Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter A 36-year-old Free State man who survived a road accident that left him with serious injuries has been awarded over R1-million in damages after he sued the Road Accident Fund (RAF) for compensation. The man, Pakiso Kaizer Kareli, was a passenger in a motor vehicle that overturned after its driver lost control on the gravel road between Dewetsdorp and Wasbank farm. He sustained head, spine and knee injuries as well as disfigurement in the accident. Kareli, who was employed as a skinner at an abattoir in the province, then lodged a claim for damages. The RAF – which…

There are three types of estate agents – a third are entering the industry, another third are leaving the sector and only a third have been around for a while. Like any business, estate agency is very competitive and only the best survive. What makes a good estate agent? Estate agency is not only about selling. There are lots of careers in the estate agency industry. House selling agents are the most known but there are agents that specialise in sectional sales too. Other career choices can be body corporate management, residential and commercial letting, commercial and industrial sales and…

Staff Reporter The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has ordered Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to produce within two weeks the documents she submitted when she applied for work at the State Security Agency (SSA). In a judgment released on Thursday, the Bloemfontein court upheld an appeal by the Democratic Alliance (DA) alongside the opposition party’s members, Glynnis Breytenbach, who is the second appellant, and Werner Horn, the third appellant, against a ruling of the Western Cape High Court. The appellants, through an interlocutory application, had asked the Cape Town court to compel Mkhwebane to produce her application for the position…

Staff Reporter The Free State Department of Education says it will not allow its limited budget in the 2021/2021 financial year to stand in its way for another top finish in this year’s National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations as its priorities are clearly set. Education MEC Tate Makgoe said in an interview that his department only got about 60 percent of what it anticipated but does not believe the class of 2021 will be disadvantaged because they will strive to make the most with what they got. “We are relatively happy, but we are not completely happy because we did…

Staff Reporter The Free State treasury says the provincial government has made strides in settling outstanding debts with local municipalities over the past two years and is now owing only three of them. Treasury head of department Godfrey Mahlatsi told The Free Stater that arrears for rates and taxes with most municipalities in the province have been cleared except for Mangaung, Maluti-a-Phofung and Matjhabeng. “We no longer owe municipalities . . . except for those three,” he said. Mahlatsi said this after Finance MEC Gadija Brown announced in her 2021/22 provincial budget that a total of R1.419 billion had been…

Staff Reporter The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Free State says it does not see how the provincial budget delivered this week will be able to promote investment and drive employment creation in the province. DA Chief Whip in the Free State Legislature, David Janse van Vuuren, released a statement soon after the provincial budget speech was delivered at Gariep Dam by Finance MEC Gadija Brown on Tuesday saying the budget fell short of bringing any significant changes to the provincial economy. “The budget . . . remains a business as usual budget,” said Van Vuuren. “. . . it…

Staff Reporter The Free State High Court has sentenced the former bodyguard of ex-premier Ace Magashule to an effective 15 years in prison. Ricardo Mettler was found guilty on four charges relating to a Pierneef painting worth R8 million. Judge Soma Naidoo sentenced him to 15 years for stealing the painting from the Office of the Premier. Mettler was also sentenced to another 15 years for money laundering for offering the painting to a Chinese businessman as a guarantee for loan. The court also added another 15 years for fraud. In a statement released on Wednesday, National Prosecuting Authority regional…

Staff Reporter The Brandfort Magistrates Court has sentenced a police officer to an effective 10 years’ imprisonment after he was convicted on two counts of rape, corruption and defeating the administration of justice. Warrant Officer Molahlehi Phuroe was jailed for raping two women in 2016. The National Prosecution Authority said the two women had assault charges laid against them and the investigating officer was Phuroe. The prosecutor decided not to place the assault cases against the two women on the court roll. However, Phuroe went to both women and threatened to place their cases back on the court roll unless…

Staff Reporter Free State Health MEC Montseng Tsiu says the over R500 million given to her department to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic will assist in hiring more staff to ensure the roll-out of the vaccination programme is a success. The department will receive R561 million in the first two financial years of a three-year cycle, specifically for COVID-19-related measures. Tsiu told The Free Stater soon after the delivery of the provincial budget by Finance MEC Gadija Brown on Tuesday that the allocation has come at an important time as the province is ready to implement the vaccination programme. “What I…

Staff Reporter The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Free State has blamed the over R11 billion cut in the equitable share to the province on poor implementation and lack of political will to ensure projects are run efficiently. Member of the Provincial Legislature Ishmael Mahlomola Majake told The Free Stater soon after the delivery of the provincial budget at Gariep Dam on Tuesday that the reduction in the equitable share comes as a result of the failure by the province to utilise allocated funds on key programmes. “The budget reflects what we have always been advocating as the EFF…