GCIS was a mini VBS, says Manyi

Former Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) head Mzwanele Manyi says he introduced some changes at the department after finding a “mini VBS” when he arrived in 2011.

Former Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) head Mzwanele Manyi says he introduced some changes at the department after finding a “mini VBS” when he arrived in 2011.

Manyi was testifying at the state capture inquiry, giving his side of the story after damning testimony by government spokesperson Phumla Williams.

Manyi became GCIS head in February 2011 when Themba Maseko was fired by former president Jacob Zuma. Maseko testified he was fired after refusing to do the Guptas’ bidding.

Manyi has been a staunch supporter of Zuma and a known Gupta associate and defender. In 2017, he bought the Guptas’ media assets, The New Age newspaper and TV channel ANN7. Earlier in 2018, the newspaper was put under provisional liquidation and the TV station was dropped from the DStv platform where it operated a 24hour news channel.

Williams, who testified at the inquiry in August, said that when Manyi arrived at GCIS he changed the entire bid adjudication committee, which she used to chair. She alleged that regulations were changed under Manyi so that tenders decided on by the committee would have to be finalised by him.

Manyi admitted on Wednesday to changing the bid adjudication committee, as Williams had alleged, but said it was not done with an agenda. He said he found there was “collaboration” in the tender process at GCIS.

“They had a very elaborate scheme ... a typical mini-VBS,” he said, likening the scandal to that of VBS Mutual Bank in Limpopo, which was looted by shareholders, politicians and the bank’s management.

Manyi referred to a contract awarded to a service provider for a project around the 2011 census. He alleged that more than R7m was paid “irregularly” by the state to a service provider, whose appointment was “irregular to the extreme”.

“I then had to unbundle the bid adjudication committee.”

Manyi said this had happened under the people Williams had lauded during her testimony. Williams had been a member of the bid adjudication committee for 10 years, he said.

Manyi will return to the commission on November 23, when the legal team will cross-examine him.