People's power: Cops and residents in tug of war over stolen transformer - Scrolla.Africa

Wednesday 24 March
                                               2021, 0145

Real News. Scrolla.Africa

People's power: Cops and residents in
tug of war over stolen transformer
Zukile Majova

In a daring display of electricity theft, residents of Highway
Gardens in East London in the Buffalo City Metro created a
massive illegal power supply unit fed from a stolen Eskom
transformer.

And when cops arrived to disconnect the 11 KW transformer, a
scuffle broke out as residents refused to give up their power
without a fight.

The high-voltage, extremely dangerous transformer was
connected right in the middle of the squatter camp, without
any consideration for the lives of shack dwellers. The
transformer was then fenced off with old scraps of corrugated
metal to hide it from the police and Eskom officials.

Hundreds of residents and a dozen businesses have been left in
the dark after the Metro cut power supply to the area.

On Sunday two metro police officers accompanied by Revenue
Protection officials found themselves outnumbered by a dozen
residents blocking them from destroying the illegal
connections.

The video of the scuffle – now trending on social networks –
shows cops and residents fighting over illegal cables.

Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said: “The
first video shows people removing cables from a municipal
vehicle. The second video shows BCM law enforcement officers
trying to retrieve the cable and tussling with community
members.”

Unlike many fights involving angry residents and police, officials
refused to succumb to the mob or to use firearms.

“The officers remained within the law by using minimum force
in the form of pepper spray and only resorted to drawing a
firearm when the situation escalated.

“This event demonstrates the severity of the problem that the
municipality is faced with in the escalating war against theft,
vandalism and illegal connections,” said Ngwenya.

The municipality has conducted raids in different townships
and informal settlements in the area resulting in the
destruction of some 950 illegal connection points.

Parents close school to protest corruption
Judas Sekwela

              Parents of pupils at Kgola Ka Leleme Secondary
              School have locked the school gates, leaving
              pupils and teachers stranded outside in protest
against corruption.

They protested at the school on Tuesday at Ga-Sekgopo village
outside Modjadjiskloof in Limpopo, calling for the principal’s
head and the removal of the School Governing Body (SGB),
accusing them of being corrupt.

They said the SGB members have been there for more than 20
years without being changed and that they were not serving
the school but their own personal interests.

They added that some of them are SGB members of another
school.

A villager Sipho Moagi, 36, said there are allegations that the
school borrowed another school's money, and that the
repayments were diverted "into personal bank accounts of
some SGB members and not the school’s bank account".

"We want to see the school’s financial books so they could be
audited,” he said.

Moagi said they decided to close the school as they did not get
what they wanted after submitting a memorandum to school
management last Friday.

The school had a 25% matric pass rate for the 2020 academic
year and this poor performance also angered parents.

“We believe the SGB and principal are not doing anything to
make things change,” said Moagi. They said their school will
remain closed until their demands are met.

Pupil Tumelo Marutha, 16, said the protest was delaying them.
“We hope their issues will be resolved as soon as possible so

we can return to school. We cannot afford to miss more school
since this academic year was delayed,” he said.

Limpopo Education spokeswoman Tidimalo Chuene said the
circuit manager visited the school to engage with parents in
order for pupils to return to school.

She said they are concerned about the events and will be
monitoring the situation throughout the week.

“It should be noted that as much as we appreciate parents’
rights to raise concerns in the running of the school, this should
not be done to the detriment of pupils,” Chuene said.

Former drug mule says its never too
late to turn your life around
Doreen Mokgolo

Recovering drug addict, former petty criminal
and drug mule Lehlogonolo Letswalo says it's
never too late to turn your life around.

Lehlogonolo is the founder of Aga Sechaba NGO in Ga-
Rankuwa, a centre aimed at reintegrating recovering addicts
and former convicts into society.

Lehlogonolo says that he was a troubled child who terrorised
the community, teachers and learners.

“I was always a rebellious child. I started experimenting with
cigarettes. I went on to dagga and before I knew it I was
addicted to heavy drugs,” he said.

He was arrested for the first time when he was 13 for assaulting
a neighbour.

“I enjoyed prison life because I felt like I belonged there. Older
prisoners taught me how to smuggle drugs in and out of
prison,” he said.

With his newfound “skills” he became a fully-fledged drug
trafficker.

His drug supplier introduced him to the main drug lord in
Gauteng. His role was to supply drugs to all the A-list night
clubs in Johannesburg and Pretoria and to recruit drug mules
for overseas trips and across the country.

“I travelled to London nine times without being caught and the
big bosses decided to appoint me as a receiver in London,” he
said.

“But in 2006 I was caught with 20 kilograms of drugs. I was
sentenced to five years in prison.”

In 2007, due to the economic recession in the UK, he and other
foreign prisoners were released early after his sentence was
reduced by eight months.

“While I was in prison I decided to turn my life around,” he said.

“I started motivating young addicts and ex-convicts who had
given up on life.

Lehlogonolo went on to register an NGO and today he devotes
his time to helping addicts and ex-convicts.

And the winner is....
Arthur Greene

                Earlier this month, we asked our readers how
                many languages they could speak and the story
                behind how they came to speak them.

Out of all the entries we received, there was one story which
stood out above all the rest...

Ingrate Lamola from Alexandra blew us away, not only with her
deeply impressive ability to speak so many languages, but with
her inquisitiveness and kindness in her approach to other
cultures.

Ingrate, 36, speaks a total of 11 languages.

When she first wrote to us, she told us that she was born in
Mokopanin, Limpopo, but she spent most of her childhood in
Alex, and this is where she learnt most of these languages.

She speaks SePedi, SeSotho, English, Afrikaans, Ndebele,
IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, SeTswana, Xitsonga, Tshivenda and
Portuguese, which she learnt from her travels in Mozambique.

She said that she only realised that she had a penchant for
languages when it occurred to her that she could read and
write in all of them as well!

We caught up with Ingrate last week to learn more about her
story.

In a video call, she told us about her early life and how it
informed her gift for learning languages.

“I have been living in Alex since forever! So I grew up in Alex
where we get to mix with so many people and we get to
experience so much opportunities,” she said.

She continued, “The only languages I learnt at school were
Afrikaans, English and SePedi. Most of the other languages I
just learnt on the streets in Alex.”

Even though Ingrate is a fully fledged linguist now, she joked
that she almost flunked languages at school!

She laughed, “I actually got a D in my metric in Afrikaans and an
E in my English… It was good for me but not for my English
teacher!”

This week, our panel of judges visited Lamola in Alex, where
she greeted them in 11 different ways.

After receiving her the prize of a brand new Nokia 2.2
smartphone., she said: “I’m actually excited to have won the
phone (I think I need it the most!). It’s a very lovely phone,
thanks to Scrolla.Africa!”

"Yes, I am greedy - but you are not
getting your money back"
Lwazi Nongauza

Arthur Mafokate will not return National Arts
Council Covid 19 relief money which was given to

his business instead of the struggling artists it was meant for.

The self-proclaimed King of Kwaito Music says he is not budging
and won't give back the money. He says he's seen Chicco
Twala’s open letter to him, which said:

"It is practically not ethical to be asking the government for
Covid relief assistance at the expense of our struggling
colleagues...this fund is supposed to be a stimulus, not a get
rich quick scheme.”

Chicco told Scrolla.Africa that he publicly criticized Mafokate
because his business, 999 Records, got a grant from taxpayers’
money.

For now, Mafokate is not budging and told Scrolla.Africa: ‘’I am
an artist and business person. That NAC relief fund was meant
for all artists whose businesses or sources of income were
badly influenced by Coronavirus-enforced lockdown. My
business was one of those who were affected. That is why I
applied and accepted the funding. So, I don’t understand why
people like Chicco think that I committed crime.’’

Mafokate denied that his NAC funding could have been
influenced by his well known business relations with the ANC.

’’I am not going to stop or apologize to Chicco or whoever is
angry with me."

Picture source: @ArthurMafokate

Real polygamous housewives of Lagos

A Nigerian billionaire politician is set to start a reality show in
which he will "hunt" for three wives to marry.

Anthony Tosan Prest’s show will be called “Billionaire’s Wives
Search”.

He describes it as the first “search for wives” reality show in
Nigeria.

Those eligible for the show must be between 18 and 70 and
must be “looking for love, happiness and marriage”.

Other requirements are that applicants must believe in
polygamy and be Pan-African – which means South African
ladies can apply.

According to Prest’s Instagram handle, the first season of the
show will see him “hunt for three wives to marry traditionally”.

He revealed that the winner of the show’s debut season will get
“a loving husband and father to your children and brand-new
cars,” among other perks.

Other perks include “residency overseas as well as world travel
and holidays four times in a year.”

Who wouldn’t go for this?

Prest was a former governorship candidate in Delta State, but
may have to change his name to Pest if his promises don’t pan
out.

Nigerians are known for their imaginative reality TV shows.

In 2017 they hosted a TV show “Oyinbo Wives of Lagos”
featuring black women who married white dudes talking about

their trials and tribulations. Oyinbo is Nigerian slang for an
mlungu.

Picture source: @TheCable

Don’t underestimate Uganda,
netballers told
Timmy T Maranda

               South Africa’s netball women have a 10-2
               winning record against Uganda, but that is no
               reason to be overconfident.

Spar Protea captain Bongiwe Msomi has warned her
teammates not to underestimate Uganda when they play them
on Thursday.

The Spar Proteas will start the Tri-Nations series by playing
Uganda’s “She-Cranes” at the Cape Town International
Convention Centre. No spectators are allowed and the matches
will be played in the 'bio-bubble' due to covid-19 restrictions.

Msomi said they are grateful to get game time with countries
like Uganda and Namibia.

“We are hosting the World Cup in 2023 but we also have
Common Wealth Games coming up next year and this is the
right time to prepare,” she said.

"The connections, combinations and depth don't just come
overnight. This will give all the girls an opportunity to
compete."

She said they are going for the win.

“That will give the girls the confidence but we have to perform
as a team first and eventually the results will come. We can't
underestimate them, and obviously they are African countries
and there is a lot of work you have to do if you want to win
against them."

The Spar Proteas played the She-Cranes 12 times in the past,
managed to win 10 times and lost twice with the average score
of 50-30. South Africa's biggest victory was in the World cup in
Liverpool, where they defeated Uganda 67-40.

Last year they edged out Uganda 50-47 at the same venue in
2019.The match starts at 18h00.

Picture source: @NetballSA

Benni applauds never say die attitude
Menzi Magubane

AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy has
congratulated his players for their never say die
attitude that has seen them pile up the pressure
on the leading pack in the DStv Premiership.

Usuthu's 2-0 victory over Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila saw
them cement their top eight spot.

"Players have worked hard at training and it's nice to see them
getting positive results. I congratulate them for that. These
points take us to within touching distance of the leading pack,"
said MacCarthy.

Like all the teams in the DStv Premiership, Usuthu will take a
rest this weekend. The break will see national teams battle to
try and qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

McCarthy wasn’t happy with the break.

"The break will disrupt us. We wanted to keep playing and get
the points,” he said.

Usuthu's recent form sees them in fifth place on the log, well
on course for a top eight finish.

The defeat has not helped Tshakhuma at all. They are second
from bottom just two points ahead of Black Leopards who are
rooted at the bottom.

AmaZulu's win over Tshakhuma eased the pressure on their
distant neighbours Maritzburg United.

The Team of Choice were third from bottom and Tshakhuma
was breathing down their necks before the AmaZulu match.
United also helped themselves by beating TS Galaxy at the
weekend.

United will go to the FIFA break with a smile knowing they
could avoid relegation.

Picture source: @soccerladuma

Bafana will do it for the missing guys,
says WIlliams
Menzi Magubane

              Ronwen Williams is expected to start between
              the sticks when Bafana Bafana take on Ghana in
              the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Thursday
at FNB Stadium in Soweto at 6pm.

Williams’ recent form for his club SuperSport United gives him
the chance to start the match. The keeper said they are
determined to qualify for the Afcon in Cameroon next year.

He also said they want to win this match for the players who
are absent due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions.

"We are disappointed. We have lost some of our soldiers due to
the travel challenges. But the players who are coming need to
step up and fill in the gap,” he said.

He said their preparations started a long time ago when the
technical team sent them information about the opposition.

“We already know our game plan. We know how Ghana and
Sudan play," said Williams.

The absent players are Keagan Dolly, Dean Furman, Luther
Singh, Lyle Foster, Thibang Phete, Siyanda Xulu, Thulani Serero
and Bongani Zungu. They were replaced by Vincent Pule,
Mothobi Mvala, Lebohang Maboe, Thabiso Kutumela and
Thabo Nodada.

"We are confident of winning both games. We are disappointed
that the guys are not here but we will do it for them," said
Williams.

All the Bafana players reported for the camp on Sunday
afternoon and after the Ghana game they will jet out to face
Sudan on Sunday.

Bafana need all the points available in this match to keep their
chances of qualifying in this Group C encounter alive. They are
in second place and Ghana are on top of the group. Both teams
have nine points.

Picture source: @citypress

Ikorodu Bois are back with a new vid,
and it’s wheely worth a watch
Arthur Greene

The Ikorodu Bois are back, and have set their sights on flashy,
skillful BMX tricks of other youngsters.

The group from Lagos, Nigeria have found social media stardom
for remaking scenes from famous music videos and Hollywood
movies.

In their latest video, they mimic an impressive clip in which
several young guys exchange their bikes whilst cycling.

In the video, which is not the Ikorodu Bois, the guys cycle along,
and they’re not going slowly, when three of them dismount at
the same time, leaving their bikes heading down the road. Then
they race to catch up to another’s bike and hop on, not
stopping once.

The clip ends as the boy in front wheelies slickly into the
distance.

In the Ikorodu rendition however, the boys from Lagos are not
riding stylish BMXs, but rickety old wheelbarrows pushed by
other boys.

One of the barrows is even fitted with rear-view mirrors and a
fetching black frame.

As always, the Bois find humour in their own poverty whilst
subtly making fun of the flashy nature of viral clips.

It’s a classic Ikorodu clip, and well worth a watch.

Video source: @IkoroduB