South Africa’s opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA) says Ace Magashule, premier of the Free State Province, has spent ZAR12 million (US$1.3 million) on his own television channel as another “propaganda project”.
The DA maintains that Magashule spent ZAR12 million of public funds in the last financial year for his television channel named Hlasela TV.
“Premier Magashule is running a campaign to buy media influence and enriching his comrades in business at the same time,” said Patricia Kopane, the DA leader for the Free State.
Kopane said the Hlabisa TV contract was awarded to Tumi Ntsele, a “politically-connected businessman” who allegedly charged ZAR40 million (US$4.4 million) to redesign a WordPress-powered website for the Free State provincial government.
“Mr Ntsele’s Letlaka Group also runs The Weekly newspaper, which has long been propped up by Free State government funding, just like the New Age,” said Kobane.
Furthermore, the DA said Magashule’s office has plans to launch three new “propaganda newspapers” in the Free State province using public funds.
“It is unacceptable that public funds are being used to prop up the image of a failing Premier while basic service delivery collapses in the Free State,” said Kopane.
The DA concluded it will continue to campaign against the “propaganda projects” as well as for irregularities to be investigated.
