Free State premier declares year of decisive action to fix municipalities, drive economic growth

Free State premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae vowed to fix struggling municipalities in the province, dubbing 2026 the year of decisive action to fix local government and transform the economy.

“This commitment is about the endless pursuit of an efficient, ethical, capable, participatory, responsive, transparent and accountable local government. It is about the desire to regain our pride,” Letsoha-Mathae said in her State of the Province address (Sopa) in Bloemfontein on Friday.

She conceded that the state of municipalities in the province was not encouraging, citing poor financial management, weak governance systems, institutional instability and the  inadequate provision of basic services.

“While we understand that this is unacceptable, our caring government is working hard to turn the tide and make things right. This is a timeless obligation enshrined in our Constitution,” the premier said.

“It is a moral obligation that should direct our collective efforts. Above all, it is a noble administrative responsibility that should shape our service delivery duty. For many of our people, this is about trust tested by history, experiences and expectations for a new age full of promise and opportunity.

“History will not absolve us; it will question us. It will ask us whether we have learnt from the hardships of our past as we prepare the ground for a better future. Surely we owe it to ourselves and the next generation to deliver an efficient and responsive government that serves its people?”

Letsoha-Mathae said joblessness in the Free State was gradually decreasing, adding that a slowdown in inflation would ease the cost of living, while the power system had stabilised.

Her administration was anchored on driving inclusive growth and creating jobs, reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living as well as building a capable, ethical and developmental state, she said.

“We commit to implementing these priorities with compassion and determination — to serve the interests of our people, and nothing else. History will judge us not by whether we have spoken well but whether we have governed well; not whether we have promised enough but whether we have delivered what we promised,” she said.

“Unemployment in the province fell from 38.5% in the second quarter of 2025 to 36.2% in the third quarter of the same year. This was a vital 2.3% drop. For the fourth quarter, we now sit at 37.2%.

“While this is worrying, we are working extraordinarily hard to turn the tide against unemployment. Driven by a lower inflation rate, we expect an improved provincial economic growth rate of 1.85%.”

In 2025 the Free State government committed to creating 30 00 jobs through the Expanded Public Works Programme.

“Today, I am pleased to announce that we have surpassed this target. Through our collaborative efforts across the three spheres of government, we have created 46 118 Expanded Public Works Programme work opportunities in the province,” Letsoha-Mathae said.

Of those, 32 698 were generated by the provincial government and municipalities. The premier said the target for 2026 was to create 44 134 work opportunities.

The urgent task ahead, she said, was to ensure sound financial management, stabilise the political and administrative divide in the province and institute investigations into cases of maladministration.

“We are implementing the required interventions in municipalities struggling to deliver basic services, strengthening governance, increasing municipal revenue and improving audit outcomes,” she said, noting that the Nala, Matjhabeng, Masilonyana, Tokologo, Mafube, Nketoana and Kopanong municipalities had all been placed under administration to implement recovery plans unhindered by ineffective leadership.

“People deserve better. We are hard at work to accelerate municipal infrastructure delivery. At the end of June 2025, 93% of the total Municipal Infrastructure Grant had been spent,” the premier said.

“Our bold infrastructure implementation plans to provide water, sanitation, roads and stormwater systems, high-mast lights, solid waste disposal and pedestrian bridges are beginning to pay off. As part of the implementation of these infrastructure projects, 2 481 job opportunities were created. We are building with ambition and vision for the benefit of our people.”