MEC slams NC Health head over security deal

THE HEAD of department (HOD) at the Northern Cape Department of Health has come under fire over the controversial multimillion-rand security tender that was concluded with Defensor Security Services for the next five years.

The MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Mac Jack, had harsh words for the HOD for Health, Steven Jonkers (pictured), during a portfolio committee meeting held in November last year, for awarding the tender while the department was experiencing serious financial challenges.

Karibuni Security Services has meanwhile filed court papers to review the appointment of Defensor Security Services at the Department of Health.

Court papers have revealed that the value of the tender that was concluded with Defensor is in fact R234 million and not R224 million, according to the initial contract.

Defensor Electronic Security Services (Pty) Ltd guards are continuing to struggle with the payment of their salaries, stating that only some guards were paid for December, in part payments.

“Many of us received nothing. We have not filled in any time sheets for the January payroll, which means we will not be getting paid this month either. We are still waiting for our uniforms,” said the guards.

Jack had advised the portfolio committee that despite awarding over R180 million to the Department of Health in 2016, “to ease their accruals”, the department was “continuing to do wrong things”.

He believed that this amounted to rewarding bad behaviour as the department had not improved its fiscal discipline.

He added that service providers were being appointed even though there were no available funds.

“How do you appoint a security company for R234 million, when there are cash flow problems. We are continually emphasising the prudent management of public resources.”

Jack warned that should departments continue to spend money that they do not have, provincial Treasury would be bankrupted.

“We need to crack the whip to ensure that everyone sticks to the procedures. If tenders are issued when there is no money, it calls for us to review that particular tender and make recommendations to appoint or not.

“HODs are claiming that they are accounting officers, but ultimately they deliberately do the wrong things and then Treasury must come in … while the HOD has committed a serious misconduct in terms of the PFMA. When there is instability at the top it affects the whole organisation.”

Questions posed to the committee regarding whether the Department of Health was still under administration, did not appear to bring forth any answers.

Meanwhile, the court application seeks the Department of Health to disclose the bid evaluation and adjudication process for the tender that was awarded to Defensor Security in September last year and to provide the reasons for the decision to appoint the security company.

The sole member of Karibuni Security Services CC, Motsamai Petrus Ranto, is of the opinion that his company did not have a fair opportunity of applying for the multimillion-rand security tender.

Karibuni Security had been providing services for 130 sites at health facilities in the Province since 2003.

According to affidavits, Ranto stated that Karibuni Security’s bid for the tender was dismissed without any reasons provided and highlighted irregularities regarding the advertisement of the tender.

“The head of department failed to ensure that the bid was adjudicated upon during the tender offer validity period and the extended tender offer validity period is declared unlawful and unconstitutionally valid.”

He is also requesting the court to declare the decision by the head of department as unlawful and invalid.

“The public interest requires that awarding a tender of this magnitude should and must be done in accordance with the prescriptions and provisions of the relevant laws … and procurement procedures, Public Finance Management Act and Treasury regulations.”

Ranto wants the department to disclose the tender adjudication process that was followed before the tender was awarded to Defensor Security.

“Sufficient information has found its way into the public domain, casting serious doubt on the integrity and probity of the process followed as to justify an inquiry by this court.”

He also stated that according to the registration details of Defensor Security, it was only registered and incorporated during 2012, while the company had claimed that it had 15 years of experience in rendering security services.

“The court should investigate the circumstances under which the tender was awarded.”

The Department of Health did not respond to media enquiries.