Community leader, Tsietsi Peketa tells OFM News the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality appears to have deserted the people of Thaba’ Nchu and the conditions of service delivery in the town continue to deteriorate, with unemployment and poverty continuing to rise.
 
Peketa says they have identified certain departments and areas of particular concern that they will march to. These areas include, going to the offices of the Free State Development Corporation (FDC) in the town to demand a full audit report of all the buildings under the FDC there. According to Peketa there were buildings owned and run by the FDC that were previously there to assist small business owners, but now stand vacant. The community leader says 18 factories in Thaba’ Nchu that were earmarked for development are now currently being demolished as per the orders of the provincial government and they want to know why. This comes less than a week after President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed in his State of the Nation Address on Thursday February 7 that Botshabelo, located over 10 kms outside Thaba Nchu has undergone revitalisation to stimulate economic growth, to the disdain of Thaba’ Nchu residents.
 
The community is also perturbed by allegations of rampant corruption and maladministration in the area. It is alleged that an unknown number of farming tractors were procured to benefit upcoming farmers and small business owners in the area. Peketa says the community never saw the tractors again after they were bought. The matter was reported to the Hawks, but the investigation into the matter is yet to yield results. The community wants to find out how far that case is.
 
There is also the matter of the Barolong Boo Seleka Tribal Council.  The community wants to get an idea of when will the council begin contributing to service delivery in the town. In late 2017, the Free State government released a long awaited report on the succession of the clan following decades of disputes regarding the rightful heir. The findings of the report came out in favour of the alleged Kingsley Moroka, a direct descendant of Kgosi Moroka. This after the then Chieftain, Gao Moroka (wife of the late Albert Moroka) had been requested to step down to allow Kingsley Moroka to take the throne in 2014. Spokesperson of the clan Thabiso Nyane told OFM News at the time, that the people of Thaba’ Nchu who were deprived of development and marginalised by the government post 1994 will now reap the rewards. Peketa’s comments on the matter, indicate the opposite has happened since then.
 
The march is scheduled to start at 09:00. Residents will march to the FDC, Selosesha police station, the Magistrate Court, the municipal offices and to the Tribal Council of the Barolong Boo Seleka.  

OFM News