Author: The Free Stater

Prisoners in South Africa can now have access to personal computers in their cells following an order handed down this week by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein on the rights of inmates to further education. This comes after a prisoner challenged a decision by the Department of Correctional Services turning down his request to use a personal computer in his cell to progress his studies. Mbalenhle Sidney Ntuli, who since July 2018 is serving a 20-year sentence at the Johannesburg Medium C Correctional Centre, had registered with the Oxbridge Academy to pursue a computer studies course, with…

THE University of the Free State (UFS) has been ordered to award a diploma to a former student who left the institution 13 years ago before completing a degree programme that has since been discontinued. Jonah Morudu is expected to receive a Diploma in Construction Science and Building Surveying at the institution’s next graduation ceremony. He had approached the court seeking an order compelling the UFS to confer the qualification upon him after the Bloemfontein-based institution told him the study programme had been discontinued and the qualification could therefore not be awarded. Morudu enrolled with the university as a full-time…

THE High Court has sentenced a Free State man to a total of 8 400 years in prison for sexual offences involving children. Mario Guisti, a 36-year-old computer programmer, was found guilty on 1 010 charges of the rape of two boys, one charge of human trafficking and 1 007 charges of the possession, creation and distribution of child pornography. He was arrested in Welkom last year after Interpol flagged him for uploading child sexual assault material on the darkweb. Free State police spokesperson Captain Loraine Earle said the investigation team, consisting of Captain Bez Bezuidenhout, Captain Fanie van der…

Premier Mxolisi Dukwana on Thursday hosted an energy security indaba as the Free State government seeks to position the province as South Africa’s energy hub. The summit, convened with the aim of addressing pressing energy concerns and fostering sustainable energy solutions, was expected to bring together around 500 delegates, including industry experts, exhibitors, role players, government officials, investors and energy users. Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Pinky Kekana, was among the participants. Convened under the themes “energy mix opportunities, technologies and investment” and “energy regulations, infrastructure and efficiencies”, the summit deliberated on a range of…

The Mangaung Correctional Centre where the infamous murder and rape convict Thabo Bester escaped from last year is under the spotlight once again after inmates complained of unnatural deaths, torture at the hands of prison security as well as a lack of medical attention and services. The allegations were contained in a memorandum submitted to correctional services officials by prisoners at the G4S-run jail in October. The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said the claims made in the memorandum had been previously raised and dealt with. “It was surprising when the same issues were raised, with the exception of a…

Free State residents who attended public hearings on the National Small Enterprise Amendment Bill have called for the regulation of tuckshops owned by foreign nationals. In their submissions to a parliamentary delegation of the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development that visited Parys in the Fezile Dabi District Municipality, the locals claimed foreign nationals who operated spazas in their communities did not pay tax and also sold alcohol without a licence. Residents attending the public hearings also reported that they have problems accessing funding for small businesses, particularly for women-owned companies. They appealed for the Bill to make provision for…

THE Free Stater launched its print edition on 27 October. The move is aimed at establishing the newspaper, which started off as an online publication in March 2020, as the Free State’s most influential and credible source of news. Distributed around the province free of charge, The Free Stater is aiming to offer authoritative and trusted journalism focusing on economic, social, political, humanitarian, educational, technological, sports and entertainment issues. “There’s a clear desire for a quality local paper to serve the Free State communities and we are thrilled to be bringing a product that will give our readers and advertisers…

The Free State government has moved to allay mounting fears over the bird flu outbreak after the disease forced fast-food restaurant KFC to close all its outlets in neighbouring Lesotho. South Africa has been struggling to contain bird flu for several months and has culled more than seven million egg-laying hens – about 20-30 percent of the country’s entire stock. However, only two outbreaks have been confirmed in the Free State to date, according to the provincial agriculture department. “The Free State province has recorded two outbreaks of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza,” Zimasa Leputla, the director for strategic communications…

A STRIKE action by Matjhabeng Local Municipality workers over unpaid wages threatened to degenerate into violence last Thursday as the protestors started burning tyres and garbage outside the municipal head office. Employees at the municipality – which oversees the towns of Welkom, Virginia, Odendaalsrus and Allanridge – were expecting to receive their salaries on Wednesday. However, Matjhabeng has failed to pay them after the courts froze the municipality’s accounts. This forced its workers to picket outside the municipal building in Welkom demanding answers from management. The employees said they had not been informed prior to payday that they would not…

Teenage pregnancies have become the scourge of South Africa – and the Free State has not been spared. Currently, the province accounts for 13.3 percent of pregnancies of children between ages 10 to 14 years old, according to the Department of Health’s national records for 2021/2022. The situation is dire and some girls fall pregnant even before they get their periods. This is alarming considering the serious challenge of underreported cases by schools on our EMIS system. Lejweleputswa, Mangaung and Thabo Mofutsanyane districts present the highest learner pregnancy rates in the province. The Provincial Learner Pregnancy Summit, which took place…