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A canceled R3.75 billion tender for laptops sponsored by the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology is in the limelight due to numerous delays and controversies, reports City Press.
In May, Minister Blade Nzimande commissioned advisor Nqaba Nqandela to lead a task force that would urgently purchase 750,000 devices to provide to poor students in South Africa’s higher education institutions.
However, four months later, the bidding process is back where it started.
The initial bidding proposal was rejected by the National Treasury because “the contracting does not meet the definition of emergency.”
The National Plan of Financial Aid for Students (NSFAS) took over the bidding process, with Nqandela and the National Treasury invited to participate in the bidding processes as observers.
The bidding process was again flagged by the National Treasury because numerous important points were unclear, including:
- Whether the devices would be donated to students or would remain the property of the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology.
- How the base price of R5,000 was determined without specifications being provided for these devices.
- The number of students requiring devices had not been properly verified.
- How the service provider would be selected and appointed.
Last month, the bidding process was canceled after the 150 bids that had been submitted were found to be defective.
Since then, NSFAS has started a new bidding process, which means four months have been lost.
Nqandela controversy
Furthermore, the complainants claim that the cancellation of the bidding process was due to Nqandela’s influence, including allegations that NSFAS administrator Randal Carolissen had his contract extended due to his influence.
Four days after the Carolissen contract was extended, the tender was canceled.
However, department spokesman Ishmael Mnisi said that Nqandela is not responsible for the extension of the NSFAS administrator’s contract.
Mnisi also said that Nqandela had no influence on the NSFAS process because he was simply an observer.
Tender afflictions of COVID-19
This is far from the first controversial bidding process related to COVID-19 and the national shutdown.
In August, multiple reports found that pubs, car washes, real estate agencies and even a construction company that belonged to a dead man won bids for COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE).
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) revealed to Parliament last month which was investigating government contracts related to COVID-19 worth 5,000 million rand for equipment and services.
SIU Director Andy Mothibi explained that this investigation includes alleged illegal contracts for the acquisition of PPE, ventilators, catering services, hospitals, quarantine facilities and wheelchairs.
The SIU is one of nine groups that President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked to investigate irregularities related to COVID-19 contracts.
SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter updated Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on Friday regarding several of these investigations last month.
“Many companies were previously registered, but they weren’t in the PPE business. We found registered vendors like pubs, IT companies, car wash companies and property rental companies, ”said Kieswetter.
The tax authority is supporting the SIU in the investigation of approximately 370 cases in the Free State, while investigating 17 tenders worth R1.2 billion that have political ties.
Tenders for dead
DispatchLive previously reported on a case where a company owned by a deceased East London businessman won a tender worth around R1 million to provide PPE to the Eastern Cape health department.
The sole director and owner of the company died two years ago, a relative said.
A source from the department told DispatchLive that there are many similar examples in the province.
“If you investigate further, you will find that there are shell companies that were paid millions of rand,” said the source.
“There are companies that received letters of appointment but were not given work, however, their names appear on the provincial list as companies that were awarded work.”
COVID-19 corruption is murder
The World Health Organization (WHO) previously responded to reports of PPE-related corruption in South Africa.
The organization’s CEO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that depriving health workers of PEE teams amounts to murder.
“Corruption related to the EPP, for me is actually murder. Because if health workers work without PPE, we are risking their lives. And that also puts the lives of the people they serve at risk, ”Tedros said.
“So it’s criminal and it’s murder and it has to end,” he said.
Now Read: Dead Man Won R1 Million Bid To Provide COVID-19 Equipment
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