BLOEMFONTEIN – The Free State premier, MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, called on provincial government departments to employ capable young people in vacant positions to fast-track the province’s socio-economic development.

She made the call during a series of progress review meetings with departmental executives held at her official residence in Bloemfontein on 12 May.

The executives included MECs Dibolelo Mance (Department of Public Works and Infrastructure), Monyatso Mahlatsi (Department of Health), and Dr Mamiki Maboya (Department of Education).
The meetings aimed to ensure the departments’ implementation of budgetary targets, which are key to transforming the lives of Free State residents.

The departments presented comprehensive reports outlining progress made in line with the premier’s established framework and their respective Annual Performance Plans (APPs). Infrastructure investment was again highlighted as a key catalyst for job creation, business empowerment, and community development.

“Let the people of the Free State feel the vibration of their government at work. Brick by brick, let communities witness the commitments made to them by their government taking shape before their eyes,” Letsoha-Mathae said.

In pursuit of this goal, the premier called for the urgent filling of vacant posts, learnerships and internship opportunities, particularly with qualified young people.
“Begin advertising those vacancies, learnerships, and internships. This is long overdue.”

The premier urged departments to tighten expenditure controls and accelerate service delivery.

Statistics South Africa’s (Stats SA) Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) painted a concerning picture of youth unemployment in the Free State in the first quarter of this year. The youth unemployment rate (ages 15 to 34) hovered between 44% and 46%, broadly in line with – and in some measures approaching – the national youth unemployment average of 45.8%.

The premier has vowed to monitor departments’ progress on employing young people. “No report without evidence will be accepted. Working together with Director-General Dr Molefinyana Phera and the team, we will test all reports and visit sites,” Letsoha-Mathae said.

For the youngest cohort (ages 15 to 24), provincial joblessness appeared significantly more acute, exceeding the 57% to 60% mark.

Letsoha-Mathae’s call for the employment of capable youth came against the backdrop of the presentation of learnership certificates to about 246 young people who completed learnership and training through the Free State Training and Development Institute (FSTDI), boosting their employability prospects. Of these, 83 are equipped with basic plumbing skills, 38 with hygiene and cleaning, and 19 with competencies in New Venture Creation.

A further 47 received appointment letters for a 12-month skills programme, while 59 engineering graduates were placed on a 24-month internship programme across municipalities in the province. The group of engineers was given laptops and personal protective equipment (PPE) as essential working tools.