Author: The Free Stater

Annual general meetings (AGMs) can actually be held within four months of the year end and that’s what must be done at all times. They are supposed to be held within four months of the year end – that is by the end of June for a February year-end. It can be done. However, so many body corporates are several months in arrears when it comes to holding their AGMs. One reason why it’s important to hold these meetings on time is that budgets need to be set to start at the beginning of the financial year. If implemented late,…

Staff Reporter About 500 police officers from the Free State have received the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine as the province steps up efforts to vaccinate essential service workers and the general public against COVID-19. Acting MEC for Police, Roads and Transport Mamiki Qabathe and Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane officially launched the programme on Thursday with a call for police officers to take the jab and save lives. “I am encouraging each and every Free Stater to get vaccinated,” said Qabathe, who is the MEC for social development. “The first phase started with the frontline workers…

Staff Reporter Gupta ‘associate’ Iqbal Sharma who has been languishing in remand prison for about a month is taking his fight to be released on bail to the Free State High Court on Friday morning. The Investigating Directorate said in a statement the matter will be heard virtually. Sharma was denied bail last month by the Bloemfontein Regional Court. He is one of the 17 accused persons or companies who face charges of defrauding the Free State agriculture department of R25 million in 2011. Four of his co-accused who are currently in South Africa were granted bail last month. They…

After days of drama and suspense before handing himself in, former South Africa president Jacob Zuma began a 15-month sentence for contempt on Thursday, after spending his first night in jail. The former prisoner of the apartheid regime had kept the country on tenterhooks by trying all legal avenues to evade jail, but he became an inmate once again shortly after midnight. It is the first time a former president has been jailed in post-apartheid South Africa. He handed himself in at a recently renovated jail in the small mining town of Estcourt in his KwaZulu-Natal home province. The sentence…

An already struggling and chaotic Haiti stumbled into an uncertain future on Thursday, reeling from the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse followed by a reported gunbattle in which authorities said police killed four suspects in the murder, detained two others and freed three officers being held hostage. Officials pledged to find all those responsible for the predawn raid on Moïse’s house early Wednesday that left the president shot to death and his wife, Martine Moïse, critically wounded. She was flown to Miami for treatment. “The pursuit of the mercenaries continues,” Léon Charles, director of Haiti’s National Police, said on Wednesday…

Staff Reporter The Rouxville Magistrates Court has sentenced two farm workers to 12 years imprisonment each after they were convicted of stock theft. Magistrate Johannes Moeng sentenced Ephraim Thekisho and Lehlohohonolo Lichaena for stealing 256 sheep from their employer and two neighbouring farms between May and November 2014. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said in a statement the two were employed at a farm in Smithfield while the owner of the farm was staying at another farm. He said their employer would only come to the farm after a few days to see if everything was okay.…

Staff Reporter The Bloemfontein Regional Court has postponed the criminal case relating to the R25 million Nulane Investments case. The matter will be transferred to the Bloemfontein High Court on September 6 for trial. A statement issued by Investigating Directorate (ID) spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said the matter was postponed in the absence of the five accused due to COVID-19 Level 4 restrictions. She said this followed an agreement between the ID and the defence to proceed with the matter without calling in the accused in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The accused are Nulane owner Iqbal…

Staff Reporter A Welkom man who was arrested at the weekend with drugs tucked in between slices of bread to avoid detection was expected to appear in court today. Police say members of the Welkom Flying Squad received information about a man at Mannys who was in possession of drugs. “The members acted swiftly and identified the suspect,” said provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo in a brief statement. “They approached him and requested to search him,” she added. The man, 44, was found with 105 Mandrax tablets and 19.5 grams of crystal meth with a street value of R14…

More and more properties are standing vacant as people are now working from home. Personally, I think many people will not be returning to traditional office space because every system has been upgraded to allow for easy home working. But it doesn’t mean there are no tenants looking for premises. The only catch could be that the tenants are very particular in terms of what they are looking for. They are certainly looking for something of good quality but they could be price-sensitive as well due to the times we are living in. If your rentals are too high, then…

Staff Reporter Most municipalities in the Free State are ignoring set regulations because there are no firm measures to hold those who break the rules accountable, Auditor General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke said. In her latest report on local government audit outcomes for 2019-2020, she said this has resulted in the municipalities failing to deliver quality services to residents because resources are not used optimally. “Lack of accountability creates a perpetual disrespect for regulations, resulting in mismanagement of resources and lack of service delivery,” said Maluleke when she released the audit outcomes on Wednesday. The AG said overall, municipal audit outcomes…