BCM clears air after fury over R1.4m

BUFFALO City Metro Municipality has denied allegations made by opposition parties in the Saturday Dispatch of August 5 that it did not follow proper supply chain processes in its procurement of R1.4million funding for the Mayor’s Cup sport and concert event.

The Saturday Dispatch reported that the metro also flouted supply chain processes when it hired Tulas Mbuyazwe, son of BCM’s human resources manager Sizwe Mbuyazwe, to organise the concert.

BCM spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said yesterday: “The city would like to put in context the Mayor’s Cup article and dismisses the misleading notion that funds for the Mayor’s Cup were procured improper[ly] and are unaccounted for.”

On June 16 more than 500 youngsters from 50 wards in the Buffalo City Metro participated in the U19 Mayor’s Cup Tournament organised by mayor Xola Pakati.

Ngwenya explained that an application for deviation is made in terms of supply chain management regulations and may allow the accounting officer:

(a) To dispense with the official procurement processes established by the policy and to procure any required goods or services through convenient process, which may include direct negotiations, but only (iii) for the acquisition of special works of art or historical objects where specifications are difficult to compile, (v) in any other exceptional case where it is impossible to follow the official procurement processes.

In explaining how they entered into an agreement with the production company they used for the concert Ngwenya wrote that according to what was in the report adopted by council, BCM would enter into an agreement directly with production companies to prevent the non-show phenomenon of artists at the event. Production companies can easily be traced and held liable, intermediates are sometimes fly-by-night companies which are not easily traceable which could be risky for the metro if the artists do not show up or are paid after their performance.

Ngwenya also denied allegations that some local artists were not paid their dues.