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The officials claimed in the memorandum that they only needed 11 companies, but it then indicates that they appointed at least three to five companies for each one of the projects from the department’s central database.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Renovation of a small guard house, approximately the size of one room in an RDP house, has cost the Mpumalanga education department an exorbitant amount of R3.2 million.

The guard house is situated at KaNyamazane township at the former Mgwenya College of Education, which is now used as the department’s offices for Ehlanzeni district, was renovated by three companies.

According to an internal memorandum dated December 12 2023 that The People’s Eye has seen, departmental officials appointed three companies to do the job and they individually submitted quotations of R993 519.50, R1.042 million and R1.2 million.

The R3.2 million could build 17 RDP houses at the current rate of R185 257. A source from within the department said that the guardhouse was unused.

For the same offices, the memorandum indicates, three companies were appointed to erect a fence for R767 015.50, R913 869.35 and R956 535.50 each, which means R2.7 million was spent.

“This is a palisade fence. They simply painted parts of the old fence and did not replace it,” the source said.

Mpumalanga education spokesperson, Jasper Zwane, did not respond to questions sent to him on August 28. Zwane said that he had requested a report from his colleagues. However, he ignored follow-up messages reminding him to respond.

The memorandum further indicated that officials targeted using a R15 million education infrastructure grant to renovate buildings on 11 sites that included schools and the district offices.

However, according to the memorandum, the list of appointed companies is 33 and based on their quotations, the cost has ballooned to R42.9 million.

The officials claimed in the memorandum that they only needed 11 companies, but it then indicates that they appointed at least three to five companies for each one of the projects from the department’s central database.

The deviation from an open bidding process is not explained in the memorandum. Sources said that there was no emergency that could have compelled the department to choose qualifying service providers from the database instead of going through the rigmarole of advertising and inviting suitable companies to tender through an open bidding process.

“The maintenance projects were used as a cash cow for corrupt officials. A thorough investigation must be done to get to the bottom of this matter,” said a union official who spoke to The People’s Eye on condition of anonymity.

In the memorandum to Ehlanzeni district director, Dr Jabulani Ndlovu, infrastructure and information systems deputy director, Zanele Mabena, confirms that the service providers had been appointed and lists all of them with their Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) rankings and the amounts they quoted.

Mabena wrote: “Ehlanzeni has been allocated R15 million from education infrastructure grant to implement maintenance projects. The qualifying service providers have been appointed in line with the Central Supplier Data Base (CSD) system as well as the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).”

Ndlovu approved the request, but acting assistant director for management accounting, Solly Dhludhlu, supported the request and confirmed the availability of the funds while at the same time warning that supply chain management processes must be followed.

The urgency of seeking approval for the maintenance projects just four months before the end of the 2023/2024 financial year raises questions.

Sources said this is a strategy that officials use to avoid forfeiting unused funds back to National Treasury. They cut corners and find loopholes to pocket some funds for themselves.

“In some of these schools they claim were renovated, there is no difference. They just milked the department’s coffers,” a source said.