PAGE 22 Friday, 13 May 2011
Free State News
Mayor ‘built toilets’
DA claims unfinished toilet contract was awarded to mayor’s company
Andrew Molefe
the federal chairperson of the
DA, Wilmot James, has written
to the public protector requesting
an investigation into the circum-
stances surrounding the failure by
the Moqhaka municipality in the
Free State to properly provide and
enclose some 1 600 toilets for the
residents of Viljoenskroon.
“It was reported yesterday,
on the Mail & Guardian website
and on the front page of The
PUBLIC WORKS OWN HOME AT LAST
WOMANDLA: Minister of Public Works Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, right, and her secretary Debbie Berry walk triumphantly hand in hand
out of the new provincial building of the department in Bloemfontein yesterday. The building, which cost R55m, will replace the office
block which had cost the department R240 000 monthly rental.
Northern Cape
AfrikaBurn’s the ego
An alternative to consumer culture at a carnival of human expression
Scott Smith
Welcome to AfrikaBurn,
check in your ego at the gong.
Tucked away in the semi-arid
Karoo, about 100km south of Cal-
vinia, off one of South Africa’s
longest dirt and deserted roads,
the R355, lies something just a
little out of the ordinary that hap-
pens just once a year.
A collection of temporary struc-
tures literally just popping out of
the desert gravel, a gathering of
people maybe just a little weirder
than you may be comfortable with
and probably the most interesting
five days you will spend anywhere.
AfrikaBurn is primarily an
art festival despite the loose phi-
losophy guiding this temporary
community based on the values
of radical self-expression and
self-reliance in a strictly non-
commercial environment.
Organisers feel the event rep-
resents such a radical break from
the norms of society that if the
festival continues to grow then the
experiences there will somehow,
in some form and some measure,
spill into mainstream society
and make desired changes such
as more love, less commercialism
and more tolerance. Unlikely in
this correspondent’s opinion but
it is a noble ideal and those who do
participate do so properly.
AfrikaBurn has attracted an
impressive 4 000 people after
just four years. These increasing
numbers may suggest, broadly, a
growing displeasure with main-
stream society. Without getting
too philosophical about it or going
so far as to suggest that some-
thing is indeed wrong with the
world we live in, an excuse to go
wild in the desert and trump con-
ventions and even laws is clearly
on the minds of many revellers.
AfrikaBurn is, in a very real
sense, a glorified theme and
dress-up party. So what is it
exactly? In short, it is indefin-
able. Participants and organis-
ers desire to keep the event free
Star newspaper, that the mayor
of Moqhaka, Mantebu Mokgosi,
together with her husband, serve
as executive directors of the com-
pany Danteb Building Construc-
tion cc, which was awarded the
contract by Moqhaka municipality
to build the toilets in question. I
have attached to this request, both
stories referred to,” wrote James
“It is reported by The Star, that
Ms Mokgosi was an ANC council-
lor in the municipality when the
tender was first awarded. The
ARTISTIC FREEDOM: There are plenty of eccentric
costumes and characters at AfrikaBurn.
from the prison of interpretation,
explanation, and the insidious net
of meaning. In other words – it is
what you make it and consider-
ing the varied individuals at the
event it appears people do just
that – make it up.
Conformity is simply non-exist-
ent. It is a social experiment if one
does require an answer.
What it is for the participant
is a carnival-like atmosphere
– bright lights, plumes of huge
flames bursting periodically,
theme cars ranging from the
beautiful to the dangerous, lots
of naked people, buckets of body
paint and eccentric characters,
friends in every tent, and the saf-
est environment to express your-
self despite the lack of any health
and safety standards.
If there is any real meaning it
Mail & Guardian report states Ms
Mokgosi’s company was awarded
the contract in 2006.
“In 2006, she would be elected
mayor. Either way, it is fundamen-
tally problematic.”
He said apart from an investiga-
tion by the Human Rights Com-
mission, which is investigating a
possible infringement of human
rights, the relevant body needs to
investigate whether or not there
had been any illegality, unethi-
cal or inappropriate behaviour in
is lost on the uninitiated. Those
who attend come away with differ-
ent ideas and experiences and so
their thoughts on what it means to
them. This correspondent would
go so far to consider it a kind of
pilgrimage. A big, exciting party
in the desert to be sure, but one
with a somewhat more archaic
calling to gather.
In a real sense, and this notion
is repeated among revellers, it is
a gathering of tribes. People from
all different walks of life, inter-
ests and values gather together
and sit beside another tribe with
absolutely no antagonism.
What do you do there? Any-
thing you want. Due to the con-
cept of loose participation there
isn’t a strict schedule of activities,
which may frustrate those not
used to this way of doing things.
this case.
The Star, he said, also reports
that after the work was not com-
pleted by the initial contractor, a
second tender for the toilets was
awarded to a company that was
also owned by an individual who
served as an ANC councillor.
He added that after 10 years,
the toilets were still unenclosed
and the job required of the com-
pany awarded to build them,
unfinished. The consequence has
been the long term and sustained
Picture: Getrude Makhafola
CLIMAX: The Sun Clan sculpture was burned
spectacularly on the Saturday night. Pictures: SCOTT SMITH
Suffice to say, there is no single
focus of the event, although the
building of an effigy of a man and
its subsequent burning on Satur-
day night is a ritualistic feature,
a tradition dating back to 1986.
While there are many myths
surrounding Burning Man’s ori-
gins, the festival had a modest
beginning on Baker Beach in
San Francisco, California in 1986
with about 20 participants. Larry
Harvey and Jerry James burned
a wooden man on the beach in
honour of the summer solstice.
Within a couple of years the figure
was known as the Burning Man
and the followers described them-
selves as a randomly gathered
network of free spirits united in
the pursuit of experiences beyond
the pale of mainstream society.
This social experiment is one
assault on the dignity of people
who live in Viljoenskroon.
“If it is true that the mayor was
an ANC councillor when the ten-
der was awarded, this is deeply
unethical. There is a case to be
made too that it is corrupt.
“I would like to request that
you investigate the awarding of
this contract and the contract sub-
sequent to it, the circumstances
around which those decisions
were made and whether they were
done in accordance with the law.”
where you can leave your belong-
ings lying anywhere you want
them to, leave your tent unzipped
and your camera lying in the dust
while you dance or go for a walk,
where it is safe to walk naked
and not have to worry about
being abused, harassed, judged
or raped. Where guns and knives
simply don’t exist and the starry
night sky is visible from horizon to
horizon while the Milky Way was
never so milky – that is a world I
could live in.
What better place to drop out
of mainstream society than in the
middle of a desert with no network
coverage? Just burn it all.
Cope: cops must
be of sound mind
POLICE should undergo psycho-
logical evaluation before being
declared fit to use a firearm,
Cope’s Johannesburg mayoral
candidate, Preddy Mothopeng,
has said.
“They must be of a stable and
sound mind. They should be
trained properly and placed in
workshop counselling every six
months to ensure they are fit to
report for duty.”
Mothopeng was responding to
the recent killings of protester
Andries Tatane in Ficksburg
and Jeanette Odendaal outside
the Kempton Park police station
at the hands of police.
Police needed to act as peace-
keepers, Mothopeng said.
“Where there are two political
parties campaigning in the same
area, they must be able to medi-
ate,” Mothopeng said.
Police allegedly fired rubber
Bid to end student strike
Getrude Makhafola
OFFICIALS and student repre-
sentatives at Motheo FET college
in Bloemfontein were on Wednes-
day night still in talks in a bid to
resolve issues regarding the seven
week-long strike at the college.
After writing to the Ministry of
Higher Education to intervene last
month, the student representative
council (SRC) said it had received
a letter from the department
promising to investigate.
The students first marched and
handed over a memorandum to
the department of education in
March.
In the memorandum, they
demanded that principal Paseka
Maboya leave the college with
immediate effect because of his
Kuruman clinic
runs out of drugs
Ishmael Modiba
THE rural community of Kuru-
man has been receiving sub-
standard care in the past three
months due to the clinic being
without basic medication. The DA
provincial leader, Andrew Louw,
said the issue came to light during
a campaign visit to the area in the
Joe Morolong municipality.
Louw said old, sickly residents,
many of whom were pensioners,
were dependent on grants and
had no access to public transport,
were being sent home from the
Laxey community health centre
without necessary treatment.
The clinic had had only diabetes
and blood pressure medicines for
the past three months.
“It’s ironic that the medical
care being received from this fine
building is in such a shambles.
On top of this, the building has
been maintained by volunteers
for at least the past three years,”
he said.
He added that these volunteers
receive no stipend in return for
helping with the cleaning of the
facility and in assisting the sick.
He said the government had
shown little interest in helping
them to improve the services
being rendered at “this poor
excuse for a clinic”.
“It is thus little wonder, given
the fact that people are dying,
that the Laxey community is so
despondent,” he said.
Louw added that the Laxey
community health centre was yet
Cop kills wife and himself
THE Independent Complaints
Directorate is investigating an
incident in which a police officer in
Kimberley shot his wife and then
committed suicide, ICD spokes-
person Moses Dlamini has said
yesterday.
“It is alleged that on Tuesday
about 11pm, a sergeant who is a
detective at Galeshewe police sta-
tion in Kimberley, shot his wife
with his service pistol at their
bullets into Tatane’s chest and
beat him with batons during the
protest in the Meqheleng town-
ship in the Free State last month.
Their actions were broadcast
on television.
Tatane’s killing was widely
condemned by political par-
ties, trade unions and civil
society.
Odendaal, 45, was shot dead,
allegedly by a police sergeant,
after she crashed into a police
van while trying to park her car
outside the Kempton Park police
station. The officer, Manape Phi-
neas Kgoale, 38, appeared in the
Kempton Park Regional Court
last week.
He was refused bail after it
was found that he had a previous
firearm-related conviction.
It also emerged that Kgo-
ale had a drinking problem.
– Sapa
alleged “failure to transform the
institution”.
There were also allegations of
nepotism, financial mismanage-
ment and a shortage of lectur-
ers at the college, leading to the
employment of “incompetent and
unqualified” lecturers.
The SRC has said students will
not sit for exams in two weeks
time if their demands are not met.
Last night, one of the college
officials who identified himself as
Mr Moroe said he could not com-
ment on the ongoing talks.
Asked when the talks would
end, Moroe said he was not sure
“as they can go well into midnight”.
The college was established in
April 2002 and has branches in
Thaba Nchu, Bloemfontein and
Hillside View.
another case where the “poorest
of our poor people are unable to
take advantage of the rights and
freedoms enshrined in the Con-
stitution”.
“The question is what are the
Joe Morolong municipality and
the department of health doing
about it? Sadly, the answer is
nothing,” Louw stated.
“Poor health robs people of
opportunity. The DA believes that
it is government’s moral duty to
combat poverty by ensuring that
everyone, including those who
cannot afford to pay for them,
have access to the basic services
they need to improve their lives.
“To this end, the municipality
has a crucial role to play, not least
of all working with other spheres
of government to expand access
to primary healthcare facilities,
but also to establish primary
healthcare units in municipali-
ties to assess the quality of care
administered at primary health
care facilities. The official at Joe
Morolong municipality referred
the matter to the department of
health as they are responsible and
can better explain what is happen-
ing,” said Louw.
Spokesperson for the health
department Lulu Mxekezo said
there were no government cars
available to take medication to
Laxey clinic, due to the termina-
tion of the transport contract with
the previous service provider.
Mxekezo said everything was
back to normal as an interim
arrangement had been made.
home and then turned the gun
on himself. They both died at the
scene,” Dlamini said..
The ICD was notified on May 11
and the crime scene was attended
by ICD investigators who con-
ducted a preliminary investiga-
tion.
“At this stage, no foul play is
suspected.”
The post mortem was con-
ducted yesterday. – Sapa