Honourable Speaker of the Legislature
Honourable Members of the Legislature and the Executive Council Honourable Members of the National Assembly and the NCOP Judge President and Esteemed Members of the Judiciary Boetapele ba Ntlo ya Marena le Ma-Khoisan
The Leadership of SALGA and Municipalities The Provincial Commissioner of SAPS
The Regional Commissioner of Correctional Services Leaders of Chapter Nine Institutions
Leaders of the African National Congress and the Alliance Our Special Guests
Ladies and Gentleman
This is the year of great significance in our history as we mark 30 years of the triumph of our hard-won freedom and democracy.
It is a year that builds a bridge between our tragic past, encouraging present and a brighter future.
And lest we forget, nothing about this freedom was ever free. Lives were lost, racism entrenched, households shattered and human rights crushed.
With the birth of democracy, the stage was set to carve a path anchored firmly on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.
Central to the democratic transformation process was improving the living conditions of South Africans and fostering shared economic growth.
Driven by the relentless desire for a better life for all, we have over the past 30 years, invested time, resources and commitment in fighting the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Honourable Speaker
The courage of our people continues to be rewarded. Their hopes and dreams continue to be the spark that impels us to even greater heights.
Signs are everywhere that the Free State is a province on the move, confident in our actions and optimistic in our future trajectory.
We are making the most of our potential, harnessing our development efforts and leaving no one behind in a Social Compact with our people.
We have embarked on a programme of convening Social Compact Izimbizo in all districts, bringing together all sectors of society. Only the Fezile Dabi District is outstanding. We must acknowledge our engagements with the religious sector during these Izimbizo as critical to restore the moral fibre of our society.
Not only are we actively listening, but we are integrating their inputs into the planning and execution of government programmes and projects.
At the start of this Sixth Administration, we pledged to serve the people; to be the carriers of their dreams and enablers of their aspirations.
As we look back on the past, we are proud of the progress we have made. Today, life is just not the same.
But more still needs to be done, and tomorrow will be better than today.
Honourable Speaker
We pledged to build a resilient, dynamic, inclusive and competitive economy with immense prospects for human development. This was to break away from the apartheid structural configuration of our economy.
Emphasis was now on economic recovery, job creation, and diversification to inspire the growth of other and new economic sectors.
It is no surprise that our contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product remained stable at 4,9% between 2019 and 2022. In the same period, the provincial economic growth rate recovered from -0,1% to 1,5%.
This was achieved despite the challenges brought about by COVID-19. The pandemic resulted in serious economic challenges, not only at macro-economic level, but impacted significantly on our people, households and business at all levels. Our path to recovery has not been smooth.
We are still afflicted by the burden of unemployment. In the coming years, no effort will be spared to lessen this burden. Any small, but yet notable dent in unemployment is welcomed. Unemployment fell from 38,5% in the 3rd quarter of 2023 to 37% in the 4th quarter.
Our Expanded Public Works Programme and the Presidential Employment Stimulus is a demonstration of our efforts to ignite economic growth.
Today we can acknowledge that since 2019, we have created 282 907 work opportunities against a five-year target of 260 000 work opportunities through this Expanded Public Works Programme.
The Presidential Employment Stimulus enabled us to benefit from the creation of 87 357 job opportunities, supporting 24 733 livelihoods and retaining 1 680 jobs in the period between April to December 2023.
These statistics include the 6 964 Education Assistants and 8 285 General School Assistants in the Department of Education. At the core of this education programme is the placement of unemployed youth in schools. This further illustrates how we give practical effect to our commitment to address youth unemployment. We must strengthen the coordination and maximize our participation in this programme.
Honourable Speaker
A strong agricultural sector is key for food security, job creation, poverty alleviation and rural development. Work is underway to position the Free State as the champion of the agricultural green revolution in the country.
Figures are telling in this regard. From 2019, the agriculture sector steadily grew from 4,7% in the 3rd quarter to 5,1% in the 3rd quarter of 2023.
This is to be expected considering our support to 227 red meat producers, 309 agro-processing initiatives and the creation of 152 green jobs.
A total of 4 543 producers were trained, and 249 students graduated from the Glen Agricultural College.
We have employed 120 graduates for a two-year period in the agricultural sector under the Entrepreneurial Development Programme.
We facilitated 19 023 export certificates, 29 419ha of land was rehabilitated and 987ha was cultivated using conservation practices. This will preserve the environment and increase production of organic products.
We are on course to revitalize the deciduous fruit industry. Recently, R10 million was disbursed to the Remmoho Agri-Investment Project. This investment will create 400 jobs over a three-year period resulting in the construction of a juice manufacturing plant targeting the export market.
Work is underway to avail provincial and municipal land for youth, women, people with disabilities and military veterans for farming purposes.
We will increase investment to support the commercialisation of Black farmers, investment in agro-logistics infrastructure and open new markets.
Honourable Speaker
There is no doubt that the much desired economic growth and development will be achieved if we harness our infinite energy potential.
We are hard at work to position the Free State as the country’s central energy logistics, distribution and beneficiation hub.
The province has immense opportunities in natural gas, solar, coal, ethanol, wind, uranium, hydropower and hydrogen to power the future of our country.
To enhance and benefit from these investment prospects, we held the Free State Energy Security Indaba during November last year. Apart from serving as a platform for discussions, the Indaba was about investment attraction, exploration and collaboration on energy matters. Work is underway to implement commitments made during the Indaba. We are now unlocking over R100 billion of energy investment pipeline.
To effectively do so, we are enhancing the capacity of Municipal Planning Tribunals to speed-up land development application decisions.
Working with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, Infrastructure South Africa, the Central Energy Fund and investors; we will see the construction of renewable energy plants, issuing of exploration licenses and energy supply to the grid.
The discovery of natural gas in December 2019 by Renergen in Virginia has to date led to an investment of more than R1,2 billion and plans to invest another R18 billion to expand this project is underway.
Measures to establish an energy-focused Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Matjhabeng to unlock the potential of natural gas have started.
We are also pursuing investment in the knowledge economy. This is evident from our cooperation with Broadband Infraco and SITA. Phase
1 of the Broadband Access Fund project has provided broadband connectivity to 122 government facilities in Thabo Mofutsanyana.
Under Phase 2, the project will connect 4 921 households and 304 Wi- Fi Hotspots in the Fezile Dabi and Xhariep District Municipalities by March 2024. In addition, Broadband Infraco in partnership with Sentech and Internet Service Providers will deploy 2 134 Community WiFi Hotspots and enable 376 253 household connections over 3 years.
Honourable Speaker
Through investment, we can create jobs, lessen poverty and end inequality.
Earlier this week, we held the Free State Investment Conference to promote the province as an investment destination of choice. The Conference resulted in the pledging of R81.5 billion, particularly in the renewable energy, green mobility and retail sectors. A dedicated team from the DTIC and Investment South Africa will work with the province to convert these pledges into actionable investments.
We have made available resources for the establishment and implementation of an Industrial Hemp Project in Xhariep District.
Our economic transformation initiatives include the Township Economy Revitalization Support, refurbishment of factories, and launch of the revised Free State Growth and Development Strategy, the Free State Spatial Development Framework and the Provincial Integrated Waste Management Plan.
We are driving youth entrepreneurship to ignite their innovative passion. These are the change agents and trailblazers of the future.
We launched the Free State Youth Business Pitching competition to provide youth-owned start-ups with financial and non-financial support.
Our desire for growth is evident in our partnership with the Maluti, Motheo and Goldfields TVET colleges that led to eight start-ups being created.
We truly believe in SMME development. They are the bedrock of economic growth. Going forward, we have to escalate our support to this critical sector of the economy.
Financial support of R28 million was provided to 32 SMMEs in logistics, agro-processing, tourism, ICT, wholesale and automotive sectors. Ten of these SMMEs were youth owned and nine women owned.
Rental incentives to 25 SMMEs in Industrial Parks were also offered. Our Industrial Parks investment drive has led to employment of 5 571 people in Botshabelo, 516 in Thaba Nchu and 5 070 in Phuthaditjhaba.
Investment support was equally extended to aspiring industrialists. Today Matla-a-Tau Maize Meal in Frankfort is exporting maize and samp to Lesotho, Swaziland and the DRC because of government support.
We must continue our efforts to promote Free State tourism even more aggressively than in the past. Our initiatives such as the Intra Trade Conference (SATOVITO), the 4X4 Eco Challenge and other campaigns, leveraging off our natural resources, provide a platform to strengthen the Free State’s share of the national and international tourism market.
Honourable Speaker
Roads and bridges facilitate trade, and connects people and towns. We will invest R1,993 billion in upgrading and maintaining roads as part of our Township Revitalization Programme and roads maintenance.
We escalated our roads construction and maintenance programme by transferring 568.75 km of road to SANRAL during October 2023. This includes the R26 between Ladybrand and Bethlehem, the R34 from the North West provincial border at Bloemhof to the KZN border at Vrede and the R74 from Harrismith to Oliviershoek (KZN border).
In addition, we transferred 222.70 km earlier this month. These roads include the R700 between Bloemfontein and Bultfontein, the R710 between Bultfontein and Welkom, and the R30 between the R730 intersection north of Theunissen to Odendalsrus.
Ongoing provincial projects from the 2023/2024 financial year include:
- Henneman - Kroonstad - Virginia
- Viljoenskroon - Orkney
- Senekal - Lindley
- Lindley - Petrus Steyn
- Zastron - Sterkspruit
- Tweespruit - Excelsior
- Senekal - Rosendal
- Rosendal - Ficksburg
- Koppies - Sasolburg
- Sasolburg - Heilbron (Phase 2)
- Jacobsdal - Koffiefontein
- Tweespruit - Hobhouse
- Qwaqwa Primary Roads (Setsing to Monontsha border, Matebeleng to Makgalaneng, Bolata Shopping Centre to Elizabeth Ross Hospital, Thiboloha to Maluti Bus Services, Riverside to Namahadi (Sekoto), Mmakong Village and Lusaka to Qholaqhwe Main Road).
New projects that will commence in the 1st quarter of the 2024/25 financial year include the following:
- Clocolan – Marquard
- Ladybrand - Hobhouse
- Dealesville - Hertzogville - Christiana border
- Oppermansgronde upgrade of gravel to surface road.
Gravel roads are important for economic and social development and R125 million is budgeted for gravelling of roads throughout the province.
We have employed 650 youth through Operation Vala Zonke to speed up pothole repairs in our roads. This partnership with the Central University of Technology will also enhance our efforts to aggressively address skills development whilst maintaining our roads.
The joint Welisizwe Rural Bridge Programme with the South African National Defence Force to ensure accessibility in rural areas is ongoing. For our communities, these are the bridges of hope, pride and prosperity.
Honourable Speaker
Our people are the true wealth of our nation. Their education, health, development, social protection and well-being are our outmost priorities.
Our education success is a proof of the value we place in education to unlock our potential. Education is inspiring, liberating and empowering.
Since 2019, we have remained the Number One performing province in the country. No other province has achieved this feat. The Grade 12 class of 2023 achieved a notable pass rate of 89.03%, retaining the uninterrupted record in the Number One spot for a five-year period.
This would have not been possible without the support and dedication of our educators, learners, parents, governing bodies and organized labour. Together, you are a formidable team and remain the essence of our long- lasting Grade 12 success.
We call upon the education community, particularly our parents, to participate in the School Governing Body elections that will take place
in March this year. This is one of the key instruments in the practical manifestation of how democracy unfolds in the hands of our communities.
In these times of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things, our drive to shape our development trajectory continues. A total of 3 490 Grade 8 learners in 21 schools and 2 693 Grade 9 learners in 19 schools were enrolled for Coding and Robotics in 2023.
Investment in school infrastructure matters because it improves the learning environment, education outcomes and access to education.
In the next three months, we will hand-over the following schools:
- Dr Sello Primary School in Viljoenskroon
- Tshehetso Primary School in Bothaville
- Katlego Mpumelelo Secondary School in Sasolburg
- Breda Farm School Hostel in Fouriesburg
- Leboneng Special School Hostel in Welkom
- Oranjekrag School Hostel in Gariepdam
Early Childhood Development is important to nurture the love for education and provide the foundation for all future learning. We are therefore investing in the expansion of Grade R.
According to Statistics South Africa, 41.9% of the 0–4 year-olds in our province were attending ECDs in 2022. This number was the highest in the country.
Educational toys were procured for 240 ECD sites, 6 750 theme charts were distributed, and 500 ECD practitioners were trained in the National Curriculum Framework and 250 underwent NQF Level 4 training.
Honourable Speaker
As we intensify the provision of quality healthcare, we will implement programmes to educate communities about the benefits of the National Health Insurance, increase clinic operating hours and embark on a programme of healthy lifestyles.
Our HIV/AIDS programme continues to benefit 313 589 Anti-Retroviral Therapy clients whilst 14 336 new clients were initiated on this therapy. A total of 98% of eligible antenatal clients were initiated on Anti- Retroviral Therapy. The success of this programme is evident in HIV infection of babies born of HIV-positive mothers, which dropped to 0.6%.
Our promise of universal access to quality healthcare requires investment in good infrastructure to better respond to increasing healthcare demands.
We are proud of the fact that 189 out of 219 clinics obtained an Ideal Clinic status. These are clinics with good infrastructure, adequate staff, adequate medicine and supplies, and good administrative processes.
The following hospitals attained an Ideal Hospital status as well:
- Parys Hospital
- Botshabelo Hospital
- JS Moroka Hospital
- Universitas Academic Hospital
- Phekolong Hospital
- Senorita Nhlabathi Hospital
This ideal facility status is an essential part of our healthcare aspirations. More work is being done to embed this status in all our facilities.
Delivery of quality healthcare requires adequate professionals. Between April and December 2023, an additional 245 Doctors, 218 Nurses, 65 Allied Professionals, 15 Pharmacists and 848 Non-clinical Staff were employed. A further 61 doctors who have completed their community service will be appointed with effect from the 1st of March.
Early in January this year, 217 medical interns and community service professionals that include Dieticians, Radiographers, Audiologists, Physiotherapists and Medical Practitioners assumed duty in various health facilities in our province.
Use of technology solutions are now part of our healthcare provision. Last year in November we launched a digitisation project that entails a Bophelo Mobile App for ambulance requests, Electronic Recruitment System, Digitisation of Paper Records and Telemedicine.
We procured an additional 46 renal equipment units, which will be deployed at all regional hospitals. This will ensure that patients are able to receive dialysis treatment closer to their places of residence.
Orthotic devices were issued to 6 518 people and 351 received medical prosthetic devices. A total of 4 798 cataract surgeries were performed.
Honourable Speaker
As a caring nation, we have an obligation to those most vulnerable.
Our 55 Community Nutrition and Development Centres provide meals to vulnerable individuals and households. All in all, 19 562 individuals and 406 households benefitted from this food security programme.
We also launched the Free State Food and Clothing Bank in December last year to give hope and change the lives of the most vulnerable.
Last year we committed to appoint 38 Social Work Graduates who were beneficiaries of government’s bursary programme. We delivered on this promise and these graduates have been appointed.
Nothing justifies violence against women and children. We abhor and deplore acts of violence and abuse. There is a scourge that has developed in the province with the abduction, kidnapping and killing of young girls and women. This needs to stop, and stop now.
To assist those affected, our shelters for victims of Gender-Based Violence continues to provide important services in the province.
We have operationalised our Safe House in Botshabelo to provide emergency responses. We have also launched a shelter in Koffiefontein.
We will continue to provide care and protection services to 4 860 older persons and 1 262 persons with disabilities.
Honourable Speaker
Our human settlement approach remains grounded in the affirmation of human dignity, uniting people and communities as well as promoting spatial transformation by bringing people closer to their places of work.
We are reassured by Statistics South Africa confirming that by 2022, 88.5% of households in the Free State resided in formal dwellings as compared to 9.7% who lived in informal dwellings.
Importantly, the number of households connected to the main electricity supply increased from 90,7% in 2020 to 93,4% in 2022 in the province.
We are implementing the Asbestos Eradication Programme. With the DBSA as an implementing agent, suitably qualified and skilled service providers were appointed. To date, the removal of asbestos and related work have been completed at 202 of these houses.
The continued delivery of housing units is characterized by two aspects, namely the completion of 2 000 incomplete houses and the delivery of 1 872 planned housing units in the current financial year.
We have refocused our Community Residential Units work to ensure the completion of these catalytic projects. Repairs at G-Hostel in Welkom - with the capacity to house 780 units - have started. Similarly, work has commenced at Dark and Silver City in Mangaung. These two Units have a combined capacity of over 812 units.
We have also delivered 1 095 serviced sites to date in this financial year.
Our “Title Deed Friday”-programme with municipalities have resulted in the issuing of 19 334 registered title deeds. This programme will continue in the new financial year and we will further fast-track and streamline the process of issuing tittle deeds.
Honourable Speaker
Using the universal language of sport, arts and culture, we will continue to unite, inspire and celebrate our diversity in its varied forms. We look forward to the roll-out of a reimagined MACUFE later this year.
Currently, 32 young people are undergoing training in film and television production, NQF Level 5. A total of 610 are being recruited for internships within the film, tourism and hospitality sectors
We are pleased to announce that we will launch the Premier’s Olympic Cup in the next financial year where five sporting codes will be covered.
We congratulate D’General Football Club on their victory against Madridtas FC in the group stages of the Nedbank Cup. We wish them well as they battle it out in the last 16. We will support them with resources to aid their campaign during this period.
We also wish to acknowledge the immense contribution of Mme Sinki Leshabane, the chairperson of Mangaung Unite FC, to sport development in the Free State. She has truly created a legacy and is creating a footprint that will serve generations to come.
The beautiful game of soccer holds immense power to unite our communities. We stand alongside the people of our province carrying a dream of restoring the province to professional football. This is not just about football, it is about injecting hope in communities, giving purpose to the youth and restoring the Free State’s rightful place on the national stage.
We have to continue our investment in sport and recreation infrastructure. This is key to enable a holistic approach towards sport and recreation development. It also contributes to combating social ills. We will continue our relationships with the various sporting codes in the province.
This will enable the creation of more impactful opportunities for our sport men and women.
The process of enlisting the Wesleyan Church, which is the founding venue of the ANC into the World Heritage List, is ongoing. This historical site could be declared the 2nd World Heritage Site in our province after the Vredefort Dome Meteoritic Site. The results will be announced by UNESCO during July 2024. We remain optimistic of the outcome.
We are transforming our heritage landscape to truly reflect who we are. This is evident from the completion of the 1st Phase of research of Black Concentration Camps and suspected Mass Graves like Thaba Lebitla in Winburg. This is how we will tell our own stories and write our history.
Honourable Speaker
Building state capacity, injecting urgency and efficiency in our work remain one of our non-negotiables.
We are intensifying our efforts to root-out maladministration and corruption in all its forms at all levels of government. The finalisation of the appointment of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council towards the end of 2023 now enables us to proceed with the establishment of the Provincial Anti-Corruption Advisory Council. It will synergize the work of various sectors in this critical environment.
The roll-out of lifestyle audits have commenced in various departments. We continue to cooperate with the Special Investigating Unit on proclamations issued by the President as well as the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations. We are actively managing complaints management systems such as the Presidential Hotline whilst also collaborating with Chapter 9 institutions such as the Public Protector, Human Rights Commission, and the Public Service Commission.
We remain resolute in our efforts to equip young people with appropriate and relevant skills. In the current financial year, 1 518 unemployed youth benefitted from our skills development programmes.
As a result of a combined investment of numerous SETAs amounting to approximately R131.5 million, I am pleased to report that we have 3 060 unemployed graduates in our Skills Development Programmes.
Three hundred of these young people are benefiting from Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning as well as apprenticeship, and learnership programmes.
In addition, 1 976 students who completed their studies at higher education institutions but could not graduate as a result of outstanding debt, will benefit from the debt clearance programme.
We further commit to assist 3 000 young people in the next financial year by placing them in different skills development programmes.
A Free State Skills Indaba will be held in March 2024, focusing on skills for SMME’s and unemployed Youth in Skills Development Opportunities to address the high unemployment rate in the province.
We also extend our gratitude to SETAs that have committed to fund these programmes for unemployed youth, mainly MERSETA, Construction SETA, FASSET, Service, BankSETA and Energy and Water SETA.
We will soon conclude a R38 million funding agreement with the Unemployment Insurance Fund to provide skills development to an additional 2 000 unemployed people.
We have allocated 200 new bursaries to deserving students for this academic year. Approximately R40 million will be spend in this regard. Statistics South Africa data shows impressive progress in the provision of basic service delivery in the province in 2022. This is evident from:
- A total of 94% of households in the province had access to tap water inside their dwellings, off-site or on-site;
- The percentage of households with access to improved sanitation; improved from 85,8% in 2020 to 87,9% in 2022;
- Households using flush toilets was at 78,7%; and
- Households with refuse removal once per week totalled 72.2 %.
Whilst these service delivery milestones are noteworthy, we must equally focus on the quality and consistency of the services we provide.
The Honourable President Cyril Ramaphosa said at his inauguration on 25 May 2019 that; “The challenges that we face are real. But they are not insurmountable.” The continued challenges with our water supply and quality, waste water management, refuse removal and road maintenance in our cities and towns require our urgent intervention.
Now we are turning the tide as recent developments demonstrate:
- The Jagersfontein - Fauresmith Bulk Water Supply is now complete.
- Working together with the Department of Water and Sanitation, we will finish the construction of the reversal gravity pipeline in Qwaqwa.
- The refurbishment and upgrading of the Fika Patso Water Purification Plant will be completed by April.
- Five non-functioning Waste Water Treatment Works in Maluti-a- Phofung as well as the Koffiefontein and Matjhabeng Waste Water Treatment facilities will be repaired.
- Funding has been made available for the installation of a Lab Information Management System and Computers in the Thabo Mofutsanyana Water Laboratory to improve water quality.
- We will soon be launching the Distribution Agency Agreement between Maluti-a-Phofung and Eskom. This one of its kinds initiative will stabilise the provision of electricity in this municipality.
We are actively encouraging and supporting municipalities to participate in the Eskom debt relief programme.
The introduction of the smart-meter conditional grant recently announced by the Minister of Finance will benefit municipalities that participate in the Eskom debt-relief programme. This will enhance the existing provincial initiative to provide funding for the roll-out of smart meter programmes in municipalities such as Tswelopele.
Municipalities that have been provisionally approved to participate in the debt relief programme include:
- Mangaung Metro
- Nala Local Municipality
- Masilonyana Local Municipality
- Matjhabeng Local Municipality
- Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality
- Dihlabeng Local Municipality
- Nketoana Local Municipality
- Ngwathe Local Municipality
- Moqhaka Local Municipality
- Phumelela Local Municipality
- Tswelopele Local Municipality
Honourable Speaker
We continue to benefit from the wisdom and experience of the collective traditional leadership in the Free State. Our institutions of traditional leadership remain our critical partners in the development and empowerment of rural communities. We will continue to work with our traditional leadership on questions such as land and service delivery. I will be addressing these issues in more detail during the opening of the House of Traditional Leaders tomorrow, on the 1st of March.
To improve service delivery at local government level, we are continuing to professionalize and build the capacity of municipalities. Initiatives in this regard include:
- The process of appointment of vacant, critical and funded senior management positions in municipalities must be concluded by April 2024.
- We are working with SALGA and the LGSETA to provide municipal leadership and institutional development training programmes
- An initiative to make available professional engineers in municipalities to support critical infrastructure development, maintenance and repair work have commenced. Other professional unemployed graduates in the built-environment will also be afforded the opportunity to gain practical experience at municipalities.
- Commissioning research and reviewing the impact of climate change and the disaster management capacity of municipalities that will inform further initiatives to be undertaken.
- We have launched the annual “Cleanest and Greenest Municipalities’” competition during December 2023 with the objective to promote better environmental management practices, social upliftment and economic growth under the ambit of the green economy. The key elements include waste management, energy efficiency and water management and conservation, landscaping, tree planting and beautification as well as community empowerment.
- Our support to municipalities also include measures to improve their financial viability. We will continue to support selected municipalities to improve the revenue value chain as well as other technical support on accounting, budgeting, supply chain and internal auditing.
- We initiated Supply Chain Management training for 22 municipalities on the reduction of unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
We applaud National Treasury’s focused support to seven identified municipalities, namely:
- Mafube Local Municipality
- Metsimaholo Local Municipality
- Matjhabeng Local Municipality
- Tokologo Local Municipality
- Mantsopa Local Municipality
- Nketoana Local Municipality
- Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality
Moving forward, COGTA and Provincial Treasury will develop and implement Financial Recovery Plans for Kopanong, Masilonyana and Mohokare local municipalities.
Provincial Treasury will further drive the financial literacy campaign both in provincial and local government. The beneficiaries of this campaign is both public servants and communities.
Honourable Speaker
Public resources used by provincial and local government need to achieve set development objectives.
We have seen an encouraging improvement of 83% in the submission of annual financial statements by municipalities for the 2022/2023 financial year. Clearly, we must continue our efforts to improve to 100%.
Provincial audit outcomes continue to show steady improvement. We congratulate the Provincial Treasury, Free State Legislature and the Fleet Management for obtaining clean audit opinions for 2022/23.
Overall, more than 66% of departments received unqualified or clean audit opinions in 2022/23. This is an improvement from the 42% in 2018/19.
We are enhancing integrated service delivery through the District Development Model. We will review the One Plans of districts and the Metro, inclusive of catalytic projects.
We will elevate the Jagersfontein Presidency Intervention Programme as the anchor initiative for the Xhariep District Municipality’s One Plan.
Honourable Speaker
We want a safe and secure Free State. The crime fighting results of the multi-agency cooperation are significant.
The South African Police Service statistics for the 3rd quarter of 2023 indicate a decline of the following crimes: murder, robbery at residential premises, carjacking, malicious damage to property and stock-theft.
Operations by the South African Police Service include addressing the high levels of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in the province.
Part of our work against Gender-Based Violence is ensuring adherence to the Domestic Violence Act and that Victim Friendly Rooms are functional. 88 police stations have established Victim Friendly Rooms and 23 are using alternative rooms, but still offer the same services.
By the 3rd quarter of 2023/2024, we conducted an audit of 54 police stations to determine the functionality of the Victim Friendly Rooms.
Sector policing was also implemented in the top 30 contact crime stations.
The Cross Border Forum is active and engagements with KwaZulu- Natal, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Lesotho were held to strategize and implement actions aimed at the prevention and detection of vehicle, stock and fire arm theft as well as crimes associated with illegal substances.
Theft and vandalism of our critical infrastructure is economic sabotage. The South African Police Service has identified critical infrastructure vandalism and theft hotspots and a special task team has been established in Lejweleputswa to address these criminal activities.
Both Operation Knock Out and Operation Vala Mokoti are ongoing to root-out the scourge of illicit mining in Matjhabeng. We mean it when we say we will stop at nothing to deal with Zama Zamas.
Operation Phethisa Molao continues to address some of the following crimes: theft of motor vehicles, illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling of minerals, wild life crimes and stock theft.
We are not deterred. We will go into the heart and soul of these activities.
Honourable Speaker
Many people have fallen victim to the misfortunes of substance abuse. Lives have been destroyed, families shattered and society threatened by drug abuse. This cannot continue. We want a drug free society.
Non-profit organisations have been supported to fight substance abuse and provide treatment services throughout the province. As a result, 48 425 people have been reached through this initiative.
Drug Action Committees have been established in 11 municipalities to coordinate the implementation of the Drug Master Plan in communities.
School safety officers have been allocated to every school linked to the nearest police station. The South African Police Service have increased visibility at identified schools in Mangaung and Matjhabeng.
We take safety on our roads seriously and we are committed to maintaining law and order throuhg the provision fo traffic policing services.
Although there was a 50% increase in fatalities for the Easter 2023 period, we achieved a 27.17% reduction in fatalities in our roads during the 2023 Festive Season.
We are grateful to the South African Breweries for donating two fully equipped trucks that are used as Mobile Alcohol Evidence Centres for on-site alcohol testing of road users in our road-blocks.
True partnership with communities is important to fight crime. This is why we are intensifying the functionality of Community Policing Forums. Interventions include the provision of resources such as uniforms, the payment of stipend to Patrollers and the provision of necessary equipment for fighting crime.
Our crime fighting efforts will also entail the use of technology. Additional
CCTV cameras will be installed in strategic areas for crime prevention.
Police visibility and work with the Border Management Authority to secure our borders from illegal activities will also be intensified.
Abandoned buildings are havens for criminal activities and hide outs for criminals. Measures are being put in place to deal with these buildings.
This includes the 15 properties that have been repurposed for government use since 2019. Various other models such as Build- Operate-Transfer, Long and Short-term Leases, Refurbish-Operate- Transfer and Outright Sale of these abandoned buildings are under consideration.
Honourable Speaker
As we celebrate 30 years of democracy, there is no doubt that the Free State is a much better place today than it was 30 years ago.
It is the people of the Free State who have fashioned the story of our democracy. They have shaped these achievements.
So, as we celebrate 30 years, we equally celebrate the contribution of all residents of the Free State.
We are humbled that you have entrusted us with the responsibility to serve you. And for the privilege that you have granted us, we say thank you.
We commit to still serve you with dedication. We look forward to another opportunity to put your trust in us. Our victory is a victory for a better life.
In the coming years, we will still rise to the challenge to serve you. As we reflect on these 30 years, we cannot overemphasise the urgency and determination needed to deal with the challenges that confront us.
With our collective effort, these challenges will wither away.
Allow me to express my gratitude to the Members of the Executive Council, the Director-General and Heads of Departments for their collective leadership to ensure that the Free State Provincial Government continues to meet the expectations of our people.
We also extend our gratitude to government workers, across all spheres, who are the bedrock of service delivery. We pay our respect to Mr Clifford Masole, a municipal worker in the Setsoto municipality, who had the tragic misfortune of being electrocuted while bravely tackling electricity challenges. We must appreciate the commitment of workers like Mr Masole who ensures that we meet our service delivery targets, notwithstanding the dangers.
We wish him a speedy recovery and hope his commitment shall inspire other government officials to take pride in their work.
My gratitude to all political parties for traversing this democracy with us.
Most importantly, my appreciation to the ANC for the opportunity to lead. I will forever remain humbled by the confidence you have shown in me.
I thank you!
