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Provincial education MEC, Cathy Dlamini, rubbed EFF leader, Collen Sedibe, the wrong way when she stopped the awarding of an ICT tender to a company after realizing that  it did not have an ICASA certificate.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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A harassment and intimidation complaint against Mpumalanga EFF leader, Collen Sedibe, has placed him right at the centre of a controversial ICT tender dispute - exposing him for bias and overreach as a legislature member.

Sedibe appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court last week after an ICT service provider in the Mpumalanga Department of Education, Sfiso Maganyane, CEO of Emalangeni Technologies, accused him of threatening him through WhatsApp messages.

Maganyane is seeking a protection order against Sedibe, and the matter will be heard on June 4.

The EFF’s provincial chairperson has been waging a social media and legislature campaign intended to influence Premier Mandla Ndlovu to fire education MEC, Cathy Dlamini, following her attempts to clean up improprieties she found at the department when she took over last year.

Dlamini apparently rubbed Sedibe the wrong way when she stopped the awarding of an ICT tender to another company (whose name is known to The People’s Eye) when she became aware that it did not meet criteria when it was appointed in the provincial Department of Culture, Sport, and Recreation.

Education officials wanted to appoint the company using a clause in the Public Finance Management Act that permits a department to appoint a company that has been appointed by another government entity without going through an open bidding process. The appointing entity must only ensure that the primary appointer followed supply chain management processes.

In the case of this ICT company, Dlamini found out that it did not have a particular Independent Communications Authority of South Africa licence when it was appointed by the Department of Culture, Sport, and Recreation and directed her officials to pursue an open bidding process since this company did not qualify.

This apparently angered Sedibe who has been accusing Dlamini of corruption in his social media platforms and legislature motions, claiming that:

·      He got it from “good authority’” that the MEC took R3million from MTN officials in December in exchange for a tender worth R200 million for the supply and delivery of tablets;

·      He had video footage of the MEC meeting with Maganyane.

Sedibe’s anger and name-tarnishing, according to officials close to the matter, is a pre-emptive strike to make sure that Emalangeni did not bid for the lucrative contract worth over R100 million.

The EFF leader has published photos of Dlamini sitting in a restaurant with Maganyane on Facebook. He has however not indicated how he obtained the photos. Maganyane’s company does not have a contract with the department presently since it expired in February 2024.

“We met in a public restaurant after I had been there to meet another person. Everybody could see us and there was nothing secret we were discussing. It should be pointed what I benefited from the MEC after meeting her,” Maganyane said.

When Dlamini arrived, she found Emalangeni Technologies’ three-year contract in the Department of Education having already expired and her officials intended to appoint the other company on basis of it having a contract at the Department of Culture, Sport, and Recreation.

Dlamini has since reshuffled the supply chain management unit in a bid to dismantle syndicates that may have been established between the officials and certain service providers.

The syndicates have caused a big fight on other tenders such as the R1 billion schools feeding scheme, which has been taken to court by a disgruntled bidder who lost out.

Sedibe is an opposition legislature member who has every right to play an oversight role on Dlamini. However, his direct contact with a service provider indicates that he might be having a vested interest.

The WhatsApp messages that The People’s Eye has seen indicate that Sedibe contacted Maganyane accusing him of plotting to kill a man named Ben. The People’s Eye understands that Ben is a service provider in the department.

“We know all your plans you and your corrupt MEC mother and you will not succeed (sic). We know that you bought people to kill Ben. [Should] it happen, small boy, we will show you wonders. Nisijwayela masimba (loose translation: You are taking us for shit). We are ready for you and your gun man combined,” Sedibe wrote.

“You must know that we are not sleeping. We are watching every move you do small boy.”

Magonyane seemed confused and replied: “Who are you? Kill Ben for what…and who’s Ben anyway? I think you really lost, sir.”

“You know us very well,” answered Sedibe, “Don’t try to be clever here. Why didn’t you answer my phone or revert back to me? If you go around planning to kill other people you will die first and very young, boy.”

He then introduces himself.

Sedibe said that Maganyane had been interfering and fighting Dlamini’s political battles.

“After seeing I challenged the MEC and took her to the Public Protector. He and the MEC went and hired a hitman. There are two guys – he gave one guy R100 000 and another R500 000,” Sedibe said.

However, Sedibe has not registered any complaint with the police about the alleged conspiracy.

“I’ve never threatened to kill anyone. In fact, its them who planned to kill and were intercepted,” he said.

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