Author: The Free Stater

MORE than 200 learners from Kagisho Secondary School in Phahameng, Bloemfontein, fell ill in a suspected food poisoning outbreak during matric study camp over the weekend. The Free State Department of Health reported that by Monday, 214 learners had exhibited symptoms consistent with food poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and fever. “On Sunday afternoon, several learners began reporting symptoms consistent with food poisoning,” Free State Department of Health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi said. The outbreak occurred during a camp attended by approximately 355 matric students. Health authorities mobilised emergency medical services, transporting affected learners to various health facilities. A…

THE Free State Executive Council (Exco) has moved to accelerate the completion of two major low-income housing projects that have been delayed for years, affecting thousands of residents awaiting homes. The Dark and Silver City development in Mangaung, which was initially set to provide 812 housing units, remains incomplete almost two decades after the project began. That project’s budget has reportedly surged from R110 million to R485 million, with only 78 percent of the work finished. The G-Hostel project in Welkom, which aims to deliver 780 homes, is also behind schedule, with just 55 percent of the project completed. In…

A DEVASTATING accident on the N6 highway in the Free State has claimed 10 lives and left 27 others injured, some critically. The tragic collision occurred around 04:20 am on Wednesday, approximately 15 km south of Reddersburg towards Smithfield. A City to City bus, carrying 35 passengers, was involved in a side-swipe head-on collision with an oncoming truck. Among the deceased are a two-year-old girl, six women and three men, all of whom died at the scene. The drivers of both the bus and the truck survived the crash. Emergency services responded swiftly, with five critically injured passengers rushed to…

FOR years, the people of Jagersfontein believed they were sitting on a fortune. The towering tailing dumps – massive heaps of waste left behind by a century of diamond mining – represented more than just discarded earth: they symbolised a second chance. But that dream was officially crushed when the High Court in Bloemfontein dismissed a R30 billion damages claim brought by the Jagersfontein Community Trust (JCT) against the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. The court ruled that the case had expired under prescription laws and that the trust had failed to secure the landowner’s consent – a decision that now leaves the community with little recourse and even fewer economic…

THE latest crime statistics from the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the third quarter of the 2024/25 financial year – covering October to December 2024 – paint a grim picture of violent crime in the Free State. In just three months, the province recorded a staggering 263 murders, averaging 2.8 murders per day. While the murder rate saw a slight decline of 2.2 percent compared to the same period last year, it remains one of the highest per capita murder rates in the country, with 8.9 murders per 100 000 people. The Free State’s violent crime crisis is further…

THE normally quiet towns of Bothaville and Khotsong in the Free State were brought to a standstill this week as frustrated residents of Nala Local Municipality took to the streets, demanding the immediate removal of key municipal leaders. The protest, started on Monday and included business shutdowns and the suspension of teaching at local schools, highlighted the growing discontent with the local administration. Led by concerned citizens, the protests centred on calls for the removal of executive mayor Nozililo Mashiya alongside the municipal manager and the chief financial officer. The residents also voiced dissatisfaction with the municipality’s contract with a…

FREE State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae on Wednesday came out all guns blazing in defence of her recent State of the Province Address (SOPA), criticising opposition parties for lacking constructive input and reaffirming her administration’s commitment to economic transformation, ethical governance and youth empowerment. “Members of the opposition have failed to utilise this opportunity to provide constructive analysis, input and criticism,” she told the provincial legislature. “Instead, they resorted to grandstanding political rhetoric.” Reaffirming the ANCs dedication to the National Democratic Revolution (NDR), Letsoha-Mathae emphasised the goal of establishing a “non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa”. She highlighted initiatives targeting…

PREMIER Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae has accused the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party of hypocrisy concerning cadre deployment and corruption. In a heated response to the Free State Legislature’s debate on her State of the Province Address (SOPA), she highlighted the DA’s alleged inconsistencies, particularly focusing on the controversial employment of Stefan De Villiers in the Ekurhuleni Local Municipality and a R1.2 billion tender scandal in the Western Cape. “Honourable speaker, perhaps you should not be surprised by this – in Ekurhuleni Municipality, the DA employed Stefan de Villiers in the position of executive director with being a DA member as the…

DEPUTY President Paul Mashatile has reiterated the government’s commitment to land reform and the transformation of the agricultural sector, emphasising the importance of ensuring equitable access to land for economic growth and food security. He made these remarks during a Harvest Day engagement with farmers at Remmoho Agriculture Farm in Bethlehem on Thursday. Addressing stakeholders in the agricultural sector, Mashatile acknowledged the significant strides made in land redistribution and agricultural development since the dawn of democracy. “Since the inception of the Land Reform programme in 1994, a total of 5.3 million hectares of land have been acquired through land redistribution,…

DEPUTY President Paul Mashatile has lauded Free State farmers for their unwavering commitment to agricultural development, describing their work as essential to the country’s economic growth and food security. Mashatile, who was joined by Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, an interministerial delegation and Members of the Executive Council, engaged with local farmers in Bethlehem to celebrate their achievements and address pressing challenges in the sector. “Let me begin by acknowledging that it is indeed a privilege to return after our last visit, which took place in March of 2024,” he said. “This visit comes as a result of my commitment to undertake…