Ace focuses on taking back the land during farewell SOPA address

Expropriation of land without compensation was a key talking point at Ace Magashule’s last State of the Province address. He delivered the speech at Parys’ Afridome on Tuesday evening. The event was boycotted by opposition parties.
The Premier stated that the ANC’s decision to expropriate land without compensation as one of “paramount importance” and that “the land issue is one we need to pay particular attention to”.
Magashule says that land which has been set aside for white communities should be identified, and must be occupied. Magashule also suggested that expropriation of land would lead to more people being employed, and that if people were given land, they would build their own houses.
Magashule spent a significant amount of time discussing education, noting that the province has improved its matric pass rate to the extent that it now has the highest in the country. Magashule noted that during the current financial year, the department of education will build 9 new schools. The Premier says that Parys will also see a new school being built soon to accommodate learners.
Fee free tertiary education was welcomed by Magashule, who gave credit to former President Jacob Zuma for making this possible before he resigned, he thanked President Cyril Ramaphosa for implementing the measure. He noted that since 2015 the Free State government has spent around R1 billion on providing bursaries to tertiary students.

He also congratulated Mrs Lindie Daniel of Parys High School on winning the National Award for Excellence in Secondary School Teaching.
On the health front, Magashule believes that public hospitals don’t get enough credit, saying that in a private hospital you have one doctor who will check on you, which is a risk, whereas in a public hospital you will have more than one doctor check you. The premier stated that Government was planning on building a clinic in Parys soon.
Having been elected as the new secretary general of the ANC, Magashule will step down as Premier of the Free State at the end of March. It is unclear who his successor will be.