Platinum Weekly Newspaper

10/09/2025

RUSTENBURG | Stats SA is in our area this September

Fieldworkers from Statistics South Africa will be conducting surveys, including the Labour Force, Household, Domestic Travel, Public Safety, and Population surveys.

✅ Officers carry official Stats SA ID cards and letters with supervisor details.
🔎 You can verify them online at www.statssa.gov.za

09/09/2025

DAYBREAK PUSHES 89,000 BIRDS INTO UNCERTAIN FUTURE DESPITE NSPCA CONCERN

The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has raised serious alarm over Daybreak Farms’ (In Business Rescue) plan to place 44,500 day-old breeder birds this week and a further 44,500 day-old breeder birds later in the month, despite being in business rescue and failing to address fundamental concerns about animal welfare.

Daybreak, which has a history of serious animal welfare violations and court rulings against it, is pressing forward with placements as though these were foregone conclusions. The NSPCA has not provided consent for these placements. As recorded in correspondence to Daybreak, we have repeatedly requested documentary proof of funding and contingency planning, which has not been forthcoming.

The NSPCA, together with local SPCAs, has been conducting continuous inspections at Daybreak facilities to monitor the welfare of animals. These inspections have consistently uncovered ongoing issues that demonstrate the company’s inability to meet even basic welfare obligations.

Recent inspections underscore why this matters:
• On 8 August 2025, NSPCA Inspectors uncovered over 400 mortalities in a single week at Daybreak’s Dieputten site, with the company’s Acting Head of Agriculture, veterinarian Dr Chrissie Makwiti citing alleged ‘secondary infections.'
• On 11 August 2025, Daybreak’s Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs) informed the NSPCA of a plan to place 39,000 chicks. In reality, an additional 5,317 birds were placed without disclosure. When challenged, Daybreak’s explanation was that the NSPCA should’ve known about these additional birds, which were described as ‘free of charge.’
• On 1 September 2025, another inspection confirmed 787 bird deaths in a single week, on just on one site, due to water shortages. Despite repeated warnings, Daybreak continues to leave compromised animals to linger in suffering. When pressed, Daybreak’s veterinarian queried the NSPCA’s definition of a ‘compromised animal.’

This pattern is not new. Earlier this year, the High Court found against Daybreak, confirming that Daybreak’s prior defences of funding assurances and vague undertakings were neither feasible nor legitimate.

Daybreak claims it can sustain feed supplies for the next six months, but has failed to say what happens after that. Without documents and substantiation, such assurances cannot be accepted, and our concerns remain that any placement under these conditions is unsustainable.

“Without the financial confirmation, placing these 89,000 additional birds under these conditions is reckless, irresponsible, and may result in further suffering,” says Senior Inspector Nazareth Appalsamy, Manager of the NSPCA’s Farm Animal Protection Unit. “The NSPCA cannot provide the consent sought in the absence of transparency. Should Daybreak proceed, it does so at its own risk, and those responsible may be held accountable.”

We have placed on record that any placement leading to animal neglect or abuse would be in contravention of the Court Order. Should this occur, the NSPCA will be compelled to initiate further legal proceedings without delay.

NSPCA press release, 5 September 2025

09/09/2025

SPAR BABY PROTEAS DEPART FOR GLOBAL SHOWDOWN AT 2025 NETBALL WORLD YOUTH CUP

Milpark, Gauteng, South Africa: 8 September 2025 –
The SPAR Baby Proteas are gearing up to face the world’s top under-21 sides, and departed on Tuesday night for London, where they’ll play a series of warm-up matches before heading to the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar.

Three matches are lined up – against Netball Super League champions London Pulse, England A, and a mixed club side – providing valuable preparation for the global showpiece.
The Netball World Youth Cup, taking place from 19-28 September 2025, will be the first since 2017 after the 2021 tournament was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. That 2017 tournament, staged in Gaborone, saw South Africa finishing sixth. This time, after an eight-year wait, the SPAR Baby Proteas have set their sights much higher.

“We’re definitely aiming for better than the previous World Cup. We’re planning on going there and giving our best… we’re aiming for the podium. That’s the goal that we’re looking for,” said SPAR Baby Proteas captain Phophi Nematangari.
The team’s preparations have included playing in the 2024 SPAR National Championships as well as this year’s Telkom Netball League. They’ve also trained with the senior SPAR Proteas and, in January, completed a 3-0 series clean sweep against the Jamaican under-21 team in Kingston.
“We are very, very excited that it’s actually happening. It’s been a long journey waiting for this moment,” added Nematangari. “Now that it’s happening, I still can’t wrap my head around it, but the preparations have been exceptional. We’ve been putting in the work, the seeds have been planted, now we’re just waiting to reap.”

Acting president of Netball South Africa, Mami Diale, also expressed her excitement ahead of the team’s departure.
“Obviously there is expectation… it would be good if we could be top four at least, and it will be better if we can have a podium, but we are not putting pressure, we are encouraging them and we are supporting them towards that because we have to do it together,” she said.

Guiding the team on their journey is the formidable coaching combination of two former Proteas in Precious Mthembu and Phumza Maweni.
“I think from our side, as former players – Phumza and myself – it’s our role to make the players understand the magnitude and the skill and how great this challenge is for them,” explained head coach Mthembu, adding that the team have all responded incredibly well in stepping up to the task.
“We’re definitely ready. It’s our time now… we want to do well in our pool and I’m sure all the work that we’ve done will be rewarded in the end,” she added.

The South Africans have been drawn in Pool D along with Fiji, Malawi, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago. They will play their first match against Barbados on 20 September before taking on Trinidad and Tobago on 22 September, Malawi on 23 September and Fiji on 24 September, before the playoff rounds begin a day later. The top two teams in each pool will progress to the quarterfinals.

Backing the team all the way are sponsors SPAR, whose PR, Communications & Sponsorships Manager, Mpudi Maubane explained: “We do this because we love what we’re doing, we love to see women progressing and actually elevating and taking their talent somewhere else, especially to showcase it to the world – to say, with South Africa, it is possible.
“From the SPAR Group, we are saying – young girls, go out there, from wherever you come from in our communities, it is possible when you believe in a particular dream, to see it coming to life in an international space.”

Speaking to the players, Maubane added: “You are going out there to have fun, to represent the country at large, but you must know that back at home, a young girl somewhere who is passionate about the sport of netball is looking up to you… So, we are honoured as the SPAR Group to be one of the sponsors to be making this possible.”
World Netball have confirmed that fans around the globe will be able to watch every match of the NWYC2025 live and free on NetballPass and the Netball World Cup YouTube channel.

From 20-25 September, matches will be available on both NetballPass and YouTube. The final three days of competition, including the medal ceremony (26-28 September), will stream exclusively on NetballPass – still completely free to access.
End

Photo captions:
• Pictured at the departure media conference of the South African SPAR Baby Protea under 21 team for the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar on Monday, 8 September 2025 are from left; Phumza Maweni (SPAR Baby Proteas Assistant Coach), Precious Mthembu (SPAR Baby Proteas Head Coach), Phophi Nematangari (SPAR Baby Proteas Captain) and Karla Victor (SPAR Baby Proteas Vice Captain).
• Pictured at the departure media conference of the South African SPAR Baby Protea under 21 team for the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar on Monday, 8 September 2025 are from left; Mpudi Maubabe (National PR, Communications & Sponsorships Manager), Phumza Maweni (SPAR Baby Proteas Assistant Coach), Precious Mthembu (SPAR Baby Proteas Head Coach), Karla Victor (SPAR Baby Proteas Vice Captain) and Mami Diale (Acting President of Netball South Africa).
• Mami Diale, Acting President of Netball South Africa at the departure media conference of the South African SPAR Baby Protea under 21 team for the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar on Monday, 8 September 2025.
• Mpudi Maubabe, National PR, Communications & Sponsorships Manager at the departure media conference of the South African SPAR Baby Protea under 21 team for the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar on Monday, 8 September 2025.
Photo credits: David Thabo Rantho

09/09/2025

OVER 1,100 SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN NORTH WEST IN 1 WEEK

North West Province – Law enforcement officers in the province are sending a strong message to criminals. The weekly high-density Operation Shanela II, conducted between Monday, 1 September and Sunday, 7 September 2025, netted 1,132 arrests, seized dangerous contraband, and intercepted stolen copper worth more than R316,000.

The operation – a coordinated effort between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and partner agencies – saw officers recover three illegal fi****ms, 411 rounds of ammunition, drugs, liquor, and dangerous weapons.

WANTED SUSPECTS FINALLY CAUGHT
Colonel Adéle Myburgh confirmed that 555 of those arrested were circulated wanted suspects, identified through forensic DNA leads. These included:
• 17 wanted for murder,
• 14 for attempted murder,
• 10 for r**e,
• 9 for robberies,
• 9 for burglaries, and
• 202 for assault-related cases.

Drug-related crime also featured heavily, with 132 suspects arrested for possession of drugs and seven for illegal dealing. Meanwhile, 40 people were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Authorities also apprehended 56 illegal migrants in terms of Section 49 of the Immigration Act. They are being processed through the courts before deportation by the Department of Home Affairs.

COPPER THEFT BUST
In one of the week’s most significant breakthroughs, alert officers in Ventersdorp spotted a suspicious truck parked along the N14 between Coligny and Ventersdorp in the early hours of Wednesday, 3 September. Inside, they found copper cables valued at R316,755, later confirmed as stolen from Transnet in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District.
Two men – Dzikamai Christoffer Sangodimambo (29) and Lovemore Mushayavanhuti (44) – were arrested and appeared before the Ventersdorp Magistrates’ Court the next day. They remain in custody pending their next court appearance on 11 September.

Acting provincial commissioner major general Patrick Asaneng condemned the theft of copper and other non-ferrous metals, saying it posed a major threat to the economy.

Police urge residents to continue reporting suspicious activity. Crimes can be reported anonymously through the Crime Stop hotline: 08600 10111, the MySAPS app, or the Extortion Hotline: 0800 911 011.

09/09/2025

SAPS SHARES HOPE AND KINDNESS ON CASUAL DAY

Rustenburg – The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Bojanala Platinum Sub-District 2 stepped out of uniform and into a spirit of unity and giving as they joined the nation in celebrating Casual Day 2025 on Friday, 5 September 2025.

Guided by the theme “Beyond the Label,” the event highlighted dignity, inclusion, and the rights of persons with disabilities. Acting commissioner brigadier Mamotsamai Ntoagae led the initiative, which brought SAPS members, specialised units, and the community together.

Casual Day, launched more than 30 years ago, has grown into South Africa’s largest fundraising and awareness campaign for persons with disabilities. Held annually on the first Friday of September, it continues to inspire acts of compassion across the country.

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
This year’s celebration was marked by generosity, as SAPS members, through their Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) unit, once again donated groceries to the Bessie Mpelegele Ngwana Care Centre. The Centre, a non-profit organisation, provides vital care and support to children and individuals living with mental and physical disabilities.
Children from the Centre filled the day with joy, touching hearts through hymns and uplifting scripture recitals, showcasing their talents and resilience.

WORDS OF GRATITUDE
In her keynote address, brigadier Ntoagae thanked police members for their selflessness: “Your giving spirit reminds us that service goes far beyond enforcing the law. It’s about building bridges of care, respect, and inclusion. We will continue to support the Bessie Mpelegele Ngwana Care Centre and other organisations that protect and uplift our vulnerable communities.”

09/09/2025

Fire Danger Index values, 9 and 10 Sept 2025

09/09/2025

10 YEARS BEHIND BARS FOR CABLE THEFT ATTEMPT

Rustenburg/ Bafokeng – A Lesotho national has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being caught tampering with vital mining infrastructure in Rustenburg.

On Friday, 5 September 2025, the Bafokeng Regional Court sentenced Malopi Stephen Shakane (44) to 10 years’ direct imprisonment for tampering with essential infrastructure, and a further 12 months for contravening Section 49(1)(a) of the Immigration Act. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Shakane will serve 10 years behind bars.

Sivenathi Gunya, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) communications officer, reported that the case stems from an incident on 29 October 2024 at Impala Mine shaft six, where security guards on patrol spotted Shakane digging a hole in an attempt to reach copper cables along the railway and mine shaft. The guards immediately called for backup and apprehended him on the spot. Upon inspection, the cables were found exposed, and police arrested him later that same day.

Despite pleading not guilty, Shakane was convicted after the court heard evidence of the risks his actions posed. State prosecutor Sangweni Zimema argued that the attempted theft could have disrupted both mining operations and the railway line, leading to significant losses in production.

In handing down sentence, the court emphasised the seriousness of infrastructure-related crimes, which are on the rise in Rustenburg. It also ruled that Shakane should be deported to Lesotho after serving his sentence.

Dr Rachel Makhari, director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, praised the work of Prosecutor Zimema and law enforcement in securing the conviction. The NPA reaffirmed its commitment to protecting essential infrastructure, combating crime, and upholding the rule of law.

09/09/2025

09/09/2025

09/09/2025

Stay ahead of traffic and keep moving by getting or topping up your tag. A tag gives you access to the tag-only lanes at toll plazas, helping you avoid delays. Simply visit one of the conveniently located self-service terminals (SST) along the Bakwena N1N4 route. Remember, only cards are accepted for tag top-ups.

09/09/2025

Full-time Score

DStv Diski Challenge

Kaizer Chiefs 2 - 1 ORBIT College

Lucky Malatsi ⚽

Man of the match Kopano Segoe