This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers A 35-year-old man has been arrested after police seized a “significant” drug consignment in Maletswai (Aliwal North) Captain Loraine Earle said the arrest and seizure of crystal meth valued at R50 million on Tuesday was a result of a coordinated effort by police from four provinces She said members from the detectives and crime intelligence team in Maletswai were conducting tracing operations when they received information about a truck traveling from Smithfield to Aliwal North Earle said the vehicle was intercepted at a bridge and escorted into the town for a thorough search She said members from the K9 unit and the local criminal records centre were also summoned to the scene “A detailed search of the truck led to the discovery of 12 large bags of crystal meth with an estimated street value of R50 million “The truck used in the transportation of the drugs was also confiscated,” Earle said an exclusive podcast on the life of Vicki Terblanche Dive into the expansive world of motoring with Naresh Maharaj Join Mark Marshall as he shares his extraordinary encounters with everything from bees to reptiles i After 28 years as the Ford dealership in the rural town of Aliwal North the Blue Oval will no longer be officially represented in this part of the Eastern Cape Aliwal Ford Auto will soon re-open as a Foton dealership after its owners and Ford Motor Company decided to part ways “We are relinquishing our Ford franchise as of May and parting ways with the brand in a good spirit,” says Heinrich Schoeman Dealer Principal and member of the Potgieter family who was involved with Ford in the region for nearly three decades we came to a mutual understanding that the Ford product is not viable for this area since Ford is moving to become a premium brand Economic pressure and costs to keep the required dealership specifications are the main contributors that led to this decision,” Heinrich tells Dealerfloor In a letter to Ford customers in the region the family states that for the past 28 years they were proud to serve our community as a trusted Ford dealership we built lasting relationships and a loyal customer base we have recently made the significant decision to embark on a new path that diverges from our affiliation with Ford This decision stems from our commitment to continually evolve and enhance the services we provide Heinrich tells Dealerfloor that they will surely miss Ford which was part of their lives for so long but at the same time they are very excited about Foton and the product range and possibilities it offers he states that they believe this change will allow them to offer customers high-quality products at amazing prices further enhancing their experience with the dealership “Our goal is to ensure that this transition is as seamless as possible and we look forward to presenting customers with more information in the coming weeks regarding our new franchise and its offerings we regret to announce that we will no longer be able to provide Ford Service Plans or Warranty work for Fords We want to reassure you that if you do not hold a service plan we can still perform maintenance and service your vehicle without jeopardising your warranty as we are an RMI-registered and -approved workshop “We appreciate your understanding as we navigate these changes and sincerely thank you for your loyalty and support over the years Your trust has been invaluable to us,” the letter concludes Heinrich also advises customers to reach out to other Ford dealerships in the region like Human Auto (Bloemfontein) Karoo Ford (Graaff-Reinet) and Kelston Motors (Cradock) Well-known South African racing driver and competitor at the annual Simola Hillclimb died this weekend when his Lotus left the road Mitsubishi Motors South Africa was presented with the Top Performer award in the After-sales – Customer Experience category at the brand’s recent annual global after-sales business excellence awards ceremony in Thailand The South African new-vehicle market showed its resilience yet again during April this year with an 11.9% increase compared to the same month last year This is notwithstanding the number of public holidays that manifested in long weekends with school holidays in between I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys The transition from a career in the OEM environment to the business at dealership level was like chalk and cheese Audi Centre Sandton was named 2024 Dealer of the Year while Hatfield Motor Group walked away with the coveted 2024 Dealer Group of the Year prize during Audi South Africa’s annual Vorsprung Awards For a dealership to make an 180-degree U-turn within two years and then went on to win the overall Volkswagen Dealer of the Year award This dealer-focussed innovation is made possible with the support and endorsement of Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance All content copyright of Panthera Media Pty Ltd 2020 We use cookies to personalise content and ads and to analyse our traffic and improve our service You consent to cookies if you continue to use our website Home | South Africa Eastern Cape Safety MEC Xolile Nqatha has applauded police for arresting a 35-year-old man driving a truck with drugs worth R50 million in Aliwal North yesterday The suspect was arrested during an interprovincial Crime-Combat Operation involving police from four provinces Nqatha’s spokesperson Makhaya Komisa says the arrest serves as a warning to criminals “The arrest of the 35-year-old man serves as proof that our crime-fighting strategies are beginning to produce positive results We commend the Aliwal North police for apprehending this suspect we have reached a point where criminals must understand that if they commit a crime they will be arrested and police will defend themselves if attacked by criminals.” — SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) March 25, 2025 the wife of a well-known Eastern Cape farmer who is accused of planning to kill him in a fictitious “farm attack” was postponed by the Aliwal North magistrate’s court The accused was taken into custody on January 9 and is now facing charges of conspiracy to murder the prosecution requested the postponement for additional investigations De Bruin was arrested after police received a tip-off from a middleman that she had allegedly approached to find hitmen to kill her 56-year-old husband She allegedly told the middleman to kill Johan along with anyone who stood in the way on 8 January police arrived that evening and arrested De Bruin stating that they had no marital issues and he was confused as to why she would want him dead the woman had already handed the middleman a down payment and promised to pay the remainder after the murder was executed and insurance payouts were made It is alleged that she stood to inherit more than R50 million in the event of her husband’s death She was allegedly recorded instructing that after shooting her husband at their farm the hitmen must shoot the family’s dogs and vehicle tyres to make it look like a “farm attack” De Bruin had allegedly also informed the middleman of how long neighbouring farmers would take to respond to the attack The matter will be back in court on April 23 with special conditions that she does not return to the farm and have supervised visits of their children The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson said the NPA seriously pursues cases of this nature which affect the safety and wellbeing of communities Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content  Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Tel: +27 11 268 6300 Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms & conditions and privacy policy 0861 99 00 44    Studio@smile904.fm Police have seized drugs with an estimated value of R50 million in Aliwal North Officers from 4 provinces were involved in the major drug bust Captain Loraine Earle says a 35-year-old man from Gauteng was arrested He was both the driver and the owner of a truck in which the drugs were found Police members confiscated crystal meth in the major drug bust This operation was carried out in the first 24 hours of the combined operation The Provincial Police Commissioners of the Western Eastern and Northern Cape along with their counterpart in the Free State have lauded officers for this breakthrough MORE ABOUT: Police have destroyed 20 tons of drugs this year The breakthrough was made in a coordinated effort involving police members from the 4 Provinces Captain Earle says the suspect will appear in the Aliwal North Magistrate’s Court READ MORE:  Members’ continued efforts to fight the drug scourge Captain Loraine Earle says that on 25 March 2025 Aliwal North Detectives and Crime Intelligence (CI) members conducted a tracing operation when they received information about a truck traveling from Smithfield to Aliwal North Officers suspected that drugs were being transported in this vehicle The vehicle was intercepted at the bridge and escorted into the town for a thorough search the K9 Unit and Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) were summoned to the scene What followed was a detailed search of the truck They discovered 12 large bags of crystal meth The police spokesperson says the truck used in the transportation of the drugs was also confiscated © Smile904.fm hosted and supported by ImmediaTerms of Use | General Contest Guidelines|Archive|Advertise with us|Privacy Policy|Contact Us A 46-year-old woman accused of plotting to kill her husband made another appearance in the magistrate’s court in Maletswai (Aliwal North) on Wednesday The National Prosecuting Authority said the case against Anelle de Bruin was postponed to 23 April She remains on bail of R2000 after appearing in court on 17 January NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the prosecution applied for the postponement because there were still some outstanding statements He said in a statement that De Bruin was arrested on 9 January after police received a tip-off from a middleman that she had allegedly approached to find hitmen to kill her 56-year-old husband Tyali said she was allegedly “recorded” giving instructions that after shooting her husband at their farm the hitmen must also shoot the family’s dogs to make it look like a “farm attack” He said she also allegedly provided information on how long it would take for neighbouring farmers to respond adding that she also stood to inherit millions in the event of her husband's death Tyali said the NPA “seriously pursues cases of this nature that affect the safety and well-being of our communities to ensure justice for victims of crime” The "Keep Grahamstown Grahamstown (KKG) campaign" spearheaded by anti-name change campaigner Advocate Jock McConnachie said it now intends to make a comprehensive representation to the newly appointed Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie to review the name changes in the Eastern Cape The renaming of Grahamstown to Makhanda was gazetted in 2019 by former Minister Nathi Mthethwa who has been fighting the name change for years also criticised what he called a "fast track" method of name-changing currently employed by the Eastern Cape Geographic Place Names Committee (ECGPNC) The KGG believes that all name changes in terms of the "fast-track" system were defective due to the lack of proper consultation and other factors McConnachie wants the Minister to reconsider the name changes and place a moratorium on all further name changes in the Province Since 2015, a number of places were renamed in the Province including Aliwal North and all three Airports in the Eastern Cape The renaming of Grahamstown was declared lawful by a judgment on the Eastern Cape High Court and confirmed on appeal When Grahamstown's name was changed to Makhanda former Minister Mthethwa said the gazetting of the new name had been preceded by 20 years of discussions from members of the public Earlier this month AfriForum said the continued changing of place names was an expensive exercise in window dressing it is a cause for concern that the Eastern Cape MEC for Sport recently emphasised in her budget speech that this province has already changed more place names than any other in the country as if this is a competition and does not cause any disruption She said Geographic name changes are required when offending names and incorrect spellings are amended a haphazard process is underway where proposals for name changes are motivated as necessary for the so-called 'transformation of the cultural heritage' and 'restorative justice' to take place Bailey believes that people who support the process are mostly not properly informed about its administrative costs and consequences A guide outlining these processes is available on the website of the Department of Sport SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2020 – SAUER PARK STADIUM  Bishop Joseph Kizito has been simply known as Father Joe to parishioners in the parishes and projects such as youth and HIV/Aids in which he has worked in the diocese since his ordination.   In the programme for the First Mass the bishop expresses gratitude to everyone who has participated in the celebration The mission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy ©2024 Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference and website in this browser for the next time I comment Notwithstanding difficult economic conditions a businessman from Aliwal North is forging ahead with huge developments in this Eastern Cape town which will inject millions into the local community Gary Dampier owns and operates two successful vehicle franchises under the Dampier Motors banner The two dealerships are located opposite each other in the main street each with a Caltex forecourt as part of its facilities Gary is currently working on a complete rebuild of the Nissan dealership complete with a new Caltex forecourt and amenities like a Fresh Stop convenience store a well-known coffee franchise and other facilities “We have kicked of with the new project that will hopefully be completed in a couple of months,” Gary tells Dealerfloor Gary also owns the Isuzu Dealership right opposite the Nissan showroom “I am the Director as well as the Dealer Principal at Isuzu is the Dealer Principal at the Nissan dealership We are excited about the new development that will not only serve our Nissan clients better but will also be an alternative for locals and travellers through our town in terms of filling up taking a break and getting something to eat and drink,” Gary says He says Aliwal North is a hub for several surrounding small towns like Smithfield Burgersdorp and Jamestown to mention a few “Business is driven by a mixture of clientele from the large agriculture sector in the region government institutions and private buyers,” says Gary “The Isuzu side of the business is purely bakkie-driven We are looking forward to the arrival of the locally build Navara range that will now include a single cab This is a very important addition to the range especially after Nissan announced the end of the popular NP300 workhorse Like all dealers from different manufactures throughout the country vehicle stock and part shortages are hampering business at this stage.” The name Dampier is a household name in Aliwal North The Dampier family moved from Virginia in the Free State to Aliwal North started selling used cars on consignment in 1967 his father opened the Valiant and Chrysler dealership and in one month sold 22 Valiants alone In 1972 it become Valiant and Mazda and sold up to 44 cars in some months a feat not every dealership can boast about Gary says a contributing factor for good monthly sales was the building of the Gariep Dam with lots of people from Europe coming to the region working on the massive dam project His dad later owned the BMW franchise and when he relinquished it during the early Nineties he was one of two BMW dealership owners who ran it for the longest period in the country Economic pressures in the used car market in the city compelled him to reverse the swop and although it’s still selling cars the dealership is now also known for its excellent take-away food David spent seven years in Australia as a career chef before opening the popular Aviemore Restaurant in Port Elizabeth from his father and later he added Nissan to his portfolio in Aliwal North He says his father’s experience and reputation in the industry convinced him to join the motor retail business “The success and longevity of Dampier Motors are based on three core principles – honesty Gary says his father is semi-retired but still actively involved in purchases and sales “He sits in an open corner of the showroom (much to his disgust) reading the Herald slicing biltong and waiting for his commission – a bottle of Johnny Walker Black.” Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous Please check your email and enter your one time pin below:   Open in Gmail Sorry there was an error loading the audio The Walter Sisulu Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape was fined R1-million by the Aliwal North Magistrates’ Court last month for non-compliance at the Aliwal North landfill site adjacent to an informal settlement The municipality was also ordered to implement the compliance notice served to it by the provincial Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (the department).advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads The case follows a similar one in Komani where businesses and civic organisations took the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality to court over toxic smoke from the regional waste disposal site at Ezibeleni in Komani claiming that the council had not followed the conditions for the site’s permit was given 30 days to come up with an action plan to deal with the environmental disaster that is the New England Road landfill site Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Rishi Seegobin found that the municipality had breached several environmental laws including Section 24 of the Constitution which highlights everyone’s right to a healthy environment protected from pollution The fight to force the Walter Sisulu municipality to comply with the law was started by Aliwal North resident Monwabisi Charlie 20 years ago Charlie reported the matter to the former Maletswai Local Municipality (which merged with Gariep Local Municipality to form the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality) and the department, but received no response.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads In 2011 he reported it to the Centre for Environmental Rights which helped him to engage with the municipality It appeared that the municipality lacked the capacity finances and resources to perform regular waste collection services at the landfill site After several letters from the Centre for Environmental Rights to the department and an investigation conducted by the Green Scorpions between May and August 2013 the department met officials from the Maletswai municipality and conducted inspections and investigations in the area over three months No action followed and the situation at the landfill site became worse He said heavy smoke emanates from the site “The overfilled dumping sites become breeding grounds for rodents which can spread diseases and cause harm to the residents,” he said Agri Eastern Cape CEO Brent McNamara said that on 20 September a plea agreement was reached whereby the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality pleaded guilty to the charges against it “A R1-million fine with a five-year suspension was handed down, including an order to implement the compliance notice served on them by the department. The compliance notice stated that the current site must be closed down and the land rehabilitated. advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads “A new landfill site will have to be created in Aliwal North, in line with all governing regulations and with environmental authorisation,” he said.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads McNamara said waste management is one of the critical elements of sustainable development primarily because sound waste management practices contribute to sustainability “Municipalities are responsible for providing well-managed services to the community such as waste removal and safe disposal of this waste in terms of the governing waste management regulations was not the case for the landfill site in Aliwal North whose correct management is the responsibility of Walter Sisulu municipality,” he said He said the Aliwal North landfill site was not being run under the terms of the governing permits and licences Environmental Affairs and Tourism has repeatedly carried out enforcement actions against the local and district municipality governing Aliwal North including a notice in line with intergovernmental relations issued by the minister and the MEC Mcebisi Jonas in an attempt to resolve this matter amicably and without involving the courts “Unfortunately, due to continued non-compliance, the matter was referred to the court, where the Walter Sisulu municipality pleaded guilty,” said McNamara.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads He said Agri Eastern Cape was pleased with this outcome and judgment as it highlighted that the government can prosecute the government Resident Msokoli Mathiso said the municipality had been told a long time ago to comply with the legislation for landfill sites “Even today, they are still not complying with the law. The place is dirty and nothing is being done to manage it,” he said.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Walter Sisulu Local Municipality Communications Manager Lubabalo Majenge confirmed that the municipality had been fined R1-million for non-compliance at the landfill site after the erstwhile Maletswai municipality failed to adhere to compliance letters issued by the department in 2010 to 2011 due to a lack of resources Majenge said the closure licence will allow the municipality to operate the landfill site for two years at least while processes unfold to move to get a licence for a new landfill site “The municipality has already registered the landfill site project with Municipal Infrastructure Grant in the 2021/2022 financial year for the appointment of a service provider for identification of alternative land and conducting an environmental impact assessment,” he said ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Aliwal Auto Ford in Aliwal North is set on a winning path with a new management team taking the dealership from a difficult period to reaching sales targets and winning customers back new Dealer Principal at this rural Ford dealership in the Eastern Cape The family dealership belongs to Tobie Potgieter well-known business man with various real estate interests It was established in 1996 and later also included Ford satellite dealerships in Barkly East and in Mossel Bay “We are on course and are consistently achieving and exceeding our sales targets since the beginning of this year with three master technicians and a parts department Our Service Department got a 91.75% and Parts Department a great 93% ranking for the 2023 Merit Club in the Dealer of the Year contest “Our new management structure and our approach to doing business underwent radical changes We appointed a new Sales Manager who will predominately get our pre-owned car division back on track WP van Wyk is an experienced salesperson who previously worked for another dealership in the Southern Cape,” Heinrich tells Dealerfloor “We are thinking outside the box to use the well-known phrase Our Ranger bakkies are our top selling vehicle and the farming community around Aliwal North is our largest customer base “For this reason we are getting more involved with the agricultural sector by sponsoring events linked to this sector and we plan a number of incentives to make deals more attractive to farmers This will include added value offerings that will benefit farmers in a big way,” Heinrich says He tells us they are involved in different sponsorships across a wide spectrum from assisting with projects like helping street children take part in sport and giving their lives new direction to sponsoring numerous community projects as well went through a difficult period owing to some unforeseen circumstances motivated and determined to keep our doors open and our business as a part of the local community which includes getting the right people into the dealership to change our fortunes “We have an exciting product range with the new Ranger doing extremely well and the brand-new Territory that’s being launched will most certainly get its fair share of attention too You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing A burning passion for education and agriculture made it easy for Evelyn Fisher to fulfil her aspirations in the form of an agri academy Situated on the border between the Eastern Cape and the Free State Aliwal North is known as an agricultural town famous for producing wool the town is also home to the GEMM Leadership Academy (GLA) The agricultural academy was founded by Fisher as a non-profit organisation (NPO) in 2021 with a vision to build sustainable communities through education Fisher was once a chief financial officer at a government department where she earned a good salary her love for education and passion for community development forced her to leave everything behind to serve those in need I decided to go back full-time to the University of Pretoria to study for a postgraduate certificate in education The reason was that I come from a proud family of educators and I have also always wanted to be a full-time educator,” says Fisher Fisher went to a high school for about three years to teach accounting business studies and mathematics among others Fisher was born and bred in Middelburg in the Eastern Cape After matric she went to live in Cape Town to study towards a BCom degree at the University of the Western Cape She worked for over 30 years in office administration financial management and various senior management and executive positions.  all these successes were not enough as Fisher long had the passion to go back home and starting a meaningful project that will help to uplift the young people of her beloved Eastern Cape “We barely utilise opportunities to live out of our passions because that is the story of our lives as we chase after financial security – and sometimes in the process – we give up on our dreams and aspirations in the pursuit of money,” Fisher says She got into her car and drove to the Eastern Cape where she met friends and talked about her dream of starting a school.  Fisher explains that after seeing many young people jobless and languishing on the streets during school hours and the high employment rate in her community She was hoping to give them skills that will empower themselves and their communities The GEMM Leadership Academy is situated on a 74-hectare of farmland outside Aliwal North which makes it conducive for learners to do their practical work and be exposed to nature at the same time “Our school takes learners starting between the ages of 13 and 25 regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds GLA provides high school and training facilities for unemployed graduates and school leavers with practical exposure to agriculture,” Fisher says Fisher also fulfills the role of educator along with two other teachers Fisher says she could have chosen any other discipline of learning but she chose agriculture because she believes that it has the potential to create more than jobs It also places food real food on the table “The focus is on agriculture and entrepreneurship as we believe that it is possible to create sustainable communities. We all have access to a piece of land or a container it is still good enough to plant a seed. The agricultural sector provides the ideal starting point to bring hope as young people begin to see what is possible.  the concept of sowing and reaping is not only practically demonstrated [in the food garden] but also weaved into the other subjects that we teach,” says Fisher Young people also learn critical skills such as literacy and numeracy critical thinking on how to navigate life as a young person in these trying times and coping mechanisms for emotional intelligence The academy started with classes this year with nine learners (five grade 8s “We offer one meal a day and school hours are from 08:00 to 16:00 We ensure that learners utilise the time effectively and take responsibility for their own learning,” says Fisher the school faces many challenges as funding will always be a challenge “Challenges that we currently facing is that it is a 100% faith project which means that we are 100% dependent on resources through God’s provision.” Fisher said she would like to see the academy expanding and accommodating young people from all over the Eastern Cape learning and teaching material to be able to accommodate a possible increase in learner numbers is required. We require funding to assist with the expenses of the school [currently funded by founder member] agricultural input to establish food gardens and poultry farming to generate an income to fund educational projects,” she says “We invite experts in the industry – agriculture business – to volunteer their services and expertise to advise the management team To give of their time and resources to help implement this vision for the benefit of our children in the Eastern Cape,” she concludes ALSO READ: Sweat, tears and dreadful walks: Khoza finally triumphs Get Stories of Change: Inspirational stories from the people who feed Mzansi This week's agricultural events include Food For Mzansi's Nampo Bothaville lunchtime conversations Deloitte's conversation with agricultural experts With 21 global awards in the first six years of its existence Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society Contact usOffice: +27 21 879 1824News: info@foodformzansi.co.zaAdvertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za as the Bishop of Aliwal North in South Africa Joe Kizito has been a Vicar General for the Diocese of Aliwal North for many years He has been also in the forefront in helping the stateless children in the Diocese of Aliwal North acquire identity documents so that they could access education Diocese of Aliwal North has been Vacant for many years after the resignation of Bishop Michael Wüstenberg in 2017 Let us remember Msgr Kizito during this time of his preparation to lead the Diocese of Aliwal North They might get the job… but there won’t be a salary This was the shocking message delivered to councillors in a circular from the Amahlathi district municipality last week It said the municipal budget remained unfunded and neither staff nor councillors would be paid for the next six to eight months In a letter signed by municipal manager Ivy Sikhulu-Nqwena, she stated that they were having “some difficulties”.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads She said November salaries would be paid in December if the municipality received its equitable share payment in time December salaries would not be paid because November bonuses had to be covered and outstanding payments made to service providers and third parties She wrote that they would also be unlikely to pay salaries for councillors or staff for the first three or four months next year but that a month’s salary might be forthcoming in April – without any back pay “Notices will be issued to councillors and staff at the start of each month where it is anticipated that there will be no funds to pay salaries.” “Together for Prosperity” is the motto of the municipality that has been identified by the provincial department of cooperative governance as one of 14 local councils in distress The others include the Walter Sisulu municipality in Aliwal North (where there will be a number of by-elections on Wednesday), the Enoch Mgijima municipality in Komani and the Makana municipality in Makhanda.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads from the Eastern Cape department of cooperative governance confirmed that the provincial government had approached the national government for a bailout for these municipalities Two wards in the beleaguered Amahlathi municipality will hold by-elections on Wednesday Ward 13 encompasses Xholorha township west of Stutterheim parts of Stutterheim and the smaller towns of Dohne and Heckel The seat was previously held by councillor Siyabulela Malawu who was expelled by former MEC for cooperative governance after he attacked a resident with a machete in council chambers in front of the MEC The by-elections in the Amahlathi municipality are two of 19 that will take place in the province the Maletswai Civic Organisation has entered candidates to stand as independents in all four wards that are being contested Three of the wards are in the Dukathole area with the fourth in Jamestown “We are keen to address the water issue,” said Jan Msokoli He added that they have started the initiative to find a way to address issues locally “The local municipality’s competency to handle water was taken away by the government and given to the district municipality He said water problems had delayed the development of 4,000 housing units and the construction of a shopping mall.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads “Some of us have not had electricity since 1 November because the Walter Sisulu municipality gave the tender to a firm from Durban. advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads “Now you have to drive to town to buy R10 of electricity “About 500 of our electricity boxes have the wrong software installed and now those homes also have no water,” he said the towns were dirty and there was no work offered by the local government “Local businesses are employing people but the local government is not,” he said Msokoli was one of the councillors who were expelled after it was alleged that they were part of an illegal land invasion in Aliwal North A court later found there was no evidence of this Independent candidate Xolani Sikade hails from Jamestown and is well known in the area Seats are also up for grabs in two municipalities which lost bruising court battles in 2020 There is currently a case pending before the Supreme Court of Appeal contesting a judge’s decision to have this municipality dissolved due to its lack of service delivery On Saturday a strict warning was sent to residents in eight towns in the Eastern Cape – Aliwal North Burgersdorp and Maclear – not to drink the water supplied by the municipality without boiling it first In an official notice, the municipal manager for the Joe Gqabi Municipality, Zolile Williams, added that residents must add a teaspoon of bleach to every 25 litres of drinking water to make it safe.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads “We can no longer guarantee the quality of the drinking water supplied by the municipality,” the notice reads The Eastern Cape Treasury has allocated R120-million in drought relief to the province after the publication of a notice to declare a drought disaster An increasing number of towns are running out of drinking water Ten out of 13 towns in the Joe Gqabi District municipality now have level three water restrictions meaning water is only available for a few hours every day or every second day The Eastern Cape Treasury late last week allocated R120-million in drought relief to the province following the publication of a notice to declare a drought disaster – as an increasing number of towns are running out of drinking water Spokesperson for the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Mamnkeli Ngam said they were awaiting applications for drought relief “We have received business plans for funding to mitigate against drought from the province’s two metros,” Ngam said.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads He said the money was also intended for municipalities in crisis where communities have no more drinking water “Even my own village has not had water for a while,” Ngam said He said the MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs is calling on communities to assume responsibility for the water infrastructure in their towns and protect it from vandalism According to figures released last week by the Department of Water and Sanitation the province’s combined dam levels have dropped to 50.7 % of available capacity Several of the province’s big dams are empty The Buffalo City Metro implemented level two water restrictions from November 1 as its dams dropped to below 40% of capacity This restricts residents from watering their gardens topping up swimming pools without permission Williams this week issued a notice to residents of Aliwal North stating that the Chiapinnisklip Dam has run dry and the JL De Bruin Dam had less than 10% of useable water left The Aucamp Dam in the district is also running dry Williams stated in this notice that the town’s seven boreholes can only supply 40% of capacity. The notice asked owners of private boreholes to make their water available as a temporary measure.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Aliwal North suffered a 24-hour complete water outage after the Orange River stopped flowing.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Water rationing has also been implemented in Burgersdorp with residents only receiving water every second day for seven hours The small town of Rossouw has no water left and water is carted from Barkley East Other towns such as Aliwal North are experiencing water-shedding with water only being available for a few hours every day The long journey to belong to South Africa started in 2015 the Ministers Fraternal of Aliwal and the Caritas office of the Roman Catholic Church have been on the journey to assist 77 stateless children to be able to belong to this beautiful country called South Africa In the words of Nelson Mandela “Children are the most vulnerable citizens in any society and the greatest of our treasure” (1993) These children were expelled from the local schools and were told to provide birth certificates 77 children were left for five years without formal education Most of the children have a South African father and a Lesotho mother the children and mothers were to undergo paternity testing It is with great joy that we can report that 22 children have been able to obtain their birth certificates and Identity Documents The Caritas office has also been able to assist and motivate 7 families who are 100% Basotho to go back to their Kingdom of Lesotho there are still 31 children whose parents are not willing to return to Lesotho There are also 17 children whose cases still need the help of the police or Department of social development It has not been easy for all the role players to obtain the necessary supporting documents to make these children belong We have been able to be the voice of these children and their parents in our communities Our Caritas office always becomes the voice of the voiceless We have offered an opportunity to Departments like Home Affairs Social Development and Education to make use of their own services and policies to find solutions to such situations at the same time acknowledging and respecting the Constitution of South Africa and Rights of citizens We have been serving these children with respect and giving them their due human dignity Our office has done that in a number of ways welcome them with love and without any form of judgement These children and their parents are accepted as friends in our office and that is what we encourage our communities to do as well They are not seen as competitors to the few resources that we have They are made to feel they are part of the bigger family of Aliwal North we need however more workshops in the community so that people have better knowledge/understanding of the stateless people and migrants We also need more tools and resources and more staff members in our offices The Caritas office with the assistance of Bishop Joseph Mary Kizito has managed to give out food parcels to the stateless children and to Sr Maria de Lurdes from the National Caritas office for their support we give thanks to the Department of Education Kojana Themba (GD) and his staff in Aliwal North and Sterkspruit Education District and all the Principals of the different schools We also give thanks to the Department of Home Affairs who has been with us on this long journey to make these children’s dreams come true the Pastoral Care of Johannesburg Archdiocese Children’s law court from Pretoria and Lawyers for Human Rights cannot be left out These children have not been able to receive our government’s citizen privileges such as child support grants as they do not have ID’s or birth certificates The Caritas Office has made a commitment for the last five years to make sure that  they can have some food parcels and school uniforms All the different donations from different people have been welcomed and they have brought a huge change and positive impact to these children Children who have received their ID’s and birth certificates will be able to attend school The situation of not having any source of food makes it very difficult for them to attend school regularly due to poverty and other related reasons The current Covid-19 pandemic has made it even more challenging There are a number of challenges that we have faced in assisting these families The immigrants are mainly to be found in the towns that surround the Kingdom of Lesotho People from Lesotho can easily walk from the other side of the border to South Africa There is a negative impact on our small resources This has raised a lot of negative attitudes since the South Africans are also suffering from a lack of resources The immigrants have also raised unemployment in Sterkspruit and in Aliwal North There are people who have just turned away from these people and have looked away on the other side like the priest who was going on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho and he did not take care of the man who fell victim to robbers (Luke 10:31) The people that we help are constantly on the move changing locations and are at times unreachable on their phones One has to keep tracking them from time to time There is a lot of ignorance about the human rights and dignity of these children Our goal in this project has always been aiming at making sure that these children are integrated into our community legally without shortcuts We do this by making sure that all of the refugees and migrants are registered we have achieved the objective of our efforts These children are now able to attend schools and now most importantly they are BELONGING TO THIS GREAT COUNTRY no one needs to grow up without documents or to grow up in an underground world You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security Reaction Officers reported no injuries at the scene of a two (2) vehicle accident on the Inanda Road in Trenance Park - KZN this afternoon (Sunday) Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) received the call for assistance after a silver/grey Toyota Hilux bakkie rear-ended a black Haval H2 KwaZulu Private Ambulance Service responded to the scene and found an emotional and chaotic scene Assessing the scene paramedics found 4 occupants that had sustained fatal injuries Barbara Creecy and the Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa express their condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in a fatal road crash on the R63 between Adelaide and Maqoma in the Eastern Cape on Saturday A total of 15 people have died and five others sustained injuries in a head-on collision involving a fully loaded minibus taxi and a bakkie The accident occurred on the R63 road between Adelaide and Maqoma (Fort Beaufort) at about midnight on Saturday *03 May 2025* It is alleged that a white Quantum KZN – KZNVIP Emergency Control Center responded to a distressing incident this morning involving a 62 year old woman who was mauled by a dog while walking home after attending church on Baileybridge in Phoenix Emergency medical teams arrived promptly on scene to find the elderly female A head-on collision occurred in Sunwhich Port in which several people have been injured Med~Evac together with other emergency services are currently on scene The Traffic Department in Maletswai (Aliwal-North) will remain closed until further notice as six employees tested positive for Covid-19 The offices were closed on Friday after one employee tested positive All other employees were instructed to self-quarantine and test for the virus and their results came back positive Walter Sisulu Local Municipality urged residents employees and Councillors who recently visited Maletswai Traffic Department and might have been in contact with these employees to self-quarantine for 10 days and test for the virus The employees are currently in self-isolation and the municipality has followed all necessary precautionary measures such as deep cleaning and decontamination of the Traffic Department offices All residents needing traffic-related services must go to the Burgersdorp offices According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Health on Sunday there are currently 587 active Covid cases in the Eastern Cape Over 10 000 new cases were reported in the country over the weekend “The water situation remains precarious in Eastern Cape where dam levels continue to drop by an average one percent weekly. The latest dam levels report by the Department of Water and Sanitation estimates the province’s levels at 48.3% This is a drop by 13% compared to the same period last year,” Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said The Joe Gqabi Municipality, covering towns such as Aliwal North, Flagstaff, Maclear and Steynsburg this week again reiterated that all drinking water should be boiled before consumption as the risk of “water quality failure” is high.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Municipal spokesman Mandla Gqeya said the whole district has seen very high temperatures He said they had seen an increase in diarrhoea cases at clinics in Aliwal North but stressed that this was not unusual given high temperatures in the area “Warm seasons typically have higher incidences of diarrhoea,” he said adding that “not all” cases were water-related Gqeya said they were testing all water from boreholes donated to towns to make sure it is safe He said they were collecting water from the natural wetlands at Aliwal Spa hot springs but this water is very high in minerals and tastes salty — “you will have to boil it” the municipality announced that the annual Sonyela Youth Arts Festival scheduled for the first week in December and regarded as one of the town’s biggest economic opportunities of the year was to be postponed to March 2020 in the hope that summer rain will arrive before then “The decision to reschedule the festival was taken as a preventive measure to combat the increased demand for water At present the water supply to Aliwal North is below 40% of daily demand and is not stable,” Gqeya said the regional secretary for the Joe Gqabi South African Youth Council said it had been decided to postpone the festival due to a “national disaster crisis in the district” spokesperson for the Kouga Municipality which covers popular seaside towns such as Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay said the water situation differed among the district’s nine towns She said Hankey and Patensie have had water rationing since August 2018 because of restrictions placed on municipal use of water in the Kouga Dam by the national Department of  Water and Sanitation Figures released by the department for this week showed that the Impofu Dam one of the main sources of water for Jeffreys Bay At the same time in 2018 it stood at 36.8% full “The municipality also has existing boreholes to augment the water supply make it any less essential to use water sparingly as groundwater is also not an unlimited supply,” she said She said they were not expecting water shortages “due to drought” during the festive season Chairperson of the Jeffreys Bay Tourism Board Deon Freemantle said they were very optimistic about the festive season He said when schools resumed earlier than expected in January 2019 Jeffreys Bay businesses lost 10 sales days and the town was keen to make up for it this season “South Africans are very resilient,” he said. “They adapt easy. But I am confident that we won’t have to worry about the water running out this December,” he said.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Shena Wilmot from the Port Elizabeth Metro Bed & Breakfast Association said they had not seen a decline in bookings due to the drought “Our owners are trying their best to keep water usage down,” she said “Towels might not be washed every day,” she said “We are going to try our best to educate our guests I don’t think we fear a Day Zero scenario but our situation in Nelson Mandela Bay is very dire,” she said Ailsa Grobler, chairperson of the Graaff-Reinet Tourism Board said they were seeing a general decrease in people coming through the area the main source of water for Graaff-Reinet but after a little bit of rain fell in the area now have 1% water Large parts of the town have suffered water outages South Africa (14 July 2021) – From livestock to dinosaur fossils in the Eastern Cape’s far northern district of Joe Gqabi are drawing on their local knowledge to seize local opportunities to make their own way and build future prosperity for their families Farmer and livestock trader Thandeka Kama draws on her childhood experience of sheep and cattle herding in her business while Yoliswa Sigudu shares her fascination with the area’s cultural heritage and internationally recognised dinosaur graveyard as a tour guide and host of a B&B and camping site The two women are amongst 23 participants in the University of Stellenbosch (USB) Small Business Academy (SBA) programme sponsored by the Joe Gqabi Economic Development Agency (JoGEDA) with the aim of empowering entrepreneurs to grow sustainable businesses and employment in the deeply rural area close to the Lesotho border where unemployment pre-Covid was running at more than 35% The district seat is Barkly East and the municipality includes the towns of Maletswai (previously known as Aliwal-North) her journey has taken her from her home village of Qhemerha outside Sterkspruit to Dublin and back again to establish Sigudu B&B and Camping on her family’s 9 ha property in the Drakensberg foothills close to the Orange River a massive dinosaur fossil find in 2018 shone the international spotlight on Qhemerha attracting researchers and palaeontology tourists from South Africa as well as globally to book at her establishment Sigudu is passionate about the cultural history of the area – which includes Khoisan paintings historic cave hideouts and Frontier War battlefields – and enjoys guiding her guests in exploring and discovering its many attractions While the Covid-19 pandemic put a severe dent in local visitors and even worse in terms of the international guests Sigudu took the time out to obtain her tour guide certification and adapt her business to include conferencing and hosting organised hiking trails in the scenic mountainous area “We have the great advantage of being able to host guests mostly outdoors in the fresh air People can camp and observe physical distancing we comply with the regulations and offer a safe environment for a getaway with lots to do or just relaxing in the mountain air,” says Sigudu With a diploma in Food Service Management from the former Wits Technikon experience in hospitality in Ireland and owning her own restaurants in Johannesburg Sigudu returned to Sterkspruit initially to help her brother run his business and started her own when the fossil find started drawing visitors from all over the world to the village I realised that the only way to get ahead in this industry is to do it for yourself and that is why I was so glad to be selected for the SBA programme because it is helping me learn the skills go manage and grow my business,” the mother-of-three said She said the SBA programme had helped to sharpen her financial management skills enabling her to ask the right questions and making her less dependent on accountants’ advice and after finishing the course in November she plans to enrol on the USB MBA programme “I have loved the knowledge and networks gained on the SBA programme Times are changing and you have to be able to continually adapt and adjust that’s why I want to go on to the MBA,” she said For farmer and livestock trader Thandeka Kama owning her own business is about securing the future for her baby daughter Although her two-year-old business is still in its infancy and highly seasonal – dependent on sheep shearing and traditional ceremonies at this stage – she works closely with her husband and extended family in their businesses too I love working for myself and being responsible for my own destiny I have the advantage in this area over other informal livestock traders in that I am a registered company and a registered breeder and farmer,” she said While her challenges are mostly nature-related – the Eastern Cape’s severe drought as well as threats of veld fire and disease – she said the SBA programme had helped her address her business challenges especially in managing finances and marketing JoGEDA chief executive Ayanda Gqoboka said that results for the more than 91 businesses that have now been through the programme had been “outstanding” in enabling entrepreneurs to structure He said that empowering small businesses to move out of survivalist mode and become sustainable engines of economic growth and employment creation was part of JoGEDA’S strategy to diversify economic activity in the district unlock the potential for growth in sectors such as agro-processing and manufacturing and create local employment opportunities that would retain young people in the district SBA head Dr Armand Bam said the programme was developed in response to the high failure rate of small businesses Today the programme sees enormous success across Greater Cape Town “Our vision is to make a difference in the lives and businesses of small business owners in low-income communities building sustainability and eventually supporting them in such a way that they can play a vital role in alleviating poverty by creating employment,” he said Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a015621e0a87dfdd8c2fc98c34414961" );document.getElementById("d2d9e305b5").setAttribute( "id" Would you like to receive truly phenomenal inspirational and good thing stories right to your inbox Then subscribe to our weekly GoodThingsGuy newsletter today I accept GTG’s Privacy Policy GoodThingsGuy is the home of everything good and those are the things that really matter We believe that there is good news all around us and over 1 million readers a month agree with us GoodThingsGuy was officially launched on the 1 August 2015 in order to only promote good news inspirational stories and promote only positive multi-platform media company that distills unique content across multiple media platforms We consider individual and corporate contributions through the website or mail us directly here. 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