Staff reporter
Bloemfontein – In what staff at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) say Joyce Mathae, Free State Premier was challenged and paralysed by Dr Tsietsi Masiteng in a private meeting over the reshuffling, there is more and it’s all about the missing R1.8 million.
As part of our series on the motives behind the reshuffling, STEPUPSANEWS can confirm Mathae together with Kopung Ralikontsane, Director General of Free State Provincial Government met Dr Masiteng while Elzabe Rockman, MEC for DARD snubbed it, allegedly claiming she didn’t know about it.
The meeting in question was held on Monday, 15 July and it’s alleged it was in this meeting that Dr Masiteng, paralysed Mathae after she indicated he is one of the HoDs to be reshuffled.
Sources with intimate knowledge say Dr Masiteng asked Mathae why is he being moved and as expected, she could not provide a meaningful answer.
“Dr Masiteng asked Premier why is she moving hods when she is not even six months into the job.
When she failed to give a meaningful answer, he went for the throat and asked her to buy him out instead of moving him and being part of the collapsing administration.”
Dr told her, “The governance will collapse completely and she will go down in history as our premier who rushed things and collapsed government.”
Another source said Mathae, who at every given opportunity, talks about litigation by hods tried this with Dr Masiteng and he took her on.
“Premier said she is aware that there are people who are intending to challenge the reshuffle to which Dr Masiteng said he will also seek legal advice.”
Dr Masiteng has been having it rough since the Imvelo Conference and he is one of the three HoDs who had his delegated powers taken by Teboho Mokoena, former MEC for DARD now MEC for Human Settlement and COGTA.
Among the reasons why he is allegedly hunted down is the R1.8 million that went missing and his sin, of reporting it to the police.
These two matters are consistent with his testimony at the State Capture Inquiry, where he told Chief Justice Zondo in July 2019, 6 years ago, that even if EXCO can resolve, that decision must not be taken at face value and implemented.
Dr Masiteng is an Agricultural specialist, taking him anywhere else is not in the interest of the public but the budget that agriculture has.
Now, who did Premier consult?
ANC in Luthuli House, Kaizer Sebothelo House, or her house?
Details of other meetings will be shared in due course.
Should any othe affected hods go to court, they can easily ask the court to order Mathae to submit details and minutes of her consultations.
This is a developing story.
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She started with the wrong foot 🦶 in the wrong shoe. She should be focusing on service delivery instead of Wich hunt.
Here in Mangaung Metro the municipality loses a lot of money by refusing to install prepaid water meters. Hence the municipality has collapsed because they can not get enough revenue from residents.
We buy prepaid electricity but we don’t buy water since there is no billing for almost five years now
She was the MEC of transport but the road from Kroonstand to Bethlehem it is still not done even today for the past 7 years we cannot travel freely it is like we’re in 1824
Mme we ,when will that road be functionable, we can’t travel like you rich people with 4×4 even Ambulance from Kroonstand to Steynsrus it is taking ages because of your road that you had neglected
Now how can we trust you with the whole Provence when a simple task like road you did fail it totally you are not competent to run the Provence
I’m raising a concern about the road R501 from Wolmaransstad to Schweizer Reneke, the piece of road about 30km from Wollies till the border of Schweizer is very bad. We had the MEC of Transport in the North West who did nothing about it and has been shifted to another department. Is the department waiting for disaster to happen first before they can repair it or what, please let the relevant people attend to and address this problem. Now that we have the GNU let’s hope this will be escalated and be given the necessary attention…