Since 2025, as many as five provincial government buildings have been closed down due to infrastructure problems, among other issues.
In response to a question from the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) in the Free State Legislature, the Premier, Letsoha-Mathae, indicated that the Department of Employment and Labour was compelled to close offices of the Departments of Health, Cooperative Governance and Human Settlements, Education and Social Development during this period.
The main reason for the closure of these buildings is poor maintenance by the provincial government.
The Premier’s response fails to paint a complete picture of the province’s infrastructure shortcomings. <br/>
Recently, Bophelo House, the Free State Department of Health’s headquarters in Bloemfontein, was also closed because of serious safety hazards. This was in reaction to intervention by the Freedom Front Plus, which requested the Department of Employment and Labour to inspect the building.
Other facilities, such as Universitas Hospital and the Lengau Traffic Centre in Bloemfontein, had previously also drawn the attention of the Department of Employment and Labour because of poor maintenance.
It would not have been necessary to inspect or close government facilities if the relevant departments had properly planned and budgeted to routinely maintain infrastructure, and performed the necessary maintenance in the same financial year.
Under ANC rule, however, maintenance is performed reactively instead of proactively. Road and housing projects drag on for years under the ANC. Now, the ANC’s poor planning and management are also disrupting provincial departments’ functioning.
The Freedom Front Plus will demand a report on the extent of the infrastructure problems at the province’s facilities from the Free State government as well as a plan for addressing them.
