The dream of performing at the opening of Parliament came true last week for local poet, musician, and praise singer Lutendo Evens Mugagadeli, better known as Vendaboy Poet.

The infighting between two factions within the ANC in Vhembe seems to be getting more intense, and the power balance may be shifting, judging by what happened during the Makhado Municipality’s Council meeting on Monday. Several ANC councillors ignored the ANC Vhembe Region’s instruction to boycott the meeting and went ahead to permanently appoint Godfrey Raliphada as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

The group calling themselves the VBS Minority Shareholders held a press briefing on Tuesday at the Graceland Hotel in Thohoyandou, during which they made a plea for the money stolen from depositors to be paid back. They also want the bank to be resuscitated with the help of a funder they have secured.

A meeting to discuss the overpayment of officials at the Musina Municipality could not proceed on Tuesday as there was no quorum. It is believed that the meeting was boycotted by a certain faction within the ANC that is protecting, among others, the municipal manager.

At a time when traditional-leadership squabbles have become the order of the day, one of the most senior and prominent traditional leaders in Limpopo, Thovhele Nkhaneni Ramovha, has urged the Vandalamo/Tshishonge clan to unite and work towards development in their areas.

Residents of Elim are living in fear after three women were allegedly raped by unknown suspects on 13 and 16 July. Two females, aged 18 and 29, were reportedly raped and robbed at a rental house, while a 56-year-old woman was raped and severely stabbed.

A former Phalaphala FM presenter and producer, Ms Lutendo Tshisikule, was recently admitted as advocate to the High Court. Tshisikule, who worked for 19 years in the broadcasting industry, left the station in January 2023. She completed her LLB degree in 2021 and began focusing on her career as a legal expert.

“Instead of celebrating the return of my two boys from initiation school like other parents, I have to prepare for a funeral for one of them, which doubles the pain for me.” These were the words expressed by local poet Sheila Mathevula from Bungeni village after her 16-year-old son, Pfano Khomola, passed away on Saturday, 7 July.

The past week's headlines were dominated by one story – the sentencing of one of the kingpins behind the looting of VBS Bank, Tshifhiwa Matodzi. The former flamboyant banking boss pleaded guilty to 33 charges of theft and fraud and was sentenced to serve an effective 15 years in prison.

Musina Municipality, the smallest municipality in Vhembe, has some of the best-paid officials and councillors in the country. The budgeted remuneration for the municipal manager and the chief financial officer is roughly R1.9-million each per year. Many residents believe this is one of the reasons for poor service delivery, because after salaries and perks have been paid, not much is left to spend on maintenance and to expand services to all residents.

More than 800 boys who attended initiation school in Magondweni returned home safely last Saturday. The owner of the initiation school, Mr Azwitamisi Munarini, thanked all those responsible for ensuring that the young ones had a casualty-free experience. He ascribed this to the cooperation between traditional surgeons like himself and the provincial health department, which had made sure that all participants were in good health before they were admitted to the initiation school.

The traditional leader of Dzimauli Haramuvhundu and Muledane villages in Harambuda, Vhamusanda Vho Matshidze Ndondeni Ramuvhundu, has strongly condemned all forms of violence, especially against women and children. This follows the stabbing of a young woman from the area in what appears to be another incident of domestic violence.

Members of the Tshinakaho family from Tshaulu are still in shock, following the brutal murder of the 23-year-old Mr Norman Tshinakaho, a well-known stone paver. His body, with multiple shot wounds, was discovered on the road near a bridge.