The leadership from the three entities, including Destea’s Head of Department, Dr Mbulelo Nokwequ, the MEC of the provincial Social Development department Limakatso Mahasa, as well as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ikhraam Osman, were called to answer serious questions to the committee on the controversial Rent-A-Desk programme, which it was said would be moving from the FDC to the provincial Public Works department in an earlier meeting. However, when questioned on what their role would be with regards to the programme, which affords small business owners in the province office facilities at a subsidized price, the Department of Public Works told the committee that it had no idea what the project was about. In an intense meeting, the FDC, Destea and Social Development, however, said what was reported during the previous meeting was misunderstood.

The three organizations stated that the representatives, who made presentations to the committee last week on the matter, reported wrongly by stating that the Rent-A-Desk programme would be moving to the provincial Public Works department. The trio explained that what they needed from Public Works was help with identifying a suitable building that would be able to accommodate the tenants under this programme as it wanted to use the building in Bloemfontein where the programme is currently being held for another project.

They also firmly stated that the project would be continuing and denied reports by OFM News that they were intending to terminate the contracts of these tenants as stated in a letter they sent to one of the tenants. The chairperson of the committee, Neels van Rooyen, urged the committee to, in future, ensure that it sends parties informed about the departmental plans to avoid a situation where the wrong information is sent out to the public. Van Rooyen also requested the FDC to provide the committee with a copy of the contract between the entity and its tenants. He also requested that it retracts  termination of contract letters it had sent to its tenants considering that Osman said that these letters were sent, but no tenants have been evicted and the programme would still be ongoing. Dates as to when this move will take place, as well as where the tenants would be accommodated during that process, were not discussed.

OFM News