- The DA is calling for active oversight of five Eastern Cape procurement matters under SIU investigation.
- The Portfolio Committee must track progress, accountability and the recovery of public funds.
- Eastern Cape residents deserve answers on how their money was spent and who must be held accountable.
The Democratic Alliance will write to the Chairperson of the Eastern Cape Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, requesting that all five procurement matters now under investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) be placed under active committee monitoring to ensure sustained legislative oversight as the investigations progress.
The Committee should require regular updates on the Department’s cooperation with the SIU, any remedial or disciplinary action arising from the investigation, and any public funds identified for recovery. It should also seek appropriate progress briefings while respecting the independence of the SIU investigation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the SIU to investigate the five matters involving the Eastern Cape Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. The proclamation covers allegations including serious maladministration, unlawful expenditure, improper conduct, and potential losses to the state.
The first matter concerns the tender for the approximately 10 km first phase of the upgrade of road DR08125 from the N2 to Sipetu Hospital. The investigation must establish whether the procurement, contracting, payments, and work delivered complied with applicable legislation and represented value for money.
The second relates to the urgent re-gravelling of roads DR18033 and DR08288 during the 2013/14 financial year. The investigation must determine what justified the urgent procurement, who was appointed, what work was delivered, and how much was ultimately paid.
The third concerns the emergency preparation of a road, platform, and parking for the 2013 funeral of MEC Nkosiphendule Kolisile in Port St Johns. The SIU must establish how much taxpayers paid, which contractors benefited, whether emergency procurement was justified, and whether value for money was received.
The fourth relates to emergency gravelling and flood-damage repairs on DR08076 in the Elundini area. This road has been subject to repeated maintenance and repair interventions over the years, and the SIU must establish precisely what was procured under the transaction now under investigation, what was delivered, and what the Department paid.
The fifth and most recent matter concerns the Department’s 36-month Head Office security services tender, worth approximately R280.8 million. Aspects of this procurement were subsequently challenged in the Eastern Cape High Court, where allegations regarding the bidding and evaluation process were raised, although the merits of those allegations were not determined.
These five matters span more than a decade of public procurement and cannot be allowed to disappear from public view as the investigation progresses.
Eastern Cape residents deserve to know what happened to their money and, where wrongdoing is established, those responsible will face consequences.