President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured residents of the Free State and of the metropolitan municipality of Mangaung that a national intervention seeks to relieve the municipality of its dire financial position and to address issues affecting communities.

He gave residents this assurance at a Presidential Imbizo where he led government’s engagement with communities in the Mangaung metropolitan municipality on Saturday, joined by Premier Sisi Ntombela, a delegation of Ministers, members of the provincial executive council, and the mayor of Mangaung.

This was the second post-State of the Nation Address (SoNA) Presidential Imbizo where engagement with citizens is themed on the President’s SoNA call to action, Leave No One Behind.

The Presidential Imbizo aims to assist with challenges and unblock any service delivery issues in line with the District Development Model. The Imbizo iwas also aimed at giving impetus to the President’s stated commitment that no-one will be left behind.

Cabinet this week approved an intervention by the national executive in the governance of the Mangaung Metro, in terms of Section 139(7) of the Constitution.

Following failure by the Free State provincial executive to implement a financial recovery plan in the Metro, the municipality has now been placed under a national intervention.

The intervention is directed at helping the Metro improve its finances and to deliver on its mandate.

As part of the Imbizo programme, the President also visited the Vereeniging Interchange, following the extension of Vereeniging Ave and the construction of a bridge over the railway line. The infrastructure project was initiated for spatial integration and to alleviate traffic congestion.

The President proceeded to the Motheo TVET Artisans College, which is one of the four public TVET Colleges in the Free State and comprises six campuses including a Centre for Entrepreneurship, Rapid Incubator and an artisan academy.

He held conversations with young men and women who are receiving artisanal and entrepreneurship training in areas such as visual arts, beauty technology and jewellery design as part of one-year and multi-year courses.

The President encouraged students to follow their passions and pursue entrepreneurship as a means of sustaining themselves and contributing to economic growth.

The Imbizo also featured an expo where residents could obtain information about government opportunities and it gave residents the chance to access services offered by the Department of Home Affairs and other departments and agencies.

Scores of residents from all parts of the Metro were given the opportunity to comment openly and to put questions and complaints to the President and other leaders. In addition, nearly 3 000 participants posted comments and questions on a WhatsApp group created to broaden participation in the President’s visit to the province.

The President then invited Ministers to respond to residents on the issues they had raised.

“The Imbizo will assist government in ensuring adequate and sustainable delivery of basic services. We are honoured that you have heeded our call to become part of the solution,” Ramaphosa said.

With the Easter Weekend a few days away, the President urged residents to remain vigilant against Covid-19.

Ramaphosa said with the end of the National State of Disaster earlier this week, the country is one step closer to living and working without too many restrictions.

“If we want to make sure that the Covid-19 virus does not hold back our country’s recovery, it is important that as many South Africans as possible get vaccinated. If we all get vaccinated, then we will significantly lower the chances of having a damaging resurgence of infections and we will lower the chances of ever having to return to a state of disaster. This means that we all need to take responsibility for keeping ourselves and each other safe,” he said.

 The Presidency will in due course announce details of the third Presidential Imbizo which will be held in Mpumalanga towards the end of April.