All is not lost for losing bidders and members of the public regarding the contentious list of companies that are intended to be beneficiaries in the KwaZulu-Natal schools nutrition programme worth over R2-billion.
Aggrieved parties can still contest the preliminary list, according to the department.
The assurance comes as on Friday last week the KwaZulu-Natal education department, led by the ANC’s Sipho Hlomuka, released the list, sparking concerns that the bidding process was manipulated to favour companies of politically connected individuals.
Allegations also suggest that relatives of senior officials and politicians within the department own some of the companies.
Also raising concerns was that some companies were registered weeks before the bidding process opened, raising suspicions that they were formed to score the lucrative tenders.
Allegations of tender rigging
Separately, the National School Nutrition Programme Service Providers Association alleged that the bidding process has been marred by serious allegations of tender rigging, political interference, and gross procedural violations.
“It has come to the attention of the association — supported by concrete evidence in its possession — that the current tender process is being manipulated to serve the political campaign interests of the MEC for education in KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Sipho Hlomuka.
“A leaked list of allegedly preselected service providers was received by the association weeks ago.
“That list confirms the disturbing fact that only those individuals and companies who openly support Mr Hlomuka’s bid to lead the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal have been earmarked to benefit from this multimillion-rand tender,” the association claimed in a statement.
Call for process to be suspended
It further called for the process to be suspended and a probe to be launched to get to the bottom of the matter.
Despite all these allegations, the spokesperson of the department, Muzi Mahlambi, said the bidding process is not closed but stayed away from commenting on the allegations levelled against Hlomuka.
“What we have released now is the intention to award, which is one of the stages that is required in terms of this tender bid so that those who have issues may raise them following the procedure as stipulated in the tender documents called contestation.
“We are noting the issues as they are raised, and the relevant structures will deal with them accordingly,” Mahlambi told the Sunday World.
