Mr Speaker, Cope finds it inexcusable that the Free State government has been allowed to squander taxpayers' money freely without any serious intervention by relevant authorities and political parties. An amount of R83 million was transferred from the Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation to the district municipality for the purpose of constructing a multipurpose centre for the community, yet there is little to show for this waste of resources.
It has become evident that Mr Ace Magashule has obtained all-round immunity for his political friends. The rot and corruption in this government is rife. Construction of this multipurpose centre has not yet been completed since 2008, because Mr Ace Magashule and his friends are allegedly filling their pockets with the money allocated for the purposes of construction.
It was clear from the start of this project that there was never any room for adherence to the law, rules or regulations. The illegal construction of these multipurpose centres served only the political party election agenda. Some centres remain incomplete even though the consultants have received lots of money.
Cope demands immediate action. The money that was wasted by public officials must be recovered immediately. The Free State government must not be allowed to go its corrupt way for too long without any intervention. This is completely unacceptable. Those involved must be brought to justice immediately. We are calling on law enforcement agencies and the Public Protector to deal with this abuse and looting of public resources without any delay.