This criticism comes after Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae’s Sopa, delivered on Friday, (21/2), at Lemo Green Park.

Bosanku Msimanga, Provincial Secretary-General of the EFF, expressed his disapproval of the address, stating that despite improvements in infrastructure such as road networks in the province, the speech lacked depth and clarity. His most pressing concern, however, was the timing of the Sopa. 

“What was the rush to go on with Sopa when at a national level we are stuck with the budget?” Msimanga said continuing with Sopa without the national budget allocation in place undermined the coherence of the address, as key financial decisions necessary for provincial governance were still pending.

Msimanga said Sopa relies heavily on national budget allocations, making it problematic to deliver a speech that cannot be fully supported by confirmed national funding.

“So the whole speech will not continue what we call lucidity of thought. So it’s problematic to continue with Sopa while we have a serious backlog at a national level as far as the budget is concerned because that budget is informing our Sopa.”

According to Msimanga, the uncertainty around the national budget left many aspects of the provincial government's future actions in limbo.

“We don’t know what the MEC of treasury is going to deliver on Tuesday because by that time we will still be waiting for the national to allocate.” This delay eans that the Sopa was essentially being delivered without the critical financial backing needed to make it actionable.

Beyond financial concerns, Msimanga also emphasised issues of governance and corruption. He said he was disappointed Letsoha-Mathae did not address the rampant corruption that continues to plague municipalities, various provincial departments, and even the office of the Premier. Msimanga said Letsoha-Mathae's failure to mention these corruption challenges signaled a lack of seriousness in tackling the province's most pressing issues.

“Maybe she’s caught up in allegations of corruption but as a head of the province, she should have touched on issues of corruption. Not even a single word in the whole speech is talking about corruption that is happening.” He said the issue of corruption was a significant barrier to effective service delivery in the province.

Msimanga raised concerns about the quality of job opportunities provided by the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), which, according to him, is failing to provide sustainable and dignified employment for the province's population. Although Letsoha-Mathae mentioned Phase 5 of EPWP had created 19,792 job opportunities, he questioned the value of such initiatives.

Msimanga also critiqued the growing dependence on social grants in the province, highlighting the fact that 1.1 million people rely on them for survival. Instead of celebrating this figure it should be recognised as a “state of crisis.”

 With unemployment in the Free State continuing to rise, reaching 37.9% in the Fourth Quarter of 2024, Msimanga stressed this statistic further illustrated the dire economic situation facing the province.

Cope in the Free State also called on both the National Treasury and Provincial Treasury to implement citizen-based monitoring of projects and real-time auditing of the newly approved Free State budget. 

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg