Narendh Ganesh
OPEN letter to KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala:
The Mercury, September 11, “Company owners named in Covid-19 tender report”, refers:
As part of the broader members of the public who are responsible for topping the coffers of the fiscus and from which such tenders are paid out, I am entitled to answers, and I suspect so is the rest of South Africa.
After all, President Cyril Ramaphosa did say that the people are entitled to accountability and transparency where corruption is involved.
As lay people, we are generally not in the know as to how such tender processes work and you, as the premier, must enlighten us with facts, with no hidden agendas. The report suggests names, identity numbers and race groups of company directors that you released. That is a commendable start.
However, without dragging your feet or being sparse on comment, I would like the following addressed: On what basis were the tenders for PPE advertised?
What were the compelling criteria that would have decided on the awarding of such tenders? Were the competing companies vetted in terms of having the know-how, the relative efficiency and competencies to tender in the first place?
Were the companies that tendered during the process registered companies involved in the supply of medical and surgical goods and were they registered on the provincial and national data base? Was there any oversight in terms of visiting their premises, corroborating their bona fides and validating all facts as per the tender documents? Were all procurement protocols and supply chain management protocols followed in compliance with such tenders?
Did the municipality investigate pricing, administer quality control and subsequent oversight once the tenders were awarded? Who were the members of the adjudication panel and was there any relationship that existed between members of the panel and any of the awardees?
I believe that it is incumbent upon you as leader of the province to be forthright, without reticence or hesitation to supply the information as requested.
Premier, the public, from whom you solicit their proxies so that you can hold the position you hold, are within their constitutional rights to know how valuable taxpayer monies are spent. Especially under these exceptional circumstances such information can no longer be the preserve of the bureaucratic halls and walkways and our need to know cannot be ignored or disregarded.
The Mercury