Mboweni to meet finance MECs to discuss Covid-19 corruption
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni says he will be meeting with the various provincial finance MEC's on Thursday to discuss the allegations of corruption link to contracts and tenders for the provision of personal protective equipment.
Mboweni addressed Parliament's standing committee on finance and select committee on finance on Wednesday.
He told MPs that there was prima facie evidence that National Treasury’s procurement regulations were not followed and that he would seek answers from the MEC.
Mboweni said he wants the details of all companies that were awarded personal protective equipment tenders to be made public.
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“I'm having a conversation with the MEC's tomorrow to try and find out whether all these processes were followed and if they were not followed why were they not followed and who broke the rules.
"In my conversation tomorrow with MECs of finance, we’re going to discuss and insist on the fact that all these contracts must be published for the public to see and in publishing who won which contract, we will also want to know who were the competitors and on what basis did the competitors lose.
"We'll be interested to know about the age of the companies.”
Mboweni said if the instructions by National Treasury - aimed at preventing such exploitation – had been followed the conversation on corruption would not be happening.
“If all the parties followed the tender process, the procurement process, we would not be having this conversation today,” Mboweni said. “But the fact and reality of the matter is that people found an opportunity to do that which is wrong.”
Treasury has now moved to end the emergency procurement process.
Director-general Dondo Mogajane said buying goods can now be done in a normal manner.
“Because issues of supply and demand are not an issue anymore. You go to any Clicks today, you go to any shop, you will get sanitisers, you will get masks, they are easily available.
“We have boosted local production. We have to emphasise local production of face shields, of masks, all of that is now in place after a few months of challenges that we had.”
“As a result, we are of the view that we can go back to measures that we all know. You have to then, in this case, be part of a procurement list, the product that you supply, the price will continue to be determined by us, the price will continue to be dictated by us because we think we are better placed to understand where the price is at any given point in time.”