AVBOB celebrates a milestone by rewarding its members on a large scale LICHTENBURG -Tensions remain high in North West as residents in Lichtenburg continue to protest.  Police have been deployed to the ground to monitor the situation.  Residents are protesting against the lack of service delivery in the area Home | South Africa Residents of Lichtenburg in the North West have expressed frustration over a prolonged electricity outage that has left large parts of the area without power for weeks According to the Ditsobotla Local Municipality the outage is caused by damage to a mini substation following a vehicle collision and an explosion at the main substation’s control panels ‘’I just want to confirm to our residents that on Monday the 30th of December 2024 the municipality has appointed an electrical contractor who will make sure that the electricity is restored in the affected areas of Lichtenburg,’’ says Pius Batsile Police have urged motorists to use alternative roads as protesters have blockaded the R503 Road linking the towns of Lichtenburg Power outages have sparked the protest “What we can also confirm is that protesters are currently peaceful as there is no stone-throwing to the vehicles that are at the barricades we continue to urge the road users to try and avoid the area of Lichtenburg form Coligny and Lichtenburg from Mahikeng.” LICHTENBURG - Community members in Lichtenburg are protesting against poor service delivery READ: Police deployed to monitor tense situations in Lichtenburg Residents took to the streets on Wednesday blocking a major intersection that leads into and out of the town in North West eNCA reporter Bafedile Moerane is on the ground and updated eNCA on the latest ───   KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 06:30 Fri Tension rose on Wednesday when ANC councillor Molefe Morutse was sworn in as the new mayor during a council sitting in Mahikeng.  This appointment has sparked further controversy as another ANC councillor who was sworn in as mayor in January this year adamantly claims that he still holds the position and disputes the legality of Morutse’s election the council sitting that elected Morutse was unlawful The dispute between the two ANC councillors has deepened the crisis in the troubled municipality with accusations of misconduct and betrayal on both sides Morutse spoke candidly about the ongoing situation emphasising the chaos that had plagued the municipality in recent months He said that the council sitting had been moved to Mahikeng due to disruptions in Lichtenburg There are two criminals who are calling themselves a speaker and a mayor in this municipality,” Morutse said “The worst thing is that it was very difficult for me to get in as a councillor I am coming here as part of the intervention of the ANC to try and clean up a mess that is happening in this municipality.  “Now these two criminals who are inside here don’t want to listen to their own organisation these are two criminals who are calling themselves members of the ANC.”  Morutse said that ANC councillors from the struggling municipality had formed a coalition with the EFF and smaller political parties to vote him in as the new mayor Morutse further stated that his primary focus would be to address the pressing issue of non-payment of workers’ salaries a situation that has caused significant unrest among municipal staff who was also in Lichtenburg at the municipality’s headquarters insisted that he still held the title of mayor and he has already opened cases in response.  Morutse reiterated that he is determined to restore order and expressed his commitment to ending the corruption and mismanagement plaguing the municipality but that thing is the thing of the past.  I think we are going to close this municipality for them The people of this community have been complaining about them.  “There is no service delivery in this town The growing instability in Ditsobotla has become a microcosm of the larger governance issues facing many municipalities across South Africa combined with internal factionalism and allegations of corruption has left residents frustrated and disillusioned.  ANC in North West announced its plans to dissolve the municipality and merge it with surrounding municipalities.  the South African Local Government Association (Salga) in North West strongly opposed the proposed idea warning that dissolving Ditsobotla would not solve its problems but simply shift them elsewhere OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi mvh North West scholar transport operators will finally receive payments Vrystaatse ouerpaar in hof ná kinders doodbrand Besoekers sprakeloos oor skouspelagtige Augrabies UV ontken aantygings oor buitelandse werknemers Ondersoek duur voort ná skietery op Lichtenburg Oekraïne vra Suid-Afrika om ontvoerde kinders te help terugbring Wyle pous Franciskus het begrafnisrituele vooraf vereenvoudig Mianmar-aardbewing: Hulp stroom in ná meer as 1 700 sterftes Suid-Afrikaners wen gesogte blommeskou-trofee in China LICHTENBURG - Heavy rainfall has turned North West hospitals upside down says Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi He painted a grim picture after conducting an oversight visit to the General De La Rey Hospital in the North West Heavy rains flooded several hospital wards forcing authorities to evacuate some patients READ | SA's Weather | Disaster management teams on high alert amid inclement The Lichtenburg Hospital and Moses Kotane Hospital near Rustenburg were also severely affected by the downpours Motsoaledia says this is the first time in 10 years the area has seen such heavy rainfall reported for duty this week — one refusing to step down READ: Ditsobotla Municipality | Can the real mayor please stand up? insists he is the legitimate mayor and says claims that he resigned are false Molefe Morutse claims he was deployed by the ANC in the province to run Ditsobotla Municipality the provincial government is investigating.  it's the residents of Lichtenburg in North West who are paying the price Home | Politics The African National Congress (ANC) in North West has proposed that the Lichtenburg-based Ditsobotla Local Municipality be dissolved and all its areas incorporated into nearby municipalities The party says this is one of the resolutions taken at the recently convened local government summit The troubled municipality is still not functioning as expected and cannot meet its statutory obligations of providing services to the residents Ditsobotla has also been marred by service delivery protests despite several interventions by the North West provincial government The municipality is currently under mandatory intervention by the provincial government in accordance with section 139 (5) of the constitution The Ditsobotla Municipality was established through the amalgamation of the former Lichtenburg Coligny and Biesiesvlei Transitional Councils the embattled entity has experienced persistent political and administrative instability which has severely affected service delivery The provincial government’s interventions at the municipality for over 10 years have failed to solve the problems The municipal council was dissolved more than two years ago It was reconstituted at the beginning of 2023 The ANC lost its majority in the municipality after the by-elections audits from the 2010/2011 to 2020/2021 financial years Ditsobotla had a disclaimer on its reports for nine years The ANC also says all interventions prescribed in the constitution have failed to yield positive results “During the summit we have received a well-researched document in terms of the process or alternatives that we can implement in Ditsobotla which we are still considering is the entire dissolution of Ditsobotla not as a municipality but in terms of demarcation So that we get rid of that type of municipality because it’s not working for us This is something that we are still continuing with it in terms of the resolutions of that lekgotla,” says Tumelo Maruping If the ANC’s proposal becomes a final decision the process to dissolve Ditsobotla may start as soon as next year “If this last intervention because we have implemented all the interventions that you can think of section 139 (c) in terms of the dissolution for I think maybe three times these interventions do not work out post 2026 We are now looking at getting rid of that municipality all together and merge it with other municipalities because really we would have exhausted all the avenues that are available in terms of the constitution,” Maruping added Opposition parties are against the move saying it will only burden already struggling municipalities “We feel strongly that won’t be a tangible solution actually it’s going to create more problems even to other municipalities that will now inherit Ditsobotla It becomes a problem to now transfer a problem to other municipalities that are not in good standing themselves,” says Fanon Moema “The only way to solve the structural problems within the Ditsobotla local municipality is to ensure that national government intervenes under section 139 (7) That a funded financially recovered plan is implemented That the forensic financial audit is conducted,” says Chris Steyl some residents welcomed the proposal saying that they have already endured much suffering “It is better for our municipality to be dissolved Those of us who fall under Ditsobotla must be incorporated to the Mahikeng municipality or we must just be taken somewhere because we don’t get any services Just look at the condition of these bad roads,” “The municipality is not rendering any services for us “It’s no use because one thing is that there’s no consistency at the Ditsobotla local municipality People only work for three months then a motion of no confidence is tabled another three months then there’s another motion of no confidence there won’t be any stability in the municipality,” If the ANC succeeds to have the Ditsobotla Local Municipality dissolved it will be the first time in the province’s history that a municipality is incorporated into others after it had failed to meet its statutory obligations NORTH WEST - A high Police contingent continues to monitor the situation in Lichtenburg in the beleaguered Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West Enraged Community members took to the streets demanding service delivery Their issues include water cuts and electricity outages They vow to continue with their protest until provincial government intervenes The Ditsobotla Services Association at the troubled Lichtenburg-based Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West has offered to assist the municipality for free This as many areas in the municipality have been experiencing water shortage in recent weeks “Allow us to go there and do some sort of study on what is wrong we offered and said let us test these boreholes and see what the capacity of these boreholes is and make sure that the correct pumps are fitted on these boreholes But we don’t get permission from the authorities to do that We are convinced that if we are allowed to go to this area we can rectify the situation within a week”  As water problems worsen in many areas around Lichtenburg in the North West Ngaka Modiri Molema District Executive Mayor Khumalo Molefe has raised concern about vandalism of their water infrastructure in the area “I will declare that Ditsobotla is a crime scene You repair today; the next day they have vandalised You repair today; the next day they have stolen the cable We are spending a lot of money repairing and maintaining Ditsobotla We have invested a lot of money as well on security More than 30 patients have been moved from the General De La Rey Hospital in Lichtenburg in the North West to nearby hospitals after the hospital was flooded last night The storm water system failed to channel water away from the facility MEC of Health Sello Lehari inspected the hospital and says it will be temporarily closed for maintenance “The challenge here is not man made as they told me Many departments here were affected but what is good about the management of this hospital they removed those patients those patients were moved taken to the neighbouring hospital.” have been evacuated and transferred safely to other hospitals and outpatients are receiving medication on site — North West Health (@NorthWestDOH) January 6, 2025 Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is expected to visit General De La Ray Hospital in Lichtenburg in response to reports of flooding of three hospitals in the province More than thirty patients were moved from the General Delarey Hospital in Lichtenburg to hospitals more than 60 kilometers from the area Outpatients have also been advised to use other health facilities as General De Le Rey Hospital is temporarily closed Minister Motswaledi is expected to assess the impact of the floods at the hospital General De La Ray Hospital is the most affected, as patients have moved to other hospitals. JOHANNESBURG - Mop-up operations continue in parts of the North West following heavy rain and flooding.   The floods have left a trail of destruction, including damage at three hospitals.   More than 30 patients had to be moved from the General de la Rey Hospital in Lichtenburg to nearby hospitals following flooding.   The stormwater system failed to channel water away from the facility.   Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi will visit the hospital on Tuesday to assess the situation.   The minister said it is worrying that the impact of the flood has forced the transfer of some patients.   Spokesperson Foster Mohale said, "This hospital is one of the most affected health facilities. The minister will be accompanied by the provincial MEC for Health, Sello Lehari, and a technical team from the national head office, including engineers, to assess the damage and develop an intervention plan.” Sections The Lichtenburg Magistrate’s Court in the North West is today expected to deliver judgment in the bail application of a man accused of financing terrorism, Ziyadh Hoorzook. Thirty-five-year-old Hoorzook was remanded in custody following the postponement of his bail application last week He was arrested at his home in Johannesburg on January 3 following a lengthy probe into suspicious transactions allegedly linked to terror financing A suspicious transaction of Bitcoin worth R 11 500 was allegedly done in 2017 while Hoorzook was still residing in Lichtenburg These are the athletes who will take part in the District Meeting at Zeerust today 21 February on behalf of Lichtenburg Primary School - who wishes them the best of luck Some Lichtenburg residents in the troubled Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West say chronic water shortages in the area are disrupting their festive season plans This is as water shortages are worsening in Lichtenburg and other surrounding areas such as Coligny and Blydeville Residents have been without water for weeks due to dysfunctional water infrastructure Many communities within the jurisdiction of Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality have been experiencing prolonged water shortages Frustrated residents say they are not enjoying their festive season as usual “If we don’t have water in our tank we can’t accommodate our families during the festive season How are we going to attend to them?” from the Ditsobotla Services Association says they intend taking the authorities to court “We believe that we going to court again in January but that is not only water related it is services related because the same way we are struggling with water we are struggling with all other services in Ditsobotla that is why we decided to take them to court to allow us as the paying public to take charge of our municipality and do what we think should be done to give services to the people of Ditsobotla.” VIDEO| Other North West municipalities including Ngaka Modiri Molema District are also experiencing water shortages Meanwhile, Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality Mayor Khumalo Molefe says the recent water problem in Lichtenburg and surrounding areas in the North West has been caused by water infrastructure that was damaged by lightening Molefe says they have started restoring water supply in some areas “We have since had this infrastructure repaired particularly on the part of energy and I can report that out of the 17 boreholes 15 of them are optimally operational and therefore our people in the CBD our people in Boikhutso and Blydeville have begun to receive water.” Opposition parties in the Lichtenburg based Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West say suggestions by the ANC to form a government of local unity with other parties is just to serve its own interest the municipality is in a coalition which is made up of the ANC and four smaller parties nine ANC councillors threatened to leave party for the MK Party that prompted the ANC to suggest a government of local unity North West ANC Spokesperson Tumelo Maruping says discussions are under way internally “We are busy with some discussions internally including with other political parties to stabilise Ditsobotla Local Municipality and we want to promise the people of Ditsobotla that very soon it will be stabilised and the cancer that is in Ditsobotla will be something of the past once we finalise the arrangement of government of local unity.” but says the ANC must first get its own house in order “There are possible talks of coalition between the ANC and DA however we cannot comment until the ANC has resolved their issues We heard that the current speaker was asked to resign There is a PR councillor who was asked to resign we cannot think of having those talks of the coalition “There is a political motive from the ruling party to make sure that Ditsobotla does not function for their own selfish benefits they ensure that that municipality is under the administration in a way of CoGTA as well as provincial Treasury Local government and administration expert says he has little faith that this will make much difference to service delivery “They are just using this phenomenon of government of local unity maybe as they political strategy to deal with certain political matters but for me they are entering into coalition talks and at the end of the day you will have the ANC partnering with certain party or two more parties just to run the council Ditsobotla is facing a governance crisis.” VIDEO | Ditsobotla Local Municipality facing political instability:  SuperSport Schools Plus fast bowling prospect from Hoërskool Rustenburg Photo: Melanie de WittAs many of the other provinces prepare to start their Schools SA20 campaigns the teams in the North West are already looking forward to seeing who will be crowned the king of the province on Sunday Follow the action live on SuperSport Schools the finalists will first need to be decided on Saturday Potchefstroom Gimnasium and Hoërskool Rustenburg are the strong favourites to battle it out in the final but both will have their work cut out for them when they face unpredictable opponents in the semi-finals The new country-wide competition has created a platform to expose young up-and-coming talent to opponents that they might not usually meet and it has also opened up a stage for that talent to be exposed to a wider audience expressed his delight with the competition on the eve of the semi-finals “The SA20 presents a tremendous opportunity for all cricket players involved It allows them to showcase their talent at one of the highest levels of school competition,” he said “This platform can help identify potential future stars and serves as an opportunity for selectors to scout new talent we cherish every moment we get to compete in these top-level competitions and we eagerly await the upcoming semifinals.” last year’s North West T20 champions will have to get past Hoërskool Wolmaransstad to have a shot at winning the regional title The Wollies have surprised with a couple of good performances in the round-robin and they beat Hoërskool Schoonspruit by six wickets to qualify for the semi-finals His impressive all-round performances have been pivotal in his side’s successes have benefitted from a number of regular contributors His consistency with both the bat and ball has taken significant pressure off the shoulders of captain Tommie Botha who has been equally impressive with the willow thus far Hoërskool Lichtenburg will have a second bite at the cherry in less than a week when they face Hoërskool Rustenburg When they squared off recently in a 50-over-a-side match Lichtenburg will be aware of the danger that Rustenburg’s Callie Fryer poses has provided Rustenburg with a massive boost His pace and his ability to nip the ball about will sternly test the character and ability of the Lichtenburg batsmen have a couple of bowling weapons of their own in Ona Senekwane and Lethabo Memani test the abilities of Thian Labuschagne and the rest of the Rustenburger’s batting line-up and Related News Sensational Rowles Puts SA u19 1-0 Up in Namibia Cricket SA 2025-04-28 WINDHOEK: Jason Rowles claimed an incredible five-wicket haul to set South Africa Under-19 Men on their way to a one-sided 10-wicket win over TSHWANE: Building on the momentum of previous SA20 U19 Women’s Camps the second instalment of the SA U19 Women’s national training JOHANNESBURG: Cricket South Africa (CSA) has today announced the 15-player South Africa Under-19 Men’s squad set to tour Namibia for a TSHWANE: Cricket South Africa (CSA) is gearing up to host two national training camps for the South Africa Under-19 Women’s team smashing an unbeaten 117 runs against Saints Christian School WINDHOEK: Jason Rowles claimed an incredible five-wicket haul to set South Africa Under-19 Men on their way to a one-sided 10-wicket win over ───   KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 14:32 Fri “The fact that private companies had to deploy their fire engines to the scene because the authorities' fire engines arrived without water speaks volumes.” (Afrikaans version.) The FF Plus in North West has slammed the ruling party for the fire that destroyed the Lichtenburg Town Hall and Museum The Town Hall was partially damaged while the museum building and the artefacts inside it were completely gutted by the fire on Tuesday (24/10)  Ernst Kleynhans from the FF Plus said the ruling party has once again proven nothing of any value cultural value can be entrusted to be in their care “The fact that private companies had to deploy their fire engines to the scene because the authorities' fire engines arrived without water speaks volumes,” he said admitted that the district firefighters were assisted by private companies as a result of low water pressure from their hydrants fleet Kleynhans said the cultural treasures have been destroyed as a result of incompetent governance Barry Muller from the FAK expressed serious concern about the state of heritage valuables He said the recent incident at the Lichtenburg Museum should be declared a state of emergency and further called on communities to rally behind the organisation “The FAK calls upon the communities to support us in this matter and if the government continues to neglect its duties and violate its heritage laws we will take action against the government as we did with the Northwest Agricultural Museum in Lichtenburg come to the table to seek a remedy for the situation.” The Lichtenburg Museum was destroyed in the fire Muller said the Northwest Agricultural Museum has been at risk for months and the municipality is incapable of preserving the artefacts He said they wish to take the artefacts into safekeeping until the municipality has renovated the museum and can ensure the safety of the artefacts “The FAK does not necessarily want to privatise the items or Afrikaner heritage as a whole; we simply insist the state fulfil its responsibility to conserve all South African heritage in its custody.”  The Ampie Bosman Cultural History Museum housed exhibits on the founding of Lichtenburg in 1873 and the siege of Lichtenburg in the 1899-1902 Anglo-Boer War “This is a glaring shame and reflects the ANC and its followers' contempt for South Africa and Lichtenburg's residents,” Kleynhans said called on police to speed up investigations and arrest whoever might be responsible for the suspected foul play OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi The Ditsobotla Local Municipality Natural History Museum in Lichtenburg The building situated in the town’s central business district contained information about the history of the town and surrounding areas The fire and rescue department of the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality was summoned to the scene to extinguish the fire Manager in the office of the municipal manager says: “On my arrival here indeed there was a fire blowing from that other side of the office of this particular museum But as to what started the fire that will be just a speculation and this particular matter now is handed to the hands of the police to investigate I cannot confirm as to whether there was a man-made fire or what is the speculation around that