Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter The Free State Treasury has identified officials in different departments whose actions may have resulted in the provincial government incurring irregular expenditure in the past few years. Finance MEC Gadija Brown said in her budget vote speech delivered in Frankfort that audit firm PwC conducted an investigation between March 2019 and March this year to establish the root cause of the irregular expenditure and those allowing the financial blight to persist. “To reduce the accumulated irregular expenditure . . . the provincial treasury initiated an intervention project for the investigation of irregular expenditure incurred in previous years to…

Staff Reporter The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has declared the ANC Free State provincial conference held in Bloemfontein from 18-19 May 2018 unlawful and unconstitutional. In a judgment delivered late Wednesday, the SCA said the conference was held in violation of a court order given on November 29, 2017. This means the decisions/resolutions and/or the outcome of the conference are unlawful and unconstitutional. The court however said the declaration of invalidity shall only be effective as from the date of the delivery of the judgment. Disgruntled members of the ANC approached the SCA arguing that the delegates who attended…

Staff Reporter Free State Treasury is the only provincial department that achieved a clean audit in the 2019-20 financial year with only two others slightly improving their results, Auditor General of South Africa Tsakani Maluleke has revealed. This is the first time since 2016-17 that the province has produced a clean audit. But Maluleke was quick to point out that lack of accountability remains a problem in most departments in the Free State. “This is the second consecutive year of improvement, but a lack of accountability continued to result in pervasive non-compliance and deteriorating financial health,” Maluleke said, with a…

Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki has been fired, South African Football Association (SAFA) CEO Teboho Motlanthe announced at a press conference on Wednesday. This follows Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Sudan in Omdurman that saw Bafana fail to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), when a draw would have seen the South Africans reach the tournament finals in Cameroon in January and February next year. “The decision was taken at about 10am. This was an NEC decision, it was taken in a round robin,” Motlanthe said. Bafana, hit by some withdrawals due to a FIFA circular saying clubs did…

Staff Reporter A former Centlec chief executive officer has been waging a court battle in an attempt to stop the Mangaung power utility from appointing someone else to another post that he previously held. Andries Mgoqi filed an urgent application in the Free State High Court seeking an order to restrain Centlec from filling the position of executive manager for engineering wires that he occupied prior to his appointment as the electricity distribution company’s CEO on April 1, 2015. He was not retained upon the expiry of his five-year fixed-term contract as CEO on March 31, 2020, which led him…

Staff Reporter The popular Mangaung African Cultural Festival (MACUFE) will not take place for the second time in as many years due to the COVID-19 pandemic but will be replaced by a smaller outdoor event. Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC Limakatso Mahasa says the annual 10-day event which was cancelled last year following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country will not take place again this year as it remains risky to hold events that attract large crowds. Delivering her budget vote speech in Koppies on Tuesday, Mahasa said the event will mainly feature music and comedy. “. .…

Staff Reporter The Free State Department of Human Settlements says it will start giving serviced residential stands to deserving people so that they can build their own houses as it tries to reduce the housing backlog. Human Settlements MEC Motshidisi Koloi told the provincial legislature when she delivered her budget vote speech in Koppies, north-eastern Free State, that the housing backlog has been worsened by last year’s hard lockdown which saw all industry shutting down amid efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. “We will focus more on ensuring that more sites are available to give our people an opportunity…

Staff Reporter South Africa has banned the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption over the Easter holidays as part of efforts to promote responsible behaviour in the fight against COVID-19. In a televised national address, President Cyril Ramaphosa also announced a host of adjustments to religious gatherings particularly to allow the Christian community to congregate in larger numbers over the weekend. Ramaphosa said the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption will be prohibited starting Friday until Monday. “On-site sales at restaurants, shebeens and bars will be allowed, according to licensing conditions, up until 23:00,” he said. The president said the…

Staff Reporter Deputy President David Mabuza is this morning expected to conduct an oversight visit at a Free State municipality. A statement issued by the presidency said his visit to Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality in Phuthaditjhaba, QwaQwa, is the second service delivery visit since the commitment made by the deputy president to parliament to intervene in service delivery hotspots. Mabuza will be accompanied by Premier Sisi Ntombela, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Fikile Majola, as well as senior local government officials. “The…

Staff Reporter All the five regions of the ANC in the Free State have come out in support of party secretary general Ace Magashule saying he does not have to step aside despite the allegations of corruption that he is facing. The ANC regional representatives from Lejweleputswa, Thabo Mofutsanyana, Fezile Dabi, Motheo and Xhariep held a virtual media briefing on Monday evening during which they reaffirmed their support for Magashule and warned that they will not stand by and watch him being pressured to step aside from his key position in the party. “We have actually consulted broadly on this…