The Public Protector has found that C-Squared, the events company appointed as a service provider for the funeral of the late Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe, was appointed without following the correct bidding process and that the costs incurred were unreasonable.
Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka was requested by the EFF in the province to investigate allegations that more than R3 million was spent on the funeral in March last year.
The report found that the irregular appointment of C-Squared led to overspending on Makgoe’s funeral. The report also found that the Director-General of the Department of Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs in the province, Kopung Ralikontsane, did not take effective and appropriate steps to prevent the irregular and excessive expenditure.
In May last year former Free State Premier Mxolisi Dukwana told the legislature that the province’s taxpayers paid R130 000 for a casket and burial plot, R355 000 for entertainment and R1.2 million for catering, among other things.
Opposition political parties lamented the high cost of the funeral. Among the remedial action recommended by the Public Protector was that the Presidency has 120 days to consult with the National Treasury, review the funeral policy and determine the costs expected to be offered per funeral category.
The Office of the Premier has been given 90 days to take disciplinary action against Ralikontsane for failure to execute his duties leading up to the funeral.
