Pretoria - The Free State Provincial Government has refuted media reports that some provincial departments have been place under administration.
According to the provincial spokesperson Wisani Ngobeni, the media houses have misinterpreted a Cabinet statement issued earlier this week, which said the national government would be intervening in the Free State, Limpopo and Gauteng provinces.
The statements reads: "...Gauteng and Free State provinces requested assistance from the National Treasury. Gauteng requested assistance to address the challenges in the Health Department while the Free State identified Financial Management and non-compliance to supply chain management processes in their Police, Roads and Transport Department as issues that needed urgent attention."
Ngobeni explained that Premier Ace Magashule had requested the Finance Minister to implement section 100(1) (a) intervention as announced by Cabinet.
Cabinet has approved section 100(1) (a) intervention in two departments in the province, which are the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Police, Roads and Transport.
"The provincial government has been engaging and requesting the assistance of National Treasury over the past few months with regard to technical and financial management issues in our Department of Police, Roads and Transport," Ngobeni said.
Early in November, Magashule appointed a task team to work with National and Provincial Treasury and the Free State Department of Police, Roads and Transport to ensure service delivery in terms of roads in the province.
Ngobeni said National Treasury's plans to assist the provincial Department of Police, Roads and Transport were well underway.
A team of professionals will be sent to the province to strengthen and enhance the internal capacity of the department.
The on-going assistance of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and South African National Roads Agency in this process has also been confirmed.
"We expect that the Provincial Treasury will have to continue to exercise its functions and responsibilities towards ensuring sound financial management and compliance with legislation across the provincial government.
"We are confident that the assistance announced by Cabinet will further strengthen our service delivery initiatives in compliance with legislation and that a stronger Free State will emerge from this initiative," Ngobeni said.
