To commemorate World Alzheimer’s Day, the Free State Department of Social Development, through the Mangaung Metro Older Persons Directorate, held an event at Ikgomotseng Community Hall in Soutpan on Tuesday to raise awareness about the disease and dementia.
The event was held to also outline the importance of increasing awareness about the two diseases, particularly within communities where early signs and symptoms may not always be recognized.
Free State Department of Health, Tlhabologang Organization, and Alzheimer’s Dementia Association of South Africa (ADASA among others, were present at the event to share insight.
“World Alzheimer’s Day provided an important platform for the Free State Department of Social Development to strengthen community awareness and encourage meaningful collaboration in supporting older persons,” said Adding that the Department continues to advocate for the rights, dignity, well-being and social inclusion of older persons, recognising that supporting older people requires a coordinated approach involving government, families, communities, civil society and service providers.
The message from the day was about awareness of the early signs of the disease because they believe that increased awareness, early action, and stronger community support can contribute towards creating an environment where people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia are treated with dignity and are not left behind.
Former Free State Premier Ace Magashule’s spokesperson Tiisetso Makhele has announced his exit from the African National Congress (ANC) after years of serving the party to join the African Cultural Identity Movement (ACIM).
He made this announcement during the ACIM Heritage Day celebration in Botshabelo, stating he is doing this due to the defence of his African identity, culture and tradition to join men and women who view African identity as the basis of their existence.
“I firmly believe many of our problems stem from policies and laws that have departed from the foundations laid by our ancestors. As Africans, our existence is embedded in our traditions, chief among them Lebollo/Ulwaluko,” he said.
While stressing that policies and laws are made in State corridors, Makhele noted that the adoption of the Customary Initiation Act by Parliament in 2021 marked the height of the erosion he has highlighted.
Through sharing resources, talents and ideas, he noted, Africans thrived economically before colonialism, and that spirit should guide our vision for economic development.
According to Makhele, the decision to leave the ANC is not a fight against the party, because he feels indebted to the organisation. “Particularly its former leaders, for shaping my revolutionary capacity and for policies that helped me and my people attain what we have,” Makhele added.
He further explained that the ACIM differs from other parties because of its belief that African identity is central to total liberation from joblessness, inequality and poverty. Makhele is a public commentator who has served the government extensively at both local and provincial levels.
The Makhanda High Court has granted the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, leave to appeal his firearm convictions on Monday.
This comes after he was sentenced in April to an effective five years’ direct imprisonment by the East London Regional Court for unlawfully possessing and discharging a rifle at the party’s 2018 Mdantsane rally.
The EFF leader’s former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, who was charged alongside him, was acquitted of the charges.
The case was brought before the court by the AfriForum, who had laid charges against both of them under the Firearms Control Act, which included unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, reckless endangerment, and discharging a firearm in a public place.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader, Gayton Mckenzie, has promised that all municipal debt would be wiped out to provide citizens with a clean slate should his party win the upcoming local government elections.
This commitment formed part of the party’s manifesto launch held in Mangaung on Saturday at the Dr Rantlai Molemela Stadium ahead of the upcoming municipal polls scheduled for 4 November 2026.
“We are going to write off all the debt that you owe the municipality, you can hold us to that… we are going to wipe out all debt, we must all start on a clean slate,” he said.
Mckenzie doubled down on this promise by pledging a three-month payment holiday for municipal rates to give residents a necessary breather from choosing between utility payments and purchasing food.
Addressing housing concerns, Mckenzie highlighted that many families live in rented properties owned by the municipality for decades without gaining ownership.
“Forty years of rent and it brought you nothing, while the councils still carry the house on their books,” he noted.
Mckenzie said his party intends to tackle illegal immigration because the local government bears the direct impact of foreign nationals opening businesses without proper documentation.
“We know Abahambe is a national job, it belongs to home affairs, border management authority, and the police, but the Patriotic Alliance will keep on fighting for as long as it takes, but the pool of ‘abahambe’ is local government,” Mckenzie explained.
He added that nobody enters the country illegally simply to observe the border, but rather because they know they can immediately open a shop.
McKenzie argued that every municipal failure is ultimately a council failure that can be rectified by leadership genuinely committed to fixing local governance.
In addition, Mckenzie said municipal land will be redirected to benefit local residents rather than serving municipal interests alone.
The PA’s sixth priority involves incorporating neighbourhood watch groups directly into the municipal budget to guarantee regular salaries for their community safety services.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) remain completely unbothered by AfriForum pushing the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to prosecute party leader, Julius Malema, for crimen injuria.
The political party claims the prosecution reflects a vindictive agenda driven by right-wing elements attempting to undermine the organisation’s societal influence.
“The pursuit of this by the NPA at the behest of the racist reincarnation of the Boeremag in the form of AfriForum, is part of a vindictive ideological agenda by right wingers, who cannot bear the influence that the EFF and its leader continue to hold in various spheres of government and society,” the Red Berets said in a statement.
The legal dispute stems from public remarks made by Malema regarding a seven-year-old school child abuse investigation.
A local school principal allegedly refused to provide a voluntary DNA sample to police officers during the inquiry.
“His remarks were a political statement of outrage on behalf of a child and a grieving family, not a legal pronouncement; and they must be understood in that context, as a political statement at a political event in defence of an unspeakable crime against a child,” the party elaborated.
The organisation maintains that the principal chose to protect personal interests over cooperating fully with law enforcement authorities.
According to the EFF, AfriForum allegedly intervened to safeguard the adult male instead of supporting the constitutional rights of the young victim.
“AfriForum’s relentless political prosecution against the President of the EFF has reached an unprecedented low in weaponizing the justice system in a child rape investigation by unseeing the rights of a seven-year-old African girl child for the rights of an adult white man who is a school principal,” the statement continued.
The party insists it will continue prioritising child safety regardless of mounting legal pressures.
“The EFF, therefore, makes no apology for protecting and pursuing the human rights of a child over that of an adult,” said the Red Berets.
Moqhaka Local Municipality has strengthened its service-delivery capacity with the official launch of a newly procured Yellow Fleet, aimed at reducing reliance on costly private plant hire and ensuring faster responses to community needs.
Executive Mayor Ramasimong Phohlo Tau officially launched the fleet, describing the investment as a major step towards building a more self-sufficient and financially sustainable municipality.
The newly acquired machinery comprises one excavator, two TLBs, two graders, five Bomag walk-behind rollers and one roller compactor. The equipment will be deployed across the municipality to support road maintenance, pothole repairs, street cleaning, and water and sanitation interventions.
The municipality said the investment is intended to strengthen its internal operational capacity while reducing expenditure on externally hired machinery and fleet rentals.
Mayor Tau said the procurement marks a turning point in Moqhaka’s efforts to improve efficiency and ensure that municipal resources deliver maximum value to residents.
“For too long, the municipality has spent millions of rands on renting privately owned machinery for basic services. This Yellow Fleet is not just about machines; it is about restoring dignity to our people by ensuring that potholes are fixed, streets are cleaned, and water and sanitation challenges are addressed timeously using our own resources,” said Tau.
He added that bringing key machinery under municipal ownership would significantly reduce fleet rental costs and improve the municipality’s ability to respond to service-delivery challenges.
The Yellow Fleet is expected to play a central role in accelerating maintenance programmes and addressing infrastructure challenges across Moqhaka.
The municipality said the investment reflects its commitment to using its resources more efficiently while improving the quality and speed of services delivered to communities.
With the machinery now available for municipal operations, Moqhaka aims to strengthen its frontline capacity and reduce delays associated with securing external equipment.
