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APRIL - jUNE 2021 1ST qUARTER“Building the Free State We Want”THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE FREE STATE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT3RAMAPHOSA ENGULFS MANGAUNGPRESIDENT CELEBRATESFREEDOM DAY INBOTSHABELOPresident Cyril Ramaphosa visitedMangaung for Freedom Day commemorations on 27 April.The commemorations, held in Botshabelo, were also attended by theMinister of Sports, Arts and CultureNathi Mthethwa, acting Ministerin the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Premier Sefora Ntombelaand Members of the Executive Council.President Ramaphosa said it has beena difficult but fulfilling journey sinceSouth Africa attained freedom in1994, but added that more still needed to be done to improve the lives ofSouth Africans. He added that mostpeople still live in abject poverty,whilst many more still do not havewater and electricity.“This year marks 27 years since weattained our freedom from apartheidrule. On this day we recall the historicevents of the 27th of April 1994 whenwe voted for the first time Todaywe have a country where all enjoyhuman rights and freedoms. We havea Constitution that is a shield and aprotection for all. We have made greatprogress towards realising the rightsof our people to a better life and inadvancing human dignity. And yet,even as we have lived in a democratic country for the past 27 years,we know that across many parts ofSouth Africa, the promise of 1994 hasnot yet been fulfilled,” said PresidentRamaphosa.He continued: “For those who continue to suffer from lack of basic ofservices like running water; for thoseliving in fear every day from violenceand crime; and for those who have nojobs to support themselves and theirfamilies, true freedom remains elusive. The legacy of apartheid remainsa defining feature of our land.”The President made an assurance thatgovernment was working hard to ensure a better life for all South Africans.Premier Ntombela thanked PresidentRamaphosa for choosing the FreeState province to celebrate FreedomDay.STAY SAFE. PROTECT SOUTH AFRICA

4 APRIL - jUNE 2021 1ST qUARTER“Building the Free State We Want”THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE FREE STATE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTENGAGING BUSINESS FORMATIONS IN MAPChallenges facing businesses and industries in Maluti-a-Phofung featured strongly in the two previousoversight visits by the Deputy President David Mabuza at Maluti-a-Phofung. These issues were raised bybusinesses during the presidential visit to the area asone of the identified service delivery hotspots in thecountry.The constant disruption of electricity and water supply were some of the main issues that have causedservice delivery protests in Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality. Unstable supply of electricity and water has adirect effect on the local economy of the municipalitynegatively affecting SMME’s production and manufacturing.Following these visits, the Deputy President instructed that engagements with business formations inthe area be held urgently in order to work out Maluti-a-Phofung SMMEs Multi Sectoral InterventionPlan. This plan will then be presented to the DeputyPresident and other principals during his follow upvisit.A delegation made up of DESTEA, Maluti-a-PhofungLocal Municipality, Department of Small BusinessDevelopment (DSBD), SEDA, MAP SEZ, FDC andthe Office of the Premier held a meeting with representatives from business formations on 18 June 2021.More than fifty representatives from eight businessassociations attended the meeting.Issues raised at the meeting ranged from lack of business opportunities, unstable electricity and water supply and poor infrastructure within the municipality,lack of communications, poor waste management,lack of support of SMMEs and informal traders, lackof transparency on how FDC buildings are sold andrented and maintenance in the industrial parks.Ms Mofedi Nkabinde, the founder of GMT Holdings,one of the factories within the SEZ industrial area,lamented the constant disruptions of electricity andwater supply which hampers operations of her abattoir business. “Our business relies on water duringslaughtering, and relies on electricity for storage. Attimes we even consider relocating due to these problems”, she said.Addressing the meeting, DESTEA’s Head of Department, Dr Mbulelo Nokwequ said, “Such engagementsare critical to enhance government plans towardseconomic development of the Free State. They shouldbe held quarterly and be monitored for progress andchallenges if any. It is however important that business formations form networks and exchange viewsif we are to avoid regionalization of economic plans.As government, we are compelled to create conduciveenvironment for interaction and effective implementation of plans”.Maluti-a-Phofung is a critical area where importantindustrial parks, Phuthaditjhaba and MAP SEZ inTshiame are all situated. Factories in these areas are inthe textile, furniture, plastic, agro-processing, leatheras well as auto-mechanics and have created more thanten thousand permanent job opportunities.If these problems cannot be attended to, the localeconomy will suffer which will result in job losses.Sustainability and success of localization and industrialization depends on reliable supply of electricityand water, good roads infrastructure as well as stablelabour force, among others.The intervention plan to turn the situation around, themeeting agreed, will have to include, among others,improved collaboration with the business chambers;open day with business chambers to identify opportunities available within the SEZ and DESTEA and FDCto set up a steering committee to deal with problemsin the industrial parks and develop an urgent strategy to retain and attract investments in the parks. TheDepartment of Small Business Development will alsoincrease the tempo of its campaign on the Townshipand Rural Economic Programme (TREP) incentives.PARENTS URGED TOREGISTER CHILDRENFOR SCHOOLThe Free State Department of Education isurging parents to registertheir children in time forthe 2022 school year.Registration for childrenstarting Grade R andGrade 1 opened in Apriland will remain open until July 31.Education MEC TateMakgoe encouraged parents to carefully choosethe right schools for theirchildren and register themon time and avoid the lastminute rush.He says early child learning and primary schooleducation are very important and children shouldnot be disadvantagedby missing out on thoseSTAY SAFE. PROTECT SOUTH AFRICAformative years of education.“Primary schooling remains our priority as itimproves the learningoutcomes in Mathematicsand languages across allgrades,” said Makgoe.Children eligible for admission for Grade R arethose aged four and halfyears old and turning fivebefore June 30 in 2022.Those going into Grade1 should be five and halfyears old and turning sixbefore the end of Junenext year.The following documentsare required for registration: birth certificate,immunisation card anda transfer letter or lastschool report card forlearners who have been toschool.Foreign learners are required to have a studypermit in order to be admitted at school.The MEC said it’s important for learners to be registered by the start of thenew school year so thatthey don’t lose time at thebeginning, a very important period when startingschool.“The Free State Department of Education willcontinue to emphasisebuilding the foundationsfor learning and it’s important that these learnersstart their schooling inearnest in the new year,”he said.

APRIL - jUNE 2021 1ST qUARTER“Building the Free State We Want”THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE FREE STATE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT5BROWN CALLS FOR THE INCLUSION OF YOUNG PEOPLEOn Wednesday, 16 June 2021, MEC forFinance Gadija Brown, joined by councillors from Letsemeng Local Municipality and community leaders visitedOppermans Intermediate School inOppermansdorp near Koffiefontein tocommemorate Youth Day with learnersfrom grade 6 to 9. Youth Day this yearwas commemorated under the theme:“The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke:Growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society.”The school caters for learners mostlyfrom disadvantaged communities in Oppermans and the surrounding towns.Brown and councillors ticked througha whole host of problems and concernspresented by school administrators andlearners, giving young people optimismand the guidance they need to becomeleaders in politics and business; and, inparticular to deal with the challenges thatthey are facing on a daily basis.“While there are many issues that Icare about and intend to work on, I amconvinced that the most important thingwe can do as the Free State ProvincialGovernment is to ensure that our economic policy includes youth and that weprepare the next generation of leaders totake up the baton and effect change inour province and the country as a whole”said MEC Brown.She acknowledged that economic inequality and decent education to all youngpeople are the serious public concerns.She maintained, however, that these issues, as well as others affecting youngpeople in particular, would not be re-STAY SAFE. PROTECT SOUTH AFRICAsolved until the government restructurethe system and allow full participationof young people in the country’s mainstream economy.Staff and learners were thrilled after getting donations from MEC Brown.School principal Mr Wiesie thankedboth MEC and the councillors for theirgenerosity. “We are very pleased by thedonations we received and we believethat they will make a difference to ourlearners as the majority of their parentsare unemployed,” said Wiesie.

6 APRIL - jUNE 2021 1ST qUARTER“Building the Free State We Want”THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE FREE STATE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTPARTNERSHIP YIELDS GREATHARVESTA group of farmers in Bainsvleioutside Bloemfontein, have proventhat joining hands can yield greatresults and a good harvest. This wasevident when, crop farmer Dr DanMosia harvested sunflower on hisfarm Broedersrust on 26 May 2021with the help of neighbouring farm-ers who are also in partnership withhim. Mosia planted about 1 200hectares of sunflower.The Head of the Department of Ag-riculture and Rural Development,Dr Takisi Masiteng and some of thesenior managers of the departmentvisited the farm, during the harvestday.Broedersrust Farm, situated inWard 26 in the Mangaung Metro,was purchased in July 2012 by theDepartment of Rural Developmentand Land Reform through the Proactive Land Acquisition StrategyProgramme. Farming activitiesstarted immediately after the acquisition and the lease agreement wassigned in 2012.Through a partnership with hisneighbour, Mr Frekkie van der Merwe and other farmers, they managedto plant 1200 hectares of sunflower.Last year these farmers sufferedgreat losses following heavy rainsthat swept most of their crops andcontinued to damage the fields.MEC William Bulwane had paidthem a visit to assess the extent ofthe damage accompanied by the department’s technical teams.“The department assisted us a greatdeal, after those floods damaged ourcrops and caused massive damagesto the fields. The support from thedepartment really meant a lot to us”,said Van Der Merwe.The department assisted thesefarmers with production inputs forplanting of sunflower and maize on406 hectares. Van der Merwe fromKleinheuwel farm added that theycan achieve more through partnerships between the black and whitefarmers. “Partnerships are very important and ours has grown into agood and productive one and we areproud of our achievements thus far”,he added.They have secured markets for theirproduce as they also farm withmaize and peanuts. HOD Dr Masiteng wished them well and saidthat farming is not easy. He concluded by appreciating all the effortsand said that much is to be done inorder to bring back the Free Stateprovince to the status of being thebread basket of the country.SOUTH AFRICA AND LESOTHO TACKLECROSS-BORDER CRIMESPolice, Roads and Transport MECSam Mashinini, visited the Harapitsi borderline between the MountainKingdom of Lesotho and South Africaon 28 April 2021 to assess the numerous complaints about cross-bordercriminality.MEC Mashinini was accompaniedby the Director of Civilian OversightMokgethi Masilo. They met with representatives of both countries’ law enforcement units, the SANDF, HomeAffairs and the Kingship of the area.The main topic for discussion was oncrimes happening along the borderline, including stock and vehicle theft,human trafficking and car-hijacking.People farming in the border areaswere also there to raise issues such asillegal grazing on their land, theft oflivestock and people without the necessary work permits who earn an income in South Africa. The MEC andthe farmers agreed that they will worktogether to put a stop to the crimethreatening the safety of people onthe Harapitsi/Zastron borderline andhampering good relations betweenthe two countries. The Basotho counterparts also agreed to work togetherwith the farmers in the region.“South Africa and Lesotho are dependent on each other. I urge you tofind and implement ways and meansto restore peace and unity betweenour countries. Good relations betweenSTAY SAFE. PROTECT SOUTH AFRICAus is vital and in the best interest of allof us,” said MEC Mashinini.MEC Sam Mashinini and his teamvisited sites along the Harapitsi/Zastron borderline to acquaint themselves about the crime situation between South Africa and Lesotho.Some farmers gave the MEC a practical demonstration on how their fencesare jeopardised by cunning criminalsto get illegal access to their land

APRIL - jUNE 2021 1ST qUARTER“Building the Free State We Want”THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE FREE STATE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT7PAVING ROADS TO UPLIFT COMMUNITIESThe Township of Relebohile in the smalltown of Luckhoff recently enjoyed someform of a relief when its critical localstreets received upgrades and jobs werecreated for the community members. On21 June 2021 the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure, launched itsTownship Rehabilitation Programme(TRP) in Relebohile where 600m of localstreets received permanent rehabilitationand upgrades.The need to have the streets upgradedcame from the Relebohile Communityduring an oversight visit in the area. Theyrequested the Provincial Government toassist in changing the outlook of their keylocal streets as it was difficult to navigateand move around the area, especially during the rainy season.Their appeal landed on the doors and earsof the Department and Public Works andInfrastructure MEC Tshidi Koloi gavetheir request a green light. A two phasedpaving project was then implemented inRelebohile. Today, the paved streets enables the community to move aroundeasily and the provision of services runssmoothly.The TRP entails the upgrading of low vol-ume roads from gravel streets to pavedstreets utilizing inter-locking pavingblocks including the formalization of thestorm-water network.The focus of the programme is the upgrading and paving of township streets aswell as the replacement of old infrastructure. In order to fight poverty, developskills and create work opportunities, thedepartment has integrated training within the TRPThe Department prides itself on thesecloser to life projects, especially wherelocals receive training and get certificated. “Our TRP initiatives offer a trainingphase wherein participants do practicals when the actual rehabilitation workand paving of the street takes place,” saidMEC Koloi.Thirty five (35) young people from thecommunity participated in the project. Atthe completion of each TRP Project, theDepartment makes sure that participantsare equipped with the knowledge base(from the class during the inception period) and the practical part (they receiveduring the implementation phase of theproject.) Participants also receive an NQFLevel 3 certificate upon the completion ofthe project.TRIBUTE TO LEGENDARY AUTHORIt was with shock and sorrow that the Free StateDepartment of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation(DSACR) learnt of the passing on of Mme SuzanLimakatso Sefatsa, a highly celebrated Sesothowriter and educator. She departed on 27 June 2021at the age of 90. Mme Sefatsa was born in Senekal(Matwabeng) in a little village called Lebabalasi, onthe 29 September 1930. She was a published authorand member of MoabSesotho Writers Organization.Through the MACUFE-WordFest, Mme Sefatsawas honoured by DSACR for the impeccable roleshe played in the development of literature in thecountry. DSACR further honoured her in 2015 byrenaming the erstwhile Matwabeng Public Libraryto Suzan Limakatso Sefatsa Public Library.From 1950 to 1952, she studied for her Teachers’qualification at the Strydom College which wasthen in Bloemfontein where Pelonomi Hospital isnow. In 1953, she started to work as a teacher. In Mme Sefatsa’s parents as well as her husband, Ntate1970, she became the Principal of the Lejweleput- Sefatsa, have since passed away. She then moved toswa Primary School in Meadowlands, Gauteng. Senekal and in 1986 became a teacher in Senekal.As a writer, Mme Sefatsa was a Secretary of thewriters’ organisation called Lekgotla la Sesotho leIkemetseng la Bangodi (LESIBA). She was also amember of the Sesotho Language Body. Her contribution to the wealth of Sesotho books came inthe form of a drama book called Pakiso, publishedby Educum in 1979. Some of her other books include Makomo and a series of grammar books forStandard Three, Four and Five, which she wrotewith Mr Khotseng. These series are called Mphatlalatsane and were published by Juta Printers.“The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Cultureand Recreation is truly saddened by the departureof one of our country’s most revered Sesotho writers. Mme Sefatsa was a legendary figure whom wecontinued to honour while she was still with us.We call on those she leaves behind to pick up fromwhere she left and continue to develop and promote Sesotho literature. The Department sends itscondolences to her family, colleagues, friends andall those who followed her work. May her soul restin peace” said MEC Limakatso Mahasa.STAY SAFE. PROTECT SOUTH AFRICA

8 APRIL - jUNE 2021 1ST qUARTER“Building the Free State We Want”THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE FREE STATE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTA FITTING FAREWELL TO THE GOOD DOCTOROn 5 April 2021, celebrated authorDr. Kgotso Maphalla took his lastbreath.The news of Dr. Maphalla’s death,fondly known as KPD

School in Mangaung took place on 23 June 2021. Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela joined by Health MEC Montseng Tsiu and Education MEC Tate Makgoe opened the vaccination site where more than 500 ed-ucators got their irst jabs. he vaccination continued in other parts of the province bringing the total number of vaccinated