A troubling revelation has surfaced regarding the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture, and Recreation (GDSACR), with claims that public funds were squandered in the rental of a state-owned monument through an external service provider. The department reportedly paid a total of R449,618 to Mahloko Makhetha Trading and Projects for organizing the commemoration of the Boipatong Massacre, which occurred in June 2024.
The Boipatong Massacre, a tragic event that unfolded on the night of June 17, 1992, saw the loss of about 45 lives in the township of Boipatong in the Vaal. However, the decision to pay for the rental of the Boipatong Monument, a venue the department already owns, has raised significant concerns. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has called out the expenditure, particularly the R94,300 allocated to the service provider for renting the very monument the department owns.
Kingsol Chabalala, the DA’s Gauteng Shadow MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture, and Recreation, criticized the department’s actions as “unacceptable and suspicious.” Chabalala emphasized that these funds could have been better utilized to support local artistic and creative initiatives in the Boipatong area, rather than paying for the rental of a facility the department already controls.
The DA has further questioned the department’s claims, pointing to an official statement from the Municipal Manager of Sedibeng District Municipality, Motsumi Mathe. Mathe indicated that the Boipatong Monument was not rented out on the specified dates for the commemoration, and no rental fee was charged for the event, as the Sedibeng District Municipality was the official host.
Chabalala expressed his disbelief at the decision to pay a third party to rent a venue the department owns, particularly in light of this contradictory information. He pledged to escalate the matter to the Auditor-General, citing a possible violation of the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA) in the department’s handling of the funds.
The DA has long accused the department of mismanaging funds and failing to prioritize projects that benefit the people of Gauteng. Chabalala suggested that a more effective approach would have been to invest the funds into enhancing the Boipatong Monument’s potential, which could foster local tourism, attract investment, and create jobs in the area.
Efforts to contact both Mathe and the Sedibeng District Municipality for further clarification were unsuccessful, as was an attempt to reach MEC Matome Chiloane, whose phone went unanswered. The DA has vowed to continue its pursuit of accountability, promising to uncover the reasons behind the department’s decision and hold those responsible to account.
