The Free State provincial government instructed its 10 departments to provide service delivery in the Xhariep District ahead of the ANC’s provincial January 8 Statement celebrations.
The office of Free State premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae has instructed all the departments to activate outreach programmes in Xhariep as part of activations. Three sources who spoke to Sunday World alleged that the activations are aimed at making people believe that the government is delivering services.
Various departments roped in
The departments include the premier’s office; health; public works and infrastructure; agriculture, rural development and environmental affairs. Also community safety; roads and transport; finance; tourism and economic development; human settlements and cooperative governance and traditional affairs. And education, including sports, culture and recreation. They were all instructed to activate outreach programmes from Monday to Friday.
Sunday World can reveal that those outreach programmes were designed and initiated last week Thursday by Letsoha-Mathae’s office. The sources, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the aim of bringing all the departments to Xhariep was part of the ANC’s provincial celebration for January 8 Statement on Saturday.
This publication reported on Sunday that Letsoha-Mathae’s chief of staff and former EFF member, Kgotso Morapela, instructed officials to be in a meeting to discuss the activities and programmes that are supposed to take place in the Xhariep district.
Outreach programmes
Various departments started to implement outreach programmes from Monday. This is as part of activations carried out by the government. And these projects coincide with the celebration of the January 8 statement in the district.
The comes after Sunday World reported at the weekend that the provincial government and the Mangaung municipality was accused of bankrolling an ANC event. The said event was held last Thursday at the Waaihoek Wesleyan Church in Bloemfontein. This is where the ANC was formed in 1912.
On Saturday, the main celebration of the ANC January 8 Statement will take place in Trompsburg.
Sunday World has seen the programme of action as issued by Letsoha-Mathae’s office. In it, the departments were instructed to obey orders on what is expected of them to do. They are instructed to do so in the five-day outreach programme guised as part of the service delivery. And this is aimed at alluring the residents of the underdeveloped Xariep to attend the ANC’s January 8 Statement celebrations. The event is set to take place in the sleepy town of Trompsburg.
In late December, ANC Free State Provincial Secretary, Dihelele Motsoeneng, announced that the event in Xhariep will be part of the broader celebrations. This will follow the national event held in Moruleng, the North West.
In the outreach programmes, areas such as Jaggersfontein, Fouriesmith, Oppermansgronde and Phillippoli, were excluded.
Jaggersfontein, many others left out
Jagersfontein is the town where a mine tailings dam collapsed and killed three people in September 2022. Many houses were destroyed by the dirty water and mud.
Activations such as career expos, community meetings, Education Day, back-to-school cleaning campaigns, government mobile services, donation drives to child-headed households, and door-to-door campaigns with community health workers will be part of the outreach programmes.
Other programmes include anti-drug and substance abuse awareness, engagements with farmer stakeholders and stakeholder engagements on crime prevention, among others.
What is notable and crucial in service delivery projects is that the Department of Human Settlements and CogTa under MEC Saki Mokoena will be handing over housing units to the families that have been waiting for years. He will also be handing out tools of trade for community workers’ programmes.
Blitz on potholes, business compliance
This includes the roads portfolio led by MEC Jabu Mbalula. His department will be focusing on pothole patching, gravel road maintenance, road safety campaigns and removal of illegal dumping sites. Economic Development under MEC Toto Makume doing unannounced inspections to check compliance in business establishments.
Mokoena is no stranger to dishing out housing units to the Free State residents. H department has handed over dozens of housing units to many families across the province since last year.
However, officials and ANC politicians who are in the PEC stated that even though the government’s intentions are positive, this was raising eyebrows on how the office of the premier was using the January 8 Statement to focus on service delivery.
