Ntombela will outline her plans for the province in a formal ceremony on 28 February at the University of the Free State’s Vista campus in the south of Bloemfontein. 

She is also expected to highlight some of her province’s notable successes, including the Free State being named the top-performing province with respect to the 2021 matric results recently. There is also the province’s successful vaccination campaign. 

Unfortunately, there are many challenges that Ntombela and her executive will have to address in 2022.

OFM News is amongst the media houses that have recently documented the demise of Sedibeng Water owing to its financial problems, which the water board has publicly attributed in the main to Matjhabeng Local Municipality’s debt to it. 

This Free State municipality owes Sedibeng over R4,4 billion of the R7 billion debt it's owed by municipalities in the Free State, as well as the Northern Cape and North West. 

There is also the recent drama surrounding the establishment and disbandment of the Mangaung Metropolitan Police Department and the ill-fated appointment of Mangaung’s Municipal Manager, Sello More, which has since been nullified in a court of law and a subsequent council sitting.

Furthermore, according to the Auditor-General’s (AG) report on the audit outcomes of provincial and national departments/entities released in late 2021, the Free State provincial government is the second-highest contributor to unauthorised expenditure in the country at 15%, ahead of the Eastern Cape with over 60%. 

The Free State was the third-highest contributor to fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the country behind Gauteng and the national government in this same report. This is an indication that something is amiss in the province’s departments and needs to be rectified.

The Free State Development Corporation (FDC) is amongst the worst performing entities in the country. AG Tsakani Maluleke’s office has reported irregularities found at the entity to the Hawks for criminal investigation. 

The FDC has for the second consecutive year received a disclaimed audit opinion which is deemed the worst opinion an auditee can get, because it means they couldn’t avail evidence for most of the amounts and disclosures in their financial statements. 

The AG has, in light of their findings on the entity, recommended that the management of the FDC look into resolving the material irregularity that could not be probed or dealt with by the Hawks.

OFM News