Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter Property worth several thousand rands was destroyed when unknown people vandalised Ntha Primary School in Kroonstad yesterday. Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe expressed his shock and disappointment on Twitter Wednesday after saying the school had just been refurbished and the vandalism was a major drawback. “Vandalism at Ntha Primary School, after we had repaired the ablution facilities,” wrote Makgoe on Twitter after posting images of a vandalised male toilet where the washing basins and urinals had been reduced to rubble by what seemed to be a heavy hammer. “This will really take us back. It is with…

Staff Reporter A 31-year-old man from Nyakallo township in Allanridge has been sentenced to 28 years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to two counts of housebreaking with intent to rob and robbery as well as two counts of rape. The Free State High Court sitting in Virginia sentenced Tshediso Samuel Seboholi to 10 years for each of the two counts of housebreaking with intent to rob and robbery and eight years for each of the two counts of rape. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said Seboholi admitted to the allegations after he was linked to the crimes…

Staff Reporter At least 7 500 houses have been earmarked for development in the Caleb Motshabi informal settlement as part of efforts to improve the living conditions of people in the area. In an exclusive interview with The Free Stater Tuesday after distributing 10 Jojo tanks — received from Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) — to different communities, Mangaung Metro executive mayor Olly Mlamleli said the city is working hard to ensure people have access to basic infrastructure, starting with water and sanitation. “There are 7 500 houses to be built in Caleb Motshabi, one of the biggest informal settlements in Mangaung,”…

Staff Reporter The late founder and chairman of Free State Stars Football Club, Mike Mokoena, who died last week after a long battle with cancer, will receive a special official funeral. The distinguished football administrator will be laid to rest on Friday, June 26, in Bethlehem, Free State. A statement from the office of Premier Sisi Ntombela said President Cyril Ramaphosa had approved a request for Mokoena’s funeral to be declared a “Special Official Funeral Category 2”. “President Ramaphosa has . . . instructed that the national flag fly at half-mast in the Free State province, at all government buildings,…

Staff Reporter Three men have appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court facing a charge of murder after allegedly beating to death a teenager accused of attempted rape in Heidedal. The trio, James Collins, 36, Shuwayda Mokoena, 27 and Yolandi Jansen, 21, are believed to have taken part in the mob attack of Mario Gift Van Schalkwyk, 17, after he was accused trying to rape someone in Opkoms in Heidedal. According to the police, officers from Heidedal were on patrol near Rembrandt Crescent, Heidedal, at about 4am on Sunday when they saw two men assaulting and dragging Schalkwyk. “Upon inquiry, the…

Staff Reporter Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe has criticised members of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) for disrupting classes at some schools in the province saying most of the learners affected were from ‘poor schools’ and they may struggle to catch up. Makgoe said this when he met with COSAS provincial leaders after they went around pulling students out of the classrooms a few days last week claiming the provincial government had not made adequate preparations to reopen schools after the national lockdown in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MEC said the decision to implement a…

Staff Reporter The Free State’s official unemployment rate has jumped to 38.4 percent for the first quarter, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). In its latest report of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released Tuesday, Stats SA said the province lost about 29 000 jobs between January and March this year after several sectors shed jobs. The Free State, which previously had an unemployment rate of 35 percent, is one of the three provinces in the country with the highest increases. “The official unemployment rate increased in seven of the nine provinces, with the largest increase recorded…

Staff Reporter A 32-year-old Free State man who allegedly raped a woman he met on Facebook has been arrested after he fell into a police trap as he attempted to see his victim one more time. Police say the man, from Odendaalsrus, lured the woman, aged 25, to travel from her home in Welkom and visit him for their first date on Saturday. According to provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo, the two are said to have met in Odendaalsrus as planned but the woman never got a clear identity of the man as he was wearing a face mask…

Staff Reporter The Free State Department of Education says nearly 400 000 learners from across the province are expected back in school next month as more classes are set to resume. “We are currently preparing for the return of 388 685 learners in Grades R, 1, 2, 3, 6, 10 and 11 on 6 July 2020,” the department’s spokesperson, Howard Ndaba, said in a statement released Sunday afternoon. He said the department is pleased that the health and safety protocols it has implemented in schools are working and therefore confident the additional learners will not experience much problems. “Through the…

Staff Reporter A man from Bethlehem is battling for life in hospital after community members attacked him Sunday morning on suspicion that he had stabbed and killed a friend following an argument while drinking. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo said residents of Bohlokong township in Bethlehem also closed one of the main streets in the area after they beat up the 27-year-old suspect. “(The suspect) has been referred to a local hospital with serious injuries,” said Mbambo in a statement. “Bohlokong SAPS and Bethlehem (Public Order Policing) are at the scene monitoring the situation,” she said, adding De Viliers…