FREE STATE Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae is expected to address unemployment, poverty, and economic development during her State of the Province Address (Sopa) on Friday, 20 February.
She is also expected to outline plans to drive industrialisation, strengthen the mining sector, and revitalise agriculture, among other economic priorities.
Her address will focus on strategies to stimulate growth, create sustainable jobs, and improve livelihoods across the province.
This is according to the National Service Delivery Forum and the United Residents Front, two community organisations that have openly criticised the premier.
The groups have accused the premier of being "a master of empty promises" and allege that commitments to address unemployment, poverty, and service delivery have not brought meaningful change to communities.
The two organisations have also slammed the state of governance in the province, arguing that it "effectively collapsed a long time ago" due to widespread dysfunction in municipalities.
They cite persistent service delivery failures, financial mismanagement, and administrative instability as evidence of systemic breakdown.
National Service Delivery Forum chairman Potso Matoko said the situation is especially alarming in Mangaung, where challenges have persisted for years.
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"The premier has failed to intervene decisively to assist the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, despite permanently residing there. Mangaung is the worst-run metro in the country.
"We are expecting nothing meaningful from the premier except a copy-and-paste of the same promises she has been repeating over the past few years."
Matoko argued that the current situation shows a lack of leadership and accountability, which has further deepened the crisis and eroded public confidence in the provincial administration.
United Residents Front president Mofihli Likotsi said the premier has dismally failed to rescue the Free State from its deepening crisis.
He stated that, despite bold commitments made during her first Sopa, there has been little to no progress in addressing unemployment, corruption, and economic stagnation.
"In her first Sopa, she promised to turn around this province, reduce the high rate of unemployment, fight corruption and lock up whoever participated in the wrong things, open closed factories, and fight for our people to have a piece of cake in the mining industry in Lejweleputswa, but nothing has been implemented," he said.
Speaker of the Provincial Legislature, Mxolisi Dukwana, said the Sopa's final rehearsal, held at the Old Greys Sports Ground in Bloemfontein, declared their readiness to engage with the people of the province.
"The premier is set to deliver a message of hope, optimism, and an unrelenting commitment to fixing local government and growing the economy. We assured the public of the legislature's full preparedness for the official opening," said Dukwana.
