Staff reporter
Bloemfontein – The Officer of The Premier (OTP) in Free State is caught in the “irregular procurement” of Lemo GreenPark for today’s event.
This after WhatsApp text dated 16 November 2025, show Lemo GreenPark as the venue which confirms the venue was chosen way before RFQs were sent out a week later.
STEPUPSANEWS can confirm Office of The Premier was engaging Lemo GreenPark days before the RFQ deadline and to circumvent the process, certain items were omitted from the RFQ specs.
This was done to ensure the initial quote of over R1 million was reduced.
According SCM experts any changes in the specs must be in consultation with other bidders and this was not the case.
Below is the list of specs sent out.
This is not the first time this office operates like a tuck shop. The office appointed a non compliant service provider to bury former MEC, William Kotsoane. The service provider was only paid after three months when papers were compliant.
As if that’s enough, another service provider was appointed via WhatsApp and only when the director of the company threatened to disrupt the colloquium he was paid.
Lest we forget this is the same Premier, Joyce “Pretenders”Mathae that met service providers and threatened to terminate their contracts if they didn’t plough back in 2023.
Few months later she was accused of corruption and fraud with DPCI having completed their investigation in December 2024, and to date, NPA is yet to decide on whether to charge her or not.
With president Cyril Ramaphosa gracing today’s event, can he please set up a common of inquiry just for Free State.
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There are issues that we would like to be investigated and perpetrators brought to book.Free State is a capital city of corruption inclusive of those in Mangaung Metro.