Elim Insight News

07/08/2025

Broken toilets, unhygienic facilities with rundown and overcrowded classrooms are the conditions under which over 2,000 learners have to study at Elim High in Limpopo.

Read https://groundup.org.za/article/more-than-80-to-a-class-at-elim-high/ by Thembi Siaga

The school has over 2,000 learners and has been asking for additional classrooms since 2007

25/07/2025

“Children should remain children. Respect for parents is the foundation of success. Thinking you are grown up after initiation shows poor morals,” said Chief Hlekani Mukhari of the Njakanjaka Traditional Council.

An initiation school held under the Njakanjaka Traditional Council concluded successfully on Saturday, 19 July, with 256 boys returning safely to their homes. The school was run by traditional surgeon and circumcision school owner Nkhumeleni Muthavhine, from Ngudza village.

25/07/2025

A traffic officer and a former chief traffic officer from the Makhado Municipality have been granted bail after being arrested for allegedly defrauding taxi operators of more than R100,000 by selling fake operating permits.

A traffic officer and a former chief traffic officer from the Makhado Municipality have been granted bail after being arrested for allegedly defrauding taxi operators of more than R100,000 by selling fake operating permits.

24/07/2025

Catch Thembi Siaga live tonight on Tshwane Fm 93.6 at 18:00 - 19:00
Stream live: www.tshwanefm.com
WhatsApp/Call: 012 382 4936 – Have your say during the show! #𝑨𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒏𝒊𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒌 #𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒍𝒚𝑻𝑼𝑻𝑨𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒏𝒊

Catch Thembi Siaga, a fearless journalist reporting for Limpopo Mirror and GroundUp News, as he unpacks the stories behind his work exposing service delivery failures, corruption, and systemic neglect in rural South Africa.

Recently named runner-up at the 2025 Sikuvile Journalism Awards, Thembi joins us to share his journey from Elim to national impact and why truth-telling still matters.

Tonight | 18:00 – 19:00
Tshwane FM 93.6
Stream live: www.tshwanefm.com
WhatsApp/Call: 012 382 4936 – Have your say during the show! #𝑨𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒏𝒊𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒌 #𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒍𝒚𝑻𝑼𝑻𝑨𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒏𝒊

18/07/2025

R168-million project in Limpopo was supposed to be completed in June 2024

18/07/2025

The R168-million project, awarded to Clear Choice Builders in June 2021, was supposed to be completed by June 2024. But four years after the project started, learners are still using dilapidated prefab structures and mobile toilets.

Work at the Rivoni School for the Blind in Njakanjaka village near Elim remains stalled, with workers saying they have not been paid since May 2024. They also report that construction materials have been stolen from the site.

04/07/2025

“Personally, it reminds me that voices from Elim, from rural Limpopo, matter. Professionally, it’s validation. This recognition gives me the courage to aim even higher and keep telling stories that challenge power and uplift the voiceless.”

On Saturday night, 28 June, at The Venue in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg — a space usually reserved for seasoned editors and city-dwelling media giants — the voice of Elim village echoed loudly and proudly. That voice belonged to Thembi Siaga, a young journalist from the rural heart of Limpopo, wh...

20/06/2025

Makhado Mayor Dorcus Mboyi delivered the R1.7 billion 2025/26 budget at the Makhado Show Grounds on 13 June. While the municipality pledges infrastructure upgrades and job creation, thousands of households still lack access to piped water, proper sanitation, and regular refuse removal.

Property rates and service fees in the Makhado Municipality will rise by 4.3%, while electricity tariffs will increase by 15.62%. This was announced during a function at the show grounds last week, where the 2025/26 budget was unveiled.

19/06/2025

Young boxer Anao “Mroja” Netshidzati from Mpheni village in Elim made an impressive professional debut on Saturday, 7 June, during the Rise Boxing Promotion event held at Event City in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.

The young boxer from Elim Boxing Club faced Jimmy Tshehla in a four-round welterweight bout and secured a knockout victory, marking a significant milestone early in his boxing career.

Young boxer Anao “Mroja” Netshidzati from Mpheni village in Elim made an impressive professional debut on Saturday, 7 June, during the Rise Boxing Promotion event held at Event City in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.

19/06/2025

For more than 30 years, residents of Mahonisi village in Waterval Section B, near Elim, have lived with raw sewage flowing through their streets and into nearby streams. Many say the crisis began shortly after 1994 and has been ignored ever since.

In 2022, the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM) promised to address the sewage leaks, but the problem remains unresolved. Residents complain that the constant stench has forced some to abandon their homes.

For more than 30 years, residents of Mahonisi village in Waterval Section B, near Elim, have lived with raw sewage flowing through their streets and into nearby streams. Many say the crisis began shortly after 1994 and has been ignored ever since.

03/02/2024

The Mthombeni family say they are angry and frustrated with the police who, instead of investigating the incident and making arrests, just seem to come up with excuses and downright lies. In an incident last month, they were even told that the case was closed “because the media reported on the story”.

The Mthombeni family of 10 members from Elim Makhongele, who were held hostage during a robbery at their home on 13 December 2023, say they are angry and frustrated with the police who, instead of investigating the incident and making arrests, just seem to come up with excuses and downright lies. I...

27/01/2024

Phathutshedzo Siavhe, an 18-year-old learner from Elim High School, has demonstrated that dedication and hard work can lead to extraordinary success by obtaining seven distinctions in his Grade 12 final examinations.