Express Northern Cape 20131204

} Boipelo Mere

BY the time this articleis published, the volatileSol Plaatje municipalcouncil will have a newexecutive mayor in DavidMolusi and the rulingparty, the ANC, willhave moved the previousmayor, Agnes Ntlangula,to serve elsewhere.The four-year night-mare for Ntlangula,where she was always inthe news for the wrongreasons and she some-times acted in a mannerthat dumbfounded eventhe ruling party, is over.Her trip to China andher attempt to changeher mayoral committeewithout the ratificationof the ANC caucussealed her fate and itwas only a matter oftime before she wasshown the door.Although the ANC’sNorthern Cape provin-cial secretary, ZamaniSaul, said that the weakimage the Sol PlaatjeMunicipality portrayedand the manner itconducted business werethe main reasons forNtlangula’s removal fromthe office, there seemsto be more reasons.It is expected that herstatement for herresignation will highlightto the real reasons.“PEC officials have

convened several meet-ings with the leadershipof the Sol Plaatje Munic-ipality and expresseddiscomfort at the imageit was portraying andthe manner in which itsbusiness was conducted.The PEC resolved thatthe current executivemayor be redeployedand further called forradical restructuring ofthe mayoral committee,”said Zamani Saul at amedia conference inKimberley.“There was an urgentneed for the municipalityto go on a charm offen-sive with the roll out ofextensive infrastructureprogrammes to changethe negative perceptionof the electorate. ThePEC was calling for anextensive Keep the CityClean Campaign whichshould involve theappointment of at least1 000 people spreadacross all wards.“Urgent measures toimprove billing systemswere also noted,” contin-ued Saul.He announced thatjoining Agnes Ntlangulain resignation would beCouncillor Kobus Steyn.)What about AgnesNtlangula will you missmost? Share your com-ments with otherExpress NC readers onwww.express-news.co.za

Ntlangulashown the door

AGNES NTLANGULA during the commemoration of the May Day survivors in Kimberley earlier this year.Photo: Boipelo Mere

Molusi to replace her

2 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013

NEWS

} Lerato Sebe

THE festive season is upon usand it is the ideal time to relivethe rich mining history of theNorthern Cape along the N12between Warrenton and VictoriaWest.One should not miss out on

encouraging tourists to visit theBig Hole and Kimberley Muse-um Complex in order to witnessthe authentic buildings from thediamond rush and take a touron the only operating vintagetram in the country.Heading westward from

Kuruman, the N14 takesmotorists via Upington through

the heart of the Namakwaregion towards Springbok.The Eiland Holiday Resort in

Upington has a palm-linedavenue that leads to “the Island”in a wonderful natural settingon the river bank.Visit the Khai-Appel Recrea-

tion Resort in the bustlingmining town of Kathu and theEye, a natural spring in Kuru-man that gushes 20 millionlitres of crystal-clear water, evenin the dry season and alsoprovides refreshing rest stops.By taking the N8 from

Kimberley and heading towardsUpington via small rural townssuch as Campbell, Griquatown(Griekwastad) and Groblershoop,one gets a glimpse of the GreenKalahari. Most towns on themain road to Namibia arewithin easy reach of theSpitskop Nature Reserve,Augrabies Falls and KgalagadiTransfrontier Park wheretourists can experience the redsand dunes, sparse vegetationwhile dry riverbeds showcaseantelope such as blue wilde-beest, springbok, gemsbok andeland and predators such ashyena, cheetah, leopard andblack-maned lion, not tomention birds of prey.The Quiver Tree Food & Wine

Route allows visitors to enjoyKalahari sushi, wine andbrandy tastings, home-madecheeses, meat delicacies andmuch more.

DESTY VAN DER MERWE experiencing sand surfing on the Kgala-gadi red sand dunes with Clifford Roberts watching.Photo: Supplied

LERATOSEBE, the tourguide forNorthern Cape Express.

Photo: Boipelo Mere

Time toexplore

} Lerato Sebe

AT the Assemblies of God (AOG)Church in Galeshewe, Kimberley,members of the community ofGaleshewe, South African PoliceService (SAPS) and preachersfrom different denominationswere gathered to hold a prayersession for the families of AgnesGalehole (87), who was raped andmurdered, and the six-week-oldbaby, who was raped, last week.Galehole was raped and

strangled to death in her home inGaleshewe and was found nakedby her son early the followingmorning. She lived alone in herhome in Bella Street and her son,who said that he normally visitedher to bring her food and diabetesmedication, is still in shock andtraumatised by the incident.On Tuesday evening, a six-

week-old baby was raped by heruncle in their home in Gale-shewe. It is believed that theuncle is mentally unstable andhad just been released from amental institution that very sameday. The suspect (24), who hadfled the scene, was caught a fewblocks away from the scene bythe angry neighbours.The national police commission-

er, Gen. Riah Phiyega, was amidthe crowd that came to showtheir support for the families.Phiyega described the baby rapeas a shocking and abnormalincident.Phiyega attended the prayer

session with the deputy ministerof Police, Makhotso Sotyu.“This is something that we

cannot get used to and thesethings happen during the 16 Daysof Activism of No Violenceagainst Women and Children,”Phiyega said.“I think the people who are

committing these crimes arecalling us bluff.”She urged the community to

support the police in fightingcrime and also take responsibilityin alerting the police of anydodgy behaviour in the neigh-bourhood.“I can testify publicly that there

is an area in which we can domore and that area is preventionof crime. There is no way thepolice can do it alone,” Phiyegasaid.She mentioned that safety and

security was a responsibility ofthe nation and that everyoneshould take hands to fight crime.

Talking in a very soft, sorrow-ful tone, she urged the crowd tobe each other’s keeper and toprotect each other.“I make this commitment to

you: you are not going to walkalone, the SAPS is ready to walkwith you,” Phiyega reassured thecommunity.The premier of the Northern

Cape, Sylvia Lucas, talked tothose present about how she hadfelt after visiting the mother andgrandmother of the raped baby.She mentioned the strength that

the six-week-old baby had showedwhile her mother had beenbreastfeeding her after the ordeal.“She looked so peaceful. It was

like nothing had happened to her,she is just the most beautifulbaby,” Lucas said.She further mentioned that the

baby’s operation went well andthat she was now off the ventila-tion system but was still inhospital because the doctors weremonitoring her abdomen for anyinternal injuries.Lucas said the mother of the

baby had pleaded with her andthe Northern Cape MEC forHealth, Mxolisi Sokatsha, not toallow the her baby’s rapist to

walk free. “She is so scared thatthe perpetrator might get out ofjail. The mother is scared of herown brother,” Lucas said.Lucas said that she felt like a

failure because that was thesecond incident of the samenature that had happened duringher time as a leader in theprovince. The first incident wasthe case of Baby Tshepang, thechild from Upington who wasbrutally raped in 2001 at the ageof nine months by her teenagemother’s ex-boyfriend.“Am I failing the province

because history is repeatingitself?” Lucas asked sadly.Speaking to the family, she

assured them that everyone wassharing what they were goingthrough. Lucas emphasised thatshe did not agree with what hadhappened.“It is always the defenceless

that are targeted. We need to dowhat’s right for us and I’m notsaying we should take the lawinto our own hands,” Lucas said.She concluded by thanking the

SAPS for the arrests that theyhad already made and alsopleaded with the justice systemnot to fail the province.

Phiyega and Lucassupport community

FROM the left are Provincial Commissioner Jeanet Basson, national police commissionerGen. Riah Phiyega,Deputy Minister of Police Makhotso Sotyu and Premier Sylvia Lucas participating in the prayer sessionfor the rape and murder victims.

Photos: Emile Hendricks/Photo 24

PREMIER SYLVIA LUCAS encouraging the victim’s family to have faithin the word of God.

EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 3

NEWS

} Boipelo Mere

“ALL cases that are related to woman andchild abuse will be sensitized.”That was the emphasised message by the

Galeshewe station commander, Brig.Francis Hender.Hender pledged that he would ensure that

detectives dealing with such cases actspeedily to arrest these perpetrators.He said this to the group of Women

Against Crime and Community PoliceForum (CPF) members in Galeshewe whomarched to the Galeshewe police station tohand him a memorandum requestingintervention by the police during the 16Days of Activism of No Violence againstWomen and Children this festive season.As to the request on the memorandum,

the brigadier admitted that the suspects tocases of abuse against women and childrenshould be opposed bail.Among the requests listed on the memo-

randum was for the police to treat victimswith the necessary respect and empathy,victim friendly rooms to be availed and forprivacy in the charge office.Furthermore, volunteers requested that

they should allocate police vehicles to assistvictims of rape and abuse, and that thepolice should allow them to be part of thestatement process.More importantly, they demanded that

female police officers should assist thevictims of rape and abuse, and for swiftresponses on 10111 calls that are made byvictims of rape and abuse.Hender promised that the festive season

operation, Duty Calls, which was launchedon 2 October, would run up until January2014. The police would focus on identifyingcrime hot spots and increase the visibilityof police in those communities.“We have identified areas with open velds

and the ten most problematic areas areHulana Park, Santa and Bloemanda. We

will increase foot patrols and policevehicles to conduct high density crimeprevention operations in order to reducecrime in those areas.“We will also prioritise cases with known

suspects who can be linked to the crimes,”Hender emphasized.

He concluded by revealing that they havea partnership with the Department of SocialDevelopment, the Department of Health andthe Sol Plaatje Municipality to worktogether on protecting people in overcrowd-ed areas and for the municipality to cleardensely overgrown open velds to ensure

safety among the communities.

) Suggestion of any hotspot that youthink the saps needs to keep a close lookat over the festive season can be pastedon our website, we will publish it.www.express-news.co.za

Memorandum takes police to task

WOMENAGAINSTCRIME andCPFmembers inGaleshewewhohanded amemorandumof requests to theGaleshewe station command-er, Brig. Francis Hender, pictured on the right. Photo: Boipelo Mere

“We identify areas like open velds andthe top ten most problematic areaslike Hulana Park, Santa and Bloeman-da where we will increase foot patrolsand police vehicles to conduct our highdensity crime prevention operations toreduce crime in those areas.”– Brig. Francis Hender

ANOTHER one is rapedAnother one is killedHow many will be enough?Will there be justice?But will justice if givenBring back our families?Will justice heal our hearts?Will it wash away the pain?Or block out the horrible attacks outof our memories?Will justice dry our tearsWhen we are missing our homies?When I think of how they must’vefeltSeeing the hatred in your eyesThe tragic way they died?Sexual orientation defines no oneYou fail to understand.Can you really change meYou think by hurting me?For a minute STOP!And think . . .Imagine the spear of hate speechYou throw at me turning to you

Imagine it piercing through your soulOver and over and over againGoing deeper and deeper each timeSee my blood,Feel the pain when that knife cutsthrough my skinFeel the pain when he enters meforcefullyTaking my pride and purityMy virginityHear my cry for help,Listen to the sound of his fists collidingWith my cheekbonesListen to the sound of my ribs breakingWhen he kicks me,My head hitting that hard rock as I fallhelplesslyDying . . .Was this worth it?You killed your child,You killed your blood,You killed the future,You! Killed me.Sexual orientation defines no one

You killedmeAmo Kalane


NEWS

Express NC

} Boipelo Mere

MOTHO, a tla a batla, go bolawa kebatho!O kile wa bona kae, monna fela yo

o itekanetseng, a raya mosadi, o a saitseng gore ke waga mang, gore batswele kwa ntle ‘for a fair fight.’ Legone e le lefelo la batho botlhe. Keraya go tletse batho foo.Hai! a batla go betsa ke basadi.

Monna o Express Northern Cape eitseng leina la gagwe yoo. O ne aomana mosadi jaaka okare ke mosadiwa gage. Ebile a sa tlhabiwe keditlhong go goeletsa fa ene e leletseka le le tshabegang.Ijoo, bathong, ga ke ise ka tlhabiwe

ke ditlhong jaaka letsatsi leo.Nna ke fitlhetse ntwa ya mafoko e

ntse e fagile fa ke tsena mo lebenke-leng le melemo. Go ya ka ba itsekgang, ke raya ba ba iponetsenggotlhe, monna yo, erile go fitlha, aikopela ka boikokobetso gore a fetelekwa pele kgotsa go tlola mola, kagonne o ne a tlhoka setlhankanasengwe mo ngakeng ya melemo.Gatwe setlhopha sa batho bao ba

neng ba emetse go thusiwa ba ne badumela, ele ka ntlha ya go nna letirisano-mmogo. Erile go fitlha kwapele, ngaka ya melemo ya mo thusago batla setlankana jaaka go demalan-we, mme ba palelwa ke go se bona.Bare monna a simolola go senya

nako, a okaoka, a sena sepe le gore outlwetswe botlhoko gore a tlole mola.Ke gone fa mosadi o mongwe o ne

a mo gopotsa gore o a ba dia kanako. Ke fa komano e simologa.A bona fa mosadi yoo a mo tlwaela

maswe ebile a mo bolelela fa a sa itsemaemo a gagwe a botseka.A bolelela mosadi yo jaaka a sena

maemo ebile a nna mo pantoking.“Ka gonne wena o nale legano le

letonna go feta, o tshawanetse wa boo kgona le go ntwantsha. Ga nkitlake tsamaya. Ke tlile go, go leta gofitlha o fetsa, gore re fetse kgang yarona ka ‘fair fight’ ka fa ntle fa. Kebatla go go bontsa gore nna kerutegile, ebile gao class yame,” gabua monna yoo wa lepodisa mo pelega rona.Hee, a kopana le basadi ba maAfri-

ka, ba mmotsa gore o o ikaeletse gobetsa mosadi wa ga mang.“O bonala jaaka monna yo o

tlwaetseng go betsa basadi. Kgotsa onagana gore rona re mapantiti ba lotlholang lo ba bolaisa mabole? O tlase bona gompieno buti!, ga buamosadi mongwe.“Ga kena kgang le lona, ke nale

kgang le mosadi yo wa molomo omogolo yo.“Ke batla go mo ruta go ntlotla, le

gore nna ga mo class ya me,” monnaa goeletsa mo khemising.Kana monna yo, o ne a sa lebege

jaaka motho o o itshietseng.Banna ba raya basadi mo pele ga

gagwe gore “re mo tlogelela lonajaaka basadi.”Morago ga gore basadi ba eme

mmogo go sireletsa mongwe jaakabone, monna yo onê a itira jaakaokare o bua ka mogala wa letheka, abo a re nyeledi, o sena o o moboneng erile a tsamaya.

Basadi,ba emegammôgô

Readers say

} Lerato Sebe

“WE are here to promote artisanry as acareer because we are running short ofartisans in the country.”These were the words of Deputy Minister

for Higher Education and Training, Mdudu-zi Manane, last week at the national Yearof the Artisan Programme held at theNorthern Cape Rural FET College in Kathu.The Year of the Artisan Programme seeks

to promote artisanry as a career of choiceto South Africa’s youth within the Post-School Education and Training System aswell as highlight skills developmentopportunities that are available in artisan-ry.Manane said that a need for the develop-

ment of qualified artisans to support theeconomy remained a high priority. Hestated that considering the fact that a largenumber of qualified and competent artisanswere required for the government’s strate-gic infrastructure projects like buildingroads, schools, ports, universities, powerstations and all the other projects an-nounced by Pres. Jacob Zuma in January2012 in his State of the Nation Address.“For many young people, the only way to

a bright future is seen as obtaining auniversity education. However, this is notalways true, and today we need to discussthat becoming an artisan is just as good asgoing to a university and in some caseseven better,” said Manane.He further explained the process of

becoming a qualified artisan through thedevelopment of a seven-step programme.Step one being career guidance, followed bylearning the fundamental vocational theoryfor an artisan trade occupation. This theoryis taught at FET colleges at NC level 2 orN1 and N2. He emphasized that the mainsubjects for an artisan learner must alwaysinclude mathematics and not mathematicalliteracy, engineering science, some engi-neering drawing, an engineering languagesubject and most importantly an artisantrade theory subject that is specific to theartisan trade like electrical trade theory forelectricians.He describes the third process as the

most difficult part of becoming an artisanas it is completely dependent on finding awork place that was approved by thedepartment to take in artisan learners asan apprentice.“Last year we could get the businesses

and government departments to take in

only 24 378 artisan learners and we needmany more work places than that.”Step four and five are to take the artisan

learner into the real practical space onartisan training and development. Thelearners now become exposed to theapplication of trade theory of their chosenartisan trade.The last two steps, six and seven of the

artisan development process, are known astrade testing, quality assurance andcertification.“The last exam or trade test is a practical

hands-on test. For a motor mechanic forexample you might have to repair agearbox or fix the brakes on a car. Thesetrade tests can take two or three days,”Manane explains. He mentions that theDecade of the Artisan programme will runfrom 2014 to 2024 but will be officiallylaunched at the Ekurhuleni East FETCollege in Kwa Thema on 3 February 2014.

Country runningshort of artisans

FROM the left are Mr Sam Seepie, CEO of MQA (Mining Qualifications Authority), LizeViljoen (qualified artisan at Khumba Mine) and the deputy minister for Higher Educationand Training, Mduduzi Manane. Photos: Supplied

MDUDUZI MANANE

} Monique September

THE community of De Aar is in mourning aftertragedies struck the town. A young mother wasbrutally murdered on 22 November and herbody was found on 23 November.The saddest part is that this woman was a

mother who served and feared God. Above all,she was also a career woman, a teacher at thepre-school and she also served the communityof De Aar. She was popular amongst herlearners at the Willie Theron Primary School inDe Aar. The most outstanding part about thiswoman’s character is that she loved serving theLord and she would never turn her back onsomeone in need.About two to three years ago, a young woman

was also brutally raped and murdered at the DeAar Oasis Swimming Pool. No arrests were

Tragedies have De Aar in mourning

MONIQUE SEPTEMBERPhoto: Boipelo Mere

made following the murder. There were alsocases in the past of women who had been rapedand killed, the victims were never found and noarrests were made. The saddest thing is thatGod made us to care about and not to harm oneanother. The community of De Aar prays thatGod hears our prayers and bring these cruelcrimes to an end. The Word of God says in 2Chronicles 7 verse 14: “If my people that arecalled by My name, turn from their wicked waysand pray, I will hear their prayers and forgivethem and heal their land.”So many women are raped daily and some of

them never come to terms with the tragedy.Some women who are raped, keep quiet for fearof rejection and shame. The women of De Aarsay enough is enough and choose to break thesilence so that justice can take its rightful causein incidents like these. For those women whoare still suffering the tragedy of being raped,always remember that God loves you and thatyou are special in the eyes of God and that youare more than a conqueror through JesusChrist. To the rest of the women out there, myprayers are that God will keep you and yourloved ones safe during the festive season.

My viewBoipele MereEditor:Express Northern Cape



MILLICENT MONYAMANE got married to Sibusiso Masuka at the Centenary MethodistChurch in Galeshewe. Photo: Supplied

} Boipelo Mere

THE Kimberley police arrested four menlast week for allegedly stealing a laptop outof a Ford Fiesta.According to the police, the vehicle was

parked in the Kimberley Central BusinessDistrict (CBD) when the laptop was stolen.The Kimberley Visible Policing Unit were

reportedly busy with routine patrols atapproximately 17:15 when they were stoppedand informed about four men who brokeinto a Ford Fiesta.

The men fled in a taxi that was stoppedand searched by the police near the BigHole. The laptop was found wrapped in aT-shirt.The four men were arrested and the

laptop was handed back to the rightfulowner.The police request that vehicle owners

should be wary and not leave any valuablessuch as cellphones, laptops, digital camerasand handbags inside their cars. Theinvestigation into the case of the four menaged between 20 and 30 years continues.

DE AAR SOLAR POWER, located in theNorthern Cape, began the project’s Energi-sation process on Sunday, 24 November.Due to the power in the De Aar area

being on a radial feed from Eskom, powerwas lost to the area for almost 13 hours.“The De Aar outage was scheduled

between 05:30 and 19:00 this past Sunday,however we managed to restore the poweran hour earlier than originally predicted,”said Savva Antoniadis, project manager:De Aar Solar Power.This process is a major construction

milestone for this independent powerproducer and critical to the project, as thisenergisation will allow for the export ofelectricity to the Eskom grid. The majorityof work and tests was completed prior to

the energisation process. The energisationand ‘online’ tests verified what thecompleted cold commissioning tests hadalready confirmed.Working on high voltage lines always

poses a risk and for this reason theprocess included stringent Eskom healthand safety standards which were adheredto by all workers on site.Eskom fact managed the process and

completed the commissioning on the newlybuild Eskom substation, however, theproject’s team was responsible for thephysical work.“We are grateful to the Emthanjeni

Municipality for informing the residents ofthe process and power outages planned forlast week,” concluded Antoniadis.

Power outage solved swiftly

THE looping of lines to the newly build substation in process. Photo: Supplied

Laptop thieves nabbedTHE laptop safely back in its owner’s hands..

NEWS

Ilse Watson

THE Small Enterprise DevelopmentAgency (Seda) of Kuruman recently heldworkshops for budding entrepreneurs.This is an annual event and various

districts get the chance to host this event.It offers small and medium enterprises,

service providers, stakeholders and localLED’s the chance to meet with each otherand discuss their entrepreneurial skills,plans for the future and they gathervaluable information at these events.Absa Bank, Standard Bank and Anglo

American are some of the companies thatare involved with these budding busines-ses.The role of Seda is mainly to provide

information to entrepreneurs.

They are also trained in marketing andthey receive help with their businessplans.“We take these entrepreneurs and

support them for two to three years. Wewant to train them, support them and seethem through the whole process ofstarting a new business,” said MarcLawrence, manager of Seda in the JohnTaolo Gaetsewe District.“We also want to see them grow so that

they are enabled to hire more people.Work is scarce and it is wonderful if theygrow and are able to employ otherpeople,”said Lawrence.

Some of the success stories of Seda areTimber City, Laguna Guesthouse inKuruman and the Di-beng Bakery fromDeben.

Seda boosts entrepreneurs

FROM the left are, front:Mark Kotze (MarkMyWords Consultants), KedisaletseWilli-ams (provincial manager: Seda Northern Cape), Norma Sali (regional manager: Stra-tegic Partnerships and Customer Care) and Boipelo Sebesho (Technology InnovationAgency); back: Winston Kofeledi (Sefa – Small Entrepreneurs Finance Agency), MarcLawrence (Seda) and Boikanyo Modise (LED officer: Ga-Segonyana Municipality).

Photo: Ilse Watson


NEWS

} By Leonard McKay

TEARS gently run down thecheeks of the innocent lovedonesIf they only could cry, the

hate will be revealedIf relatives just try, many

can be healed.The plea, adheres to danger

signs, that pop up everydayIt will leave women and

children untouchedNot only certain days but all

the wayBecause many people care,

but does not always shareBlack tears can become

clear; the main causes can bepreventedGovernment’s 16 days of

fears, changed into days offears, changed into days ofcheersThe past has left its marks, a

lot of scars that hurts so muchDeep cuts in human flesh,

through the skin down theboneThe impact caused . . . the

weak to fallThe impact forced . . . the

strong to stand tallThe impact source . . .

became the 16 days call.

The 16 days call} Dimakatso Lechwenyo

MAY I peep into your window andpromise you that it is over?I promise that it is okay to open

the doors of your soul and allowlove in once moreI cannot say that it will never

hurt, but that life events arenormally learning curvesI vow that each tear will build

you and your every smile will beappreciated.May I peep into your window

and promise you that it is over?I promise that he will never

come near you, nor will you eversmell himI cannot say that your memory

will be erased and the nightmareswill endYet, I vow that I will be there

when you need to cry and I willsit with you when your sleep hasgoneMay I peep into your window

and promise that it is over?It is painful, I know, that the

bastard who pretended to love youis the very same guy who violatedyour innocenceI promise that if you want to

heal and let it go you will learn totrust againI cannot say when it will

happen, yet every Stella has a wayof getting her groove back.

I vow to walk with you untilyou finally have step into yourbreakthrough.May I peep into your window

and promise you that it isover?That you never have to be

whipped and scarred for someoneelse to have assurance that he isa man.Never again will your happiness

be cut off and circumcised for aman to feel powerful and bold.When in actual fact he cannot

fight the battles beyond hisdoorstep, thus he fights inside hishome.May I peep into your window

and promise you that it is over?Never again do we have to

confuse beating with love.Never again will I seek comfort

in the very arms of the man whohas hurt me.And never again will I stand up

and justify his actions . . .May I peep into your window

and promise you that it is over?You need not be told that the

only time you can ask questionsand demand answers is when youhave a job and are able to pay thebills.May I peep into your window

and promise you that it is over?I promise that you need not

compete with sisters on movies

who wear nudity in order to graspthe attention of the very man whovowed to love for better or forworse.The very same man who is first

to break you down because he hastoo much insecuritiesAnd know no other way to keep

you from excelling if it is not bybreaking you down . . .May I peep into your window

and promise you that it is over?And, hey, do peep into my

window and be my reminder thatwe need not play small.We stand on the shoulders of

giants who gave up their lives tobe the voice of women.Let us stand tall and let men

know that we are no commoditiesthat are bought and sold on thestock market.Let it be known that men who

beat and abuse will be brought tojustice.Let it be known that men who

harass will pay the price.And if size so much counts . . .Let it be us women . . . let’s be

the bigger man who walksaway . . .Let this 16 days of activism

count for something.Let me peep into your window

and promise you that it is over?Never again . . . and that’s a

promise.

Allow love in oncemore

} Boipelo Mere

THE elderly people at Gaasca pridethemselves in the Pretty LittleThings Award that they won in theprovincial competition this year.Sponsored by Shoprite and

organised by Age in Action, Gaasca

won the competition for the thirdtime in a row since its inception 12years ago.The competition ran from 1 June

until 31 August, where local judgeswere used to inspect the creationsof the elderly aged 60 ranging fromsoftware, handmade blankets,clothing and wood- and tinwork.All entrants were from the North-ern Cape.Although none of the provincial

finalists qualified for the nationalcompetition’s leg, Age in Actionstated that all of the elderly peopleput much efforts and love intotheir creations.The organisation further revealed

that old-age homes from across theprovince entered including entriesfrom Jan Kempdorp and Upington.The organisation is also proud thatthis competiton afforded them theopportunity to make more than100 000 hearts happy by donatingthe creations to orphans.

Women scoop award with craftsWomen scoop award with crafts

GAASCA elderly people with their newly-achieved certificate.

SOMEof the hand-made creationsthat Gaasca pride themselves in.

Photos: Boipelo Mere


} Boipelo Mere

WALTER STEENBOK, the develop-ment coach and academy director ofthe Mamelodi Sundowns youth team,is looking forward to scouting formore young talent from local footballclubs in the Northern Cape.He revealed this during the Gale-

shewe Mankurwane DevelopmentStructure Top 8 Soccer Tournament atthe Sweepers sports grounds over theweekend.Steenbok was looking at scouting

more players for the Sundownstraining camp in Johannesburg.According to Steenbok, he cannot

wait to assist other young players tocontinue their soccer endeavours to ahigher level after the example ofBikwa Mvula(13), a top goal scorerfrom Kimberley.“Mvula is good, he scores goals. He

was scouted during tournaments likethese. He is currently in Johannes-burg for further assessment. There isa lot of talent here. I already sawsomething and am looking forward todo follow-ups,” he said.He was referring to players of the

eight teams Tshwaragano All Stars,Scomboys, Ghetto United, DaltonBrothers, Bushbucks, Basotho Tigers,Real Diamonds and Hope United whoparticipated in the tournament.However, Steenbok could not

withhold his disappointment regard-ing the outcome on the stands.“It would be nice if communities

and parents would support tourna-ments like these. There were sup-posed to be more cars and peoplehere to encourage the young players.I really wish they could do more. Ican see only a few parents here.”During the interview with Express

Northern Cape, Steenbok jumped upfrom under his huge umbrella tocomment on the behaviour of theBushbucks team which entered thesoccer grounds strolling lazily.“I am telling you, that is the losing

team. Even though the sun is so hot,they are already giving in to theopposing team, Basotho Tigers.”Indeed, Basotho Tigers beat Bush-

bucks 3-1 during that game.He added that he was impressed by

the local football association for doingits best for the local teams.The tournament was also attended

by Surprise Ralani, who is currentlyplaying for Landskroma Bols inSweden.The semi-finals will be played on 14

December by the four teams ofBasotho Tigers, Real Diamonds,Dalton Brothers and Tshwaragano AllStars at the Sweepers grounds.

LOCAL IS LEKKER: Kimberley ice-blocks are the best.Photos: Boipelo Mere

A TACKLE for the winning goal.

Mamelodi coachscouts for talent

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Express Northern Cape 20131204