Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter The Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS) is inviting artists from across the province to submit short videos to be considered for a streaming project designed to support them in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deadline for submissions is June 5 and those interested can submit videos in a host of categories, including drama, dance, music, poetry, puppetry, illusionist, comedy, storytelling, photography and others. The videos should not be more than 15 minutes in length and artists with successful entries will be paid when their material is broadcast as part of the Live@PACOFS Streaming Project on…

Staff Reporter Places of worship across the country have been allowed to re-open under strict conditions after being forced to keep their doors locked for about two months due to the national lockdown. President Cyril Ramaphosa however said all religious gatherings will be limited to no more than 50 people while social distancing as well as good hygienic standards must be observed at all times. “After consideration following consultation with our religious leaders, we have therefore determined that as part of the regulations for Alert Level 3, the current restrictions on congregational worship will be eased in a carefully measured…

Staff Reporter A body believed to be that of a man wanted by Zamdela police in connection with the alleged killing of his wife and two sons has been found hanging in an open field in Sasolburg. Police spokesperson Sam Makhele said in a statement released Tuesday that he was found hanging on a tree early in the morning. “A body believed to be of . . . Andrew Mpho Mokhoro who was wanted with regard to this triple murder case was found hanging in a tree behind an industrial area in an open veld in Sasolburg,” he said. Makhele…

Staff Reporter Bethlehem and Batho police stations which were recently closed for decontamination after some police officers tested positive for COVID-19 have been re-opened. Free State provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane announced Tuesday that the two police stations are now fully operational and the public can now access services at these centres. “All health protocols have since been followed and the affected members have been quarantined or isolated accordingly,” Motswenyane said in a statement. She said the Bethlehem police station started operating last Wednesday while Batho opened its doors on Monday. The management of the South African Police…

South Africa’s mining production is likely to fall by between eight percent and 10 percent this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CEO of industry body the Minerals Council said on Tuesday. Mines across South Africa, the world’s biggest producer of platinum and chrome and a leading producer of gold and diamonds, were forced to shut temporarily when a nationwide lockdown to contain the virus began in late March. “The impact is very big; it’s probably going to end up being something like an eight to 10 percent hit on mining production for this year,” Minerals Council CEO Roger…

Staff Reporter Distinguished academic and renowned legal practitioner Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba from Kenya has challenged institutions of higher learning in Africa to take the lead in developing technology that could help solve problems faced by the world today and not always wait for solutions to come from overseas. He says African universities should stop playing catch-up with Europe, America and China and effectively take part in developing useful technology. Lumumba said this during a virtual public lecture hosted by the Central University of Technology (CUT) in Bloemfontein. The lecture, which was also beamed to Botswana and Kenya, was…

Staff Reporter Mangaung Metro has been excluded from the list of COVID-19 hotspots which will be kept under close watch when the entire South Africa moves to alert Level 3 which will allow more economic activity and see the removal of several restrictions put in place as part of the national lockdown. President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government has put in place a differentiated approach to deal with areas that have higher levels of infection and transmission in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country. “Even as we move to alert Level 3, it is important…

Staff Reporter That you can now buy alcohol with effect from June 1 when the entire South Africa moves to Level 3 lockdown was always going to steal the headlines, but there are still a couple of things that remain prohibited under the restrictions imposed by the government in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Announcing the easing of the lockdown restrictions this Sunday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa said people will be able to leave their homes to buy goods or obtain services including medical care, but those who do not need to go to work or…

Staff Reporter Parents not comfortable with sending their children back to school when classes resume on June 1 will not be forced to do so, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced last week that schools – which have been closed since the start of the national lockdown in March – will be opening at the beginning of next month, starting with Grades 7 and 12. The announcement was, however, met with mixed reactions with some parents and teacher unions saying it was too early to resume school as COVID-19, which forced the country to go…

Staff Reporter Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela has expressed concern at the killing of women and children during the national lockdown period, saying more measures are needed to protect the vulnerable. Mmakantoro Mofokeng, 37, and her two sons, Khothatso, nine, and Karabo, two, were found killed last Sunday in their house in Zamdela township near Sasolburg. The woman’s husband, who is also the father to the slain children, has become a person of interest to the matter as he has not been seen since the killing was discovered in the early hours of the morning. “Today the Free State province…