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Health

Resorting to traditional medicine to curb fatigue

Picture sourced from www.africaresearchinstitute.org

Ever wondered why you are always feeling tired and sluggish while the woman in the next office is forever moving swiftly? Do not despair because you are not alone, countless people are also experiencing the same problem. We are living in a fast paced world where there is less time to prepare a healthy meal and to exercise.

Fast food have now become a norm, worsening the situation. Fatigue can leave you feeling helpless while also chowing away your precious time.

Tebogo Mothupi who is an assistant at a well-known herbal shop in Mahikeng, by the name Matrampan, gives us advice on traditional remedies to fight fatigue. Mothupi who has been working at Matrampan for the past twelve years swears by the Tshupu ya poo, Mathunga, Sekaname, Seswagadi, Phate ya ngaka, Mosokela tsebeng mixture as the best mixture to curb fatigue. He asserts that the mixture does not only give energy but cleanses the blood, kidneys, can treat the waist, colds, STIs, swollen legs and so on.

“All traditional medicine do not have the side effects. 90% of the medicine do not have overdose”, says Mothupi. “Traditional medicine is very helpful. People must not come to us when it is too late. If things don’t work out here it is then that they can resort to western medicine”, he adds, also indicating that some of the western medicine is taken from traditional medicine and given to us in a form of tablets.

 

 

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Education

Restless atmosphere during commencement of NW SOPA 2018

Mahumapelo(standing), speaker of the provincial legislature together with members of the executive council . Pic sourced from iol.co.za

It was under a moist weather on 23 February at Marikana, Rustenburg where the crowd waited in anticipation for Premier Supra Mahumapelo to deliver the State of the Province Address (SOPA). The entourage sauntered down the red carpet under a soft drizzle whereby the national anthem was ceremonially sang before entering the house.

Mahumapelo`s address began on a rough footing as Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members of the provincial legislature (MPL) were ejected from the house after they interposed the premier while he was delivering the SOPA.

EFF MPL Thabo Sehloho interrupted Mahumapelo`s speech, asking whether Mahumapelo would apologise to the people of Marikana on behalf of African National Congress (ANC) for killing of people in Marikana during August 2012. Speaker of the legislature Sussanna Dantjie ruled that Sehloho was out of order. When Mahumapelo continued with the address, the EFF MPLs shouted “order” and were ejected.

Part of Mahumapelo`s address indicated the government`s achievements with regard to the provision of infrastructure in public schools. During a dialogue with the newsmen Mahumapelo indicated that they are not happy that not every matriculant passed. “I have said to the department, this year we are not going to compromise. Every quarter we must release the results. We must not wait for the results next year”, said Mahumapelo. He also revealed that part of this plan includes assessing every learner on a monthly basis and releasing the results quarterly.

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Health

HIV & TB stigma reduction campaign unfolding in Mahikeng

Campaign ambassadors and mobilizers at the Life Line centre in Mahikeng

As an initiative of the Soul City Institute together with Life Line as one of the partners, an HIV & TB stigma reduction awareness campaign kick started in Mahikeng last month.

Headed by a group of four ambassadors and four mobilizers the official launch of the two year campaign is expected to take place next month. The team of eight which targets communities around Mahikeng say they believe that zero stigma and zero discrimination is possible with a well informed and educated community.

One of the ambassadors Thabang Sebotsa indicates that in addition to teaching more on HIV and TB they also counsel the community about the importance of treatment adherence. “With zero stigma and zero discrimination we are saying come out, be free, live your life and get support. People must not hide. There are still those who hide and do not adhere to medication because they fear to be judged”, says Sebotsa.

Nthabiseng Ntsime who is a full time mobilizer shares that they have reached eight hundred people so far since the start of the campaign. “The changes that we would like to see through the campaign is for HIV negative people and HIV positive people to be viewed the same. No labelling or isolating someone because of his/her status”, says Ntsime.

So far the team has made presentations at Montshioa Stadt Clinic and Montshioa and say they plan to engage more with the other communities around Mahikeng, particularly rural villages.

 

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Inspirational

Urban Family Market shows empathy to township school

Some of the learners who received the shoes together with the principal, HOD and Urban Family Market officials

It was an emotional and joyous day for the Montshioa based Bodiri Primary School when Urban Family Market donated 20 pairs of     shoes, as part of their social responsibility initiative, on Tuesday.

“We are giving you these shoes today so that you will not have a problem of being pricked by stones and thorns when you come to school. We want you to come to school and learn”, said Tebogo Pule during the handing over of the shoes. Tebogo who is the administration officer for Urban Family Market also reminded the learners why they are in school and urged them to work hard.

The principal Patricia Molefe and HOD Mavis Nage expressed their relief and gratitude. “We are happy for our school to be selected, with regard to helping the learners in need. It is important that they do not feel different from other children. So now they will see that they belong to Bodiri just like other learners”, said Molefe.

The principal also privately shared the heart breaking destitute circumstances that most of the learners live under. Most of the learners are from child headed families while others stay with their grandparents and do not know their biological parents. Such learners do not have proper school uniform and shoes. The school continue to encounter annual cases whereby some learners come to school barefoot. It is also apparent that most of the learners who attend Bodiri do not reside in Montshioa but from various rural villages around Mafikeng.

Another Urban Family Market official, Morongwa Pule related that the reason why they chose the school is because most donors usually focus on the outskirts, particularly rural villages, neglecting the fact that a child right next to them might be in need.

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Education

Watch Chef Manoto relating tips on how to get more done with less time in the kitchen

Chef Manoto
Categories
Health

Mental wellness centre enthusiastically tending to caregivers

Part of Moroka Mental Wellness Centre`s garden with Thato Mpolokeng`s three year old unplugging the weeds.

Situated in Lonely Park, a village outside Mafikeng, Moroka Mental Wellness Centre is determined to improve the well-being of those who care for the mentally ill in the community.

Thato Mpolokeng, the founder of the NPO which was registered in October 2016 says that a lot of people do not realise how important it is to take care of the caregivers. “We assist the caregivers to be the best that they can be”, she said.

The centre was born after Mpolokeng relocated from Johannesburg to Mafikeng to take care of her uncle named Moroka who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1983. Mpolokeng shares that her uncle`s condition had deteriorated to a point where he was roaming the streets unwashed and eating from rubbish bins. She explains that while she was taking care of her uncle, she realised that more people needed help and decided to reach out.

The centre is making progress in terms of its development plans. This is evident among other things in their newly erected building,  testimonies from those receiving help, positive response for their painting donations and a garden with a variety of seasonal vegetables. “We are going to be developing programs for kids because we believe that it is where it all starts. We are going to be doing fun activities for the children to get them out of the streets”, said Mpolokeng.

Stephen Bekker who is in charge of gardening for the centre, has built a greenhouse and an aqua phonic system. Bekker who is currently a props buyer for one of mzanzi`s popular soapies Rhythm City, excitedly expressed his passion for gardening. “I am not a farmer as such but I have always been gardening at home. Now it is just taking it a little step further and try to inspire other people”, he said. “I have a Facebook page called Hope seeds hope which is inspired by my Buddhist practice. We are encouraged to develop ourselves and our communities through spreading hope”, he added.

Moroka Mental Wellness Centre wishes to see the community being more kind to each other. “If we are not helping each other, there is nothing we can achieve. Unity is important in order for us to make a difference”, they emphasize. The centre  also wishes to express their sincere gratitude to those who have supported them as they have recently requested paint donations from the public.

To know more or make a contribution, Thato Mpolokeng can be reached on 078 991 5233 alternatively you can reach Moroka Mental Wellness Centre on Facebook.

Categories
Education

Career uncertainty woes haunting tertiary youth

Tsholofelo Semaushu at Modiri Molema residences where she is temporarily staying awaiting to be allocated residence for the year by the university.

Second year Bachelor of Nursing Science student at the North West University (NWU) Mafikeng, Tsholofelo Semaushu relates her tertiary experience. She too is tormented by the many challenges that plaque our South African youth.

The 21 year old Semaushu who considers herself an average student, passed all her modules last year and says first year was not difficult for her. She recalls how she enjoyed orientation time last year January. “It felt like we are back again at crèche. We played, we really had fun. It was really nice”, she said excitedly. In addition to making new friends, Semaushu sadly admits that securing financial assistance for her studies was the most difficult part of being a first year.

After matric she stayed at home for a year because she did not have money, as she was accepted for a psychology course at NWU. She discloses that nursing was never an option for her. Her dream was to study medicine, psychology being her second option. The physically captivating student says she also has aspirations of being a model but does not know where to start.

Since beginning with her nursing practical this month, Semaushu says that she is not sure if she wants to continue with nursing anymore. “I enjoyed working at the clinic but the hospital is very different. I meet people who are very ill”, she said in low spirit. “I feel pain and want to help them but I can`t. It becomes too much for me. I feel like I can`t anymore”, she added.

The future looks uncertain for Semaushu. She is currently trying to get all the help she can get. Being a highly spiritual person, she says she trusts God that everything will work out in the end. “If it gets too hard, I always pray”, she says.

Chilombo Mbenga who is a communications lecturer and also a final year PhD student at the NWU Mafikeng advices the students not to “sweat the small stuff and take it one day at a time”. She points out that in high school teachers give you a one on one whereas in university it is everyone for themselves.

Mbenga also shares a few coping strategies for the first years. “Proper time management is the most effective tool. We all have 24 hours in a day. What you do with those 24 hours determines your tomorrow”, she says. “Picking the right friends will either make you or break you. Get the right friends that will help you to go through your university career until graduation”, she added.

A 2017 guide co-ordinated by Dr Andre van Zyl who is the director of the Academic Development Centre at the University of Johannesburg quotes research done by the Council of Higher Education (CHE) in 2013, that tracked students in South African universities over a period of five years.

The research showed that the transition that students have to make between school and higher education seems to be particularly problematic. When the data were more closely analysed, it became clear that the first year of study is a time of exceptionally high drop-out rates.

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Education

MEC OR MOCHWARE message of condolences

The late Lucas Manyane Mangope

The Department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs is deeply saddened and shocked by the passing of Kgosi, Dr Lucas Manyane Mangope who was the leader of the Bahurutshe-Boo Manyane tribe in Motshwedi – North West Province.

We wake up with heavy hearts after receiving the sad news of the passing of Kgosi Manyane Mangope. Kgosi Mangope died on the 18th January 2018 and had just celebrated his 94th Birthday on the 27th of December 2017 in his home in Motswedi Village Lehurutshe.

He was the onetime President of the former Bophuthatswana Homeland and the founder of the United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP). Kgosi Manyane Mangope had recently relinquished his duties as the Kgosi of his clan and was succeeded by his son Conel Kwena Mangope.

We would like to convey our deepest condolences to the Mangope family, relatives, friends and the Bahurutshe who have lost an upright leader, a teacher, a great disciplinarian, an astute orator and a politician.

On 13 March 1994, Lucas Mangope was ousted as President of the homeland of Bophuthatswana.  Mangope came to power in Bophuthatswana in 1966 during the reign of former Prime Minister B J Vorster.  Mangope governed Bophuthatswana from 1977 until 1994.  His reign was characterised by widespread corruption and mismanagement.  Mangope was deposed in 1994 after he refused to allow free campaigning in Bophuthatswana as well as not wanting to take part in the general election that was to be held during that year. In December 1991, like other homeland leaders at the Codesa talks, Mangope attempted to present Bophuthatswana as a semi-independent territory, with the same status as the British protectorates of Swaziland and Lesotho.  This ploy failed to change the view of Bophuthatswana as an Apartheid sham state.  In March 1994, rioting broke out in Bophuthatswana and Mangope called in his erstwhile allies the Afrikaner Weerstand Beweging (AWB) to support his regime and thus prevent the homeland from collapsing.  This invasion failed and the South African Government in consultation with the African National Congress (ANC) ousted Mangope as leader of Bophuthatswana.

Additional reporting from the South African History Online (SAHO)

Categories
Entertainment

Lets embrace 2018!

Most can agree that we experienced 2017 differently. Some got married, some gave birth, and some got major breakthroughs, while others did not attain their goals and even lost their loved ones. What is important is that we should all appreciate the lessons and achievements in 2017 and joyfully embrace 2018.

Never forget that whatever the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve. A mountain does not have to be a roadblock but a stepping stone towards greatness. The hardships that come to test us are not meant to break us but to make us stronger. Let us all use our 365 days fruitfully. Some watch things happen, some make them happen, which one do you chose to be?

Remember that in the end, life is what you make of it. Medallist Link wishes everyone a joyous, blessed and prosperous 2018!

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Latest

King Dope Kgosimoruti’s death a great loss to Motswako and Hiphop

Tshepo King Dope Kgosimoruti

By Sosty Rammutla

Musician Tshepo Kgosimoruti “King Dope” lost his life in the early hours of Tuesday December 19. Kgosimoruti was reportedly stabbed multiple times in his village of Magogoe, near Mahikeng in the North West Province. A case of murder is being investigated by Mahikeng Police.

He will be laid to rest this Saturday, December 23, 2017 at 06:30 am at Magogoe Tshepang Cemetery.

At 27 years and at the prime of his music career he was working on his debut release in 2018. His passing was followed by shock, and messages of condolences from fans and friends on social media.

He will be best remembered for his contribution to Motswako in his home town Mahikeng, and the North West Province at large. He Co-founded NordyWest Clique Movement and TisMusic, through which he worked with the likes of; Mo Molemi, TM,Tis89, FifiCooper, EzeLap, GreenFigures and many more artists.

King Dope was a developing artist and used his craft, to provide for his family, as a bread winner. His loss has left the Kgosimoruti family distraught, as he was the provider. The family has appealed to all and sundry to assist as they try to raise money for his burial. Any contributions are welcome. Contributors are requested to do so at the earliest time, as no arrangements can be arrived at without funds, to pay the costs of the funeral.

The Account Information is as follows; Capitec Bank, Name : Nkagisang Kgosimoruti, Account Number: 1465889491.

Artists in and around the province have joined the family, on their call for assistance. They have appealed to business and the North West Government to assist with the burial of their colleague.  “As we know Artists struggle to get support, they often barely think of funeral policies; which means in times like these the families struggle. In a time like this we plead to everyone and anyone to help assist the family in giving KingDope a well send off.” said Modiri Ka Tlhogo his friend and Manager.