News

By: Matshidiso Selebeleng

Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) MEC Ketso Makume’s strong leadership and sound financial management have steered the department on an upward trajectory with strong and sound financial management.

Building on the department’s unqualified audit outcome for the 2022/23 financial year - an improvement from the qualified audit opinion received the previous year - Makume secured a clean audit opinion from the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) for the 2024/25 financial year.

The AGSA report confirms that the Department’s financial statements are free from material misstatements and that its performance reporting and compliance controls meet the highest standards.

According to Makume, the continued improvement in the department’s financial records reflects the high level of excellence and professionalism demonstrated by all staff members, from cleaners to the head of the department.

He said meeting the standards of AGSA clearly shows that the department developed and rigorously implemented action plans to address the deficiencies identified in previous years’ audits.

“I would like to congratulate the team for their sterling work in ensuring that we spend the money entrusted to us by the people of the Free State in a prudent and responsible manner. Meeting AGSA’s standards demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement,” he enthused.

Makume further emphasised that the department will enhance its support to its entities, the Free State Development Corporation (FDC) and Free State Gambling, Liquor & Tourism Authority (FSGLTA), to ensure that they also achieve improved audit outcomes.

By: Refilwe Mochoari

Investments and economic development were the centre of attention during the Free State chapter of a two-day G20 cultural diplomacy roadshow that took place in Bloemfontein on 6 and 7 August under the theme Advancing Cultural Diplomacy to building a sustainable country.

This roadshow takes place exactly 103 days before the upcoming G20 meeting, which is expected to take place in Johannesburg in November this year.

Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha Mathae hosted hundreds of delegates from across the country, and amongst those attending were ministers, members of the executive committee, international and local businessmen.

The G20 is an international forum comprising 20 heads of state from across the world's largest developing and developed economies.

G20, amongst others, includes presidents from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and United States and two regional bodies, namely the European Union and the African Union. 

These are the world’s major economies, representing 85% of the global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.

In February this year, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Nomalungelo Gina, said South Africa's presidency takes place when the world is facing a series of overlapping and mutually reinforcing crises, including climate change, underdevelopment, inequality, poverty, hunger, unemployment, technological changes, and geopolitical instability.

In her keynote address at the Bloemfontein City Hall on Thursday evening, Letsoha-Mathae said the Free State as a province is rich in untapped potential, voicing that it is a land of vast opportunity, where culture, industry, and innovation converge to shape a prosperous future.

She said the province is ready for investment in all five districts and called upon investors to come on board.

During her speech, she mentioned that through the Free State Development  Corporation, the provincial government will partner with various Small to medium enterprises to facilitate the occupation of the industrial premises

Addressing the dignitaries and delegates, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Anna Thandi Moraka, echoed the national commitment to ensure the G20 is felt by every South African and African.

“This G20 is about the citizens of South Africa and Africa. It must be taken to all the people and be a source of pride for all Africans,” said Moraka, reinforcing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s vision for inclusive global engagement.

From deep-rooted systemic collapse to missing billions, sewage spills, illegal tenders and vacant posts in Free State municipalities. Twenty-three municipalities came under scrutiny during a joint oversight visit last week to account for these fail ings, marking the beginning of a new era of in tergovernmental accountability. In this article, Dr Zweli Mkhize outlines the joint oversight delega t ion’s observations during the oversight visit and lists some urgent reforms that could turn the crisis into a course correction. South Africa’s municipalities are intended to be the frontlines of public service delivery – the engine rooms of local development and daily wellbeing. Yet, in many parts of the country, they have become sites of dysfunction, decay and despair. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the Free State, where systemic collapse has made basic services a privilege rather than a right. But this month, Parliament and the Free State Provin cial Legislature took a bold step to draw a line in the sand. In an unprecedented show of intergovernmental resolve, three parliamentary committees: the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General, led by me as Chairperson of the COGTA committee, embarked on a joint oversight mission to the province where our counterparts in the Free State Legislature joined us. Twenty-three municipalities were called to account. The scale of failure they revealed was staggering, but so too was the clarity with which the delegation demanded reform and consequences. A Sobering Reality The facts are damning. Municipalities have racked up billions in unpaid debt. One municipality owes over R8 billion to a water board. Others have failed to pay pension contributions deducted from workers’ salaries, and some paid millions in often unauthorised overtime, while service delivery has all but collapsed. Roads are impassable in some ar eas, water systems are dysfunctional and waste ser vices are in disarray. In some instances, entire towns are grappling with sewage spills, and electricity is available for only a few hours each day. One by one, the municipalities came to account as committee members’ interrogation exposed the rot beneath the surface: litigation driven by unpaid service providers, unauthorised financial commit ments, irregular tenders and decades-long impu nity. In Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality, a de fault judgement for a R27 million debt was granted based on a fraudulent acknowledgement of debt, signed by an acting municipal manager with family . That manager remains employed. In the same municipality, despite a R2.2 billion allocation from the Department of Water and Sanitation, no infrastructure had been laid. Chronic outages, unpaid Eskom bills and a water distribu t ion system so broken that consumers had turned to boreholes painted a picture of systemic collapse. In Mangaung, the dysfunction is so entrenched that, despite national intervention since 2022, it has failed to implement more than a quarter of its finan cial recovery plan. We found a 61 per cent vacancy rate coupled with R2.5 billion in personnel costs, and an inability to link overtime to actual work done. Pit latrines, decaying roads and non-function al water meters added to the grim picture. Mean while, the Auditor-General has flagged its inability to account for billions in conditional grant funding. These are not isolated crises. They are a culmina t ion of years of neglect, political interference and administrative erosion. Collapse from Within Two narratives emerged from the oversight – the f irst, of municipalities hamstrung by structural dis advantage – rural towns with low revenue bases, high unemployment and little capacity to attract skilled staff. These municipalities are caught in a vicious cycle of underdevelopment, reliant almost entirely on national transfers. The second, more damning narrative is that of municipalities with viable revenue streams – those capable of sustainable governance – that are in stead hamstrung by internal sabotage. Bloated staff complements, politically connected appointments, non-functional audit committees, and a lack of con sequence management have eroded public trust and institutional stability. As I summarised during the visit, “It is a kind of self-inflicted injury.” Indeed, this is not failure due to resource scarcity alone, but also due to compromised leadership, administrative negligence and a culture of impunity. EPWP Abuse: A Litmus Test for Ethical Govern ance The case of Matjhabeng Local Municipality pro vides a powerful case study of what is broken – and what is required to fix it. Following allegations that councillors were unlawfully drawing stipends under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mr Dean MacPherson, suspended the municipali ty’s EPWP funding. While we welcome decisive in tervention, this move risks punishing the innocent along with the guilty. Hundreds of impoverished EPWP workers, many earning just R2 600 a month, will be left in limbo. The committee supports a thorough investiga t ion, but accountability must not come at the ex pense of the vulnerable. “We cannot allow the poor to suffer for the misdeeds of a few.” Investigations must be targeted, transparent and evidence-based. This case highlights the need for rigorous oversight, as mandated by the Constitution, which protects both institutional integrity and the rights of citizens. A New Model: Collaborative Oversight Many have asked what makes this oversight visit different from previous attempts to address munic ipal dysfunction. This time around, it is a coordinat ed, multi-sphere approach. By bringing together MPs, MECs, the Office of the Premier, the Speaker and relevant committees of the provincial legisla tures, it breaks down the siloed approach that has allowed accountability to slip through the cracks of intergovernmental relations. It sends a strong mes sage: the separation of powers is not an excuse for the separation of responsibility. In addition, municipalities will now be required to submit quarterly progress reports, aligned explicitly with the Auditor-General’s recommendations. Fail ure to act will trigger disciplinary or even criminal proceedings. Moreover, a consolidated oversight report will be tabled in Parliament to ensure trans parency, follow-through and public scrutiny. This visit is not the end – it is the beginning of a new cycle of monitoring with North West as our next stop. Within six months, municipalities will be re-evaluated to check progress. We hope that when the Auditor-General next visits the province, there will be measurable progress. The Way Forward In addressing these failures, we have proposed 10 interlinked interventions. First, audit oversight structures must be rebuilt. Every municipality must have a functioning municipal public accounts com mittee (MPAC), an audit committee and a discipli nary board. MECs must ensure that all disclaimers, unfunded budgets and missed deadlines for submit t ing financial reports to the AG are eliminated. Second, all cases of unauthorised, irregular, fruit less and wasteful expenditure must be investigat ed and acted upon, as this was one of the failings across municipalities. Third, consequence manage ment must be institutionalised, and wrongdoing must carry penalties. Fourth, municipalities need robust financial systems and timely reporting mech anisms. Fifth, acting appointments must cease, with t imelines for filling permanent posts. Sixth, critical vacancies in finance, audit and infrastructure must be filled. Seventh, political interference must be stopped, while stability and professionalism must be enforced. Eighth, financially distressed munic ipalities need tailored, intensive support. Ninth, corruption must be tackled decisively through inter nal and criminal processes. Finally, audit readiness must be embedded in daily governance, not as an emergency measure but as standard practice. These 10 pillars are not suggestions – they are im peratives. Oversight must be followed by enforce ment. We must institutionalise quarterly reporting, track progress and keep Parliament and the public informed. Oversight, in its truest form, is a commitment to the Constitution. We do not perform it to find fault, but to restore trust. The people of the Free State, and South Africa as a whole, deserve municipalities that are ethical, capable and people-centred. As public representatives, we must take collective responsibility and ensure nothing less.

A photo depicting the poor service delivery in Free State municipalities Picture: Baagedi Setlhora ties to the service provider.

The South African Heroines Awards will host its 14th annual business awards. The event will take place at Mittah Sperepere Convention Centre, Kimberly tomorrow. These awards are to honor and celebrate women from all walks of life and professional spheres in the country. They include categories such as politics, se curity, tourism, and many more. The South African Heroines Awards were established in 2012 by Carol Mosiamo. This year’s ceremony is hosted in partnership with the Mme Re Ka Thusa Trust which is a sign of a powerful celebration of trailblazers who continue to make significant strides within their communities and across the nation. This year’s nomination list includes influential indi viduals like the Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC, Nomvula Mokonyane, and renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Shawn “MaMkhize” Mkhize among others. ”This is a celebration of unsung heroes who are shaping South Africa through their dedication and im pact. Even though it was initially to celebrate women, the platform has evolved to also recognize men who actively contribute to the advancement of women and champion gender equity in meaningful ways,” said Nkosazana Mazibuko, the newly appointed Chief Op erating Officer of South African Heroines Awards. She further added that the foundation remains a beacon of empowerment, legacy, and recognition, ensuring that those who give so much to others are f inally given their moment to shine. 32-year-old Keotshepile Jonathan who is the founder of a transportation company called Jonoago Group in Kuruman Northern Cape. She’s been in this male-dominated industry for 6 years now. She started with a Polo Vivo and now has a fleet of taxis and 17 employees. She is a nominee for the 2025 Heroine in Transport and Logistics Award. ”It takes a lot of courage and boldness to make things happen in this industry, but being consistent and knowing what you want is the cherry on top. Women are winning in any field of business. I mean we birthed men, what is there to be difficult to handle? You just have to be a go-getter and never undermine opportunities of the development programs that are there for entrepreneurs,” said Keotshepile. She added that winning this award would be a great mark for her business and the goals they still want to achieve as a business.

As the 2026 municipal elections loom, Journal News caught up with Setsoto Local Municipality, Mayor Seipati Mbiwe, on issues affecting the municipality and its residents, as well as his plans to retain the office.

By: Abigail Visagie

 Thank you for making time to speak to us, Ex ecutive Mayor. How are you doing and, more importantly, how is the municipality doing overall? I’m doing well, thank you. The municipality is also doing well, I must say, despite the various challenges that come with being a local government entity. We are tasked with implementing Section 72 of the Con stitution and delivering essential services to our com munities. But the role of a municipality goes beyond just service delivery. We must also create an environment that fosters holistic development - this includes supporting com munity initiatives, youth development, sport, arts and culture, addressing Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), and tackling the ongoing challenges of HIV/AIDS. No matter your position - even if you’re the presi dent - you must never forget the people at grassroots level. The strength of any nation lies in its local com munities. I thought you’d start with the challenges of being located so close to the Lesotho border. Is that some thing your municipality struggles with as well? Indeed, illegal immigration is a daily challenge for us. Our main town, Ficksburg, is just five minutes from the Lesotho border. This means we often ex perience a steady influx of Basotho nationals cross ing over. This results in issues such as livestock theft and the presence of undocumented foreign nation als - challenges that are not unique to us but are felt across many South African border towns. Surely not everyone crossing over contributes to crime - some might even boost the local economy. So, how do you manage that? Absolutely, and we recognise that. That’s why we’ve rolled out a programme to verify and accredit spaza shop owners, ensuring they have the correct documentation. This initiative ensures that foreign nationals operating businesses are legally recog nised and comply with regulatory standards. The programme will eventually extend beyond the spaza shop sector to include other industries. It’s important for us to know whether individuals are asylum seekers or have legal standing - especially when they are actively participating in our local econ omy. I see. Earlier, you mentioned the importance of not forgetting the grassroots level. Do you believe your administration has done enough for communi t ies to feel compelled to vote for your party in next year’s Local Government Elections? To be honest, preparing for elections shouldn’t be a once-off event. Local government is a full-time responsibility. While not all councillors are full-time, the mayor, executive council members, and much of the municipal administration are. Our focus remains on consistent, daily service delivery. Our communities shouldn’t only see improve ments during election season. The municipality must always be ready - whether elections are tomorrow or a year away. Our goal is to maintain this level of read iness and continuously work to improve the lives of the people of Setsoto. What would you say are the most pressing chal lenges currently facing the municipality in terms of service delivery? Potholes have become a major headache. Water supply has been unreliable in some areas, forcing us to rely on water tankers. In addition, we’re also struggling with sewage spillages, which are becoming a serious concern. Why are these issues so persistent? And what steps are you and your team taking to address them? We are actively working on putting systems in place to show our capability and commitment to improving lives. One of our biggest challenges is the culture of non-payment for services. Many residents have grown used to receiving services - such as wa ter and waste collection - without paying for them. But these services require funding, manpower, and resources to be sustained. We’ve launched a campaign to educate residents about the importance of paying for municipal servic es. Reliable waste collection, for example, depends on consistent financial contributions from house holds. Changing this mindset is not something we can leave for election season - it must be a constant conversation. We are also encouraging active community par t icipation in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) processes and budget votes. This allows residents to understand both what they can expect from us and what their responsibilities are. You are currently serving your first term as mayor. Based on your experience so far, would you like to return for a second term? Yes, this is my first term as mayor. In the previous term, I served as the council whip at the district level. While I would be honoured to continue in this role and build on the work we’ve started, my redeploy ment ultimately depends on my organisation - the same organisation that entrusted me with this re sponsibility. It will also depend on the community - whether they believe I’ve delivered on my mandate and made a meaningful impact. I do believe we’ve built mo mentum, and my focus right now is to ensure that this momentum continues and that we keep moving Setsoto forward.

League president intensifies calls for action against failing party deployees in local government 

By: Abigail Visagie

African National Congress Youth League (AN CYL) President Collen Malatji has come out guns blazing, urging the ruling party to take swift and decisive action against party deployees responsible for the collapse of local municipalities in the Free State. Delivering the Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture at Bloemfontein’s City Hall last week, the ANC’s young wing president emphasized that the ANC must urgently address poor municipal leadership if it hopes to avoid further backlash from voters at the polls. This follows damning revelations uncovered during an oversight visit by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance to the prov ince two weeks ago. The committee reported that the Free State has some of the worst-performing municipalities in the country, plagued by systemic collapse, missing billions in funds, sewage spills, illegal tenders, and widespread staff vacancies. Committee Chairperson Dr. Zweli Mkhize revealed that municipalities in the province have accumulat ed billions in unpaid debt. “One municipality owes over R8 billion to a water board. Others have failed to pay pension contributions deducted from employees’ salaries, while some have spent millions on unauthorised overtime—despite the near-total collapse of service delivery. Roads are impassable in some areas, water systems are dysfunctional, and waste services are in shambles. In certain towns, sewage spills have become a daily struggle, and electricity is only avail able for a few hours each day,” Mkhize said. Weighing in on the crisis, Malatji said the revo lution of young people cannot be postponed while over 80% of municipalities in the Free State are collapsing. “The revolution cannot be postponed when there’s no service delivery in our townships, villages, and towns. We vote people into office, and they arrive only to sleep in their offices, drink tea, and employ their girlfriends and friends—while our people lose hope in the ANC. It’s our responsibility to remove these rotten elements and return the ANC to the people,” he said, stressing that the party must act swiftly. Malatji’s comments align with the ANC Youth League’s provincial leadership, which has issued a four-page media statement calling for the dissolu tion of dysfunctional municipalities. “These councils no longer represent the people. They have become protection units for thieves. The executive mayors, speakers, and chief whips in these municipalities must be recalled immediately. Let us be clear: if the ANC leadership chooses to protect the corrupt, it is choosing to fight the people. If it refuses to act, it has no moral standing to ask for votes,” said provincial spokesperson Thenjiwe Zapi in the statement. Meanwhile, ANC Provincial Secretary Polediso Motsoeneng acknowledged that the leadership was already aware of the issues highlighted by the committee. “We need to determine the appropriate course of action, considering the seriousness of the problems we are facing. Cogta’s visit confirmed what we had also encountered during our provincial roadshows. It reinforces our long-standing concerns about what has gone wrong in our municipalities and what needs to be done to fix them,” Motsoeneng said.