Cape Town – The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has uncovered widespread maladministration, irregular bursary awards and unauthorised expenditure within the Free State Office of the Premier, amounting to more than R8.3 million.
According to The Citizen, SIU acting head Leonard Lekgetho presented the findings on Tuesday, detailing the outcomes of an investigation into bursary funding administered by the Office of the Premier between 2017 and 2018.
The investigation found that bursaries intended to support needy students and address scarce skills shortages in the province were instead irregularly awarded to relatives of officials, deceased individuals, foreign nationals, and ineligible government employees. In some cases, funds remained unaccounted for in university accounts.
The probe was launched following a referral from the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), whose 2019 and 2020 reports flagged serious irregularities in the management of bursary allocations and related expenditure.
🚨 SIU Investigation into Free State Bursary Scheme
The Special Investigating Unit (Special Investigating Unit) is investigating irregularities in the Free State Provincial Government Bursary Scheme.
Preliminary findings indicate that public funds intended for deserving… pic.twitter.com/hMFiPOxLXP
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) June 2, 2026
According to IOL, Lekgetho further revealed instances of poor financial oversight, including cases where students who failed modules had their bursary contracts unlawfully extended, turning what should have been three-year qualifications into seven-year study periods.
“In terms of irregular bursary approval, the SIU investigation revealed that officials approved bursaries negligently, failed to comply with the eligibility criteria, and irregularly extended the bursary contracts,” Lekgetho said.
He added that some students were allowed to continue receiving funding despite failing modules, with the Office of the Premier failing to terminate their bursary agreements. In other cases, bursaries were granted for qualifications that were not included in the 2018/2019 Provincial Workplace Skills Plan, while required approval processes were not followed.
📊 The SIU investigation into the Free State bursary scheme also reviews suspense account transactions at higher education institutions and the recovery of funds where credit balances were identified. Acting Head Mr Leonard Lekgetho will lead the briefing, joined virtually by… pic.twitter.com/AZtPzbqBsC
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) June 2, 2026
Lekgetho also highlighted a case involving an official who applied for an international government-funded bursary, continued receiving benefits while in office, and even after resigning.
The SIU confirmed that it has already recovered just over R6.2 million linked to the irregular bursary payments. A total of 86 officials have been referred for disciplinary action, while money linked to funding foreign nationals amounts to R576,734.
Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae has since committed her administration to strengthening internal governance and tightening oversight over bursary allocations.
“Our objective is to ensure that eligibility requirements, approval, and oversight mechanisms are clearly defined and consistently applied,” she said.
She also confirmed that disciplinary proceedings against eight employees implicated in the irregularities will be carried out, with one senior official already facing disciplinary action.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
