Ace Magashule had already been Free State premier for four years when Ralikontsane was appointed director-general in September 2013, who requested to appear before commission chair Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to deal with allegations of corruption in relation to a student bursary programme.
The allegations are contained in an August 2019 affidavit deposed by former Free State economic development, tourism and environmental affairs MEC Mxolisi Dukwana.
Evidence leader advocate Veruschka September probed Dukwana’s suspicion that the international scholarship programme run out of the Office of the Premier was being used to take money out of the country.
Dukwana alleged there was no verification done on whether all the students being paid actually existed, that children of politically connected people in the Free State were benefiting, and no proper due diligence was done on the institutions students were being sent to.