After 39 years of working tirelessly in public service, the DirectorGeneral (DG) of the Free State Provincial Government, Kopung Ralikontsane, bids farewell.
Ralikontsane began his journey as a teacher in 1985 when the public service bug bit him and he started forming part of various community organisations that fought for the freedom of previously disadvantaged ethnic groups.
He also played a pivotal role in forming the transitional change taking place before 1994, but it would be the year 2013 when he assumed his position as Director-General for the Free State provincial government, that community members would be smitten by the work he did.
“I have grown up in the public service and as time went on, I developed a passion to spend a considerable amount of time in the public because it allows me to directly make an impact on our people,” Ralikontsane said.
Ralikontsane attended several development programmes and spent a lot of time at international conferences and seminars across different continents to ensure that there is growth and empowerment for residents of the Mangaung Metro.
The Director-General mentioned that spending a lot of time with strategic management teams that were managing a smooth transition to a better South Africa always gave him a good sense of fulfilment.
“Ralikontsane has been a trusted and dependable anchor of the Free State Provincial Government. The imminent absence of his contribution and counsel will leave a gaping hole that will prove very difficult to fill,” said Premier of the Free State, MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae.
“We will miss Ralikontsane with his trademark hat, which has come to embody his incomparable work ethic,” Mathae concluded.
Abigail Visagie
