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Makwetu’s preliminary findings reveal that in many cases officials waived all hiring rules. “The teams are still busy auditing the procurement processes, but they are identifying issues such as suppliers that do not have valid tax clearance certificates, competitive bidding and quotation processes that are not applied correctly, inadequate or inaccurate specifications and evaluation criteria, and the incorrect application of the same, conflicts of interest, and the award of a contract in the health sector to a supplier with no history of supplying or delivering PPE ”.
In other cases, auditors found the quality of the PPE supplied to be poor. “The problem with the quality of the PPE purchased is more evident in some schools that were visited where the masks provided did not meet specifications and were often one size fits all. [whether for a child or an adult]. Cases were also found where the supplier substituted specific PPE items ordered by a health department for lower specification items, which the department accepted and even paid at the higher price of the item originally ordered, ”Makwetu said.
The auditors have also identified clear cases of fraud, but more information will be provided in later reports.
The report also shows that the delivery of water tanks by the water and sanitation department was delayed and plagued by irregularities. The department appointed Rand Water as its implementation agent to implement the delivery of water tanks to communities in need across the country.
“The water and sanitation affairs department was unable to provide a reliable list of all water tanks delivered and their location, making it difficult for us to audit whether paid water tanks have been received. It also questions the effectiveness of the controls implemented by the department and the reliability of the reports on the implementation of the initiative. In some cases, Rand Water did not comply with the procurement processes required to designate suppliers for water tanks and tank transportation services. “
