Chaos has erupted as “incompetent” Pacina Retail (Pty) LTD, terminates its contract as a service provider for the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) schools.
Pacina, the company that won the R2.1 billion tender, announced that it will be pulling out of the contract with immediate effect, but with conditions. It was awarded the tender to provide meals to some 5 444 schools in the province.
The IFP and DA in KZN welcomed the announcement and said the Department of Education and the company should be held accountable for their actions.
The DA said the sudden decision by Pacina leaves many unanswered questions.
“The withdrawal by the company must also not stop any inquiry by the Special Investigations Unit into how this tender was awarded. Above all, there must be accountability for what ensued, and those found culpable must face the might of the law.
“With the confirmation of the departure of this company, KZN’s Department of Education will have to scramble to fill the gap. The department may choose to revert to previous suppliers, and the DA expects MEC Mbali Frazer to come clean on this,” it said.
It said the ANC-run provincial government cannot allow another situation where millions of young people starve, yet again, due to incompetence and alleged dishonesty when it comes to tender processes involving the NSNP.
The IFP said the announcement should be made by the Department of Education or the Premier, irrespective of whether the decision was influenced or taken by the ANC.
The IFP now calls on both the MEC for education and the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal to speedily do the following:
- To ensure that learners have food on Tuesday, May 2 2023, the Department must reappoint the previous service providers who were servicing schools up to March 31, 2023. These service providers should be appointed on a month-to-month basis for a reasonable time, to allow the new process to be finalised.
- The NSNP tender in KwaZulu-Natal must be re-advertised with immediate effect.
- The Premier must appoint an independent forensic investigator to leave no stone unturned on this irregular appointment of an incompetent company. Heads must roll to send a clear message: incompetence, fraud and people sleeping on duty will not be tolerated in KwaZulu-Natal.
“As the IFP committed to the people of KwaZulu-Natal in 2019, we will not rest until the full truth is revealed. We are committed to ensuring that we play an effective oversight role in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature,” it said.
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