Speaking at the Freedom Day celebration held at Arbeidgenot Primary School in Bloemfontein on Sunday (27/4), Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae urged residents to refrain from occupying unallocated land.  

She raised concerns about the consequences of land invasions, particularly in informal settlements, stating that these practices undermine community safety and proper housing allocation. “We are discouraging communities to have these sites where there is an open area and they decide to put shacks–these land invasions,” said Letsoha-Mathae”

“We are discouraging that because it is bringing foreigners in our communities. Our people register the sites and at the end of the day they give them to undocumented foreigners.” Letsoha-Mathae said the provincial government would be launching Operation Fiela (Sweep), which will be linked to the national Operation Shanela. This is aimed at restoring law and order in informal settlements. The initiative is intended to ensure that people residing in these areas are known, documented, and registered.

The provincial government is also rolling out a ‘Know Your Neighbour’ program, designed to foster greater community awareness and cooperation in the fight against crime, including gender-based violence. "Know people who are coming into your areas. There are people who are undocumented foreign nationals. You don’t even know whether this person committed a crime wherever he comes from–you just allow everyone to just have a shack around you.“

“It’s very important to know people in an area where you reside” Letsoha-Mathae emphasised. Her remarks come amid mounting frustrations in the province, particularly in Mangaung, where residents have held repeated protests over poor service delivery, inadequate housing, and the slow pace of municipal response. Potso Motoko of the Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) has consistently voiced concerns about the lack of economic opportunities and failure to provide basic services in informal settlements.

Thousands of residents living in these areas face severe challenges, including overcrowding, insufficient sanitation, and limited access to clean water and electricity. President Cyril Ramaphosa has also previously acknowledged the growing issue of informal settlements in the Free State. He has called for urgent, sustainable solutions to improve living conditions and ensure access to essential services for all citizens.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi lh