Agriculture
Leaked report highlights Vrede irregularities─── 15:59 Thu, 07 May 2015
Bloemfontein - The Free State department of agriculture and rural development signed a 99-year rent-free lease agreement with the Indian based company- Estina for the controversial Vrede Dairy Project.
This is according to a report following an investigation commissioned by National Treasury into the multi-million rand project:
'Cathy Dlodlo reports'
Other findings include that the contract was signed by the agriculture head of the department within a month of his appointment; it was signed without the authorization of the Free State executive council; that no tender procedures were followed; and that the project was also not registered as unsolicited bid.
It found the department kept on running into money problems from the outset, with the agreement between Estina and the Free State department of agriculture and rural development requiring the department to pay R114m per year over the period of three years.
The report recommends that disciplinary procedures be instituted against the then head of department.
Cathy Dlodlo/OFM News
'Cathy Dlodlo reports':
