Bloemfontein residents have seen newly branded vehicles belonging to the dedicated department making the rounds in the city on Saturday amidst traffic over election campaigns in the area. The Mangaung Service Delivery Forum on Friday threatened to kick-off their shutdown in the Free State capital, Botshabelo, Dewetsdorp, Thaba’ Nchu and Wepener, but aside from barricaded roads in Rocklands and Phelindaba, it doesn’t appear the shutdown has gained much momentum.

Meanwhile, Deputy President, David Mabuza is in Bloemfontein, to oversee the Vooma vaccination programme at Universitas Academic and Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital in addition to election campaigning.  The OFM News team caught a glimpse of Mabuza and his entourage at Twin City Mall in Heidedal, before he was swept away to another destination without addressing the crowd there.

The Mangaung Metro has weighed in on the allegations around the police department. They refute rumours from pressure groups that the friends and family members of those in power in the metro are the ones that have been hired at the police department. “Earlier, as the City we noted the misinformation that was making rounds about the recruitment of the MMPD’s personnel. To date, Mangaung Metro has had Traffic and Law Enforcement divisions, which fall under the Public Safety sub-directorate (Social Services).

One of the conditions of the application approval is that the personnel and budget of the existing Public Safety sub-directorate must be moved to the MMPD, and there are necessary Human Resource processes that must be followed. We also indicated that Trainees are entitled to wear their training uniform; those that are in the metro’s college and training are entitled to apply but this will only happen in the next batch of absorption and not during the process of migration. This will only be in the external advertisement of posts to allow members of the community an opportunity to apply and compete” says the acting Municipal Manager, Sello More in the statement.

The metro has also spoken against assertions that it cannot afford this department, adding that the metro was already under financial intervention when it received the thumbs up from the MEC of Police, Roads and Transport, Sam Mashinini in March 2020. Comically, Mashinini is as of Friday no longer the MEC of this division allegedly due to questionable decision making.

This is a developing story.

OFM News