Storm over R4.5m digital smartpens
320 devices gather dust amid forensic investigation
ANC Women’s League national executive committee member and Eastern Cape transport MEC Weziwe Tikana is at the centre of a controversy involving the purchasing of digital smartpens to the tune of R4.5-million.
This took place while Tikana was still an official at the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta).
She reportedly requested the procurement of smartpens for the use of community development workers (CDWs). The smartpens were meant to enable the CDWs to relay information gathered from families who needed social grants or housing to the department’s database in a flash.
The pens have a tiny infrared camera and bluetooth technology which converts handwritten information into digital data. They are also able to take pictures. In total, 320 were bought at a cost of R4.5-million, including an annual subscription fee of R766 080 that was to be paid for three years and a monthly bill of R76 000 paid each month over three years to Vodacom for airtime.
The department had entered a 36month contract with a private company from March 2013 for the provision and maintenance of the pens but they remained unused and are still gathering dust at the department’s head office in Bhisho.
Cogta’s acting head of department Ngaka Mosehana revealed this to members of the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) at the provincial legislature on Monday.
He said the purchase of the smartpens was the subject of a forensic investigation which is expected to be completed by December.
Part of the investigation is an amount of R109 000 which was used to print digital forms without following procurement processes.
This amount has been categorised as fruitless and wasteful by the auditor-general.
Mosehana said that while Tikana was a director of municipal public participation at Cogta she, together with former senior manager of the supply chain Noluvo Maki, were responsible for “requesting this service” earmarked for hundreds of community development workers (CDWs) across all districts.
Tikana yesterday confirmed she had recommended that the devices be procured but said she was not involved in the actual procurement.
She said as far as she knew normal processes were followed during the procurement and that final approval “was not done by me”.
“The investigation can be done. I am not worried,” said Tikana, who told the Dispatch it was the first time she had heard about the R109 000.
“It’s been years since I left the department, but no one ever told me about such wasteful expenditure. It is very unfortunate that I hear about that from the Dispatch,” she said.
Mosehana told the committee that Cogta’s former CFO, Nielesh Ravgee, and another senior official were responsible for the “smartpen transaction” amounting to R109 000 and that they were placed on suspension.
They resigned before disciplinary action could be taken against them.
Ravgee and Maki could not be reached for comment.
Mosehana said no feasibility study was conducted before they were procured and no CDW or official was “capacitated” on how the devices were to operate.
There are more than 500 CDWs currently across the province.
In a letter to the company dated February, suspended Cogta HoD Nombulelo Hackula wrote: “Owing to the non-functioning of all the smartpens for the duration of the contract period, it has become prudent that the department investigate the project including the financial aspect.”
An internal audit committee report, dated September 2015 and seen by the Dispatch, reveals that the 320 digital smartpens were procured to the value of R4.5-million, money that was to be paid in 10 phases.
“To date the department has spent an amount of R3.8-million to pay the service provider as per contractual obligation,” states the internal audit committee report.
Launching the pens in 2013, then Cogta MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane said the department had observed a lack of synergy in information gathering and the smartpens would improve accountability and institutional memory.