expressnc 20140716

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TEL: 053 - 831-2331 WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2014 WWW.EXPRESS-NEWS.CO.ZA FREE Northern Cape } Boipelo Mere NOT all the owners of the badly-cracked houses that are being rebuilt in the Home- vale extension are happy with their new houses. The houses were declared unsafe as they were on the verge of collapsing. Unlike the previous three-roomed house owners, the previous four-roomed house owners are unhappy that their houses are smaller. The owners of the demolished four-roomed houses already demand their old houses’ size back after the realisation that the houses were smaller due to the internal toilet of the house. They accuse the Sol Plaatje Munici- pality of mis-informing them. “We were not told that our houses would be made smaller, otherwise we would have rather opted for our same structures. They rather preferred to excite us with the inside toilets and play us like fools,” said an upset Patric Mahube. The contractor on the site, Bradley Raiters, admitted in the Express Northern Cape edition of 18 June that 35 houses that were falling apart would be rebuilt from scratch. Mahube complained that he would not be able to fit his furniture inside the house after its completion. He wrote a letter of complaint to the Housing Support Centre in Galeshewe. In response as to why the residents were not informed on the decision the Ward 3 councillor, Clifford Lewis, admitted that the residents had not been informed of the decision of downsizing their houses. He said that the houses would be built according to a standard plan with internal toilets abiding with the new law whereby the smaller houses would be made bigger and the bigger ones made smaller. “Even I as a councillor was not informed of the decision. I am aware that some of the residents are not happy. Only the ones who previously had three rooms are happy because they are get- ting bigger houses. The three-roomed houses were extended to four rooms and the four- roomed houses will be shrunk by 500 mm on both sides due to the extra bathroom.” The councillor added that it was the com- munity’s right to stand up for themselves if they were treated unfairly. But he, however, added that the community could not stop the contractor because he worked from a plan. “Only the municipality can stop the contrac- tor from continuing to build the houses,” he said. Express Northern Cape is still waiting for a response from the Sol Plaatje Municipality. Thoko Riet said she would get back to the paper as soon as she had consulted with the Housing Support Centre. ) Updates will be made available on the Express Northern Cape website at www.ex- press-news.co.za. Owners feel sidelined THE old houses that were demolished. Photos: Boipelo Mere THE new houses.

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Page 1: Expressnc 20140716

TEL: 053 ­ 831­2331 WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2014 WWW.EXPRESS­NEWS.CO.ZA FREE

Northern Cape

} Boipelo Mere

NOT all the owners of the badly-crackedhouses that are being rebuilt in the Home-vale extension are happy with their newhouses.

The houses were declared unsafe as theywere on the verge of collapsing. Unlike theprevious three-roomed house owners, theprevious four-roomed house owners areunhappy that their houses are smaller.

The owners of the demolished four-roomedhouses already demand their old houses’ sizeback after the realisation that the houseswere smaller due to the internal toilet of thehouse. They accuse the Sol Plaatje Munici-pality of mis-informing them.

“We were not told that our houses wouldbe made smaller, otherwise we would haverather opted for our same structures. Theyrather preferred to excite us with the insidetoilets and play us like fools,” said an upsetPatric Mahube.

The contractor on the site, Bradley Raiters,admitted in the Express Northern Capeedition of 18 June that 35 houses that werefalling apart would be rebuilt from scratch.

Mahube complained that he would not beable to fit his furniture inside the house afterits completion. He wrote a letter of complaintto the Housing Support Centre in Galeshewe.

In response as to why the residents werenot informed on the decision the Ward 3councillor, Clifford Lewis, admitted that theresidents had not been informed of thedecision of downsizing their houses.

He said that the houses would be builtaccording to a standard plan with internaltoilets abiding with the new law whereby thesmaller houses would be made bigger andthe bigger ones made smaller. “Even I as acouncillor was not informed of the decision. Iam aware that some of the residents are nothappy. Only the ones who previously hadthree rooms are happy because they are get-ting bigger houses. The three-roomed houseswere extended to four rooms and the four-roomed houses will be shrunk by 500 mm onboth sides due to the extra bathroom.”

The councillor added that it was the com-munity’s right to stand up for themselves ifthey were treated unfairly. But he, however,added that the community could not stop thecontractor because he worked from a plan.“Only the municipality can stop the contrac-tor from continuing to build the houses,” hesaid.Express Northern Cape is still waiting for a

response from the Sol Plaatje Municipality.Thoko Riet said she would get back to thepaper as soon as she had consulted with theHousing Support Centre.) Updates will be made available on theExpress Northern Cape website at www.ex-press-news.co.za.

Owners feel sidelined

THE old houses that were demolished. Photos: Boipelo Mere

THE new houses.

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2 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2014

} Boipelo Mere

THERE will be no charged or freeMandela Long Walk to Freedom (ML-WTF) film screening for the locals atthe Northern Cape Ster-Kinekor.The Northern Cape also loses out on

the free screening of Mandela LongWalk To Freedom on Mandela Day,Friday, 18 July, like other provinces forthe second time around.That is because the local Ster-

Kinekor, based at the North CapeMall, did not do well in terms of thenumber of viewers during the releaseof the film.While the free screening is an

opportunity for South Africans tohonour the memory of Madiba andcelebrate all that he stood for on thisspecial day, people of the NorthernCape will again be left out of the 31cinemas across the country thatqualified.According to Doug Place, marketing

executive: Ster-Kinekor Theatres,Kimberley was among the towns thatwere also given the opportunity to enjoythe nine weeks screening of the filmduring its release last year.Place revealed that the decision about

which Ster-Kinekor sites should host thescreenings was agreed to by the filmproducers in conjunction with Ster-Kinekor management, taking intoconsideration the sites and attendancefigures where the film performed betterwhen it was released on the nationalcircuit in November 2013.That is reportedly after the producer

of the film, Anant Singh of VideovisionEntertainment, approached Ster-Kinekorto host free screenings in an effort tocommemorate the anniversary of NelsonMandela’s birthday.“It was unfortunately not possible to

host the free screening at all Ster-Kine-kor sites, only 31 cinemas across the

country have been confirmed to hostthis event.“While the free screening is an

opportunity for South Africans tohonour the memory of Madiba andcelebrate all that he stood for on thisspecial day, the film did enjoy anextended run across all Ster-Kinekorsites from its release date last year –of which the Ster-Kinekor North CapeMall enjoyed nine weeks,” Place pointedout.The film only showed potential during

the last three days of the screening lastyear. That was after the passing ofNelson Mandela which was too late tomake a difference.

NC loses out onfree screening

THE Kimberley Ster-Kinekor based at the Northern Cape Mall will not be screeningthe film at all. Photo: Boipelo Mere

NEWS

NO screening for Northern Cape Ster-Kinekor.

REPRESENTATIVES from Autism SouthAfrica, Disabled People South Africa(DPSA), DeafSA and the Department ofCommunication were among those whoprovided input on the draft regulationsduring the recent Independent Communica-tions Authority of South Africa (Icasa)public hearing on its code for people withdisabilities in Kimberley.The draft regulations that were discussed

calls for, among others, subtitles and audiocaptioning for audio visual broadcasting, aswell as audio descriptions to public serviceannouncements or emergencies.It also provides the basic standards for

electronic communications services (ECS),which include a national relay system,universal designed products and servicesand devices with hearing aid compatibility.

Some of the concerns raised by theattendants were the wording used todescribe specific disabilities. Accessibilityto facilities such as post offices, where TVlicenses are paid, was also put under thespotlight.Rachel Matlhaba from the DPSA also

stated that public phones were not accessi-ble for people with disabilities.Subtitling seemed to be a big concern to

representatives from DeafSA.“There is a lack in detailed subtitles. We

also want to know what is said duringadvertisement breaks,” said DesmondKgarebe from DeafSA.Comments received during public

hearings of June and July will be consoli-dated in order to ultimately publishrealistic and effective regulations.

Accessibility reviewed

} Boipelo Mere

IN an effort to play a role in the well-beingof the education in the Sol Plaatje Munici-pality and to improve the standard of thepass rate, the office of the speaker of theSol Plaatje Municipality, Mangaliso Matika,together with Standard Bank, donatedwinter school uniforms to learners fromfour primary schools in Kimberley. Theschools are Kevin Nkoane, St Peter’s,Olympic and Zingisa.During the hand-over the speaker said:

“As far back as 1955, the ANC assembled atKliptown where the Freedom Charter wascrafted and declared that ‘the doors oflearning and culture shall be opened to all’.We are encouraged to note that our chil-dren in Kimberley continue to performexcellently despite these hardships of going

to school without adequate winter uni-forms.”Thanking Standard Bank for the partner-

ship, he invited business people to jointhem in ensuring that school children arecared for in terms of uniforms and thenecessary school equipment to assist themin succeeding in their school work.Phillip Maribe, the head of public sector

and franchising at Standard Bank, said that1% to 2% of their total net profit goes tocommunity social programmes. He thankedthe Sol Plaatje Municipality for bringingthem on board. He further promised thatthey consider this kind of hand-over as anannual obligation to restore the pride of theunderprivileged learners.“Even if the Sol Plaatje Municipality will

not send a proposal in future, we will takethe programme forward,” he added.

Learners geared for the cold

THE learners who received winter school uniforms are from the left, front:, NthabisengSehemo (14) of the St Peter’s Primary School, Angela Buffel (11) of the Olympic PrimarySchool and Anelisa Nyambane (14) of the Zingisa Primary School; back: Vusi Vanto (speak-er’s office), Thabo Foko (riskmanager at Standard Bank), Richard Kgathole (pre-active safe-ty manager), Mangaliso Matika (speaker at Sol Plaatje), Phillip Maribe (head of public sec-tor and franchising) and Raymond Thakhuli (branch manager). Photo: Boipelo Mere

PARKS TAU, the mayor ofJohannesburg, launched thesecond Freedom Ride whichwill take place in the city on20 July.“This is a cycle ride to

celebrate the life of ourgreatest international icon,Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,and Johannesburg,” said themayor on Thursday.He said the Freedom Ride

would start from the iconicNelson Mandela Bridge andride through the streets ofOrlando, Soweto. It passes theNewclare Cemetery where Walter Sisulu isburied, the historic Orlando Stadium, thenmoves along Vilakazi Street, then the HectorPieterson Memorial.The ride is approximately 35 km.The first Freedom Ride on 9 February

earlier this year attracted over5 000 cyclists from all walks of life.“We stage this event in order to

promote a cycling-friendly city, inpartnership with various cyclingorganisations,” he said.The launch of the cycle race

comes as South Africa commemo-rates Mandela Month.Every year on 18 July, Madiba’s

birthday, the country honours theinternational icon by pledging 67minutes of their time to give backto communities. This month willbe the first Mandela Day since thepassing away of Madiba in

December last year.Tau said the second edition of the Freedom

Ride would be extended to as many citizensas possible to celebrate the freedom that theformer president had achieved in SouthAfrica. – SAnews.gov.za

FreedomRide held again

} Boipelo Mere

AFTER the disbandment of the ANC YouthLeague (ANCYL) in the province in 2012,together with the Frances Baard, John TaoloGaetsewe and Z.F. Mgcawu regions, and thenled by the regional task teams and theprovincial task teams, the league successfullyconvened its eighth provincial congress inColesberg over the weekend.The task team’s duties were to rebuild the

youth league and instil discipline and unitywithin the youth. Structures of the youthleague were convened and young people attheir respective regions elected leaders whowould lead them as they were ready torebuild the youth league and bring back thedignity of the ANCYL.The elected provincial congress who will

lead until 2017 are: Bongiwe Mbingqo-Gigaba,provincial chairperson, Ronald Isaacs, deputyprovincial chairperson, Neo Maneng,provincial secretary, Xhanti Teki, deputyprovincial secretary, and Lerato Moleleki,treasurer.Additional members are Tumelo Mpolo-

keng, Boitumelo Setshogela, BoitumeloSetshogela, Nomsa Majola, Helen May-Wal-ters, Bongeka Fatyela, Daluxolo Vumazonke,Luyolo Bosman, Sandile Dick, Rose Phokoje,Itumeleng Molele, Ronald Maarman, JaneMokwa, Moagi Segami, Danville Smith,Janice Wilson, Refilwe Appollis, Desiree

Swartbooi, Nonkululeko Sellwane andMalebogo More.The ANC in the province congratulated the

league as it reaffirmed that it would at alltimes subject itself to the total discipline ofthe movement. The youth league promises tobring new ideas to the ANC to take thestruggle for socio-economic freedom forward,and vow never to confuse militancy withanarchy.“As delegates to the congress we made a

call upon the ANC-led government in theprovince to work tirelessly and harder tofind solutions to service delivery issues inJohn Taolo so that schooling can return tonormality. We further committed theleadership of the ANC Youth League in theprovince to work with the ANC and govern-ment in finding solutions to problems inJohn Taolo Gaetsewe,” reads a statement bythe youth league.“Congress noted with a great degree of

regret the disruption of schooling in theJohn Taolo Gaetsewe district by servicedelivery protesters. Education is a Constitu-tional right that every child of school-goingage should never be denied – it is one of therights which many have fought and died for,it is one of the pillars of the freedom charterwherein it is articulated; ‘the doors oflearning shall be opened, education shall befree, compulsory, universal an equal for allchildren’.”

Youth league operational

THE Freedom RidecommemoratesMadiba’s birthday.

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EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2014 3

NEWS

ANGLO AMERICAN’S Kumba Iron Orerecognised a record number of employees atthe company’s annual Laurel Awards event,which was held at Emperors Palace inJohannesburg on 3 July. A total of 88Laurels, Kumba’s highest accolades, wereawarded to individuals and groups – ascompared to the 59 last year.

These comprised 43 Achiever awards, 14for Partnership, 15 for Safety, six forSustainability and ten for Innovation.

The Gold awards in the various categorieswent to the Kolomela Mine in Postmasburg(Partnership) for the mine’s exceptionalproductivity resulting in it exceeding the2013 production target by 20%; the Value-in-Use iron ore testing facility and pilot plantin Pretoria (Safety) for going ten yearswithout a single lost-time injury; the Kumbalegal team (Sustainability) who negotiatedthe new supply agreement with ArcelorMit-tal South Africa; and the Laskas Techni-cians team of the Sishen Mine in Kathu(Innovation) for installing an anti-rollbacksystem on all the mine’s ultra-class haultrucks to improve safety.

An individual and team were also selectedper category to represent Kumba at theglobal Anglo American Applaud Awardsceremony that is held every two years.

In addition to the teams who won gold,the following individuals were selected:Keaobaka Matilo, Local Economic Develop-ment (LED) officer at the Kolomela Mine(Partnership) for his role in extending gr. Rprogrammes to public schools in theNorthern Cape; Franco Lewis, a safetyofficer at the Kolomela Mine (Safety) for hisrole in ensuring full compliance with safetylegislation and company standards; GosegoLekgetho, former LED officer at the Kolome-la Mine (Sustainability), for spearheadingthe construction of a primary health-carefacility in Postmasburg; and Johan de Jager(Innovation), a welder of the Sishen Mine,for coming up with four different innova-tions (alpha projects) to improve the

production and safety of shift workers.As is Kumba tradition, the Laurel Award

winners do not get cash prizes, but get todraw the names of charities to receive theprize-money on their behalf. In total

R360 000 was donated to 12 charities (R30 000each) at the Laurel Awards event.

“In this way, we not only celebrate theachievements of our employees, but many ofthose less fortunate than us get to share in

this celebration, said Kumba CEO, NormanMbazima.

“In doing this we are truly in the wordsof our mission: People making a differencein a company making a difference.”

Kumba awards star performers

KUMBA’S finalists for the global Anglo American Applaud Awards. From the left are, front: Gideon le Roux (Technicians Laskas team),Keaobaka Matilo (LED officer at the Kolomela Mine), Franco Lewis (safety officer at the Kolomela Mine), Gosego Lekgetho (formerLED officer at the Kolomela Mine) and Johan de Jager (welder at the Sishen Mine); back: Kobus Vreugdenburg (Value-in-Use), Aartvan den Brink (general manager of the Kolomela Mine) and Gerrie de Vos (Technicians Laskas team). Photo: Supplied

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4 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2014

NEWS

IN 1987 the world populationreached 5 billion people. Thisprompted the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP)to establish World Population Day,an annual event observed on 11July every year.While the 5 billion was a

milestone, that figure is dwarfedby the current world population of7,2 billion people. A great deal hasbeen written about population,over-population and why somepeople in some countries havelarge families.Much of what has always been

said, is wrong. In the 1970s, forexample, it was predicted that aworld population of anything morethan 4 billion was unsustainableand would lead to mass globalinsurrection.It is now well established that

were all 7 billion people currentlyon earth to consume as much asthe average American does, wewould need more than four earthsto sustain us.There is, undoubtedly, a major

problem. The tenor of the debate,however, often focuses less on theover-consumption and greed of therich countries as it does on thesize of China and why poor peoplearound the world tend to havelarge families.Without wishing to discount the

issue of how the earth can sustain7 billion people, I want to suggestthat the greatest danger facing ourplanet is in fact inequality and notover-population.In South African cities such as

Johannesburg, Bloemfontein,Kimberley and Cape Town thePorsche Cayenne 4 X 4 is becomingincreasingly ubiquitous. In theFree State more than 30% of thepeople in the province are foodinsecure (meaning they areuncertain about the availability ofadequate food), and while thefigure for the Northern Cape issomewhat lower (18%), the figureremains alarmingly high.As stark as this may sound, it is

also the case that hunger andadversity is significantly higher inprovinces such as the EasternCape and Limpopo, while national-ly 26% of the population experien-ces hunger and almost 30% livesat the risk of being hungry.With that in mind I wondered

about the price of the PorscheCayenne – I looked it up –

R874 000. Paying almost a millionrand for a car is beyond myimagination, so I wondered aboutthe insurance.I asked for and received a quote

– the insurance on a car of thatvalue would be approximately fourtimes the total monthly householdincome of almost 11 million SouthAfrican children.Inequity is rising – the 85

richest people in the world ownthe same wealth as the 3,5 billionpoorest people; the top 1% ofpeople in America owns 43% of itswealth, with 80% of Americanssharing only 7% of the wealth inthat country. These figures are notunique to America, but are alsotrue for Britain, Australia, parts ofEurope and increasingly China,India and many other low- andmiddle-income countries.Economists who spend a decade

pouring over mountains of figuresand data are rarely treated ascelebrities.Thomas Piketty the author of

the best-seller Capital in theTwenty-First Century, is a notableexception. In an age when readingis declining, for a book weighingin at over 700 pages, and outliningin minute detail the concentrationof wealth and income in late 18thcentury France using new sophisti-cated statistical techniques, tobecome a best-seller is an anomaly.Piketty’s argument in this book

is that in late 18th century France,and Britain and America in theearly 20th century, society washighly unequal with private wealthsignificantly greater than nationalincome. This concentration ofwealth in the hands of a fewspawned a rigid class structure.Piketty argues that this state of

affairs was fundamentally disrupt-ed by the two world wars and theGreat Depression. In fact, theseshocks were so great at the timethat they resulted in a periodwhere income and wealth began tobe distributed more equally.

The main thrust of the argumentin capital, however, is that this ischanging once more, with moreand more wealth in fewer hands.Piketty suggests that unless the

increasing concentration of wealthin the hands of the few is notprevented, significant globalpolitical instability is likely tofollow. How is this related toWorld Population Day? In 1976Susan George wrote a book Howthe Other Half Dies in which sheargues that the problem withhunger is not one of overpopula-tion or there not being enoughfood, but rather the extent to

which the global wealthy elitecontrol the food supply, how muchfood is wasted and how much ofthe food there is has no way ofgetting to the people who need it.The book’s message is as

pertinent today as it was almost 40years ago. Today, as much as 40%of the food produced in America isthrown away, amounting to 1 400calories per person per day.An active 2- to 3-year-old only

requires about 1 400 calories perday to be healthy – the samecalorie count as is discarded eachday by 318 million Americans. Wehave the knowledge and interven-

tions to stop the deaths of 8 millionchildren under five each year – wejust cannot get the interventions tothe people who need them.It has never been about over-

population but rather a systemdesigned to encourage rampantconsumerism, to reward greed andto enable the global elite to amassobscene wealth and to control whogets what, when and how.It is a problem that needs urgent

fixing. And it is not a problemabout over-population.) Prof. Mark Tomlinson is withthe Psychology Department atthe University of Stellenbosch.

Population not the problemMy viewProfessor Mark TomlinsonResearcher

INFO GRAPHIC

‘Our current concerns about global warminghave reinvigorated debates about the size of

the world’s population and what the earthcan sustain.’ – Prof. Mark Tomlinson

A PANEL was set up by theGauteng premier, DavidMakhura, to review theimplementation of e-tolls inGauteng.The ten-member panel, which

will be assisted by a technicalteam, will make its recommen-dation to the provincialgovernment on 30 November,Makhura told reporters.He announced the review

panel during his State of theProvince Address last month. Itwill investigate the economicimpact of e-tolls on Gautengmotorists. Makhura emphasisedthat government will notpre-empt the outcomes of thepanel, but will await itsfive-month consultation processto be completed.He said relevant stakehold-

ers, including the nationalgovernment and the South

African Local GovernmentAssociation in the province, wereconsulted on the matter.“Our decision to establish this

panel is based on our convictionthat the people’s voice must beheard on matters that affect ourprovince,” said Makhura.He added that the outcomes of

the assessment would be based onthe “actual impact and experience,not theory”.The panel is chaired by Prof.

Muxe Nkondo, with Dr PatriciaHanekom as his secretary.Panellists include Adv. John

Ngcebetsha, Dr Vuyo Mahlathi, DrLuci Abrahams, Prof. FionaTregenna, Dr Anna Mokgokong,Dr Johnson Sampson, Ms LaurettaTeffo and Prof. Chris Malikane.Five other members will beannounced once consultationshave been concluded.Terms of reference for the panel:

) To assess the socio-economicimpact of the introduction ofthe Gauteng Freeway Improve-ment Project in general ande-tolls in particular on theeconomy and the people ofGauteng.) To invite proposals andsubmissions from the people ofGauteng and stakeholders onthe socio-economic impact andproposed solutions thereof.) To submit findings andrecommendations to the Gau-teng provincial government.Makhura said his office will

provide administrative support,while the Gauteng City RegionObservatory will providetechnical support to the panel.The panel will sit in its first

meeting on 17 July. Meanwhile,Makhura urged motorists inGauteng to continue to pay fortheir e-tolls.

Panel on e-tolling set upTHE economic boom in theNorthern Cape has boosted thedemand for property.According to André Mostert,

Seeff’s principal for the greaterUpington area, the agency isstruggling to meet the demand forproperty as buyers and tenantsflock to the area.In Kimberley, about 850 property

transactions worth almost R692 mil-lion has been recorded for the pastyear; 43% more than the 593 salesto the value of just under R352 mil-lion in 2009. In Upington, transac-tions are up by about 48% fromjust 308 transactions to the value ofunder R124 million to 456 propertytransactions worth almost R200 mil-lion over the last year.The boom was kick-started by the

opening of new iron ore andmanganese mines in the last threeyears that led to an influx of peopleand business growth, says MyraSchonken of Seeff Kimberley.The Sol Plaatje University, the

first university in the province,opened this year and PhakalaneAirways has introduced flightsbetween Kimberley and Upingtonand to Calvinia, De Aar, Kuruman,Sishen and Lanseria on a non-scheduled basis. Near Carnarvonthe first of 64 antennas for Meer-KAT, the Square Kilometre Array(SKA) project launched about amonth ago. Just outside Upingtonthe first 75 MW solar farm recentlyopened and business and propertyin the town is booming.The first super-regional shopping

centre, the Kalahari Mall, with 70retail stores and restaurants is nowopen, as is the new 360-bed DrHarry Surtie Hospital.Tourism is growing on the back

of attractions such as the SKAproject, Namaqualand Flowers,Richtersveld and the KgalagadiTransfrontier Park. This has alsoseen a return of buyers to villagessuch as Springbok and PortNolloth,” says Mostert.

Boom boosts market

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EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2014 5

NEWS

} Beryl Wilson

VULTURES are endangered worldwide,and of South Africa’s nine vulture species,seven are already facing various threats ofextinction following a rapid decline intheir numbers in recent years.Vultures can live very long, some

reaching 40 years of age, and as a resultthere are many catastrophes that can occurin a bird’s lifetime. Researchers attributethe current decline in numbers to factorssuch as a lack of food, habitat loss andcollision or electrocutions with power linestructures.Vultures have also been accidentally

poisoned by carcasses laced with insecti-cides which were intended for livestockpredators. In the drier areas of SouthernAfrica, there have been mass drownings inraptor-unfriendly reservoirs. Of late, therehave also been increasing instances ofvulture parts being sourced for traditionalmedicine.In other parts of Africa and Asia, some

vulture populations have been reduced byup to 97% after feeding on livestock thatwas treated with the anti-inflammatorydrug diclofenac before eventually dying.The ingestion of this drug by vulturesresults in a fatal visceral gut and kidneyfailure.The job that nature has assigned to

vultures is rather unappealing, but withthe decline of other carnivores this meansthat vultures are increasingly important asnature’s clean-up crew and a vital link inlimiting the transmission of diseases suchas anthrax and rabies.More recently, rhino and elephant

poachers have begun deliberately poisoningvultures in an attempt to prevent circlingbirds from indicating the activities of thepoachers to local conservation officials.In the past year alone, more than 1 500

vultures have died due to these types ofactivities.With less than 9 000 white-backed

vultures left in South Africa in 2000 and asubsequent decline in numbers, thesituation has become so serious for thisspecies that its conservation status wasuplisted two conservation levels, toendangered in 2012.The Kimberley area and surrounds are

home to several significant breedingcolonies of white-backed vultures. Anaerial census in 2001 of six coloniesrevealed at least 240 nests. Taking thenumbers of breeding pairs, as well as the

additional non-breeding and immaturebirds into account, there were estimated tobe at least 650 birds in total in these sixcolonies.At the time, it was thought that at least

60% of all of the province’s vultures bredin the area.Now, however, with the recent docu-

mented mass-poisoning fatalities inneighbouring countries, it has becomenecessary to resurvey the six colonies tosee how these threatened birds are faring.The weekend of 12 and 13 July saw a

team of three experts repeating the survey.Leading the group was André Botha, themanager of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’sBirds of Prey Programme and co-chair of

the IUCN SSC Vulture Specialist Group.The owner and pilot of the helicopter

used was Peter Hohne, flying as a memberof the Bateleurs – Flying for the Environ-ment.This is a non-profit, non-governmental

organisation (NGO) consisting of pilotswho give their aviation skills, the use oftheir privately-owned aircraft and theirtime in support of conservation and theenvironment in Africa.The third member of the team was Beryl

Wilson (writer of article), head of theZoology Department at the McGregorMuseum who has been involved withvulture monitoring and research for manyyears and is currently monitoring the

vulture population in the Kimberley area.It is hoped that the 2014 aerial census

will indicate that the Kimberley colonieshave not been as affected as colonieselsewhere in the region by the recent spateof mass poisoning and traditional medicineharvesting activities.However, unfortunately two young

wing-tagged birds (one from Dronfield andthe other from the Mokala National Park)were recovered at a Caprivi poisoningincident a year ago.It is now clear that a single poisoning

incident has the potential to affect birdsfrom the entire subcontinent and acrossseveral international borders as these birdsare capable of moving great distances.

Survey aimed at saving vultures

RESEARCHERS attribute the decline in vulture numbers to factors such as a lack offood, habitat loss and collision or electrocutions with power line structures. Photo: Google

EVEN though most black rich kids aspireto be white, however, they fail to readbooks like white kids, since all they do isrecite meaningless American songs from Ato Z.What is mostly annoying, is how they all

aspire to lead their lives according to howthe American junk influences them.You’ll get them starving themselves to

death, saying they are fat and demandingexpensive clothing just because theKardashians have it.Instead of reading and learning how to

use proper English, which they always use,you get them making loud noises in taxiswith this shallow English that they cannoteven comprehend to fully express what theywant to say.As an assistant with many portfolios, my

employer asked me to look after her16-year-old kid for four days this week.That meant going over to her house andensuring that no sgebengu comes here andattacks her while she is all alone.My fixed stereotype with white kids was

that the first thing I should expect, is tofind a spoilt brat that cannot even saythank you or listen to anybody speakingbut herself.But I was proved wrong and I am even

ashamed that I thought that way in thefirst place.She is only 16 years old, but very well

groomed and responsible. I am saying wellgroomed because unlike the kids I seeoutside who feel like they are entitled toeverything, she actually asked her motherif it was okay if she could make herselfsome tea.It was my first and probably my last to

realise that not all parents support theAmerican junk that we are made to watchon TV.Her mother decided not to buy a TV

because she wanted them to read.There is no DStv in the house, let alone a

cheap TV set that shows the SABC junkthat black kids consume so much.Instead it is full of books that she

actually reads.This instance reminded me that some-

thing is really amiss with black childrenand their parents who spoil them.Dear modernised black parents, I am too

young to be thinking of parenthood, but Ican’t help but face the reality that I willeventually become one, sooner or later.Whenever I see children being raised

today, I cringe. I cringe because theirparents cannot handle them; these childrenlack discipline and are not even spoilt; theyare rotten.So I cringe because I will also become a

parent one day, and I can’t help but thinkwhat kind of children I will raise when theparents of today are failing in their job thismuch.It is no hidden truth that many, if not all

of you, were poor, and that we are stillstruggling today.It is no hidden truth again that some of

you as our mothers used to use cloths thatyou would cut off from your T-shirts ordresses so that you can make sanitary padswith, because things were that tough.It is also no hidden truth that you as our

fathers walked 15 km to go to school

barefooted, but this instance of saying “Iwill spoil my child in whatever I wantbecause I want him or her to have all that Idid not have” is what is making us whatwe are today.Due to those famous lyrics of giving your

children all that you never had, they don’tknow the essence of respect.They speak as if they are speaking to

their dog, and yet you do not reprimandthem but say, “ah, let them speak theirmind, they are still young, they are learn-ing”.For your information, parents, there is a

fine line between respecting someone andteaching a child to challenge or questionthings.Due to those famous lyrics of giving your

children all that you never had, yourchildren do not know even the first syllableto the word “thank you”, yet “I want this.No! I said this, not that one,” is as frequentas the times they swallow their saliva.When they don’t get these, they lock

themselves in the very precious rooms thatthey have been given. They boycott foodand then, funny enough, again you are theones who go out of your way to buy theconsoles and iPhones that your kidsdemand.The children of today cannot do chores;

they do not even lift a finger in sweepingthe house or learning to cook; you are the

ones who have to slave others or yourselvesfor their sake since all these children do, isglue themselves to television or computerscreens all day long.Or they disappear the whole day and

night because you keep saying “they areteenagers, what can I possibly say. Letthem live life”.For your information, they will grow up

and become parents one day too.Due to those famous lyrics of giving your

children all that you never had, thesechildren of yours know nothing of theirtraditions or heritage; all they know, is tospeak English as a home language yet theyare black. This drives me nuts; if I could,I’d hang myself.Nakhona, not that this is any fancy

English, but just something: nyana njeyokucela ushukela kwa makhelwane owum-lungu. Eh mara bo darkie nithanda izinto.

Today’s children are spoilt rotten

Reader opinion:Bongani Mazibuko

‘The children of todaycannot do chores; they do

not even lift a finger insweeping the house or

learning to cook; you arethe ones who have to slave

others or yourselves fortheir sake since all thesechildren do, is glue them-

selves to television orcomputer screens all day

long.’

Express

The decline in the vulturepopulation can be attrib-uted to the following:) a lack of food;) loss of habitat;) birds colliding with pow-er lines and being electro-cuted;) accidental poisoning;) mass drownings inraptor-unfriendly reser-voirs;) vul ture parts beingsourced for traditionalmedicine;) vultures dying afterfeeding on livestock treat-ed with the anti-inflamma-tory drug diclofenac; and) vultures have also re-cently become the target ofpoachers in an attempt toprevent circling birds fromindicating the activities ofthe poachers to local con-servation officials.

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6 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2014

NEWS

} Boipelo Mere

THE newly-appointed MEC for Transport,Safety and Liaison, Barbara Bartlett,presented her department’s budget ofR329,9 million at the Northern Capelegislature last week.Bartlett clarified that the Department of

Transport, Safety and Liaison – which hasoften been mistaken as a department ofpolice, was the department that covered allmatters related to the safety of the peopleof the province and the transportationmatters thereof. The department’s strategicpriorities have been streamlined with theruling party’s manifesto and the nationaldevelopment plan.“The strengthening of social cohesion in

our communities is undoubtedly high onthe agenda of the work we are doing thisfinancial year,” said Bartlett.According to Bartlett aspects which will

receive priority attention include the focusareas such as the fight against crime andcorruption with special focus on the abuseof women and children and professional-ised and ethical standards of services andconduct, infrastructure development andtransport projects like road safety strate-gies and enhanced civilian oversight and

effective service delivery to communities,and the creation of job opportunities foryouth, unemployed volunteers and by sodoing contributing to the alleviation ofpoverty.“The department is in the process of

implementing systems which will enhancethe commitment made for increasingrevenue collection. A debt collectionproject process for old outstanding debt offailure to renew motor vehicle licences isprogressing very well.”The MEC said a process of activating the

execution of outstanding warrants/J534’swould also be put in place to encourageoutstanding payments.The economic classification breakdown of

the budget is: compensation of employeesallocated R120,542 million, goods andservices allocated R159,065 million, trans-fers and subsidies allocated R48,886 millionwhile payment for capital assets is at R40,9million.According to Bartlett, in order for the

department to work towards the goal ofachieving a clean audit report, a compre-hensive audit action plan is in place and isbeing continuously monitored. Jointactions are also being put in place with theaudit committee and internal audit units.

Transportbudget rolled out

} George Mutloane

THE Galeshewe TheatreOrganization (Gato) has doneit again.They have just finished

two weeks of gruellingperformances of three playsat the mecca of arts andperformance display betterknown as the Grahamstown Festival.As Express Northern Cape pointed out

in a past edition, Gato has become awelcome relief to the lovers and theatrepractitioners alike amid the droughtafflicting the Northern Cape province.Two of the three plays were nominated

for encore awards and the third one,Emsini, was recognised with the SpecialMerit Award for achieving excellence onthe 2014 National Arts Festival (NAF)Fringe.According to Gilly Hemphill, the NAF

media liaison, Gato is an emergingcompany that is doing excellent workand that has the potential to become apowerful voice on the Fringe for years tocome.“It is an award that puts Gato on our

radar and the National Arts Festival willwatch their progress with interest in theyears to come,” she added.Emsini is a story about a reign of

terror unleashed in a community when ayoung girl is kidnapped and whenattempting to escape, she finds arecluse’s shack and hides there. Thisunwittingly opens a floodgate of longsuppressed secrets about the girl, hermother, her grandfather and the crimi-nals who are trying to take her from herhiding place.This means for the second year

running Gato has won awards, eventhough their circumstances have beendifficult, against well-supported produc-tions from other provinces.The internationally renowned arts

festival is held every year in July inGrahamstown in the Eastern Cape andhas launched many luminaries in theperforming fields to the extent that otherwell-crafted plays ended up winningawards such as Tony Awards on Broad-way.There are more than 3 000 performan-

ces in about 50 performing spaces andthe economic spin-off thereby cannot bemeasured, particularly if after thefestival the productions go on tour inboth the countryside and internationalarena.When Gato took Emsini to the Gra-

hamstown Festival it has not yetpremiered, meaning it was premiered atthe festival, which carries a hugeelement of risk because there are alwaysscouts from other countries who attendthe festival solely to scout for produc-tions that they can invite to their

theatres.France, Germany, Britain

and the Netherlands areknown to have an appetitefor well-crafted South Africanstories and here lies possibil-ities during the festival.The other thing facing Gato

is that as they are alreadyback from the festival it

means once again about 22 performersand technical staff are without jobs asthe province has not yet developedbuying power for own productions, nomatter how good they may be.At the last interview Express Northern

Cape had with Gato prior to theirdeparture to the festival, the reporterasked what they are going to do withthis work of brilliance after the festival.Moagi Modise replied: “It is a difficult

one; if we are lucky we may be bookedsomewhere, but as things stand, whenwe come back the performers will goback home to loiter around until we callthem again if something comes up.”It is interesting to note that in Emsini,

Moagi Modise has written MichaelJackson’s Man in the Mirror for many ofthe residents of Kimberley who partici-pated in the struggle and have to bearthe aftermath of the struggle; althoughthe idea of the story is universal in thesense that what transpired after 1994 inKimberley is what transpired anywhereelse in the country.The good and the bad of freedom

attainment means while the good can becelebrated, the bad of it is that it cannotbring back to life people such as TommyMorebudi or Phakamile Mabija andothers vanquished by time. The strengthof the story lies on Moagi’s assertionthat those who emerged out of thestruggle clutching straws still have achoice and by implication a chance toturn things around, unlike the More-budis, Mabijas and their ilk.Emsini is a must-see production for

the Northern Cape and the world.According to Phemelo Sediti the

financial director of Gato, this awardcomes at a much needed time for them.“During preparations for the festival

there were many obstacles, particularlyrelated to funding, and we had to askthe Department of Sport, Arts andCulture in the Northern Cape and theSol Plaatje Municipality for funding.Due to the limited nature of the

funding from the department, thedirectors of Gato made an emergencyfunding request to the ProvincialAdministration, which worked out quitepositively, resulting in the trip becominga success.The company wants to express its

heartfelt gratitude to the Northern Capegovernment for the assistance afforded,”said Sediti.

Theatre prosperingagainst all odds

GILLYHEMPHILL,media liaison of theNational Arts Festival, handing over the certifi-cate to Phemelo Sediti of the Galeshewe Theatre Organisation (Gato) after the an-nouncement by the judging panel. Photos: Gato

} Boipelo Mere

IN presenting his maiden budget speech asan MPL and MEC for Sport, Arts andCulture, Lebogang Motlhaping tabled hisbudget of R290,801 million promising thathe has hit the ground running.The following were promised to be rolled

out during the next hundred days of officefor Motlhaping: a roadshow to consult withstakeholders, the formalisation of publicentities, the appointment of district libra-rians and curators at museums, theupgrading of Information CommunicationTechnology at district level, the hosting ofthe Centenary of World War 1 exhibition on28 July, the hosting of the Social CohesionSummit in September in preparation for thenational summit in November and theappointment of a new construction contrac-tor for the completion of the Northern CapeTheatre and the Churchill Library.The MEC assumes his responsibilities at

a time when many individuals and institu-tions are at the brink of achieving greaterheights in different fields of sport, arts andculture.He also highlighted that the department

helped in pitching for the inaugural

Wildeklawer Schools Competition. As one ofthe premier school competitions in thecountry, the Wildeklawer Schools Compe-tition presents opportunities to provincialschool teams, including presenting avaluable economic injection into theNorthern Cape.As reported elsewhere in this newspaper,

the Galeshewe Theatre Group has justcompleted a performance at the nationalGrahamstown Arts Festival where theyhave brought back a silver award forEmsini on the back of having been nominat-ed twice for both Goon and Bighole.Equally, Steach United carries the hopes

of the soccer-starved province when theyleave next week for Durban to try theirhands in qualifying for the first division.Motlhaping landed on the scene promis-

ing a PSL team in his term. The MEC alsoin his speech promised a communitytelevision station, arts centres in everydistrict and libraries in every municipality.The budget allocation breakdown is as

follows: administration allocated R53,480millions, cultural affairs R48,689 million,library and archives services R145,221million, sport and recreation R43,411million.

Busy time for department

V Ilse Watson

AFRIFORUM audited the landfillsite in Kuruman as part of the civilrights organisation’s nationalcampaign #cleanSA.Kuruman received the best rating

of all landfill sites in the NorthernCape with 84%.The 25 questions in the audits are

used to determine whether landfillsites meet the requirements andcomply with national legislation.The questions cover, among

others, elements regarding accesscontrol, fires, water pollution,safety, dangerous waste, fencing,available equipment and accessroads.“Pollution of landfill sites is

dangerous as the consequencesthereof are not always immediatelyvisible, but can have damagingeffects for humans and animals inthe long run.“It is gratifying to see that the

Ga-Segonyana Municipality ismaking an effort to keep theirlandfill site up to standard,” StefanPieterse, provincial coordinator forAfriForum in the Northern Cape,said.) Join AfriForum to become part ofthis campaign to help conserve yournatural environment. SMS the nameof your town to 32531 (R1).

Landfill site aces audit

THE Kuruman landfill site which received thebest rating of all landfill sites in the NorthernCape with 84%.

Photo: Stefan Pieterse

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EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE , WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2014 7

PREFERENCEWILL BE GIVENTO EMPLOYMENT EQUITY CANDIDATES IN LINEWITHTHE COMPANY’S EMPLOYMENT EQUITY PLAN.

Only candidates who meet the stated requirements will be considered.APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTERTHE CLOSING DATEWILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

How to apply:Interested applicants can forward an abridged CV to:

[email protected] or fax: 086 236 1188.The onus is on you to ensure that the reference

number is reflected on your application.Closing date: 1 August 2014.

If you have not been contacted within 30 days after theclosing date, kindly deem your application as unsuccessful.

www.ayandambanga.co.za 119158

Exciting Career OpportunitiesKuruman

United Manganese of Kalahari (Pty) Ltd (UMK), a leading empowerment company intent onsustainable mining and socio-economic development, seeks specialists to join its fast growingmanganese mine.UMK has been awarded aMining Right over 15 000 ha of land to the north of a dynamic Kuruman.Why not become part of the team that plans to mine an output of between 1,5 million and2 million tons of manganese each year?With a life of mine in excess of 30 years, this well-poised company will be able to unlock yourtalents.

Process Plant Control Room Operator(Technical and Operational) (Ref. PPCRO 119158)

Patterson Grade C Lower based on previous experienceThe Process Plant Control Room operator is a shift role responsible for the effective operationalcontrol and monitoring of the Process Plant through the control room control and managementsystems and to coordinate the general Mine situation as may be required.Responsibilities: • Mine operation within required parameters • Steady control of productioncircuit • React appropriately to abnormal activities and notify relevant Senior Officials and/orOperators by radio/telephone • Direct the activities of personnel on the mine to correct defects byallocating relevant tasks • Assist Engineering personnel to maintain equipment in Control Roomarea • Take charge during breakdowns and emergencies and notify standby personnel • Maintainand operate relevant fire/evacuation alarm system • Control entire process through utilisation ofrelevant control systems like SCADA • Ensure that the activities in the Control Room area matchthe requirements of the whole mine • Maintain steady volume control of the circuit by monitoringit within entire mine parameters • Call in expertise where needed • Ensure correct proceduresare followed during start up and shut down of relevant circuits and equipment • Identify andcommunicate possible hazards and risks to responsible and affected personnel • Promote safetyawareness in allocation of all tasks over radio/telephone • Compile accurate shift report at theend of each shift • Generate report and trends for management on request • Log any incidents,instructions and important changes made in the plant and record breakdowns should they occur• Changing tasks and machine settings on the shift to minimise the effect of unexpected problems• Stopping the operation if the working conditions are unsafe and pose hazardous environment• Enter job requests into the “KARABO” maintenance system.Minimum requirements: • Matric or equivalent education • Artisan trade qualification • Minimumof 5 years’ experience as an Artisan in the mining industry • Computer literacy and role specificcomputer skills • Report writing and communication skills • Systematic approach • High degreeof numeracy.Key attributes (amongst others): • Ability to function within a team environment • Ability towork under pressure and be independent • System knowledge and application of relevantpolicies and procedures • Planning and organising skills • Interpersonal skills • SHE knowledge• Administration skills • Self-starter • Attention to detail • Results driven • Statutory knowledge ofrelevant legislation.

Stacker/Reclaimer Operator (Ref. S/RO 119158)

The Stacker/Reclaimer Operator is required to operate andmonitor the equipment andmachineryperformance and initiate appropriate maintenance. The role holder will also be required to carryout the stacking and/or reclaiming of the material as per the stacking schedule and requirementsof the plant.Responsibilities: • Follow the directive of the official in charge for the activities in the shift• Look after the effective reclaiming/feeding operation of Stacker Reclaimer and related equipment• Ensure proper running of the equipment and, if any abnormalities are found, inform the official incharge and attend to the abnormalities • Maintain equipment checklist and give feedback for theactivities carried out in the shift • Look after the housekeeping of the machine and the surroun-ding area • Carry out any other jobs as assigned by the official in charge • Give suggestions forthe better operations of the Stacker Reclaimer sections of the Process Plant.Minimum requirements: • A Grade 12/Matric Certificate or equivalent qualification • A minimumof two years’ experience in the operation of Stackers and Portal Reclaimers • Understandingand application of lock-out procedures • Troubleshooting capabilities • Ability to communicateeffectively • Dedication and team work • Results orientated • Willingness to work shifts • Ability towork under pressure • Computer literacy.

Please note that the reference MUST be quoted on your application.Please note the following: • Successful candidates will be required to provide a valid medicalcertificate and may be required to undergo certain medical assessments • Psychometric andother assessments may be used as part of the selection process • Verification of all credentialsmay be done • Must be in possession of a valid driver’s licence.

NEWS

ARE you good at sport – or issomeone in your school orplace of education good atsport? Are you motivating ortraining others to be good atsport? Are you getting peopleactive at your school, commu-nity or gym?Express Northern Cape wants

to hear from you. SuperSportand Let’s Play, in association with ExpressNorthern Cape, has launched a specialinitiative. Express Northern Cape wants tofind and give recognition to learners ateither primary or high school level whoexcel in sport or who are helping others tobe more active.

The SuperSport Let’s Play Sports Star ofthe Month is a competition for anyone aged6 to 18.

You can nominate yourself or be nomina-ted by a friend or teacher, lecturer or coachat your school or place of education. Youcan even be nominated by a family memberor friend who knows how good you are.

From all the entries receivedeach month, one will be chosenas the SuperSport Let’s PlaySports Star of the Month. Themonthly winner will receive aLet’s Play hamper. At the end ofthe year one entry from all themonthly winners will be chosenas the SuperSport Let’s PlaySports Star of the 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 (less than200 words) on what you have achieved, aswell as your contact details.) You can email your nomination [email protected] or send a fax to086-552-4922.) For more information, call Lynne orJuanré at Z PR on 051-522-9574.

Nominate a sports star

} Boipelo Mere

THE Department of Agriculture, LandReform and Rural Development has spreadout a whopping R705 million budget forthe financial year of 2014-’15. This wasannounced by the department’s MEC,Norman Shushu, last week.

In his speech Shushu mentioned thatsince the president had signed the Restora-tion of Land Rights Amendment Act whichprovided for the reopening of lodgement ofclaims with effect from 1 July 2013 until 30June 2014 there had already been 20applications lodged with the Kimberleyland restitution office.

A citizen’s manual in all official languag-es has been prepared to ensure that allpeople are aware of the required docu-ments and information on lodging theirclaims.

“To date, the land claims office hassettled 1 892 urban claims, 859 ruralclaims, and there are 122 claims stilloutstanding from the first lodgementprocess. The total number of hectarestransferred to our people for the restitu-tion of their landrights taken awaythrough the Land Restitution Programmeis 716 675,978 ha,” said Shushu.

Shushu also said: “As part of ourcommitment to radicalise the second phaseof our transition and movement to thecreation of a national democratic societythere are proposals that would see farmworkers owning 50% of the land that theywork on on a daily basis creating wealth.

This is in accordance with the declara-tion of the real Congress of the People inKliptown of 1955 which proclaimed thatthe land would be owned by the peoplewho work on it.”

In terms of economic contribution to thenational agricultural proclamation Shushusaid: “Our province produces around 5%of the national maize production with anestimated value of about R839 million. Wecontribute around R2 billion to the tableand dried grapes industry and our winegrapes are about 4% of the nationalproduction, which is about 22 millionlitres of wine. Our livestock flock inrespect of sheep contributes 25% of the

national flock, second only to the EasternCape, and the cattle herd contributes about2,5% to the national herd.”

Highlighting the recent disasters thathad hit the province, being the 2011 heavyrains and the severe droughts, Shushupointed out that they (department) hadbeen trying their level best to achieveoptimally under difficult circumstances.

“We received R1,2 billion from theDepartment of Agriculture, Forestry andFisheries (DAFF) to address the aftermathof the disaster.

“Out of 423 applications for assistancewe have to date been able to process67% of those applications. Altogether226 farmers are benefitting and 334temporary jobs were created duringthe repair of the damaged infrastruc-ture.”

The MEC added that the departmentreceived R50 million for the droughtdisaster and the department was in theprocess of providing drought relief to allthe affected areas.

Budget put togood use

THEMEC for the Department of Agriculture,Land Reform and Rural Development, Nor-man Shushu. Photo: Boipelo Mere

} Boipelo Mere

TUMELO MPOLOKENG, the CEO of theJohn Taolo Gaetsewe Developmental Trust,said he felt humbled to have kept thepromise of ensuring that the JTG Develop-mental Trust attained a clean audit recordfor the sixth consecutive year.

He said as part of his legacy he wouldone day leave as the CEO who had a cleanadministration during his term in officeafter the clean audit had been announcedby PwC earlier this month.

According to the trust, the news did notcome as a surprise because one of itscorporate values was accountability –which was what the trust had adhered to

over the past six years.“This means we are doing something

right in as far as good corporate govern-ance is concerned, hence these positiveresults in our endeavours on a dailybasis,” said Tumelo Mpolokeng, the CEO ofthe trust.

Achieving a clean audit was no miracleand the trust managed to put togetherdocuments as evidence daily so that itcould be available when required at a laterstage.

“The John Taolo Gaetsewe Developmen-tal Trust is testimony of an institutionthat understands what good corporategovernance is,” said the CEO after thenews had been received.

“It is evident that we have providedsufficient training to our Finance Depart-ment to equip them for the job at handand I must congratulate the departmentunder the finance manager, BoipeloOageng, for a job well done and to all thepersonnel for always complying with thepolicies.

“As it is, we are reputed for bestpractice,” he concluded.

Sixth consecutive clean audit for trust

THECEOof the JohnTaoloGaetseweDevel-opmental Trust, Tumelo Mpolokeng.

Photo: Supplied

Page 8: Expressnc 20140716

8 EXPRESS NORTHERN CAPE, WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2014

} Boipelo Mere

ANDY GREEN impressed the more than900 teachers with a mathematics andtechnology background as the world’sfastest man on land during a conference ofthe Association for Mathematics Educationfor South Africa (Amesa) in Kimberley.Green, an active officer in the Royal Air

Force and current holder of the world landspeed record (WLSR), motivated theteachers to choose Mathematics andScience subjects.Green, who was awarded the Order of

the British Empire for beating the WLSRand being the first man to break the soundbarrier on land, set the current WLSR at763,035 miles/h (1 223,657 km/h). TheBloodhound team aims to improve thisrecord by going 30% faster, and set a newWLSR of 1 000 miles/h (1 609 km/h). Thisincrease has never been seen before in thehistory of the WLSR and it indicates atriumph for the mathematics involved inthe aerodynamic design of a supersoniccar.He pledged R70 million on behalf of the

British government in support of educa-tional programmes, which he said wouldbe for free to all South Africans to use inmathematics and technology. His presenta-tion was also aimed at inspiring hisaudience to transfer a love for mathematicsand science to their learners by breakingdown the stigma that maths is difficult andelitist.“Whether I’m flying jet fighters or

driving at supersonic speeds, I rely on thetechnology around me and I need to

understand how it works. As a mathemati-cian, I have the best training in the worldto do this. Maths is something that I useevery day, in the RAF and in ProjectBloodhound, to achieve world-class per-formance and to do it safely,” said Green.“All our lives are affected more and

more by science and technology, and mathsis the basic language of all science. If youcan ‘speak’ mathematics and you knowhow to use it, there is nothing you can’tdo.”Among the many teachers from all

provinces was Thandiwe Matomela-Ma-khetha of the Silindini Intermediate Schoolin Sterkspruit who was very impressed bythe power of mathematics.“I am so impressed, the presentation was

very interesting and motivating. He speaksthe language of mathematics like he ownsit. I feel equipped enough to become anambassador of mathematics in my province(the Eastern Cape) and I believe that oneday we’ll also have the next land speedrecord holder,” she said.She admitted that it was challenging for

a teacher to impress the learners and makemaths more interesting as it was naturalfor learners to be afraid of maths.)Go to www.express-news.co.za forvideos of the land speed record inaction.

Mathsopensdoors

ANDY GREEN with a model of the Bloodhound. He says the real one is as long as three taxis. Photo: Emille Hendricks/Photo24

ANDY GREEN explains the challenge ofkeeping the wheels of the car on theground. Photo: Boipelo Mere

Formorenewsand

photosvisit

www.express-news.co.za

Visit www.express-news.co.zato page through previousissues of Express online.