Zola Thamae has now been appointed for the second time to act in this position following the termination of her initial contract on 17 November 2022. The provincial premier Sisi Ntombela’s spokesperson, Palesa Chubisi, says Thamae was appointed to act again on 18 November 2022 while interviews for a permanent HOD have been held and the process of verification of candidates' suitability and their qualifications is under way. She adds that apart from the fact that certain documents were seized by the Hawks, there is no indication of individuals who are being investigated, thus she has been appointed again.

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Allegations have surfaced from an anonymous source that Thamae is permanently appointed as the director of the department. However, it is alleged someone else has been appointed to act in her permanent position while she [Thamae] is acting as the HOD. It is further alleged that the person in question is getting paid as acting director. Chubisi did not supply answers to these allegations. In an attempt to uncover the truth about the abovementioned allegations, and the legality of two consecutive terms of acting as an HOD, an enquiry was sent to the departmental spokesperson, Tankiso Zola, which is yet to be answered. 

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The documents in question happen to be the documents for the Mangaung African Cultural Festival (Macufe). The purpose of the confiscation is to investigate whether there were any irregularities in awarding the tender to C-Squared. The matter was previously brought before the Free State High Court and Judge Phillip Loubser ruled that the tender process in awarding the tender to the company in question was not fair, equitable, and competitive, contravening Section 217 of the Constitution. The Hawks’ senior communication officer, Philani Nkwalase, says a criminal case was opened after allegations were made during the court hearing that the tender was tainted by administrative irregularities. 

“The administrative irregularities included deviating from the specifications in the tender invitation, without informing other applicants.”

As far as the appointment of HODs is concerned, it seems the deadline was missed. Chubisi previously told OFM News that following the appointment of three HODs in August 2022, they still need to appoint HODs for the provincial departments of Police, Roads and Transport, Social Development and Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, and those appointments will be finalised by the end of October. 

In the latest, she says the interviews for the posts of HOD Police, Roads and Transport have been held and processes of verification of candidates' suitability and their qualifications are under way. The one for HOD for Social Development is at shortlisting stage, but this is not finalised.

OFM News