De Lille defends R37 million in tender for flimsy fence

The public works and infrastructure department admitted to deviating from proper procurement procedures by bypassing the requirement to announce bids in the government’s Tender Bulletin, and instead chose to use a nomination process to award the fence tender. Beitbridge border of R37 million.

In response to City Press questions, Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille defended the issuance of the tender to contractor Magwa Construction. The tender, which was awarded to secure the fence on the Beitbridge border between South Africa and Zimbabwe, amounts to R37 176 843.50 (including 15% VAT).

As part of his explanation for his department’s deviation from stipulated procurement procedures, De Lille cited the current state of national disaster South Africa found itself in as a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

“The department’s management staff informed me that in such emergency situations, and in line with emergency procurement measures under the disaster state, Treasury regulations allow for deviations from ordinary procurement processes. This process is allowed by Treasury guidelines, ”said De Lille.

His comments follow widespread criticism leveled against his department this week, after images circulated on social media showing how the newly installed barbed wire fence had been smashed. These images showed clear holes in the expensive border fence. The construction of the fence began last month.

Questions are now being raised as to whether such an outrageous figure could be justified by a fence that was damaged so soon after installation. One of those individuals who questions the cost of the fence is former Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba, who has always spoken on the issue of undocumented immigrants.

He told City Press: “When the news about the damage to this barrier came up and images came out, it was a disgrace of R37 million. Such a fence should never have cost R1 million per kilometer and was clearly an effort to fill the pockets of a politically aligned businessman. ”

However, De Lille denied that the price of the tender had been inflated. She attributed the exorbitant costs to the remoteness of the area and the accelerated completion time, which was required by the pandemic.

“I have taken note of the concerns of members of the public and it is correct to hold the government to account,” he said.

“I hope this information provides a higher level of clarity and I can assure South Africans that this matter will be an ongoing area of ​​collaboration between defense and home affairs departments. The Auditor General’s audit processes will be developed to give affirmation to the citizens of this country. In terms of the value of the contract, many have questioned this amount and asked if it amounted to almost R1 million per kilometer. Unfortunately, the equation is not that simple, especially in such a complex project of this magnitude.

“The cost of a project in a remote area differs compared to the costs of the project in the interior or urban, by the same scope. Complex rates in this project are influenced by acceleration costs; that is, a short contract period, more labor resources needed to get the job done, faster material provisioning, and higher overhead costs for plant management and equipment, “said De Lille.

The minister said that the issuance of the tender was not a calculated plan to subvert the procurement processes using the pandemic as an excuse. Rather, he said, issuing it this way was deemed necessary because the existing border fence had been in poor condition. In addition, he said it was part of his department’s attempt to comply with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration of a state of national disaster and his call on the department of internal affairs to close many of the country’s land, air and sea ports.