Author: Tshegofatso Letsie
The Gauteng Department of Education has committed to preserving and advancing the legacy of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG). The department will take ownership of the school following the announcement that it will close after the 2027 academic year. Since opening its doors in 2007, the school, founded by US media mogul and author Oprah Winfrey, has empowered more than 1,000 young girls from disadvantaged communities by providing access to quality education. Winfrey said OWLAG had achieved the vision for which it was established more than two decades ago – to empower and uplift young women through…
The four-day, multi-stakeholder National Workshop on Weather Forecasting will get underway on Tuesday, 28 July, in Pretoria. It will be jointly led by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, and his counterpart from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts. The workshop will bring together more than 100 stakeholders from disaster management, government departments, civil society and the media to review the current Impact-Based Forecasting (IBF) system and explore mechanisms to transform it into an Action-Based Forecasting (ABF) system. In a statement released by the South African Weather Service (SAWS), the…
Nonhle Thema’s recent radio interview about her legacy has sparked debate on social media. Featured on 947 Drive with Thando, hosted by Thando Thabethe, the renowned South African media personality reflected on her rise to fame, lessons learnt, and the challenges she faced throughout her career. While her success and influence remain undeniable, some of her bold claims — including that she introduced Mzansi to Twitter after discovering the platform in the United States — received mixed reactions from listeners and social media users. Dubbed the original “It Girl”, Thema received both praise and criticism, with fans reminiscing about her…
The inquest into the disappearance of North West anti-apartheid activist Boiki Tlhapi has been postponed to November 2026 as authorities continue efforts to uncover the truth surrounding his decades-long disappearance. The Mahikeng High Court confirmed that the inquest will resume from 16 to 27 November 2026 following a preliminary hearing held on Monday. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) North West spokesperson Lindiwe Mabasa said the postponement was necessary to allow parties to complete important pre-trial processes. “These include submissions by the defence, the availability of witnesses, evidence, related documentation as well as the requirements of Section 16 of the Inquests Act,”…
South Africa’s long-running soapie, Generations: The Legacy, has announced changes to its original 8 pm time slot, spanning for over 32 years. The SABC 1 show, produced by Mfundi Vundla, swapped the 8:30 pm slot with popular soap-drama Uzalo. This reshuffle is expected to take effect from Monday, 27 July 2026, and was met with mixed emotions from viewers on social media. A user on X, @MrsMazwi23, raised concerns about the possible implications of this change. “The viewership will drop. It’s so unnecessary. If they are hoping to increase the viewership for Uzalo, that’s not a smart move”, the account…
Collaboration and calls for increased investment took centre stage during the North West Provincial National Cleantech Innovation Challenge (NCIC) Awards, organised by the Mahikeng Digital Innovation Hub at the Mahikeng Multipurpose Centre. The awards sought to celebrate emerging cleantech innovators and highlight potential entrepreneurial opportunities within the industry. The Hub’s CEO, Joseph Ndaba, said solutions to the socio-economic challenges facing local communities can be found through science and technology. “It cannot be that a municipality is facing challenges while we have innovators in the province. Please engage with our innovators. When they knock on your doors, please listen to them.…
Residents in parts of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the North West may experience low or intermittent water supply this weekend as Rand Water and Eskom undertake Phase Two of planned infrastructure maintenance from Friday to Sunday, between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm. The work follows Phase One of the maintenance programme, which was carried out between May and June this year. According to Rand Water, Phase Two will include Eskom’s maintenance of the electrical infrastructure at the Zuikerbosch Water Purification Plant, as well as the completion of cross-connections between old and new pipelines. Customers have been warned to expect possible water…
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling granting it leave to appeal the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court judgment that acquitted Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his two co-accused. The trio were acquitted of 32 charges, including rape, racketeering and human trafficking, in April 2025. NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago described the SCA ruling as a step in the right direction towards securing justice for victims of gender-based violence, following numerous attempts to challenge the judgment. “Before this legal route was explored, our legal team sought clarification of factual findings from Judge…
The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has launched a coffee bean production project in collaboration with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) to diversify and expand the agricultural sector. The project was launched at the Kgora Farmer Training Centre near Ramatlabama in Mahikeng on Monday. Among its key focus areas will be coffee cultivation, processing and the creation of new economic opportunities for emerging farmers in the province. The department’s MEC, Madoda Sambatha, is confident that the new development will inspire growth and promote skills transfer. “This project marks an important step towards diversifying agriculture in…
Alleged crime boss Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala has withdrawn from a plea and sentencing agreement with the State after objecting to a proposed 12-year prison sentence in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. Matlala made a brief appearance in court on Monday morning in connection with the R228 million SAPS tender corruption case involving his alleged company, Medicare24. The development follows Matlala’s guilty plea to several counts of fraud and money laundering, as well as his agreement to testify for the State. The original plea agreement proposed a minimum sentence of 15 years’ direct imprisonment, with seven years suspended. However, the…