MEC Gadija Brown will table a provincial budget worth R38 billion. Her budget speech comes at a time when municipalities are facing challenges of service delivery and improper handling of finances, among many other issues. One example of such a municipality, that have completely failed to handle their affairs, is the Trompsburg-based Kopanong Local Municipality, which owes workers' pension funds over R20 million. Some of the municipalities, including the Bloemfontein-based Mangaung Metro, owe service providers such as Bloem Water millions of rands for water services.

The budget comes after the Special Tribunal earlier ordered the Free State Health and Finance Departments to recoup financial losses incurred in a 2020 controversial surgical gown tender from government officials embroiled in the matter.

OFM News previously reported that the Special Tribunal had declared that the R39 million surgical gown tender was unlawful and should therefore be set aside.

The tender was awarded to 32 service providers overall – of which only three supplied the surgical gowns as per tender specifications.

READ MORE: Tribunal guns for officials in PPE scandal

OFM News