• Trending

    Departmental Budget Votes

    "Empowering a Modern, Inclusive and Responsive Free State Legislature that effectively serves the needs of a rapidly changing Society, Leveraging Technology, Innovation and Collaboration."

  • Cooperative Governance and Office of the Premier

    Public Hearings

    1. Public Administration Management Amendment Bill [B1 QB-2023]  
    1. Public Service Amendment Bill [Bl 3B-2023]  
    1. Independent Municipal Demarcation Authority Bill [B14B-2022]  

  • Portfolio Committees

    Legislation and Oversight

    Joint Portfolio Committees on Public Accounts & Finance and Agriculture, Rural Development, Small Business,
    Sports, Arts & Culture: Thursday, 10 April 2025, 09:00

  • Friday, 25 April 2025

    Sitting of the House

Law Making

The Free State Legislature has the constitutional powers to facilitate law making by considering,
passing, amending or rejecting any bill before the legislature, including initiating and preparing
legislation apart from the money bills. It is of great importance that this power is exercised in an
unbiased and responsive manner to ensure that people’s needs are addressed and satisfied. In
this regard, the FSL has made tremendous strides in ensuring that laws are responsive to the
needs of the people of the Free State.
The FSL also continued to develop and implement laws that create an enabling environment to
better the lives of the people of Free State through consultation processes or public hearings,
by consolidating law-making processes and all feedback from citizens.
During the period under review, the legislature introduced the following bills: The Appropriation
Bill that the House passed.

Legislation & Oversight

The FSL has the responsibility to hold executives of provincial departments accountable for the
delivery of services to the citizens of the Free State by exercising its constitutional mandate of
oversight. Committees continued to use tools and methodologies adopted by the South African
legislative sector to interrogate departments’ reports. These include the Sector Oversight Model
(SOM), the Budget Cycle Model and the Programme Evaluation and Budget Analysis (PEBA)
Model.

Public Participation & Petitions

One of the cornerstones of our democracy is to encourage participatory democracy. This means that the Legislature should ensure that the public is taken on board regarding operations of the Legislature. It should be borne in mind that legislatures are a consequent to elections of public representatives; implying without the votes of the electorate there are no legislatures. Therefore, it is imperative for the Legislature to become inclusive regarding legislation passed and affecting the lives of the people; ensuring that public political education is sustained and respect and reserve the democratic rights of the electorate. Therefore, the Public Participation Unit of the Legislature manages; coordinates; and direct public participation in the Legislature.  

Trending!

Departmental Budget Votes

The Provincial Treasury and Office of the Premier highlight fiscal discipline, cybersecurity, and institutional development to improve governance and service delivery. The Treasury’s budget of R384 million focuses on sustainable resource management, municipal finance, and ethical governance, while the Office of the Premier, with a budget of R633.571 million, prioritizes policy coordination, monitoring, and youth empowerment. Both departments underscore the need for transparency, accountability, and partnerships to drive economic growth and address unemployment and inequality in the province.

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Tablings , Committees & Announcemnet

Download Second Term Programme here!

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Weekly Update

Tabling, Announcement and Committees (TAC) NO. 11. WEEK: 22 APRIL – 25 APRIL 2025

Our Activities

Business of the Legislature

State of the Province Address

The Speaker of the Free State Legislature, Hon. Mxolisi Dukwana hosted Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae for a successful State of the Province Address at Lemo Green Park in Bloemfontein. Despite challenging weather conditions, the event was well-attended, embodying the belief that rain brings good luck. This gathering highlighted the government's commitment to engaging with residents and outlining future plans.

Annual Golf Charity Tournament

The Free State Legislature Annual Charity Golf Tournament held at the Bloemfontein Golf Course. The proceeds from the Golf Tournament will go towards Bafeng Lerato Centre, which is an Non-Profit Organisation that is dedicated to providing abused, abandoned, neglected, orphaned, and vulnerable children with the love and support.

Petitions Committee

Welkom, 5 March 2025 — The Petitions Committee, chaired by Hon. M.J Mokoena, convened today at the TS Du Plessis Hall in Matjhabeng Local Municipality, Welkom. The meeting, which commenced at 09:00, focused on addressing a range of pressing petitions submitted by the Matjhabeng Residents and Matjhabeng Local Municipality for consideration of the following Petitions:
• Matjhabeng residents versus Matjhabeng Local Municipality Issues raised: water supply disruptions, waste management inefficiencies, road maintenance concerns, and the absence of a fire station department.
• Henneman Farmers Union versus the Department of Community Safety, Roads & Transport, and SAPS - Concerns highlighted: security issues and infrastructure challenges affecting agricultural operations.
• Odendaalsrus residents versus Matjhabeng Local Municipality - Grievances: inconsistent service delivery and the deterioration of public amenities.
• TP Boerdery versus Matjhabeng Local Municipality, Department of Community Safety, Roads & Transport, DMRE, and SAPS Focus areas: unresolved disputes regarding land use, road access, and cooperation with law enforcement.
Matjhabeng Residents vs. Matjhabeng Local Municipality
The committee emphasized the urgency of addressing these issues, particularly the water supply and fire station absence, and called for immediate intervention from the municipality.

Oversight Visits

The Joint Committee of the Free State Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Economic Development and Public Works, Infrastructure, led by Hon. David Van Vuuren and Hon. Zama Sigwebela, conducted its first oversight visit at Bothaville Weighbridge.
Attendings of the second Oversight week are the Members of the committee; Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. N Garekoe, Chairperson of Committee's, Hon. T. Meeko, Hon. A. Tshabalala, Hon. M Mokoena, Hon. D Dulandi, Hon. DR. McKay and Hon. We Pretorius and Mayor of Nala Local Municipality, Clr. N. Mashiya.
The Bothaville Weighbridge was established in the early 1980s, and it is situated a few kilometers outside Bothaville on the R30 route.
The committee learned that the Bothaville Weighbridge project suffered from inadequate maintenance and operational challenges leading to its current non-operational status.
“An Activist Legislature That Champions Democracy”

Strategic Planning Session

Strategic Planning Session had ended on a high note, with our Presiding Officers delivering powerful closing reflections and clear directives on the importance of the strategic planning process. 

🔹 The Speaker, Hon. M.A Dukwana, had emphasised the need for a transformative mindset in formulating, implementing, and executing the strategy to achieve meaningful outcomes.
🔹 The Deputy Speaker, Hon. N.L Ndungane, had focused their closing remarks on fostering hope, technical expertise, and innovation, while urging teams to embrace urgency in delivering results.
🔹 The Chairperson of Committee of Chairpersons, Hon. T.P Meeko, had underscored the importance of strengthening oversight mechanisms to ensure the Legislature’s work—embodied in its committees—transcends mere compliance. They had stressed that consequence management for mismanagement must be prioritized to uphold accountability.

A moment that reinforced our commitment to being “an activist Legislature that Champions Democracy.” 

Public Hearing

The Portfolio Committee on Education, Health, and Social Services, led by Hon. Mapheule Liphoko, held the a session before the last of the province-wide Public Hearings on the Older Persons Amendment Bill [B11B - 2022].
The purpose of Public Hearings is to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to actively participate in contributing by sharing their lived experiences and valuable information that may strengthen the envisaged legislation.
Key points raised included:
🔳 Housing preferences for seniors,
🔳 The need for more visible government support, and
🔳 Ensuring consent before relocating older persons to home-based care facilities.
The team from the National Department of Social Development included their Legal Advisor, Adv Suzette Ras and Ms. Louisa Mmutle, Deputy Director for Professional Support and Older Persons) who did sterling job by reducing the Bill to basic elements using simple language for people to understand and to enable participation. Many older persons expressed gratitude for the government's efforts to address their concerns directly through legislation.
Our special moment came Mr Hans Dineka, a 98 years old participant from Springfontein. According to Statistics South Africa, life expectancy in South Africa is 63 years for males and 69 years for females. This ability to live longer determines our people’s expression of what they are and the fulfilment of their full will to live life to the fullest. It also provides a sense of our society’s ability to care for its people.
The Chairperson also highlighted that members of the public and stakeholders wishing to submit written inputs to the Bill may do so by the 28 October 2024, at 16:30.

Our Principals

Presiding Officers

Hon. M Dukwana

Speaker

Member's Profile

Hon N Ndungane.

Deputy Speaker

Member's Profile

Hon. T Meeko

Chairperson of Chairpersons

Member's Profile

Hon. O Khoabane

Chief Whip

Member's Profile

About Us

Welcome to the Free State Legislature

One of South Africa’s nine provincial legislatures, based in Bloemfontein, the FSL is mandated to pass laws, facilitate public debate, engage citizens in law-making, and oversee the provincial executive.

Comprising 30 Members elected every five years via proportional representation, it includes the Premier and Executive Council appointed from its ranks.

This website offers details on the FSL’s functions, news, legislative activities (sittings, committee meetings), Members (MPLs), legislation, publications, and career opportunities.

 
 
 
 
 
 

In terms of political representation the Free State Legislature comprises of thirty members elected in terms of the tenets of national legislation – meaning, there are thirty seats in the Free State Legislature to be proportionally occupied by thirty elected political party representatives.

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Contacts

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