The Hawks have raided the offices of the Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation and seized several documents in connection with the awarding of the event management contract for the Macufe festival that was recently held in Bloemfontein.
According to a statement released by the priority crime investigation unit on Wednesday evening, no one was arrested when the search-and-seize operation was conducted on Tuesday.
The Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Philani Nkwalase said one of the bidders for the tender to run the 2022 edition of Macufe took the provincial department to court in October where Judge PJ Loubser ruled that the engagement of C-Squared to organise the annual festival was the result of a tender process that was not fair, equitable and competitive, thereby contravening Section 217 of the Constitution.
“Allegations made during the application were that the awarding of the tenders was tainted by administrative irregularities, which included deviating from the specifications in the tender invitation without informing other applicants,” said Nkwalase in the statement.
This week’s operation, said the spokesperson, follows the opening of a criminal case which alleged irregularities in the handling of the event management contract.
The investigation is still underway and the Hawks say more information will be released upon the finalisation of the probe. – Staff Reporter