This comes as the current administrator and one other unidentified official opened two confirmed cases of intimidation with police against members of the North West Business Forum, following a clash between the parties last week Thursday 10 October in Mahikeng over a number of issues.

While Mokgoro’s office alleges in a statement the group of around thirty members of the forum from different districts were angry about not being awarded tenders in the province, the forum maintains this isn’t the full truth. The Chairperson of the forum’s Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district, Goitseane Legodu, tells OFM News their intention on Thursday was to enquire about available tenders and evaluate the contracts already awarded in the province. Legodu acknowledges the situation became heated and insults were hurled but refutes the version of events that made it seem like the government officials were innocent. He says the statement by the provincial government “is derogatory, without considering the people affected”. He says it defames the work done by the forum in engaging the government on the many issues they face.

The Premier’s spokesperson, Vuyisile Ngesi, says the disgruntled group stormed the office of the administrator, Samuel Thobakgale, demanding answers on why they were not being allowed into open tender briefing sessions. Ngesi says while police managed to quell the tension, threats of physical harm were allegedly directed at Thobakgale and his support staff. No arrests were made on the day of the incident.

Legodu spoke at length about how the government operates as a silo, not communicating at all with local businesses. He says in a rant on his Facebook page that there is “no monitoring and evaluation of projects, no records for accountability and no SMME programmes”. Legodu says the rumour on the ground is that 75% of the province’s contracts are going to Gauteng and Limpopo-based companies, something which concerns the business community greatly. He says briefly things haven’t been the same since businessman and former chairperson of the business forum, Wandile Bozwana, was killed in 2015. Members of the forum said Bozwana spoke out and legally fought against corruption and blacklisting of certain companies at the time.

The respective parties are expected to meet on Tuesday 15 October in an effort to iron things out.

OFM News