Home | South Africa It’s been a month since a 21-month-old baby died at the Hartswater Hospital in the Northern Cape — and his family is still seeking answers alleges that the hospital failed to put his son on a ventilation machine Kelepe says the hospital failed to offer specialised care for the baby they even wrote on his file that the boy should be taken to x-ray then after he should be put on oxygen because he was having difficulty breathing can you put the child on oxygen and also take him to x-ray so we can see what is eating him inside The baby boy was admitted in Hartswater Hospital on the 8th of June His father says his death has taken its toll on the family Lekepe says her son’s mother is unable to accept what happened I also can’t focus on daily basis because I feel like I have failed him also I should have taken another route to get him special medical attention But I didn’t do that because I trusted a public hospital So we are going though a lot at the moment.” The family says it will seek legal advice about their son’s untimely death Head of Communications in the Northern Cape Health Department Residents of Pampierstad in the Northern Cape say they feel neglected and are denied healthcare services. This, as many are turned away at the local healthcare facility since Sakhile Clinic was shut down. The clinic has been closed due to water leakages flooding consultation rooms. Residents say they are unable to access primary healthcare services. Many residents find themselves having to travel to neighbouring towns just to access healthcare services. They say they are being failed by the health department. “Every now and then, the clinic is closed due to water shortages and other things we don’t know about. The clinic is closed, the people who are supposed to get chronic medications they don’t get them. So, where are they supposed to get their medication,” says one resident Theophilus Wittes. For an elderly living across the street, seeking help at the clinic has become futile. She says the clinic is closed most of the times and when it is operational she is not assisted with her chronic medication. “I have chronic disease. I have high blood pressure. I have a heart condition and diabetes. When we get sick, where are we supposed to go? We have nowhere to go. This is the nearest clinic we have that is supposed to help us. We don’t have money to travel to other clinics that are far away,” says another resident Jennet Kujane. Like her, many are frustrated and desperate. “We are losing hope because when we get sick at night, we have nowhere to go. Taung is too far and when we call an ambulance it take too long to arrive,” says  another resident Kediemetse Dipitso. The department says it is attending to infrastructure and resource issues experienced at this clinic and will ensure that residents receive healthcare services. The clinic is expected to be closed for the next two weeks while maintenance work is under way, residents are demanding answers. In the video below, Pampierstad residents express their frustrations: Collective efforts by Operation Vala Umgodi led to the arrest of drug dealers and the confiscation of drugs with an estimated street value of R240 000 in the Frances Baard district, on Christmas Day. SAPS Northern Cape provincial spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane said the team raided locations in Pampierstad and Roodepan on December 25, where they followed up on intelligence driven information regarding the alleged sale of drugs. “The police seized and confiscated a significant amount of drugs with an estimated street value of R 240 000 and cash believed to be the proceeds of drug sales.” He stated that ten suspects between the ages of 22 and 42 years were arrested in Pampierstad for dealing in suspected drugs and for possession of suspected drugs. “In Roodepan a 51 year old woman and a 52 year old man were arrested for dealing in suspected drugs.” The Frances Baard district management thanked community members for continually providing valuable information that led to the arrest of the suspects and the removal of drugs from the streets. “The police encourage community members to report illegal mining and other related crimes to the police crime stop number on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS app,” Shemane added. THE “VALA Umgodi” multi-disciplinary team, consisting of members from the SA Police Service, RovingTeam, the SA National Defence Force and Crime Intelligence, executed a covert operation in Hartswater and Pampierstad to address drug-related activities on April 5. The team received and operationalised information about suspected drug sales at specific locations within the police precincts of Hartswater and Pampierstad. The identified locations were subsequently raided, resulting in the confiscation of crystal meth in Pampierstad and mandrax tablets in Hartswater. In Pampierstad, three men, including two South Africans and one Nigerian, were apprehended for possession of crystal meth. Meanwhile, in Hartswater, a woman was taken into custody for possessing suspected mandrax tablets. In addition to the drugs, the police seized money suspected to be crime proceeds and recovered a toy 9mm pistol, a 9mm magazine, three blank rounds of ammunition and a knife. Provincial police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane said all the arrested suspects are due to appear in the Hartswater and Pampierstad magistrate’s court shortly. The acting provincial commissioner of the SAPS in the Northern Cape, Major General Luntu Ngubelanga, commended the team members for their collaborative efforts in the fight against crime. He also urged community members to report any criminal activities to the police, assuring them that all information received will be kept confidential. due to the fluctuating water levels at the local reservoir This follows an outcry from residents of Sakhile Upper and Lower Majeakgoro regarding recent water cuts where many residents were forced to fetch dirty water from canals for domestic use Sedibeng indicated that assurances can only be given once the reservoir levels are above 50% and the outlet valve can be opened The outlet valve could not be opened regularly due to an inadequate supply of water from the Vaal Dam via the canal after Sedibeng Water’s infrastructure was affected by the recent heavy rains and floods Phokwane Local Municipality said that its contingency plan included tankering water and providing community JoJo tanks Municipal spokesperson Kgalalelo Letshabo said that they realised that the tanks were not enough for a big settlement like Pampierstad as they needed to be refilled twice in a day The marketing and communications officer of Sedibeng Water pointed out that the ageing and outdated infrastructure is a major problem He added that Sedibeng Water and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality are looking at other possible ways to provide residents with water “Residents are receiving water but just not enough there are interruptions every now and then when Sedibeng Water builds capacity at the reservoir.” He said they had no back-up plan as the infrastructure which is owned by Dr Ruth Mompati District Municipality in the North West Province “We are only the water service provider due to our technical know-how while Dr Ruth Mompati is the water service authority,” he explained He highlighted the need for the Department of Water Affairs and Dr Ruth Mompati District Municipality to come to some sort of a resolution regarding the supply and demand of water in the Pampierstad area “The Pampierstad population is growing every day and the water is not enough for the growing population The residents are only allocated 20% of the raw water while 80% of the bulk water goes to the farmers “The municipality needs to negotiate a fifty-fifty percent scale allocation because it becomes a challenge for us too to provide adequately.” Residents of in the Northern Cape are concerned about the sporadic vandalism of graves in the area They have taken it upon themselves to fix the graves after pleas to the Phokwane Municipality for help More than 100 graves have been vandalised this year The residents started a campaign on social media to fix the vandalised graves “No serious incidents have been reported during the protests.” Pampierstad police have urged all drivers to use alternative roads due to road closures amidst service delivery protests Residents took to the streets on Monday (16/9) and protested on Piet Strydom Road entering the town on Tuesday afternoon They’re frustrated over a R15 million project to install stormwater drainage as well as the upgrading of roads and the erection of speed bumps and traffic control markings “The service delivery protest is ongoing in Pampierstad and taxis have blocked the road,” said Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergio Kock and Pampierstad SAPS and Kimberley Public Order Policing are monitoring the situation.” storm water structures were meant to be designed and constructed to alleviate the storm water drainage challenges along Kolong Street including excavation and stone pitching of open drains was scheduled for completion in December next year The planned upgrading of the 1.2 km gravel street to a paved surface also included kerbing and storm water intakes Pampierstad and Kimberley police monitor the situation DFA reports local and long-distance taxi operators blocked the road on Monday from around 05:00.  “We urge all drivers to use roads that are not blocked and we are continuously monitoring the situation and will provide more updates,” said Kock OFM News/Zenande Mpame dg 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 The situation near Pampierstad is being closely monitored on Wednesday following violent protest action in the Northern Cape town OFM News received news tips-offs and traffic alerts from listeners who said there was heavy police presence in the town following marches by disgruntled community members to the municipal offices.  It is alleged that the community is dissatisfied with certain members of the council at the Phokwana Local Municipality Police in the province have confirmed that they are monitoring the situation OFM News is yet to ascertain what issues these are and who the involved officials are Have your say: Public hearings on key bills in the Free State Motsoaledi belê vergadering nadat USAID-besnoeiings MIV-klinieke tref Welkom-verdagtes gevonnis vir poging tot moord op polisieman, meisie Police crackdown continues with more road blocks in Free State ‘Barking mad’ economy putting strain on SPCA