Knives are out for Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae following the uproar over the appointment of a convicted fraudster as CEO of a provincial hospital, as reported in the Sunday World last week.
Letsoha-Mathae has been instructed by the ANC to write a report addressing the storm she caused when she defended the appointment of Zongezile Adam Zumane as CEO of Senorita Nhlabathi District Hospital in Ladybrand.
It is understood that the ANC in the province is baying for blood, despite Letsoha-Mathae’s recent order to reverse Zumane’s appointment. In a meeting of the party’s provincial top brass on Monday at Kaizer Sebothelo House in Bloemfontein, the premier was instructed to explain Zumane’s appointment and her defence thereof in a report.
Highly impeccable sources within the PEC told Sunday World that the meeting was attended by ANC provincial chairperson Mxolisi Dukwana and provincial secretary Polediso “Dihelele” Motsoeneng, alongside Toto Makume, Dibolelo Mahlatsi and Mathabo Leeto.
One insider said that Letsoha-Mathae was told that her conduct had created doubt and confusion about her leadership and that she had brought chaos to the ANC and the government.
“Maqueen was told by Dihelele and Mxolisi that she could have handled the Zumane issue properly through the involvement of legal experts within the government rather than having that posture of arrogance when she made it her point to defend the convicted fraudster,” said a source.
“Another thing, as you know, is that the ANC is divided in the province with the factions in the regions of Mangaung, Lejweleputswa, Thabo Mofutsanyana, Xhariep and Fezile Dabi. Maqueen’s loyalists believe that she is facing all the challenges because her detractors within the PEC had given her a rope to hang herself. However, she gets protection from Luthuli House.”
Letsoha-Mathae did not respond to requests for comment.
While the Sunday World report on Zumane created a stir, it has since emerged that he is not the only convicted fraudster in the employ of the provincial government.
Mzwandile Silwana, who works in the office of the Free State director-general (DG) as an administrator, was also sentenced alongside Zumane.
In 2012, Zumane, Silwana and five others were found guilty of fraud and money laundering after more than R170-million was looted. Silwana was handed a ten-year sentence; he was released on parole after five years.
Provincial government spokesperson Matshediso Setai admitted that Silwana was in the employ of the provincial government. “Mr Silwana was appointed in 2022 by the previous DG, Mr Kopung Ralikontsane.
“His appointment followed a risk and ethical assessment. Recently, he has been subjected to stringent vetting by the SSA (State Security Agency) and has been issued with a top-secret certificate, which allows him access to classified information.
Silwana confirmed that he was employed in the DG’s office.
Bafana Cecil Ngwenya, who is the head of legal services in the department of education, was convicted of theft in 2000 while acting as a prosecutor in the Bethlehem Regional Court.
Ngwenya was contacted repeatedly for comment.
Spokespersons of the departments of economic, small business development, tourism and environmental affairs, and education in the province, Mojalefa Mphapang and Howard Ndaba, acknowledged our questions regarding Senkhane and Ngwenya but had not responded at the time of going to print.
ANC Free State spokesperson Thabo Meeko said: “No such things have taken place. Cde Maqueen is part of the ANC provincial structures and attends (the PEC) in her right as an ANC leader. Government is dealing with the issue [of] the CEO of Senorita Nhlabathi Hospital and will brief the ANC at the right time.”
