The executive council, led by Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, recently met with residents to gather feedback on service delivery and to hear about new challenges facing the community. The central focus of this mission is the Matjhabeng municipality, where decaying infrastructure and incomplete projects have left residents frustrated. 

One of the hurdles identified is the issue of non-performing contractors. Many projects are reportedly abandoned when they are nearly finished, or performed by companies that lack the proper equipment and skills.

To tackle these problems, the government has announced a strict accountability plan. Letsoha-Mathae has ordered a full audit of all incomplete projects and the contractors involved.

The province states that it intends to work with legal teams to blacklist these businesses, ensuring that companies that fail in one area cannot simply change their names and secure work in another municipality or province. “We are not going to be leaders that run away from our communities … don’t just keep quiet and run away,” said Letsoha-Mathae.

During Thursday’s (5/2) social compact imbizo, the government revealed it has invested R4.4bn toward the Matjhabeng drainage programme. This substantial funding is being used to build and fix pipelines, service pump stations, and upgrade water treatment plants to stop sewage leaks.

Despite these plans, community members remain unhappy. Photo: Refilwe Bekane

Despite these plans, community members remain unhappy. At the Thabong multipurpose centre, residents shared that they still suffer daily without basic services. 

They also directed grievances toward the leadership style of local officials.

Residents demanded Mayor Thanduxolo Khalipha to show them respect and stop swearing at the community during meetings. Additionally, they called out Cllr Itumeleng Patrick Molula, stating he should answer their questions directly instead of dismissing their formal complaints as love letters.

Different stakeholders were present at the event. Photo: Refilwe Bekane

Looking ahead, Letsoha-Mathae plans to involve the SANDF and their engineering school in Kroonstad to help unlock complex technical problems. The goal is to create a district development model where national and provincial departments work together to finish projects on time.

“If we don’t have consequence management and blacklist these people, we really need to deal with this matter,” said Letsoha-Mathae.

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OFM News/Refilwe Bekane mvh