Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter The Free State government has slashed its budget for the 2021/22 financial year by R400 million, as the province grapples to recover from an economic recession worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. Unveiling the province’s spending plans on Tuesday, Finance MEC Gadija Brown said the reduction had been necessitated by fiscal reforms that South Africa was implementing to address huge budget deficits and spiralling government debt. “As I have indicated . . . the fiscal reforms brought by the drive to stabilise budget deficit and government debt have affected our fiscal framework significantly,” she said in her budget speech.…

Staff Reporter The national lockdown imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic saved the Free State government at least R50 million that the province would have spent on events and associated costs such as catering, travel and entertainment. This was revealed by Finance MEC Gadija Brown as she delivered her 2021 provincial budget speech on Tuesday. She said the Free State remained resolute that fiscal prudence and discipline were key in unlocking the much-needed efficiency savings in the province. “In support of fiscal prudence, the province continues to implement the provincial cost containment measures which are monitored by the Provincial…

Staff Reporter The ANC says it will allow former president Jacob Zuma time to consult with his legal team on his position on whether or not to appear at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. ANC secretary general Ace Magashule told a media briefing on Monday evening that the party’s top six met virtually with Zuma in a seven-hour meeting which he described as very constructive and positive. “We have agreed with president Zuma, as the top six, to continuously engage on issues and matters . . . around the Zondo commission,” he said. The meeting started at 10:30am…

Staff Reporter ANC provincial secretary Paseka Nompondo has warned members working with the opposition saying their days are numbered because the party will not allow them to continue destroying it from within. He told journalists during a media briefing on Thursday following the party’s Free State provincial executive committee meeting that those found to be working with the opposition, against party policy, will not be allowed to represent the organisation in future. “Members of the ANC who are deployed in government and municipalities should understand that they were placed in those positions by the organisation and that they don’t represent…

In the past it has been a good business strategy to buy a property at a good price, fix up and then sell it again. Is that still the case? Buying and selling property is not as easy as it used to be. In the past it was possible to buy a property, fix it up and resell it without taking transfer. This was called a tripartite agreement. You bought the property, found a buyer to buy it in your place for a higher price and then signed an agreement with the seller that the new buyer would take transfer…

Staff Reporter The ANC Free State Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) has shortlisted three candidates for the position Mangaung executive mayor left vacant by Olly Mlamleli who was ousted in a vote of no confidence by council last year. Provincial party secretary Paseka Nompondo told a media briefing on Thursday that the PEC has forwarded the names to the national office for consideration. He could however not be drawn to name the candidates saying they wanted to allow due processes to unfold. “Once the internal discussion with the national leadership has been finalised, the ANC will communicate the decision to the…

Widows face a different kind of challenges after the death of a spouse and have to raise the children and pick up the pieces. However, moving on and forging ahead is not as easy as it seems and the painful stories faced by widows are hardly told. The challenges, pain, sorrow and tears that widows often encounter following the death of a spouse are well-documented in a brilliantly written novel, Tears of an African Widow. Authored by Dorah Nomhle Klaas from Bloemfontein, the novel tells the story of a couple of Qhawe and Banzi who fell in love while at…

Ntombi Nhlapo & Siphilangenkosi Dlamini To date, the term ‘decolonisation’ is understood differently by different people. Its meaning largely depends on the various contexts such as the cultural, economic, political, or epistemic aspects. Sharon Stein and Vanessa de Oliveira Andreotti wrote in their joint publication, Higher Education and the Modern/Colonial Global Imaginary, that decolonisation can be understood to be an umbrella term for different efforts that create resistance against processes of colonisation and racialisation with the purpose to transform and redress the historical legacy of colonialism. Calls and debates to decolonise African institutions have been prevalent with universities grappling to…

Staff Reporter The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says it is worried the land issue was not adequately covered in the State of the Province Address delivered by Premier Sisi Ntombela on Tuesday. EFF provincial chairperson Mandisa Makhesini told The Free Stater the party is worried there is no firm commitment to deal with the land issue in the Free State. “The premier spoke about the issue of land but we don’t see the commitment to address it,” said Makhesini. “She acknowledges there is a problem regarding the redistribution of land and we feel vindicated as the EFF. “We are always…

Staff Reporter Agriculture and Rural Development MEC William Bulwane wants to see more young people getting involved in this sector while local government MEC Thembeni Nxangisa would like to see qualified people employed in municipalities in order to improve service delivery this year. In separate interviews, the two MECs said they found it important that Premier Sisi Ntombela had highlighted in her State of the Province Address the challenges faced by their departments and what could be done to improve them and deliver better services. Ntombela encouraged smallholder farmers to graduate to the commercial level because significant large-scale farming is…