By Every project comes with its teething challenges and the Free State Provincial Government is not immune to such. The Free State Premier Ms MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae has refuted claims that her government is regressing instead of improving.
Despite some not so pleasing audit outcomes on the Free State Provincial Government (FSPG) by the Auditor General South Africa (AGSA), Letsoha-Mathae says governance across departments has improved and continues to be on an upward trajectory. The fact that there is transparency on the audit outcomes is also testament that the seventh administration is dedicated in turning things around.
According to the Office of the Premier, on Wednesday 15 October 2025, MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae welcomed the audit outcomes report for the 2024/25 financial year from AGSA Ms Tsakani Maluleke in an engagement attended by all MECs, Acting Director-General Molefinyana Phera, Heads of Department, Free State Legislature Speaker Mxolisi Dukwana and other Members of the Legislature in Bloemfontein.
The Premier and the Executive Council were forthright in acknowledging the findings of the AGSA, including the identification of irregular expenditure, viewing the report not as a failure but as a critical step towards achieving transparency, accountability and excellent financial governance.
The Office says the very detection and reporting of the expenditure by their own systems and the AGSA demonstrates the commitment of their government to uncover and address these issues as opposed to concealing them.
In refuting false claims, the Office of the Premier said contrary to misleading narratives, the 2024/25 audit results show clear and measurable progress for the Free State Government. For instance, the number of departments and entities achieving clean audits has increased from two to three, including the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs – both under the leadership of MEC Ketso Makume – as well as the Free State Legislature.
The Office says overall, 75% of departments, inclusive of entities, received unqualified audits; a testament to improving financial management. Furthermore, the province recorded no adverse findings, no disclaimers, and no regressions in audit outcomes.
Moreover, the FSPG achieved 100% on-time submission of financial statements, underscoring a culture of discipline and respect for due process. It is recorded that, during the period under review, the Office of the Premier (OTP) received an unqualified audit with regard to non-financial performance, demonstrating improved and transparent performance reporting and governance coordination. By any measure, the OTP says this is significant progress compared to the previous years.
The Premier echoes the sentiments of the AGSA and has emphasised that impunity and good governance will not co-exist under her watch. Currently, the Office of the Premier is conducting the determination test for the possible irregular expenditures as disclosed in the Annual Report for 2024/2025. The identified possible irregular expenditure is thus being treated with the utmost seriousness.
Letsoha-Mathae says the provincial government has a clear and actionable plan to strengthen accountability through consequence management, strengthening controls and management reform, noting that the possible irregularities identified are historical in nature.
Premier Letsoha-Mathae reaffirms that the seventh administration assumed office with a mandate to fix, rebuild and restore clean governance. She says the current audit outcomes reflect the early stages of this necessary turnaround.
As the AGSA stated in her report, “Clean audits and service delivery are inseparable, and the FSPG is committed to achieving both.
“As I said in October in a meeting with the AGSA, we celebrate the areas of improvement, but we remain fully focused on the work ahead. We will ensure that performance reporting, compliance, and the efficient, ethical use of every public rand is prioritised. This is how we will foster a permanent culture of clean governance and accelerate service delivery to our people,” said Premier Letsoha-Mathae.
