Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter The Free State High Court has sentenced a man convicted of multiple cases of robbery and rape to 35 years’ imprisonment. John Komane, 34, terrorised residents of Kopanong in Mangaung between 2013 and 2015 where he would commit house robberies, rape his victims and rob them of their valuable belongings. The matter was investigated by Detective Warrant Officer Jan Bezuidenhout of the provincial Serial and Electronic Crimes Unit. Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sam Makhele said in a statement, while investigating the matter, Bezuidenhout noticed that he was dealing with one accused as the modus operandi were the same. …

Staff Reporter Elizabeth Ross Hospital in the eastern Free State town of QwaQwa reported 469 deliveries by girls aged 14 to 19 years old between April 2020 and March this year, the provincial health department said. And from April this year to mid-June, the same hospital reported 109 deliveries by girls within the ages of 15 to 19 years. The Free State Department of Health recently revealed the statistics in QwaQwa during a campaign aimed at discouraging teenage pregnancies particularly by those still in school under the theme ‘Responsibilities of the Young Mother Project’. “The purpose of this project is…

Staff Reporter The government is concerned with the high rate of COVID-19 infections in the Free State and Northern Cape despite a marked drop of cases in other parts of the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa said this during a televised address on developments in South Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday evening. He said the two provinces stand out from the others because the number of infections that they have recorded as a proportion of their respective populations have remained relatively high for several months. “We are . . . focusing our efforts on these provinces to understand…

Staff Reporter Five farmers from Parys who were convicted of common assault and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm were on Friday sentenced to correctional supervision and suspended sentences by the Parys Circuit Court. Judge Cornè van Zyl sentenced Gert van der Westhuizen, 54, and Anton Loggenberg, 54, to correctional supervision for 15 months after she convicted them of common assault and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Cornelius Loggenberg, 22, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment wholly suspended for a period of three years for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Lodewikus van…

Staff Reporter Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has expressed shock at the state of the Kroonstad Waste Water Treatment Works which has broken down and is now depositing raw sewage into the Vaal River System. The entire plant is not working despite undergoing a major upgrade in 2016. Some parts of the plant have not been operational for over a year and raw effluent from the town is now being deposited in the nearby Vals River which flows into the Vaal River. There is a constant heavy stench at the plant from the untreated sewage which pops out like…

Staff Reporter Three people have appeared in the Bethlehem Magistrates Court facing charges of fraud, uttering and forgery. Daniel Justice Swan, 57, Msala Solomon Tshabalala, 51, and Phiri Benjamin Mopeli, 48, made their first appearance on Thursday after they were arrested in the early hours of the day by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team based in Bethlehem. In a statement, Hawks spokesperson Captain Christopher Singo said it is alleged that in June 2019 Swan, Tshabalala and Mopeli used fraudulent employment contract documents to apply for motor vehicle financing at Wesbank. The bank, as a result, suffered a total…

Everyone has their pet hates, and student houses are mine. While blocks of student accommodation done on a large scale of between 200 to 400 students at time can be profitable, those who think that they can buy a house near a varsity and make money often come unstuck. Large blocks of student flats invariably are not only designed to cater for students but are run on a daily basis by a dedicated management team that ensures whoever stays there pays what is due and behaves properly. If they don’t toe the line, they will be evicted on the spot.…

Staff Reporter Deputy President David Mabuza will visit Kroonstad on Friday afternoon to assess the extent of pollution in the Vaal River System as well as other water and sanitation-related issues. He will undertake the visit in his capacity as the chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Water and Sanitation. A statement issued jointly by the Presidency and the Department of Water and Sanitation said the visit is aimed at, amongst others, addressing the structural and systematic challenges in the water value chain resulting in raw sewage flowing into streams, rivers and dams. The IMC was appointed by President…

Staff Reporter The Free State High Court sitting in Bethlehem has handed down long prison sentences in two cases involving gender-based violence. In one case, the accused was sentenced to two life terms, while in the other, the accused was slapped with a 30-year prison term. In the first case, heard on Tuesday, the accused, Raphepane Petrus Tsolo, 46, fatally stabbed his wife, Mookgo Anna Mzizi, 34, with a knife. The court heard that Tsolo handed himself over to the police in Senekal after stabbing his wife several times. Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sam Makhele said in a statement the…

Staff Reporter At least 14 teachers from the Free State will vie for top honours in the National Teaching Awards (NTA) set for early next month. The provincial winners were announced at a special event held virtually on Wednesday in preparation for the national event set for October 5, which is also the International Teachers Day. “A big congratulations to the provincial finalists who will represent the Free State province at the national competition in October,” said Education MEC Tate Makgoe after the announcement of the provincial winners which were dominated by Motheo district which is sending six teachers to…