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We are awaiting a report with findings and recommendations from Deloitte & Touche. – Mpumalanga community safety security and liaison spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Mpumalanga department of community safety security and liaison officials ignored a writ of execution to pay R75.5 million to a security.

They, furthermore, cost the department an additional R17.2 million in accrued interest.

According to documents that The People’s Eye has seen, the full amount of R92.7 million was paid to a security company, Makanyoga General, on December 13, 2023, and the final amount, which was the interest, on January 23 this year.

Makanyoga was awarded a security tender, but along the way, its relationship with the department soured and the company had to take the department to the Mpumalanga High Court to claim its payment.

When the writ of execution was awarded, the department did not attend the trial and the court issued a default judgement.

The documents indicate that the department then appointed law firm, Deloitte & Touche, to investigate the negligence by its officials.

The department’s spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi, declined to explain if any official had been subjected to a disciplinary hearing for the negligence that has cost the department close to R100 million.

Mmusi could only confirm that dispute existed.

“We are awaiting a report with findings and recommendations from Deloitte & Touche,” he said.

The department has, historically, been struggling to conducting peaceful procurement processes for the multi-billion-rand security tenders for the guard government buildings that include hospitals, clinics, and offices.

The last security tenders issued in 2022 were worth R2 billion and were naturally tumultuous.

On June 23, 2022, the Mpumalanga High Court granted an interim interdict in favour of three security companies - Mathata, Mabotwane, and Mafoko – to stop the awarding of tenders to 17 security companies.

At that time, the disgruntled companies argued that the department awarded tenders to companies that did not meet the evaluation criteria and that the contracts were awarded after the validity period had lapsed.

Some of the companies allegedly did not  have any security experience or guards registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority.

They also alleged that the newly-appointed companies neither had the experience nor proof that they could handle tenders valued above R60 million.

More spurious allegations were made that one of the winning companies showered former MEC Vusi Shongwe and HOD Godfrey Ntombela with bags of cash and gifts.

Another judge, however, exonerated the department and gave it a go-ahead to continue with the appointed 17 companies on July 14, 2023.