Tambo denies ‘impropriety’ in Mandela bust tender row

ENTREPRENEUR Dali Tambo has denied allegations of impropriety in parliament awarding his company a contract to erect a bust of former president Nelson Mandela in front of the National Assembly in Cape Town.

The tender to erect the bronze bust is worth almost R2.6-million and was awarded to Tambo’s company, Koketso Growth, after what parliament calls a “sole provider” process, which means that no one else was invited to tender.

Tambo said in a written statement this week: “At no point did Koketso, its CEO and his codirectors or any of its employees and subcontractors have any knowledge of or influence on the procurement process being followed by parliament.”

Tambo said he wanted to “unequivocally refute allegations of any irregularity on their part in the procurement of the contract from parliament to design, manufacture and install a bronze bust of the late former president Nelson Mandela”.

Tambo, the son of former ANC president Oliver Tambo, said the decision to appoint Koketso was based on a proven reputation and track record.

“Koketso Growth was ap- proached by parliament officials in December 2013 and requested to submit a proposal and estimate for the creation and installation of a bust of Madiba for parliament to be unveiled on April 28 2014 as part of the celebration of 20 years of democracy.”

He said Koketso Growth met Baby Tyawa, the deputy secretary to parliament, in January and it was clearly noted that the process required three full months.

“Koketso received a set of bid documents and a contract, which were completed and returned to parliament between March 17 and 20 2014. Koketso was effectively appointed to undertake the work on March 20, leaving five weeks to complete the projected three-month work.”

He said the cost of the bust grew from R1.8-million to R2.575-million because of the decision that the bust be located in front of parliament, rather than inside, and the period al- lowed to produce the bust was shortened from three months to five weeks.

The additional R785 000 included VAT.

This week, parliament’s top officials insisted that nothing untoward had occurred in awarding the contract.

Secretary to parliament Mike Coetzee said the original decision to honour Mandela was

Koketso had no knowledge of or influence on the procurement process

taken before 2004 but had been held up by a disagreement on whether to move the enormous statue of former prime minister Louis Botha on his horse — situated in Plein Street — in front of parliament.

The future of the Botha statue cannot be decided by parliament because the land on which it stands belongs to the City of Cape Town.

Coetzee said the issue of honouring Madiba was raised again last year, after which parliament was told in February “from higher up to hurry up”. He did not elaborate on whom he meant by “higher up”, except to reiterate that a multiparty committee had taken the decision to honour Madiba.

He denied knowledge that his deputy, Tyalwa, had met Tambo in January.

He said the bust would be 1.5m wide and 2.2m high, allowing it to be viewed from Plein Street, outside the parliamentary precinct.

He defended the decision to allow only Tambo’s company to tender for the erection of the bust, saying it was necessitated by time constraints.

He said it was necessary to unveil the bust before the May 7 elections because the current parliament could not take decisions binding on the next parliament.