Author: Motlhaping Modise

The Western Cape High Court is set to deliberate on a groundbreaking case that could reshape the future of sex work in South Africa. Three weeks after Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), ignited controversy by advocating for the decriminalisation of sex work, the focus now shifts to court proceedings initiated by the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT). The group is contesting the criminalisation of sex work, arguing that it is unconstitutional and demands urgent legislative reform. Julius Malema had emphasised that sex work should be viewed as legitimate labour, deserving of legal protection…

The North West Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs MEC, Oageng Molapisi, has called for normalcy to return at the Zeerust-based Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality, following weeks of political instability that led to halting of service delivery at the municipality. This after the municipal buildings were temporarily closed from Monday until Wednesday, after a violent shootout ensued between two warring security companies employed at the municipality on Monday morning, leaving one bodyguard wounded after he was shot in the leg and rushed to hospital. The police cordoned off the building, which was declared a crime scene, and municipal employees…

The National Health Department has announced that it is on the verge of finalising a developed framework which will pave a way for the incorporation of African traditional medicine into the country’s healthcare system. This is according to the Department’s Director for the Traditional Medicine Unit Bruce Mbedzi who told YOU FM Newshour that plans are afoot in completing the legislation to merge the two healthcare systems at the primary healthcare level. “As the department we have done our research, we have consulted enough. “We know what is good for the benefit of our client as the health sector and…

Kgosi Kwena Mangope of Bahurutshe Boo Manyana in Lehurutshe outside Zeerust in the North West, has condemned an ongoing illegal mining activities taking place on his community’s land in Masebudule village, where the community’s mining property of Boo Manyana Chrome Mining Company is also operating. Mangope told YOUFM Newshour that the activities are continuing unabated despite the decision of the North West Division of the High Court in Mahikeng two weeks ago, which ordered Symphony of Light company to vacate the area. “The court order was unambiguous that the Johannesburg-based Symphony of Light Company must immediately vacate our area. But…

The grieving family of Kgaogelo Marota, a 20-year-old from Maubane village near Hammanskraal, is calling for justice following the tragic and brutal death of their daughter. Marota was fatally stabbed multiple times outside a local tavern on Thursday, an incident that has shaken the community and left her loved ones in turmoil. Lazarus Lito Antonio, the 26-year-old self-confessed ex-boyfriend of Marota, appeared in Temba Magistrate’s Court on Monday facing serious charges, including murder and attempted murder of his current girlfriend. His alleged actions, compounded by chilling video evidence shared on social media, have intensified the family’s fears and calls for…

The 11-member Ad Hoc Committee established to probe wide-ranging corruption allegations within the SAPS made by KwaZulu Natal Provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has unanimously accepted and adopted the committee’s terms of reference, after weeks of deliberation. The committee had earlier agreed to call Mkhwanazi as its first witness. It will focus on investigating the alleged unlawful disbandment of the SAPS Political Killings Task Team by the now suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, as well as the removal of 121 case dockets from the task team, allegedly on the instruction of the suspended Deputy National Commissioner General Shadrack Sibiya. Some…

African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) Regional Task Team in the Bojanala Platinum District, has warmly welcomed a North West University’s (NWU) ‘long overdue announcement’ for an establishment of a mining campus in the region in the next two years. The campus is anticipated to offer specialised programmes designed to enhance the skills and productivity of the local workforce, supporting the region’s key economic driver.  It is also not only expected to enhance educational opportunities for young people but also contribute directly to the growth and efficiency of the mining sector. The ANCYL Task Team’s regional spokesperson Thabiso Bodigelo told…

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has voiced its deep distress following the unanticipated collapse of low-cost carrier Mango Airlines, attributing the airline’s impending cessation to a combination of mounting debt and an absence of financial backing from the government. The union’s national spokesperson, Zanele Sabela, revealed stark concerns regarding the loss of 501 jobs, a devastating blow in a nation grappling with high unemployment rates. Sabela, speaking on YOU FM Newshour, expressed disappointment over the failures of the Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP), Sipho Sono, in his attempts to salvage the airline. “In a country where unemployment is…

The Potchefstroom-based JB Marks Local Municipality in the North West has conceded that almost 90% of its residents in Ventersdorp have bridged (illegally connected their electricity) their meters for over 10 years, resulting in their Potchefstroom neighbours paying for the similar services. This was confirmed by the Municipal Manager Kgomotso Kumbe, who told YOU FM Newshour that this has ‘apparently, allegedly’ been encouraged by the former executive mayor of the now defunct Ventersdorp Local Municipality. “A brief background is that about 10 years back or so, in an erstwhile Ventersdorp Local Municipality, we had an instance where the municipality did…

The North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management has called on relevant government departments to intervene in the ongoing legal battles between the North West Transport Investment (NTI) and its former Business Rescue Practitioner Thomas Sammons, whose repeated appeals have stalled progress at the bus company. The committees concern come after 14 employees at the entity reportedly committed suicide since last year due to unpaid salaries. The committee has now called on Premier Lazarus Mokgosi, Community Safety and Transport Management MEC, Wessels Morweng, and Treasury MEC Kenetswe Mosenogi, to intervene in the matter. The Chairperson…