By 
BLOEMFONTEIN — The Office of the Free State Premier has robustly defended its overhauled bursary scheme, emphasizing that current administrative reforms are building systems to prevent historical corruption rather than abandoning support for the youth.
The statement, released by provincial government Spokesperson Mpho Sikisi, comes in the wake of a highly critical public response to a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation into the province’s bursary scheme.
Disciplinary Measures Taken Against Officials
The spokesperson condemned recent public commentary surrounding the administration of former Premier Sisi Ntombela as “distasteful and wrong,” clarifying the timeline of accountability. According to the provincial office, administrative malfeasance within the bursary scheme was first flagged in the Auditor-General’s reports covering the 2017/18 financial year.
The matter was subsequently referred to the SIU, leading to an official presidential proclamation authorizing a full-scale forensic investigation.
The current administration, led by Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae, has already begun implementing consequence management against compromised staff. Key actions taken include:
- Dismissal of Senior Official: One high-ranking official was dismissed after being found guilty of irregularly awarding bursaries to himself and his immediate family.
- Disciplinary Action: Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against eight other provincial employees directly implicated in the irregularities.
- Policy Overhaul: The suspension of international bursary allocations that were draining provincial resources due to non-compliance and poor oversight.
Shifting From Political Nominations to Merit
Historically, the allocation of provincial bursaries relied heavily on political nominations by office-bearers and heads of department, a mechanism that frequently excluded deserving applicants without political access.
Under the new directives introduced by Premier Letsoha-Mathae, the provincial government has eliminated political hand-picking in favor of an open, transparent, and merit-based application process.
“We are building systems to prevent past mistakes, not abandoning support for young people,” the statement concluded, emphasizing that all future educational opportunities will be publicly advertised to guarantee fair competition for the youth of the Free State.
