NEW TWIST IN R2M ICT TENDER SAGA

Fresh round of software related suspensions

Senior officials in premier Phumulo Masualle’s office have been suspended or face suspension over R2m worth of software the department was allegedly misled into acquiring.

The crackdown in the province’s highest office comes in the wake of two forensic investigations which are yet to be made public.

The province’s chief information officer, Ayanda Madyibi, was suspended over a week ago and Masualle’s ICT manager, Siyabulela Jindela and his colleague Andiswa Khetshese were last week served with letters of intent to suspend.

It is believed Madyibi’s letter of suspension was delivered while he was attending PhD classes at the University of Fort Hare last week.

The R1.9m contract at stake is for DriveLock encryption software which was awarded in 2014. It is alleged proper procedures were not followed and an official lied about the tender and advert being approved.

In June 2015, the Dispatch reported that Madyibi had been suspended amid allegations that he had authorised payment of more than R2m to a Johannesburg company which installed telephone lines that did not work.

The paper also reported in June 2017 that Jindela was being investigated by the premier’s office over authorising payment for the R1.9m encryption software in 2015 before it was fully installed.

At the time, the Dispatch saw extracts of a KPMG report stating Jindela had authorised the payment despite the work being incomplete.

The report said the company was paid for installing software on 450 computer devices, while only 10 had been installed.

Jindela, who last week refused to comment on his pending suspension, at the time denied paying the service provider for uncompleted work.

Two independent investigations were completed by KPMG and iFirm, but the reports have yet to be made public.

Eastern Cape government director-general Marion Mbina-Mthembu is now investigating how the contract was awarded to a service provider without approval.

In a recent letter to Khetshese, seen by the Daily Dispatch, she alleges that Khetshese “dishonestly misled” the OTP that the tender and advert for it had been approved.

Mbina-Mthembu further alleges that Khetshese “intentionally or negligently” caused the OTP to incur fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

The letter alleges that Khetshese sent an e-mail on August 13 2014 claiming that the bid specification committee had approved the procurement.

“Due to the seriousness of the allegations against you, the employer intends to suspend you pending the outcome of the investigation and the subsequent disciplinary inquiry in the event it is so directed,” the letter, dated October 11, reads.

Khetshese refused to comment at all. Madyibi confirmed his suspension but refused to talk further.

The office of the premier’s communications department remained mum on the two officials’ fate and suspension.

Nehawu’s OTP branch chair Loyiso Sobili, however, described the action against the officials as a “witch-hunt”.

“Madyibi is suspended because he was suspended before for the same thing.

“What happened to the first suspension and the outcomes of the investigation that was instituted at the time?”