Author: Darlington Majonga
FREE State Community Safety, Roads and Transport MEC Jabu Mbalula says the provincial government is concerned that the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling allowing a private company to sue his department without statutory notice may set a far-reaching precedent for how state liability is handled in future. Responding to last week’s judgment, Mbalula described the outcome as a “huge and problematic precedent”, adding that the provincial administration would now have to examine the implications beyond the single dispute before the court. “This is definitely a huge and problematic precedent for the whole of government,” the MEC told The Free Stater.…
THE National Assembly’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has expressed shock and outrage after discovering raw sewage flowing into school premises in Welkom, warning that the conditions pose a serious health hazard to both learners and teachers. During its weeklong oversight visit to the Free State last week, the committee found that pupils at Welkom Secondary School and Lenakeng Technical High School have to navigate flowing waste water and jump over pools of raw sewage just to enter their school gates. The waste reportedly stems from ageing municipal sewer infrastructure and blocked drains. Committee chairperson Joy Maimela said what the…
THE Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein has dismissed an appeal by the Free State MEC for Police, Roads and Transport, who sought to overturn a ruling that allowed a private company to sue the department without first giving statutory notice of its intention to institute legal proceedings. The case stems from a claim of R234 594.65 brought by Goldfields Logistics (Pty) Ltd, which said it had incurred costs repairing a badly deteriorated provincial road after years of neglect by the department. The company approached the High Court to recover the amount on the basis of negotiorum gestio – a legal…
THE Matjhabeng Investment Summit has set in motion an ambitious investment drive aimed at securing R100 billion to revive economic activity in one of the Free State’s most distressed municipalities. The two-day summit, held in Welkom last Thursday and Friday, brought together senior government officials, business leaders and investors as part of a strategy to reposition Matjhabeng as a regional energy and industrial hub. The summit focused on reversing years of economic decline following widespread mine closures that crippled the Goldfields region. Once the heartbeat of South Africa’s gold mining industry, Matjhabeng has faced prolonged unemployment, poverty and disinvestment. Executive…
THE Free State provincial government has declared a hardline stance against contractors who abandon public projects without completing them, with Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae announcing plans to blacklist all non-performing companies from doing future business with the state. The Premier’s warning follows a high-level meeting on Tuesday involving herself, MEC for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements Saki Mokoena, Matjhabeng Executive Mayor Thanduxolo Khalipha and representatives of the Vaal Central Water Board. The meeting sought urgent solutions to the persistent water and sanitation challenges plaguing the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, particularly in Welkom and surrounding towns. According to the provincial government,…