While investigations about a murder case in Diepsloot’s extension 13 were still on, a 24-year-old man handed himself into the police and confessed to be responsible for killing a person on 29 May, said Diepsloot police spokesperson Captain Tinyiko Mathebula.
The suspect surrendered himself to the officers on 30 May, the captain said.
“The police received a complaint of murder from a local clinic,” Captain Mathebula said. “On arrival, they found a lifeless body of a male victim with a slit throat. Community members who brought the deceased to the clinic allege that they found him lying in a pool of blood, still breathing. They allegedly rushed him to clinic and he was sadly declared dead on arrival by emergency personnel.”
Police then opened an inquest docket and began investigating, Captain Mathebula said.
“While the investigation was still underway,” he said, “the suspect allegedly brought himself to the police station and confessed that he murdered the deceased. He was subsequently arrested and charged with murder.”
The suspect was not named, and he has since appeared in the Randburg magistrates' court.
In another development, captain Mathebula said police continue holding awareness campaigns against Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in the communities.
At OR Tambo clinic in Diepsloot, for example, police talked with people inside the clinic, urging them to report any acts of Gender Based Violence or the killing of women and children to the police, whether or not they themselves are attacked, they witness the violence or they find out about it some other way.
The police gave away pamphlets with safety tips and emergency numbers that people can call if they need help.
“Chess, as a sport, sharpens your mind and teaches you discipline,” said coach Petros Malemane speaking about a chess programme that he has introduced to keep children off the streets.
The aim of the programme is to keep children occupied and develop focused minds, he said. Malemane works with Makhulong a Matala to empower the children. More than 20 children from different extensions in Cosmo City, aged between 6 and 15, learn the basics of chess at Hlanganani Gardens from Monday to Thursday.
Coach Petros Malemane and kids
In an interview with Cosmo City Chronicle, Malemane said he brought the programme to keep youngsters off the streets.
“With the chess programme,” he said, “we need to enable children to make up their own minds, instead of being influenced by peer pressure. I teach them how the game is played, and how they can benefit from it.”
“We want to push them very hard, especially those who are passionate about Chess,” he said. “Those who excel, we will get them participate in bigger chess competitions. I hope something positive, like ports scholarships will come through to uplift the talented chess enthusiasts.”
Under his mentorship programmes, Malemane does not only coach chess, but also netball, soccer (five aside) and fitness training. He also holds a youth interaction club, focusing on teenagers. He said he conducts the activities to inspire children and to keep them safe in the community.
“There are a lot of challenges that we face when we are mentoring the children,” he said. “Sometimes it is very hard to work with the parents. We also have a problem in terms of getting sponsors. We have a huge challenge of transporting children from one point to the next.”
SThe City of Johannesburg Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Economic Development, Cllr. Lawrence Khoza resumed the City’s Youth Cooperative Development Programme in Region C, in Cosmo City on 8 June 2021.
Region C covers parts of Roodepoort area, Florida, Northgate, Constantia Kloof, Bram Fischerville and Cosmo City.
Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Economic Development, Cllr. Lawrence Khoza
The programme empowers youth-owned cooperatives with compliance regulations, in-depth training, market access through Cooperative Development, and links them with procurement opportunities available within the City. The focus will be on young people between the ages of 18 and 35 years whose level of skills and workplace experiences disadvantages them when seeking employment. The programme will identify 500 young people in each of the City’s seven regions.
These interventions are aimed at reversing the effect of the factors contributing to the failures of similar sized businesses and they include the lack of business planning, access to capital and markets, inadequate office infrastructure/facilities, skills, and institutional capacity.
“The exclusion of the youth from the labour market, the lack of opportunities, along with the devastating effects of COVID-19 on the economy has led to the concerted efforts of the City to focus
its support to Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and youth cooperatives; and to encourage co-production and localisation as a catalyst for economic revitalisation,” says MMC Khoza.
“There is a great of hope placed on the youth and it is for that reason, the City must invest in aspiring entrepreneurs, their talents and skills to participate in the economy. Joburg must be mindful in its approach to transform one of our greatest challenges into an asset.
The City aims to deliver an enabling environment for its young people to actively participate as drivers of change. The programme launched today aims to raise awareness among young people about co-operatives as an alternative form of enterprise model which young people can use for their economic, social and cultural development as well as the attainment of their aspirations.” says MMC Khoza.
Cooperatives stimulate the economy of the community in which they operate. They bridge the economic divide, promote an inclusive local economy, and remain viable means of alleviating poverty by creating employment opportunities. Resulting in local resilience, spending, democratic accountability, and much needed active participation of community members towards sustainable livelihoods.
The City continues to fight unemployment, which is one of the major problems facing South Africa as a whole. Young people, especially; young women and people with disabilities, are encouraged to apply online or obtain the application forms from Ward Councillors offices within the City’s regions.
Numbers and types of cooperatives supported by CoJ in the 2019/20 financial year
• 18 in the separation at source programme run by PIKITUP
• 30 in the Waste Management Programme including street cleaning, illegal dumping, round collection, assisting in the landfill
• 36 contracted by Johannesburg City Parks and are involved in the maintenance of parks
• 85 in the agro-processing sector
• 250 in the Food Resilience Programme run by the Department of Social Development
Click here to download the Youth Cooperative Registration Form
or
Click here to register online for the Youth Cooperatives Development Programme
For more information, contact: Malusi Mbusi 083 444 5555 malusim@joburg.org.za or Lawrence Selemakoro 083 571 5778 LawrenceS@joburg.org.za
“During the lockdown, I lost my sources of income. Then I got depressed,” said Ithumeleng Dithupe the author of Journey of Self Discovery
Instead of letting the hardships of lockdown and Covid-19 bring him down, he Dithupe decided to hold on and write his third book.
Dithupe has not had an easy life, he said, but he is now an established writer who helps other people of disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their dreams through his non-profit organisation, Dithupe’s Foundation.
“It took me six months to write my new book, Journey of Self Discovery,” Dithuphe said. “I hope my book will help people find tools to boost their confidence and stand firm during tough situations and relationships.”
author-I-tumeleng-Dithupe
The book is R100 and can be bought online from the Groep 7 website (www.groep7-selfpublish-books.co.za), and soon from Amazon.
The book follows Dithupe’s novels Be the Boss of Your Future, and King Lion vs Jackal Enemies.
Dithupe said that along with depression, he has been going through other challenges as a writer.
“We go through a lot due to writing for long hours and having sleepless nights,” he said. “Sometimes it is hard to find the right audience for the book.”
“I think the challenge is among the young people who do not believe in empowering themselves through reading,” he added. “I would like to encourage the young generation to read and support local artists.”
