There are allegations that Premier Mxolisi Dukwana has authorised a portion of the Macufe budget to be diverted to salaries. Dukwana’s spokesperson, Sello Dithebe, has refuted the allegations. 

“The Premier has not authorised monies allocated for Macufe to be diverted to salaries. However, the internal reprioritisation by the department has identified a portion of Macufe's budget, to fund the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) concluded at the Public Service Bargaining Council (PSCBC), which provinces are expected to fund. This has yet to be approved by the Executive Council.” 

The allegations come while the Department of Arts and Culture, responsible for the festival established in 1997, is yet to communicate the plans. The departmental spokesperson, Tankiso Zola, said detailed communication about Macufe and its budget will be made in the future. He added that R18 million is allocated for Macufe 2023. The allegations included that R20 million from the current financial year was allocated to the festival.

Of that R20 million, the messages doing the rounds alleged that R18 million has been paid to CSquared in the recent past and the remainder of R2 million will be diverted to salaries. Both Dithebe and Zola refuted the allegations.

The spokesperson to premier Mxolisi Dukwana, Sello Dithebe, at the launch of Lemo Fest. 

“The payment in question was as a result of the court order in favour of CSquared and an amount of R3.4 million was thus paid from the 2022/23 budget that was rolled over due to the pending litigation by DS Consortium,” said Dithebe. While Zola said, “As per the court directive that CSquared should be paid the outstanding amount from the 2023 contract.”

Dithebe’s presence at the launch of Lemo Fest, which is from 1 to 15 October, with ‘Macufe Cup’ taking place on the last day, sparked questions. However, Dithebe set the record straight that the Office of the Premier is not affiliated with Lemo Fest. “The Premier was invited and deemed it fit to send his spokesperson [Dithebe], who spoke broadly about the challenges of the township economy.”

Zola previously told OFM News the department is not associated with Lemo Fest.

The festival is organised by the Kenworth Group. Their launch came at a time when the department has not shared any communication about a tender invitation sent out to those who desire to offer their services as implementation agents for Macufe.

Questions were also posed about whether the tender for Macufe has been advertised and, if not, when it will be advertised. If it has been advertised, when will a service provider be appointed? In reply, Zola said official communication will follow in due course.

OFM News