The Free State Public Service Commissioner, Henk Boshoff, acknowledges that in late 2020 his office received complaints regarding a division of the Free State Education Department being moved from Fidel Castro in the city centre, to China Mall situated at the corner of Rudolf Greyling and AW Louw Avenue in Estoire, despite concerns from employees over said move. 

The complaints centred on the inaccessibility of the new premises to certain members of the public and employees. Boshoff tells OFM News’ Olebogeng Motse that his office sent through a letter to the provincial Education Department notifying them of the complaint and they in turn provided feedback.

In addition to the written feedback, the Free State Public Service Commissioner says he spoke to the Education Department head and was satisfied overall with the responses given. It turns out that even though the employees in the Examination and Assessment Directorate received notices of the relocation, they never did ultimately move to China Mall from Fidel Castro – nullifying the complaint essentially. 

Irrespective of this technicality, the PSC has closed the case. In late 2020, the spokesperson for the Education Department, Howard Ndaba, dismissed concerns relating to the alleged inaccessibility of the China Mall to OFM News.

The lease agreement between the China Mall owners and the Provincial Public Works Department has also raised some eyebrows.

The 9-year-and-11-months lease contract – signed by Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela - states that the China Mall owners will score R2.4 million per month from the government for the duration of the lease agreement. Annually it will cost the department more than R28.8 million. Ndaba said the move of offices – partly housed at a Public Works building, the Fidel Castro Building –  was necessitated by the “increased human resources” of the directorate “in response to dealing with examination matters”.  

The contract states that the lease period officially started on 1 July 2020.

OFM News