By Emily Setona
QWAQWA – The District Development Model (DDM) came under criticism during an engagement with both national and provincial leadership in Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality (TMDM) on April 25 2025 , where local leaders expressed frustration at what they see as years of plans without progress.
This after a presentation by Free State Acting Director General Dr Mafole Mokalobe, painting a general picture that is happening at district and national level in implementing DDM.
“What we need to see in this region is the development of the factories in Maluti-A-Phofung local municipality, the Harrismith logistic hub, the tourism sector, the Maluti -A -Phofung Special Economic Zone (MAPSEZ)and the potential of manufacturing. These are potentials we need to think hard about.”
DDM’s champion, presidency monitoring and evaluation Deputy Minister Seiso Mohai has this to say: “Our budgets cannot keep doing what they’ve done for the past 20 years. It should not be by accident that things happen.”
What was once hailed as a vehicle for integrated planning and development is now being questioned for its lack of visible results and skewed implementation.
However other leaders of local municipalities within the area that attended the meeting voiced their concerns over more focus put on one municipality while overlooking their respective municipalities.
Executive Mayor of Setsoto Local Municipality, Seipati Mbiwe, did not mince her words.
DDM champion Deputy Minister Seiso Mohai during a stakeholder engagement session in TMDM.
“Starting with the negative, I have been part of the DDM from its inception, but nine years later there is nothing to point. Sometimes, you ask yourself, should I even attend DDM’s meetings? We are demoralized,” she explained.
Mbiwe shared an example of how poverty manifests in her municipality, citing that people in her community stood in long queues when SANRAL came to hire through the Department of Labour but productive results were not yielded.
Taking a stand Executive Mayor Mamsie Tsoene of Mantsopa Local Municipality said, “ while listening to the presentation the focus is only on two local municipalities, being Maluti-A-Phofung and Dihlabeng, nothing is said about our municipalities which also form part of this Thabo Mofutsanyana district municipality. Things should be balanced.”
Amid the criticism, Dr. Mokalobe acknowledged the need for change.
“We must drive inclusive growth, create sustainable jobs, and tackle poverty with urgency. In TMDM, the face of poverty is overwhelmingly black and female—a reality we can no longer ignore. The DDM has always been part of the vision for a better life for all, dating back to the dawn of our democracy. But now is the time to consolidate our efforts and take a hard look at what we have truly accomplished. We need better coordination across all three spheres of government to reduce duplication and deliver real impact. For years, we have worked in isolation. That must change if we are serious about meaningful development in this district,” he said.
TMDM Director of Local Economic Development (LED), Paul Mbele, echoed the call for deeper alignment between academic performance and economic opportunity.
“We must be able to tally the TMDM’s academic excellence with its economic shortfalls. It doesn’t make sense that we are educated, but it does not translate on the ground,” he said.
For her part TMDM executive mayor Conny Msibi drove the point further.
“National projects come here but are never completed.”
She cited the Gateway Smart City in Maluti-a-Phofung and Nketoane Agricultural School as examples of promising initiatives stuck in limbo.
Msibi also called for deeper youth engagement through programs like EPWP and challenged LED directors to become active economic drivers, not just custodians of payroll budgets.
