PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER WARNS PEOPLE ABOUT SCAM

PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER WARNS PEOPLE ABOUT SCAM Staff Reporter Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thulani Ntobela warns the public about the growing trend of scams. The police are receiving numerous reports of individuals who continue to riddle job seekers and vulnerable people of their hard earned cash. They lure their pray by promising them jobs that will pay them lucrative salaries. These evil minded individuals will then request an upfront fee as compensation. Another scam is the one where people call businesses people them have never met. Leonard Hlathi said, “The callers will then pretend to be officials from government departments sent to allocate tenders. They will then inform the business people that they have won transport or catering tenders respectively which they did not previously contested for. “These barbaric thugs will then deposit a cheque that they know it has no money. For example, let’s say they shall have told you the false tender awarded to you is R40 000, what they do is, they will deposit an empty cheque of R70 000 into your account, then later they will call you and apologise and tell you that, the money deposited into your account was in actual fact intended to be deposited to another person who also won a tender.” Colonel Hlathi says a request then extended to you to deposit the difference back to a particular account. When you shall have done that, you will then wait according to the number of days allocated by the banks in order to clear deposited cheques, and you will be startled because the cheque cannot be transact hence it has no funds. Many scams are prevalent these days including the one that involves people who are standing on the bank queues, especially in ATMs observing members of the public who are withdrawing money. They will then go after a person who have withdrawn a huge amount of cash, then drop a money bag containing cash in front of that person. “The perpetrator will act as if he found the money and asked the person whether the money he found does not belong to him/her. Thereafter, he will act like a Good Samaritan and asked the person to accompany him to an awkward place where they can share the money because it does not belong to him either. Upon arrival to the place the person robbed of all his/her money withdrawn and other belongings.” Colonel Hlathi said. The Provincial Commissioner of Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Thulani Ntobela has expressed his concerns on this matter and requested urgent investigation by SAPS and a quick arrest of the perpetrator. “This regrettable and unacceptable behaviour robs the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga a good reputation and trust it has already built through hard work and dedication by our members, and cannot continue unchallenged. I am confident that with the type of dedication shown by our members, we will arrest the perpetrators soon. We however call upon all our community members and the victims to report this kind of behaviour in order to assist us with our investigations” said Lieutenant-General Thulani Ntobela.

Lets take everyday as Mandela Day

MEC Shongwe calls local businesses to assist government in improving people’s lives Staff Reporter As part of honouring the legacy of South Africa’s first democratic iconic state President, Nelson Mandela, Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe has called on local business people to join hands with government inorder to combat poverty. Shongwe was speaking during a Mandela Day Celebration by the Department in Breyten on Wednesday 17 July 2013, a day before Madiba’s birthday. This activity is part of the department’s vulnerable groups’s quality of life. Activities included renovation of Sizanani Old Age Home and Nthuthuko disabled centre in the area. Stakeholders who includeded Msobo Mine, government departments and local businesses, donated school uniforms, blankets, sanitary towels, care packs and food parcels which were donated to the community of Breyten. He also recognised the outstanding role done by other local business people in improving the lives of people. Shongwe said that the involvement of local business people in government initiatives is crucial. He acknowledged Msobo Mine for the contribution they made to the project and urged them to continue working with government in order to make a change in the community of Breyten and others. Meanwhile MEC Shongwe also donated school uniform to 100 learners of Sibongindawo Primary School in Ogies near Witbank on Tuesday. He said that he believed more still needed to be done to enhance the quality of lives of learners at the school so that learning and teaching environment is improved. Shongwe has acknowledged all government officials for working together in making sure that Mandela’s legacy lives on. Shongwe has also pleaded with parents to play an active role in their children’s lives and not abdicate their responsibilities to government or teachers alone. He said more and more young people are falling into the drugs and this may jeopardise their future. The MEC also said there was a need for all stakeholders to intensify their efforts to eradicate challenge of drug abuse among young people. He said the infrastructure at the school needed improved so that criminals do not take advantage of the inadequate infrastructure. He said that the environment that is not conducive to learning and teaching also demoralises learners and others may find themselves in the streets and that may lead to more social ills.

Caption: Pockets of marijuana that was found today at the Lowveld High School premises today after an unannounced raid was conducted on the school. The raid was conducted in conjunction with the department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Education and SAPS. Schools should be drug-free zones- Sibuyi By staff reporter In order for effective learning and teaching to take place in schools, parents must assist government to make schools drug-free zones; this is according to Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison Head of Department Thulani Sibuyi. Sibuyi was speaking after a raid that was conducted at Lowveld High School in Nelspruit 19 July 2013. The raid, which was part of the ongoing Mandela Month activities led to the discovery of pockets of marijuana in school premises. The raid was conducted in collaboration with the department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Education and SAPS. “It is disturbing to find such in school premises as it affects the quality of learning and teaching in schools. Parents and government spend a considerable amount of money towards ensuring that qualitative education is provided and it would be painful to such efforts are being compromised due to disruptive elements that bring drugs to schools.” Thulani Sibuyi said. He added that parents also need to take charge and play meaningful role in their children’s education and not leave schooling matters entirely to the government. According to Sibuyi schools do not exist in isolation but exist in communities and therefore availability of drugs and other social ills are a reflection of the society within which schools exist. Therefore, the HOD said, all role-players need to come on board and assist government to combat substance abuse in schools. He said the initiative that the department took today should be intensified in order to eradicate drugs in schools. He has also called on the learners to take their education seriously as part of celebrating Dr. Mandela’s legacy. He said Mandela had always wanted education to be highly prioritized and he would be sad to see some of the learners compromising it for the sake of drugs. Sibuyi said more schools will be visited in the current financial year as this is part of the overall school safety programme of the Mpumalanga Government.

Premier Mabuza urges Delmas community to respect their water

Premier Mabuza urges Delmas community to respect their water By BRIAN KAJENGO Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has urged the Victor Khanye Local Municipality citizens to be grateful and respect their water. Premier Mabuza was speaking in Delmas yesterday [Tuesday, 16 July 2013] at an official unveiling of a multi-million Rand Blomendal Bulk Water System by Water Affairs and Environment Minister Edna Molewa. Mabuza said the citizens in that municipality were “blessed and lucky” that after a very long time of scarcity of clean drinking water, finally the Blomendal project by the national department was completed and communities benefited. Areas in and around Delmas, in 1993 and in 2005 experienced waterborne diseases because the water was contaminated. Communities mostly depended on water supplied by trucks and that which came from the boreholes. “You are blessed and lucky here. In some areas wherever I go, people still do not have water. You now have a responsibility to respect this water in order for the next generations to live on it. “This is the moment of joy for the people of our province, we are minus one problem, and indeed one municipality is out of the problem. Water problems and waterborne diseases is surely the thing of the past for the people in this municipality,” said Mabuza. He warned the citizens about the bad tendency of destroying public property whenever they were dissatisfied about government that it was delaying their own development. He encouraged them not to destroy public property whenever they were disgruntled but should solve problems by negotiating. He said destroying of property “delayed freedom” as development was at standstill. People attending the ceremony at a community hall in Botleng Township publicly declared to both the Premier and the Minister that they would no longer destroy property. This follows a recent attack on a local waste water treatment plant destroyed by angry citizens. He added that there was a need to educate citizens that water was a basic need and they needed to respect it by conserving it. He said no development could fully satisfy people if they did not have access to water. “I am satisfied with the partnership we have with the minister and municipalities. We have worked in a focused way in delivering water. What is left for us as the provincial government is to resettle the people in areas where we have provided water. “It is still disturbing though that we still have many shacks mushrooming in Delmas and that there is no sanitation. While government is attending to these problems, we have to pause for a moment and celebrate today’s achievement by the government of the people. “As citizens of Mpumalanga, we are not taking this achievement for granted, water did not just come on its own, it was a collective effort by various spheres of government to respond to the needs of its citizens. We recognition the good work by our government and today we are saying ‘bye-bye’ typhoid,” said Mabuza. Meanwhile Minister Molewa said the bulk water project was part of the government’s drive to bring services to the people. She said Delmas was particularly critical as it had in the past experienced serious water challenges some of which resulted in the break-out of water-borne diseases. “Water problems are the thing of the past for Delmas people. This water could last the people here up to the year 2030 if people conserve it well by dealing with the leaks, there could be no repeat of what happened in the past” Minister Molewa. The R171 million project supplies 25 megalitres a day and is believed to be sufficient to meet water demand in the service area up to the year 2026. At least 65 percent of the population within the municipality has access to potable water on their stands.

The number of rhino poached increases in Kruger National Park

The number of rhino poached increases in Kruger National Park Brian Kajengo At least 488 rhino poached since the beginning of this year and 142 alleged poachers arrested in South Africa. The Kruger National Park has borne the brunt of rhino poaching since the start of 2013. About 300 rhino poached in the Park since January 1. A total of 53 rhino poached in North West, 52 in Limpopo, 43 in KwaZulu-Natal, 35 in Mpumalanga, three in Gauteng and two in the Eastern Cape. Of the 142 alleged poachers arrested, 62 caught in the Kruger National Park and 30 in KwaZulu-Natal. A total of 27 suspected poachers arrested in Limpopo, 11 in North West province, nine in Mpumalanga and three in Gauteng. Five people charged with being couriers. South Africans are urged to report incidents of poaching and tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.

Thubelihle residents decry poor service delivery

Thubelihle residents decry poor service delivery By BRIAN KAJENGO The community of Thubelihle Township, outside Kriel, in Mpumalanga, on Tuesday demanded that their town removed from the jurisdiction of Emalahleni Local Municipality, accusing municipal authorities of not taking them seriously. Kriel is a small town situated about 45 kilometers south of Emalahleni (Witbank), in the province’s Nkangala district. Emalahleni placed under administration nearly three months ago, with Mr Theo van Vuuren appointed administrator. Speaking during Public Protector Adv. Thuli Madonsela’s National Stakeholder Dialogue and Public Hearing on health and the eradication of poverty, several members of the community called for Kriel to stand on its own as a new municipality, independent of Emalahleni. They told Public Protector Adv. Thuli Madonsela that, under Emalahleni, the delivery of services to Kriel had deteriorated despite repeated complaints to and promises from the office of Executive Mayor, Salome Sithole. Other issues rose during the dialogue included sewerage problems, poor road infrastructure, insufficient street lighting, which created an opportunity for criminal activities and drug abuse and unacceptable delays in the provision of low cost housing. The community also complained about police services that are allegedly centralised in Emalahleni, the unavailability of a local South African Social Security Agency pay-point, inaccessibility of agricultural land for subsistence farming, provision of electricity for new households and mining companies that allegedly failed to development the community that surrounds the mines. One woman complained that a neighbouring family forced to flee its home after a sewage pipe-burst left the house flooded with excrement. She told the Public Protector that the municipality had failed to help the family despite several requests to intervene. On health matters, locals raised concerns about insufficient medical supplies, alleged discontinuation of a mobile clinic facility that used to service farming communities, short operating hours for some healthcare facilities and ambulance services that are allegedly centralised in Emalahleni. An elderly woman complained that she told to bring her own bedding ahead of an admission to Impungwe hospital. She further alleged that a patient had disappeared without trace at the same hospital. The Public Protector and her team arrived unannounced at the local Community Healthcare centre, where visiting patients told her they were happy with the service they received from the facility. However, they decried the fact that the centre, which billed as a 24-hour service point when it opened its doors five months ago, only operated for 12 hours a day. The centre was also understaffed and had no pharmacist, the Public Protector heard. Responding to the complaints, Mayor Sithole told the Public Protector that she was aware of the issues raised as most of them had already emerged during the municipal imbizo. “The issue of street lighting and potholes, for example, are in our IDP [Integrated Development Plan],” she said. Mr Van Vuuren conceded that most of the issues should attend to earlier. “However, we did not have vehicles, equipment and there was no communication.” He committed to have the potholes and streetlights fixed within the current financial year while the sewage problems are attend to “within a day of two”. The community would also be able to access land for subsistence farming.” The Public Protector said her office would work with the provincial government and the municipality to look into all other allegations rose during the session. “We were pleased with the commitment to fix some of the urgent grievances.” Adv. Thuli Madonsela said. The dialogue and public hearing focuses on strengthening government’s ability to deliver on Millennium Development Goals, particularly those on ending poverty and on health. It proceeds to Nelspruit on Wednesday, July 17, where the Public Protector will interact with organized stakeholder groupings.