FREE STATE NEWS APRIL 26 2013 SAMPLE STORIES

Free State News April 26 2013 sample stories

This web page(s) regularly focuses 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 has been published on a weekly basis since 1999. Regular items like “Feature of the week” have appeared here over the years. 


Free State News crew

Publisher

Moses Vinger

Confidential Secretary/Manager

Maki Mohapi aka “Madam Maki” “H.C”

Editor

Kaya M

News Editor

Omoseye Bolaji

Contributors

Letshego Moeng
Sebedi Seroalo
Raselebeli Khotseng

Lay-out artist

Tumisang Takang

Contact number:

051 447 1655 051 447 1655 

Oguchi at 50!

By O Bolaji

Sundry friends, acquaintances, associates, and well wishers will this weekend converge to salute and felicitate with Oguchi Manume as he celebrates his 50^th birthday with elan in Bloemfontein city.

As if this was not enough, to boot Oguchi will also be launching his debut book – laced with spiritual and motivational exhortations – titled THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER – A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR. The venue for this twain, combined events is the Bloemfontein Baptist Church Hall at Fairview Street (Bloemfontein)

Oguchi is understandably well chuffed to be notching the impressive age of fifty. Brimming and bristling with pride and savoire faire, he told Free State News: “Of course I am delighted to be marking such a milestone. I give all the glory to the Almighty. The icing on the cake would be my new book which helps us to cast aside the shackles of the devil,”

He waxes lyrical on the inspiration behind his book. “Alas, I found myself spending some days in jail about a year ago. It was not the best of experiences but at least I was able to change the lives of some inmates for the better. I discovered that some of them were using pocket bibles to smoke dagga! This unnerved me.

“I began to minister to these miscreants and organized brief church sessions for them. I taught the inmates about miraculous episodes in the Bible and they began to respond positively to the word of God. In general, I had also been wondering about many things: for example why is it that so many lovely women can not get adequate partners or why is it that divorce is so rampant these days? Why is it that so many people have poor health with blood problems, and the like?

“I have no doubt that it is all about spiritual bondage which conventional Doctors etc can do nothing about. Spiritual therapy is what is needed in so many cases and this is what I focus on in the book. We must be vigilant as the devil comes to steal, destroy and kill. I wrote my book so that people can be aware of the tricks of the devil,”

Oguchi adds that there are indeed things like “ancestral curses” in African parlance. “The evil chain must be broken. I wrote my book to inform people as to how to break the chains and the shackles of the devil. The world is in a way a battle field and we must be vigilant!”

The book, titled THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER has a number of thought-provoking chapters. They include The Christian Soldier, The Spiritual Warrior,  Prayers and Types of Prayers, Strategies of the Enemy, and How to Dislodge Strategies of the Enemy

“He forced me to perform oral sex on him” – female teacher

By: Sebedi Seroalo

Northern Cape: A senior staff member at the Noupoort Combined School, who was charged for coercing a young teacher into perform oral sex on him in the computer room, has since tendered his resignation on two occasions.

 The accused, Rudy Reed, was granted R1 000 bail in the Noupoort Magistrate’s Court late on Thursday afternoon.  Police spokesman, Lieutenant Sergio Kock, said the 38-year-old man was arrested by the police at his home in Noupoort evening on charges of sexual assault. Educators at the school had requested that the school be closed until further notice, although lessons continued as normal on Thursday, according to the Department of Education.

The complainant on Thursday gave details to the department on how she was allegedly taken by force by the staff member after she was summoned to bring him the class list.  “When I entered the computer room he was already inside waiting behind the door. He locked the door but I was not aware of what was happening. He then hugged and kissed me by force. I refused and wished to know what was happening because I don’t have any relationship with him. “I screamed, but he told me that it was no use because nobody could hear me.

“He touched my breasts, rubbed my body and told me that I was cute and that he wanted to have sex with me for a long time. He loosened his belt and forced me to perform oral sex on him.

“I cannot cope with anything my life is a mess.”  She also related how she was sexually abused by her uncle and was threatened with a pistol when she was very young.

“I don’t know where to go. I request your immediate intervention in this regard,” she told the Department of Education. Spokesman for the department, Sydney Stander, said that Reed was suspended with immediate effect.

“In this case, because we deem his action of resigning after being suspended as a way of avoiding due process, the Employment of Educators Act empowers the employer to block such an employee on the Persal system.”  He indicated that the necessary steps were taken to protect the victim and safeguard the interests of women and children.

“The department is continuing with internal investigations. The district has sent a multi-disciplinary team that will provide support to affected learners and female educators. There is no crisis in terms of attendance and there no truth in suggestions that the school will be closed indefinitely.”

He added that, according to their records, the staff member resigned on Wednesday, withdrew his resignation almost immediately, and then tendered his resignation again on Thursday morning.  Stander explained that a staff member is granted 30 days in which to retract a resignation.

“Once a resignation is submitted to the district director, it is forwarded with recommendations to the head office of the Human Resources Unit for a final decision.”

The police have requested that any information regarding the case be forwarded to Detective Sergeant Melany Oliphant on 053 632 9627