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The Select Committee on Public Accounts has recommended that MEC Cathy Dlamini take disciplinary action against departmental head, Lucy Moyane, for providing misleading information to the committee and that an investigation was instituted against all implicated officials.  

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Sizwe sama Yende

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The Select Committee on Public Accounts’ (Scopa) investigation into alleged corruption in the Mpumalanga education department’s R15 million maintenance projects has goaded the Special Investigating Unit to begin sniffing around.

Scopa has completed its investigation into the projects in Ehlanzeni district, which were intended to renovate schools and offices. Greedy officials allegedly violated supply chain processes.

In the final report, the committee’s chairperson Desmond Moela indicated that the department’s officials provided misleading information during the hearing in October. 

Moela confirmed that the committee had alerted SIU, and The People’s Eye understands that the crime-busting unit had already demanded documents.

“Copy and paste information on Thekwane Primary School was noted on page two of the report that was signed by the accounting officer and presented to the Committee, which caused doubt on the accuracy of the entire report,” the committee noted.

Scopa also noted that:

·  A guardhouse at the Ehlanzeni regional office in KaNyamazane was renovated for the second time at R993 000, and it had never been utilised. “Hence, there is a possibility of fraud or financial mismanagement.”

·  The department deviated by more than 44% from the bill of quantities, which caused the department to incur irregular expenditure on the project.

·  The overall work on the project was substandard. The meranti door mentioned in the bill of quantities was not installed. Instead, cheap wooden doors were installed.

·  The project was not adequately monitored. 

The committee has recommended that MEC Cathy Dlamini take disciplinary action against departmental head, Lucy Moyane, for providing misleading information to the committee and that an investigation was instituted against all implicated officials.

The People’s Eye has independently established that the department could have saved at least R500 000 if it had not ignored five companies that quoted less than those they chose for renovations.

This is what we found:

·      At Guduza, four companies submitted their quotations. Ingala Holdings quoted less at R809 572, but the department went for Thato Ya Ona Trading, which quoted R867 268;

·         At Letsakufa Primary School, Evelyn Rose quoted R896 160, but S&S Group was awarded the tender even though their quotation was about R100 000 more at R996 435;

·      At Tekwane Primary, the highest quotation of R997 199 by Girman Thandinkosi Trading was preferred. Three other companies quoted way less and one of those quoted R802 436 – about R200 000 less;

·       At Sinqobile Primary School, the lowest quotation was R838 883. The officials decided to appoint Shabangu Projects for R992 937;

·       Zabo Trading quoted R996 898 at Matsulu Primary School, but another company that quoted R991 495 was overlooked.