Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter At least 20 000 new jobs were created in the Free State between April and June this year but the official unemployment rate in the province jumped 0.9 percentage points to 36.5 percent, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has said. However, using the expanded definition for unemployment, which includes discouraged work seekers, the jobless rate in the province grew by 1.8 percentage points from 43.4 percent to 45.2 percent. With a population of close to 2.9 million people, the province now has about 723 000 people with jobs. In its Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the second quarter of this…

Staff Reporter Law-enforcement agencies across the country are on high alert following growing threats of a national shutdown set for tomorrow. A statement issued by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) on Sunday says measures have been put in place to ensure the safety and security of people in all parts of the country. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the NatJOINTS is aware of inflammatory messages on various social media platforms advocating for violence and warned those behind them to stop. “Those behind these messages are warned that inciting violence is a criminal offence,” said Netshiunda in the…

Staff Reporter Ten suspects between the ages of 34 and 54 are expected to appear in court on Monday following their arrest in Bethlehem and Senekal for selling illegal prepaid electricity. The suspects were arrested on Saturday during the second phase of an operation conducted by the Free State Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in concert with Eskom investigators. In June, seven suspects aged between 28 and 67 were arrested following a year-long investigation into a sophisticated pre-paid electricity vending racket in the Free State and Gauteng. The suspects were arrested at different premises in Gauteng. At that time,…

Staff Reporter The Free State High Court has dismissed with costs an application brought by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) to have the beneficiaries of the Vrede Dairy Project appointed and verified. Judge Danita de Kock dismissed the case on Thursday on the grounds that there is an existing court order that sufficiently deals with the matter. The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said in a statement it welcomes the decision because it is already carrying out a verification process to establish the rightful beneficiaries of the Vrede Dairy Project as per court order. It said it has…

Staff Reporter The Bloemfontein Magistrates Court has granted a Durban-based attorney bail after he made a first appearance this week facing charges of corruption after offering a bribe to a Free State High Court official. Edward Abraham, 37, was released on R1 500 bail when he appeared in court on Wednesday. Hawks provincial spokesperson Captain Christopher Singo says it is alleged that on June 10, 2021 Abraham approached a High Court clerk in Bloemfontein and asked him to fast-track the signing of some default judgment documents. “He offered the complainant an amount of R100 per document whereas the submission or…

Staff Reporter Two men from Bochabela township in Bloemfontein have been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder by the Bloemfontein Regional Court. Olehile Manyakalle and Pule Mogapi were slapped with the jail term for the killing of Obakeng Sefali in a mob justice attack which occurred on September 8, 2019. The court heard that six men entered the yard of Sefali at around 12 noon and attacked him. The accused are said to have jumped on top of Sefali when he fell to the ground. National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said in a statement the men then dragged…

Staff Reporter Dr Blok Secondary School in Heidedal, Bloemfontein, has been closed following an outbreak of COVID-19 in which 48 people tested positive for the disease. Of those infected, 31 stay at the school’s hostel while five are day scholars. A further 12 learners are from Heide Primary School who stay at the hostel at Dr Blok. Provincial education department spokesperson Howard Ndaba told The Free Stater by telephone that the school closure is upon the recommendation of local health authorities. “We have been advised by the provincial health department to close the school until the end of this month,”…

One of the main purposes of Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) was to allow for a much cheaper alternative to the heavy cost of going to the courts. Quite frankly we find that the magistrates seem to interpret the law in a very biased manner towards a defaulting owner, so it becomes a bit of a risk to go to the courts unless you go to the High Court. The mandate of the CSOS is to: regulate, monitor and quality assure scheme governance documentation; develop and provide a dispute resolution service; provide training for conciliators, adjudicators and other employees of…

Staff Reporter Thieves targeting street light conductors have reportedly gone on the rampage in Botshabelo, about 35km east of Bloemfontein, after more than 180 cases were reported over the past few weeks. Centlec spokesperson Lele Mamatu said the local power distributor is worried with the sudden jump in theft cases as it could endanger people’s lives due to poor lighting on the streets. “We have witnessed a growing trend in incidents of vandalism and theft of our equipment resulting in the loss of revenue and increased replacement costs for Centlec,” said Mamatu in a statement. “Just a few weeks ago,…

Staff Reporter Three more suspects have appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court facing charges of defrauding the Free State Department of Human Settlements of about R7.9 million a decade ago. Senki Samuel Ketlhoilwe, 51, and Thwala Caroline Letanta, 54, as well as Vincent Eric Beans, 55, made their first appearances on Monday facing allegations of fraud, corruption and theft. Ketlhoilwe was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team on Saturday while Letanta was arrested the following day and Beans in the early hours of Monday before being taken to court. It is alleged that between 2011 and 2012, three former…