Author: Motlhaping Modise

Fourteen district and local municipalities in the North West have until Tuesday to submit detailed action plans to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) after the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) found them guilty of severe and systemic service delivery failures. The SAHRC’s damning report, released last month, concluded that the affected municipalities are failing to meet their constitutional and legislative obligations—resulting in widespread violations of residents’ basic human rights. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, Head of Department Dr. Ben Bole said MEC Oageng Molapisi has acknowledged the seriousness of the SAHRC’s findings.“The findings are quite…

The National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) will on Monday march to the Office of the Presidency at the Union Building to demand drastic intervention to save the country’s ferrochrome smelters! The union has cautioned that workers in the sector continue to bear the pain of the job loss bloodbath at companies like Glencore, Samancor, and Almar investments. “By the 31st of December Glencore will have cut 2 000 jobs, Almar Investments has retrenched over 538 workers and Samancor has issued a section 189 notice where it states that it is contemplating retrenching 5 000 workers,” said the…

As South Africa marks the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, civil society organisations and political leaders marched to police stations across the country on Friday, demanding stronger action against the high rate of withdrawn gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) cases. In Bloemhof, one of the province’s GBVF hotspots, marchers gathered at Boitumelong Taxi Rank before proceeding to the local police station. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, Lekwa-Teemane constituency MP Gaolatlhe Kgabo said the area records an alarming number of GBVF and drug-related cases, yet most complaints are later withdrawn before reaching court. “We are deeply concerned. Victims…

The Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management said it will not lose patience until the former North West Transport Investment Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP) Thomas Sammons appears before it. Summons was subpoenaed to appear before the committee as part of its move to finalise its inquiry into the affairs of the transport company, owned by the North West Provincial government. The committee Chairperson Freddy Sonakile told YOUFM Newshour that they gave Summons benefit of the doubt after he produced a medical certificate as a reason for his failure to appear before the committee. “The decision to subpoena Summons…

The family of murdered student activist and former member of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) Caiphus Nyoka has welcomed the Pretoria High Court’s judgment that found two former apartheid police Sergeants, Abraham Hercules Engelbrecht and his colleague Pieter Stander guilty of the premeditated murder of Nyoka almost four decades ago. Nyoka was shot and killed at his home in Daveyton by members of a police unit allegedly created to eliminate individuals labelled terrorists by the apartheid regime. Family spokesperson and Caiphus’ niece, Nation, told YOU FM Newshour that although it took a while, justice will finally be served.…

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) efforts to return the unions that left the federation over the years are underway, as it reflects on its 40th anniversary since it was formed. COSATU was formed on the 1st of December 1985 in Durban where Elijah Barayi was elected its first president.Its formation was a culmination of the hard work done by its predecessor, the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU), a class orientated and revolutionary trade union movement under the banner of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, the Federation’s General Secretary…

The North West Provincial Legislature’s Ad Hoc Committee, tasked with probing claims of improper conduct and potential interference by Premier Lazarus Mokgosi in Naledi Local Municipality affairs, has adjourned its initial hearings and secured a mandate extension until March 31, 2026. The decision follows four days of tense testimony at Sun City Resort (November 24–27), where witnesses clashed over allegations that Mokgosi meddled in the appointment of Modisenyane Segapo as municipal manager. Chairperson Nathan Oliphant announced the adjournment in a statement, emphasizing transparency and fairness. “This extension will allow the committee sufficient time to finalize outstanding witness appearances and complete…

The North West Department of Education has concluded the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations without any reported incidents. The exams, which began on 21 October, officially ended on Thursday. According to the department, 45,336 candidates across the province sat for the examinations — comprising 41,813 full-time and 3,523 part-time learners. The exams were administered across all four education districts. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, departmental spokesperson Vuyo Mantshule credited the smooth running of the examinations to strong collaboration among education stakeholders. “We have not received any incident during the administration of the exams. This achievement is because of our…

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has called for the revision of the country’s laws related to Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) to ensure they harshly address persistent abuse of women and children in the country.Hlabisa welcomed the decision by the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), Dr. Bongani Elias Sithole, to classify GBVF as a national disaster in terms of Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act, 2002. The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) said that after evaluating the persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing acts of violence, it concluded that GBVF…

Anti-Corruption Movement is calling for justice to be served in a case against a 24-year-old-man who allegedly raped a 13-year-old victim in Mogwase near Sun City in the North West. The case against the alleged perpetrator was disregarded without trace and the victim’s mother openly confronted the mother of her daughter’s alleged perpetrator, during a recent GBVF march in the area. In a widely shared disturbing video, the victim’s mother can be heard confronting the alleged perpetrator’s mother during the march. “She had no concern to become an organiser of GBVF when she allowed her own child to violate my…