Fikile Mbalula & Sanral vow accountability after cancelling tenders worth R17.5 billion
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and the Sanral board have vowed to ensure accountability after having to cancel five tenders amounting to R17.5 billion due to irregular processes.
On Thursday, Sanral announced that the Development Bank of Southern Africa would manage a multi-billion tender procurement project on its behalf after the board identified a few issues during a process that commenced in 2020.
The cancellation has caused delays to service delivery but Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has referred to this as a necessary delay to stop further attempts of state capture.
Our efforts to eliminate fruitless and wasteful expenditure and reduce irregular expenditure require of us and all our entities to put in place early warning system to detect and regularize actions that may otherwise result in irregular expenditure or costly litigation. pic.twitter.com/bVkpBoJcMs
— FIKILE MBALULA | MR FIX (@MbalulaFikile) June 30, 2022
The Chairperson of the SANRAL Board, Mr Themba Mhambi and the CEO presented a detailed briefing on the steps SANRAL has taken to ensure that we reach the point of award of the tenders. pic.twitter.com/s3kDh45pHw
— FIKILE MBALULA | MR FIX (@MbalulaFikile) June 30, 2022
The Sanral board said that it cancelled tenders amounting to R17.5 billion because measures aimed at curbing corruption were not adhered to.
Board chairperson Themba Mhambi said that a design consultant was allowed to form part of bid evaluation processes, which is against a board resolution.
He also said that bidders who did not qualify were considered during the tender process by Sanral officials.
Minister Mbalula has commended the board’s action, saying that officials who were guilty of any wrongdoing would be held accountable.
“We know where we come from as a nation about big contracts and billions that go down the drain. We can’t go back there, more especially, working in the footsteps of what Judge Zondo has told us about state capture,” Mbalula said.
Sanral said that the procurement process for new contractors was expected to be concluded within the next four months.
-EWN
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