‘Looting using matric papers’: Why did NW printing job price jump by around R100m?

There are concerns of possible “looting” and corruption within the North West education department after it signed a new matric paper printing job that costs four times what it did last year.

The department reportedly spent just over R28 million last year to print its question papers, but has now appointed a new provider for the services, Lebone Altron DSV Consortium. That provider, according to a City Press insider, is charging R128 million a year for the service.

The department has disputed the amount, but revealed the actual amount is over R100 million. It justified the cost by saying it included not only printing but also other logistics like storage and distribution.

Still, insiders insist that these other services were included in the previous deal at a fraction of the price. They smell a rat and claim there is “a lot of looting using the printing of matric question papers”.

“The material used for printing the question papers is normal, which is found in any printing company. We do not use any special materials, but the money [the department is going to pay] is too much,” said a source.

Why don’t they use government printers?

According to the national education department, eight of the nine provinces, including the North West, have stopped using the Government’s Printing Works (GPW) to print their matric papers amid security concerns.

“The GPW in its current structure lacks the capacity to print secure question papers for all nine provincial 
education departments. This capacity can be extended with time, but the reality is that it is also a major risk for all national question papers to be printed at one venue in the country,” the department said previously.

“Another important factor is that provincial education departments (PED) prefer to have in-house printing facilities, which allows them to manage the process more closely. Hence, printing in Pretoria at GPW 
is not the most convenient arrangement for most PEDs.”

And while leaks have reportedly reduced, the cost of printing, now in private hands, has risen.

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Last year, it was reported that the cost more than tripled from less than R1 billion to R3.6 billion.

The national education department later clarified that this R3.6 billion included setting the papers, moderation, printing, transport, security, marking and allowances for markers, maintenance of systems, and printing and distribution of statement of results.

“The estimated cost for just the printing and packing of question papers for all candidates writing the October/November examination is R220 million, and this is a fraction of the R3.6 billion quoted,” the department explained.

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