Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter Free State Health MEC Montseng Tsiu is expected to officially open a 79-bed COVID-19 surge facility at Pelonomi Hospital on Friday afternoon. A surge facility is designed to provide increased medical evaluation and care during events or incidents that exceed the limits of the normal medical infrastructure of an affected community. The COVID-19 surge facility is fully equipped to deal with any eventuality of COVID-19-related needs for medical care. It is equipped with oxygen, medicine and the appropriate personal protective equipment. “Our COVID-19 outbreak response strategy is multi-fold – it’s based on scientific evidence, adequately proactive and intentional,”…

Staff Reporter The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed a bid by a medical aid scheme established over 40 years ago to change its name. Compcare Wellness Medical Scheme, set up in June 1978, has been trying to change its name to Universal Medical Scheme. The scheme is administered by Universal Health Care Administrators, a part of the Universal group of companies, and wanted to take advantage of the Universal brand which it considered to be stronger than its own. The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), through its registrar, however turned down Compcare’s name-change application after concluding the new…

Staff Reporter The five officials from the Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development who are facing numerous charges including corruption, fraud and money laundering involving over R244 million have been granted bail by the Bloemfontein Regional Court. Chief finance officer Lerato Mngomezulu, 39, facilities management director Disebo Masiteng, 59, corporate services chief director Tom Ndumo, 52, former agrarian reform director Mahlomola Mofokeng, 55 and former head of department Mbana Peter Thabethe, 54, were each granted bail of R10 000 when they appeared in court today. The charges they face include forgery, uttering, fraud, money laundering, corruption and contravening…

Staff Reporter Five senior Free State government officials are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Tuesday facing corruption, fraud and money laundering charges involving over R244 million. The suspects, aged between 39 and 59 years old, include a former head of department and a retired official. They were arrested by the Hawks on Monday. A statement issued by the Hawks national office said the allegations against the five relate to a company known as Superior Quality Trading, which also trades as Rekgonne Community Projects. It said during investigations into the Estina Dairy case, it was discovered that…

Staff Reporter A 13-year-old girl from Bultfontein has been found dead after she left home to visit her grandmother who lives just a few hundred meters from her home. According to Free State police, the teenager’s body was found last Thursday next to the R708 highway near Phahameng in the small farming town. It is believed the girl left home the previous day to visit her grandmother who stays about 400 meters away. “It is currently not clear whether she arrived at grandmother’s house or not,” read part of a police statement released on Monday. “Her mother allegedly went out…

Staff Reporter A Free State farmer has escaped jail after he pleaded guilty to depriving national power utility Eskom of over R700 000 due to illegal connections at his farm in Petrusburg. Willem Christiaan Venter pleaded guilty to four counts of making illegal connections and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment suspended for five years. The Bloemfontein Regional Court found Venter guilty on four counts of malicious damage to property under the Criminal Amendments Act of Essential Infrastructure. The court also held him responsible for damage to electrical equipment valued at R770 143.67 excluding value added tax. An audit by…

Staff Reporter South Africa has lifted the ban on the sale of alcohol and tobacco products while all restrictions on inter-provincial travel will also be removed starting on Monday as the country moves to Alert Level 2 of the national lockdown. President Cyril Ramaphosa says the move is guided by advice from health experts as the country’s health system is no longer under pressure from COVID-19 patients as the number of infections continues to go down. “Guided by the advice of our health experts and after consultation with provincial and local government, cabinet has decided to place the entire country…

Staff Reporter A Free State-based businessman who was reported missing at the beginning of this month has been found alive. Shaiful Islam, 43, was reported missing on August 2 but his bakkie was found abandoned in the parking area just outside Park Road Police Station in Bloemfontein. Initial investigations, according to the police, indicated that Islam, a foreign national, had been kidnapped as the family started receiving anonymous calls demanding a ransom for his release. “The police established a multi-disciplinary team with various expertise and followed some leads,” provincial police spokesperson Sam Makhele said in a statement on Saturday. “The…

Staff Reporter Murder and sexual offences dropped by about 40 percent between April and June in the Free State as the province recorded the biggest ever drop in crime figures, according to the police. According to the first quarter crime statistics released Friday for the period of April 1 to June 30, 2020, murder cases were 43.4 percent lower from 221 last year to 125. Sexual offences fell by 40 percent from 818 to 491. “. . . the first quarter of the 2020/2021 period was a much safer time to live in the country,” Police Minister Bheki Cele said…

Staff Reporter A double murder suspect who has been on the run for 15 years is expected to appear in the Bethlehem Magistrates Court after he was arrested Wednesday at his hideout in Gauteng. Thapelo Samuel Mokoena, 40, who also went by the name Mlangeni, is facing charges of murder, attempted murder and escaping from lawful custody just a day before he was to be sentenced. His arrest, at Hlanganani Mine in Gauteng, follows a media campaign in which the Free State police appealed to the public for his whereabouts. He was wanted in connection with the alleged killing of…