The SIU has recovered millions and referred officials for disciplinary and criminal action after finding irregular expenditure, including R8.3 million in unauthorised bursary payments and R576 734 linked to foreign nationals.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has uncovered serious maladministration, irregular bursary allocations, and unauthorised expenditure within the Office of the Premier (OTP) in the Free State, where officials allegedly awarded bursaries to ineligible recipients, including relatives of officials, foreign nationals, and a deceased student, resulting in millions of rand in public funds being misused.
Speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday, Acting Head of the SIU, Leonard Lekgetho, said that the investigation was authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa under Proclamation 123 of 2023, following concerns raised by the Auditor-General of South Africa in its 2019 and 2020 reports.
Lekgetho said the bursary scheme was intended to support needy students and address scarce skills shortages in the province, but officials failed to comply with eligibility rules and financial controls.
''The Free State Provincial Government allocated funds to support needy students in accessing higher education and to address the shortage of scarce skills in the province through bursaries.
