Elim Insight News

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”.

Family allegedly told that hostage case was closed because of media 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...

Phathutshedzo ends high school career with seven A's 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.

The 31-year-old man perceives this discovery as a chance to provide advantages not just for his own family, but for the entire community.

David's secret find wets everyone's appetite! | Daily Sun The water from the well has been tested and approved, bringing excitement and hope to the villagers.

They are demanding that the department hire more nurses and doctors.

PICS: 'We are OVERWORKED' - nurses | Daily Sun "The allocation and placement of community service doctors is done by the National Department of Health."

Gogo Noria received the doctorate as recognition for her accomplishments and contributions to society spanning 50 years.
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Gogo Noria (84) bags doctorate! | Daily Sun Her carvings depict Venda mythology and spirituality.

His mother was shocked after witnessing such and thought it was a curse.
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Denzel's best buddies with snakes! | Daily Sun Denzel's mum thought he was joking when he said he wanted to work with snakes.

“I aim to educate jobseekers that they should not be too selective when selecting a job, as long as it meets their basic needs.”

Wedneys utilises his acting role to inspire jobseekers The 26-year-old Wedneys Makulane, well-known for his portrayal of “Mushe” in the popular television soapie Muvhango, uses his on-screen character to inspire those who are eagerly seeking employment opportunities. With the high unemployment rate in South Africa, Wedneys hopes to educate students ...

“My clients love the African style and the stories my paintings convey. Many of them can even relate to them.”

Abraham’s art depicts traditional lifestyles Abraham Mkumba from Tshikota is widely praised for his beautiful African paintings that are not only appreciated by local art lovers but international tourists as well.

Phindulo makes ends meet with his artwork Drawing has always been 21-year-old Phindulo Mutsila’s favourite hobby. This gifted young artist from Maniini started drawing portraits of his relatives and friends at the age of nine, and his technique developed into a truly fine art over the years.

Not my fault stadium is not finished, says contractor The contractor responsible for phase 3 of the Waterval stadium denied that he is the cause of the delay in completing the stadium. He responded to last week’s article in Limpopo Mirror, where the Makhado Municipality’s spokesperson is quoted as saying that the stadium is nearing completion.

'Our trash is also our own problem' In light of the illegal dumping of refuse, which continues to pose severe health hazards to the environment, the Njhakanjhaka Tribal Authority organised a cleaning campaign to educate Elim Mabobo residents on keeping their surroundings clean.

Vhembe artists shine at LIMA awards Vhembe demonstrated its prodigious talent at the 2022 Limpopo Music Awards (LIMA) when local reggae and gospel group Burning Fire and Venda-beats artist Lidzebe Midalo, known as LP MiDALO, went home with trophies.

At last there is hope of water for Mashau-Doli Residents of Ha-Mashau Doli are bubbling with excitement as they will finally have access to clean drinking water from their taps again. This follows years of struggling to fetch water from nearby rivers.

Vhembe's boxers confident of winning SANABO champs The Waterval Mpheni Boxing Club believes that two of its boxers, Anao Netshidzati (16) and Lloyd Chigwedere (13), will win the 2022 South African National Boxing Organisation (SANABO) Cadet and Junior Championships competition. The competition, organised by SANABO, is scheduled to be held at Mang...

The municipality’s spokesperson, Louis Bobodi, explained that the smooth flow of the construction was hampered and delayed by, among others, the installation of a power transformer.

Waterval stadium still not completed in spite of promises Youths in Waterval and nearby villages have been forced to hone their soccer skills on dusty fields because of the still-unfinished multi-million-rand Waterval Stadium. This project to turn the local sports grounds into a community stadium began five years ago but is still not complete.

“It took me several years to improve my creative abilities. I was not good at it at first, but as time went by, I started to learn the finer detail and different kinds of techniques, and my work grew better,” he said.

Many a household adorned by Sedzani's artwork Sedzani Gereda is a gifted young artist from Tshakhuma whose impressive artwork adorns the walls of many of his clients’ homes.

Tintswalo Makamu, a local resident, said that she learned the importance of coming to share problems with those she could trust to avoid becoming a victim of GBV. “I now believe that sharing our problems with those close to us is the only way to mitigate the rising issue of GBV,” she said.

Campaign to fight against GBV and xenophobia With the aim of combatting gender-based violence (GBV) and xenophobia, Vumbanani for Peace Building (VFP) recently held an anti-violence campaign at Riverplaats, with more than 100 residents in attendance. The campaign follows the concerning increase in cases of women and child abuse in the are...

The NLC also announced that it would not inject more money into corruption-tainted projects such as the Maila village old-age-home project.

Lottery dumps tainted Maila old-age-home project In the 2020/21 financial year, the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) paid out more than R164 million to non-profit organisations, schools, and sport clubs in the Limpopo Province. The top beneficiaries this time around included the struggling victim-empowerment programmes. The NLC also announced t...

“We feel so blessed that we could represent the school. Our accomplishments were all thanks to the teachers and school leadership who assisted us with preparation for the competition in advance.”

Elim Secondary wins big at Funda Mzantsi Elim Senior Secondary School is on cloud nine after five of their learners broke the record for winning altogether seven trophies and ten gold and silver medals at the 12th Funda Mzantsi Championship. The award ceremony was held in George, in the Western Cape, recently. 

“Some of us who are unemployed are the ones who commit crimes because we are idle.”

Protesters again shut Elim Mall down Elim Mall had to be closed again, this time for nearly two days, after hundreds of residents from Mpheni and the surrounding area demanded that shops in the mall employ locals.

During Monday’s meeting, parents argued that the group of bullies at Vhafamadi High School should not be permitted on the school premises as they disrupt the children’s learning environment.

Parents upset about 'bad company' of bullies To address the issue of bullying, which had gotten out of hand at Vhafamadi High School in Mashau over the last few months, the parents, school governing body (SGB) and school management team (SMT) decided to meet on Monday, 5 September, to discuss strategies to prevent this problem.

Long arm of the law grabs a Lotto fraudster The (very) long arm of the law finally succeeded in apprehending some of the fraudsters who had looted the funds of the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), but for the communities who had had dreams of a better life, little reprieve has been provided. 

Keep an eye out for new kid, Innobar Truth The village of Elim Mpheni Block A keeps on producing talents who achieve remarkable success in the music industry. The newest kid on the block is Innocent Mbedzi, aka Innobar Truth, a local R&B-Trap-soul-blended-with-hip-hop artist, who is leaving his mark in local music circles.

DJ Blvck Zee dedicates third album to his mother Rolivhuwa Singo, aka DJ Blvck Zee, promises his fans that his upcoming third album, an EP called Constance, Second Edition, is going to be a real treat, filled with a mixture of House music and Amapiano, combined with hip-hop and pop. The eight-track EP, which is dedicated to his beloved mother, wil...

The security guard told us that she was ordered not to allow patients to enter the clinic premises when the lights were out. We told her that she [Norah] needed urgent help, because she was weak and feeling cold,” Maphavha said.

Residents fuming after cancer patient gets denied help at clinic An incident where a critically ill woman who is battling womb cancer and living in constant pain was allegedly denied access at the Vleifontein Clinic on Friday, 12 August, because the clinic did not have electricity at the time, has local residents fuming.

One of the complainants, Rixongile Shidzinga, emphasised that they wanted individuals to be hired properly and fairly. “We don’t want only people who live in areas where streets are being built to get jobs. But we want equal employment for all, with no favouritism or nepotism,"

'We want fair employment for everyone' Youths from Waterval’s Ward 16 claim that their councillor had improperly hired workers for two community projects, one of which involves the paving of Djunane Street, and the other the gravelling of the road leading to the graveyard. This after only 14 general workers were hired last month for bo...

The secretary of the Luvhaha traditional authority, Masuwa Mmbulaheni (35), said that the dilapidating building is not serving any purpose. “It is disheartening to see lavish and massive abandoned buildings like this and neighbours are worried about the bushes growing up around it, with no one to clean.” he said

Long arm of the law grabs a Lotto fraudster The (very) long arm of the law finally succeeded in apprehending some of the fraudsters who had looted the funds of the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), but for the communities who had had dreams of a better life, little reprieve has been provided. 

Romeo Maboko, aka Director Maboko, aspires to help talented artists accomplish their musical goals.

Director Maboko releases a second volume of his mixtape Romeo Maboko of Tshiungani village is an accomplished multimedia designer, music-video director, and record executive, known for his high-quality motion pictures and artistically unique music videos.

Ms Sofia Hlungwani (62), a pensioner from Magulule village in Elim, is calling for help from community members after her five-room house burnt down on Friday, 29 July, leaving the family of seven destitute.

Pensioner asks for help after five-room house burns down

“It breaks my heart to see our people being thirsty with unfinished water projects. The borehole was drilled years ago, but these residents have never seen even a drop of water from it. We raised our concerns to the relevant department many times, but with no results,” This is according to the headman of the community.

Thirsty Elim residents tired of complaining about water scarcity The continuous lack of water in the Elim area is forcing scores of residents to use dirty water from streams for household purposes. Residents are losing all their faith in the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM), whom they accuse of failing to fulfil its promise to repair and complete several water....