The DA in the Free State has intensified pressure over Tswelopele mayor Kenalemang Phukuntsi’s alleged unlawful occupation of a provincial government house, threatening to take the matter to the public protector and the Hawks for investigation. At the centre of the controversy is Erf 355, 4 Cooper Street in Hoopstad, a property registered in the name of the provincial department of public works and transport. Despite this, the mayor has allegedly occupied the property for several years and carried out renovations, sparking accusations of the abuse of state assets.
“Given the serious housing shortages in the Free State, millions of citizens have waited years for land or a home,” said Igor Scheurkogel, member of National Council of Provinces in the Free State. “The appearance that politically connected individuals can occupy and later acquire provincial property outside the legislated processes undermines public trust.” In a letter dated 19 December, the department confirmed that the property remains provincially owned and acknowledged that it was among several houses earmarked for disposal through open tender in 2014. But officials later discovered that all the “vacant” houses, including the one occupied by Phukuntsi, were already inhabited.
According to the department, Phukuntsi moved into the house during a period of civil unrest when her life was allegedly under threat and renovated the dilapidated structure at her own cost. The department further stated that a property disposal committee would be convened to determine how the occupied properties should be transferred. The DA has rejected this explanation, arguing that it lacked logical and legal basis. In a strongly worded response, Scheurkogel said no statute authorised the occupation or disposal of provincial property in this manner, particularly when constitutional and financial management laws required fairness, transparency, and competitive processes.
Read Full Article on The Citizen
