Macufe and Moroka Swallows top EXCO agenda

Staff reporter

Bloemfontein – Hardly a day after our article on silence over the 2023 edition of MACUFE, the only festivity that keeps the province in the global space, there are new developments.

Deafening silence over Macufe 2023

Step UP SA News can confirm that yesterday a special EXCO was convened, and among the items on the agenda, was Macufe and Moroka Swallows.

With July already done and dusted, the Department of Sport, Arts, Culture, and Recreation (SACR) as per regulations will need to advertise for 21 days and the appointed service provider(s) will have one month to secure artists just like last year, there will be other events in the same period as artists allege to be called and booked for Macufe 2023.

But how does government discuss Macufe while silent in the ongoing case in court?

There is also the R200 000 interest the high court ordered it be paid following the delaying in paying Consumer Connectedness (C-2).

Among the points deliberated was the postponement of the event to next year to allow those tasked with running the operation enough time to advertise, engage artists and districts but that was kicked out of the window according to sources with intimate knowledge.

The matter of Moroka Swallows and Marumo Gallants playing their games in the center of the city also made it to the agenda with the Dube Birds offering to play 5 matches in Bloemfontein while the relegated Gallants want to move permanently to Bloemfontein.

The Moroka Swallows proposal follows failed attempts by Kaizer Chiefs last season while the Gallants played few matches in Bloemfontein, but there is no value in them moving to Bloemfontein while playing in the second tier.

The Free State Provincial Government (FSPG) must really hide their face in shame for both Macufe and teams from outside the province moving to Free State for money when they failed to support Bloemfontein Celtic and Free State Stars.

The province does not even have a team in the second tier, while Northern Cape has two teams.

This a developing story.

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