By 
BLOEMFONTEIN – The Free State Provincial Government (FSPG) will embark on a series of community engagements in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, comprising of a Social Compact Imbizo in Welkom and a Men’s Indaba in Meloding, Virginia on the 5th and 6th February 2025 respectively.
Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae will lead this two-day programme with a resolute focus on extending critical services and engagement directly to mining communities that have been historically underserved. The purpose of the Imbizo is to strengthen the government’s connection with the Matjhabeng community by providing concrete feedback and collaborative solutions to service delivery challenges.
This forms part of a broader strategy to build public confidence, address the trust deficit, and create a lasting, positive impression through meaningful engagement and active listening. These interactive Izimbizo are guided by the overarching service delivery principle of “Leave No One Behind.”
The programme serves as a vital platform for public participation, ensuring the voices and perspectives of community stakeholders are heard. It further seeks direct input on how service delivery can be enhanced to meet local needs, in alignment with the citizen-centric and partnership-based approach of the District Development Model (DDM).
The engagements will implement key strategies from the FSPG’s Social Compact framework, including:
• Establishing feedback mechanisms and community dialogues to ensure citizens’ concerns are heard and addressed.
• Fostering partnerships with local organisations and stakeholders to develop responsive solutions.
• Using community input to guide and improve the government’s initiatives and development priorities.
On 6 February 2026, the second community engagement leg will be a Men’s Indaba in Meloding, Virginia. It specifically convenes men, especially from mining, acknowledging their key community role. The session offers a platform for open dialogue to harness their perspectives for a more cohesive society.
