SURPRISE GOLELA UPDATES

 ADAPTED More lockdown restrictions loom as South Africa nears 1 million Covid-19 infections The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) is reportedly to be in high-level meetings, as South Africa continues to see record daily Covid-19 infections, rapidly approaching the 1 million confirmed cases. As of 26 December, South Africa has reported a total of 994,911 Covid-19 cases, falling just short of the 1 million mark. There were 11,552 new daily cases reported, after two record increases of over 14,000 cases on Thursday and Friday this week. There were also 256 new deaths, taking the total to 26,521, while recoveries are now at 839,194, leaving the country with a balance of 129,196 active cases. The surge in cases has been driven by more gatherings over the festive season, as well as a more transmissible variant of the virus that has been discovered in South Africa. According to the Sunday Times, citing a government insider, president Cyril Ramaphosa will recall cabinet m...

 By: Surprise Golela Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says government printers contributed to the leaking of two matric exam papers. The High Court in Pretoria ruled against the planned re-write of the Maths Paper 2 and Physical Science Paper 2. Of the more than a million matriculants who wrote the exam, about 195 learners are believed to have illegally received the leaked papers. Investigators have traced the leakages to a company hired by the department to process and print exam papers, as well as the Government’s Printing Works. Motshekga says there are valid reasons to appeal the High Court decision. “The North Gauteng High Court ruling we feel did not deal with the core issue of integrity, credibility and the fairness of the 2020 exams. As we’ve communicated to the public we are going to approach the court because our findings are that the court’s findings are discontent with applicable basic education legislation.”

By: Surprise Golela Basic education minister Angie Motshekga has announced that matric pupils will not rewrite the leaked Maths and Physics Paper 2 exams.   This is in line with the high court in Pretoria’s ruling. The Council of Education (CEM), which consists of the minister and deputy minister of basic education and all provincial education MECs has agreed with the high court in Pretoria’s ruling. On Friday, the court ruled that the rewrite decision was unlawful, irregular and should be set aside. Motshekga says pupils, teachers and parents should take solace in the CEM’s decision. In a statement released on Saturday, the department of education says: “CEM agreed that the class of 2020 has been confronted by many challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and it would therefore be unfair to further subject the class of 2020, their teachers and parents to further uncertainties and exacerbate the anxieties they currently face," Concerns over judgement While the CEM agrees ...

 By: Surprise Golela  @Surprise_Golela surprisegolela98@gmail.com Minister Blade Nzimande The minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Blade Nzimande has extended the NSFAS allowances to 2021. In his briefing Nzimande announced that NSFAS allowances will be extended to students who require additional months to complete their academic year. “NSFAS identified some funding to support the extended academic year, and I am pleased to indicate that additional living allowance to cover meals and personal expenses will be made available for those qualifying university students who require additional months to complete their academic year,” said Nzimande. Students from across the country have welcomed Nzimande’s decision to extend the allowances. Tshepang Radebe a student at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) says the extension of the allowances will help them to buy food until the end of the year. “The NSFAS allowances will help us to at least buy food so that we can ...

 By: Surprise Golela @Surprise_Golela surprisegolela98@gmail.com Lorraine Khoza (23) is a young lady from Malelane in Mpumalanga. She is the founder and chairperson of the Lorraine Khoza foundation, which is an NGO registered with the department of social development. She completed her matric in 2014 at Suikerland Secondary School. After her matric, she moved to Gauteng to further her studies at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) where she was enrolled for a National Diploma in Internal Auditing in 2015. It was in that same year when her life took a turn for the worst. Khoza was just 17 years old and new at varsity in 2015 when she was raped by a stranger while she was looking for accommodation. “Exactly a month into university, still fresh from high school, I was raped by a stranger whilst I was looking for accommodation in Ga-Rankuwa,” said Khoza. She says she was beaten and kicked like a dog. “If it was not for my aunt who called the police from home, I would be dead by ...

 By: Surprise Golela @surprise_golela The gadgets that are in the Mojo kit Multimedia journalism can be tricky and tough especially as technology advances and more multimedia reporting develops and changes. Given all the changes that happen in the field of multimedia journalism it is very important for a multimedia journalist to have the right equipment which will make his job simpler. The Tshwane University of Technology has given their second-year journalism students the Mojo kit Gadgets which will assist them with their work. As one of the students, I have also received the equipment and decided to make a review on it. The kit has amazing gadgets which I can say they are a must get for everyone. It has Volkano Rhythm Series ultra-powerful headphones, GorillaPod, Volkano Power bank, Volkano 4 port USB Hub, WD elements external drive and 64 GB San Disk memory stick. I will make a review for each gadget. ·          Volkano Rhythm Series...

By: Surprise Golela @surprise_Golela surprisegolela98@gmail.com Mahlogonolo Phahlamohla founder of Masedi Education Projects  Mahlogonolo Phahlamohlaka is a young lady from the dusty streets of Marble Hall, Limpopo. She is the founder of Help Matriculate Centre (HMC) and Masedi Education projects. Phahlamohlaka has always had so much passion for education which today she stands to advocate for, through the organisation HMC she has managed to help thousands of learners apply for tertiary education. She did her first degree at the Witwatersrand University, which she says she did not like doing. "The time I finished my matric, mining was one of the sectors which had many jobs, and studying geology made sense to me at that time," said Phaahlamohlaka. She says she wanted to help matriculants, not to choose courses they do not want and also to help those who do not have finances to pay for application and registration fees. A block of classrooms that Phahlamohlaka is working on. ...

  Dear Fellow South African,   In three days’ time the matric class of 2020 will sit for the National Senior Certificate examinations.   It is the culmination of twelve years of schooling and a gruelling final year of preparation. For many this is an exciting moment, but one that is also fraught with anxiety.   This year’s exam will be written under unprecedented conditions. We are in the midst of a global pandemic. The nationwide lockdown we had to impose in March to contain the spread of the coronavirus caused immense disruption to everyday life and cost valuable hours of learning and study.   To accommodate the disruptions the June Senior Certificate exams were postponed and will now be written together with the National Senior Certificate. More than a million candidates will sit for the examinations starting on Thursday.   This makes this combined examination the largest public exam ever administered in South Africa.   The provincial and national D...

 By: Surprise Golela  The matric final examinations are due to start this week  on  Thursday, November 5 and end on December 15. The Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has wished the 2020 matriculants well in their final exams. The examinations will start on November 5 and end on December 15. She says 2020 was not a good year for anyone, however the learners must strive to do their best. “I wish them well and they should know that they are a special class. They are a unique class of 2020 where there is Covid. They are a special class, they must focus and do their best. They are not an ordinary class.” Largest public examination Last month, while addressing giving an update on key developments in the basic education sector relating to the Covid-19 level 1 restrictions, Motshekga said the combined examination makes this the largest public examination that has been administered in the country. A total of 1 058 699 candidates will sit for the examinations. “We cert...

 -BY: Surprise Golela The class of 2020 is expected to sit for their final exams from November 5. The Minister of Basic Education addressed the media this morning on key developments in the basic education sector relating to Covid-19 level 1 regulations. “Today, we launch the official countdown to the examinations. It is now 34 days to the start of the NSC examinations for the matric class of 2020,” said Motshekga. The minister appealed with parents, guardians, and communities to rally behind all the candidates who will be writing their final exams this year. She added and said this is an extraordinary time for them (class of 2020) and all of us, but they need the support more. This year more than 1 million matriculants are expected to write their final exams next month, which is said to be the biggest group in the history of basic education department. “A total of 1 058, 699 candidates will sit for the examinations and we certainly have never had to manage a number that ...

-BY: Surprise Golela   During a media brief this morning the Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that the 2021 academic year will officially start on 25 January. “First, let me confirm that schools will reopen on 25 January 2021,” said Motshekga. She said the school calendar will be gazetted tomorrow Friday, 2 October after that it will be made public. The Minister said they are working hard to plan the 2021 academic year taking into consideration the challenges the sector and the whole country faced this year. “ We are fully aware that the country need the school   calendar for effective planning purpose, we have worked hard to ensure it is done properly taking into account the disruptions that have occurred in 2020,” said Motshekga. The Minister’s briefing provided an update on key developments in the Basic Education sector relating to Covid-19 level 1 restrictions. Motshekga said schools will have to carry over some of this year’s curriculum work into...

 By: Surprise Golela Tito Mboweni goes in the kitchen again and Mzansi catches up with him as usual. Mboweni often gives Mzansi a glimpse into his personal life. If it is not a video of himself doing the Jerusalema dance challenge with his sons, then it is photos of dishes the minister prepares. This evening minister went into the kitchen again and those who follow him would tell you that that is always a recipe for disaster. As he always does, the minister posted the pictures of his meal until the final dish as people on twitter follows his cooking’s and they are real food critics. Luckily today he was not preparing Pilchard or Masonja or even a roasted chicken which got him under the fire the last time he prepared them. He prepared Pork ribs with the usual Tomatoes and of course a lot of garlic which you cannot separate him from. While some enjoy the finance ministers’ posts, other people just tend to throw major shades at them. Even the former DA leader Mmusi Maimane c...

 By: Surprise Golela  Maphatlalatse Ramante Joseph Maphatlalatse Ramante Joseph also known by his stage name The Living Poet is a young man from a small town called Maquad in the Free State. He is a poet, motivational speaker, and the author of a motivational book titled “THE UNTOLD TRUTH”, which was published last year. He is currently a student at the Central University of Technology. He says growing up in Maquad has motivated him to always stand up and do what he believes in. “ Growing up for me has been very tough because I lacked a lot of opportunities which other people had, but that served as a motivation for me because you have to be motivated by pain sometimes,” said Maphatlalatse. As the country celebrates heritage month, a lot of young people seems not to care much about heritage, it is by luck to find people like The Living Poet who still knows the meaning of heritage month. “Heritage month reminds us of who we are, to know where we are going you must know ...

 By: Surprise Golela Musician Phelo Bala had Mzansi talking this week after he posted pictures of himself with Make-up artist and businessman Vuyo Varoy, and his fans were really convinced it is his new bae. Although the two havent confirmed if they are in a relationship or not. Rumours of romance spread across social media which opened old wounds of Phelo's relationship with media personality Moshe Ndiki. While other people think phelo moved too soon, others are happy that he has "found love again". The Bala Brothers star, today released a new song titled "Andisafuni" which some people think it is a diss to Moshe Ndiki. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We dropping in 2 hours on all digital platforms♥️♥️ <a href="https://t.co/HbL1XWqe1Y">pic.twitter.com/HbL1XWqe1Y</a></p>&mdash; Phelo Bala (@PheloBala) <a href="https://twitter.com/PheloBala/status/1309221051...

By: Surprise Golela   The Department of Basic Education has cancelled this year’s final examinations for grade 10 and 11 pupils and the examination will be replaced with controlled tests. In line with the revised annual teaching plans and the time spent on teaching and learning, the promotion requirements for 2020 academic year have been revised. Grade 10’s will sit for an hour duration paper while Grade 11 will sit for two hours long papers. The pupils will write tests which are set by their schools, this is because the common tests which are always set by the provinces will not be set this year. The circular by the Department of Basic Education states that control tests should be set only on the content that was taught to pupils. “The controlled test must cover portion of the curriculum taught preferably work covered in all terms, wherever possible,” The circular further states that the tests must be administered under controlled conditions. “Fundamental subject...

By: Surprise Golela  A vicious email leak has proved that Idols judge and Mzansi favorite Somizi Mhlongo stole the idea of his now hit show “Dinner at Somizi’s”. The show, which has become a favorite in Mzansi, features Somizi having dinner with a celebrity at his house every week. Each week, a new celebrity emerges. Now, damning evidence has emerged to prove that the idea of Dinner With Somizi was stolen from one Hastings Moeng. In the email ,Hastings sent a show proposal email to Somizi. Read part of the email sent on July 28 2014: “Hi Somizi and Themba, Trust you’re in good spirits. I’ve had a TV show idea since 2010 but have not had the chance to try materializing it. Please receive this an expression of interest to partner up with you on the idea. I’ve not done a show before, though I am confident that between us we have a database of the right people to bring this to life. Kindly see below” Twitter was full of messages with people throwing stones at Somizi accusing him of the...

  By: Surprise Golela   Grace Mahlangu “A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.”  Melinda Gates Grace Mahlangu is a young woman from the dusty streets of Vezubuhle in Kwamhlanga, Mpumalanga. She is known by many as a very humble, compassionate, and goal-driven young woman by those around her.  Growing up in Vezubuhle was never easy for her as the place lacked opportunities for young people, but despite all that Grace like many other young people of Vezubuhle are working out to bring change to the area. Grace is currently a student at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) studying Journalism. She says she wants to build a better country for all through Journalism. “I chose journalism to provide my citizens with the information they need in order for them to make the best possible decision about their lives, communities, societies, and government,” she said. Apart from being a stude...

 The future of South Africa is in good hands. Barack Obama once said “Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” South Africa’s young people are proving this to be true. Born and bred in Kagiso in the West Rand, Kgauhelo “Baile” Thlone is a radio news anchor, debater, entrepreneur, founder of the Face of Azania pageant, co-founder of Independence Before 18 and a finalist for Mr. Teen Kagiso 2021. He was raised by his grandparents which he describes as his pillars, with his mother being in the military. Growing up, Kgauhelo had a very low self-esteem which lead to him being bullied by other kids at school. The period in his life when he was being bullied, he describes it as one of the hardest, which lead him to even repeat his grade 8. Kgauhelo had to take a step forward in his life to overcome the challenges. As someone who had very low self-esteem, it cam...