Author: The Free Stater

A DEVASTATING shack fire has claimed the lives of two children at Naledi Square in Mangaung. According to police, the incident occurred in the early hours of this Wednesday. Officers dispatched to the scene following reports of a shack engulfed in flames found a distraught father who had lost two of his children in the fire. The father told police that around 01:30 am, he was awakened by his children’s screams as flames spread from the shack’s kitchen near the exit door. He was able to rescue his 10-year-old son, but when he tried to return for his other two…

THE Knights will now compete as the Flexbrands Knights after sealing a three-year naming-rights deal with brand group Flexbrands. Free State Cricket Union chief executive officer Johan van Heerden described the partnership as an important vote of confidence in the Bloemfontein-based franchise’s direction. “To secure a partner who shares the same values and long-term vision as the Knights is an exciting and positive step forward,” van Heerden said. “This partnership signifies belief – belief in our potential, belief in our people and belief in the future we are building. “Flexbrands is hungry to grow within South African sport, and together…

THE Free State is positioning itself as a must-visit inland tourism destination with an immersive outdoor experience set for later this month. The provincial Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) will host the Free State Camp-out Experience and 4×4 Eco Challenge from 21 to 23 November 2025 at the scenic Tussen Die Reviere Nature Reserve near Bethulie. The two-day adventure aims to reconnect locals and tourists with nature, promote eco-tourism and showcase the wild beauty of the province’s lesser-known landscapes. The event’s theme underscores a message that the Free State is more than a place…

THE search for five-year-old Onkarabetse Leeuw from Glen has ended in tragedy after police discovered his body on Wednesday afternoon in the suburb on the outskirts of Bloemfontein. According to a statement issued by the South African Police Service, the child’s lifeless body was found at about 1617 hours, covered under a carton box and hidden in thick vegetation. Onkarabetse had been reported missing by his mother on Saturday, 8 November, after he left home around 1600 hours to fetch his cap from a friend and never returned. Police have since opened a case of kidnapping and murder at Glen…

FREE State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae has made an impassioned plea to members of the public to assist police in finding five-year-old Onkarabetse Leeuw from Glen, who went missing on Saturday, 8 November 2025. According to the police, Onkarabetse was last seen leaving his home at around 16:00 to fetch his cap from a friend. He was wearing a grey and black long-sleeved T-shirt, yellow short pants and white sneakers. The little boy is described as light in complexion. Police have launched an intensive search, but as of Wednesday, there has been no breakthrough. The disappearance comes barely two weeks after…

A 32-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested after police discovered 25 boxes of illicit cigarettes hidden in a minibus during a routine patrol on the R82 near Sasolburg on Tuesday night. According to a statement from police in the Free State, members of a highway patrol unit in noticed a white Nissan minibus behaving suspiciously at around 21:30pm. Officers stopped and searched the vehicle, uncovering 25 boxes of illegal cigarettes concealed behind boxes of matches. The seized cigarettes are estimated to be worth about R125 000. The suspect was arrested at the scene and was expected to appear before the Sasolburg…

TWO men have been handed life sentences by the Kroonstad Regional Court for the brutal murder of a local farmer, Eric David Wessels, whose death shocked the Free State community. Mandau Sejani (50) and Daniel Mosiuwa Motaung (52) were each sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and an additional seven years for robbery with aggravating circumstances. The sentences will run concurrently. The court heard that during the night of 24 to 25 October 2020, the two men broke into Wessels’s farmhouse, where they launched a vicious and calculated attack. They assaulted the 58-year-old farmer with blunt objects, tied his hands…

THE University of the Free State (UFS) has suspended all on-campus academic activities across its three campuses following a week of student protests over a new registration requirement set to take effect in 2026. In a statement released on Tuesday, the university said the protests – which turned violent at the Qwaqwa campus – were linked to the introduction of what it described as a “fairer, more equitable and sustainable” financial support framework for all students. Under the new system, only students whose fees or funding have been confirmed will be fully registered. Those funded by the National Student Financial…

THE Central University of Technology (CUT), through its Product Development Technology Station (PDTS), has entered into a landmark collaboration with the University of Venda to accelerate technological innovation, product development and intellectual property generation in South Africa’s higher education sector. The partnership, formalised through the signing of a memorandum of understanding, will see the PDTS assist University of Venda with product development and prototype manufacturing for research projects – a move designed to advance academic technologies from conceptual stages to market readiness. According to the CUT, the collaboration will enable University of Venda researchers to access the Free State university’s…

THE Free State Legislature has summoned all municipalities across the province to appear before its oversight committees starting this week, amid a dire state of local government entities. The hearings – which form part of the Legislature’s Local Government Oversight Week – will take place between 14 and 24 October 2025 at the Windmill Casino in Bloemfontein. According to a statement issued by the Legislature, the oversight week follows joint meetings held earlier this year by the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General. “The hearings…