Cape Town - The City of Cape Town is to consider a forensic investigation into alleged tender corruption after a whistleblower revealed that council officials might be colluding with unqualified security companies to give them lucrative tenders.
The whistleblower, a long-serving council employee, said he was “sick of the underhanded dealings” of the companies and officials involved. He asked that his identity be protected, because of confidentiality agreements and the risk of losing his job.
He said that in 2012, the city was forced to cancel a tender - to provide protection services at various council sites - because many of the companies that were invited to bid did not comply with the tender requirements.
The same irregularities cropped up this year, when companies that did not meet all the requirements were allowed to tender.
“Some companies have tendered with illicit documents but yet are deemed compliant for this tender.”
He also provided the names of at least four security companies that have been contracted by the city council despite falling short of the tender requirements. Three did not have valid tax clearance certificates, and one was allegedly involved in price collusion with the other companies that had also tendered for the contract.
Although the contract has been awarded, the official urged the city to “take immediate action to terminate this contract before the council is sued”.
Richard Bosman, executive director of safety and security, confirmed that the official’s complaint would be referred to the office of the city manager for further investigation.
Cape Argus