Free State props up Gupta paper

TRUMPED: R79.3M PAID TO NEW AGE ON ACE’S WATCH

Province’s audit outcome significantly regressed over four-year period.

The office of the Free State premier is among a number of provincial departments that have received disclaimers in the 2017-18 financial year. According to the auditor-general’s (AG) recent report on national and provincial government, the Free State’s audit outcome significantly regressed over a four-year period.

The report stated that this was a result of the lack of accountability for government spending and the leadership’s disregard for internal controls.

The report, released last week, came just months after the ongoing state capture commission of inquiry heard that the office, under former premier Ace Magashule, now ANC secretary-general, spent R79.3 million on the Gupta-owned newspaper, The New Age.

Out of the eight provinces that spent a total of R113 million on that newspaper, the Free State coughed up the most.

The AG’s report further said that the provincial government failed to promote accountability for its spending in a manner that would have a positive impact on people’s lives and allowed money intended for the people to be misused.

Under his leadership as premier, Magashule is alleged to have also interfered in a housing project to ensure a company partly owned by his daughter scored contracts worth R150 million from the provincial government.

The company, known as Unital Holdings, was appointed to build RDP houses in Bethlehem without following due procurement processes and was paid millions by the provincial department of human settlements. The AG “noted poor project planning and management at human settlements’ Bethlehem Baken Park Ext 5 (Vogelfontein) housing project, which was irregularly awarded.

“Construction on the project started on April 15, 2013, but it had not been completed, with R81 million of the contract amount of R138 million already having been spent”.

The AG said there was an increasing call for greater accountability in the Free State as the province was unable to sustain any of its clean audit outcomes and warned it would continue deteriorating if the right tone was not set at the top. – OFM News

Spokesperson for the department Neil Shikwambana said the case involved a Zimbabwean migrant worker, who was employed at a game farm in the area.

“The patient recently travelled home and upon his return, felt unwell and sought medical attention, and was admitted to Helen Franz hospital.

“After a specimen was taken, a case of cholera was confirmed,” Shikwambana said. The patient is recovering well. This comes after another migrant farm worker from Zimbabwe, working and living in Alldays, Limpopo, was diagnosed with cholera earlier this month.

“The department has already conducted [a] thorough investigation in the areas where the two patients are staying and officials are on the ground in the area doing health promotions.”

The department called on community members to continue healthy hygiene and sanitation practices such as:

Washing hands after visiting the toilet with soap and running water;

Washing hands before and after eating;

Washing vegetables and fruits before eating;

Drinking water from a safe source, or sterilising/boiling water before consumption;

Ensuring that food is thoroughly cooked.

Symptoms of cholera include sudden watery diarrhoea, with or without vomiting, and severe dehydration.

“The department calls upon anyone coming down with any of these symptoms to quickly visit the nearest health facility,” Shikwambana said. – Caxton News Service

Claims daughter’s firm received RDP contract. The patient recently travelled home to Zimbabwe and upon his return, felt unwell and sought medical attention.

Neil Shikwambana Spokesperson for Limpopo department of health