Late Kwa-Thema community builder hailed as selfless

Late Kwa-Thema community builder hailed as selfless

Kwa-Thema township in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, is mourning the passing of one of its community builders, Dolly Mokgatle.

The founder of an education programme, Palesa Ya Sechaba Foundation, passed away on Sunday morning.

 The 65-year-old businesswoman and lawyer held various  senior corporate positions.

Despite this, however, The Office Of The Chief Whip in the City of Ekurhuleni, says she remained rooted to her community through her notable contribution in the education space.

The co-founder Peotona Group Holdings was born and bred in Kwa-Thema.

She matriculated at Tlakula High School, where she was assisting learners improve their performance in Mathematics, Science and Accounting through her foundation, Palesa Ya Sechaba.

“She inspired a life of selflessness as a leader, as she always took time in her busy schedule to make a significant contribution in the reconstruction and development of township talent. We will always be inspired by her passion in education, especially in subjects such as mathematics and science,” says City of Ekurhuleni chief whip, Jongizizwe Dlabathi.  

Palesa Ya Sechaba is providing support for Grade 10 and 11 learners.

Sending condolences to her family, friends and colleagues, Dlabathi adds: “Her premature death leaves us with a challenge to continue and fulfill the work we have already started and that’s to continue with the gains of changing the lives of the younger generation for better.”  

Mokgatle has also worked as the Spoortnet CEO and was the first Black person to be appointed as the managing director of the Transmission Group at Eskom.

At her time of passing, she was a member of the UNISA Council and a Total SA board chair.

DA Ekurhuleni retains wards with decline in support

DA Ekurhuleni retains wards with decline in support

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni retained two of the three wards that were under grabs during Wednesday’s elections.

Lornette Joseph is the new councillor for ward 27 with 74.26% of the votes cast.

It was a dip to the votes former DA councillor Jacques Meiring garned during the 2016 local government elections.

Meiring won 91.89% of the votes.

Voter turnout in the ward was a low 22.17%.

Another DA councillor Mary Goby secured 78.72% of the votes in ward 28, while the African National Congress (ANC) retained ward 42.

The ANC was nonetheless the biggest winner of the by-elections nationally, retaining 12 wards and winning five new ones.

It lost only one ward, while the DA retained 6 wards and lost two. It didn’t win any new ward.

Limpopo’s Better Resident Association was the biggest loser, losing three wards it had won in 2016.

The party, formerly known as the Bushbuckridge Residents Association, was formed in 2011 by disgruntled ANC members.

Voter turnout in Wednesday’s elections, which took place in 17 municipalities countrywide, was 34.56%.

According to the Independent Electoral Commission, the highest turnout was 62.93% in ward 3 in Ward 3 in !Kheis Municipality, in the Northern Cape.

Ward 15 in the City of Cape Town had the lowest number of voters turning up to make their mark.

Fourteen political parties and 18 independent candidates took part in the polls.

Wednesday’s by-elections in Ekurhuleni ended without disruptions

Wednesday’s by-elections in Ekurhuleni ended without disruptions

Three wards in Ekurhuleni, in Gauteng, took part in Wednesday’s by-elections.

Ward 27 in Benoni was one of the wards under contest.

The ward, with more than 16 000 registered voters, needed a new leader following the resignation of councillor Jacques Meiring from the Democratic Alliance.

While one resident told the public broadcaster that he didn’t see the need to vote, others have said they believe their vote will make a difference.  

No disruptions nor glitches were reported in the wards that were taking part in the polls. Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission, Glen Mashinini, visited four voting stations in the metro.

Seventy seven candidates participated in the Wednesday elections, which took place in 118 polling stations across the country.

The candidates represented 14 political parties and 18 of them were independent contenders.

The polls were preceded by special voting on Tuesday for the frail and essential workers who could not partake on Wednesday.

In the clip below, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Mawethu Mosery, says they are happy with how things proceeded on both days.

Government is to blame for the Bushiris’ illegal stay in SA: Mashaba

Government is to blame for the Bushiris’ illegal stay in SA: Mashaba

Former Mayor of Johanesburg and ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba is blaming government for the Bushiris’ illegal stay in South Africa and the problem of illegal migrants, in general.

The anti-illegal migrant activist was reacting to news that Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) leader Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, are in South Africa unlawfully.

They apparently entered the country using visitors’ visas in 2009 and conducted business with it – violating the Immigration Act.

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed this to the public broadcaster this week.

Mashaba says government has been ignoring the illegal activities taking place at home affairs.

“Look at how they gave the Guptas citizenship. How the Defence Minister brought her son’s girlfriend to the country without the correct papers for example…I can count many other cases,” he told Local Voices.

The Former Johannesburg Mayor wants to see accountability.

“Those who are responsible for this must be held to account.”

He urges authorities to deport migrants who are convicted of crime.

“We as South Africans welcome the people of the world and believe that they should be encouraged to come here legally. If they do not adhere to the laws of this country – they must be sent back to their countries of origins. We cannot afford to take care of criminals with the taxpayers’ money when South Africans are poor.

Mashaba says his party is still forging ahead with its bid to run for next year’s local government elections.

They are setting their sights on the City of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.

ActionSA launched an appeal with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Tuesday after it initially rejected the organisation’s application to formally register as a political party.

The IEC cited ActionSA’s logo as the reason for this, saying it resembled that of Party of Action (POA) that also depicts an image of the South African flag.

The Former Johannesburg Mayor is upbeat that their wish will come true.

He is urging South Africans to give them a chance at the polls, saying they will fast-track service delivery in the three cities.

They also have big plans for South Africa.

“Give us the mandate in 2024. We are going to do an audit of citizenships awarded since 1994. We will start with the Guptas. Even migrants who commit crimes here. We will give them a fair hearing but we will send them to serve their sentences in their countries. We will sentence you but we will not take care of you. If your government wants you to serve your sentence here, they will have to pay for those expenses,” he says.

Mashaba is known for his no-nonsense stance on illegal migrants.

While still the Johannesburg Mayor – he often got into trouble for his claims that the influx of African migrants in the city has led to a spike in crime in the Joburg CBD. His administration said illegal immigration compounded serious challenges in the provision of basic services and temporary emergency accommodation (TEA) to residents.

Despite sustained backlash over this, Mashaba remains defiant – saying foreign nationals, especially with scarce skills, are welcomed to stay in the country – but they must do so lawfully.

The Bushiris and their three co-accused will meanwhile return to the High Court Pretoria on Friday over charges unrelated to their documents.

They have been charged with R100 million fraud, money laundering and the contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crimes Act.

The case has divided South Africans. His supporters believe that the self-proclaimed prophet is being unfairly targetted, while others say he must be held to account for allegedly swindling his flock’s money.