Ntombela ‘must break bonds with puppet master Ace’

Free State Premier Ace Magashule finally leaves his office but controversy appears to follow him as a whopping amount of R20 million is allegedly budgeted for his farewell bash, with donations from each of the province’s municipalities.

But the ANC yesterday dismissed the allegation, saying that Magashule does not participate in government supply chain activities but those involved must act responsibly on the matter.

ANC Women’s League deputy president, Sisi Ntombela, is tomorrow being inaugurated as Magashule’s successor in the provincial legislature in Bloemfontein. It is feared that her inauguration would also cost millions of rands that would add to the more than R3 million allegedly spent on the recent State of the Province Address delivered by Magashule.

DA provincial legislature leader, Roy Jankielsohn, cautiously welcomed Ntombela’s election as premier and warned her to break her bonds with her puppet master, Magashule, if she was to make a difference as premier. “We hope she has the strength and political will to do so, but experience over the last decade shows that the ANC is unwilling and unable to self-correct,” he said.

Jankielsohn asked Ntombela to get rid of some of Mashule’s MECs that were unfit for the purpose.  He said Ntombela herself lacked capacity to govern as she failed to improve municipal service delivery and financial administration as outgoing MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs.

The DA MPL said under Ntombela, the Free State municipalities collectively owed Eskom over R6,2 billion and water boards another R2 billion, the largest debt backlogs in the country. Her track record in human settlements was similarly dismal, with 11 000 housing units incomplete and a backlog of 60 000 title deeds.

Jankielsohn described Magashule as a “good riddance” who held Free State people hostage via a corrupt patronage network under his Operation Hlasela project which was a network of crime syndicates operating under the pretext of cadre deployment. “We know that cadre deployment under Ace Magashule was implemented in a manner that benefits only a small faction of the ANC, at the cost of the people of this province, while Operation Hlasela was a well-orchestrated political spin for avoiding supply chain management rules and enriching well-connected business people.

“Operation Hlasela has not improved service delivery, but has caused increased poverty, the collapse of Free State local governments, and the looting of our provincial coffers,” Jankielsohn said.

Residents of the worst affected municipalities went for weeks without water and had additional threats of blackouts caused by municipalities defaulting on their payments to bulk service providers, suppliers and contractors. “In most Free State towns, a road without dangerous potholes is a rare luxury,” he said.

An attempts to get comment from the Premier’s office spokesperson, Tiisetso Makhele proved fruitless yesterday as his phone rang unanswered.

But ANC national spokesperson, Pule Mabe said Magashule, as the outgoing premier does not participate in any public sector supply chain activities.

“Those involved should act with responsibility and caution and consider the plight of the masses of our people. The recently held ANC NEC once more reaffirmed the ANC as the leader of society and a strategic centre of power which must continue  to act as a reference point for all conventions that enjoy high regard in society,” Mabe said.

– ericn@citizen.co.za