Hadeda News 20 Januarie 2023

Court Rules Coloured People Can Wed Under Customary Marriage Law, After Late Wife’s Children Argued Lobola Did Not Apply To Them

THE South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has ruled that a customary marriage between a black man and his deceased coloured wife was valid, after the late wife’s children contested its validity.

They claimed that due to her ethnicity, it was impossible for her to get married under customary marriage law

The judgment was made after the husband, Monamodi Lijane, brought an application to the court seeking to be declare his customary marriage to his late wife, Gracious Sauls, valid.

Sauls’children from her previous marriage, Bronwin Sauls and Mbalenhle Sauls, opposed the application saying their mother was a coloured woman and a customary marriage would have been impossible.

They claimed that interracial marriages cannot be conducted under customary law Their legal representative contended that, because customary law must involve customs forming part of

the culture of indigenousAfrican people, coloured people, not being “indigenousAfricans” are not people to whom customary law applies.

According to court papers, Lijane’s and Sauls’families met onAugust 2016 where some customary marriage rites were performed.

On the day, Sauls was dressed in Basotho traditional clothing.

Her children argued that she dressed herself in the Basotho costume rather than being dressed by Lijane’s family as required by tradition, and because of this, the marriage should be declared invalid.They further argued that lobolo was never paid by Lijane’s family and even if it was eventually paid, it was not accepted as lobolo, but as something else. For that reason, the marriage to Lijane could not be a valid customary marriage.

Judge Stuart Wilson did not agree with their arguments. He said what was critical was that Sauls was dressed in a traditional

costume on the day of the wedding. “Whether that is itself a requirement for the validity of the marriage is also a matter on which no evidence was presented. However, it would require the strongest evidence to persuade me that the integrity of an otherwise valid customary marriage could turn on such a minor detail as who dresses the bride in traditional garb.” He said Sauls dressing herself in traditional clothes could have been anything more serious than a minor ritual error

On the issue of lobolo, Wilson found evidence in a form of a note indicating that both families had agreed that Lijane would compensate the Sauls family in the sum of R10,000 for the marriage. “There is no evidence before me relating to whether the amount was actually paid, but that there was an agreement to pay… It seems, at worst for Lijane, that a payment was agreed, but that the Sauls family did not accept the money as lobolo, but as some form of dowry or contribution to the costs of the wedding,” Wilson

said.

In his judgment, Wilson said indigeneity and culture are attributes of customary laws themselves, not the people who choose to be governed by them.

“TheAct has nothing at all to say about whether a coloured person can contract a marriage under customary law, so long as those laws have their origins in indigenousAfrican cultural practices.” He said it was unnecessary to address the startling assertion that coloured people do not count as either “indigenous” or “African”.

“Accordingly, I reject the argument that interracial marriages may not be contracted under customary law…

“The respondents accepted throughout that Lijane and Sauls intended to marry, that they were of the necessary age and had legal capacity to do so, and that they and their families intended to conclude a union according to Basotho tradition.

“That really should have been the end of the matter.” - IOL

Royal Astronomical Society Awards Meerkat Telescope Team

The RoyalAstronomical Society (RAS) has awarded its 2023 GroupAchievementAward to the MeerKATteam.

The MeerKATtelescope is an array of 64 interlinked receptors situated 90km outside the small Northern Cape town of Carnarvon.

It is a precursor to the Square KilometreArray (SKA) telescope and will be integrated into the mid-frequency component of SKAPhase 1.

Observations

In its citation, the RAS recognised the MeerKATteam “for a series of spectacular observations in radio astronomy, the highlight being the images of the Galactic Centre region and the spectacular radio bubbles”.

The SouthAfrican Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (SARAO) Khulu Phasiwe said

the MeerKATteam has supported the development of science and technology inAfrica and stress-tested technology for the SKA.

“The SouthAfrican Radio Astronomy Observatory expresses gratitude to the RAS for the generous recognition of the technical and scientific achievement associated with this GroupAchievementAward.”

“The MeerKATproject derived from the aspiration to have a SouthAfrican SKAprecursor telescope that would be a powerful instrument in its own right.This award is accepted with pride because it confirms the successful rendition of this aspiration into physical reality on African soil,” he said.

MeerKATdiversity

Phasiwe said the greater MeerKATteam extends beyond SARAO, as indicated by the

diversity of institutions recognised through the award.

“Colleagues and partner institutions from around the world have expressed their confidence in MeerKATby providing instrumentation, software and know-how to enhance the telescope capabilities, and in turn the scientific exploitation of the telescope capabilities has involved collegial international partnerships.”

“Looking to the future, the success of MeerKAT demonstrates that the scientific and technological prerequisites for the SKAtelescope in South Africa are in place. We are excited by the scientific opportunities and discoveries that will derive from the progression from MeerKATto SKA-Mid, via the extension project currently underway,” he said. - The Citizen

Van idee na storie?

ontstaan. Wat as jy na skool tuiskom en ‘n alien maak die deur oop?

Of wat as jou huweliksmaat by die huis kom met ‘n Ford met rooi vlamme op die deure? (Maak dit interressant: rooi vlamme wat met dakverf geverf is.)

Kennis

Mense vra my dikwels of hulle met my kan gesels.Tydens die gesprek kom ek dan agter dat die persoon ‘n storie-idee het, maar nie weet hoe om dit van idee na storie te omskep nie.

Resep

Van idee na storie? Die probleem is eintlik dat daar nie ‘n resep vir bostaande probleem is nie. Myns insiens is hierdie ook nie ‘n maklike taak nie. Dis klippe kou en herkou.

Dink minder en laat jou instink jou lei. Moenie toelaat dat rasionele denke jou kreatiwiteit versmoor nie. Daar is niks wat ‘n goeie storie kan vervang nie.

Jy’t ‘n klomp inligting en kennis in jou brein weggebêre. Net jý kan dit daar gaan uithaal.As jy, soos ek, nie ‘n ‘plotter’is nie, gaan sit net en begin. Laat jou karakters jou lei.

Vrees Van idee na storie?

Wanneer ek aan ‘n nuwe storie (spesifiek ‘n roman) begin skryf, tref die onsekerheid my elke keer Ek is elke keer bang dat ek nie gaan weet hoe om verby 3 000 woorde te kom nie. Uiteraard is hierdie proses makliker wanneer ‘n mens elke hoofstuk vooraf in die fynste besonderhede beplan, maar vooraf beplanning werk nie vir my nie. Wanneer ek gaan sit om te beplan, is daar ‘n vakuum tussen my ore. Wanneer ek egter met die eerste sin begin, kom die idees. Dit geskied meestal met groot moeite, maar die bladsy bly ten minste nie leeg nie.

Raad Van idee na storie?

Indien jy sukkel om jou idee in ‘n storie te omskep — daar is raad, alhoewel daar geen resep is nie. ‘n Mens kan eintlik enige interessante idee in ‘n goeie storie omskep.

Enige goeie storie-idee kan vanuit die vraag ‘wat as?’

Net vandag het iemand my gevra waar die idee vir Spel vandaan gekom het. Indien jy dit nog nie weet nie, die inpirasie hiervoor was ‘n droom. Ek het gedroom dat robotte in ‘n dodelike spel met die mensdom betrokke was en dit was die katalisator vir die storie. Die rede vir hierdie droom was waarskynlik ‘n artikel wat ek gelees het oor gesellinrobotte wat deur kuberkrakers geteiken kon word en in ‘killer robots’ (moordmasjiene) omskep sou kon word. In Spel word al die verskillende tipes robotte dan ook deur die regering tot militêre diens opgeroep.

Sindikaat is deur ‘n koerantbegrig oor die handel in bedreigde spesies geïnspireer en Sweepslag deur ‘n radioberig oor twee meisies van Bloemfontein wat ontvoer is.

Vir al drie romans moes ek ‘n massiewe heveelheid navorsing doen, maar ek het sekere voorkennis gehad wat gemaak het dat die onderskeie stories in ‘n sekere rigting ontwikkel het.

Dit voel vir my asof als wat ek lees, sien en hoor in ‘n laai in my kop gaan lê en uitklim wanneer ek dit nodig het. Ons almal gesels elke dag met mense. Sommige van die inligting wat

hulle deel is oneindig interessant. Leer om te luister en vra vrae.

Ook is dit belangrik om te lees. Lees stimuleer kreatiwiteit en prikkel jou brein om met ‘n idee vorendag te kom.

Praktiese wenke: Herken die prikkel: gaan kyk (byvoorbeeld) waar J.K. Rowling se idee vir Harry Potter vandaan gekom het, Deon Meyer se idee vir die Bennie Griessel-reeks, ens.

Skryf jou idee neer. Indien jy nie pen en papier byderhand het nie, maak ‘n nota op jou foon. Ek het al selfs ‘n stempos op my foon opgeneem oor interessante kommentaar wat ek gehoor het en bang was ek sou vergeet.

Kyk na die mense om jou en besluit wie van hulle (of kombinasies van hulle) interessante karakters sou maak.

‘nAantal van die karakters (protagonist en antagoniste) in my boeke is op werklike persone gebaseer

Plak jou boude op jou stoel en begin skryf.

Hoe om uit 'n idee 'n boeiende storie te ontwikkel?

Dis nie maklik nie, maar dis moontlik. Jy benodig:

Deursettingsvermoë. ‘n Breë algemene kennis sal beslis help.

Lees soveel as moontlik. Laat jou instink jou lei. Geniet dit. Lekker skryf!

NOORD KAAP TUINE

Wenke van Welbekende Gepubliseerde Skrywer - Annerle Barnard

1 eetlepel olie ½ ui, in dun skyfies gesny

1 klein groen soetrissie, wit gedeeltes en pitjies verwyder en in repe gesny

1 knoffeltoontjie, gekneus en fyngekap

1 tamatie, gekap

6 ontpitte swart olywe, fyngekap

2 groot, gaar aartappels in skyfies gesny 225 g chorizo, in stukkies gesny

1 groen brandrissie, pitjies verwyder en fyngekap ½ koppie gerasperde Cheddarkaas

6 eiers

2 eetlepels melk ¼ teelepels fyn komyn

¼ teelepels droë oreganum ¼ teelepel paprika sout en varsgemaalde swartpeper na smaak roeketblare vir garnering (opsioneel) Verhit die olie in ‘n swaarboompan en braai die uie, soetrissie en knoffel oor matige hitte tot sag. Skep dit in ‘n gesmeerde koekpan van ongeveer 23 cm, waarvan die bodem met bakpapier gevoer is. Voeg die tamatie, olywe, aartappels, choriza en rissie by. Meng en sprinkel die kaas booor. Klits die eiers en melk saam in ‘n aparte kleinerige mengbak en geur met die komyn,

oreganum en paprika. Geur met sout en peper na smaak. Meng goed. Giet die eiermengsel bo-oor die mengsel in die koekpan. Kantel die pan sodat die eiermengsel egalig deur al die bestanddele versprei. Bak vir 30 minute in ‘n voorverhitte oond van 190ºC vr ongeveer 30 minute of totdat dit gestol het en goud van kleur is. Sny in skywe en bedien met vars roeketblare of 'n lekker mengelslaai. WENK: Jy kan brosgebraaide spek of boeliebief in die plek van die chorizo gebruik.

Bron:Facebook / Toorkombuis

The Forced Eviction Of Botswana’s Indigenous People

Botswana’s indigenous Bushmen people, which are embroiled in a protracted fight over the eviction from their ancestral territory, are furious over a court ruling that prevents them from burying one of their elders on the disputed land.

In December, Botswana’s Court ofAppeal denied a Bushmen family the right to bury their elder, Pitseng Gaoberekwe, on his ancestral land in the Kalahari Desert, from which the community has been evicted to make way for the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). Gaoberekwe died in December 2021 but remains unburied after the Botswana government denied the family access to the diamond-rich land.

The Bushmen are the indigenous people of southern Africa who have lived there for over ten thousand years. While over half of the population is located in Botswana, there are 100,000 Bushmen spread out throughout the region, including in Namibia, SouthAfrica, Angola and Zimbabwe.

Since the 1960s, the government of Botswana has carried out three major evictions of this hunter-gatherer community to create the CKGR. For more than five decades, and in one of the country’s most expensive court cases, the community has been fighting these evictions.

OUTRAGE OVER LATEST COURTRULING

The ruling, upheld by the Court ofAppeals, denied the family the right to bury the deceased on what is now a game reserve.This sparked outrage throughout the Bushmen community and human rights organisations that have been pushing for the restoration of the indigenous group to its ancestral land.

“The government has denied us the right of access to our ancestral land,” the family said in a statement. “Who is it to deny us that right? Who are the courts here in Botswana to deny us this right? Our rights are inherent.They cannot be taken away either by the courts, the government or anybody else. We were there before the creation of the game reserve… therefore this land

cannot be left to vultures spreading around trying to scavenge on our land. Our land is precious, full of natural resources and animals, and we will not give it easily to this oppressive government.”

LATESTRULING ROUNDLY CONDEMNED

Survival International, a land rights lobby group, was also critical of the court’s ruling against the community

“Survival [International] believes this manifestly unjust and inhumane judgement appears to be politically influenced and to reflect a renewed round of persecution of and discrimination against Bushmen by the government,” the group said in a statement.

DITSHWANELO – the Botswana centre for Human Rights – which is the secretariat of a coalition of local non-governmental organisations seeking to stop the eviction of the Bushmen community, issued a statement condemning the latest court ruling.

“We urge the government to ensure that it upholds the principles of human rights which are embedded in our constitution and in the regional and international human rights instruments to which Botswana is committed,” DITSHWANELO said in a statement.

“The CKGR burial case illustrates the challenges faced by our communities when there is failure to address the place, role and respect of their cultural practices and lived experiences.This is particularly challenging for indigenous peoples inAfrica. We encourage all to address issues in ways that uphold our value-concept of botho as it is the foundation for human rights protection in our society We also call for respect for human dignity and of the cultures of all persons, including that of the Basarwa / San peoples.”

DOMESTIC REMEDIES

EXHAUSTED

Astatement shared with FairPlanet by the spokesperson of the late Gaoberekwe’s family, Smith

Moeti, said the family would not conduct the burial of his remains, saying it was up to the Botswana government to bury them.

“The family has resolved that the Government of Botswana will be responsible for the burial of Mr Pitseng Gaoberekwe outside the CKGR and the family will only take over the burial exercise, if and only if, the deceased is to be buried in the CKGR,” Moeti said in the statement.

“In the meantime, the family has resolved that having exhausted all domestic remedies, it is now appropriate time to take the matter to theAfrican Human Rights Commission,African Union Court and the United Nations to ventilate its grievances...”

Pitseng was an applicant in the landmark 2002-2006 High Court case, in which judges ruled that the Bushmen had been illegally and unconstitutionally evicted from their land in the CKGR. He only left the CKGR to seek medical attention.

DIAMONDS OVER PEOPLE

Although the Bushmen won the right in court to return to their lands in 2006, the government has done everything it can to make their homecoming impossible, including cementing over their only water borehole; without it, the Bushmen struggled to find enough water to survive on their lands.

What has complicated the case is that over the years, not only has the CKGR grown to become a favourite destination for tourists from across the globe, but diamonds have also been discovered in the desert.This appears to have strengthened the resolve of the Botswana government never to allow this “First People of the Kalahari” to return to their ancestral land.

The case highlights the challenge that many indigenous communities inAfrica face, where their rights are easily trampled on for economic expediency. Diamond sales and tourism are Botswana’s largest foreign exchange earners.

In the past, a report published by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has raised grave concerns on Botswana’s treatment of the Bushmen

community. It stated that: “the restrictive execution of the High Court’s decision and particularly the removal of the children from the park at the age of 18 would aim for there to be no more inhabitants after the death of the elders.”

The Committee urged Botswana to allow the ethnic group to return to their lands and to “provide them with effective access to basic social services and enable them to resume their traditional activities without hindrance.”

STATEACTION’S LEGALITY QUESTIONABLE

Arthur Gwagwa, an international academic who has done research for the Minority Rights Group on African indigenous and minority peoples told FairPlanet that this case raises questions on the legality and legitimacy of state actions and their impact on previously self-determining groups.

“The state control over selfdetermining groups has been part of an on-going trend by the modernAfrican state as it seeks to assert sovereignty from external and internal threats that seek to destabilise it,” Gwagwa said.

“What is happening in Botswana is part of a wider trend by a state trying to legitimise the legal position that was externally imposed.As I write elsewhere, the legitimacy of the traditional nationstate sovereignty has come into question by minority social movements who claim to be unjustly dominated by states once marginalised groups. For example, theTigray now demand a seat at the table, and in turn, politicians have found a new audience for old-fashioned appeals to ethnic, religious or national solidarity.”

Gwagwa added that the Bushmen should continue fighting their case through the United Nations and theAfrican commission.

“They should (also) seek the help of international organisations such as the Minority Rights Group. They should seek cross-border solidarity with other similar groups. Zimbabwe, Namibia, SouthAfrica have created a common game park for animals. The same can be done for humans.” - Fairplanet.org

Pollution

Northern Cape NGO has filed criminal complaints against the municipal managers of 11 towns in eight municipalities over “rampant” sewage pollution that threatens agricultural exports, the quality of drinking water in the province and the health and livelihoods of the towns’ residents.

“The only lifeline of the entire province is the Orange River and it’s being contaminated with sewage,” said Fritz Bekker, one of the founders of Gariep Watch, which has opened a criminal case against the municipal managers of Vanderkloof, Hopetown, Upington, Kakamas and Vredesvallei on the Orange

River; and Bloemhof, Christiana, Warrenton, Vaalharts, Jan Kempdorp and Barkly West on the Vaal River.

“The reason we’re following this process … is we found that if we litigate, it’s going to be the taxpayer that’s going to pay again for the government not doing its job.”

Environmental monitoring by Gariep Watch has been underway since 2017. It manages the only chemical, bacteriological and biological water quality database on the lower Vaal and lower Orange River

On guard: A member of the Gariep Watch NGO tests sediment in the Orange River, along which grapes are farmed. Photos: Fritz Bekker & Hoberman Collection/Getty Images

Animal Welfare Society Of Upington Beplan Dipdae

Ons beplan om op 5 Februarie weer ons dipdae voort te sit aangesien ons in die laaste paar weke redelik baie gevalle van bosluisbyt koors gehad het. Indien u wil hê dat u area besoek moet word, identifiseer asb 'n kontak persoon wat sal kan help met 'n geskikte perseel en kontak ons per inbox.

Tans is op ons lys:

Morning Glory

Rosedale

Pabalello Dakota

Keimoes

Soverby (moontlik - wag vir bevestiging)

Groblershoop

Grootdrink

Melkstroom

Straussburg

Kalksloot - onderste gedeelte KaapAgri Bloemsmond

Let wel: Hierdie dae word gedoen deur vrywilligers so ons moet ook ons skedule inpas by beskikbaarheid van ons mense sowel as beskikbaarheid van fondse.

Ons onkoste vir ‘n dipdag sluit in:

Aankope van kos- by sommige dipdae voorsien ons tot 400kg kos, dip en poeier, middels vir behandeling van seerplekke, halsbande/leibande vir vervanging van skadelike bande. Dan ook die veearts koste vir enige noodgevalle wat ingevat moet word.

Brandstof koste word deur die lede self gedra

Enige persoon wat wil bydrae tot ons dipdae kan :

* Donasie maak op ons bankrekening

* Donasie op ons veearts rekening (Upington Veeartskliniek 34222)

* Donasie van kos, bruikbare halsbande/leibande of bosluis produkte (kontak ons en ons sal kom optel)

* Donasie van u tyd - kom help ons dip

Ondersteun ons sodat ons kan voortgaan om die diere in ons omgewing te help. Dankie aan ons gereelde ondersteuners!!

Welcome to

The 3 starAirport Hotel in Kimberley boasts 52 spacious rooms. Our guests are welcome to enjoy a delicious meal at the Horseshoe Restaurant and Pub and bill it to their rooms.

We have a pool and braai facilities, 24hr vending machines and a selected bar facility on site.

Existential Crisis For South Africa’s Organic Grape Industry

makes more sense than sending them to the domestic market.

Organic sector shrinks as a result of Russia’s war Orex has grown organic grapes, which constitute 30% of their grapes, since 1997 and the rest are conventionally grown, but the very future of their organic business is under threat.

Right: organic Prime grapes grown by Orex Export for UK retail

water with organic fruit as a result of losses to our crop and the shrunken organic market and prices under pressure. We’ll give it time to see whether the situation changes but if it doesn’t, we’ll switch over depending on what happens over the next two years.”

Atumultuous Orange River Valley grape harvest has ended. Their last fruit will be loaded out this week and arrive in Europe and the UK in week 5 or 6, says Marthia Spangenberg, the CEO of Orex Export outside Kakamas in the Northern Cape. Orex grows both conventional and organic table grapes and organic citrus.

The vineyards are now getting their postharvest summer pruning, as growers reflect on a season that started off inauspiciously when excessive heat during flowering caused some blocks, particularly the late varieties, to abort the young fruit. On the mid-season varieties cell division was impeded, leading to smaller berries and lighter tonnages; only the early varieties came through more or less unscathed.

Then rain and hail in December further reduced volumes, so much so that on one of their two organic table grape farms they

lost half the crop.

Low volumes helped fruit to move in crisis year

The run-up to Chinese NewYear is usually an important time of the year for Orange River grape producers, and Orex supplies the Far East with mostly conventional grapes (limited amounts of organic grapes for Malaysia and Singapore).

“Where we can easily put 50% of our product into the special markets that are sensitive to berry size, this year we only got to around 10%,” she says.

Europe’s grape market was empty and it helped to a degree and prices did remain more stable. “The reduction in grape volumes helped the fruit to keep moving in a crisis year,” she remarks.

Unexportable grapes were sent for raisin-drying which, given the cost of packing and packaging,

They have been mulling over the extremely difficult prospect of switching from organic to conventional; a decision which would take years to reverse and which, naturally, doesn’t fill their organic buyers with joy

Five or six years ago the organic sector showed much promise but since Russia invaded Ukraine and gas prices spiralled upwards and price inflation took hold in Europe, the organic market has shrunk significantly

At the start of the season some European supermarkets told them they were expecting a contraction of 15% to 30% in demand for organic grapes. She observes that opportunistic consumers of organic grapes have almost completely fallen away, leaving only a dedicated core of consumers for whom organic fruit represents their outlook on life.

“You can clearly see that since last year when the Russian war started driving up gas prices the organic market has certainly shrunk.At the moment we’re struggling to keep head above

She continues: “It’s concerning for our organic buyers but they understand the concept that you have to survive during critical times. We’ve come so many years with our clients, they understand when certain drastic changes need to be made.”

Organic oranges with cold damage destroyed in EU And then there was the controversial new orange regulation for the EU requiring colder shipping temperatures than ever before.

“We did export all of our organic citrus but the cold damage on the organic oranges was incredibly bad, it really hurt us and the fruit had to be discarded in Europe. We incurred a total loss during the organic citrus campaign. It was our second really difficult year.”

Electricity cuts and diesel generators furthermore place unbelievable pressure on their cash flow, to top off a small crop.

“This is a dramatic period for the entire fruit industry, it’s a watershed moment. Our heart remains in farming but we have to make plans to remain costeffective." -

Marthia Spangenberg – Orex Export / Fresh Plaza

Die Regering Staar ’n Groot Regsgeding In Die Gesig Oor Beurtkrag

’n Groep prokureurs en politieke partye het ’n prokureursbrief aan die sukkelende kragvoorsiener, Eskom, geskryf in ’n poging om beurtkrag te stop.

Die brief, wat deur UDM, Build One SouthAfrica en die IVPgeskryf is, eis dat Eskom se Hoof Uitvoerende Beampte, André de Ruyter, en Minister van Openbare Ondernemings, Pravin Gordhan, die kragonderbrekings

beëindig, of ’n rooster opstel om dit te doen.

Verder eis die groep dat die tariefverhoging van 18,65% wat deur Nersa toegestaan is nie geïmplementeer word hangende die hofuitdaging wat hulle beoog om in te stel nie.

As hulle nie instem om dit teen 20 Januarie te doen nie, sal hulle regstappe in die gesig staar. - Bloomberg / Afrinuus

Van Sukkelende Kinderjare Tot Florerende

vir my ma ’n bed te koop. Ek het gedink dat dinge uiteindelik beter begin lyk, maar dit is toe dat ek hom ontmoet het.

As klein dogtertjie het ek altyd daarvan gedroom om 'n onderwyseres te word. Maar toe ek grootgeword het in Rietfontein, 'n klein dorpie in die Kalahari, en as die derde oudste kind in 'n sukkelende gesin, het daardie drome dikwels buite bereik gevoel. My ma het haar bes gedoen om vir my en my broers en susters te voorsien op 'n beperkte Sassatoelaag, maar ons het nooit die luukshede gehad wat ander kinders gehad het nie. Ons het pap vir aandete geëet en handme-down klere gedra, maar ek het nie toegelaat dat my omstandighede my terughou nie. Slefs dings soos yoghurt was n luuksheid.

Selfs toe ek net nege dae voor my matrikulasie-eksamen geboorte geskenk het, was ek vasbeslote om te gradueer. En ek het. Ná die gradeplegtigheid het ek as joernalis by ’n gemeenskapskoerant begin werk en my eerste salaris gebruik om

Aanvanklik was dit goed tussen ons. Maar uiteindelik het hy my emosioneel en fisies begin mishandel, my hare getrek en my geklap. Geskree op my en gese voertsek. Een koue winternag het die mishandeling 'n breekpunt bereik en ek is so erg geslaan dat ek in die hospitaal beland het. Die nag voordat ek moes ry om my universiteits jaar te begin. Het hy my gesig pot blou geslaan.

Maar selfs in die donkerste tye is daar altyd hoop vir 'n beter toekoms. Ek het uiteindelik liefde by 'n goeie man gevind en ons het getrou en saam kinders gehad. Vandag is ek gelukkig getroud en die stigter van die We Care Foundation, toegewy daaraan om behoeftiges te help.

My kinderdrome is dalk kortgeknip, maar ek is dankbaar vir die krag en veerkragtigheid wat my omstandighede my gehelp het om op te bou. -SNB

Die Inspirerende Reis Van Prudence Duiker, Stigter Van We Care Foundation

DieTop 10-atletiekranglys vir laerskole, vir die 2022seisoen, is bekend gemaak.

Laerskool Oranje-Noord is baie trots opArno Wort wat skitterend gedurende die 2022-atletiekseisoen presteer het en as NOMMER 1 vir Seuns 0/12 Hoogspring, met 'n hoogte van 1,67m op dié lys verskyn.

Baie sterkte vir die 2023 seisoen!

The Olifantshoek SAPS are investigating an inquest into the death of Marie Mathlare.

Marie Mathlare(67) went missing on 01 January 2023 and her body as found in the veld on a nearby farm on Monday, 16 January 2023 at about 17:30.The body was in an advance stage of

082 493 4267 / 054 332 1183 hein@heinduvenhage.co.za Tentrent-Sanco Gebou, Karakoelstraat 4, Upington

decomposition.An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

The investigation continues.

Enquiries Lt Col Sergio Kock 082 494 9982

Bak-kie

Parents take refuge in the only available shade at an UpingtonAthletics event, as the shadow moved so did they

Massive fires in the Olifantshoek area this past week brought farmers and volunteers from all over to help fight the fires, sponsors gave food and water to those who made a big effort “Even in all the chaos we must find time to replenish our energy. Thank you to every sponsor. We can't thank you enough. Fighting fires is tough and after a long fight you get hungry”

Flying Ace Of The Karoo

rescue them.

Then Paris fell, France capitulated and the Battle of Britain was on.Again, Dutch Hugo was in the thick of it.

Abattle diary

One of his combat reports after downing a Messerschmitt 109, dated 27 July 1940, states:

imminent. Hugo studied aeronautical engineering in Johannesburg and then, in 1938, went to Britain for RoyalAir Force training. His instructors said he was “an exceptional pilot, an excellent marksman and suitable for posting to a fighter squadron”.

One of the greatest fighter pilots of World War 2 was a son of the Karoo. His story reads like a Shakespeare battle tragedy, replete with glory, loss and splendid isolation.

I’m sitting on a long stoep swirling Cremora into coffee, savouring the pre-dawn inkyblue blackness of the big sky, in the gritty nub of the Hard Man’s Karoo.

It’s a symphony of quiet but when you listen, really listen, you can break it up into little sound parts: there’s the percussive tonk-tonk of the wind pump on the farmstead, bottom-noted by the rustle of the early winter wind through the poplar trees on the nearby water course.Ahidden lark on its morning breakfast run provides a high, sweet whistle solo. For the rest, silence rules.

Contrails in a clear Karoo sky Here, literally in the middle of a stony nowhere, I see traces of jet planes in the sky, first a contrail streak then another one, and then a third.The Johannesburg-CapeTown air run is picking up. It’s blissful to be a distant bystander anchored in the Karoo, surrounded by bossies and rocks and little critters that lurk and hunt.And, of course, sheep. Never forget the sheep.

This, I reckon, is probably how the Karoo’s greatest aerial ace, its finest warrior-export, must have felt not that long ago as he sat right here drinking coffee, gazing up at the heavens which were once his battleground.

On the bench nearby lies a thick folder of cuttings, print-outs and general papers detailing, from all manner of sources, the life and

times of one Khaki Hugo. Or, if you’re looking at him from a British standpoint, Dutch Hugo.

I am staying on Canariesfontein Guest Farm in the CarnarvonLoxton area of the Northern Cape.This is where Petrus Hendrik Hugo, who went across “the pond” to Britain to fight for theAllies in World War 2 and became one of their top fighter pilots, spent the last period of his vivid, textured life.

Atop fighter pilot

In an interview given many decades ago, he recalls:

“My first squadron was No. 615, AAF, and I stayed with them from 16 December 1939 to 26 November 1941. Winston Churchill was our HonoraryAir Commodore and he came to see us at our base in France, Vitryen-Artois, and later, regularly, at Kenley and Manston.

“Initially we flew Gloster Gladiators but in early May 1940 received Hurricanes.

“Agreat friend of mine, Bill Fowler, and I rebuilt a derelict, abandoned Morane 138E Parasol Monoplane with a Gnome Rhone rotary engine. We had a lot of fun giving attractive French girls joy rides off the beach at Wissant. Sadly, we had to abandon it when we evacuated France.”

He’s referring to the hasty mass exodus ofAllied forces, 224,585 British and 112,546 French and Belgian troops, from the beach at Dunkirk a scant six weeks later. While German fighter planes bombed and strafed the men on the sand, almost anything that could float came across the English Channel to

“Dense smoke and liquid poured from the German pilot’s machine.Although my engine stopped I dived after him. Fortunately my engine restarted. The pilot pulled out of his dive at about 6,000 feet and then started to dive again. I was hot on his tail and at about 3,000 feet opened fire. He continued to dive and landed in the water Within a minute the aircraft had sunk, and I saw the pilot swimming about in the middle of a big patch of air bubbles which had been caused by the sinking of his machine. I sent back a message asking for a launch to be sent out to the German airman’s rescue and gave his position. I then flew to base.”

Just about everything in this file I’ve collected over time reads like it comes from a stirring adventure novel, something Wilbur Smith would feast on for new book material. Or a documovie with lots of actual World War 2 file footage, of the Battle of Britain in particular

Imagine being a 24-year-old Karoo boy in the thick of war, with 22 aerial kills under your belt. Each of those kills means you potentially stopped a German airplane from destroying British life and property. Imagine the adrenalin rush after adrenalin rush of flying five battle sorties in one day, landing, cleaning up an old wound, reloading, refuelling, downing a quick cup of tea and taking off again, on the lookout for what the Boys’Own comics used to call “The Hun”.

Petrus Hendrik Hugo was born on 20 December 1917, and grew up on Pampoenpoort Farm near Victoria West. Even as a boy hunting springbok in the semidesert of the Northern Cape, he showed great promise as a deadly shot. He loved to tinker with machines and harboured aerial ambitions. Being a fighter pilot was an apex aspiration for a young man looking for adventure. Europe was bubbling with Nazi madness and war was

And even though Peter Hugo was nicknamed “Khaki” back home (either for choosing to train in Britain or for his sunreddened complexion which, friends said, gave him the look of an Englishman), over in the UK they called him “Dutch” because of his clear SouthAfrican accent.

It is not known what his doomed German foes called him in the heat of battle. Probably some expletive with the word “Englander” attached to it.

Home town buys him a Spitfire The sun is starting to warm up the stoep and I’m on my second cup of coffee, completely lost in what I always called Dad’s War –because my late father was a navigator on a bomber in North Africa, shot down and locked up in an Italian POW camp for a while.

I pick up an interesting snippet about Group Captain Hugo’s home connection from Eric Rosenthal’s slim but priceless town book called One Hundred Years of Victoria West.

Back in those WW2 days, the people of Victoria West established a Petrus Hugo Spitfire Fund and raised 4,000 pounds towards an aircraft for their local hero, which was then dubbed “Karroo”.

Unfortunately, Hugo was later shot down over the English Channel. He was rescued and soon back in the thick of things. However, there is a Spitfire called “Karroo” lying somewhere on the seabed off Dover

His eventual medal tally tells much of his war story:

The triple-barred DFC, 19391945 Star (with Battle of Britain Bar),Air Crew Europe Star (with France and Germany Bar), Africa Star (with NorthAfrica 1942-43 Bar), Italy Star, Defence and War Medals,American Distinguished Flying Cross and French Republic Croix de Guerre 1939-45.

One of the legendary Spitfire aircraft that helped fliers like Hugo win the Battle of Britain in WW2. Image: Supplied by Chris Marais

I don’t know if other warriors have ever been awarded such medals by three countries –there can’t be that many These medals, along with several pieces of shrapnel and a German bullet removed from Hugo himself, were auctioned off in London for 125,000 pounds in 2010.After WW2 a grateful British government named Hugo Gardens in the London borough of Havering after him.

Sorrow inTanzania Group Captain Hugo was also

awarded a farm inTanganyika (laterTanzania), on the western slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. This is where he and his wife Angela and their three daughters lived for two decades.

But 1971 was a sorrow-filled year for the flier-turned-farmer First, his belovedAngela died. Then in September Petrus Hugo and his three children were summarily evicted from the farm by the new government – they were given two weeks to pack up and leave.The Hugo clan sailed from Mombasa to Durban and then returned to his family in the Karoo. One of his prized

possessions, a Cessna 182, had to be smuggled out of the country by a friend.

And so, for the better part of 15 years, the celebrated warrior came to live and farm at Canariesfontein, here in the middle of this stony nowhere.

Adistant relative, Michael Muller, now owns the property and has turned it into a guest farm. He remembers visiting “Oom Khaki” as a boy on the odd occasion.

“I got the sense that Oom Khaki was less fascinated by sheep

than he was by machinery,” he tells me. “He loved installing new wind pumps, and he repaired them all himself.”

Group Captain Hugo drove an old bakkie and lived “like a hermit” until his death in 1986. Later, I follow Muller’s directions to Bo-Pampoenpoort, Hugo’s childhood farm where he lies buried in the family graveyard.

The inscription on his flat gravestone simply reads:

“Here lies a hero.”And that’s all. But that’s enough. DM/ML

The farmstead at Canariesfontein, with its well-maintained wind pump – in true Hugo tradition. Image: Chris Marais

Group Captain Petrus (Dutch or Khaki) Hugo, in a portrait sketch on display at the Victoria West Museum. Image: Supplied by Chris Marais

At the crossroads leading to many farms, one follows the sign to Canariesfontein. Image: Chris Marais

The simple inscription on Dutch Hugo’s gravestone says it all. Image: Chris Marais

Karoo Roads’ Collection. Image: Chris Marais

Eerste vir STAAL

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has received the greenlight to freeze luxury properties linked to fraud and corruption at the National Lotteries Commission (NLC).

The SIU, together with the National ProsecutingAuthority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), have obtained a preservation order from Pretoria High Court to seize the properties which include three luxury properties, a plot, and a portion of a farm.

‘Final forfeiture’

The properties include Kwaito legendArthur Mafokate’s luxury property in Midrand, as well as a CapeTown property belonging to former NLC legal representative Lesley Ramulifho.

They were bought using grant money from the NLC meant for community development projects, according to the SIU.

“The SIU investigations revealed that the acquisition of the preserved properties was funded by the NPOs with money they had received, under the

auspices of grant funding, from the NLC.

“The properties, therefore, constitute proceeds of unlawful activities hence the application for a preservation order pending the final determination of the application for final forfeiture,” SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said in a statement on Friday.

Kganyago revealed that five non-profit organisations (NPOs) – including Mafokate’s South AfricanArt and Development Association (SAADA) – received funding of approximately R56 million for the projects.

SAADAhad applied for grant funding to assist unemployed youth in the poor and rural areas.

The other NPOs includeTaung Cultural Music andArts Expo, Dinosys, Matieni Community Centre, and Zibsicraft.

“Dinosys applied to the NLC for grant funding to assist with social hygiene in the Eastern Cape while Matieni Community

Centre applied for grant funding for home-based care in Mpumalanga,” Kganyago continued.

“[Furthermore], Zibsicraft applied for grant funding for the purpose of community development in the Northern Cape whileTaung Cultural Music andArts Expo applied for grant funding to the NLC for the purpose of building a museum and library in Kuruman, Northern Cape.” In addition, the SIU froze former

NLC bossAlfred Nevhutanda’s plot in Pretoria, former NLC board member William Huma’s farm in Rustenburg and NLC legal division headTsietsi Maselwa’s luxury property in Pretoria.

Last year, the SIU also obtained a preservation order for properties linked to renowned actressTerry Pheto and former national lotteries executives.The Citizen

Arthur Mafokate performs during the SABC concert at the Orlando Stadium on 10 September 2016. Picture: Gallo Images / Sowetan / Mabuti Kali

Baie ouers wil hul kinders in Engels laat skoolgaan wat nie die kind se Moedertaal is nie. Ouers verstaan egter nie die verskil tussen Moedertaalonderwys en Engels as taal waarin hul kind onderwys word nie. In SuidAfrika het ons beslis die kat aan die stert beet as dit kom by “Moedertaalonderrig” , maar wat sê die kenners?

Verskeie navorsing oor die belangrikheid van moedertaalonderrig bewys onteenseglik dat die kind se moedertaal (die taal wat tuis gepraat word ) vir so lank as moontlik die beste opsie is vir medium van onderrig . Maar wat is ‘moedertaal’in leketaal?

Kenners meen dis die taal wat jy eerste geleer het as kind aan moederskoot, die beste verstaan, jou die beste kan uitdruk en die meeste gebruik. Maar waarom glo so baieAfrikaanssprekende en selfs Inheemse taal sprekende ouers dat hul kind beter daaraan toe is in Engels in die klaskamer? Wat wil ouers hierdeur bereik deur hul bloeitjies te dwing om in Engels skool te gaan soos tans die geval in Namakwaland waar ouers aandring op engels by verskeie openbare skole?

Engels is inderdaad ‘n hoërstatus taal asAfrikaans of enige ander Inheemse taal (swart tale).Dis ‘n ekonomiese bate en eenvoudige Ekonomiese beginsels leer my dat ‘n bate iets is wat waarde toevoeg of waarde het. Onderrig in enige ander taal as jou moedertaal is dus ‘n las of laer status-taal (volgens ouers), maar hou meer nadele as voordele in vir hul kinders se akademiese ontwikkeling later in hul skoolloopbaan. Moedertaalonderrig is van kardinale belang, nie net Afrikaans of Engels as onderrigtaal nie. Taalfundis soos Prof Michael Le Cordeur verbonde aan Stellenbosch Universiteit bevestig uit sy eie navorsing dat leerders in die eerste 6 jaar van hul

skoolloopbaan in hul moedertaal onderrig moet word en hiermee word beslis nie ENGELS bedoel nie. Leerders se voorkennis lê in hul moedertaal en onderrig in hul moedertaal (taal wat tuis gepraat word) gee die kind inderdaad ‘n voorsprong wat later uitvloei na vakke soos Wiskunde,Wetenskap en Kuns. Luister jy na die die swak taalvaardighede en –vlakke van nuut aangestelde onderwysers en produkte van ons flenter onderwysstelsel wat spesifiekTale moet onderrig moet baie nog gedoen word om veral moedertaalonderrig in praktyk te laat werk.

Almal glo nou skielik dat om hul kind in Engels te laat skoolgaan terwyl daar bv:Afrikaans of Tswana of selfs Portugees tuis gepraat word die oplossing bied tot die probleme buite die grense van die klaskamer. Kom daardie kind op tersiêre vlak soos universiteite word die agterstand duidelik gesien in vergelyking met die kind wat wel in ‘n moedertaal onderrig was vanaf Gr 1 tot 12. DieTaaldebat in die Onderwys van Suid-Afrika kom inderdaad ‘n lang moeilike pad verduidelik ProfAnne-Marie Beukes in haar navorsing “Moedertaalonderrig in ‘n demokratiese Suid-Afrika (2013)”. Sy voer aan dat daar sowat 12 hooftale is waarvan Afrikaans en Engels ampstatus het. Sowat 24,34% van die bevolking besig slegs hierdie twee amptelike tale. Waar laat dit die res van ons samelewing wat betref hul taalregte in ‘n land met ‘n ryke en wye taalskatkis?

Engels word nou verhoog deur ouers en selfs skole tot ‘n koninklike taal as dié taal van onderrig en besef nie watter langtermyn skade dit vir hul eie kinders inhou nie. Ouers is die kind se eerste onderwyser soos die lewe aan hulle oopmaak maar dit maak hulle nie taalkundiges of onderwysers nie. Ouers plaas hul vertroue in die onderwyser en word gelei deur die stroom waarin ons almal swem. Min besef hulle die negatiewe impak

van Engels as taalmedium vir onderrig van hul kinders dit terwyl ‘n ander taal tuis gepraat word.

Voor 1994 en knap daarna het ‘n enkel medium onderrig model gewerk wat in die vroeë 1970’s afgedwing was in skole . Dubbelmedium was toe later die gonswoord in openbare skole waar daar slegs opAfrikaans en Engels gefokus was met die Inheemse tale in die spreekwoordelike kombuis waar dit tot sy reg moet kom. Nou dring ouers aan dat hul kinders in bv. net in Engels as wêreldtaal onderrig moet word enAfrikaans en ander Ineemse tale met die badwater uitgegooi word dit terwyl ouers self nie Engels tuis praat nie. Hoe op aarde? Selfs in werksonderhoude word Engels op jou afgedwing dit terwyl die mense op die onderhoudspaneel selfs nie eens ordentlik kan Engels praat nie. Mens is deesdae te skaam of te bang om in jou moedertaal te praat en hiermee verwys ek nie spesifiek naAfrikaans nie.

Onderwysowerhede se ingesteldheid teenoor moedertaalonderrig verg ‘n drastiese ommekeer sodat alle tale gelyke taalregte geniet in veral die grondslagfase van die kind se skoolloopbaan. Een taal moet nie bo ‘n ander taal gestel word nie en kinders moet nie geplaas word in klasse of skole volgens ‘n taal wat hulle en die ouers nie eens ordentlik kan praat nie. ’n Pluimpie aan NoordKaap Onderwys Departement wat nou ook Nama tale as Inheemse tale in spesifieke streke erken, maar baie moet nog gedoen teenoor ander Inheemse tale in SASkole. Ingeligte en verligte ouers wat hul kinders se onderwys na waarde skat kan gerus gaan navorsing doen oor

die negatiewe impak van ‘n ander taal as die moedertaal as onderrigtaal. 'nTaalghoeroe soos Prof Le Cordeur wat hom al op verskeie platforms heftig uitgespreek het teenoor veral Onderwys in Suid-Afrika kan inderdaad nie verkeerd wees nie . Suid-Afrika het ‘n ryk taalskatkis wat ons Onderwysstelsel goedsmoeds ignoreer ten voordeel van Engels en ouers klim ook op dieselfde wa en besef later met skok en leedwese dat hul kinders nie eens ‘n ordentlike sin of paragraaf kan skryf in Engels nie en blammeer dan die onderwyser of die stelsel of die huidige regeerders terwyl hulle netso bygedra het tot die probleem . Taal in die Onderwys en spesifiek die klaskamer is inderdaad ‘n komplekse vraagstuk.Kom ons plaas die fokus op MOEDERTAAL-ONDERRIG en nie ENGELS asTaal vir Onderrig en Leer nie. Daars inderdaad ‘n rede hoekom dit die taal van die “moeder” genoem word. Net jammer die Onderwysgrootgeeste kan nog nie die kloutjie by die oor bring nie.

Ek ondersteun inderdaad “engelse” ouers in Namakwaland dat openbare skole in hierdie deel van die Noord-Kaap wel Engels inbring as eerste taal, maar hulle moet fokus op moedertaalonderrig en nie noodwendig engels nie want….hierdie betrokke kinders praat beslis nie engels tuis nie.Edward Smit was lank in die Onderwys en het reeds sy merk gemaak as vryskutjoernalis vir Media 24/Netwerk 24 , rubriekskrywer en korrespondent vir verskillende koerante ,Hy is ook ‘n gepubliseerde skrywer en die stigter van Horison Media.

Namakwa Illicit Mining Operation Nets Successes

In an effort to address the pursuing illicit mining activities in the Namakwa district, the Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape, Lt Gen Koliswa Otola executed a three in one joint multi-disciplinary operation with the main focus on illicit mining at Nuttabooi and Bontekoei and the town of Kleinsee.

The operations were led by the Deputy National Commissioner for Policing, Lt GenTebello Mosikili, the Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Koliswa Otola, senior officers from the National and Provincial Management and the Namakwa District Commander, Brig Schalk Andrews.

The multi-disciplinary operation was conducted in the Namakwa area and dealt illegal diamond miners a hard blow following a crime intelligence driven operation that was executed over three days which commenced on 13 January

2023 and ended 16 January 2023. During the operation a total of 82 persons were arrested for various offences.

The operation focused on illegal mining activities in the Port Nolloth and Kleinsee areas during which numerous digging equipment and implements including generator s, jigsaws and power tools as well as bags of diamond bearing gravel were seized.

Various SAPS stations and units within the Namakwa district, Provincial components and specialized units participated in the execution of the operation with the assistance of Immigration officials who were on site to process the undocumented persons. On 15 January 2023, several suspected drug houses were raided in Okiep, Nababeep, Steinkopf and Concordia during which liquor was confiscated and a fine issued to the owner The local traffic department

assisted the police during a static roadblock that was conducted on 16 January 2023 on the N7 between Springbok and Steinkopf during which 268 vehicles were stopped and searched and several traffic fines were issued for traffic violations.Two male suspects aged 31 and 23 respectively were arrested at the roadblock after being found in possession of dagga with an estimated street value of R30 000-00.Th two will soon appear in the Springbok Magistrates court.

Seventy four (74) undocumented persons were arrested for Contravention of the ImmigrationAct, five (5) for Trespassing, 1 for Possession of an uncut diamond and 2 for dealing in dagga.All detainees will be appearing in the Port Nolloth and Springbok court's respectively The undocumented persons will be escorted to the Lindela Holding facility in Krugersdorp for repatriation to their respective county of origin.

Police choppers from the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Free State assisted the ground forces with aerial support by directing members on the ground to tje execution points in the mining area.

Coastal patrols were conducted with the 7,8 metre Ballistic Rubber duck along the Port Nolloth/Alexander Bay shoreline.Aerial patrols were also piloted along the RSA/Namibian borderline along the Orange River

The Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Otola commended the multi-disciplinary task team who executed the disruptive actions and indicated that these disruptive actions sent a clear message to illegal miners that their disregard for the law will not be tolerated and continuous actions in the province will prevail.

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