19 MAY 2017, PLATINUM WEEKLY, 50 Marais Street, Tel: 014 592 3257, Fax: 011 252 6669, E-mail: [email protected] p 05 COURT CASE AGAINST RELIGION IN SCHOOLS &RXUW FDVH DJDLQVW UHOLJLRQ LQ VFKRROV DIIHFWV   moral glue that glues South Africans together. The question is RQUHOLJLRXVSUDFWLFHVLVIDLU³,IWKHDSSOLFDWLRQVXFFHHGVVWDQ- VFKRROVDQGÀLHVLQWKHIDFHRIWKHUHOLJLRXVSUDFWLFHVRI whether that which the applicants are seeking is in line with dard practices such as prayers at assembly, prayers at sports RI6RXWK$IULFDQV what ordinary South Africans want. Looking at the statistics, events, Christmas Carol performances by choirs, as well as a Trade union Solidarity on Tuesday, 16 May 2017, argued that WKLVLVFOHDUO\QRWWKHFDVH´6ROLGDULW\&KLHI([HFXWLYH'U'LUN VSHFL¿FIDLWKHWKRVZRXOGEHEDQQHG,QWKRXVDQGVRIVFKRROV the ruling in the Gauteng South High Court case would not only Hermann said. WKRVHDUHWKHYHU\YDOXHVWKDWXQLWHFKLOGUHQ,QWKHORQJUXQWKH affect the six schools involved in the case, but 24 000 other Solidarity argued as friend of the court in favour of the six absence of those values, practices and a certain ethos would schools in the country as well. schools whose religious practices are being challenged in court have radical consequences for the culture at schools, and later As such, the case is of major importance to hundreds of thou- E\WKH2UJDQLVDWLRQIRU5HOLJLRXV(GXFDWLRQDQG'HPRFUDF\ also for ,” Hermann said. sands of parents and children across South Africa. The applica- According to Solidarity, it is constitutionally permissible and Hermann stated that in this case Solidarity was acting on behalf tion asking that religious practices be banned at schools runs desirable that school communities decide on a school’s ethos of teachers. FRXQWHUWRWKHFRQYLFWLRQRIRI6RXWK$IULFDQVZKRLGHQWLI\ and practices through their democratically elected governing “Thousands of teachers are driven by their vocation, believ- themselves with a religion. bodies. ing that children should not only be neutral individuals but that According to Solidarity, religion and values are the very ele- ³7KHUHLVQRVXFKWKLQJDVQHXWUDOHGXFDWLRQ,QSUDFWLFHWKH they should receive their education within the framework of a ments that bring South Africans together across traditional divi- atheists who brought the matter before court want to enforce FHUWDLQYDOXHV\VWHP,WLVIRUWKLVYHU\UHDVRQWKDWWKH\WHDFKDW VLRQV$FFRUGLQJWRWKH6RXWK$IULFDQ,QVWLWXWHRI5DFH5HOD- their belief on school communities. Even a secular approach schools where they can live their calling,” Hermann explained. WLRQVRI6RXWK$IULFDQVLGHQWLI\WKHPVHOYHVDV&KULVWLDQV constitutes a certain worldview that is to be enforced on school Solidarity Press Release, 16 May 2017 ZKLOH DOPRVW  LGHQWLI\ ZLWK WKLV IDLWK 2QO\  UHJDUG communities. Under the guise of inclusion their arguments the themselves as non-religious or are not sure which religion they will of communities is being excluded. associate with. “The current system, in terms of which parents decide by way of 7KH :RUOG 9DOXH6XUYH\ DQG WKH 3HZ *OREDO 0RUDOLW\ 6WXG\ governing bodies on the religious practices of their schools, but have also found that social values unite South Africans. The making provision for those who wish not to participate in such :RUOG9DOXH6XUYH\DOVRIRXQGWKDWRI6RXWK$IULFDQV activities to do so is the correct approach, for in this way, the UHJDUGIDLWKDVLPSRUWDQWEHOLHYHLQ*RGDQGWKDW rights of the school community and those of the individual are would identify themselves as atheists. According to Solidarity, EHLQJDFFRPPRGDWHG6FKRROVPXVWDOVRKDYH¿UPJXLGHOLQHV the application is thus essentially an undemocratic attempt to in place to accommodate those who disagree with the school’s enforce the applicants’ own, very narrow-minded interests on ethos and practices, affording them the necessary respect and school communities. ensuring that participation in religious activity is voluntary at all ³:KDW WKH DSSOLFDQWV DUH WU\LQJ WR DFKLHYH LV WR GHVWUR\ WKH times. Governing bodies must therefore ensure that their policy R8 million Drug-lab busted Police investigating, 24 bodies retrieved from Free State mine :HONRP – The search for more miners con- tenant Colonel Thandi Mbambo said. WLQXHVLQD:HONRPPLQHDIWHUERGLHVZHUH Mbambo said that none of those retrieved UHWULHYHG)UHH6WDWHSROLFHVDLGRQ7XHVGD\ KDGEHHQIRUPDOO\LGHQWL¿HGDQGWKHLUVWDWHRI 16 May 2017. decomposition would make this process chal- “Thirteen more bodies have been retrieved, lenging. “This follows an apparent explosion which brings the number to 24. The mine’s se- underground on Thursday, 11 May 2017. The curity company is busy retrieving the bodies. cause of the explosion is not yet known and At this time we have no idea who the people will form part of the investigation,” Mbambo are. Some have name tags on so in some cas- said. es we have names,” police spokesman Lieu-

MAN JAILED FOR RAPING A GRANNY 5XVWHQEXUJ 7OKDEDQH – The Bafokeng WKH )DPLO\ 9LROHQFH &KLOG 3URWHFWLRQ DQG Magistrates’ Court sentenced Tumelo Moo- Sexual Offence Unit for their sterling efforts in pelwa (21) to eight years’ imprisonment on the bringing the perpetrator to book. charge of raping a 76-year old woman in 2016 in Kanana, a village outside . Moopelwa gained access to the grandmoth- er’s house by braking one of the windows. “She was assaulted with a screwdriver and raped by Moopelwa,” Sergeant Ofentse Mok- gadi, police spokesperson said. 7KH3KRNHQJ.8QLWFRQ¿VFDWHGODUJHSRWVFKHPLFDOVDQGRWKHUPDWHULDOVXVHGWR Moopelwa left before stealing the granny’s PDQXIDFWXUHGUXJVWRWKHYDOXHRI5PLOOLRQ money and cigarettes. Sergeant Phenyo Monchusi was assigned to Sergeant Phenyo Monchusi was the case and diligently investigated until Moo- assigned to the case and diligently 5XVWHQEXUJ – The K9 Unit from 7KH SROLFH FRQ¿VFDWHG ODUJH SRWV FKHPL- pelwa was brought to justice. The Rustenburg investigated until Moopelwa was Rustenburg busted a drug-lab in the Mau- cals and other materials used to manufac- Cluster commander Major General Adams brought to justice. bane village near Madikwe on the N1 (about ture drugs, to the value of R8 million. commended Sergeant Phenyo Monchusi and NP IURP 5XVWHQEXUJ  RQ :HGQHVGD\ The suspects appeared before the Madik- 10 May 2017. we Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 11 May According to Brigadier Sabata Mokgwa- 2017. bone, police spokesperson, four suspects, 7KH 1RUWK :HVW 3URYLQFLDO &RPPLVVLRQHU 2 FIREARMS CONFISCATED DJHGEHWZHHQDQGZHUHDUUHVWHGIRU Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane, 5XVWHQEXUJ%RLWHNRQJ±)XVL.DHNDH   ry in Pretoria for testing. Kaekae was remand- WKHFRQWUDYHQWLRQRI6HFWLRQRIWKH'UXJV thanked the community for their coopera- appeared before the Rustenburg Magistrates’ ed in custody until his next court appearance. DQG'UXJ7UDI¿FNLQJ$FW $FW1R tion and swift reaction of the police that re- Court on two charges of illegal possession of Acting Boitekong station commander Lieuten- of 1992). sulted in the arrest of the suspects. ¿UHDUPVDQGDPPXQLWLRQRQ0RQGD\0D\ ant Colonel Moagi commended his members 2017. LQWKHLUHIIHFWLYHDSSURDFKLQ¿JKWLQJFULPH The Police conducted a routine search in Sondela, Boitekong on Thursday, 4 May RUSTENBURG LOCAL MUNICIPALITY 2017. “Kaekae was found with a 9mm pistol DIRECTORATE: BUDGET AND TREASURY ZLWKVHYHQOLYHURXQGVDQGD*DXJH P shotgun with three live rounds,” Sgt Ofentse 2%R[5XVWHQEXUJ1RUWK:HVW3URYLQFH6RXWK$IULFD Mokgadi, police spokesperson, said. THO  )D[   %RWK¿UHDUPVZHUHVHQWWRWKH6$36ODERUDWR- $VWRFNSKRWRRID*DXJHVKRWJXQ 04 May 2017 RUSTENBURG LOCAL MUNICIPALITY PUBLIC NOTICE CALLING FOR INSPECTION OF THE SUPPLEMENTARY VALUATION ROLL AND LODGING OF OBJECTIONS Rhino poachers in court Notice is hereby given in terms of section 49(1) (a)(i) read together with section 78(2)* of the Local Government: Municipal Property Rates Act, 2004 (Act No.6 of 2004), hereinafter referred to as the ³$FW´WKDWWKH6XSSOHPHQWDU\9DOXDWLRQ5ROOIRUWKH¿QDQFLDO\HDUV-XO\WR-XQHLV RSHQIRUSXEOLFLQVSHFWLRQDW5XVWHQEXUJ/RFDO0XQLFLSDOLW\IURP0D\WR-XQH,Q addition the Supplementary Valuation Roll will be available on our website www.rustenburg.gov.za and at the following venues: 1. Municipal libraries situated at Boitekong ; Karlienpark; and Rustenburg 2. Municipal Regional Community Center’s (RCC) situated at Boitekong; Lethabong; Monnakato; Marikana; Phatsima and Tlhabane. An invitation is hereby made in terms of section 49(1) (a)(i) read together with section 78(2)* of the Act that any owner of property or other person who so desires should lodge an objection *DQ\HVD – A collaborative effort by the Police time. ZLWKPXQLFLSDOPDQDJHULQUHVSHFWRIDQ\PDWWHUUHÀHFWHGLQRURPLWWHGIURPWKHVXSSOHPHQWDU\ and farmers led to apprehension of two sus- 7KH VXVSHFWV RSHQHG ¿UH ZKHQ WKH 3ROLFH valuation roll within the abovementioned period. SHFWVERWKDJHG7KHSDLUDSSHDUHGEHIRUH VKRZHGXS7KH3ROLFHUHWXUQHG¿UHLQWKHSUR- $WWHQWLRQLVVSHFL¿FDOO\GUDZQWRWKHIDFWWKDWLQWHUPVRIVHFWLRQ  RIWKH$FWDQREMHFWLRQPXVW the Ganyesa Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 8 cess one of the suspects was wounded and EHLQUHODWLRQWRDVSHFL¿FLQGLYLGXDOSURSHUW\DQGQRWDJDLQVWWKHVXSSOHPHQWDU\YDOXDWLRQUROODV May 2017, on charges of rhino poaching. transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. such. The form for the lodging of an objection is obtainable at the address below or website www. The suspects were arrested after a rhino was 7KHWZRUHPDLQLQJVXVSHFWVPDQDJHGWRÀHH rustenburg.gov.za. The completed forms must be returned to the following address: shot and dehorned in a game reserve at Mook- however they were both arrested shortly after. JRSKRQJFORVHWRWKH%RWVZDQDERUGHURQ)UL- According to Lieutenant Colonel Pelonomi Municipal Main Building GD\0D\ Makau, a stolen and illegal firearm, ve- VW)ORRU2I¿FH Shortly after the shooting, the Police received hicle and two rhino horns were recov- )RUHQTXLULHVSOHDVHFRQWDFW1HR0DODWVL:LQQLH1NHOHPELVD/HERJDQJ6HJRDWL a tip-off. They activated an intensive search ered at the game reserve.  DQGWRJHWKHUZLWKWKH9U\EXUJ.&ULPH,QWHO- 7KH 1RUWK :HVW 3URYLQFLDO &RPPLV- (PDLOQPDODWVL#UXVWHQEXUJJRY]DHPDLOZQNHOHPELVD#UXVWHQEXUJJRY]D ligence and the Provincial Tracking Unit with as- sioner, Lieutenant General Baile Mots- sistance of neighbouring farmers, the suspects wenyane applauded the Police and Ms16LWKROH0XQLFLSDO0DQDJHU were traced – still in the game reserve at that farmers.