Author: The Free Stater

Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality can hardly raise a third of its salary bill from the monthly revenue collections because a growing number of residents can no longer afford to pay for services due to unemployment. This was revealed by Premier Sisi Ntombela when she met with the local business community following increasing concerns over the worsening level of service delivery in the area. The situation is so bad that some operators have indicated they might have to relocate to other towns or provinces due to the erratic availability of water and electricity as well as the deteriorating state of the roads,…

Free State police say they have noted with concern the spread of unfounded messages on different social media platforms by unknown people making false claims about crimes that never happened. Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane said the false reports do not only cause alarm in communities but force the police to use their limited resources trying to confirm the cases instead of focusing on crime prevention. “These incidents are placing a serious strain on our resources, which would eventually negatively affect our response where a genuine case is reported,” said Motswenyane in a statement. According to the statement,…

Mangaung Metro executive mayor Councillor Mxolisi Siyonzana says the Free State capital will now review its financial and operational performance every three months as part of efforts to improve the city’s audit outcomes. “We are at the beginning of a new financial year and this is the perfect time to launch Operation Clean Audit,” said Siyonzana during a media briefing on Tuesday. “As a city, we have decided to take a quarterly approach, which will allow us to monitor issues of overtime, acting positions and fruitless expenditure, amongst others,” he added. Some workers at Mangaung have been accused over the…

Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela was due to visit the struggling Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality this Wednesday to put out fires following growing concerns by several business operators over poor service delivery which could see some of them pulling out of the area. Key among their concerns is the erratic availability of electricity which has been worsened by the municipality’s failure to pay Eskom on time for bulk supplies, resulting in longer outages on the back of the countrywide load shedding currently being implemented by the power utility. Maluti-a-Phofung municipality is biggest defaulter to Eskom in the province with an arrears…

The two men accused of brutally killing seven people at Lismor Farm near Kestell, eastern Free State, last week were expected to make a second court appearance this Wednesday. Kamohelo Motankisi, 34, and Lerato Selepe, 22, could face up to 13 charges for the killings as well as armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms. Motankisi has pleaded guilty to the killings. The two were arrested on Saturday, just a few hours after allegedly committing the heinous crimes. When they were arrested along a road in Bohlokong, Bethlehem, they were found in possession of a shot gun and a pellet gun believed…

ANC deputy secretary general and former ambassador Jessie Duarte was laid to rest on Sunday afternoon. She succumbed to cancer on Sunday morning and, as per Muslim rites, she was buried after a funeral service at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg. In his message of condolence, President Cyril Ramaphosa described Duarte as a selfless leader whose love and passion for assisting the poor were immeasurable. “Jessie Duarte’s sense of justice was keen. Her sympathies for the poor, the vulnerable, the destitute, and the marginalised ran deep. “She had empathy and could walk in other people’s shoes and see through their eyes.…

Police have released the names of the seven people who were brutally murdered at Lismor Farm near Kestell in the eastern Free State. The victims were found dead by the owner of the farm on Friday morning. In a statement, provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said the six women and a young male are: Nokufa Portia Monareng, 30, who worked at the farm; Lerato Julia Moloi, 33, also a worker; Mothoduwa Paulina Moloi, 36, a worker; Nomasonto Christina Zulu, 56, a worker; Nomasontsha Topsy Maduna, 43, a worker; Binto Smith, 55, wife to the farmer; and Rudi Smith, 17,…

Central University of Technology (CUT)’s acting vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Alfred Ngowi, has encouraged Free Sate residents to welcome change and embrace technology as it is gradually becoming a way of life. He said this during a media briefing held in conjunction with the Free State Provincial Government to launch the second Free State 4IR Summit set for this week. “People should not be afraid of change but rather equip themselves with the 4IR skill set that will keep them relevant in their workspace,” said Ngowi. The summit will take place at the Boet Troskie Hall at the CUT’s Bloemfontein…

Free State Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane has ordered an urgent mobilisation of investigators after seven people were found brutally murdered on a farm just outside the small farming town of Kestell. The seven, who are farm workers and include six women and one young man, were found killed at Lismor Farm in the eastern Free State on Friday morning. Motswenyane said maximum resources should be deployed to make sure perpetrators are brought to book. “I instructed the team to work around the clock,” she said. Motswenyane gave a stern warning to those behind the killings that the…

The ANC in the Free State has instructed its regional structures to compile reports on members believed to be working against the party so it can take disciplinary action against them. A statement issued by the party’s Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) on Thursday following a two-day ordinary meeting said the party had noted with concern action by some members who are working against the ANC and its policy position. “The regional structures have been instructed to compile reports on members who de-campaign the ANC especially during the past local government election,” read part of the statement sent out by IPC…