KZN Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka has been ordered by the Special Tribunal to initiate disciplinary proceedings against multiple departmental officials implicated in the irregular awarding and extension of a R2.5 million contract for chemical toilets at schools. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has been ordered to discipline sixteen officials, implicated in the irregular awarding of a chemical toilets contract. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) said in a statement on Monday that theMEC of Education in KwaZulu-Natalhas been ordered by the Special Tribunal to initiate disciplinary proceedings against multiple departmental officials implicated in the irregular awarding and extension of a R2.5 million contract for chemical toilets at schools.
This order was issued as part of a broader court judgment that also set aside the unlawful contract and ordered the service provider, Hawulethu (Pty) Ltd, to repay all profits derived from it. The SIU said the judgment follows an investigation it conducted into the procurement of 72 chemical toilets for schools in KwaZulu-Natal in June 2020. The investigation found that the contract, valued at R2,53 million, was awarded without any competitive bidding process, in direct violation of Section 217 of the Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act, and Treasury regulations. The investigation further revealed that 16 officials from the Department of Education failed to follow mandatory supply chain management processes.
Read Full Article on The Mercury
