Polokwane -
Thousands of bids in the hotly contested Limpopo school feeding scheme were shredded when the box containing them was destroyed.
The tender, issued by the Limpopo Education Department, is worth a total of about R870 million.
The contract is formally called the national school nutrition programme and aims to feed pupils in public no-fee schools countrywide.
About 1.5 million pupils in Limpopo qualify for a free meal.
Between April 26 and Tuesday, more than 8 000 tenderpreneurs submitted bid documents, hoping for a share in the province’s lucrative contract.
But just hours before the Wednesday deadline for submission, the box that contained the bid documents mysteriously exploded.
All the documents inside the metal box were either burned or shredded, police said.
The box exploded on Tuesday night, after three men inserted “something” into it.
The “bombing” is being investigated by the SAPS Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations - the Hawks.
Provincial Education spokesman Paena Galane said the submission deadline had been extended to June 17 and those who had submitted their bids before the blast could resubmit them.
The feeding-scheme tender is a favourite among tenderpreneurs, because it is regarded a source of quick riches.
The Star