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The DA in eThekwini has written to the City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU) to request an urgent probe into the awarding of a month-to-month R23.8 million contract for cleaning bus and taxi ranks to an eThekwini Council Investment company (view letter here) .

The said company is privately owned and was awarded this contract without following the regulations of the Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003 (MFMA).

According to a report tabled at the Finance, Security and Emergency Services (FSES) committee last Wednesday, this company was awarded this contract using section 36 of the MFMA.

The pricing evaluation was based on the total hourly rates multiplied by the number of monthly hours. The report says it is “impractical to follow the official procurement processes due to the nature of the services”.

Regulations 36 of the MFMA regulates deviations and it can be summarized as follows: 5.1. Deviations by nature demand that there must be an emergency and such emergency would not have been avoided.

Clearly there is no emergency in awarding a contract for the cleaning of taxi and bus ranks.

The report further reveals that the company awarded was not registered on the Central Supply Database (CSD), which is mandatory for all companies trading with municipalities or municipal entities.

The report further revealed that the awarded company is not registered on the municipal vendor portal, which is also mandatory for all companies trading with municipalities and municipal entities.

Under the ANC-led coalition government, eThekwini has sunk deeper into the quagmire of poor service delivery. Pervasive corruption remains rampant. The coalition partners are subservient to the interest of the ANC and are only shadowboxing when it comes to a fight against corruption.

We maintain that a vote for the smaller party is a vote for a corrupt ANC. Clearly this is a disregard for the residents of eThekwini and the ANC-led coalition has broken their fiduciary duties. The CIIU must actively play their role to ensure that all parties involved are brought to book.

The DA will continue fighting against corruption to ensure that resources are utilized effectively and efficiently for the benefit of eThekwini residents.

Issued by Councillor Emmanuel Mhlongo - DA eThekwini Finance, Security and Emergency Services Committee Member