Farmers and organised agriculture are frustrated about uncompleted projects, poor workmanship, and a lack of maintenance on ageing infrastructure across the Free State.
The president of Free State Agriculture (FSA), Francois Wilken, said while job creation remains a national imperative, it could not be the key performance indicator (KPI) for maintaining critical infrastructure.
“If the provincial government were truly serious about job creation, it would start by restructuring its own top-heavy personnel system and appointing the many urgently needed grader operators and manual labourers.
“Currently, farmers are forced to hire retired grader operators at their own cost just to have deteriorating gravel roads bladed, and that’s only when a state-owned grader happens to be operational. The centralised management of the yellow fleet, coupled with preferential procurement systems, has led to the collapse of maintenance and repairs on essential state vehicles and equipment,” he said.
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Disaster on FS roads
FSA members have repeatedly cautioned the department of roads and transport about the poor and delayed workmanship of appointed contractors.
“Projects such as the R709 Tweespruit–Excelsior road and the recently terminated R708 Clocolan–Marquard road are prime examples. If the department had heeded FSA’s call to appoint independent consulting engineers to manage and oversee these projects, as is international best practice, these failures could have been avoided.
“The continued reliance on cadre-deployed internal engineers once again lets the people down,” he said.
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A further example of government failure is the R59 bypass near Viljoenskroon, where a 200m section flooded three years ago remains submerged. No work has yet commenced, and the costly detour through the town’s industrial area has left those roads in ruin.
The cumbersome two-stage public procurement process, compounded by bureaucratic inefficiency and unaccountable senior officials, continues to erode public trust and fuel suspicions of corruption and capture.
While some successful projects have been completed and new ones launched, the broader picture remains bleak. Wilken said a trail of failed projects, poor management, and mismanaged funds, all under the banner of job creation, leaves little to celebrate.
Farmers fork out money for road repairs
FSA is still awaiting a response to its Memorandum on Free State Roads, handed over to the MEC in February 2025. This document outlines systemic problems within the departments of community safety, roads and transport, and public works, which have also been raised with the Free State Legislature through councillors and opposition parties. Yet, little progress has been made.
“As a result, communities suffer, economic growth is stifled, and criminal syndicates tighten their grip,” Wilken expressed.
Wilken said farmers are now spending their own money to maintain critical rural roads, essential not only for their businesses but also for their families, workers, and surrounding communities to access schools and emergency services.
“This is unsustainable, diverting funds that could otherwise be invested to grow farms, the sector, and the Free State economy.
“As the main driver of economic growth in the province, our farmers feed the nation and provide over 70 000 real farming jobs in the Free State. If farming profitability continues to erode because of government ideology, more jobs will be lost, and food security will be threatened,” he said.
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