High Court throws out bidder for ‘skipping’ Tribunal

Handing down judgment on April 28, 2026, Justice Onkagetse Pusoentsi found that whilst the matter was inherently urgent because it involved a public procurement dispute, the court’s jurisdiction had been ousted by Section 113 of the Public Procurement Act, 2021. That provision requires a bidder to exhaust all internal dispute resolution mechanisms up to the Public Procurement Tribunal before approaching the courts. Acting Agriculture Minister, Edwin Dikoloti, is right in saying opening an export-ready facility whilst Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is still spreading would risk getting the whole country blacklisted before a single carcass leaves the door.A ban like that would break the already stressed nation.

So, the postponement, painful as it is, is the right thing to do. The local economy is being squeezed from both ends. FMD has already slammed the door…