Eight Free State government employees face immediate retribution. At the same time, a senior provincial official has been dismissed after a damning Special Investigating Unit probe exposed a multi-million-rand bursary fraud syndicate.
Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae confirmed that the axing forms part of decisive internal sanctions taken after the investigation exposed severe oversight failures within the Office of the Premier.
The dismissed official and his colleagues systematically bypassed established procedures, ignored regulations, and approved funding for ineligible individuals.
They allegedly enabled widespread irregularities in a bursary programme intended to give disadvantaged young people an opportunity to further their studies.
“One senior official who unlawfully awarded bursaries to himself and members of his family has already been dismissed from public office,” Letsoha-Mathae confirmed.
Beyond internal dismissals, the SIU has recommended disciplinary action against a total of 36 officials linked to the multi-million-rand scheme.
Evidence against seven individuals has already been referred to the National Prosecuting Authority for possible criminal prosecution on charges including fraud, theft, and money laundering.
The broader three-year probe examined allocations made between 2017 and 2023 during Sisi Ntombela’s tenure as the Premier of the province. The investigations revealed how millions of rands were diverted through policy violations and abuse of public trust.
Among the discoveries facilitated by the officials was that the Office of the Premier paid R34 000 to the University of the Free State on behalf of a student who had already died.
The corrupt system also allowed seven foreign nationals to receive bursaries despite provincial policy strictly limiting the funding to South African citizens residing in the Free State.
Investigators found no evidence that the required approvals were obtained by the implicated staff to justify these severe policy deviations.
The compromised oversight further allowed failing students to extend three-year qualifications for up to seven years while continuing to draw government funds.
The province also contributed almost double the agreed amount towards an international study programme, driving irregular expenditure up by approximately R8.5 million.
Acting SIU Head Leonard Lekgetho stated that the actions of the employees represented a collapse of civic duty and ethical leadership.
“The SIU's investigation has exposed not just maladministration, but a moral failure, a collapse of civic duty and ethical leadership. Officials turned opportunity into exploitation and service into self-interest. They violated the trust of the people and the vision of our democracy,” Lekgetho said.
The SIU is currently pushing to recover the lost funds, with R6.3 million already clawed back from various universities.
The decisive action against the eight employees has reignited intense public interest regarding accountability in government programmes intended to uplift vulnerable communities.
The ANC in the Free State has thrown its weight behind Letsoha-Mathae, calling for her to be given the space to implement the recommendations of the report.
Speaking at a party media briefing on Thursday, ANC deputy provincial secretary, Dibolelo Mance, advised that the provincial administration must be allowed to manage the bursary scandal.
“The SIU report was brought to us just like you have received it as members of the media. We would really like to give the Office of the Premier space to deal with issues relating to the outcomes of the report.
“I am sure that the Premier in her own interviews has shown commitment that no stone will be left unturned and that is what we are expecting from all our deployees of government,” Mance said.
