entered the nearby veld. It isfurther reported that the shop-ownerfollowed them with his bakkie.

It is believed that these suspects mighthave left their Ford Leisure bakkie in theveld so that they could use it to get away.

The complainant somehow managed todisturb the suspects, which led to them

getting out of the vehicle and fleeing onfoot.

The shop-owner apprehended one suspectand the other one managed to get away.Members of the Kimberley Crime Preven-tion Unit acted swiftly, ensuring that thesuspect was detained.

The arrested suspect is a 28-year-old male,believed to be a foreign national.

Maj.Gen. Jean Abrahams has thanked thepolice members for their hard work andsaid she trusted that they would arrest the

other suspect soon.Abrahams also indicated that she hoped

that the arrest would help in addressing thebusiness robberies and armed robberies inthe area.

Detective Warrant Officer Patrick Dibebehas been tasked to investigate the case.Anyone with information that can assist inthe whereabouts of the other suspect isrequested to call Dibebe on 082-302-0407 orCrime Stop on 08600-10111. An SMS can alsobe sent to 32211.

Shop­owner arrests robberPolice still looking for one suspect in armed robbery case

THE Galeshewe Theatre Organisation (Gato) will represent the Northern Cape at the Grahamstown Arts Festival. They will be performing two of their old dramas Goon andBig Hole, and a new play called Emsini. According to Gato, they are attending the festival in order to tell the untold good and bad stories of Kimberley – stories they feelare being ignored in terms of arts and culture. This is also in an effort to keep the Northern Cape flying high. Read more on p 7. Photo: Boipelo Mere

Representing Northern Cape at arts festival

Visit the Expresswebsite www.ex-press-news for livenews-streaming ofall the socceraction in Brazil.

2 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 2 JULY 2014

NEWS

} Boipelo Mere

IT was a blessing for the Isibindi ChildCentres when John Block, the NorthernCape MEC for Finance, Economic Develop-ment and Tourism, donated school uni-forms to their children.The donation came as a continuation of

the Youth Month commemoration, wherethe MEC donated food parcels, school shoesand uniforms to child-headed householdsthat were identified with the assistance ofthe Department of Social Services andIsibindi centres from different areas ofGaleshewe.Block made it clear that the donations

should not be seen as an electioneeringcampaign, seeing that it came after theelections.He said the initiative sought to inspire

those community members who were lessfortunate, especially in the cold weather.One of the Isibindi workers, Kedibone,

could not stop to express their gratitude tothe MEC. They reported that most of thechildren had no school uniform especiallyno shoes.The staff of the Provincial Treasury are

also reported to have contributed insupporting the course by raising part of themoney that was used to procure the items.They reported it to be a gesture of Ubuntuand an effort to transform people’s lives.On the same day, Block also donated two

sets of soccer kit and soccerballs to twolocal soccer teams from Jacksonville andLerato Park.The MEC promised that his department

would continue to do everything to empo-wer children in education and sports. Hehighlighted the fact that people tended toeat more in winter and that some of themcould not afford to keep warm, especiallythose who did not even have electricity.Block encouraged the staff to continue to

stand together in making a difference andexpressed the hope that the small gesture

would make a difference.“We won’t stop here to help,” he prom-

ised as he elaborated on how governmentworkers should feel responsible to lookafter the poor.According to the MEC, the handover was

an extension of their programme wherebythey took a decision to assist the lessfortunate schools in the province in 2009.He added that the programme was alsoaimed at addressing social ills amongst thevulnerable.The coach of Young Achievers Soccer

team, Abraham Sebolai who received thesoccer kit, was over the moon. He reportedthat the team, consisting of five male andtwo female divisions, would cope better. He

further said that donations like those wouldshow the local teams that their efforts insports were appreciated.“This will assist our girls in the upcom-

ing first league games. We only had onesoccer kit and had to share it amongst themales and female players,” he revealed.He, however, said that his team had been

surviving with only six pairs of soccerboots that he had bought himself, becausemost of the players could not afford to buyboots.“I am currently the happiest man. This

donation brings hope to my team,” said theother coach, Paulus Mosalemane of theColour Block soccer team.According to him, his team consists of

learners who push forward despite theircircumstances.He said with the community’s support on

all their programmes, they had managed tostart playing league games in 2013 afterplaying rebels for a long time.The two coaches similarly said that the

greatest challenge that they faced as localclubs was the lack of soccer boots.

MEC reaches out to children

THE Northern Cape MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, John Block,Young Achievers Soccer team Abraham Sebolai, HOD at the department Sello Mokokoand Paulus Mosalemane, the coach of the Colour Block soccer team during the handover.

Photos: Boipelo Mere

THE Northern Cape MEC for Finance, Eco-nomic Development and Tourism, JohnBlock.

IN an effort for PMG netball to reach outto their community and further developthe sport in Tsantsabane, Kolomelaassisted the club by donating R20 000 tothem.Kolomela is proud to be associated with

such initiatives that uplift the communitythey operate in.Anglo American Kumba Iron Ore’s

Kolomela Mine understands the impor-tance to support sport within the Tsantsa-bane community as this contributes tothe well-being and social development ofits people.“We believe that sport unites and

drives people in a positive direction,eliminating negative behaviours such ascrime and substance abuse amongst ouryouth,” says George Benjamin, managerof public affairs at the Kolomela Mine.The Postmasburg Netball Club, estab-

lished in 2008, is a sports initiative thatbrings women in the community together.The club is registered under the Siyandaleague and consists of Kolomela employ-ees and wives of employees, contractorsand local women from Postmasburg.

Since 2008, the PMG netball club hadnumerous players representing the clubon provincial level at the Spar nationalchampionship.The club has built up an outstanding

record over the past few years, winningthe bronze medal in 2008 and 2009 out of14 teams in the league. Then, throughhard work and dedication, the club hadwon the silver medal from 2010 to 2012.With such passion and enthusiasm for

the sport, the ladies outperformed theircounterparts and managed to bring backthe gold medal as league champions in2013.The club is now aiming for greater

heights, which is to enhance the member-ship and produce more provincial ornational players.“We are grateful for the sponsorship by

the Kolomela Mine. This donation willnot only help the team, but also two of itsmembers to participate in the u.21 SouthAfrican National Championship whichwill take place in July 2014,” saidJeanette Fourie, PMG netball teammanager.

Kolomela donatesmoney to netball

JEANETTE FOURIE (left), netball team manager, with George Benjamin, KolomelaMine public affairsmanager, and Benadette Kotze, netball teammember.Photo:Supplied

THEprovincial leader of theDA,AndrewLouw, accompaniedbyHaroldMcGluwa,DAchair-person, visited two families whose houses were left destroyed after fires had broken outin Roodepan, Kimberley. The DA handed over food parcels and blankets in an effort tohelp these families during freezing cold weather conditions. Here Louw is with one ofthe house owners, Alice Booysen. Photo: Supplied

Reaching out to the needy

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EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 2 JULY 2014 3

NEWS

} Boipelo Mere

ANGRY residents of West End in Kimberleysay they are sick and tired of witnessingsquatters relieving themselves in the veld ona daily basis.They want the Sol Plaatje Municipality to

remove the squatters who are living next totheir houses as soon as possible.During a march organised by the DA on

Wednesday, the residents emphasised thattheir interests and safety were not beingconsidered as ratepayers.They handed over a memorandum of their

demands to the mayor of Sol Plaatje, DavidMolusi, and the municipal manager, GoolamAkharwaray.Their memorandum included some

pictures of the conditions that the squatterswere living in. The residents want aresponse within 14 working days.During the march the ratepayers were

angered because the mayor used theplatform to address the municipality’schallenges of developing areas that werealready occupied illegally. Molusi made itclear that the squatters were not goinganywhere, but would rather be movedtemporarily in order for the land to bedeveloped, so that RDP houses can be built.They shouted that they were not interest-

ed in the squatters’ challenges and said itwas the municipality’s problem.The mayor was also accused of using

apartheid as an excuse whenever theywanted to raise their concerns. The resi-dents claim that they only want the squat-ters to be moved somewhere else. One of theresidents even challenged Molusi to allowthe squatters to build homes on his door-step, since he believed in a rainbow nation.She was referring to this statement that

Molusi had made: “We want to do away withthe apartheid plan. We want all our people,irrespective of their colour, to live togetherso that we can become a rainbow nation.”They continued to blame the tremendous

crime growth in West End on the existenceof the squatter camp.The municipality was labelled as shameful

and disgusting for allowing human beings toreside in informal settlements where therewere no services such as electricity, wateror sanitation.As ratepayers, they claimed not only to

being driven by bitterness of their propertyvalues dropping due to the shacks, but alsoof the squatters’ dignity being ignored.“These people pay for their services and

need to be listened to. It is a shame to seethat women, especially the elderly, andchildren have to use the veld as an ablutionfacility. Besides the humiliation attached tothis act, it is extremely dangerous for themto visit the veld during the day or night.There are so many dangers, such as rapistsand other criminal activities,” said AndrewLouw, who was leading the march.“The people who are living there are

human beings and we feel sorry for them.We are here to ask the municipality whattheir stance is about them.”According to the ratepayers, the same

squatters were given an interdict in 2009,thus they demanded to know from themunicipality what the current status of thatinterdict was.The failure of the government to deliver

houses to the people leads to squatterstaking the law into their own hands bysquatting illegally on open spaces of land allover the province.The direct failure of Secured Property

Management (SPM) to identify availableland where people can squat and failinginfrastructure also cause people to take thelaw into their own hands,” continued Louw.He insisted that the squatters be moved to

a place that was earmarked by the munici-pality to put up proper infrastructure.Confrontation had already erupted

amongst the ratepayers and the mayor whenAndrew Louw managed to keep the calmand urged the angry ratepayers, who kepton interrupting the mayor when he ad-dressed them, not to take the law into theirown hands and do everything within theparameters of the law.Molusi was explaining how problematic it

was for the municipality to finish installinginfrastructure on land when residentsoccupy it illegally.He said the municipality was still in the

process of developing the land when thesquatters illegally started building on it.“Please give us the chance to develop the

land first before you start building on it,” hepleaded to all the people of the Sol Plaatjearea.“We have had enough because people are

breaking into our houses on a daily basis.Even the women, children and the elderlyresidents of West End do not feel safe intheir houses anymore. The criminals alsopoison our dogs and kill them,” shouted theangry residents at the mayor.) Visit www.express-news.co.za for a videoof the confrontations.

We had enough!RESIDENTS say the Sol Plaatje Municipality is lenient to the illegal squatters inWest End,so they marched to the municipality to raise their voices. Photos: Boipelo Mere

DA LEADER Andrew Louw hands over the West End ratepayers’ memorandum to SolPlaatje mayor, David Molusi, with the municipal manager, Goolam Akharwaray, lookingon.

} Boipelo Mere

ELTON MIENIES (35) was recentlysentenced to life imprisonment afterbeing found guilty of the rape andattempted murder of a 44-year-oldwoman.On the count of rape Mienies was

sentenced to life imprisonment and onthe count of attempted murder theaccused was sentenced to eight years.That is in relation to his arrest on 30

May 2013, following his first courtappearance before the Upington HighCourt on 20 June 2013.He reportedly attacked, assaulted and

raped a 44-year-old victim from Upingtonwhom he saw walking in the nearbybushes in Keidebees, Upington, on 15February 2013.According to the police, the trial was

scheduled from 22 to 25 April this yearbut could not start due to the investigat-ing officer, Detective Sergeant AbramCoku, having difficulties in locatingwitnesses on the day before the trialcommenced.Mienies also reportedly disappeared on

24 April this year during the postpone-ment of the case, and thus could notappear before court the following day.

After a warrant of arrest was issuedfor Mienies, he was spotted in theUpington CBD by a member of thepolice. He was arrested and detained atthe Upington Police Station before hewas transferred to Kimberley for trial.The police applaud the investigating

officer who did his job with diligenceand commitment in spite of a lot ofchallenges in this case. These challengesinclude finding out the whereabouts ofwitnesses and the accused.The police stated that it was tough as

the crucial witnesses did not have fixedaddresses and they were staying inKeidebees, a bushy area of Upington.“This success can be dedicated to the

work of Detective Sgt Coku of theFamily Violence, Child Protection andSexual Offences Unit in Upington.“Brig. Paul Cengcani, the cluster

commander of Upington, has welcomedthe sentence and thanked DetectiveSergeant Coku for the hard work that hehas shown and encouraged othermembers to continue to serve the publicwith diligence and commitment inensuring that the community is living ina safe and secured environment,” statedLt. Donald Mdhluli, provincial corporatecommunications.

Keidebees rapist receiveslife imprisonment

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

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4 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 2 JULY 2014

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} Boipelo Mere

WHAT is dubbed as the biggest exhibitionby the Department of Rural Developmentand Land Reform came to Kimberley.This travelling exhibition has been to

different provinces since it was launched inTshwane in January. In Kimberley, theprovincial capital of the Northern Cape, theexhibition was mounted in a large domesimilar to the one erected during the lateNelson Mandela’s funeral in Qunu. It alsocoincided with the 38th commemoration of16 June which was held in Kimberley.Hence the attendance of the deputy

president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and a host ofother cabinet ministers such as Jeff Radebe,Buti Manamela, Mcebisi Skhwatsha, GugileNkwinti and Nathi Mthethwa. The premierof the Northern Cape and members of theNorthern Cape executive council alsoattended. The biggest exhibition everundertaken in the country takes youthrough colonial history, land disposses-sion, repression, resistance and transitionto democracy and the legacy of the last 20years of freedom.According to the department, the exhibi-

tion is aimed at creating awareness,especially among the youth, about thejourney travelled this far and the progressmade by the government towards reversingthe negative legacy of the 1913 Native LandAct and related racially motivated laws.The exhibition features a vibrant castincluding actors from the Northern Capeand other respected actors, such as PresleyChweneyagae (of the award-winning movieTsotsi).It also covers three broad themes on

colonial and apartheid land dispossession,resistance to colonialism and apartheid andthe restitution of land rights to victims offorced removals under the democraticgovernment.“The exhibition is interactive and it gives

the participants an opportunity to experi-ence life before colonisation, duringapartheid and life post-1994 where we nowbegin to celebrate Nelson Mandela’slegacy,” said Nomfundo Gobodo who is thechief land claims commissioner.The exhibition will stop permanently in

Thaba Nchu in the Free State after it hastravelled the nine provinces.At the end of the figurative journey of

the exhibition people have an opportunityto sign a pledge.Go to our picture gallery at

www.express-news.co.za for more pictureson the exhibition.

Exhibition paints picture of past

LAND DISPOSSESSION: This scene features a family that was chased off their landand had nowhere to go. Photos: Boipelo Mere

REPRESSION: Shocked Refilwe Molawawas refused entry into the townwithouther pass book.

RESISTANCE: Nthabeleng Ramafoko re-fused to be arrested without being readher rights.

A white woman from the surbubs wasonly bothered by the peoplewhokept ontoyi-toying for no reason.

THEN came transition after the release of Nelson Mandela, where every South Africanreceived the right to housing.

FREE housing in the form of RDP houses was given to displaced families.

EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 2 JULY 2014 5

NEWS

DECIDING how to invest your retirementfund money is not about completing forms.It is about making one of the biggestfinancial decisions of your life.Karin Muller, head of Sanlam’s Growth

Market Solutions, says the latest researchresults from the Sanlam Benchmark Surveyshow that a third of all South Africans,when faced with important decisions abouttheir retirement fund savings options, didnot make use of professional financialadvice, but relied on their own knowledge,that of a colleague, their Human Resourcesdepartment or their employer.“To put this into perspective, an impor-

tant consideration is that a staggering 88%of people who are financially better off in

their retirement received professionalfinancial advice.”This, she says, is clear evidence of how

critical it is to ensure that you obtainadvice from a professional, when you makesome of the most important financialdecisions of your life.“Retirement fund members don’t under-

stand that retirement planning and provid-ing for retirement should start on day oneof their employment or the date of joiningtheir retirement fund.“The retirement planning decisions that

people make while they are employed willultimately determine how comfortably theywill be able to live during retirement.Unfortunately, most retirement fund

members only start considering retirementwhen they get closer to retirement.”Apart from seeking professional advice,

the latest Sanlam Benchmark Survey showsthat people who are indeed able to retirecomfortably share a number of othersuccesses:) They started saving for retirement a fewyears earlier than the average person.) They saved more each month duringtheir working lives.) They preserved their savings when theychanged jobs.) When they retired, they reinvested theirlump sums to bolster their retirementincome.) They had additional sources of savings,

such as other retirement annuities.Muller says it is shocking that just 29%

of South Africans are able to maintain theirstandard of living in retirement. Peoplewho retire experience longer retirements,but have less money to live on and manyare looking after dependants in theirretirement.“The starting point is to ensure that you

treat your retirement planning as a priorityfrom the day that you join a company’sretirement fund.”) Sanlam is the sponsor of the Forum forCommunity Journalists seminar whichtakes place on 5 September.The Express editorial team are members

of this forum.

Professional advice crucial for retirement investment

6 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 2 JULY 2014

NEWS

} Boipelo Mere

AMIDST continuous criticismsurrounding Northern CapePremier Sylvia Lucas’s Stateof the Province (SOPA)address on Thursday, theANC backs and firmlyendorses the premier’sspeech.

According to the rulingparty, the speech presenteditself as an immediatetestament of the overwhelm-ing electoral support of 64,4%that the fifth administrationled by the ANC had beenentrusted with by the massesof the Northern Cape.“We applaud Premier

Lucas, the recently-chosencabinet and our technocratsfor ensuring that the SOPAbears a reflection of the hopesand aspirations of the people.

“The deliverables emana-ting from the premier’saddress include amongstothers, key areas that arealigned to the NationalDevelopment Plan and oureconomic growth pathoutlook.

“The Northern Cape is nowwell positioned to embrace

the new economic dawn ofcatalyst sectors of wealthcreation, such as energyinfrastructure, transportinfrastructure, ICT and thebasic needs of water andsanitation,” stated the ANC ina statement.

According to the DA, Lucasshould have just presentedher speech via a standardhouse-sitting, consideringthat she didn’t have anyreal “game-changing” an-nouncements to make to thepeople of the Northern Cape.

“She chose the glamorousroute, with estimates suggest-ing that the legislature hashad to cough up in the regionof R1,6 million for thissenseless parade,” remarkedthe DA.

The DA accuse the addressas a ruse to try and createconfidence in the ANCgovernment ahead of thelooming 2016 local govern-ment elections.

The ANC released astatement in response afterthe DA had accused Lucas ofblaming the global economicrecession for her poorsocio-economic progress in

the province.The DA also pointed out

that the ongoing absence of aworkable provincial govern-ment plan to root out corrup-tion and grow jobs within thenext five years, was worrying.

“Lucas attempted to deceivethe public by overstatinggovernment successes. In thisregard, she mischievouslyreferred to the new mentalhospital as a positive, whilein reality the facility is onthe verge of another crisis.

“She also rehashed oldcommitments of appointingqualified staff to municipali-ties and ensuring consequenc-es for poor performance, withnew vigour,” continued theDA.

“Probably the only positivein Lucas’s entire speech isthe significantly improvedtargets for the appointment ofa large contingent of health-care professionals.

“Aside from this single rayof sunshine, it looks as if itwill be business as usual forthe Northern Cape govern-ment in the next five years,”said the DA provincial leader,Andrew Louw.

ANC backs premier

NORTHERN CAPE PREMIER SYLVIA LUCAS and the speaker of the legislature, San-dra Beukes, who looked elegant on the day. Photo: Boipelo Mere

SPOUCES of members of the provincial legislature on the day of the SOPA address atthe Mitah Seperepere Convention Centre are in front: Mariaan Louw, behind her from theright are Mandisa Shushu, Roschelle Botes and Noluthando Block. Photo: Emile Hendricks

LINDA COETZEE and Yolanda Slade alsolooked gorgeous during the SOPA address.

Photo: Boipelo Mere

MEC FOR EDUCATION GRIZELDA CJIEKEL-LA-LECHOLO looked stunning in the samecolour combination as Beukes. Next to heron the right are theMEC for theDepartmentof Cooperative Governance, Human Settle-ments and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta),Alvin Botes, and Norman Shushu (left).

Photo: Boipelo Mere

STUNNING AS USUAL: The executive may-or of the Frances Baard Municipality, KgadiMoloi, loved the red carpet.Photo: Boipelo Mere

CONSULATE GENERALS who attended theSOPA are from the left Elise Auino from Na-mibia, Sugie Harijadi from Indonesia and DrSwati Kulkarni from India. Photo: Emile Hendricks

LEFT: EFFmemberswereprotestingoutsidethe Mittah Seperepere Convention Centrefor the Marikana miners whilst the SOPAwas in progress. Photo: Emile Hendricks

EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 2 JULY 2014 7

NEWS

} Boipelo Mere and GeorgeMutloane

THIS will be the third year insuccession that the GalesheweTheatre Organisation (Gato) takesproductions to the internationally-renowned Grahamstown ArtsFestival.

In the past years Gato hastaken Goon and Big Hole to thefestival and Goon won an encoreaward.

This year the same productionswill be taken for re-runs and anew play called Emsini willpremiere at the festival.Emsini deals with serious issues

in the community after the 1994political settlement. Seeing thatthe new government would notaccommodate all people, thosewho felt entitled to benefits, butdid not get any, turned againsttheir communities, robbing andterrorising them.

At some point, a heavily-armedgroup of people believed to beformer freedom fighters, raidedbanks and started ATM bombings.

Even today the youth inKimberley will from time to timeget out of hand and will often usethe name of the struggle to justifytheir actions against the commu-nity.Emsini the play is an emotional-

ly-draining rollercoaster experi-ence. The main character, DanielPhiri, played by Moagi Modise,drives home a clear message toyouth in particular to choose thetype of life they would rathercharacterise the fibre of oursociety.

For Modise, who is also thewriter of Emsini, the fact thatsociety has lost control of itschildren and youth is what isbound to damn us all.

“This play, like the rest of myplays, is aimed at creating a

dialogue. It gives people theopportunity to realise that even ifthey find themselves holding gunsfiguratively, they still have thechoice to do good,” said Modise.

Asked what made him comeback home to Kimberley, Modise

explained that he had not comeback home, but rather was on ajourney of telling Kimberleystories they seemed to be ignoringin the larger scheme of things.

“I still work in other cities. Idid John Kani’s Nothing but the

truth with Pacofs in the FreeState earlier in the year.

“As a child of Kimberley I ampainfully aware that our city isignored and I believe that it willtake us Kimberlites to tell thegood and bad stories of our city.

“After all, a city is said to bebig when it is big on opportuni-ties, but ours is dying, there areno more diamonds and theculture of taverning and alcoholabuse is ravaging the city thathas given South Africa theeconomic status she holds in theworld today,” lamented Modise.

“Arguably the Northern Capehas long fell off the national artsand culture radar, leaving artspractitioners in the provincewondering whether they arestepchildren of the republic.

“Apart from an annual writersfestival the relevant departmentin the province seems to enjoythe status of events organisingduring special commemorativedays.

“However, with the appointmentof MEC Lebogang Motlhaping inthe portfolio of Sport, Arts andCulture in the province, thingscould change for the better if onetakes his words into considera-tion.”

The other characters in the playare Fani played by TshepoMolotsi, Kele Makgwa played byZandile Lucas and Bro Staffplayed by Thapelo Thipe.) Snippets of the play includingupdates can be seen on theexpress website www.express-news.co.za or on the Gato Face-book page.

Local drama off to Grahamstown

THE local Galeshewe Theatre Organisation will be showcasing their work at the Grahamstown NationalArts Festival. Photo: Boipelo Mere

} Boipelo Mere

VISITORS can get a taste of the lightningspeed of the Bloodhound supersonic car asit propels itself down the shimmering sandsof Hakskeenpan in the Northern Cape,when it attempts to set a world landspeedrecord next year.

In 2015, the Northern Cape will host theBloodhound Supersonic Car when itattempts to break the current worldlandspeed record at the renowned Hak-skeenspan before returning in 2016 toattempt a world record of 1 600km/h.

Hakskeenpan was selected from hundredsof potential sites across the globe and sincethe initiation of the project in 2009, theprovincial government has put its fullsupport behind this headline-grabbingeffort.

The Bloodhound project has alreadycaptured the attention of Top Gear’s JamesMay and the affectionately-named CaptainSlow has even machined two small compo-nents for the world’s fastest car on hishome lathe. These components are current-ly undergoing rigorous quality checking atthe Bloodhound technical centre in Bristol,England.

From 20 to 27 September the traditionalserenity of the Kalahari will be shatteredby the roar of revving engines and scream-ing brakes as hundreds of speed freaks puttheir vehicles’ horsepower to the test whenthe Kalahari Desert Speedweek returns toHakskeenpan for the third consecutivetime.

Styled on the legendary BonnevilleSpeedweek, the time trial event was thefirst of its kind on the African continent.Thousands of motoring enthusiasts are onceagain expected to descend on the desert sitewith vehicles ranging from pre-war classicsto modern-day supercars and superbikes toset the fastest speed over the prescribeddistance.

According to Sharron Lewis, CEO of theNorthern Cape Tourism Authority, theseextreme events are contributing to theprovince’s reputation as a premier destina-tion for adventure and extreme sports andhave contributed to significant tourismgrowth in the province.

“Last year, the province experienced a23% year-on-year growth in attendanceacross all events, which include flagshipsporting events such as these as well ascommunity events supported by the tourismauthority. The unique Northern Capegeography positions the province perfectlyfor successfully hosting these type of eventsand attracting a new tourism audience toour province, which was evident in theattendance figures of over 140 000 eventparticipants and visitors recorded in 2013.

“In addition, it also brings global mediaattention to the region and makes asignificant socio-economic contribution interms of financial impact and job creationin and around the isolated Mier communi-ty. The community beneficiation strategiesattached to these events also includeimproved infrastructure and access totechnology,” explains Lewis.

NC has a need for speedTHE Bloodhound driving experience. Photo: BloodhoundSSC

FRUITS of the Vryfees workshop, whichhas seen secondary school learners inthe Free State and Northern Capetrained in art projects such as drama,musical theatre and dance, will be onshow during the Vryfees, which will beheld from 15 to 20 July.

The innovation to create workshops,facilitated by experienced facilitators inspecific genres, came about as theVryfees organisers approached GodfreyManenye and Andile Qongnqo to be partof the festival’s selection committee inan attempt to attract a broader audienceto the festival.

“We immediately realised the impor-tance of drawing a diverse and broaderaudience.

“In an attempt to achieve the previous-ly-mentioned objective, we pioneered theidea of offering workshops to disadvan-taged schools in the Free State and theNorthern Cape with the belief that theVryfees would bring more productionsand attract a broader audience.

“In totality, the initiative wouldprovide the Vryfees with the opportunityto invest in an arts programme fordisadvantaged learners,” said Manenye.

The six-month long project started inFebruary at the Hodisa TechnicalSecondary School in Bloemfontein andfinal productions of this project will takeplace at the Vryfees on 15 and 18 Julybetween 12:00 and 13:00 at the open stagearea.

Vryfees providesopportunities

FINAL CAST: After auditions and a six-month training programme, these are the final25 students of the Vryfees learnerworkshops. The programme startedwith 50 learn-ers from the Headstart and Hodisa High Schools and the number was eventuallyreduced to 25. Photo: Badda Pictures

www.express-news.co.za.

8 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 2 JULY 2014

Visit the Express website

www.express-news for live

news-streaming of all the

soccer action in Brazil.

} Boipelo Mere

LEBOGANG MOTLHAPING, thenew MEC for Sport, Arts andCulture in the Northern Cape, couldsee his dream of having a PSL teamin the Northern Cape become areality if Steach United, a soccerteam from Galeshewe, can bepromoted to the first division orMvela League by 30 July.Steach United will know their

fate later this month after thenational play-offs.However, this all depends on the

support the team will get from theNorthern Cape government atprovincial level, the businesssector, the Sol Plaatje Municipalityand the community in general.Two weeks ago in Douglas,

Steach United beat a star-studdedHungry Lions from Postmasburg3-1.“This team has in its folds

players like Moses Spandiel andGert Schalkwyk, but we managed tobeat them 3-1 under difficultcircumstances,” said the owner andmanaging director of the team,Steach Mguye.

Mguye believes that this time theNorthern Cape should brace itselffor a return to first division soccerafter the sale of Basotho Tigers andthe relegation of Louisvale Piratesyears ago.“I trust my boys and my techni-

cal team led by our capable coachRobert Sebastian. They have donewonders for the team, so much sothat in this past season they won 13games, drew two and lost only one.They are made of sterner stuff,”said Mguye proudly.“I, like many people in the

province, was excited when I readthat the new MEC is looking toensure that there is a PSL team inthe province. How noble, Sir. I canonly appeal to the MEC not tofollow short-cuts by encouragingthe buying of this or that team’sstatus. Let us brew it here in ourprovince, we’ll enjoy the hardwork,” said Mguye.As things stand the team is

appealing for financial, material,moral and spiritual support fromthe province.“It will do no harm if churches in

our province could pray for us or if

businesspeople could sponsor uswith equipment or if people can putmoney together to hire a bus loadof people to accompany us toDurban between 23 and 30 July.“I have a strong feeling that

something good is going to happenfor the Northern Cape,” continuedMguye.Mguye said that his 23-man team

had good players including TshepoMolefi, Jerry Links, Tebogo Sitholeand the goalkeeper, Vuyani Man-galiso, serving as the core of theteam.“Our club was founded in 1990

and in that period we have been tothe Nedbank Cup twice. We havescored 38 goals this season and lostjust one game,” concluded Mguye.Kagisho Matile, a resident coach,

said he believed in Steach Unitedbecause they had been doing wellthe past three years and some oftheir players had PSL experience.“This is a moral boost for them

because the team is already used toplaying in tournaments,” he said.) For enquiries or if you wish toassist the team please call Steachon 083-767-6117.

Steach Unitedfighting fit for league

THE province will keep its fingers crossedfor Steach United to qualify for the MvelaLeague.

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“It will do no harm if churches in our provincecould pray for us or if businesspeople couldsponsor us with equipment or if people can

put money together to hire a bus load ofpeople to accompany us to Durban between

23 and 30 July.”­ Steach Mguye