Moseme has further rubbished claims that this annual festival, which has reached its 21st year and attracts approximately 200 000 people to the city, benefits only the few politically connected whilst the bulk of the income generated from the festival goes towards his company. Moseme’s response on the controversy surrounding Macufe comes amidst reports that the department has in the past years not had much of a return on investment from the contract they have signed with his company, despite the millions they have to cough up in their service level agreement with the company.

OFM News previously reported that questions regarding Macufe are mounting as opposition parties in the Free State Legislature demand answers as to whether the provincial Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation is benefitting from the Macufe events.

According to the DA’s spokesperson on Public Accounts and Finance, David van Vuuren, the department has in the past years not had much of a return on investment from the contract they have signed with the company.

Van Vuuren told OFM News that the department’s 2017/18 audit outcomes that were tabled last week at the Portfolio Committee on Public Accounts, painted a bleak picture and is a cause for concern. He says the company has in the past year alone been paid R47 million to manage the event, without the department benefitting from money collected at the gates or from sponsors.

The party said they are considering taking legal action or taking the matter to the Office of the Public Protector, should the department not respond to their enquiries nor produce the requested documents by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, the Department’s spokesperson, Tankiso Zola, is yet to respond to a set of questions on the matter.

OFM News