Free State Premier Party

President Cyril Ramaphosa joined by Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela and Education MEC Tate Mekgoe officially opens the Adelaide Tambo Secondary School in Thabong, Welkom in the Free State Province, in April 2019 – Photo: GCIS

Free State Premier denies ‘blowing R214m of taxpayer cash’ on parties

Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela has rejected ‘dangerously misleading claims’ that she wasted public funds on a series of parties and events.

Free State Premier Party

President Cyril Ramaphosa joined by Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela and Education MEC Tate Mekgoe officially opens the Adelaide Tambo Secondary School in Thabong, Welkom in the Free State Province, in April 2019 – Photo: GCIS

Sisi Ntombela has reacted with anger to claims that she has been burning through roughly R8 million each month to throw lavish parties and events for her department. The Free State Premier says that these allegations are ‘dangerously misleading’, and chastised the DA for sharing mistruths.

The party premier? Accusations fly in Free State

Ray Jankielsohn, Leader of the Opposition in the Free State Legislature, has stuck to his guns on the matter. He has accused Ntombela of ‘callous looting’, challenging her to explain to the unemployed and impoverished citizens in the province where more than R200 million OF public funds has gone:

“After proclaiming cost-cutting, Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela spends over R214 million on events management in 26 months. Average of R8 million spent on parties every month while residents are unemployed and in poverty. This is callous, insensitive and blatant looting.”

Taxpayers ‘footing the bill’ for department parties

Ntombela doesn’t deny spending money on these events, but says they are all ‘mandated’ by the rules of her office:

“These enquiries make dangerously misleading claims that the Office of the Premier, under the Premier’s watch, held ‘parties’ using the taxpayers’ money. This is absolutely untrue, as the events held by the Office of the Premier, have all been within the mandate of the Office and were all part of a calendar plan.”

“We wish to categorically state that the Office of the Premier’s main preoccupation, remains that of providing strategic direction and to coordinate integrated service delivery within the government in the Free State. The Premier remains committed to the core values of accountability, cost-cutting and transparency.”

Sisi Ntombela