Dailymaverick logo

South Africa

South Africa

Free State’s Macufe festival will go on — just not as planned

Free State’s Macufe festival will go on — just not as planned
The Bloemfontein High Court has found the decision by the Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation to award C Squared the tender to organise the festival to be unlawful, and struck down the service agreement between the company and the department.

On Monday, Bloemfontein High Court Judge Phillip Loubser ruled in favour of the applicant, Mosa Likobo of DS Consortium, to interdict this year’s Macufe festival.

The fate of Macufe 2022 has been hanging in the balance after an application by Mosa Likobo of DS Consortium for an interdict against Macufe 2022, alleging that the company C-Squared Consumer Connectedness had been irregularly awarded the R16.8-million tender to host the event.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Free State’s Macufe festival still in the balance as court reserves judgment on interdict

The judge found the awarding of the Macufe 2022 tender to C-Squared to be unlawful and the service level agreement between the private entity and the Free State Department of Arts and Culture was struck down.

Loubser further ordered that both parties (C-Squared and the department) pay legal costs and pay one another to be absolved.



Technically, Macufe 2022 kicked off on Sunday, 25 September with the Macufe Cup football match, which saw Royal AM beating Kaizer Chiefs 4-2.

On Friday, two other events — a musical show at the Old Grey Sports Club in Bloemfontein titled “Tshepe vs Amapiano” and a boxing match at the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State — were organised by the C Squared events company.

This was despite some local residents being unhappy that the festival was benefiting people from other parts of the country rather than those from the Mangaung community.

What does the judgment mean? 


While C Squared now cannot continue organising the festival, the judge said Macufe could still go ahead.

“The judgment has just been issued and a position around it has not been taken yet. As soon as such happens, we will communicate,” the Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation’s Tankiso Zola told Daily Maverick.

Meanwhile, a group calling itself the Mangaung Concerned Community has welcomed the court’s ruling.

“The arrogance displayed in a response, penned by the Director-General when we raised our concerns, is proof that claims of being a caring government are devoid of truth. 

Visit Daily Maverick’s home page for more news, analysis and investigations

“We congratulate the applicant in this matter for displaying guts and giving the many Free Staters a voice. We hail them as true David who sacrificed the resources they do not have to face unflinchingly a Goliath who abuses the taxpayer’s money to oppress and terrorise us. 

“The courts continue to be our last hope as citizens in our fight against corruption and all acts aimed at eroding the gains many laid down their lives for.”

Ben Moseme, CEO of C Squared, declined to comment on the judgment, saying only that the “way forward is to continue with the festival”.

The applicant in the matter, Mosa Likobo, had not responded to Daily Maverick’s request for comment by the time of publication. DM

Categories: