By The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Free State say they will stage a protest against the Free State Legislature by boycotting the State of the Province Address (SOPA) today, as the provincial government has undermined and disregarded the dignity and livelihoods of the people in the province.
The EFF’s Free State Provincial Legislature caucus has described the SOPA as ceremonial and a money-siphoning event, as such, they will not be part of it because Legislature has failed to perform its oversight role over the executives and has been used to rubberstamp the incompetence and deliberate failures of the ANC led government.
The EFF has shown lack of confidence in the leadership of the province, including Premier Mxolisi Dukwana. The fighters says they have opened a criminal case against Dukwana for appointments he made while MEC of Human Settlements even after he had already been sworn in as premier of the province; which was a major conflict.
“This resulted in the unlawful approval of tenders without following due process and disregarding of PFMA and SCM legislative prescripts. Dukwana and his corrupt government have disregarded the plight of housing and human settlements in the province. The department of Human Settlements in the previous year returned an amount of R600 million back to the National Treasury when people across the province were without homes.
The CFO and another senior manager who are out on bail for their involvement in the asbestos case have returned to work without any internal disciplinary processes,” said Mapheule Liphoko, the Provincial Chairperson of the EFF.
Liphoko says the province has deteriorated under the leadership of Premier Mxolisi Dukwana with municipalities in their worst state ever. He says the SOPA has been used as a platform to mislead and lie to the people and make false promises. The chairperson says municipalities are not financially solvent and liquid; there is no service delivery taking place.
“Municipalities like Mangaung and Matjhabeng have ongoing sewage spillages into people’s houses. Ngwathe, Kopanong and Maluti-A-Phofung are constantly without clean running water and electricity. The Auditor General has nothing positive to say about all Free State municipalities as they are collapsing,” said Liphoko.
According to Mapheule Liphoko, municipalities in the Free State are in a dire condition so much that even interventions by provincial government in some municipalities have failed and those municipalities have regressed, none of the municipalities placed under Section 109 and 139 have improved.
The EFF Provincial leader says the province is endowed with so much talent in sports, arts and culture but the ANC led government is neglecting this jewel, which led to the collapse of Bloemfontein Celtics, Free State Stars and Macufe and the neglect of athletes and creatives in the province.
According to Liphoko, progress has been stifled in Legislature, the voices of the opposition have been silenced and the plight of people ignored as the Department of Human Settlement returned those huge amounts to National Treasury.
“The EFF can no longer sit back and watch millions of money being spent on a lavish event of listening to propaganda and lies by the outgoing Premier. The people of the Free State need to reject the electioneering campaign that will be on display at the SOPA with false promises.
It should be noted that the EFF is exercising its constitutional right by protesting this event and the Speaker should not even attempt to intimidate us for standing on the side of the constitution,” said the EFF Provincial Chairperson Mapheule Liphoko.
