Saturday 15 June was a heartwarming day for Ms Mary “Mmbau” Leshavhana as many people gathered to celebrate her 100^th birthday at a function held in Mashamba.

Rebecca Letsoalo (26), a University of Venda (Univen) master's student in physics from Sebayeng Village in Polokwane, will represent South Africa at the 2024 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany.

Her name, Pfunzo, translates into "education," and she is indeed well educated. She holds a BA degree in language practice and teaching methods, which she completed at the University of Venda. However, instead of working in a fancy, air-conditioned office, she makes mud bricks for a living.

Limpopo’s unacceptably high number of road fatalities may require a unique, locally designed solution that combines planning, enforcement and education. These were among the proposals made during a recent Limpopo Road Safety Programme (LRSP) Strategy Workshop held in Polokwane.

Incidents of stray elephants are becoming a common occurrence in communities bordering the Kruger National Park and the Limpopo River. Recently, they caused havoc at Musunda outside Musina, where farmers suffered severe losses when a herd feasted on and trampled their crops, resulting in damage amounting to thousands of rands.

A group of elderly women from Manavhela and neighbouring villages outside Vuwani marched to the local Vuwani Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 13 June, to voice their grievances. Their march followed the arrest and subsequent court appearance of the alleged murderer of Ms. Rosina Ramasimu. The 60-year-old woman from Manavhela was raped and brutally killed while collecting firewood in the local Burasini bushes. The shocking incident happened on Thursday, 4 April, and her naked body was found in the bushes the following day.

Following the election of Dr Phophi Constance Ramathuba as Limpopo’s first female premier, congratulatory messages have been pouring in, especially from her hometown deep in the heart of Vhembe. Ramathuba was elected premier during a sitting of the seventh Limpopo Legislature in Lebowakgomo on Friday, 14 June. She becomes the fifth premier, taking over from Stan Chupu Mathabatha, who served two terms.

The last time Johannes Ramadzhia (61) of Tshino village outside Vuwani was seen alive was on Wednesday, 12 June. He disappeared, leaving his family members with the hope that he would come back as usual, but that was not to be. On Monday, 16 June, his family woke up to the sad news of his passing. His lifeless body was found floating in the local Luvuvhu River. The body was discovered by fishermen who were fishing in the river.

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” the old English proverb states. In Vhembe, some people believe this is especially true, and they point to a suspected arson incident last Friday at Mutsha Tshiluvhi village as proof that women should not be angered.

As the country celebrates Youth Month, one disabled young woman has stood up to raise awareness about the plight of disabled youths. Businesswoman Ms Mathilda Mamatseane has called on the government to consider disabled youths seriously for job opportunities.

Youth Day was celebrated on Sunday, but the whole month is dedicated to youth-awareness programmes. The executive mayor of the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM), Freda Nkondo, emphasised that “youth month serves as a reminder of South Africa’s brutal past and also as a beacon of hope for the current youth in Vhembe District and South Africa at large.”

Limpopo is an interesting province in that the province seems to be losing more of its residents to other provinces than gaining from others. The Census 2022 statistics give some insight into where most of these residents relocated to.

“These foreigners are taking our jobs ... There are millions of them around us, and they come here and use our clinics and services without paying any tax.”