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The Free State Provincial Government in collaboration with the Free State Legislature will be taking the departmental budget votes to communities across the province; making participation easy and accessible for citizens.
The budget votes are set to kick-off from 21 April to 14 May 2026, with the Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism to set the tone in Sasolburg on Tuesday, 21 April 2026. The budget votes will be delivered across all five districts of the province.
Themed “Taking Parliament to the People,” the Legislature and the Provincial Government have expressed intent to be transparent to communities and enhance public participation, accountability, social compact as core pillars of the District Development Model (DDM).
In their joint statement, the two said under the DDM, government spheres and entities work in coordinated, place-based coalitions to fast-track service delivery. Therefore, budget sittings from the provincial legislature in Bloemfontein to ordinary community halls, sports complexes, and schools, the Free State ensures that citizens not only observe but directly influence how public funds are prioritised.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has consistently championed the Free State as a pioneer of this model. In his Reply to the State of the Nation Address debate on Thursday, 19 February 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa explicitly commended the Free State for its outreach model. He reflected that, “Free State is setting an example in the provision of programme to reach rural and underserved communities. We have seen the value of government working as one through the District Development Model.”
The DDM seeks to eliminate silos between government departments and the three spheres of government, strengthen integrated planning and coordination, improving service delivery, eliminating fragmentation and ensuring inclusive, for an people-centre Free State,” they said in their joint statement.
