Author: The Free Stater

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…

Staff Reporter President Cyril Ramaphosa says communities should not remain silent when they witness gender-based violence but should encourage those affected to report so the perpetrators are brought to book. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I stand before the women and girls of South Africa this evening to talk about another pandemic that is raging in our country – the killing of women and children by the men of our country,” Ramaphosa said Wednesday evening when he spoke on television to give an update on measures implemented by the government to contain the spread of the coronavirus.…

Staff Reporter South Africa will be opening up more industries as the country seeks to strike a balance between containing the spread of the deadly coronavirus and allowing more economic activity following months of national lockdown. In a televised address Wednesday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government has decided to ease restrictions on more economic activities. The measures include allowing sit-down meals in restaurants as well as opening accredited and licensed accommodation with the exception of home sharing accommodation like AirBnB. Conferences and meetings for business purposes will also be allowed together with cinemas and theatres but they will…

Staff Reporter The Free State provincial government has hailed Free State Stars founder Mike Mokoena, who died in the early hours of Wednesday morning after a long battle with cancer, as an outstanding football administrator who was determined to develop the sport. Premier Sisi Ntombela said in a statement Mokoena used football to bring the people of the Free State together even during the most difficult times faced by the country. “We mourn with deep sadness a loss of one of our dedicated patriots,” she said. “Mokoena was able to utilise football as a catalyst for social cohesion in the…

Staff Reporter A senior traffic officer at Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality has been sentenced to six months in jail or a fine of R5 000 for defeating the administration of justice after protecting a relative caught speeding from arrest five years ago. The Phuthaditjhaba Magistrates Court heard that on May 26, 2015 a brother-in-law of Mampena Betty Ramosoala — who was the chief traffic officer for Maluti-A-Phofung — was stopped by traffic police for driving at an excessive speed. The brother-in-law was driving with his wife he was stopped. And while the traffic officers were in the process of effecting an…

Staff Reporter An elderly woman from Thaba Nchu has been found dead and her house ransacked, Free State police said. Circumstances surrounding the alleged killing are still unknown but it is believed the 70-year-old woman could have been suffocated to death as she was found with a cloth over her nose. The incident comes as South Africa battles an increase in cases of gender-based violence across the country with three brutal murders in past few weeks leaving many people shaken. According to the police, a neighbour at Modutung Trust in Selosesha, Thaba Nchu, reported that she saw the victim’s door…

Staff Reporter Dr Che Guevara Clinic in Metsimaholo Local Municipality has been temporarily closed for decontamination after one of its staffers tested positive for COVID-19. In a brief statement, the Free State health department advised the Metsimaholo community to use nearby clinics while they await a mobile clinic to be deployed. “The public is advised to make use of other clinics nearby which are Amelia Mobile Clinic and Harry Gwala Clinic,” the department said. “A primary healthcare bus is to be deployed there from Thursday, 18 June . . . until the decontamination work is done and completed.” Meanwhile, the…

Staff Reporter Free State Stars Football Club chairman Mike Mokoena is no more. The cause of his death is still unknown. He was 68. Announcing the sad news, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) said the death of the veteran football administrator was a sad loss as he had worked hard to build his team which had become a source of livelihood for many. “Bra Mike was an epitome of practicality,” the PSL said in a statement. “People do not come more practical than Mr Mokoena lived.” Mokoena founded Free State Stars, formerly known as QwaQwa Stars, back in 1977 and…

Staff Reporter At least 10 staff members at Boitumelo Regional Hospital in Kroonstad have tested positive for COVID-19, the Free State health department has said. In a statement, the department said two doctors, five nurses as well as two clinic support and one administration staff members tested positive for the respiratory disease and measures were underway to contain the situation at the hospital. “Contact tracing is done, quarantine of those who tested positive and decontamination of the affected areas is also done without closing the entire facility,” provincial health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi said in the statement released Tuesday evening. He…