According to UFS analyst, Sethulego Matebesi, premier Ntombela must take this opportunity to address these issues Monday morning. His statement comes ahead of Ntombela's State of the Province Address (SOPA) this morning at the Dr Petrus Molemela indoor sports centre in Bloemfontein. 

Matebesi says residents can look forward to the progress the province has made in respect of key development programmes and service delivery.

"Therefore, the premier will also update Free Staters about the road development projects she announced last year. As expected, the Premier will also reflect on the issue of corruption. However, as in the case of crime, there is no political will to deal with corruption, except for the lackadaisical rhetoric that it will not be tolerated. Generally, most Free State residents do not have access to uninterrupted supply of water as a result of various factors. I look forward to hear how the province will deal with the failure of municipalities to deliver basic services," Matebesi further adds.

Meanwhile, political parties in the province have also given their views on what to expect from Ntombela's address today.

The Free State EFF provincial secretary, Bosanku Msimanga, told OFM News that the red berets were concerned about what she termed as a lack of consequence management in the province. Msimanga said the inability of Premier Ntombela to tackle and deal with corruption in the province might have created a loop for criminals to continue perpetuating cycles of corruption.

On the other hand, the leader of the official opposition party in the Provincial Legislature, the DA's Roy Jankielsohn, said Premier Ntombela must answer five key questions during her SOPA on Monday. Jankielsohn said the premier needs to give plans as to how her provincial government intends on repairing the provincial roads network, and how she intends on using her powers to ensure basic service delivery by municipalities, amongst others.

OFM News