Ntsiepe Masoetsa

Political parties in the Free State debated premier Ace Magashule’s opening address in the legislature in Bloemfontein. ANC members of the legislature welcomed the premier’s address while political parties DA, Freedom Front plus and Congress of the People criticized the premier and the ruling party.

MEC for Trade, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mxolisi Dukwana decried the levels of poverty prevalent in the society today. He said they have identified cooperatives as the way to help people out of poverty. "Because of its central location the province has positioned itself as the transport hub", says Dukwana. He says Free Sate is no longer the food basket of the country, that is why they have decided to go the agro-processsing route to benefit the economy of the province. He says they are looking at the creation of decent jobs and work closely with the Central University of Technology to establish the Information Technology hub.

Jan van Niekerk of the Freedom Front plus says the society cannot build the future if the ANC always refers to the (apartheid) past. Van Niekerk says FF plus offers constructive criticism other than the Democratic Alliance. He says the DA does not say anything about corruption that happens in the Western Cape, but keeps on criticizing the ANC. He says the killing of farmers should made a priority of the Free State government. He questioned if the province’s Operation Hlasela belongs to the ANC or the government.

Msebenzi Zwane, MEC for agriculture and rural development say they will support that people should have their own houses. The list of homeless people will be compiled so that they can benefit - preference will be given to the aged and the physically disabled. He says they will continue to monitor perfomance of service providers especially in the building of houses. Zwane says they will also give out title deeds to people who receive their houses. He says they will continue to work with Operation Hlasela despite criticism from the opposition.

Peter Frewen of the DA says he is concerned that the premier referred many times “to ANC and our people” in his speech, while for example Wester Cape premier Helen Zille did not refer to DA in her opening speech to the provincial legislature.
MEC for social development, Sisi Ntombela says the ANC has won the fight to free the people of South Africa. She says Africans have always fought back to restore their dignity. Ntombela says Operation Hlasela has really benefitted the people of the province. “It has restored the dignity of the people”, she said

DA leader Roy Jankielsohn says Operation Hlasela creates dependence on the premier. He says businesses are contributing thinking it is a government programme while it is the ANC and the premier's election machinery. He says they support the idea that people should live nearer to where they work. He says they will support effortts to create employment for people as this will decrease dependency on the government.

Casca Mokitlane of COPE asked a long list of questions regarding Operation Hlaseal, saying it is used for ANC election machinery. He remains doubtful of the Operation. He criticised the premier's speech as almost an address to the ANC meeting than an address to the people of the Free State.

In his reply the premier said they have already spoken on that which has to be done. He says unemployment is a universal problem to which even opposition parties have no answer. He says they will accept COPE members back, if they want to return to the ANC. He says ANC is the real Congress of the people. He defended Operation Hlasela as the registered non governmental organization to which he contributes one thousand rands of his monthly salary. He says he is surprised by how much people do not understand Operation Hlasela. Magashule says they will continue to fund the provincial sports teams. He lashed out at opposition political parties who want the ANC to forget its history. "We will build this country", he says."Some of these people must not take us back to those years of apartheid, because we have forgiven but we have not forgotten", said the premier.