eMapepeza Vol. 7 Issue 2 - 14-21 February by Mapepeza Newspaper

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MAHALA! IT’S FRE

TAKE ON E VOL.7 ISSUE #2

14-21 FEBRUARY 2020

“House of CRIME!!!”

SHALIMAR RIDGE PROTESTS! P4

MBALULA VISITS MULTI-MILLION RAND ILLEGAL OPERATION IN RATANDA!

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, local politicians, police and the community stand outside the house where PRASA copper cables were being melted and sold.

“PHELA KA SETŠOANTŠO SA MADIBA”

BEFORE

Hundreds of stripped copper cables are stored at a warehouse then transported to the Ratanda extension 23 house for melting.

The Passenger Rail Association of South Africa, PRASA, has indeed suﬀered a hefty cost from the discovery of an illegal melting factory wherein stolen equipment worth over R2 million was discovered. Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula visited the Ratanda extension 23 house turned into copper-melting factory for PRASA equipment on Sunday

AFTER

Finished copper blocks stored at a PRASA warehouse in Heidelberg.

afternoon, February 9. Three suspects, including a PRASA employee, were arrested and are still on trial. Speaking to the media and the community outside the house, minister Mbalula says the joint eﬀorts of the police, PRASA security and the community must be commended. “This is a house of crime! These copper cables are meant to connect the railway network.

Criminals steal this and bring it to this house in loads, melted and packaged nicely so it can be sold,” he said. The minister said the suspects must be charged with pure economic sabotage. “This is not mere theft. This act brings the whole economy into a standstill, workplaces come to a standstill and households suﬀer,” he said. STORY CONTINUES INSIDE

R.I.P ‘TERROR’ P8 MATHEBULA & WIFE SHARE YOUR STORY OR PLACE YOUR ADVERT, KINDLY CALL/WHATSAPP US (078)221-8002

News 2

VOL. 7 ISSUE #2 - 14-21 February 2020

Mapepeza Newspaper

Basali ba tsoarang li noha ba ikopantse le sehlopha sa-Ekurhuleni se tsoarang li noha! By Lesego Mohlamme

Ha boemo ba leholimo bo ntse bo chesa, linoha li ba matla le ho feta. Toropo ea-Ekurhuleni e ekellelitse thoko ea basebetsi ba tšoereng linoha ho matlafatsa polokeho ea sechaba le polokeho ea libopuoa. Mapaseka Maleka le Mbali Masango ka bobeli ba tsoa Daveyton me' ka bobeli ba na le tjantjello ea ho boloka tikoloho ho kenyeletsoa le ho ts'oaroa li noha. Ka mora ho etsa thupello e matla ea ho sebetsana le noha Setsing sa Afrika saSnakebite, basali bao joale ba hlometse hantle ka litsebo tse kang tlhokomeliso ea linoha, thuso ea pele bakeng sa linoha, le mekhoa e hlekefetsang ea linoha. Mapaseka o re ho hlokeha matla le sebete hore a be le khahleho ea ho tšoara linoha, hobane ke mosebetsi o nkoang e le ea banna feela. "Ke ne ke tloaetse ho bona banna bao ke sebetsang le bona ba arabela mehala e tsoang ho litho tsa sechaba ho tla ba thusa ka linoha ka matlung a bona me' ke ne ke bona ka moo batho

ba bang ba tšohileng ka ho sheba noha feela liketsahalong tseo ke tsamaileng le basebetsi mmoho le nna. Ka nako eo khahleho ea ka ea ho thusa ba bang e ile ea hola. Haholo le ho feta, ke ne ke batla ho thusa ka thuso ea pele ho ba nang le linoha tsa Linoka, ”ho boletse Mapaseka. Ekurhuleni ke tloaelo ho-Brown House Snake, hara tse ling, e tsejoang ke bolulo ba batho khafetsa moo e jang litoeba kapa mekholutsoane. Ha e na kotsi e felletseng 'me e itšetleha ka matla a mesifa ho qhekella liphofu tsa eona. Noha ena ea sebetsa bosiu 'me e tsamaea butle butle. Khabareng noha ea-Rinkhals e tšoana le makhoaba 'me e chefo haholo ebile ea bolaea. Li-rinkhals li ka tšela mahloko ka ho nepahala ho ﬁhlela bohōle ba limithara tse peli. Ha ba fumana linoha tsena, Mapaseka le Mbali joale ba li lokolla ka ho ba lihela lebitsong la Motse ho-Snake City e Edenvale bakeng sa ho e boloka le ho ba ruta.

Failed heist on the N3 freeway!

One adult male security guard sustained critical gunshot wounds on the head after an attempted cash-intransit heist. The incident occurred in the N3 freeway south bound near Leondale road oﬀ ramp on Thursday, February 13. “City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) received the call around 07:50 in the morning, Fire and Rescue team from Vosloorus then responded swiftly to the scene to render necessary pre-hospital medical services to the casualties,” said DEMS spokesperson William Ntladi.

On arrival, a male security driver, was found with gunshot wounds, still seated behind the steering wheel. Advance life support medical treatment was done and he was airlifted to Union hospital for further medical care. Both N3 south and north bounds had to be temporarily closed for the duration of the operations. “According to the information on scene, the suspects escaped unharmed. The scene was then handed over to the South African Police Services (SAPS) for further investigations,” explained Ntladi.

Caught stealing half a million worth of groceries!

On Monday, February 11, the Ekurhuleni Metro Police (EMPD) Tsakane precinct officers arrested two men at a warehouse in Geluksdale area (La Bore industrial site), found offloading the reported stolen foodstuffs. “When officers closed in on five suspects, who were busy transferring goods from a parked white Isuzu truck to a building following a tip off,” said EMPD spokesperson Kobeli Mokheseng. Three suspects made a run for it, leaving behind a 34 and the 40-year old. The local SAPS were called and not long, the motor

vehicle tracking company, following coordinates of the stolen goods showed up. It showed that a Heavy Motor Vehicle transporting groceries was robbed earlier in the day and found abandoned (without goods) somewhere on the N3 Freeway, conﬁrming that the uncovered loot, matches with the one missing. Apprehended suspects were detained at Tsakane police station, under possession of suspected stolen goods/ items case. They have appeared at the Tsakane Magistrate’s Court facing robbery and theft chages.

Mapepeza Newspaper

VOL. 7 ISSUE #2 - 14-21 February 2020

FRONT PAGE STORY

Minister visits illegal copper Welcome our newest and melting factory in Ratanda! According to the department, the arrest was made by PRASA security and police oﬃcers, who acted on a tip-oﬀ provided by members of the Ratanda community. One of the suspects arrested is a technician working at PRASA rail. PRASA loses millions of money due to either train burnings,vandalism of power stations, public disorder, train collisions or weather disasters.

Last year, the agency suffered an estimated R364 million due to these factors. “We warn our people against these and other crimes and urge communities to take ownership of their government services and lead efforts to protect them. The tip-off could not be a better example of this. The arrested suspects must be made example of and account for their crimes,”said minister Mbalula.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, centre, speaks to the media outside the warehouse that stored cables and equipement that belonged to PRASA.

youngest COLUMNIST LOOK FORWARD TO GREAT STORYTELLING AND VIEWS

Lebogang Mashiloane, 21, is currently a student at Sedibeng TVET College, currently doing a Public Management course. She is an avid reader and writer who loves reading African literature. She will be joining the Mapepeza Media editorial team as a resident columnist. Look forward to reading interesting tales that will surely make you ﬁnish the story. Apart from her columns, she will review books for our readers to digest.

Speaking on her new appointment, Lebo says she is happy to join the newspaper and contribute to the culture of reading and storytelling in her community. Mashiloane lives in Heidelberg and also an active member in local youth organizations. “We welcome Lebohang who has actually volunteered by contributing her writing to the newspaper. Now we hope she will inspire others to also join in and utilize the Mapepeza Newspaper as their platform of expression,” said editor, Stephen Seakgwe.

Mapepeza Newspaper

VOL. 7 ISSUE #2 - 14-21 February 2020

Shalimar Ridge residents want service delivery issues sorted!

On Wednesday, February 5, residents from the Shalimar Ridge community in Heidelberg went on a peaceful marched across Heidelberg to the Lesedi Local Municipality. In this protest, residents have detailed their frustrations with the local council over servicedelivery related issues. Inside the memorandum from the residents, most problems were reported to the Lesedi Mu-

nicipality but were unattended. Regarding electricity, residents complained that street lights are not in working order. Extension 16 Shalimar Ridge residents claim that whenever there is rain or wind, the power goes oﬀ and other parts are unaﬀected. “Shalimar is full of potholes, our cars are getting damaged everyday,” a protester shouted. Also, powerboxes in the area are exposed, sighting a danger

for kids playing nearby them. In regards to the sports facilities, the protesters claim that Shalimar Ridge stadium is not well maintained by the municipality and lacks other sport facilities and has damaged infrastructure. The municipality’s executive mayor, Councillor Lerato Maloka and municipal manager Advocate Gugu Thumane received the memorandum of demands from residents on the day of

the march. However, the municipality has not made public communication regarding a response which was expected on February 14. Residents vowed to elevate their issues to Sedibeng district or Gauteng government. Shalimar Ridge is a urban township located between Ratanda and Heidelberg. Police reported no acts of violence or disturbance in the Heidelberg area during the protest.

MDDA appoints Potye as CEO!

Mapepeza Newspaper subscribes to the South African Press Code that prescribes news that is truthful, accurate, fair and balanced. If we don’t live up to the Code please contact the Press Ombudsman at 011 484 3612/8, fax: 011 4843619 Website: www.presscouncil.org.za

NEWSPAPER CREDITS EDITOR/MANAGER:

Stephen Seakgwe DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER: Anatola Mofoka (Lolliepop) EKURHULENI REPORTER:

Esau Dlamini (freelancer)

SEDIBENG REPORTER: Lesego Mohlamme (freelancer) CONTRIBUTORS:

Nkululeko Xaba, GCIS (SA News), Bheki J. Radebe, Ekurhuleni Media

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Supported by:

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EDITORIAL POLICY

The Editor reserves the right to determine whether material submitted for publication shall be printed and reserves the right to edit as needed, for space, libellous statements and personal unwarranted attacks. All material submitted must signed (name withheld upon request). Opinions expressed by the writers of the articles in the newspaper are those of the individual and not necessarily those of the editor or the publication workforce. Articles submitted for publication must deal with issues, not personalities.

All rights and reproductions of all reports, photographs, graphical illustrations and all materials published in the Mapepeza Newspaper are hereby reserved in terms of Section 12(7) of the Copyright Act: 96 of 1978 and any ammendments thereof.

The Board of the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) on Wednesday announced the permanent appointment of Zukiswa Potye as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Agency. The MDDA is a legal development agency, taking its mandate, from Section 16 and 32 of the Constitution Act No. 108 of 1996, thereby promoting people’s rights for freedom of expression and access to information. The agency mainly funds the development of community-based and small commercial media (like Mapepeza Community Newspaper). Potye’s work experience spans more than 27 years in both the private but mostly public sector. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma and a Master of Commerce Degree in Project Management from Cranefield College, a Management Advancement Programme (MAP) from Wits University, and certificates in applied risk management from Unisa and in Business and Life Coaching. Before joining the Government of Communication and Information System (GCIS), she was a Programme Coordinator at the National Electricity Regulator (now NERSA), and a Director for Monitoring and Evaluation at Blue IQ. “Potye took over as Acting CEO

following a period of considerable diﬃculties at the Agency. In this role, she commenced the process of stabilising the Agency, as well as introducing a number of important initiatives, critical to the sustainability of the MDDA and the community media sector,” said Chairperson of the MDDA Board Ndivhuho Norman Munzhelele. In her position as Acting CEO in the past year, she managed to convene old MDDA funders (major print and broadcasting companies) for support of the Agency’s work, as well as gaining partnerships with sector stakeholders to pool together resources for the survival of the sector. Back in July 2018, the MDDA organized a summit to seek lasting solutions to challenges facing community media.

Mapepeza Newspaper

VOL. 7 ISSUE #2 - 14-21 February 2020

Residents urged to open doors for valuation roll inspectors! By Lolliepop Mofoka

The City of Ekurhuleni is compiling the fourth General Valuation Roll. The valuation roll consists of property information of all rate-paying properties within the boundaries of the municipality for determination of assessment rates. The General Valuation Roll under compilation will be implemented from 01 July 2021 and be valid until 30 June 2025. As part of compilation process, the Municipal Valuer and his team will have to physically inspect some properties and they will need access to be able to carry out inspections. Physical inspections for purposes of compilation of the General Valuation Roll started on 4 February 2020 and continue until 26 January 2021. In terms of Section 41(1) of the Municipal Property Rates Act as Amended (MPRAA), the Valuer of a Municipality, Assistant Municipal Valuer, Data Collector or other person authorised by the Municipal Valuer in writing, may: (a) Between 07:30 and 19:00 on any day except a Sunday or public holiday, enter any property in the municipality that must be valued in terms of this Act (MPRAA); and (b) Inspect that property for the purpose of the valuation If a person authorised by a municipal valuer in terms of subsection (1) is not in possession of an identity card in the prescribed format containing a photograph of that person, the municipality must issue to that person such a card. The City of Ekurhuleni residents are therefore; requested to give access to the Municipal Valuer and his team into their homes. The team will be carrying out inspection wearing a uniform, which will be lime T-shirts, yellow bibs and white cricket hats/caps. (Lereku Leku illustrates below) Owners of income producing proper-

ties and specialised properties are requested to cooperate with the Municipal Valuer when requesting information that will assist in valuing such properties.

Rest In Peace

Joseph Shabalala

Information include leases, plans for existing buildings, ﬁnancial statements etc. With about 700 000 properties in Ekurhuleni that must be included on the valuation roll, it is impossible to gain access to all properties within a year. However, because it is a mass valuation, the City also uses tools such as pictometry (picture-based geometrics), GIS, Aerial photos and views of some areas to determine value on those properties.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a Special Official Funeral Category 2 in honour of Joseph Shabalala, the late founder of choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Shabalala passed away on February 11, following an long illness at the age of 78-years. The Special Official Funeral Category 2 entails ceremonial elements provided by the South African Police Service (SAPS). “President Ramaphosa has ordered that the National Flag be flown at half-mast at every flag station in the country until the evening of 22 February 2020. Regulations require that no other flags should be displayed when the National Flag is flown at half-mast,” said the Presidency on Sunday. Meanwhile, the President reiterated his condolences to the Shabalala family and members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. He conveyed his condolences to members of the arts and culture fraternities in South Africa as well as those abroad with whom the isicathamiya group had collaborated with for the better part of their six decade career. In 2008, this world-renowned and widely awarded choral group received the National Order of Ikhamanga for putting South African cultural life on the world map through contributing to the field of South African indigenous music. The funeral will take place on Saturday, 22 February 2020 in Ladysmith, Kwa-Zulu Natal.

“Phela ka setšoantšo sa Madiba!”

Mopresidente Cyril Ramaphosa o re maAforika Boroa a tlameha ho loanela ho etsa melao le melaoana ea mo-Presedente oa mehleng oa oa Africa Boroa, Monghali Nelson Mandela, e le ho phethahatsa pono eo a bileng le eona ea Afrika Boroa e lokolohileng le e tsoetseng pele. Mo-presidente o buile sena ha a ne a bua le batho ba makholo, bao boholo ba bona e neng e le Bacha, ho (Grand Parade) ka pele ho Cape Town City Hall, ha Naha e hopola sehopotso sa bo-30 sa ho lokolloa ha Mandela ho teronko ea-Victor Verster eo hona joale e tsejoang joalo ka Setsi sa Tlhokomelo ea-Drakenstein. Ka la 11 Hlakola selomong sa-1991, Mopresidente Ramaphosa e ne e le karolo ea moifo oa Baetapele, ba ileng ba amohela Mopresidente Mandela ho tsoa lihekeng tsa chankana. Setšoantšo sa ntoa se ne se qetile lilemo tse-27 teronkong ka mor'a ho kenngoa chankaneng le ba bang ba bangata e le

Monna e monyane lilemong tsabo-1960) ke mmuso oa khethollo. “Joaloka hare hopola Madiba ka letsatsi lena - lilemo tse-30 ka mor'a hore a lokolloe - kaofela ha rona, re leke ho phela ka setšoantšo sa hae. Ha re lekeng ho etsa bonnete ba hore pono eo a nang le eona e ea phethahala, kaha kaofela ha rona re sebetsa 'moho ho ﬁhlela Boroa oo re o batlang - Afrika Boroa e nang le demokrasi, e se nang khethollo ea morabe, e se e nang le tlhobohano ebile e atlehileng, e le hore katleho e ka arolelanoa. hara rona kaofela,” o boletse joalo.

Ha Mandela a tsoa ka ntle ho liheke tsa teronko ea-Victor Verster, ho tšoarana ka matsoho le mosali oa hae ea ileng a hlokahala Mofumali Winne MadikizelaMandela, ho ba makholo a ba batšehetsi le bashebelli, Mopresidente Ramaphosa o boletse hore eo ke nako ea maikutlo eo ho seng bonolo ho e hlalosa.

Mapepeza Newspaper

VOL. 7 ISSUE #2 - 14-21 February 2020

Gallery

Sasol celebrates and awards class of 2019 Grade 12 top achievers in Mpumalanga Sasol together with its education ﬂagship project Osizweni Science Centre, hosted the 25th Annual Grade 12 Merit Awards ceremony to honour those matriculants that achieved outstanding results in 2019. The Sasol Grade 12 Merit Awards recognise the best performing learners in Govan Mbeki, Lekwa and Dipaleseng municipalities, particularly those who performed well in Mathematics and Science. The awards were presented

to learners who have obtained three to nine distinctions, and top achievers for learners from Quintile 1- 4 schools. A total of 97 learners received Merit Award certiﬁcates as well as cash prizes to the value of R15 000 each towards registration fees at tertiary institutions of their choice. Learners who obtained more than three distinctions received R1 000 for each distinction. The awards also acknowledged the best performing Mathematics and Physical Science teachers and schools as well as the most improved school in the Standerton sub-region. The Gert Sibande District, which the Standerton sub-region forms part of, obtained 79,3% - an improvement from 77,5% in 2018. The awards were held on January 16 at the Sasol Secunda Recreation Club.

First annual charity event a success! On Friday, January 31, Martin Studios hosted their ﬁrst charity event at the Palazola Lounge in Ratanda. The event is meant to gather the community in helping the needy and uplifting their spirits. During the event, people came to donate old and unwanted clothing along with other essentials like toiletries and food. They donated a portion of their income received from the event towards the charity initiative. Working along with Martin Studios to make this event a success were sponsors like Capitec, Plug-In Clothing, Skelem Denim Clothing, Ratanda Secondary and Palazola. The clothing were donated to the children at the Lebone Centre in Ratanda. The kids had an abundance of clothes to choose from, as the charity event collected plenty of items. Sanitary pads were given to girl learners at the Ratanda Secondary. Martin Studios is a tattoo and hair salon, owned by Sihle Martin. Call 0620841188 or ﬁnd them on Facebook: Martin demonink.

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6 MAPEPEZA NEWSPAPER VOL. 7 ISSUE #2 - 14-21 February 2020 Mapepeza Newspaper

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VOL. 7 ISSUE #2 - 14-21 February 2020

WINNER OF 2019 GAUTENG SPORTS AWARDS: Community Media of The Year

Mapepeza Newspaper

Sports

Notoane announces Mzansi Olympic squad!

South African Olympic squad head coach David Notoane, recently announced a squad of 78 provisional players to take part in the 2020 Tokyo Games to be held from 24 July9 August 2020. The squad, is made up of 62 local players and 16 who are playing abroad. For the preliminary group, Notoane has selected 8 goalkeepers, 27 defenders, 24 midfielders and 19 strikers. Notoane can select up to three overage players in his final squad of 22: 18 registered players and 4 on standby, who will also travel with the group. The final list should be with FIFA, who are running football at the Olympics, on 1 July 2020. “We have a lot of hard work ahead of us to ensure that we take only the best to represent South Africa at this big stage. This is just a preliminary group of players that we think will be considered for the tournament, and as you can see it includes youngsters and seniors,” said Notoane. “The next few weeks will be very crucial as we will be running the rule over the players we believe will be best suited for this competition – it is a lovely headache

to have because all the players on the list are good quality but unfortunately we can’t take all of them. We are confident that the group we will choose will do the business for the country, but for now we are monitoring all of them to see if they can make the final squad.” The selected players in the provisional squad include the likes of Bafana Bafana goalkeepers Ronwen Williams, Ricardo Goss and Darren Keet; defenders, captain Thulani Hlatshwayo, Innocent Maela, Mosa Lebusa, Motjeka Madisha; midfielders Thembinkosi Lorch, Vincent Pule, Themba Zwane, Bongani Zungu and Aubrey Modiba, as well as forwards Percy Tau, Lebo Mothiba and Gift Motupa. Youngsters also getting a look in include U20 internationals Rowan Hendricks and Oswin Appolis. This will be South Africa’s third appearance at the Olympic Games – they were there in 2000 in Sydney, Australia under Shakes Mashaba, and in Rio, Brazil in 2016 with Owen Da Gama. South Africa will be joined by Egypt and Ivory Coast as the three representatives of the African continent. The draw for the Olympics will be held in Japan in April.

Chairperson of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Honourable William Matsheke wish to send its heartfelt condolences to the Mathebula Family on the passing on of Mr. Peter “Terror” Mathebula who was the ﬁrst black World Champion. Mr. Mathebula became the ﬁrst black World Champion when he won the WBA World Championship in 1980 in the USA. Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Ms Mbali Hlophe also extended her heartfelt sympathies to the Mathebula family where tragedy has struck twice.

his victory over Kim Tae-shik. However, after his loss to Santos Laciar on 28 March 1981 Mathebula's career declined. He retired in 1983 with a record of 36 wins and 9 losses “On behalf of all the sports and boxing loving people of Gauteng we want to extend our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy to the entire Mathebula family. We are all greatly saddened, and wish them strength, peace and love during this difficult time. We celebrate their lives and admire mme Emma’s strength, patience and support to her husband, Terror Mathebula. We believe they have been the best of friends and each other’s pillar of strength to the end of life. We pray their loved ones will be sparred unending sorrow.” According to the family, the legenday boxer passed away at Leratong hospital following an illness aged 68 years. On January 28, the family arranged a joint funeral as a final send off of their loving parents‚ who remained joined in love till death.

Mzansi mourns for boxing Legend Peter “Terror” Mathebula and wife!

Following the passing of the legendary boxer Peter ‘Terror’ Mathebula on Saturday (18 January), his wife ma Gabaitsiwe Mathebula has also passed-on, ﬁve days after his death.

“We are deeply distraught by the latest developments of the passing of mme Mathebula, the wife to legendary boxer Peter ‘Terror’ Mathebula. No one could have expected this but still we say, ‘death be not proud’. Earlier, I was at the Mathebula’s residence to pay my respect, today, I hear that mme Mathebula has also walked the last mile of her way wrought us with pain.” After he began his professional career in 1971 Terror Mathebula became ﬂyweight in 1978 and bantamweight champion in 1979. Mathebula became WBA World Flyweight Champion on 13 December 1980 after

Every year in the month of March, the Sedibeng District is host to various activities to honour the Sharpeville Massacre amongst other historical events that we all celebrate on Human Rights Day (March 23). The Sharpeville Half Marathon invites interested runners and residents of the district together to participate in the annual event. Entries are open until March 14, the race begins the following day at 6 a.m. Late entries are accepted on Race Day but have to arrive before the start of the ﬁrst marathon. Runners can choose between the 5 km fun run, 10 km or 21 km race. Each race has its own entry fee. Race day is on Sunday morning, March 15, taking place at the George Thabe Stadium (Sharpeville township in Vereeniging). The Sharpeville Half Marathon is a build-up to the main event of the 2020 National Human Rights Day Commemoration. Visit www.sharpevillemarathon.co.za for online registration and more information.