Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has been taken to task over a R1.7 million tender its officials allegedly “diverted” to another company that was not even in the department's database.
The matter has since been reported to the Office of the Premier, the Special Investigating Unit, the Public Protector and the Presidency, among other offices.
This is contained in a letter which was written by Mbongeni Makhathini, the director of Durban-based Worthy Group Holdings (Pty) Ltd.
Makhathini’s company was one of the 11 which were awarded tenders to procure and deliver farm implements for the department when it launched its planting season in various districts last year.
His company was awarded the tender to do that in the Ugu District on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
However, when its turn to do the work came, the tender was split and given to several companies, among them a construction company (whose name is known to IOL) that out of the blue, ended up netting R630 000 from the department.
Makhathini wants that to be probed, saying departmental officials flouted procurement laws to benefit companies that appear to have not even been in the department’s database.
“Our grievance is with regard to the above two tenders that were awarded to our company, I will start with DARD 30/20A which is a tender for food security, which our company was awarded with other companies for various district in the province on 20 September 2021.
“Our complain(ts) emanate from the exclusion of our company last year when there was a launch of planting season by the department which was launched by the Honourable Premier Mrs Dube and her Cabinet on behalf of Department of Agriculture and Rural development under then MEC Mrs Bongi Sithole-Moloi.
“Our company was left out and we fail to understand that because we were solely appointed to supply, deliver and offload of food security for Ugu District. To our surprise we found out prior to the event launch that there were companies who were given that work which were not supposed to do that work.
“We engaged the MEC, by then Mrs Bongi Sithole-Moloi, about that before even the launch took place and she promised to look at our complain(t) but nothing transpired on that.
“Nobody engaged us from her department as per her promise.
“I kept calling her and she responded by saying someone was going to call me.
“We also engaged the current MEC Mr Supa Zuma about this matter and he promised me to set up a meeting after we told him about this,” Makhathini said in his letter.
The department’s spokesperson, Vusi Zuma, said they were looking at the matter and would give full feedback at a later stage.
“Thank you for bringing this matter to the attention of the department.
“We confirm that the department will institute an investigation into the allegations contained in the media query.
“Once the investigation is finalised, an official response by the department to the allegation/s will be forwarded to you,” Zuma said.
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