Feeding scheme tender war looms

An urgent application for an interdict to review four tenders awarded by the Department of Education on 14 December last year for the national school nutritional scheme, was rejected in court on Thursday. The applicants were told the application could not be described as urgent.
The R800 million tender awarded to 380 service providers has once again sparked a war between the Economic Freedom Fighters and the African National Congress Youth League (Ancyl) in the province.
Ancyl Spokesperson Matome Moremi said the tender should be put on hold and all applications verified as a huge chunk of the tender was awarded to supporters and associates of EFF Commander-in-chief, Julius Malema and tender criteria to qualify for tenders were not adhered to. These criteria include having a fleet of vehicles to distribute food to schools, a storeroom and a warehouse where food can be kept. Moremi said some companies fabricated fraudulent registration numbers for vehicles which did not even exist and site visits were not done to verify the existence of warehouses and storerooms. He suggested that a huge chunk of Malema supporters still are present in the Department of Education and claimed an official in the supply chain management put down a cash payment of R190 000 on a Mercedes-Benz in Cape Town recently, suggesting money has played a role in the awarding of the tenders.
Moremi said some of the companies were the same as having previously been awarded tenders but the tenders were cancelled because of non-delivery of food to schools. “The companies just have different names now, but the same directors,” he claimed. He said the awards of 16 tenders to companies in December were withdrawn since because of fraudulent tax clearance certificates.
Moremi also said that EFF Provincial Secretary Jossey Buthane and his wife were awarded tenders, but this was denied by Buthane, who said Malema was not awarded a tender, he was not awarded a tender and his wife was a government official and “does not have a company in her name.” She therefore could not have been awarded a tender. He said the provincial government last year claimed they had dealt with everything to do with Malema, and if there was any fraudulent act, it was the ANC people who committed the corrupt acts and fraud.
“They believe they are the only ones that should get government tenders. They are worse than the Apartheid regime; they are suffocating you from the inside. They want to drink the whole sea’s water themselves,” Buthane said. He further claimed the tenders were awarded “not to ordinary people, but to senior government officials and senior ANC officials.” He said Moremi himself was awarded a tender, and named the PA and driver of a prominent ANC member as well as Kgoshis and many more names in Polokwane Observer’s possession.
He said the EFF remained quiet, not because they benefitted, but now will speak out because of the greed, self-centredness and myopic actions of the Ancyl.
Education Department Head of Communications Naledzani Rasila stated that as a department there may be fraud and corruption but any citizen accusing the department should bring evidence to the department or to law enforcement agencies such as the Hawks or Police for investigation. “Together we shall fight crime and corruption,” he said. He would not comment on the court case as it was sub judice but said the department’s legal section and state attorneys were dealing with the issue.

Story: NELIE ERASMUS
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