Former Free State premier Sisi Ntombela says she was the one who raised the alarm over irregularities in the provincial government bursary scheme now under investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
Ntombela told Sunday World she inherited the bursary programme when she became premier and flagged concerns about how it was being run and pushed for the SIU to investigate alleged corruption and maladministration.
“I was not the premier when the bursary scheme was introduced,” Ntombela said.
“I must state that I am the one who, with the then director-general Ntate Kopung Ralikontsane, alongside our team, decided to request the SIU to investigate corruption and maladministration regarding those bursaries.
“Those people who are busy pointing fingers at me should get their facts right.”
Her comments come after the SIU revealed that its investigation had uncovered irregular approvals of bursaries, funding awarded to relatives, extended contracts for students who had failed modules, and bursaries granted for qualifications outside the province’s skills plan.
The SIU investigation was authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa under Proclamation 123 of 2023.
SIU acting head Leonard Lekgetho said the probe followed a referral from the Auditor-General after AG reports from 2019 and 2020 revealed serious irregularities in the management of bursaries and funds meant to educate and uplift young people in the province.
Lekgetho said two progress reports had been submitted to the president, with a final report expected in September.
“The SIU’s investigation revealed that officials approved bursaries negligently, failed to comply with the eligibility criteria, and irregularly extended bursary contracts,” Lekgetho said.
He said one official had awarded bursaries to relatives without following due process, while another official received funding for studies that started in 2017 despite not having submitted a bursary application.
Lekgetho said some students failed modules, but their contracts were never terminated by the office of the premier and were extended from three-year contracts to seven-year contracts.
He said some applicants received bursaries for qualifications outside the 2018/19 Provincial Workplace Skills Plan, while in some instances the required approval processes were not followed.
Another official who applied for an international government-funded bursary received benefits while in office and continued to receive them after resigning.
Ntombela said she was now being unfairly dragged into a scandal she had questioned while in office.
“When I flagged that bursary scheme and instituted investigations, I was even insulted by the ANCYL, where I was accused of depriving the youth of education,” she said.
“Now that the SIU has investigated this, I am being dragged into the mud over something I was questioning.
“I demanded transparency and accountability on the matter; hence, I requested the SIU to investigate everything.”
The office of Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae has also come to Ntombela’s defence, saying social media posts linking the former premier to the bursary scandal were misleading.
Letsoha-Mathae’s spokesperson, Mpho Sikisi, said the alleged mismanagement was picked up in the AG report for the 2017/2018 financial year and referred to the SIU.
“The Presidency worked closely with the then-sitting premier of the Free State, Mme Ntombela, who officially welcomed the decision of the president and promised her full cooperation,” Sikisi said.
“This is where this matter comes from. If you did your maths, or better yet, checked the facts, you would realise who was the sitting premier when the mismanagement happened.”
Sunday World understands that when the bursary scheme was introduced in the Free State, the premier was Ace Magashule, who later became ANC secretary-general.
Asked why she did not name Magashule, Sikisi said her statement was based on the preliminary report presented by the SIU during its media briefing.
“The final report with names is in the hands of the president. Until then, every mention of names is speculation.
“I, together with the rest of the country, should wait for that report, which they say will be around September.”
Magashule had not responded to questions by the time of publication.
- Former Free State premier Sisi Ntombela claimed she raised concerns about irregularities in the provincial bursary scheme and pushed for a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe during her tenure.
- The SIU investigation, authorized by President Ramaphosa, uncovered irregular approvals, nepotism, extensions of bursary contracts for students who failed modules, and funding for unapproved qualifications.
- The investigation stemmed from Auditor-General reports from 2019 and 2020 exposing serious mismanagement of bursary funds aimed at supporting youth education.
- Ntombela stated she was unfairly blamed for the scandal despite having called for transparency and an investigation, while the current Free State premier’s office defended her and clarified the bursary mismanagement began under former premier Ace Magashule.
- The final SIU report on the bursary scheme is expected in September, with names and detailed findings to be disclosed by the president; Magashule had not responded to inquiries.
