By Boitumelo Shuping:
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has raised concerns about severe weaknesses in procurement and contract oversight in the Free State Premierโs Office, following the Auditor Generalโs (AG) 2024/2025 Annual Financial Statement outcomes report.
R41.2 million in irregular spending recorded
The report identifies ongoing irregularities, including purchases made at inflated prices, bids that were not properly approved by committees, and mistakes in evaluations that resulted in contracts being awarded incorrectly.
Irregularities are part of the R482.2 million unresolved backlog
These lapses contributed to R41.2 million in irregular expenditure in the past financial year, part of a R482.2 million backlog that remains uninvestigated.
DA accuses Premierโs office of lacking accountability
According to Werner Pretorius, DA spokesperson on Public Accounts in the Free State Legislature, the findings confirm โongoing failures in contract and procurement processes and a lack of accountability in managing public funds.โ
Pretorius noted that such weaknesses continue to undermine governance and public trust.
Weak oversight and slow consequence management persist
The AG also identified inadequate monitoring of contract performance and slow consequence management as contributing factors to the repeated irregularities. Despite previous recommendations, the Premierโs Office has not fully implemented corrective measures. – @NewsSA_Online
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