Delayed tenders scuppers annual Durban ward lunches for seniors
This process only draws to a close on 24 December, a day before Christmas.
BLUFF pensioners have been left in the dark after the much-anticipated annual senior citizen’s luncheon hosted by Ethekwini Municipality which was scheduled to take place on Friday, 14 December was cancelled.
The luncheon, which sees local senior citizens also receive a take-away parcel, was apparently scheduled without the tender processes having been completed.
The tender process governs the supply of the equipment required for the event, food to be served on the day and the food parcels which are issued to the senior citizens.”After some investigation, it was discovered that the tender processes only closed on 5 December. After the deadline was reached, the tenders were only awarded to successful bidders on 10 December,” said ward 66 councillor, JP Prinsloo.
Supply chain management processes stipulate that unsuccessful bidders have a 14-day window period to object to the awarding of tenders if they feel they have a valid objection against the award of the contracts to a particular bidder. This process only draws to a close on 24 December, a day before Christmas.
If there are no objections to any of the awarded tenders, the luncheon would optimistically only be allowed to commence from 24 December onwards. This is applicable to all 110 wards across the entire city.
“Due to this fact, I have written to the head of the department responsible for organising the senior citizen’s function to request that the ward 66 luncheon takes place early in January 2019. This will allow the city to get its ducks in a row in case the process is delayed yet again. This will allow senior citizens not to be inconvenienced by the city’s incompetence,” added cllr Prinsloo.
READ: Municipality revises rates rebate for senior citizens
According to the councillor, the debacle surrounding the annual luncheon has become a regular occurrence, with the city planning these events on a whim, leaving everything to the last possible moment. “Just look at last year’s debacle where a 300-man tent was supplied to accommodate 600 senior citizens. As a community, we will not and cannot accept how the city treats the most vulnerable groups with our society, our senior citizens, with such afterthought and disrespect. I will keep on applying pressure to all the relevant officials to ensure the ward 66 luncheon receives the necessary attention and respect it deserves,” he added.
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