KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka said the department fully accept the findings of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) after the Special Tribunal ordered him to take action against 16 senior officials involved in the irregular awarding of a R2.5 million chemical-toilets contract. The tribunal this week set aside the 2020 contract awarded to Hawulethu, directed the company to repay all profits earned with interest, and ordered it to submit audited financial statements within 30 days. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said investigators uncovered serious procurement breaches, including authorising work before lawful appointment, improper contract extensions, flawed evaluations and overcharging of more than 100%.
The toilets were procured without any competitive bidding process, violating constitutional and treasury requirements. Responding late Monday night, Hlomuka said the department welcomed the SIU’s work and would implement the tribunal’s directives immediately. “I have directed the Head of Department to ensure disciplinary action against all officials found to have violated supply-chain processes,” he said.
The Department will cooperate fully in efforts to recover losses and hold service providers accountable. He said while most officials act with integrity, any breach of trust “undermines our mission to deliver quality education”. • Stricter compliance checks in all procurement• Increased internal-audit monitoring• Expanded training on ethics and supply-chain rules• Quarterly SIU-related progress reports submitted to his office The SIU investigation, authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa under Proclamation R23 of 2020, found evidence of overcharging, claims for undelivered services and improper splitting of payments to bypass procurement thresholds.
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