Bloemfontein - Free State Premier Ace Magashule was on Tuesday challenged to supply the names of officials fired for corruption.
“Have they simply been redeployed, or can he supply us with police case numbers?” asked Free State Democratic Alliance member Roy Jankielsohn, in responding to Magashule’s State of the Province address.
“Who has Honourable Magashule ever fired for corruption? And we mean fired, not redeployed.”
Jankielsohn said in the Free State millions of rands were spent on forensic investigations into alleged irregularities at municipalities such as Matjhabeng, Dihlabeng, Nala, Setsoto, and Mohokare.
In executive summaries of reports, paid for by the public, details of alleged irregularities and crimes were provided, yet the full reports with the names of the alleged perpetrators were never released.
“We just hear that such people have once again been redeployed,” said Jankielsohn.
He said cadre deployments in the Free State were not aimed at promoting the best person for the job, but rather to place Magashule-friendly allies into influential positions.
Magashule denied that many top officials were not qualified to do their jobs at municipalities and in the provincial government.
“I will disprove you. Because they are black you do not see them.”
Magashule said the premier could not be blamed for not having enough black accountants.
“You cannot blame us for not having black accountants. You denied them. We were denied education by law and force.”
He challenged opposition party members to compare their qualifications with that of the province’s top officials.
Magashule said the Free State was employing both black and white people. Members of opposition parties at municipalities were allowed to attend the interviews of candidates for local government jobs.
“The fact of the matter is our people are better qualified; you can compare their qualifications with your own.”
Magashule said in the Western Cape, the DA was also deploying its own people.
“They are taking away people employed by the ANC before.” - Sapa