Ester Pambo, Lejweleputswa:
For more than a decade, the people of Lejweleputswa were promised economic renewal. We were told that new industries would rise, jobs would be created, and investment would be drawn into our region to replace the decline of mining.
The vehicle for this promise was the Lejweleputswa Development Agency (LDA) – an institution established specifically to stimulate growth, attract investment, and support local enterprise.
Yet today, Lejweleputswa stands amongst the most economically distressed districts in the Free State. Unemployment has deepened, businesses have closed, young people are leaving in search of work elsewhere, and the municipality struggles to provide even basic services.
The very agency that was meant to rescue the local economy has instead become a symbol of failed development and broken public trust.
The LDA’s founding mandate was clear: to drive economic diversification beyond gold mining, create jobs, and support new industries. However, instead of becoming a catalyst for development, the agency has become largely inactive, underperforming, and financially dependent on the municipality it was meant to support.
Few projects move past planning
Very few announced projects moved beyond the planning stage. Feasibility studies were produced, meetings were held, and workshops came and went – but meaningful, measurable outcomes remain absent.
Promised industrial zones, revitalised agricultural programmes, and job creation pipelines have simply not materialised. Rather than generating revenue and development, the LDA has become a financial burden on the district, continuing to rely on municipal funding whilst producing little return on investment.
This has contributed directly to the municipality’s growing financial crisis, with funds that could have supported service delivery diverted to sustain a structure that has not delivered.
Consequences deeply personal
The consequences of this failure are deeply personal. We see them daily: Young people idle in townships with no prospects; families rely solely on social grants; businesses close due to lack of customers and municipal support; and skilled workers migrate to other regions.
Most painfully, even LDA workers have faced periods without pay – a devastating irony for an institution of which the purpose was to create employment.
The collapse has corroded public faith in local government. Communities have watched announcement after announcement with almost no real change, fuelling anger and cynicism.
If Lejweleputswa is to recover, we require a full, transparent audit of the LDA and a restructured agency that works with real investors. supports real businesses, and delivers real jobs.
Lejweleputswa is rich in history, talent and potential. Our people deserve leadership, accountability and opportunity.
Lejweleputswa deserves better, and the people are watching.
