The North West Department of Social Development has stepped up psychosocial support for the family and school community following the alleged killing of an 18-year-old Grade 12 learner in Luka, near Rustenburg. The learner was last seen on the evening of 24 September after making a short visit to her cousin. When she failed to return home, her family initially believed that she may have spent the night with her cousin. Her body was later discovered in an abandoned house…

The Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has welcomed what he described as the “historic and significant decision” by Jehovah’s Witnesses to change their longstanding position on blood transfusions. According to Motsoaledi, the religious prohibition on blood transfusions has for decades posed a major challenge to the healthcare system, particularly in emergency and critical care settings. The Minister was reacting to a decision by the church’s Governing Body that accepting or donating the four main blood components—red blood cells, white…

The North West provincial government has given an undertaking to settle outstanding debts owed to scholar transport operators, some of whom were last paid in 2024. Newsnote caught up with Transport MEC Tsotso Tlhapi on the sidelines of the launch of Transport Month in Midrand. A recent departmental lekgotla gave officials a mandate to address challenges facing scholar transport in the province, with the payment of operators among the MEC’s priorities. “As you would know, transport has been a challenge…