The Free State MEC Zanele Sifuba has fulfilled her pledge to remove the authority granted to her head of the department (HOD) of sport, arts, culture, and recreation, Steve Tshabalala, as she previously threatened.
Sunday World reported at the weekend that Sifuba had threatened to withdraw Tshabalala’s powers as the go-to guy in the organising committee of the Macufe Festival, earmarked for September 3.
Sifuba had written to the HOD on August 1, telling him that he was no longer involved in dealing with the festival’s events.
The Free State government will host Macufe in Bloemfontein, having invested R18 million after a two-year hiatus.
Sunday World can reveal that no open tenders had been made for service providers to bid, despite the date of festivities getting close.
In the letter we have seen, Sifuba wrote: “In accordance with the powers vested in me, I, Ntombizanele Sifuba, member of the executive council for the department of sport, arts, culture, and recreation in the Free State government, hereby withdraw with immediate effect the delegations of the powers and duties vested in me and delegated to the head of the department of sport, arts, culture, and recreation in the Free State government, Mr Tshabalala.
“Kindly be advised that your comment on the applicable regulations has been considered as part of the representation from the head of department but has no bearing whatsoever on the substance of the delegated powers and duties now withdrawn.”
Staff asked to speak directly with MEC
Sifuba made it clear that she was not going to work with Tshabalala.
She sent out another letter to her department’s senior management informing them that the HOD had lost his authority to delegate authority regarding Macufe.
In a letter she sent to the senior staff on August 8, she told them that Tshabalala no longer had any powers delegated to him for organising Macufe.
“The circular serves to inform all members of senior management that the delegation to the head of the department [Tshabalala] had been withdrawn with immediate effect.”
Sifuba told her officials that anyone who wanted any clarification or anything to do with Macufe should speak to her directly, not Tshabalala.
Drama surrounding Tshabalala’s removal came after Sifuba had written a scathing letter to the HOD on July 29, wherein she stated that the head of the department was not cooperative.
She accused him of taking annual leave without notifying her and said he did not respond to the progress on the hosting of the programme as requested by the premier, Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae.
MEC accused of lying
Tshabalala responded in a letter on July 31 and called Sifuba a liar.
“It is difficult to respond to allegations levelled against me, as the MEC’s letter is vague and doesn’t set out what constitutes a lack of cooperation with sufficient detail to enable my response,” reads the letter in part.
He also said that Sifuba was not just a liar but accused her of defaming him as the HOD.
“When I applied for annual leave, I neither knew nor anticipated that the premier intended to write a letter of enquiry to the MEC. Despite being on annual leave, I did respond and adhered to the deadline.
“On the 19th of May 2025, I sent the MEC the Macufe presentation and awaited the MEC’s further directive since the MEC had instructed that the presentation to the cluster should only be done by the MEC’s instruction,” said Tshabalala.
Responding to Sunday World, Sifuba’s spokesperson, Tankiso Zola, said, “Please note that the MEC does not have any comments on the issues raised in your enquiry, as its subject matter is an internal matter grounded in the letter and spirit of employer-employee relations.”
Tshabalala had not responded to questions sent to him by the time of publication. His comment will be included once he has responded.
