The Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) has spent over R8.4 million on questionable contracts awarded to companies owned by military veterans between the 2022 and 2025 financial years. This expenditure comes as the department neglects critical job creation initiatives. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng demands that MEC Matome Chiloane hold those responsible for awarding these contracts accountable.
This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for SACR, Matome Chiloane, in a written reply to the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
See the reply here.
According to MEC Chiloane, the department has awarded contracts to 24 companies owned by military veterans over the last three financial years. These companies have provided various services, including security at libraries like Driezik and Kagiso, and managing events for wreath-laying ceremonies and celebrations for Human Rights and Heritage Day.
A closer inspection of the entities reveals a disturbing pattern of misrepresentation. Notably, several listed companies have directors who were born in the 1990s, making them far too young to be categorised as military veterans. For instance, the director of RE DLALA GAME TRADING, which received R459 156.46, was born in 1990; the director of Intellectditcom, backed with R147 700, was born in 1995; and the director of MATHABATSEME ENTERPRISE, which received R486 349.50, was born in 1996.
This only reeks of a blatant abuse of procurement processes to secure lucrative contracts. It stands as a glaring example of how people in this department will stop at nothing, even exploiting the legacy of veterans, to divert public resources for personal enrichment.
In South Africa, the definition of a military veteran is as per the Military Veterans Act, No. 18 of 2011, an individual who served in any military organisation during the liberation struggle or in the South African Defence Force (SADF) or the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) before 27 April 1994. This excludes individuals born after this period or who were still children during the years of military service eligibility.
The DA will write to MEC Chiloane, urging him to clarify how such a blatant discrepancy went unnoticed or permitted to persist under his watch. We will also demand that he conduct an urgent investigation into those responsible for awarding these contracts and ensure that they face appropriate consequences. This process must be carried out transparently and without bias.
A corruption-intolerant, DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would never have allowed ineligible companies to exploit military veterans as fronts to meet tender eligibility criteria. Instead, we would ensure that the actual beneficiaries receive the support they deserve while also being encouraged to create jobs for others through their businesses.
The DA Gauteng will continue to keep a hawk’s eye on this and all departments that have become cash cows for the corrupt under Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who has become adept at ignoring wrongdoing within his administration.