Free State News (Feb 2009) editions

FREE STATE NEWS (February 2009 editions)

This web page(s) would regularly focus on the leading Free State (South Africa) newspaper – Free State news – the first regular newspaper to be orchestrated fully by black people in the Free State province (the paper celebrates its 10th year anniversary this year). The paper has been published on a weekly basis since 1999. Here, we shall have regular items like “Feature of the week”, which started in July, 2008.

Free State News crew

Publisher
Moses Vinger

Confidential Secretary/Manager
Maki Mohapi

Editor
Kaya M

News Editor
Omoseye Bolaji

News Desk
Julia Stuurman
Flaxman Qoopane
Neo Mvubu

Sports Reporter
Michael Tlhakudi

Adverts Consultant
Steve Sotyu

Lay-out artist
Tumisang Takang

Photographer
Fresh Pix

Contact number:
051 447 1655


FEB 27 – MARCH 06 09 edition

FEATURE OF THE WEEK:

“Reconnection of the unknown!” (from Poetry Corner) Page 7. By Kelebone Pitlele

(reproduced here)

RECONNECTION OF THE UNKNOWN!
(At least I know my mistakes!)
By: Kelebone Pitlele

Ignored for so long to be prolonged by my insanity
Programmed or shall I say brainwashed to believe life
Is not better without things we can buy or sell
This part I did not see nor hear about and yet it happened
And when I say I hate it, know that I mean it ‘cos I loved too hard…this part

Sailed to confront my demons as they played tricks with my mind
Laid my body down but my spirit still needed to understand Me
I don’t know this being that shows me things that I’ve never seen and yet I know we connect
Our hands hold each other as we see the future together and the mystery is still there, yet we connect.

Strengthen my wits to understand and have mercy on my mistakes
Guide my profound ability to always tell the truth
Be the way, life and stability to know who I am and where I come from
Because I know where I want to be
Utilise how I speak and not to forget the connection we have
Place me close and I will never forget the sight you showed me as I lived it with you in our mysterious life

Today I am Kelebone
Tomorrow may come with a new life but I can never be scared of my life
I look forward to every situation, challenge and pain that will make me grow to be the woman I am
Silently I gaze at myself and know that the mystery is now revealed that how I saw yesterday.

FEB 20 - FEB 26 09 edition

FEATURE OF THE WEEK:

“Congenial centre takes kids off the streets” (page 7). By Julia Stuurman

(reproduced here)

Congenial Centre takes kids off the streets

By Julia Stuurman

The sight of children in a group busy sniffing the glue on the street is not only an unusual sight, but a most unwelcome and unwholesome one. South Africa is amongst the countries that encounter the challenge of street kids. Arguably what makes this practice stand out here is that there is a spirit of Ubuntu amongst its citizens.

This has been demonstrated by a family at Phahameng Location in Bloemfontein who opened their home and hearts to over fifty vulnerable and abandoned kids in their area. The Williams’ family started taking in these children voluntarily in the early nineties and they then went on to be registered formally under the name Iphahamiseng Place of Safety in 1996 with the then Department of Welfare (which is now known as Social Development).

“We saw that we can provide a safe and secure home for these children of whom some were street kids while others were abused by their family due to dysfunctional homes” said the co-founder and the mother of this institution, Sanna Williams. These children needed a family structure that will guide them into being responsible adults and Sanna and Aubrey Williams were geared for this responsibility.

However, raising children does not only need love and care but it also requires one to be able to provide them with an opportunity for schooling. “Taking them to school was also a struggle for us but we were also blessed in this area of our life because we were able to receive social assistance to enable them to attend school”

Currently, this centre houses 55 children and the youngest of them all is a boy of seven years. Remarkably, twenty one of them are at high school, two have already obtained their grade twelve and are hoping to further their studies.

Litlhare Marake is sixteen years old and she is in grade ten at Sehunelo High School and she has spent most of her childhood in the centre. “It is my home and I am very comfortable here. I don’t imagine myself anywhere else” she told Free State news.

Bongane Jantjie and Setjhaba Makoko arrived at this place in 1997 and they have been here since then. They are now at high school and they don’t want to see themselves anywhere other than here at Iphahamiseng. “We are very much happy here and this is only the home we have known in our lives” they said.

The centre prides itself on the achievement it has had in “decreasing” the number of street kids in their area. They have also created jobs for the community adjacent to it. Dieketseng Mafa, a mother of two started working at this centre in 1993 and she has seen it growing “We used to cook outside using firewood but now we have stoves which are making our job easier” she said.

Even though this centre is doing well due to the assistance they get from the Social Development and Department of Justice, they still welcome any help from willing individuals and the community “ I thank God for making us realize that we have to love our neighbor and we will continue” they concluded.

FEB 13 – FEB 19 09 edition

FEATURE OF THE WEEK:

“American Black history month celebrated in Bloem” (Page 2)

(reproduced here)


AMERICAN BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATED IN BLOEM

By S. Botsime

The city library in Bloemfontein city came alive at the weekend as “American Black History Month” was celebrated with some aplomb. Heather Thompson, a black American lady did the honours personally, introducing and guiding guests through this historical excursion.

This event is celebrated every February in America. Heather Thompson patiently held sway at the Bloemfontein library with the highlight being a movie shown called Laakwanna Blues. This movie took us back down memory lane as far back as 1956.And the movie was written by Robbin Sentiego. Mercy Gray stars as an actor here, and it was pointed out that it was originally done as a play.
The presentation was quite impressive. There were displays on the wall of gurus like Malcolm X, Rosa Park, Martin Luther King, and Oprah Winfrey, just to mention the few. The movie begins with the end, all about the hardship, trauma, good times and not forgetting the romance. Viewers were much impressed by the setting of the movie, the tuxedos, the ball gowns and the black & white shoes. Part of the movie was done before the segregation and after.With impressive detail, the movie highlighted the romance, vagaries, point of raising children in a not too conducive environment where it’s a constant battle for survival. I have to admit that I found myself reminiscing on the stories of Sophiatown and district six where people like Kippie Moeketsi and Abigael Khubeka made one to dance the night away!

This special event was more of an eye opener for me and I wonder how far have we preserved and documented our history as South Africans? I had to conclude that although this was an American film the similarities between there and here are marked. Truly, this is just a small world, we are the same just divided by oceans!

FEB 06– FEB 12 09 edition

FEATURE OF THE WEEK:

“Gratifying reunion at Thaba Nchu School” (Page 6) By Charmaine Mrwebi

(reproduced here)

Gratifying Reunion at Thaba Nchu School

By Charmaine Mrwebi

As a child growing up you spend almost twelve years of your life in a school environment. So it’s evident that whatever the type of adult you become, it’s because of the influence by the particular school. This truism assumed great dimensions with me recently as Goronyane High School (Thaba Nchu) celebrated its 40th anniversary!

Schools like this instilled the love of reading widely, especially for leisure in people like myself. Indeed most of the readers became enamoured by the wider ramifications of literacy and literature thanks to the vision of their teachers who had a talent of narrating novels in a very practical manner; that you can almost see the characters! Today some of us are contributing to literature because of our school background when the foundation was laid.

Yet after Matric most of us forget our school and just watch as such alma mater rot and deteriorate. We need to recognize and applaud these institutions that made a lot of impact in out lives as the former learners in these institutions.

The survival of Education in the South African soil should be restored by former learners who appreciate what education has done for them individually.

Goronyane High School in Thaba Nchu is celebrating its 40th year anniversary as a well as having a reunion for its former learners. The aim and purpose of the celebration is to honour the late teachers who have passed on and made a difference in our lives; another motive for the celebration is to find means of investing back into our local schools through a collective effort of donating money as well as our time to the progress of the school.