Roads agency declines to comment but industry sources claim she is facing charges.
The suspension by the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) of its chief procurement officer Khomotso Mhelembe is believed to be related to her alleged interference in tender awards, particularly the suspended award of the R1.57 billion Masekwaspoort tender.
This tender was awarded to the Chinese Base Major Construction-China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) joint venture (JV) in November 2024.
Sanral on Friday declined to provide reasons for the suspension of Mhelembe or chief audit executive Zolisa Zwakala.
However, construction industry sources claim Mhelembe’s suspension is not precautionary and she is facing charges, including charges flowing from the findings of the investigation launched by Sanral into the award of the Masekwaspoort tender to the Base Major Construction-CSCEC JV.
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JV partners ”failed to meet requirements’
The sources further claim an audit into the award of the tender found that CSCEC did not comply with or meet the requirements of the tender to have completed at least one project in South Africa valued at a minimum of R400 million.
It is further claimed that some of the references submitted by the JV related to the experience of the JV partners were not valid and responsive to the evaluation requirements of the tender because they were not for projects completed in South Africa.
The sources claim that Sanral obtained a legal opinion on the audit findings, which allegedly concluded it is not permissible for a company to submit projects that were executed by another company, such as a subsidiary or holding company, in response to the company experience requirement in a tender.
Despite the audit findings and legal opinion, Sanral still awarded the tender to the Base Major-CSCEC JV.
It is further alleged that Mhelembe is facing charges related to instructing procurement managers to award tenders without signed board approval documentation.
A further construction industry source alleges that Mhelembe was “parachuted” into Sanral and was working for the roads agency earlier than the official effective date of her appointment.
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‘Internal processes’ to play out
Sanral media relations manager Lwando Mahlasela confirmed to Moneyweb on Friday that Mhelembe and Zwakala were placed on “precautionary suspension pending internal processes” effective from 27 October 2025.
He said the suspensions “are precautionary in nature and no adverse findings have been made against them [Mhelembe and Zwakala] pending such process”. He declined to comment on the terms of these suspensions.
“Sanral cannot disclose the reasons for the suspensions, as this is an internal matter between the parties, and in circumstances where no adverse findings have been made against them pending such processes.”
Mahlasela said the position of chief procurement officer was advertised on Sanral’s website and in the careers section of the Sunday Times prior to Mhelembe’s appointment.
He declined to comment about Mhalembe’s past employment history.
“Such information may be obtained from Dr Mhelembe to the extent that she is prepared to share it with the media,” he said.
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Investigation
The investigation into the tender was launched by Sanral in February 2025 in terms of an agreement reached with Hillary Construction, the second lowest bidder for the contract, with implementation and execution of the contract suspended by Sanral pending completion of the investigation.
The agreement, which was made an order of court, was reached in February 2025 after Hillary Construction launched an urgent application in the High Court in Pretoria to interdict Sanral from allowing the Base Major Construction-CSCEC JV from implementing and executing the contract pending the finalisation of Part B of Hillary Construction’s application.
Part B of the application was to review and set aside the contract award to the JV and is still pending.
ALSO READ: Sanral taking its time to investigate R1.57bn tender award
Irregularities
Sanral confirmed in September that irregularities had been uncovered by its investigation into the adjudication procedure followed in the award of the Masekwaspoort tender.
It declined to comment on the outcome of the investigation or the nature of the irregularities.
Sanral subsequently decided to launch a high court application to review and set aside the tender award and completion of the contract.
Moneyweb reported in February this year that the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) confirmed that Base Major Construction’s registration on the CIDB’s register of contractors was suspended at the time Sanral awarded the Masekwaspoort and another tender for the upgrade of National Route R61 from Section 6 All Saints to Section 7 Baziya in the Eastern Cape to the joint venture.
Contractors that wish to complete work in the public sector are required to have a valid CIDB registration.
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Why only one of the JV’s awards being investigated?
Another construction industry source questioned why Sanral had not also suspended the tender to the Base Major-CSCEC JV for the R61 project, claiming the same irregularities found in the Masekwaspoort tender should have been found in the R61 tender.
The Masekwaspoort contract was awarded to the JV on 27 November 2024 and the R61 tender on 28 November 2024.
The latter award has a contract value of R1,56 billion.
Sanral told Moneyweb in February that it awarded the two tenders to the Base Major-CSCEC JV in November 2024 after undertaking its internal procurement processes.
It said there was no legal challenge to the awarding of the R61 tender to the JV and that this contract has nothing to do with the matter related to the Masekwaspoort project.
This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.
