Home | South Africa one of the three deceased police officers from Bloemfontein has expressed relief that his daughter’s body has been found Senoge’s remains were among the five bodies discovered at the Hennops River in Centurion She went missing last week along with her two colleagues while travelling from Bloemfontein to Limpopo on deployment Their car – a VW Polo was last spotted on camera at the Brakfontein interchange on the N1 which led the police to search the Hennops River Senoge’s father says all he wished for was to find his child’s body “It’s painful looking for someone who is far from you I am just relieved that I found my child’s body I know where her body is and we can lay her to rest she would always update me about her journey They found what we were looking which is my child’s body,” he adds Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola says the search is continuing for the missing VW Polo in which three police officers were travelling after their bodies were found at the Hennops River Family members of the missing officers identified them at the Tshwane Mortuary in Gauteng The three were en route from Bloemfontein to Polokwane where they were posted under operation Vala Umgodi Masemola says two other bodies were also retrieved one being a police clerk and the other body being in a state of decomposition “The search is still continuing as we have not yet found their vehicle We have partially some closure in that we have found four members and the investigation will indicate as to what has happened But a we do not want to jump into conclusions we can say we have seen where the vehicle went into the river” Masemola says — SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) April 29, 2025 VIDEO | Scenes of sorrow and grief at Tshwane mortuary as 3 bodies of missing SAPS identified Police have confirmed that police constables Cebekhulu Linda, Keamogetswe Buys, Boipelo Senoge are among the five bodies recovered from the Hennops River in Centurion. They've yet to recover the vehicle. DNA tests still need to be concluded to 100% link them to the bodies recovered from the river. It’s suspected they crashed into the Hennops River, about 10km from where investigators were last able to locate them.The white VW Polo they were travelling in has yet to be recovered as search and rescue crews continue to comb parts of the river. Sections Eyewitness News has gained insight into a timeline of events that led to that suspected fatal crash of three Free State cops whose bodies were found in the Hennops River in Centurion this week.  The trio, two females and a male, 24-year-old Constable Cebekhulu Linda (male), 30-year-old Constable Keamogetswe Buys (female) and 20-year-old Constable Boipelo Senoge (female) were travelling in a white VW polo sedan (Reg: JCL401FS) from Bloemfontein to their area of deployment in Limpopo when they went missing.  During a briefing on Wednesday, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu conveyed his condolences to the families of the officers and requested the public be sensitive. “Although free to express themselves, have compassion and sympathy on this sensitive matter and not create wrong impressions of what has happened and replace facts with speculation.” Police are still searching for the VW Polo the members were travelling in. Consult by Momentum has appointed Boipelo Ndimande as its new chief financial officer (CFO) from 12 August Consult by Momentum is a financial planning and advisory group with a national footprint of more than 411 financial advisers 297 franchises and assets under advice of more than R42.9bn most recently as head of finance: advice and distribution she held posts at Slide Electronics and First National Bank youngster Awuah qualified for street skateboarding at Tokyo 2020 and met Nyjah Huston before fracturing her pelvis in practice She's now looking forward to Paris and hoping to further inspire young female African skaters she was set to appear in the street event at the sport's Olympic debut in the Japanese capital But a crash on the second day of practice left Awuah with a fractured pelvis which ruled her out of the competition the 'Diamond of Kimberley' told Olympics.com that she made memories she will never forget “What caught my eye is how everyone was warm. The Olympics is the biggest competition but we were like friends, no holding back.” How skateboarding rocked Tokyo 2020 OlympicsSkateboarding made its successful debut on the Olympic stage at the Tokyo 2020 Games Re-live some of the most memorable moments featuring Olympic champions Nishiya Momiji and Horigome Yuto as well as superstars like Rayssa Leal and Nyjah Huston To represent her country and the African continent in skateboarding's Olympic debut was a real honour for Awuah “I knew that getting a medal was not an option for me I felt gave so much hope and showed that someone of their kind is able to be amongst such great people and to compete at that level," she explained "It means a lot to me because when I was there it felt like a gateway for more female athletes and skateboarders to compete at such a high level." It also gave her the chance to rub shoulders with some of the stars of the sport "“My best moment was definitely watching my idols skate and seeing how they can stay so calm under so much pressure And we even interacted and he was able to recognise me That was mind-blowing - I still can't believe it!” Skateboard star Nyjah has never been afraid of a challenge. Competing at the Tokyo 2020 Games is one he's been relishing ever since being selected to represent Team USA for the Olympic debut of the sport. But the American revealed that he's had a slightly different approach to some of his most extreme tricks in the lead-up to the competition. Find out why. Awuah, whose father is Ghanaian, never liked training. But she loved skateboarding. She has been rolling since the age of five when she began "stealing" her brother’s skateboard. “I would always see him and his friends skating, and I would wonder what is this? And then I tried it out and once I started, I couldn't stop,” she recalled despite her parents being "terrified". But at 10, she stopped, admitting, "I wasn't enjoying it anymore. I was still very young, but I was getting pressurised into progressing... I thought of skateboarding as training, focus and all. Then it went downhill. “I just felt overwhelmed. I stopped for four years and came back in 2019. Then I changed my mindset, that I'm just going to have fun with it. “When COVID hit it that was the best time ever because I'd wake up, get ready, skate, have fun. No competition to worry about, nobody is looking at my position, just me having fun and that's when everything started working out for me.”" "Just focussing on the having fun part worked out for me…It was all about having fun." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Boipelo_Awuah (@boipeloawuah) Ripping for hours pressure free during the early stages of the pandemic helped Awuah rediscover the joy for her sport She became one of the rainbow nation’s top skateboarders and earned the right to represent her country in the Street World Championships in Rome which meant her first trip abroad Awuah won the 2020 South African Championships and qualified for Tokyo 2020 as the highest-ranked African skateboarder in street skateboarding View this post on Instagram A post shared by Boipelo_Awuah (@boipeloawuah) Being exposed to top-level tricks has had a profound effect on Awuah who wants to continue dropping off ramps at the risk being of called crazy. “It's like we are psychopaths because we get injured so much, but we still go back to the same thing that injured us. I have this thing inside of me whereby when people don't necessarily see me going that way, I want to go that way. "The more people discourage me not to do it, the more I feel like I need to pursue it and change the outcome and their perspective of this.” She is now on a pathway to Paris 2024, which can be hard to navigate in a sport still trying to find a footing in South Africa. “My parents have been applying for financial support because I do not have any sponsors at this point. Reaching out to multiple people, trying to make sure everything is prepared for that time. "On my side, I've just been trying to skate as much as possible, so that when I do get to the competition in October, I'll be able to perform at my best level." Four South Africans represented Africa in skateboarding at Tokyo 2020 and, despite the obvious financial constraints, Awuah believes there will be more next time round. “What I see in my head for Paris is that there will be a solid South African, African team, more females and males representing us.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Boipelo_Awuah (@boipeloawuah) Since Tokyo, where she was cruelly denied the chance to compete against eventual Olympic champion Nishiya Momiji and Brazilian star Rayssa Leal Awuah has been doing her bit to raise the profile of skateboarding in her home country "There's a lot more support now and it has given me a wider network I could be going to the supermarket with my skateboard I've also seen that there are so many skateboarders joining the sport “I have been hosting these mini skate sessions where I give them (girls) an environment where they are comfortable because most of them don't feel comfortable the girls helping each other and teaching each other." that disappointment in Tokyo has made Awuah's passion for her sport even stronger I wouldn't be able to live without it Skateboarding has shaped me into the person I am today "It has taught me a lot of life lessons like persistence and not giving up but you have to go back and try it until the end I'll be more comfortable with the failures or the hard times that I'm about to face in my life I'll be able to pick myself up and continue.” Awuah will be the youngest member of the South African team heading to the global showpiece. She has gone from local hero in Kimberley to boarding at her first international competition, and meeting her idols on the global stage in a matter of months. To top it off, Awuah punched her ticket to the Olympic Games as the only African skateboarder in the women's street skateboarding competition. "It was crazy, I went from skating national competitions to skating the world championships out of nowhere, you know, but it was an awesome experience," Awuah said. "It sunk in recently after coming back from Rome (World Skateboarding Championships), that's when all of it sunk in, and I was like, 'oh my god, I'm going to the Olympics!' And still today it doesn't feel real because some athletes spend their entire lives training for this moment, to make it to the Olympics." Awuah, who picked up a skateboard for the first time at the age of five, fostered dreams of representing her country at the highest level, but the Olympics never quite entered her orbit. Skateboarding will be making its debut at these Olympic Games, and Awuah will be among the 80 athletes breaking new ground for the sport. "My mindset going into Tokyo will be I want to be able to perform at my best level," said Awuah. "You know, I'm not going out there like thinking about winning and all that. I want to do my best and come back with no regrets. I don't want to come back and be like, 'OK, I wish I'd done more.' So I'm doing all that now just to make me happy and perform at my best level." Olympic Membership - Free Live Stream Sports & Original Series - join now! 🥇 Awuah made her maiden appearance at the world championships, where she failed to make it past the qualifying stages. She admits female skateboarding in South Africa and the continent is still in its infancy and hopes her story would inspire an awakening. Skateboarding in South Africa did not have a formal administrative body, and it has only in recent years been brought under the purview of a recognised federation. Two years ago, Roller Sport South Africa provisionally adopted skateboarding to assist the athletes in getting to international competitions to earn points towards qualifying for the Games. Roller Sport South Africa hosted the country's first national championships for skateboarders in December 2020. Due to the pandemic, they held the second one six months later to provide the athletes with an extra opportunity to earn points. The top two athletes in each discipline and gender would be selected for the world championships, which served as the final qualifying competition for Tokyo 2020. I hope this is just the beginning, and I learn from this experience of representing South Africa at the Olympics Awuah won both national championships to earn a qualifying place in Rome, where she qualified as the highest-ranked skateboarder from Africa in her discipline. Her exploits in street skateboarding have earned her the moniker, 'The diamond of Kimberley'. It is a term Awuah carries with pride. "Ever since I was a kid, they always called me 'The diamond of Kimberley' till today, so that's a huge thing to me," she said. "I've always dreamed about representing my country and skating at international events. I hope this is just the beginning, and I learn from this experience of representing South Africa at the Olympics and hopefully win at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games." View this post on Instagram A post shared by boipeloawuah (@boipeloawuah) Growing up, Awuah would 'steal' her older brother's skateboard whenever he left it at home. She would climb on the board and ride around the house and out of sight of her protective parents, who did not initially approve of Awuah doing skateboarding.  Her mother finally caved and allowed Awuah to go to the local skate park with her father, fuelling her passion for the sport. "That's where it all started. I bought my own skateboard, it wasn't like a proper skateboard, but I was hyped to have one of my own," she recalled. "I remember dropping into a quarter pipe, like an axle stall and drop-in, and the first time I went for it, I flipped and fell on my head. I was about seven at this point, but I was just so excited. "I just got back up trying it before I got it right. But I did not tell my mom about the experience because, eish, she doesn't like it, you know, until this day she still doesn't watch me skate because I fall so much." View this post on Instagram A post shared by boipeloawuah (@boipeloawuah) Falling is par for the course but learning new tricks in a place like Kimberley can be tricky. Even though the diamond town is considered the capital of the Northern Cape, it is small compared to other major cities in South Africa. Much of Awuah's skills are self-taught while she has picked up a few tips from other skateboarders she hangs out with. She has also turned to YouTube, but the videos were no substitute for real-world experience. "I don't have a coach, so all of this is like by myself, I teach myself all these new tricks, but our manager is also a skateboarder, and I'll ask for advice from my manager or some of my peers," said Awuah. "But as the skill level increases, it's kind of difficult to get help from other people because they're not at that level. "So most of the time, I just need to figure it out by myself. I try doing the trick and not fully commit at first just to get used to the feeling of the trick. When I feel like I'm ready, I'll just do it, commit until I get used to it. Once I landed, I just do it over and over. It's like I finally have it unlocked for competitions and stuff like that." View this post on Instagram A post shared by boipeloawuah (@boipeloawuah) Awuah got to rub shoulders with some of her skateboarding idols at the world championships "I've always looked up to Nyjah Huston ever since I started skateboarding and I got to meet him," Awuah said with excitement in her voice which is weird because I look up to these people I just talked about how they inspired me and all that and I ask for some tips because with the Olympics coming up But I still want to do my best at the Olympics and not take the fun out of skateboarding I just spoke to them about all of that." Awuah hopes to become the first South African female to turn professional in the sport and help develop skateboarding among women She attributes much of her success to compete with boys at her local skate park but hopes to see more girls discover the joys of landing their first trick I'm like there," Awuah says as she illustrates raising one hand above the other "Then the female skaters coming up the gap is like that big "I definitely want to leave that legacy behind and I feel like I've already started paving the way." The street skateboarder praised the event taking place in Shanghai hoping to inspire more young South African girls: "These competitions will definitely help because parents.. as well see that there's a future in skateboarding for their kids I feel like they are more supportive now that it's an Olympic sport," she told Olympics.com Please check your email and enter your one time pin below:   Open in Gmail Boipelo Manyowa is a South African journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Manchester as goons ravaged suburbs and beat other humans to a pulp I sat down to express myself in a way that I had never done before I didn’t want to, but I had to, and I promised myself it would be the only time.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads I wrote, carefully, for Daily Maverick, that in that moment I was ashamed of being a South African my fellow countrymen without provocation had embarked on systematic attacks against other black Africans and intimidation of extremely vulnerable members of society Everything and anything is possible in South Africa My husband and colleague Maynard is a Zimbabwean man who I have known since I was a teen and who I love We have been married for many years and have travelled every single continent together but I don’t concede he is better than me — I gave up my aspirations so we could have a family We have children and our families are joined and known to one another I spurned the chance to use a double-barrel (Marope-Manyowa) because I wanted to carry his name This is rudimentary and I only say this as a disclaimer and to give context What is perhaps significant is that in all our years of marriage my husband has never applied for a spousal visa and we have lived and enjoyed our lives in many places We currently live in the United Kingdom since 2019 but our sights lie back in Zimbabwe where we want to set up a pioneer college of journalism and media — this is why my husband is a PhD candidate in journalism at a leading university here in England Anyone and their cat can pass through our ports of entry for the right amount (and this isn’t much usually) This has contributed significantly to our drug epidemic All I have seen so far are vulnerable mothers who survive on less than R10 a day being chased about by a cowardly mob We cannot in one breath claim to be champions of the rule of law yet behave like vigilantes and attack people whichever method they use and however illegal it may be is subject to the same laws as us — that is what equality before the law means Anyone who enters the country illegally should be subjected to the processes dictated by the law Any person found within our country has equal rights as me and you I also cannot stand the cowardice that claims a black woman selling tomatoes in Sunnyside but a drug dealer of European descent in Sandton is tolerable This black-on-black violence is unhelpful and as long as it exists I was driven to write this article to remind the Operation Dudula thugs of a few things Many people come to our country, but most of the time it is for our own benefit. Immigrants build states. Just look at the US, the UK and Canada. Diversity breeds success.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads There are no foreigners in Africa. We are all Africans because Africa lives within us. Our black brothers and sisters are one with us. And this is the most important. We are not that special. We are, as any other Africans, just visitors on this Earth. We will all die. It pains me to write about these things or imagine that I must. Immigrants bring knowledge, diversity, and strength. I don’t say these things because I married one. No. As I stated above, my family and I live happily in the United Kingdom after several years of living in Hong Kong. I have written before that Zimbabweans have been extremely unkind to me, to the point where any friend of mine would be surprised I would speak in their favour. So this is not about me. It is, however, about people from many different walks of life who can change our country for the better, but who are being targeted by criminals who claim to be fighting crime. You couldn’t make this up. And once again, I am ashamed to be a South African, but at least for now, I am thrilled that through my marriage I have become and carry a Zimbabwean passport — a true achievement for someone so passionate about Pan Africanism! DM So, it would be OK if Dudula targeted whites? Ironic, seeing as you’re writing from the safety of a European country. There was a time not so long ago when many white folks were ashamed to call themselves South Africans. Funny, in a very sad way, how that wheel has turned. ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " a South African first for queer literature you’ll understand the difficulty of finding books that relate to your child’s lived experience academic and poet Athol Williams writes that the importance of diversity in children’s literature is threefold: it fosters positive self-reception informs the world that the children perceive and aids literacy whilst also cultivating a love for reading In Boipelo’s Family Tree the titular character – a child of two mothers – has to come to grips with many different views surrounding her family structure. In an interview on eNCA author Mantedieng (Mantis to their friends) Mamabolo cited the decision to write this book as one that was at its core about representation Mamabolo wrote the book precisely because they couldn’t find children’s books that portrayed an alternative family structure and Mamabolo decided to write something their own children could perhaps read one day to see themselves represented in the literature targeted at them Mamabolo recently relocated to Cape Town and works as an intermediate business analyst at 2U queer writer agreed to answer a few questions You launched Boipelo’s Family Tree in April last year What has the feedback been from same-sex parents and their children I hoped to get some good feedback but I was surprised at the reception Same-sex parents have been nothing but grateful for the book and just challenging the status quo and pitching it at the young ones who are to follow I have had many queer individuals without children buy multiple copies to distribute among their families as almost a statement of affirmation that we exist Young readers have identified with the story and the characters because although the focus is on Boipelo and her family I do introduce the validity of other different family structures What role has your own family played in laying the foundations for a book like this one allowing me the space and opportunity to bring the book to print providing fresh eyes to guide the manuscript and holding space for me to fall apart and cry when I would hit a wall in the writing process My family extended as far as the project being a family affair when I found my illustrator in my then-17-year-old nephew They have all been an integral part of the book actually making it to bookshelves around the country What advice do you have for new and prospective same-sex parents I must make it known that I am yet to be a parent but I think the most important lesson I have learnt from my own parents and also my siblings raising their own children is that you need to be the loudest voice in your child’s head That voice needs to speak confidently and it needs to affirm always It needs to be strong and guide your child even in the toughest of situations It has to be so reassuring that your child trusts the directions and that no other external ‘noise’ can ever break them Are there any plans to write more books pertaining to the LGBTQIA+ experience I am busy completing the next manuscript for the next book in the Boipelo series I want to tackle different life situations that I imagine that my future child(ren) will encounter and write to those issues through the eyes of a young one – but powerful enough that the lesson is still a lesson for the adult reading out loud to the child and are there any upcoming events where our readers can see you The book is available through myself on the Facebook page, so anyone can visit the page and drop me an inbox, and I will arrange delivery of a signed copy of the book. Alternatively, the book is available on the amazing online bookstore www.ethnikids.co.za and at the Book Lounge in Cape Town as I am stuck in the move but please go like the page on Facebook for updates and news on when the next edition will be launched What are your hopes and expectations for the youth of South Africa and where do you see the local LGBTQIA+ community in the future My hope for the youth of South Africa is for them to do better than us To move past ‘tolerating’ and ‘accepting’ those who are different but rather hold space for people to be themselves in whichever way that looks and feels like My outlook on the future of the LGBTQIA+ community is complex The visibility and pride and rainbows give the illusion that we are moving towards a world where we as queer people are included not as a concession another black trans womxn is brutally beaten and killed a young gay man who matched his beard with his favourite shade of lipstick is murdered or a queer teen takes their life because of bullying I want to be hopeful but I do not have that privilege I can only hope that those dedicated to the work that is the validation of queer bodies continue to do that work and fight efforts to erase identities that stray from the cishet construct Buy Boipelo’s Family Tree online on the Boipelo’s Family Tree Facebook page, or visit www.ethnikids.co.za and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Angie Gallagher is a copywriter for The Social Media Company Do you appreciate the work that MambaOnline does in reporting on LGBTIQ news and issues Your support and show of appreciation can make all the difference in keeping our platform online Is mpox something that you are concerned about View Results « My life revolves around skateboarding, it is an obsession, it’s a deep thing » « I love failing because it makes you move forward. » View this post on Instagram A post shared by Soccer Laduma (@soccer_laduma) SA News African News World News The Club House Podcasts & Videos More SA-Players-Abroad joined the Liga 3 side two years ago after impressing at the DFI Bad Aibling boarding school he joined after leaving SuperSport United's youth academy who's also comfortable as a number 10 has made rapid progression within their academy system leading him to regular call-ups to first-team training over the past 12 months And on Wednesday evening he was rewarded for his consistency with a first-team debut as a half-time substitute in the third-tier of German football under head coach Arie van Lent Whilst he was on the end of 2-0 defeat against Dynamo Dresden Mashigo impressed with silky touches and direct running which is likely to do his reputation no harm at the Munich-based outfit "BP is definitely one of our top talents," the club's sporting director Claus Schromm said "He has an incredible understanding of the game His promising debut underscores the Hachinger way." Scroll through the gallery to see the youngsters based in Europe eligible for Bafana Bafana Scores of community members bid farewell to nine-year-old Boipelo Sesele at an emotional funeral service in Maokeng Sesele’s decomposed body was found in a wardrobe inside a shack days after she disappeared on the first of  September She went missing while playing with other children The owner of the shack where her body was found has since been killed by angry community members friends and schoolmates of murdered Boipelo Sesele could not hide their grief during her funeral service one of the teachers at Reaitumela Primary School where Sesele was a learner quit child intelligent as a school we lost a daughter the community of Maokeng at large we lost a daughter” as the family of Boipelo Sesele we are with them from the beginning when she went missing until she was found unfortunately decomposed body had already passed on.” A call was made during Boipelo’s funeral for perpetrators of gender-based violence to face harsher sentences “I feel so devastated because we had so many challenges we didn’t where to go left or right because the person who did that thing he was here with us knowing everything that we were planning.” has appealed to the community to ensure that they look after the children who play in their area “The post-mortem was conducted yesterday and the police will be updating the family with regard to postmortem as to what caused the death of Boipelo The community is shattered with had hope that will found her still alive but unfortunately Boipelo was laid to rest at Dinoheng Cemetery in Kroonstad but I am ashamed to stand as a South African that is how small I am and probably how little my opinions matter in the ocean attacking fellow black Africans in the name of fighting crime Their method of dealing with crime has been to commit crime The most unfortunate thing about all this is that they have targeted the most vulnerable members of our community (yes foreigners are a part of our community as long as they call our country home) People who have travelled great lengths just to provide for their families burned alive and their properties destroyed A hundred years ago some of these borders did not even exist European gangsters colonised our land and told us we are different They divided us and shared our land among themselves as if it were slices of pizza Years after defeating these racists we now enforce their borders and their definitions of our forced differences louder than they do then as a budding businesswoman and later as a companion to my husband I have been treated with so much love and respect to the clean ones in Rwanda and the mesmerising ones in Nairobi I have lived in these places with an unshakable sense of peace and security something I can only crave for my fellow Africans in South Africa right now My husband is a 29-year-old Zimbabwean whom I have known since 2003 and loved for years He was my pen pal who became my everything He is a very complicated man of many talents and weaknesses in equal measure he was fleeing persecution by his government for his work He is a journalist with an adrenaline addiction a dream that made me give up everything to be a part of it Together we have seen all but one of the continents in this world my husband is responsible for more than 20 children here in South Africa (and he will be upset I let this secret out) These children are South African and all but two are orphans He does not make a lot of money (journalists are poor) but the little he makes he uses to change lives Perhaps I should mention that my husband is no longer based in South Africa and only returns rarely to perform critical business The orphaned children in SA who look up to him have not been abandoned or left alone He does not see these children as South African children but just children I have had the absolute pleasure of living in Zimbabwe for a considerable amount of time too their amazing culture and the serene beauty of the landscapes My stay and my contact with many Zimbabweans have not always been pleasant harassed and bullied by strangers who do not know me but long ago made up their minds that I deserve to be hated Comments asking for “that South African b*tch to be raped and killed together with Maynard (my husband)” are something I deal with daily but have never got used to though I refuse to let them affect me (I generally never allow other human beings to control my state of mind I have had several unpleasant encounters with Zimbabweans but I don’t recall being made to feel any less Zimbabwean I have never had Zimbabwean people attempt to set my business alight in Harare I have learned that the cruel and abusive hounds that dislike me and abuse me do not represent the majority I will never allow a few rogue elements in a country of 18 million people (local and abroad) to define my relations with everyone else Congolese and Burkinabe people are among the warmest most hard-working and honest individuals I have ever met As my experience has taught me with Zimbabweans (I interacted with them a lot) and Malawians (my husband works for and with Malawians) I am saying this because I hope my own brothers and sisters committing these acts know that crime has no nationality I have been the victim of crime four times I grew up in the North West before moving to Pretoria It’s simply not true that it’s only foreigners who commit crime This evil scapegoating is wrong and makes me hang my head in shame I do not understand how people fight murder by killing others the only people I have seen committing arson attempted murder and assault are South Africans I am yet to see any druglords busted in this crime spree I am yet to see any real criminals arrested All I see and have seen are desperate vendors Much of what is happening makes me sick to the stomach I do not want to bear testimony to things I did not see so I won’t speak about the role other countries played in South Africa’s independence I will speak as a human being with compassion for others as a black African who has called nine African countries home my husband and I have been allowed to settle and exist on this planet without being made to feel like some kind of other What you are doing to fellow Africans is wrong You are the criminals and not the other way around and I am ashamed that people look at me and think I too think like you – in such an evil Boipelo Manyowa is a Hong Kong-based South African and the executive director of documentary journalism company MaynManFilms, and investigative journalism website Khuluma Afrika among others. She writes in her own capacity. The lass from Alexandra took her place among the 12 finalists for Miss South Africa 2017. A daughter of a taxi driver, Mabe said she was embarrassed by her father's job. "You know, being the daughter of a taxi driver was hard. I grew up embarrassed because of my dad's profession but at some point I had to accept that this is what he does for a living." Mabe is studying towards a masters degree in international relations at Wits University and is determined to use this platform to show that all dreams are possible. Meet the Miss SA 2017 finalists (Photos)The Top 12 Miss South Africa finalists have been announced.   While dad Stephen Kotlolo drives a taxi for a living, Mabe's mother is currently unemployed. Proud mother Monnye Mabe gushed: "I am so excited, my only child has really defied the odds and is making our family proud." To pay for her studies, Boipelo worked at Alex FM as a talk show host and is presently a news reader on Soweto TV. "I have an interest in politics. I have been a political analyst on various TV platforms such as eNCA, YFM and Alex FM," she said. The Miss SA finalists were announced on Wednesday night at Room Five in Rivonia. Among them was Adè van Heerden, 25, a qualified doctor currently in her second year of practical training at the 2 Military Hospital in Cape Town. "The things I achieved did not come easy. I had to work hard to get what I have. I was also in a position where I could not pay for my fees, so I had to join the military to fund my dream career." Dr Lieutenant van Heerden, as her patients and colleagues call her, believes Miss South Africa is a position of power and influence. "Should I win this competition I would like to collaborate with the Department of Health and teach people. I am particularly interested in female sexual health. Miss SA gives an opportunity to move in very influential circles, and I would also like to use that to spot young female entrepreneurship and nurture it." The winner of Miss SA will walk away with a cash prize of R1-million and a car. Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now Please read our Comment Policy before commenting Residents of Maokeng in Kroonstad, Free State, have joined hands in the frantic search for a missing nine-year-old girl. Boipelo Sesele was last seen on Tuesday afternoon playing with her friends. Her mother says she was nowhere to be found, when she sent her 15-year-old brother to call her home for lunch. “My mother went out saying she’s going to fetch her, she came back and told me that my daughter is missing and they told her that she left with a male person wearing overalls. I just rushed out and went to her friend’s place and asked the friend where was she, and she said she doesn’t know,” says Boipelo’s mother, Mpeile Sesele. Community member Pinkie Monyake says: “We are so devastated; we can’t even sleep or eat. This thing has unsettled us as a community.” A missing person’s case has been opened with the police. Maokeng residents join hands in a frantic search for missing girl: friends and the EFF following his eviction from the Big Brother house was given a warm welcome at the Kimberley Airport following his eviction from the Big Brother House on Sunday Bika made it to the top 10 on the reality TV show Big Brother Mzansi (DStv channel 198) after having kick-started his adventure with 22 other housemates in January A jolly Bika arrived in Kimberley on Tuesday and said that he was proud to have reached his goal of making the top 10 Picture: Boipelo Mere“My goal was to make it to the top 10 that is huge … I wanted to give my Northern Cape Province a top 10 I am grateful to those who kept on voting for me for granting me that opportunity and that honour,” said Bika He was met at the airport by his proud family local content producers and a representative from the mayor’s office Bika greets a representative from the mayor’s office at the airport Picture: Boipelo MereAfter addressing his guests at the airport Bika proceeded straight to Sol Plaatje University to “say thank you” He shared his delightful experience of meeting different people from different backgrounds and with unique personalities Bika said it allowed him to discover “exactly where I want to go” He added that he also achieved his goal of showing Northern Capers that “you can be whatever you want to be regardless of your background” The 22-year-old from Galeshewe attended Olympic Primary School before proceeding to Hoërskool Hartswater Some of Bika’s friends who met him at te airport - Bokamoso Jampane Picture: Boipelo MereHe went on to study information technology at Sol Plaatje University for three years before the institution recommended that he complete his fourth year in the US He is expected to graduate next month in April who has been praised for being goal-driven and having a strong belief in himself said that his next step is to “make waves in the entertainment industry” regardless of where you are coming from,” he told his fans “Never limit yourself in life just because of where you are coming from You can become bigger than what you think you are.” He said his goal was to make it to the top 10 and he did not know what was happening in terms of the votes while he was inside the house I knew that chances of me getting evicted were getting higher Everybody was anticipating someone to leave the house He explained that entering Big Brother was not part of his dream growing up but he decided to enter in order to expose himself to the world He said his next step is to get into commercial modelling and video photography “I just want to show people love,” he said Bika said: “If you see yourselves as a superstar He said the bedrock of his success was the unwavering love and steadfast support he received from his family “I love them like crazy … They always supported me 100% whenever I approached them and informed them of what I was working on and what I needed.” I don’t even know what to do or what to say further.” said a visibly proud Mpolokeng said that there was no better way of putting the township’s name on the map than Young Pappi’s appearance on Big Brother He said he worked with Bika’s father and thus knew his children “He always tells us that ‘daar is my laaitie’ We never thought that a child from Club 2000 would go on to such a platform