The DA in the Eastern Cape has criticised premier Oscar Mabuyane for what it says is his failure to walk the talk and crack down on companies that allegedly colluded to score Covid-19 contracts.
In a statement, DA MPL Retief Odendaal said Mabuyane’s administration had also failed to blacklist companies implicated in Covid-19 tender fraud and corruption, 10 months after the allegations first surfaced.
The special investigating unit (SIU) and the provincial treasury are investigating PPE tenders in the province amid allegations of corruption.
The SIU also revealed in 2020 that at least 347 Covid-19 tenders worth R1.9bn were under scrutiny in the province.
These include the education department’s contract for tablet devices, valued at R600m, where huge markups are suspected and the controversial “scooter ambulances” that cost R10m for 100 motorcycles which allegedly did not meet minimum standards for patients’ transport.
In September, sister publication Daily Dispatch reported that health MEC Sindiswa Gomba had instituted an internal investigation into how five companies were awarded personal protective equipment tenders worth more than R150m combined, allegedly including to a deregistered company.
Odendaal said that nearly 10 months after the first allegations of fraud, corruption and collusion, not a single company that acted as a supplier to the provincial government had been blacklisted.
“The DA has demanded that Mabuyane releases, as soon as possible, a procurement disclosure report to the public, that will provide details of all the companies that have contracted with the provincial government as well as the value of these contracts,” Odendaal said.
However, the provincial government released a list of companies that scored PPE tenders, which included civil servants and transport MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe’s businessman husband.
Odendaal said: “Stronger measures must be put in place in the Eastern Cape to combat irregular procurement in the province.
“There is a need for interventions in the early detection of corruption which must be [accompanied] by a co-ordinated response from law enforcement entities to ensure quick and efficient investigation, prosecution, and the recovery of funds.”
Odendaal said he had written a letter to both Mabuyane and finance MEC Mlungisi Mvoko imploring them to act against the PPE corruption and to also inform the public on the progress made in uncovering fraud, corruption and collusion in respect of these tender processes.
Mvoko said he had not yet received Odendaal’s letter but an audit report with the information of the companies had been released in September.
Mabuyane’s spokesperson, Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha, failed to comment by print deadline.
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