Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter As you walk or drive into Grey College, you are greeted with well-manicured gardens and immaculate buildings that are uniquely tailored to depict the rich culture of the celebrated Bloemfontein school. But behind those pristine walls is an ugly power struggle that has created turmoil at one of South Africa’s most prestigious schools whose famous alumni includes Olympic gold medallist Ryk Neethling, former Proteas captains Keppler Wessels and Hansie Cronje as well as not less than 46 Springbok players. Barely a year after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) stopped Grey College’s school governing body (SGB) from demoting…

Staff Reporter Disgruntled artists in the Free State who have been staging a sit-in at PACOFS in Bloemfontein for the last 24 days over a host of maladministration and corruption allegations are now pinning their hopes on a possible meeting with parliament’s portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture set for Tuesday. The artists, who are members of the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA), have occupied the office of PACOFS acting chief executive officer and artistic director Meshack Xaba since March 10 and have vowed not to leave the provincial arts hub until their grievances have…

Staff Reporter Four suspects from Gauteng were arrested on Thursday by Excelsior police at a roadblock on the R703 highway after they failed to explain the source of their goods and the intended destination. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo said a vehicle with a Gauteng registration was stopped and searched during an operation to enforce road traffic compliance over the Easter holidays. “The police discovered a pile of groceries including a variety of baby foods and assorted soaps that were packed inside the boot and at the back seat of the vehicle,” said Mbambo. “Two males and two female…

Staff Reporter Police have launched a manhunt for three unknown assailants after an 18-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped in the early hours of Friday while studying with a friend in the K8 Section in Kutloanong, Odendaalsrus, northern Free State. Information from the police indicates that three unknown men entered the room where the two were studying through an unlocked door at about 2am. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo said in a statement the men allegedly demanded cash at knife point, searched the victims and then raped the female victim. “The male friend tried to defend the victim but was…

If you are going to be a trustee, then be a good one. Trustees are representatives of all the owners in a body corporate – sectional title scheme – and they must do what they do in a manner that is reasonable, fair and equal handed to all owners and tenants. While trustees will make mistakes and errors of judgment from time to time the intentions must be good. Good trustees do take their duties to heart and want to do the right thing. They should not be afraid to ask and enquire, especially from experienced managing agents about what…

Staff Reporter A 21-year-old man has been arrested after the body of his mother who had been reported missing was found in a shallow grave inside a shack in Bronville, Welkom. The deceased, Siziwe Gladile, 40, is a former administrative clerk for the South African Police Service in the Eastern Cape. She was reported missing by her brother on Wednesday at about 10pm. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo said a team of investigators was immediately dispatched to the house of the deceased for the preliminary investigation. “On arrival they noticed that the window panes were broken and there were…

Staff Reporter A 29-year-old man will appear at the Ficksburg Magistrate Court on Tuesday facing charges of attempted murder, rape and robbery with a deadly weapon. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo said in a statement on Thursday that police in Rosendal received a complaint earlier in the week of a woman who had been brutally stabbed at Kleinste Farm in the same area. The incident is said to have happened on Tuesday morning but the police report was made at about 6pm. “It is alleged that the 31-year-old victim arrived home bleeding from her throat, that was nearly cut…

Staff Reporter Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela struggled through the closing remarks of her budget vote speech on Wednesday after she fell ill while on the podium. She stopped midway the last sentence of her speech as she seemed unable to see properly and looked drained before turning around and beckoning at Finance MEC Gadija Brown and Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC Limakatso Mahasa to come to her rescue. The two rushed to her and then assisted her out of the chamber during a sitting of the Provincial Legislature in Frankfort. This prompted her office to issue a statement…

Staff Reporter The cash-strapped Mangaung Metro has announced that after a long legal battle the municipality has been granted control of natural resources of the Free State with the exception of mineral rights. As a result, new municipal taxes will be added to the gambit of local revenue that the metro is entitled to collect and will come into force on July 1, 2021 along with the new budget. From that date, the metro will introduce revenue taxes on all private boreholes, including those on small holdings, but excluding registered farms in excess of 35 hectares in size. Each borehole,…

Staff Reporter The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC is set to have an urgent meeting after the party’s provincial conference for the Free State held in 2018 was nullified by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Wednesday. In a statement, ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe called for calm among members in the province as the party studies the judgment before deciding the way forward. “The National Executive Committee will convene urgently to give direction,” Mabe said in the statement. “We call on ANC structures in the province to remain disciplined and calm, whilst we study the judgment…