Pictured - MEC Mance sharing a lighter moment during the public properties roadshows.
Bloemfontein
During the months of November and December 2024, The Free State Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, hosted a series of roadshows in all the districts of the Free State Province. The roadshows termed, “the public properties roadshows” were an internal social facilitation campaign the department undertook to among others, share with members of the public and local NGO, NPO’s etc about the plan the department has on the optimal utilisation of the public properties to boost their businesses.
In a statement the department said that during the roadshows it explored entering into agreements and sound contracts between local businesses and the government to utilise the unused properties to enhance their economic status; safeguard the unused public properties and avail them to the local Free State based business ideas through invitation of proposals.
“We want to make sure that, all these unused public properties that include among others, buildings, schools, farms, plots etc are optimally used so that we change the negative narrative and unjust acts of vandalism that are directed at them and that they become positive drivers of stimulating the local economy in our communities,” MEC Dibolelo Mance indicated during the roadshows.
The campaign to utilise and or to participate in the optimal use of the public properties include compilation of a sound proposal with all its requirements and submit it to the department for further processing. The notice/advert calling on proposals will be shared in all local media including the departmental social media pages before the end of the current financial year.
“We welcome this gesture from the department capable led by MEC Mance. It is actually overdue that, we as members of the public and local small business are granted an opportunity to utilise these properties to showcase our ideas to uplift ourselves and our businesses,” said Ntate Simon, during the Welkom leg of the roadshows.
During the two-month long roadshow trail the department was joined by strategic partners including the Free State Development Corporation (FDC), Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Development, Independent Development Trust (IDT), all Local Municipal Councils, Department of Social Development and the Regional Branch of the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. These strategic public partners also shared their status and plans on the public properties under their management.
Pictured – MEC Mance sharing a lighter moment during the public properties roadshows.
