By 
The Public Protector’s (PP) report into investigations on whether the former Premier of the Free State Province Ms Sefaro Ntombela and President Cyril Ramaphosa abused state resources has made shocking revelations.
The investigation was triggered by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Free State; the DA Leader Dr Roy Jankielsohn lodged a complaint with the Public Protector on 21 July 2022, following a handover of an RDP house in Hillside View, Bloemfontein to Ms Ntsaku by President Ramaphosa and former Premier Ntombela under the African National Congress (ANC) flag as part of their elections campaign.
Jankielsohn alleged that there was an abuse of state resources for party-political purposes by the ANC and their leaders, during an event that took place on 23 April 2022, namely the ANC Letsema Campaign (Letsema Campaign).
The PP launched an investigation into the matter and it was found that indeed state resources were used to promote party political activities, and that President Ramaphosa was misled as well by the former Premier and the then MEC for Human Settlement Mr Mxolisi Dukwana.
The PP found that, the RDP house in Hillside View, valued at R133 000 was paid for by the Department of Human Settlement and it actually belongs to Ms Burgers; and not Ms Ntsaku. Actually Ms Ntsaku was an approved beneficiary for a house in Freedom Square, which was not built yet at the time of the campaign and handover of the RDP house in Hillside View.
As such, Ntsaku is illegally occupying the house of the approved beneficiary Ms Burgers.
The report revealed that President Cyril Ramaphosa was only told on the morning of the handover that he will be handing over a house to Ms Ntsaku from a private donor. He was not aware that the handover of the house will be placed under the ANC banner, as such, the PP has cleared him from any wrong doing.
The investigation report by the PP says the allegations lodged by the DA against the former premier are substantiated.
The Public Protector has since ordered the following remedial actions:
The Premier of the Free State Ms MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae within ninety (90) calendar days from the date of this Report, in terms of section 125(1) of the Constitution, table the Report before the Provincial Legislature for deliberation in order to sensitise Members of the Executive of their obligations in terms of section 136 of the Constitution and the Policy.
The MEC COGTA and Human Settlements Mr Saki Mokoena within ninety (90) calendar days from the date of this Report, in terms of section 7(3) of the Housing Act,1997 ensure that the HOD Human Settlements undertakes the necessary processes to rectify the incorrect allocation of the Hillside View House to Ms Ntsaku.
The HOD Human Settlements; within one hundred and twenty (120) calendar days from the date of this Report, in terms of section 7(3) read with section 7(5) of the Housing Act,1997, rectify the incorrect allocation of the Hillside View House to Ms Ntsaku, to reflect the details of the rightful owners in line with section 16 of the Deed Registries Act,1937, as undertaken in the meeting held with the Investigation Team on 05 February 2025.
The DA in the Free State feels vindicated by the report in exposing the extent of corruption within the ANC in the Free State as they cling to power.
“It is an indictment on the ANC in the Free State that so many of their recent Premiers have been implicated in criminal activities or misconduct. These include Magashule who is facing criminal charges regarding the controversial R255 million asbestos roofing contract scandal and PP recommended criminal investigations regarding the Gupta-linked Vrede Dairy Project, both Ntombela and Dukwana are implicated in the latest PP report, and the current Premier is facing allegations of corruption regarding a roads contract tender.
The DA has been instrumental in ensuring all of the above allegations are either under investigation or have been investigated by the relevant agencies,” said Roy Jankielsohn.
“The report confirms what the DA has always contended, which is that, in their quest to cling to power, the ANC has no respect for the Constitution or other laws, including the continuous abuse of state resources for nefarious political party purposes with no regard for impoverished families in the Free State,” he concluded.
