Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae faces a storm after her office announced that she was going to host a gala dinner to honour King Misuzulu kaZwelithini of the AmaZulu.
Letsoha-Mathae’s office announced on Tuesday that the premier was going to invite the king to dinner, which was going to be funded by taxpayers in the province.
The premier had caught wind that King Misuzulu was going to attend the Supreme Court of Appeal hearing on Wednesday where his ascension to the throne was being challenged by his half-brother Prince Smakade.
Insiders from the premier’s office who spoke to Sunday World revealed that the gala dinner did not take place and that it had been organised in a hurry by the premier and her team.
The gala dinner was announced through posters by the premier’s office on the provincial Facebook page with the words: “Premier’s courtesy gala dinner in honour of his majesty, King Misuzulu KaZwelithini.”
The event was supposed to have taken place on Thursday night at Letsoha-Mathae’s official
residence, Free State House, in Bloemfontein.
However, the premier immediately canned the scheduled gathering after a public outcry.
It is not clear how much was spent by the government towards organising the failed event, which many had described as wasteful expenditure. Social media users were livid.
Said Mpho Letsoara: “You’re going to have gala dinner for the Zulu King, meanwhile we have lots of potholes that damage our cars…”
Thabo Mofokeng, of Bloemfontein, said the premier was out of touch with reality and the suffering of the people in the province.
“We’re faced with some serious challenges in this province, but Maqueen and her people have the audacity to spend money on gala dinners which are not even benefiting the people of this province.
“We live in an era of harsh realities, where the government is spitting on (sic) the faces of the voters,” said Mofokeng.
Realising the storm created by the announced gala dinner, the premier’s office backtracked and issued a statement stating that the provincial government had taken note of the public sentiment relating to the planned gala dinner for King Misuzulu.
“The planned gala dinner was set to take place on Thursday, 29 May 2025 at the premier’s official residence in Bloemfontein. The provincial government had taken a decision to extend a courtesy invite to His Majesty King Zwelithini, who was anticipated to be in the Free State province for a legal matter at the Supreme Court of Appeal,” Letsoha-Mathae’s spin doctor Matshidiso Setai said.
She said the government enjoys a mutually respectful and healthy relationship with the Free State House of traditional and Khoisan leaders.
DA caucus leader in the Free State Legislature, Dr Roy Jankielson, said: “We will submit questions in the legislature to determine whether fruitless and wasteful expenditure was incurred. It is inappropriate for the premier to commit the provincial government to an issue that is sub-judice.”
EFF provincial secretary in the Free State, Busanku Msimanga said the party would not take the matter lying down. He said they will demand answers from the premier to explain her position.
“We do not have the problem with King Misuzulu, but his name should not be used to misuse state funds. We must clearly state that the government of the Free State is ignoring traditional leaders of the Free State as they are being undermined. We are going to ask serious questions on how much was spent already, as this gala dinner was not just going to be organised so fast.
There should be service providers who were paid already, and this planned gala dinner was not budgeted for.”
Free State premier’s spin doctor, Matshidiso Setai said: “His Majesty King Misuzulu did not come and there was no procurement incurred as King Misuzulu informed the Premier timeous about his inability to attend the court in person…and in an event Isilo Sa Mabandla made it to Mangaung, the dinner was going to be hosted at the State House with its own facilities and caterers, as that’s the venue the Premier hosts her guests.”
