Johannesburg - Sports bags stuffed with cash, presents, and a pair of designer shoes. Those were allegedly just some of the things used to bribe some Mpumalanga politicians and officials to influence the awarding of an R2 billion security tender in the province.
The security tender to guard all government buildings in the province, including hospitals and clinics, was awarded two weeks ago to 17 companies. Some of them allegedly don’t even have any security experience or guards registered with the security industry body, Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA).
At least four of the losing bidders have taken the Department of Safety, Security and Liaison in Mpumalanga to court, claiming that the awarding of the tender was irregular and rigged with fraud and corruption.
They accuse MEC Vusi Shongwe and the acting head of the department, Godfrey Ntombela, of allegedly accepting bribes and gifts from the successful bidders to influence the awarding of the multibillion-rand tender.
“We are going to expose Vusi and Godfrey in court for accepting sports bags stuffed with money to influence the awarding of this tender. We are also told that some of those companies that were awarded the tender are allegedly fronting for some of the politicians and their cronies in the province,” said one businessman, who was advised by his lawyer not to be named yet.
Another businessman confirmed to The Sunday Independent yesterday that he was forced to hand a sports bag to Ntombela allegedly stuffed with money “as a Christmas present for Shongwe and other politicians in the province“.
“The transaction of me handing over the bag of cash to him was captured on my security camera, and I will share it with the court to prove my case,” he said.
The businessman claims that he was promised to get a slice of the tender cake for his Christmas present, but he was surprised that he was left out when the tender was awarded.
Businessman Zakhele Potted, whose company Praxos is one of the 17 companies awarded the tender, is accused of showering Shongwe with gifts, including a pair of shoes before the tender was awarded.
Potted allegedly contributed with hundreds of ANC regalia for Shongwe’s Imbizo in October last year in Marite, Bushbuckridge.
“The MEC also asked Zakhele to buy him size 10 designer shoes in my presence,” said a source, who asked not to be named.
The source also alleged that Potted also delivered sports bags stuffed with cash to Shongwe.
“Some of the deliveries were also done in my presence,” the source added.
The source also claims that a businessman representing five successful bidders in the tender allegedly gave Shongwe a sports bag stuffed with R2.5 million in cash.
Potted yesterday confirmed that his company was awarded the security tender two weeks ago but denied bribing anyone to win it.
Initially, Potted denied knowing Shongwe. He eventually admitted knowing the MEC but maintained that he was “too poor to bribe anyone“.
“I am not close to politicians. I am just a service provider.”
He also denied buying designer shoes for Shongwe.
Shongwe and Ntombela failed to answer questions sent directly to them.
Kingdom Mabuza, media liaison officer in Shongwe’s office yesterday, said that “there is no grain of truth to these allegations” that the MEC and Ntombela accepted bribes to influence the outcome of the tender.
“People with malicious intentions to do harm, which they hope will soil the image of the HOD and the MEC, are behind these rumours. It is even insulting that the MEC was ‘bought’ shoes from Joburg. The MEC and members of his immediate family buy each other clothes, including shoes from elsewhere other than Joburg. The HOD and the MEC reserve their rights to take anyone who makes unfounded claims to court and sue for defamation,” he warned.
Mabuza accused some of the losing bidders in this tender of being bitter.
The department spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi, yesterday confirmed that they are aware that four companies who lost in this deal have taken the department to court.
“The department is aware, and we are opposing this application,” he said.
Mmusi added the department wasn’t aware “of any acts of corruption or bribery being paid to any officials or politicians concerning the said tender”.
He said all the companies were appointed based on the department’s evaluation criteria and in line with the applicable prescripts and policies.
Papers filed by Mathata General Trading, one of the companies taking the department to court, and seen by The Sunday Independent “seeks an interim interdict, to restrain the department from implementing and giving effect to any decision to appoint service providers in terms of the tender”.
The company argues that some of the companies awarded the tender don’t even meet the evaluation criteria, including experience or having completed contracts worth over R60 million.
The company also alleges that the department awarded the contracts in June after the tender validity period lapsed at the end of March.
“Any award of the bid to any party after March 30, 2022, would constitute an invalid and void step. The applicant as a bidder was also not notified of any extension of the tender validity period or requested to extend its bid past the ninety-day period,” the company states in its court papers.
The matter will be heard in the high court sitting in Mbombela on June 21 this year.