Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter A 19-year-old learner was allegedly stabbed to death with a knife by another pupil, aged 17, over a cellphone at school in Intabazwe near Harrismith on Thursday afternoon. Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sam Makhele said in a statement police responded to a complaint about someone who had allegedly been stabbed with a knife at Lerato Thando High School. “On arrival they were led to one of the classrooms at the school where the body of a learner was lying in a pool of blood near the door,” said Makhele. According to the police spokesperson, a Grade 10 learner…

Mangaung Ward 19 independent councillor Tshiamo Malatji believes political parties should not get more than 50 percent of the seats in municipal councils. He doesn’t want one party to be making all the decisions. Malatji believes coalitions tied to particular programmes could be more effective as political parties will be bound to work with others, including independent councillors, in order to implement important projects. What motivated you to stand as an independent? If you look at what’s going on in our community, there are people who don’t have shelter, who can’t pay rent and others who don’t even have…

Failure to implement set policies, lack of accountability and not having qualified people in positions of authority are some of the reasons most ANC municipalities are in a state of decline. ANC Free State Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) convenor Mxolisi Dukwana says the party has listened to the people and will address those issues if given another five-year mandate in next week’s local government elections. Dukwana, who is also the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, says the party will focus on serving the people and not entertain divisions amongst those elected to serve. How have things been for…

Staff Reporter The Department of Correctional Services (DSC) says it is still considering the case of suspended Goedemoed Correctional Centre warder Mojalefa Letele who was acquitted of murder charges earlier this year and wants his job back. Letele, 50, was acquitted by the Free State High Court in April after standing trial on allegations of plotting with an inmate the murder of female colleague Nomsa Stuurman in March 2019. Acting National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale told The Free Stater during a media briefing at the Kroonstad Training College on Friday that the DCS is presently seized with the matter and could…

Staff Reporter Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Nkosi Phathekile Holomisa says his department should continue looking for ways to improve the working environment for women employed at correctional facilities across the country. He said while South Africa continues to address the problem of gender-based violence in communities, the situation of female officials in correctional facilities is more precarious as they have to deal with some of the most dangerous criminals doing time. “In the last two years, this department has experienced a rising number in violent incidents against female officials working in our correctional centres,” said Holomisa when…

I would like to stay on the issue of the responsibilities of body corporates a little longer. Sectional-title properties are popular with a widespread of the property-owning people. Many of them buy into this market because they have less direct responsibility for the maintenance and management of their buildings. But some owners try to stretch this to the limit. In essence, the body corporate is responsible for the management of the common property. This includes any areas of the building that do not form part of individual units in the building or complex. In simple terms, the inside of your…

The Maluti-a-Phofung 16 or MAP16 Civic Movement says it will not go into any coalition with the ANC because they don’t live by the same principles. MAP16 leader Paratlane Motloung says they are preparing for a clean sweep in the cash-strapped Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality in the forthcoming local government elections set for November 1. The MAP16 is made up of councillors who were expelled from the ANC in 2018 after they were accused of working with the opposition in council. The decision immediately backfired against the ruling party as it went on to lose 10 wards in a by-election in 2019,…

Staff Reporter The Bloemfontein City Hall which was gutted by fire in June 2017 has been reopened after extensive refurbishments which lasted about three years. The imposing national heritage site, along President Brand Street in the Free State capital, was officially reopened on Thursday by Mangaung executive mayor Mxolisi Siyonzana during a special ceremony. The event was attended by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Mxolisi Dukwana. Siyonzana said the hall – which was built in 1936 – is an important part of Bloemfontein’s history. He said he was happy that the work done on the hall following the fire…

Staff Reporter Former Free State premier Ace Magashule says some people have been approached to come forward and make false claims against him in the asbestos corruption case which is set to go on trial soon. He made the claim on Tuesday while addressing journalists outside the Free State High Court after the pre-trial conference was postponed to November 3. “People are being asked to come and make false claims about me when the trial starts,” said Magashule without stating who the people are. He would also not indicate if these people had been approached by the state to give…

Staff Reporter The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality has been ordered to dissolve its metro police service and to institute disciplinary procedures against officials who played a role in establishing the law-enforcement agency. In a strongly worded letter, national treasury deputy director-general for intergovernmental relations Malijeng Ngqaleni ordered that any official involved in the process of setting up the metro police service, including members of the mayoral committee, should be subjected to a disciplinary process. The letter, dated October 14, 2021, was sent to Mangaung acting city manager Sello More and copied to Free State Premier Sefora Ntombela, Treasury MEC Gadija Brown,…