President Cyril Ramaphosa has told Free State residents that his administration takes their concerns seriously and the president has vowed to address them.
He was speaking to thousands of residents at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium, in Mangaung, during the Presidential Imbizo.
Residents have complained about poor service delivery with bad roads and water shortages, high crime, unemployment and jobs in their municipality.
Presidential Imbizo heads to the Free State
With over 24 Ministers visiting the province during the Imbizo, President Ramaphosa says this shows the seriousness with which his administration is taking their frustrations and the urgency needed to address them.
Residents say service delivery is almost non-existent with intermittent water cuts, roads in a state of disrepair and refusal taking weeks if not months.
[PHOTOS]: President @CyrilRamaphosa leads Government at the #PresidentialImbizo currently underway in Mangaung, Free State#LeaveNoOneBehind pic.twitter.com/7s2CohTtEU
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) April 9, 2022
Mangaung residents demand more time with Ramaphosa
There were tense moments among some residents in Mangaung as they demanded more time to speak to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Presidential Imbizo held in the Free State on Saturday.
Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu had to intervene.
“You’re supposed to give the person who is deaf an opportunity to present and all we ask for is to have some order be a queue and not behave like this. We have one representative who wants to speak about issues of young people in terms of education,” says Zulu.
[PHOTOS]: President @CyrilRamaphosa leads Government at the #PresidentialImbizo currently underway in Mangaung, Free State#LeaveNoOneBehind pic.twitter.com/7s2CohTtEU
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) April 9, 2022
Unemployed social workers want permanent employment
A group of unemployed social workers have appealed to president Cyril Ramaphosa to help them to have permanent employment.
Amahle Nakasa says they don’t want internships only, but want to be employed full time .
“As Dlamini Zuma mentioned, there is a rife GBV (gender-based violence) in Bloemfontein. In fact, it’s second pandemic in South Africa as a whole. There is [a] problem with drugs and those require a social worker services. And social workers are there and unemployed. So all we are asking Mr President is that there must be enough allocation for funding of social workers on a permanent basis,” says Nakasa.
[PHOTOS]: President @CyrilRamaphosa leads Government’s engagement with citizens at the #PresidentialImbizo currently underway in Mangaung, Free State#LeaveNoOneBehind ?? pic.twitter.com/cLOrF84H6Q
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) April 9, 2022
