South Africa: Free State Premier Mxolosi Dukwana led a very inspiring Provincial Women’s Month Commemoration in Mashaeng, Fouriesburg, in Dihlabeng Local Municipality yesterday, on 16 August 2023.
Addressing the Provincial Women’s Month Commemoration, Premier Dukwana Mxolisi said that yesterday’s occasion was about celebrating women and their invaluable role in society and that there’s no better way to show our appreciation than making a tangible difference in their lives through service delivery.
As a province, we need to honour them for being an integral part of constructing our country. It is against this background that the government is committed to using resources and all available avenues to protect the rights of women and to advocate for their socio-economic empowerment.
“Women are an integral part of building a strong society, and without them, that cannot be achieved. Their marginalization is at the detriment of society any society that seeks to advance and to be prosperous,” said Premier Dukwana.
The Executive Committee of the Free State led by Premier Dukwana acknowledged that Mashaeng, like many communities in our province, is confronted by a plethora of challenges which need urgent attention amongst them; unavailability of land for sites, poverty and high unemployment. At the centre of these challenges is the lack of economic development in the town, a problem that Premier Dukwana said needs a paradigm shift.
The Premier called upon the community to begin to think differently, and that means seeing themselves as a solution to their own problems. ” Free Staters need to rid themselves of a parasitic mentality, thinking of benefiting from the exploits of others. We need to think of ourselves as job creators and be Premier Dukwana welcomed the development earmarked for Mashaeng and also emphasized that things are going to change for the better.
“The community’s twenty-year wait for sites has come to an end”, he said. The Free State Provincial Government working together with Dihlabeng Local Municipality would be allocated one thousand (1000) sites earmarked for locals. The Premier also officially handed over two hundred and fifty-six (256) title deeds to the community of Mashaeng, most of whom were elderly women.
“We also need to address the issue of water scarcity and access to water in the area. Through the District Development Model, we are going to work around the clock to accelerate the supply of water in this area,” continued the Premier.
However, not all is doom and gloom. The province was able to construct a beautiful stadium and also eradicated the bucket system in Mashaeng, a solid foundation that government can build upon.