The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng will be referring the allegations of widespread corruption at the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to the Public Service Commission (PSC). This follows the Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), Morakane Mosupyoe’s, refusal to allow the Democratic Alliance (DA) to ask urgent oral questions regarding ongoing alleged corruption at the GDE.
According to the GPL Speaker, the questions submitted are not deemed urgent. The questions submitted sought to get clarity if an investigation has been instituted regarding the allegations of corruption in the awarding of the R3 billion School Nutrition Programme tender and alleged corruption in the Gauteng City Region Academy, where the Head of Department (HOD), Rufus Mmutlana, and other senior officials have been implicated in bribery and extortion.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Department of Education MEC, Matome Chiloane, chose to embark on a blatant witch hunt when allegations of racism surfaced at the Pretoria Girls High School rather than addressing the rampant corruption that plagues his government. This alarming misalignment of priorities showcases the pursuit of innocent individuals rather than confronting corruption. The same energy that is spent rooting out racism in schools also exists when allegations of corruption surface.
These officials are accused of shocking acts of corruption, including soliciting and accepting bribes to manipulate tender processes. It is alleged that they had extorted companies seeking contracts, ensuring that only those willing to pay were awarded tenders in blatant violation of procurement laws, including the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
The GDE is accused of appointing an “illegal panel” of service providers, bypassing proper procurement processes in violation of Section 217 of the South African Constitution. The tender award was reportedly made after the validity period had expired, resulting in the appointment being invalid. Furthermore, the tender process allegedly failed to comply with the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA), as it did not include the mandatory point scoring for BBBEE credentials and price.
These officials are accused of manipulating the school nutrition tender process to ensure that companies willing to pay bribes were awarded contracts, even if they did not meet the necessary legal or procedural requirements. It is further alleged that there was a solicitation of R500,000 from each successfully appointed.
Premier Lesufi’s government has constantly demonstrated its willingness to protect corrupt officials at the expense of Gauteng’s most vulnerable citizens. The DA will not relent in holding this government accountable for its failures.
Should the investigation by the PSC find that there was indeed corruption, we will be opening a case with the HAWKS.