SolomonStar - For The People

‘UMTHOMBO’ READY TO ROCK NC AND NAF THEATRES – AGAIN!

Bisi Bangiwe Ka Jobela and Mkhululi Z. Mabija have done it again. The infamous duo, known for creating, writing and directing award winning theatre productions are ready to showcase yet another of their theatre pieces, Umthombo

Venue: Northern Cape Theatre
Dates: 20-22 June 2019
Times: 19h00; One show on the 22nd is at 3pm.
R35 block booking
R50 General Tickets
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5-Year-Old Collects School Shoes

By Tebogo Madalane

5-year-old, Orefile Mogorosi is currently raising funds for school shoes which she will be donating to primary school learners in Kimberley.

She intends to hand over boxes of school shoes to 30 learners at Sol Plaatje primary school. Orefile is part of the Emodel agency and started modeling at the Market at Flamingo event where she came out as the 1st Princess for the 2018 Spring Pageant. Her first gig sparked great interest in modeling as she went on to pursue other beauty pageants in Johannesburg and Bloemfontein, where she was selected as a Miss Petite Vrystraat finalist.

Mandy de Klerk, the co-chief executive officer at Orefile’s modeling agency, eModels, crowned her track record and current pursuit of the good deed.

“Orefile is a baby model at eModels Kimberley. She loves pageantry and is excelling at it, winning numerous titles in different local pageants. Orefile’s latest is in achieving a role as a finalist for Miss Vrystaat Arts Festival in Bloemfontein. It is a working title which means they have to do charity work as well. One of her charities is collecting school shoes for the underprivileged. We at eModels Kimberley are very proud of this little princess,” her enthused mentor, Mandy explained.

Her mother Naledi Mogorosi exclaimed how happy she is that her daughter is doing such a great initiative, “I am happy for her, she asked that we collect shoes for children who don’t have the privilege of being bought new pairs of shoes”. Orefile has managed to raise 20 pairs of school shoes and would like to increase the amount of shoes to 50 pairs every quarter.

“Mommy and I have collected 20 pairs of shoes but I want us to get to 50 pairs for every quarter so that the other kids don’t have to stay at home because they don’t have shoes”.

Orefile is not only a model but also does ballet and gymnastics. The young girl would like to encourage the public to take part in the shoe drive by donating school shoes from size 12-5. The shoes can be dropped off at the Solomon Star premises (2 Chapel Street, Kimberley) or through contacting Naledi Mogorosi on 061 825 8072.
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7.9 Million Infected with HIV in South Africa

By Tebogo Madalane

The 9th aids conference took place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban from the 11-13th of June. The conference highlighted the best practices to improve control of the epidemic.

The theme of the conference was Unprecedented Innovations and Technologies: HIV and Change. More than 3,000 delegates attended, about 25% of them from other countries. Prof Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya, deputy vice chancellor research & innovation at North-West University, chaired the conference.

South African medical research council (SAMRC) President, Prof Glend Gray said more than six million people in the country were infected with the virus leaving South Africa with the world's largest HIV treatment programme.

Gray also added that the good news is that South Africa is at the forefront of HIV vaccine research. Four large-scale HIV vaccine efficacy clinical trials are taking place at research sites across the country, Gray serves as the president of SAMRC and director of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network Africa Programmes.

With South Africa’s population standing at 58 million people, 7.9-million are currently living with HIV and at least 4.4 million on treatment, but there is inadequate progress towards the UN 90-90-90 global targets: 90% of people will know their HIV status, 90% with HIV will get sustainable antiretroviral therapy, 90% on treatment will have viral suppression.

New HIV infections in South Africa are declining but the infection rate among young people, particularly teenage girls and young women, is still shockingly high.

Almost four women per 100, aged 16 to 35, are infected with HIV every year, a study on the safety of three contraceptives including Depo-Provera found. The contraceptive is safe. Nearly 8,000 women from South Africa, Kenya, Zambia and Swaziland took part in the clinical trial, and the results were announced on Thursday by Prof Helen Rees, one of the trial leaders and director of the Wits Reproductive Health Institute (WRHI).

Professor of medicine Francois Venter, head of Ezintsha, a WHRI sub-syndicate, says of the results, “If ever there was a wake-up call for the family planning sector, this is it. We should be treating women accessing these services as an emergency for access to HIV prevention, especially PrEP –pre-exposure prophylactic treatment".

According to the Higher Education and Training HIV/AIDS Programme (HEAIDS), the number of young girls infected weekly with HIV in South Africa has dropped but still remains unacceptably high.
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Premier and MEC of Health Get the Ambulances Ringing

By Zuzeka Tshali

The Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr. Zamani Saul, together with the MEC of Health, Galerekwe Mase Manopole, introduced the 13 ambulances and 14 transport vehicles for health services this week.

During his inauguration, Dr Zamani Saul said he will put in place an executive that will be able to serve the people where health and education would be prioritised. In less than two weeks Ms Manopole has introduced the first phase of purchasing transportation for health services.

Dr Saul thanked the MEC 'for hitting the ground running,' and that other MECs need to do the same. Their goal is to get 63 transport vehicles by the end of the financial year and that in two weeks’ time there shall be 35 vehicles for health services in the Northern Cape.

The Premier said, “it is imperative to improve the quality of public health and to ensure that even the poor of the poor have access to health care”.
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Speaking Plainly with Thabo Makweya - Interview with Former Premier of the Northern Cape, Mrs Sylvia Lucas

Former Premier of the Northern Cape, Sylvia Lucas is infamous for her outspoken, no-nonsense attitude, however, in her sit down for Speaking Plainly with Thabo Makweya for The Solomon Star, we saw her compassionate and humorous side. Stay tuned and drop a comment, we'd love to hear from you.

Full video link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=383CP1Xw3bQ
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Proteas Fall 104 Runs Short

By Thabo Tlal

England have started their Cricket World Cup campaign with a convincing win over the Proteas.

South Africa won the toss and selected to field first. The hosts then put up a defendable total of 311 while South Africa were bowled out for 207. The Proteas batting was worrying as the middle order failed to turn up on the day.

Quinton de Kock scoring 68 off 74 balls and Rassie van der Dussen (50 off 61 balls) were the only standouts in a dismal batting display.

All-rounder Ben Stokes was named Player of the Match after putting in a stellar performance with the bat scoring 89 runs. He was also handy with the ball taking 2 wickets and took two catches in the field. Stokes pulled off one of the greatest one handed catches we’ve seen in a long time when he dismissed of Andile Phehlukwayo for 24 runs.

The Proteas will look to bounce back strongly on Sunday when they play Bangladesh. South Africa’s saving grace is that most analysts reckon five wins in nine matches will be enough to reach the semi-finals given the tournament’s format.
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Tumi Morake and Ndumiso Lindi in Kimberley for New Comedy Show

By Zuzeka Tshali

On the 1st of June, the people of Kimberley will be embraced by the infamous comedians, Tumi Morake and Ndumiso Lindi, with their stand-up comedy Married... But not to each other. The stand-up comedy show will take place at the Flamingo Casino and has an age restriction of 16 years old.

Tumi and Ndumiso are no newcomers to the entertainment industry. Tumi has been deemed the Queen of comedy, with a CV that includes producer, TV presenter, actress and writer. Tumi says she can't not choose which craft is her favourite as she thoroughly enjoys them all. She has been in the industry for over 15 years, receiving awards such as the Mboko Women in The Arts Award for Excellence in Comedy in 2013. She is a wife and mother and in her book, Then Mama said, we take a glimpse into her upbringing as she lays her life out in every page. "In the book I wrote honestly about my life experiences," she commented.

Ndumiso Lindi, a comedian that is also known as Roosta, has toured not just South Africa, but the globe. Besides being a comedian, Ndumiso is an MC, does voice overs and is an actor. His Colour-Mine, one man show, that he performed at the Lyriq theatre in 2012 was a great success and lead him to his next one-man show, Diluted People. "His intuition and intellect gives him a firm grasp of his nation’s collective funny bone, and so he appeals to a huge spectrum of the population," says producer John Vlismas.

The duo is excited for their show on Saturday as it will be the first time they showcase Married... But not to each other in the Diamond City. Tumi says, 'the material for the show might be the same, however each show is different". They both agreed that they always get nervous before a show and Tumi went as far as saying that she would stop doing stand-up comedy if she didn't get nerves as her nervousness shows that she is still invested in what she is doing. Ndumiso elaborated that he enjoys working with Tumi, as they have been friends for a lengthy period of time and working together has become something they do really well. The duo make it their mission to incorporate their life experiences into their shows, "a comedian is someone that speaks about their life, this makes it relatable and even more funny," Tumi stated.

Tumi and Ndumiso urge everyone to come out and enjoy a night of laughter, “The show is not limited to married persons, if one is single or in a relationship they will relate to the show,” Ndumi encouraged.
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Rand Falls Over 1% Against Dollar Amid Cabinet Uncertainty

By Tebogo Madalane

The rand weakened in early trade on Tuesday, with uncertainty around the makeup of SA's Cabinet starting to filter into the forex market as the UK and US returned from public holidays on Monday.

By 10:40 it was trading at R14.59/$, down 1.15% on the day. The rand opened at R14.42 to the greenback, after trading in a tight range on Monday.

"The rand this morning is trading from the back foot," said Andre Botha of TreasuryONE in a note to clients. "This could be due to local factors as news has been filtering [through] about Cabinet reshuffles and the fact that the Eskom CEO did resign over the weekend."

The state power utility's head Phakamani Hadebe announced late on Friday night that he will step down at the end of July. In a statement, he said that running the debt-laden utility came with "unimaginable demands which have unfortunately had a negative impact on my health."

Botha said Hadebe's resignation will place further scrutiny on the energy supplier and could be seen as a rand negative. "With the delay of the Cabinet, it has caused a bit of uncertainty and the rand gets easily spooked by uncertainty."

South Africans are still waiting for President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce his Cabinet, which is expected to take place later in the week.
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Orania Seeks New Leader After President Steps Down

By Tebogo Madalane

Orania has a vacancy for a new leader after its president, Carel Boshoff, stepped down at a leadership meeting on Friday. Orania is a whites-only town situated on the banks of the Orange River in the Northern Cape.

In a statement, Orania Movement spokesperson and Deputy President, Sarel Roets said that Boshoff had announced his resignation at the meeting "to accept responsibility for governance flaws during his tenure, though these are not attributed to him personally".

Roets added that Boshoff had said he wanted to take on new challenges and make way for new leaders.

This follows reports of irregularities at the organization.

The purchase of a Mercedes-Benz, a 45% salary increase, and a long list of accusations of mismanagement and infighting are some of the issues that had plagued Boshoff and his organisation, in April.

Boshoff is a grandson of former apartheid prime minister, Hendrick Verwoerd.

Roets said that there was never any discussion about any offences by any of its officials.

Roets said a motion was adopted that the structure of the Orania Movement - and specifically the duties of its president, executive committee and CEO - should be redefined.

"This emanates from the enormous growth the organisation has seen in the past few years, and the great pressure it has placed on existing staff and infrastructure," he said.

An acting operations manager would be appointed in the meantime to implement recommendations on procedures and governance by a task team.

Roets said, "In healthy democracies, leaders stand down to accept responsibility for political voids, even when there was no wrongdoing or corruption", citing the resignation of UK prime minister Theresa May as an example.

According to reports by Beeld and Volksblad, complaints against Boshoff included that he unlawfully purchased and used a Mercedes-Benz for R102 000, and that he increased his salary, called the "president's honorarium", by 45% to R22 000 per month.

This was done reportedly because he had been expected to perform additional office duties.
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Mabuza to be Sworn in as MP, Clears Hurdle in Deputy Presidency Question

By Tebogo Madalane

ANC Deputy President, David Mabuza, is set to be sworn in as a member of Parliament in Pretoria on Tuesday afternoon, paving the way for a possible appointment as President Cyril Ramaphosa's state deputy.

Last Wednesday, just hours before MPs were due to be sworn in, the presidency in the governing party sent out a statement announcing that Mabuza had requested that his swearing-in be postponed.

Mabuza wanted to clear his name with the party's integrity commission after he had been red-flagged ahead of the May 8 elections.

The integrity commission was tasked with probing a number of controversial ANC members who were elected to the party's lists for Parliament and provincial legislatures. The inclusion of party members who faced damning court judgments or serious concerns of state capture, including Nomvula Mokonyane, Bathabile Dlamini and Malusi Gigaba among others, led to an uproar of criticism.

Mabuza appeared before the commission on Friday to hear the claims against him and to plead his case.

On Tuesday morning, the ANC sent out a statement confirming Mabuza's swearing in. Spokesperson Pule Mabe said the integrity commission process had been concluded.

"The ANC commends the Deputy President on the exemplary position he has taken and for putting the interests and integrity of the ANC first," read the statement.

This move will allow Ramaphosa to appoint Mabuza as his deputy in the Union Buildings, as it is a constitutional requirement that the national deputy president be a member of Parliament.

It was widely speculated that Ramaphosa would name his Cabinet soon after his inauguration at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, but his office announced on Monday that he would reveal his executive later this week.

It is believed that Mabuza's attempt to clear his name was one of the matters holding up Ramaphosa.
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Alfred Sekunkwe - Local Artist Dies

By Faith Chabalala

The town of Kimberley was left devastated on the 17th of May 2019, due to the passing of a beloved local artist, Alfred Aobakwe Sekunkwe.

Mr Sekunkwe is a Kimberley born artist, who has had a passion for the arts since a very young age. In 1994, he won the Santam Children’s Art Competition. On the 16th of April 1996, the artist was one of the first local upcoming artists to exhibit his work at the William Humphreys Art Gallery. He has since then attended several art festivals.

In the year 1999, the McGregor Museum commissioned Sekunkwe to produce over 30 Masonite woodcut prints on a theme titled: Anglo Boer War. In the year 2000, he won the ‘Best Design Cover” for the Northern Cape Poetry Competition and was presented with a first prize and a cash prize. In the same year, the Northern Cape Department of Sports Arts and Culture (DSAC) engaged him to take part in the celebration of Science, Engineering and Technology week (SET WEEK) to do murals. The murals were painted in Kimberley, Douglas, Warrenton, and Campbell.

Alfred has designed promotional material for the Provincial Library Services Unit, which was launched in May during the Library week. His work can also be found at the Northern Cape Legislature building, which was part of a training initiative where a mural of fallen heroes was designed.

The artist interests included art in linocut, painted woodcut, print making and mosaic pieces.

His work was once again exhibited at the Gariep exhibition at the local William Humphreys Gallery in 2017, where his talent was described as being symbolic of the environment he was born in and situations that surrounded him.

Sekunkwe has done reparation work on the mosaic faces of Z.K Matthews and Joseph Morolong and recently completed the face of a well-known traditional healer and a leader of the Khomani San people.

The gifted artist was one of the artists whose work was scheduled to be exhibited alongside American artists later this year for the International ARTLIT Exhibition that is curated by Jowhari Trohan from the United State of America (USA).

“I’m in disbelief, it seems like just yesterday when we were outlining the art call for the ARTLIT International Exhibition where Alfred would be significant in bridging the gap of art and literature between the USA and South Africa”.

“Sekunkwe has inspired many with his gifts through the world with exhibitions in Germany and China,” articulates Ms Trahan, “ I am truly honoured to have had the opportunity to have met with him and expound our individual interests on art with emphasis on the movement of arts as it is imperative that we use proper platforms to share experiences, tell stories, preserve culture, define our communities and inspire our children. He will always be in my heart, never forgotten, loved and respected. I will continue to honour his legacy throughout the diaspora,” she adds, emphatically.

Thabo Motlhabi, who knew the deceased well, says that he is pained by the injustice that happens to artists in Kimberley, “Our dear friend would not have died in the way that he did had government played its role and paid him what was due to him”.

Masego Moiloa, who is also a friend and fellow artist, feels that government does not care about artists. The Department of Sports Arts and Culture owed Alfred R2000.00 for three paintings since January of this year.

The money was only paid on the 22nd of May 2019, after his death. Government is failing us as artists, with funding, support and recognition. My friend had to struggle just to do his work and to sell it so that he can make a living for himself and his family.

His family and friends describe Alfred as a soft spoken person, humble, respectful, and someone who always looked for opportunities and was bold enough to enter territories outside of his comfort zone. Though they are disappointed by the lack of appreciation, support from government and other relevant institutions in the sector, they are confident that his legacy will still live on for many years.
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Bidding farewell to the "Queen of the Kalahari"

Your legacy will forever live on

#sylvialucas
#queenofthekalahari
#solomonstar
#forthepeople
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Man arrested with 22 rhino horns

The hawks arrested a 38-year-old man in possession of 22 rhino horns on Tuesday at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

Two weeks ago the HAWKS found rhino horns with an estimated value of R38million at a warehouse in Kempton Park, Ekhurhuleni. Two suspects were found with more than 167 rhino horns in Hartbeespoort Dam area. A 55-year-old woman was found with two rhino horns in her vehicle in Bedfordview.

The 38-year-old man was arrested for the possession of rhino horns in his luggage will appear at the Kempton Park Magistrate Court on Thursday. The rhino horns in his possession weighed about, "30kg and are valued at a substantial amount of money, "said Captain Ndivhuwo Mlulamu, from the HAWKS Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit.

There is a global ban on rhino horns trading, it can not be sold in countries such as China,where there is a demand for it.
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Home Affairs in Hot Water Over Long Delays

By Tebogo Madalane

The Department of Home Affairs has been criticized for the long wait for the turnaround of asylum-seeking and permanent residency applications.

Some people have complained of the waiting period that has taken over two years for permanent residency applications.

Last week, Home Affairs appeared before the South African Human Rights Commission because they were subpoenaed. Home Affairs Acting Director General, Thulani Mavuso said, “If you are dealing with critical skills or someone applying for permanent residence on the basis of critical skills, we have determined that those matters are quite easy to finalise within the period of eight months".

Customers are reporting a different experience. One residency applicant stated that Home Affairs didn't independently verify his working status.

He's urging the government to be sensitive to the plight of those seeking asylum or permanent residence.
He says he will continue applying and calling the department until he's been answered.

Home affairs has extended their office time, several offices across the country will be open from 7am to 7pm daily. This is meant to help ensure that citizens and clients are not turned away before receiving the services they require.
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Intercape bus driver hangs himself after accident

On Monday morning an Intercape bus overturned on Alma Road in the Free State leaving at least 9 passengers dead and 46 injured with 11 of them in a critical condition.

It was said that an argument took place in the bus as passengers felt that the bus driver had taken a wrong route. The bus then hit the pavement and overturned.

The bus was on its way from Durban, heading towards Bloemfontein and stopped at Welkom. The 32-year-old bus driver cut a safety belt from the bus seats and used it to hang himself after the bus had overturned. Mondli Mvambi, Department of Health Spokesperson in the Free state said, "The bus driver committed suicide after realising how badly the people were injured. We felt that he felt accountable for their deaths and decided to kill himself".

Mvambi stated that seven of the nine deceased passengers were pronounced dead at the scene with two of them later dying in hospital. Three children were amongst the deceased.

Our sincere condolences go out to all the families of the deceased.
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Fastest Growing Domestic Airport

By Tebogo Madalane

The Kimberley airport has made it as one of the three fastest growing domestic airports in the country, followed by George and Lanseria.

The Northern Cape and Kimberley remain an important business destination thanks to its mining and agriculture sectors. The area is also growing as a result of its renewable energy initiatives with a great number of solar plants developed over the past few years.

Kimberley Airport and Upington International Airport were voted in 2019 as the best airports in Africa by size and region, in the under 2 million passengers category.

Lanseria is steadily gaining ground as the third fastest growing domestic airport. This growth is not likely to slow down as the airport has announced it is aiming to double its passenger numbers to more than 4 million within the next six years.

George has become increasingly popular as a business and investment destination thanks to its ideal location and low crime rate.
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To vote is to exercise your political power

#yourxisyoursay
#Solomonstar
#Forthepeople
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ISSUE 40

Get your free copy!

www.solomonstar.live

#solomonstar #forthepeople
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In this episode of “Speaking Plainly with Thabo Makweya” Solomon Star conducted an exclusive interview with the Commander in Chief of the EFF, Julius Malema

See the full video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlDTPzSsPcM&t=2s
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Solomon Star is looking for a journalist based in Kimberley, Northern Cape. Candidates should have an appetite for news and reporting in addition to a strong proficiency in English writing.

If you are interested in joining this youthful and exciting new publication, kindly submit your CV to richard@solomonstar.live by 17 April 2019.
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Load shedding will continue on Friday 15 March, due to a continued capacity shortage, says Eskom.

Eskom issued a statement on Thursday evening saying, “The risk of Stage 2 rotational load shedding remains high for tomorrow as a result of shortage of capacity due to a number of generating units still out of service due to breakdowns. We will provide an update on the power system tomorrow morning.”

This morning, the situation seemed unchanged and a blanket stage 2 warning has been issued.

“Load shedding stage 2 will be implemented from 08h00 to 23h00 today due to a shortage of capacity.” said Eskom.

#eskom #loadshedding #northerncape #kimberley #solomonstar #forthepeople
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