Johannesburg - The DA has demanded that the Free State department of police, roads and transport should be held accountable for allowing politically connected individuals to score millions in government contracts.
It has emerged that former Free State premier and a now ANC secretary general Ace Magashule’s daughter and brother have allegedly benefited from a string of government contracts that were meant to uplift emerging businesses.
The party said it would write to the provincial legislature's infrastructure committee regarding the grass cutting and road maintenance contracts that have benefited the children of Magashule and Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela.
The Daily Maverick reported that the Free State Department of police, roads and transport had spent R300 million on a contractor development programme. Some of those contractors had political connections to Magashule and Ntombela.
Over R50 million was also spent on grass cutting services, which the DA said shows that the whole programme was a facade that was meant to benefit friends and family members.
"The host of contracts were part of a provincial government empowerment drive, but it appears that it was nothing but a scam to reward politically connected ANC cadres and family members of ANC politicians," said the DA's Leona Kleynhans.
"The DA specifically wants to know the details of each company appointed, the value of each contract, the amounts paid to date, the benefits extended to these companies, how they were identified and appointed and who their directors are, what services each were to deliver and whether these were, in fact, delivered."
This is not the first government scandal that has linked Magashule. The millions of rands allocated to the Vrede Dairy Farm Project that was meant to uplift emerging farmers, were allegedly swindled by the Gupta family. The funds were also reportedly used to pay for a Gupta wedding.
* Receive IOL's top stories via Whatsapp by sending your name to 0745573535 .