By Pastor Thato Seleke

The Bible says" Husband, love your wives and do not be harsh with them." Love one another and be kind to one another. Respect for and for each other is the basic foundation. Amen. A relationship is a business in its own right, it has responsibilities, tasks, challenges and problems to be resolved, this relationship needs each partner's efforts, focus, commitment, sensible emotions, patience, tolerance, and learning each other every day as every day it's a new day for this relationship. Every day is a new day, it's come with new development, surprises, wonders, problems, pains, and happiness and we should take it as it presents itself. The couple has the responsibility to protect the relationship's democratic rights of love. Infringement to this relationship democratic rights not allowed. A relationship is built, it needs to be built, build it on the principle of truth and respect. Amen. Amen. No one is perfect hence we need each other to build each other in this relationship; we are guided by this relationship's vision, aim and objectives. Amen, yes nobody is perfect and it's not easy but forwards we go.

I grew up in the 70s and ’80s in the former Bophuthatswana homeland where every child was forced to learn Setswana irrespective of their home language. I remember I was bad when coming to speaking Setswana at school because my home language is isiNdebele but writing and reading it I make Batswana kids bite the dust.I was passing with flying colours.

 In fact, I was performing more than Setswana-speaking kids at school. Even now I am bad when coming to speaking Setswana I am not good but when coming to writing and writing, I am still the same.

When I was approached to be the Consulting Editor of Pako Community Newspaper an English and Setswana newspaper based in Pella-Motlhako village in the North West Province, I grab the opportunity with two hands.

The newspaper is covering Moses Kotane, Ramotshere Moilwa and Kgetleng Local Municipality in the Platinum province.

I would like to salute the founders of the newspaper Archbishop Stephen Mokgadi Molokwane, Pastor Moruti Thato Lesejane and Modisaotsi A Lesejane for coming up with this idea. The three are hard workers they have to prove that by running the successful Praised and Salvation Foundation which helps to fight poverty in the above-mentioned areas.

Go bua boammaruri go dira tiro e ke namane etona ya tiro fela go nnile botlhofo ka ntlha ya maikemisetso a badiri mmogo mo lokwalong dikgang le. Meaning, to be honest, it was a lot of work but the hardworking team at this newspaper make it easier. We have some challenges and we overcome them.

This newspaper has the potential of growing to be a national newspaper in future, it is still crawling but one day it will walk with the lions and swim with the shark. I hope the North West Press Club will welcome this new kid on the block with warm hands and teach him to walk because now he is still crawling.

To the communities of Tlokweng, Pella, Vrede, Madikwe, and surrounding areas of Kotane, Ramotshere Moilwa and Kgetleng Local Municipality please support this is your voice, use it. Use it to fight gender-based violence, poverty, corruption, and poor service delivery and also use it to improve your communities. Bakwena Ba Modimosang oo Morare ke kuranta ya lona e diriseng ka manonontlhotlho.

Share the links with friends, neighbours, and anyone around the North West and other parts of the country. Till next ta.

By Thato Lesejane

THE COMMUNITY OF Pella in the North West has joined hands to support the coming more than R30 million road projects which is expected to create job opportunities for local residents.

They come in numbers after receiving an invitation from Moses Kotane local Municipality to attend the 6 February 2023 meeting with the main agenda Onteker road construction tender. Community members expressed how some of them don’t trust, politicians and some individuals in the municipality, peoples express their frustration and dissatisfaction during meeting.

The community agreed on appointing a steering committee of 10 members who will play the role of monitoring all agreed processes and will report back to the community

The delegates of Moses Kotane Municipality including local Ward 18 councillor Mamiki Radiokana attended the meeting to brief the community at Bakwena Ba Modimosang oo Morare Traditional office in Pella.

According to Councilor Radiokana, the 6,6kilometer length road project costing R32 million will be completed in 12 months, and finally will be started as the contractor has already been appointed.

“This project road project cost R32 million and it will take 12 months to be finished. It will also benefit the community of Pella with job creation. It was not easy to reach an agreement with the community but we are happy that there was 100 percent community participation in all processes. 

“It was not easy especially because some people do not trust the municipality process as we are suspected of being corrupt and undermining our community but today as a municipality we demonstrated our transparency and explain the process to the community members,” said Radiokana. 

She concluded by saying they welcomed the Community Steering Committee and hope it will work with the main contractor as agreed for the benefit of their community in service delivery.   

Community leader Orapeleng Setlhodi well known as Castro in an interview with Pako Community Newspaper said the community agreed with the municipality representative that locals must benefit from the project.

“We have agreed that local must benefit from the project, about 3 to 4 local companies will be awarded subcontracts, which will give them the opportunity to learn, and gain skills and experience.

“We agreed that the local community will be employed as general workers and the minimum of those who will be employed comprise 70 percent youth and 30 percent adults, it will cover all sections of Pella. The contractor will communicate with the Steering committee, when a need for temporary jobs arises and that will be communicated to the community,” said Castro.

*Scroll down to see the pictures of the meeting...

Rural Economic Development remains one of the solutions towards economic freedom but without land ownership, it is just another wish list. Every day more than 53 million South Africans eat, drink, bathe, wear clothes and take different medications produced from agricultural and land-related sources. 

The question is does South Africans consume what we produce or who produces what we consume? The youth unemployment rate is rated at its highest 59.6% till 8 December 2022 – surely has increased in 2023. It is reported that 18 million depend on grants; it is believed that nearly 50% of South Africans depend on grants.

In Moses Kotane Local Municipality, the border of Kgetleng, Ramotshere Moilwa and Thabazimbi local Municipality are agricultural, mining and tourism areas but the worrying factor is poverty and food security as victims of social economic injustice who are also disadvantageous. 

Praised and Salvation Foundation is a poverty alleviation program (Food security) led by Archbishop Stephan Mokgadi Molokwane and is underway in Mooiland (Agricultural land on the borders of Moses Kotane and Ramotshere Moilwa Local Municipality). It is not easy to lament the Arch, one is caught up in community factions politics and municipality administrative issues. We are surrounded by water but there are too many unnecessary politics from the department of water and sanitation in our place.

Our poverty alleviation and food security benefit both municipalities as we hire residents from Venture settlement, some of these farm dwellers grew up on this farm, some are our relatives from Pella and other settlements, then we have other people from Pella, Letlhakane village, Tlokweng, Koffikraal and so on. We produce crop and horticulture products, and we have a skill development program where we share and transfer the agricultural skill to each other especially youth that we are empowering as victims of gender-based violence. We request for investors to come and invest in our program as Praised and Salvation foundation my contacts 076 932 7493.   

Kgetse ya tsie e kgongwa ke go tshwaraganelwa. Leruo ke karolo ya moruo wa kgaolo ya rona mo nageng ya rona. Tlhoba boroko ya morua kgomo ke bogodu jwa dikgomo, dipudi, dinku, dikgogo le tsano di phologolo tsa naga.

Ga re kake ra tshaba go rua ka ntlha ya magodu a leruo. Fa re le baruakgomo  re itse sentle gore ngwe ya tiro ya rona ke go samagana le bogodu jwa leruo joo botlang ka magodu.

Magodu a gantsi ke bangwe ba barua kgomo, gantsi ke batho ba re nang nabo ka metlha. Gantsi magodu a tsena ka mongwe yoo re moitseng a re itse sentle, e ka nna ka mongwe wa morua kgomo, Modisa, wa lesika yo gaufi le rona a itse boleng jwa leruo le bokao jwa leruo.

Se kao go a kgonagala gore Modisa wa tsona e nne ena yo a direkisang ka baka la megagaru, ka baka la gore mong leruo ga a motshole sentle, gongwe ga a duelwe ka nako, ga a duelwe go ya ka kutlwano, Seriti sa gagwe sa botho ga se tlotlwe ke mong leruo le lapa la gagwe jalo le jalo.

Nako dingwe bona mapodise a molao ba ba leruo , nako dingwe go na le dipelaelo tsa gore le boana ba dinalanyana. Motho a ka botsa gore bogologolo metlheng eo mapodise ba neng ba seo, baruakgomo ba ne ba dira jaang? Seo le bangwe gompieno ba se dirang go sireletsa leruo la bona.

A re dire se se neng se dirwa ka sedira, se direla baruakgomo. A re bue ka Whatsapp ikgolaganye le Tumelo dinomorong tse 0786023100 kgotsa Thato dinomorong tse 0762292126.

Tumelo Motshegare with Pako Community Newspaper crew in Mahikeng youth summit recently.

THE MADIKWE EDUCATION cluster in the North West province makes its mark by producing the best matric results for matric. Motlhaputseng High School in Tlokweng went above 90 percent by passing with 91.9 percent, followed by Vrede village high school which is Reipuseng with 86.7 percent, Morare (in Pella) with 82.4 percent and Sewagodimo(in Pella) with 82.8 percent.

Other Tlokweng schools that did better are Gabonewe with 80 percent and Kgosibodibe with 69.4 percent. The School Governing Bodies (SGBs), parents and the community have been inspired by the performance of the Class of 2022.

“We would to thank the teachers for their efforts, producing such results is not a walk in the park. We also like to thank the learners for being patient and working hard to pass their matric,” said one of the parents.

He said this should encourage the class of 2023, matric ga se matrase (meaning matric is not easy).

THE NORTH WEST Education MEC Viola Ntsetsao Motsumi condemned the disruption of education during the school opening by protestors in  Welbedatcht. Residents were protesting against the poor service delivery by the local municipality.

“I am taking this time to condemn the disruption of learning and teaching in Welbedatcht. I just cannot understand how adults can go to school and prevent learners from getting an education.

“Learners are the future of this country and they should be given a chance to get an education. The constitutions of this country emphasise that every child has the right to education, clearly, those who are behind this are violating their right to education,” said Motsumi.

*MEANWHILE THE MEC presented the Platinum Province’s Class of 2022 matric results on the 20 January. The province obtained a 79.8 percent pass rate improving by 1.6 percent from 2021 results. 

Joe 2 verse 21

Se boife, wena naga! Duduetsa o itumele, gonne tse kgolo di dirwa ke morena. Se boifeng, lona diphologolo tsa naga gonne mafulo a nag a tla tlhoga, e e, le ditlhare di tla ungwa maungo a tsona. 

Setlhare sa feie le sa moweine di tla ungwa ka fa thateng ya tsona. 23 Le lona, ban aba Sione, duduetsang lo itumele mo Moreneng,Modimo wa lona, gonne o tla lo naya moruti yo o lo rutang tshiamo a lo nesatsa pula, pula ya ntlha le ya kgogolamoko jaaka mo metlheng ya pele.