Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae (centre) delivered her maiden State of the Province (Sopa) address on Thursday. She is flanked by former Premier Mxolisi Dukwana (President of the Free State Legislature) and Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane (Provincial Police Commissioner). Photo: Mlungisi Louw
The newly elected Premier of the Free State has declared that the five-year term ahead of her represents a moment of great revival and the ushering in of a whole new society. Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae was speaking during her first State of the Province (SOPA) address in Bloemfontein on Thursday 8 August.
Letsoha-Mathae succeeded Mxolisi Dukwana as prime minister following the May 29 elections.
In line with the ideal of a grand revival and the ushering in of a new society, she said her government would prioritize the goals outlined by Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa in his opening address to Parliament on July 18.
These are:
- Stimulate inclusive growth and employment.
- Fight poverty and tackle the high cost of living.
- Create a capable, ethical and developmental state.
“We will implement these priorities with renewed vigour,” Letsoha-Mathae said.
“Our actions will instill a sense of purpose and hope for change in our province. Achieving inclusive economic growth is high on our agenda.
“We cannot stress enough how urgent it is to address the challenges we face. There are no easy answers to these challenges.”
She acknowledged that the province’s high unemployment rate (45.5%) – the highest in the country – is a crisis and a stumbling block to the province’s progress.
According to Statistics South Africa’s (Stats SA) Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the Free State’s youth (15 to 34 years) remain vulnerable in the labour market in the first quarter of 2024 with the total number of unemployed youth rising to 4.9 million, with the number of employed youth standing at 5.9 million. This resulted in a 1.3% increase in the youth unemployment rate from 44.3% in the last quarter of 2023.
The tough Letsoha-Mathae has promised that everything will be done to grow the Free State economy.
“Unemployment remains a crisis of our times. It perpetuates poverty, breeds hopelessness and deepens deprivation. This is exacerbated by low economic growth, which is expected to be 1.1% this year. Our provincial contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP) is a marginal 4.9%, while the problem of inequality persists,” she said.
Letsoha-Mathae’s predecessor, Dukwana, lamented the negative impact of the deteriorating state of road infrastructure on economic development and growth, blaming the county government’s incompetence and neglect of maintenance.
Letsoha-Mathae stressed the importance of keeping agriculture afloat as the province’s economic engine. Stakeholders in agriculture lamented the serious challenges of infrastructure neglect and that lack of safety and security was jeopardizing their growth potential.
“We will repair and maintain rural roads, expand social services, protect labor rights, and use technology to improve safety in rural areas. The agricultural sector has huge potential for food security, high labor absorption rates, and rural development in our province. We will increase the contribution of our agricultural sector from the current base of 6.8%.
“We will prioritize the production of high-quality crops, exports and value addition to increase our market share in agriculture and productivity gains,” the prime minister said.
Teboho Setena
www.news24.com
