The Democratic Alliance is calling for an investigation into two companies linked to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s sons that were paid R36.4 million for fire suppression and detection systems, but they failed to prevent the recent fire at Tembisa Hospital.
According to reports, Ngwato and Manzi Group (NMG) and Modipadi Nokaneng are linked to Thabiso Mashatile and Tinyiko Mvelase. They were awarded a R49 million contract in 2022 to service fire alarms and sprinkler systems at Gauteng public hospitals.
It is suspicious that these two companies apparently shared staff, resources, and office space despite being separate entities.
It is also unclear what they did to be paid R36.4 million, and why they are owed R12.6 million for other work according to official figures.
Another issue is that these companies have failed to pay R219 000 in a settlement with retrenched workers.
I am awaiting answers to official questions to the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development about the payments to these companies.
We need to know why a large amount of money has been paid to companies for fire prevention, but most hospitals are still not compliant with fire safety standards, and the Tembisa Hospital suffered two fires this year.
A DA-run administration would ensure that contracts are awarded fairly to companies that do the job they are paid for, which is most important in critical areas like fire safety where lives are at stake.