The commission's spokesperson, Thabang Kheswa, spoke to OFM News in Senekal near Matwabeng after their first meeting with these multiple stakeholders, with the aim to charter a way forward and deal with issues facing these communities. This meeting happened the day when the murder suspects, Sekwetje Mahlamba (32) and Sekola Matlaletsa (44), applied for bail in the town’s Magistrate's Court. Horner's murder has sparked serious debate about farm murders in the country. Kheswa says serious issues of stock theft, ill-treatment of workers and the mistrust in the police department made it to the fore during the engagement.

Meanwhile, in handing down his judgment during the suspects’ bail application, Magistrate Deon van Rooyen denied Mahlamba bail and granted Matlaletsa bail of R5000. He postponed the matter to December 1, 2020.

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The state of the Free State Agriculture Department has on Friday come under scrutiny. This, as MEC William Bulwane and his Department Head appear before the Public Accounts and Finance Committee to present the department’s 1st and 2nd quarterly expenditure reports for the year. The reports, tabled before the Committee this morning, comes just days after OFM News reported on how the province has severely been affected by drought and Covid-19. In an exclusive interview with Bulwane, he confirmed the Free State used to contribute 15% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but it now only makes a 4.8% contribution. Commenting on the reports tabled before the house, Chief Whip of the Free State Legislature, Vusi Tshabalala, says the province urgently needs to consider scaling up budget allocations towards this department. He says Agriculture remains the breadbasket of the province, with farmers now needing more assistance from the government - adding that the department needs to be allocated more funds to ensure food security, among other needs.

OFM News/Katleho Morapela and Lucky Nkuyane