PHUTI MOSOMANE
JOB creation, delivery of basic services and economic growth are some of the key priorities for newly elected Free State Premier, Mxolisi Dukwana.
Dukwana, who last week replaced Sisi Ntombela as the new Premier of the Free State, delivered his maiden State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Tuesday in Mangaung.
“To deal with these challenges, we have embarked on a decisive path of recovery. The Free State official unemployment rate declined from 38.1% in the third quarter of 2021 to 33.8% in the third quarter of 2022,” said Dukwana.
He said the mostly rural province of the Free State has just developed 11 Economic Sector Master Plans and was now in the process of reviewing the Free State Growth and Development Strategy.
“This will deepen our initiatives to create an enabling environment for inclusive growth, investment attraction, economic transformation and job creation,” said Dukwana.
He told Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) that the Free State has created at least 50 082 job opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) across the three spheres of government.
Of this number, the Community Works Programme contributed 26 871 job opportunities.
Dukwana said the composition of the participants of these job opportunities is aligned to “stated priorities of designated groups as 36 839 beneficiaries were women while 17 197 were youth and 407 were persons with disabilities.”
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are key drivers of economic growth and job creation, in the current financial year, and 869 enterprises were provided with financial and non-financial support, of which 472 were youth-owned.
He said the Free State Development Corporation (FSDC) provided financial support to 24 Small and Medium Enterprises, including eight youth-owned Contractor Development Programme businesses.
“We will undertake a substantial review of the current state of our public entities and reposition them to be proactive and responsive to the investment and development needs of the Free State economy,” he said.
Dukwana said the revitalisation of the Industrial Parks is another key enabler of provincial economic growth focusing in townships such as Botshabelo, Phuthaditjhaba and Thaba Nchu.
“This Programme is catalytic to unlock job creation as 3 986 people are now employed in these Industrial Parks,” he added.
South Africa’s eighth Special Economic Zone, the Maluti-a-Phofung SEZ continues to offer multiple investment opportunities and has created thousands of jobs in the Free State.
Over the next few months, Dukwana said the provincial government anticipates concluding new agreements with private sector investments in the cement and concrete, textile and dry-powder food manufacturing sectors.
These three investments will add 437 jobs to the 127 people already employed at the Special Economic Zone.
The Legislature is currently considering two key pieces of legislation, namely the Free State Integrated Local Economic Development and Transformation Bill and the Free State Gambling, Liquor, Tourism Authority Amendment Bill to enable economic transformation and growth trajectory of the Free State.
The Free State tourism sector holds the potential to create jobs, stimulate growth and drive investment.
“We will increase our tourism market share through destination marketing, product development and promotion,” he said.
The province will also use its rich agricultural base to increase contribution to the provincial economic activity. The sector, which comprises of 4 500 commercial agricultural entities and employed in excess of 73 000 workers in 2 021, is a critical driver of job creation.
“There are new emerging opportunities in deciduous fruit production that will be explored in the Eastern Free State. A thriving agricultural sector is dependent on the safety and security of farmers and farm workers as well as the security of tenure of farm workers,” he said.
A brief reflection on the crime statistics for the period April to December 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, shows that the Free State contributed 12 cases out of the 38 national number of cases reported in respect of stock theft and incidents on farms.
There has been reported reduction of 4.8% in respect of stock theft when compared to the same period in the previous year.
“This category of crime must remain a particular focus area as we intensify our cooperation with all stakeholders to improve the safety and security in our rural areas,” he said.
A number of farm workers are in employment of an unspecified duration and remains the most vulnerable to illegal or constructive evictions.
“We will continue to actively support the various established mechanisms to deal with farm evictions, particularly the timely resolution of disputes to mitigate against the human rights abuse and unjust socio-economic consequences of illegal evictions,” Dukwana said.
In June 2022, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development reported that from inception of the tenure acquisition programme to March 2022, 139 farms were acquired in the Free State.
He said the audit of unused and under-utilized land owned by the provincial government must be finalised to enable the provincial government to make land available for redistribution.
While continuing the province’s support of commercial farmers, the Rekgaba ka Diratswana Food Security Programme benefited more than 700 households in the past year.
These households were supported with various agricultural essentials meant to eradicate food insecurity.
Employment of 510 unemployed graduates who now provide farming extension services, and 222 green job opportunities, focusing on the eradication of invader and alien species was created through the Agriculture Land Care Programme. This benefited 97 women and 105 youth.
R55 million supported various youth development programmes, including various on- and off-farm activities.
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