The event which will take place on the N8 outside the province’s capital Bloemfontein, will include a road safety awareness activation and a traffic operation in addition to the media briefing. It is expected to kick off at 12:00 at the old weighbridge as you head to Botshabelo, several hours before the 22nd Macufe Festival comes to an end with the Itau Macufe Cup Final to be held at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. Several Macufe adjacent events notably Pop Bottles will continue throughout the final day.

Varying law enforcement authorities have maintained a heavy presence throughout the ‘City of Roses’ since the festival began on October 4. 

Police spokesperson, Peter Kareli, did warn festival attendees, residents and visitors ahead of the event kicking off, to exercise greater caution as major festivals and sporting activities around the country have in the past been targets of criminality with a high number of robberies, thefts of motor vehicles and instances of driving under the influence being reported. Local police are yet to provide a report on the crimes reported during the event, but have promised to do so soon as well.

The festival, which has been shrouded in controversy, has been referred to by some residents on social media as uneventful and boring in some instances this year. Others have called for a change in organisers of the event. This hasn’t necessarily been the case for all attendees.

Is it just me who think Macufe is losing the vibe....ngcono ba buyisele the old organisers ?????????

— Hlummy (@Hlummy2) October 13, 2019

For years, the C-Squared Group owned by local businessman Ben Moseme has been running the event, with political parties, the most vocal of which has been the DA, questioning the feasibility of the event and return on investment for the provincial government. DA member of the provincial legislature, David van Vuuren went as far as describing the 22-year old festival as a money laundering scheme designed to benefit the politically connected. “The department has in the past years not had much of a return on investment from the contract they have signed with the company that organises this festival despite the millions they have to cough up in their service level agreement with the company” Van Vuuren said previously.  

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