The Mpumalanga Department of Education is under investigation for allegedly spending a staggering R2-million to upgrade a basic guardhouse and a fence at the Ehlanzeni District offices at KaNyamazane, in Nelspruit.
The controversial expenditure has now landed MEC Cathy Dlamini and top department officials in hot water, with the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) calling for answers about the eyebrow-raising price tag.
According to an internal procurement memo, the combined cost of refurbishing the guardhouse and installing a new fence totalled an astounding R2 149 054. The refurbishment alone, awarded to three different companies, ran up to R1 192 078.50, while the installation of the fence cost nearly R1-million.
The companies recommended for the project were Mblotini Trading, Mangethe Holdings and Pelkins Group for the guardhouse, and Gabeshe Trading, Balinye Trading and Indumane Trading for the fence.
What should have been a minor, low-budget upgrade has turned into a multi-million-rand ordeal that has left the public in disbelief. The memo reveals that, although the department had recommended the companies for approval, it remains unclear whether these exorbitant amounts received any green light.
However, the sheer numbers attached to this relatively small project have triggered an investigation that could shake the department to its core.
Scopa chairperson Desmond Moela confirmed that the matter was under investigation.
“The Mpumalanga legislature, through Scopa, has started working on the matter. We are currently studying everything provided to us and will provide a report once we are done processing it. The legislature is committed to doing oversight in the most transparent manner possible, including handling this matter,” said Moela.
While Scopa is digging, Sunday World’s attempts to get clarity from the department have not yielded much.
Provincial education spokesperson Jasper Zwane declined to respond to detailed questions regarding the guardhouse expenditure and refused to provide the requested facts.
“We can confirm that the chairperson of Scopa has contacted the department and is looking into this matter. To this end, it will be appropriate not to make further public statements to respect the ongoing probe,” said Zwane.
The investigation is likely to look into how the contract was awarded and adherence to procurement procedures.
Scopa will also investigate whether officials abused public funds by grossly inflating the sums allocated for the guardhouse and its fence.
Mhlotini Trading director Mandla Siboza confirmed that his company had undertaken the work at the Ehlanzeni district offices but declined to answer specific questions about the project. “I have nothing to hide. Let them investigate. They gave me a job, and I completed it.
“I don’t have to answer to any-one unless I’m in court. The education department has all the answers you seek,” Siboza told Sunday World.
The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission records indicate that one of the companies cited in the memo, Mangethe Holdings, was deregistered in June.
Efforts to reach Nsikelelo Mkhonto, the director of Pelkins Group, for comment were unsuccessful.
