By Libuseng Nyaka
CLARENS – While Free State MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Saki Mokoena, acknowledges that there is still a long way to go in addressing the challenges faced by Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality, he maintains that significant progress has been made since the appointment of new leadership.
Speaking to this publication after a two-day ANC Thabo Mofutsanyana regional lekgotla held in Clarens from May 16 – 17, 2025, Mokoena said, “Remember Maluti-a-Phofung; we appointed a permanent Municipal Manager (MM) in December last year. Since then, we are beginning to see signs of recovery and stability. We’ve experienced fewer disruptions in electricity and water supply. Water has been connected to additional areas. The latest report indicates that Makwane now has water, except for a few sections, and work is ongoing to extend access.”
Mokoena also pledged that the provincial executive council will visit Maluti-a-Phofung to ensure continued water service improvements.”We will inspect the areas still reported to have no water, as well as the water treatment plant. One of our promises as the provincial government was to provide an additional generator to the Fika Patso Plant to help improve service delivery,” he said.
On the matter of electricity and revenue collection, Mokoena stated that the municipality has been short-changed. “They are part of a scheme introduced by the minister of electricity, which involves collaboration on distribution and revenue generation. In some areas, Eskom handles electricity distribution, and the municipality has not been receiving its fair share of the revenue. We are addressing this issue with the minister, because electricity is a key revenue stream for the municipality,” he explained.
He further noted that the provincial government had invested heavily in road infrastructure.”During the previous administration, we spent nearly half a billion rand to improve road conditions. Several departments are intervening to help turn the municipality around. We believe that by the end of this year, the situation in Maluti-a-Phofung will be vastly different from previous years,” Mokoena said.
On the topic of corruption, he affirmed the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.”Where credible allegations require investigation, we will not hesitate to act. We have already profiled several cases that warrant closer scrutiny. The law provides us with mechanisms to investigate irregularities and corruption, and we will follow due legal processes.”
Echoing Mokoena’s sentiments, Executive Mayor of Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality, Conny Msibi, who also attended the lekgotla, said the event focused on evaluating municipal performance in service delivery and financial management.
“The purpose of reviewing the Auditor General’s findings is to develop a programme of action to address identified weaknesses. Municipalities must draft plans to correct existing shortcomings,” Msibi said.
She added that governance and political and administrative stability are also key focus areas. “The Auditor General has repeatedly highlighted the lack of consequence management. From now on, we are committed to reporting on this issue, because proper accountability is essential for improving governance,” Msibi concluded.
2 Responses
He should not believe what he is told. Electricity and water supply remains dire.
Residents of Sehlajaneng have no water from their taps for many years. They rely on rain water when it is raining and water from the river