Speaking during the Clean Cities and Towns Integrated Service Delivery Programme in Matjhabeng, Mashatile emphasised that keeping the country clean should not be seen as a responsibility of the government alone, but a collective duty rooted in national pride. 

“South Africans must be proud of where we live, nobody must tell us to clean where we live, it must be part of our culture,” Mashatile told residents and local officials. Flanked by Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae and Matjhabeng Mayor Thanduxolo Khalipha, Mashatile visited various sites, including the Renergen Tetra4 Helium Gas Facility near Welkom and the Thabong water treatment plant, which remains a white elephant.

Mashatile and the delegation also participated in road maintenance efforts, patching potholes as a symbolic and practical gesture of the campaign’s intent. Highlighting ongoing provincial initiatives, Mashatile praised the Free State for proactively beginning service delivery improvements before the national campaign’s formal launch.

“We are happy to be in the Free State because the Premier was telling me that they have already started … they were not waiting for us,” he said. “The campaign is going to proceed without the national government. We’ll go to provinces, to cities, from time to time.”

Mashatile said Mangaung would be the next focus area in the province, with a broader vision aimed at the long-term transformation of both urban and rural environments.

Deputy President conducting oversight at the water treatment plant in Welkom. Photo: Kekeletso Mosebetsi

“The idea is to keep our cities clean, fix things that need to be fixed – whether it’s lights, roads, or ensuring access to drinkable water and energy supply,” he added. He also announced plans to expand the campaign into schools, aiming to nurture a sense of civic responsibility from an early age.

“It’s not government cleaning alone, it’s government cleaning with the community. That’s why we are going to start with young people … we want to instill this sense of pride.”

Mashatile said the national government intends to dedicate specific days to collaborate directly with communities on cleaning initiatives and infrastructure repairs.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi, Refilwe Bekane mvh