DURBAN - The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education is contemplating recalling its former head, Dr Enock Nzama, from retirement to answer for his alleged involvement in a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) corruption scandal.
Nzama, who left the department last year, was implicated in a Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report released last week. The SIU said it conducted an investigation into the procurement processes in the department after allegations of irregularities emerged.
The SIU is probing an April 15, 2020, Water and Sanitation Emergency Procurement Covid-19 Disaster response directive.
The SIU said service providers granted the contracts at the department did not declare that they had undertaken work with other state institutions in the past 12 months on their bid documents, which was a requirement in the bidding process. It also discovered cover quoting between service providers who were awarded the contracts, and other bidders.
Out of 56 service providers, only six were awarded contracts via the correct processes. The SIU made referrals against six officials in the awarding of 14 contracts worth more than R3.8 million.
In the report, Nzama’s name appeared several times, including where he allegedly irregularly appointed a company, Morar Incorporated, to investigate the awarding of a PPE tender in 2020, where schools had to procure water tankers.
The SIU made disciplinary referrals of R4.436m for failure to follow due diligence in the awarding of the contract.
KZN DoE acting head Dr Barney Mthembu said once they had completed perusing the report, they would act accordingly and, in some instances, senior officials were misled by junior officials in the department.
The Daily News learned that officials at the Pinetown District had not applied for the extension of a mobile toilets contract that expired in June 2020. In turn, the district had paid the contractors prior to the contract’s extension application in August. Further to this, the SIU submitted referrals at the NPA to the value of R32 321 565.60 for fraud and corruption against entities Njiki Yesizwe Projects and Mashibela Business Enterprise, its directors and a teacher employed at the DoE.
MEC for Education Kwazi Mshengu petitioned the SIU to have the report reviewed, but his request was denied.
DA education portfolio committee member Dr Imran Keeka said the party was vindicated over its insistence on having the inner workings of the department investigated. He said a corruption crisis was confirmed by these findings; the report was explicit and confirmed.
Mshengu did everything in his power to have the SIU findings reviewed, but unsuccessfully. Nzama had not responded by time of publication.
Daily News