Tender blues cut services

R13m tender recipient blames sabotage for telephonic failure.

Department says matter does not directly affect clinics and hospitals.

The company embroiled in a multimillion-rand telecommunications tender in Mpumalanga has blamed “sabotage” in a crisis which may have left clinics, hospitals and police stations without telecommunications services, despite the company being paid R13 million to deliver these services.

ABT Telecoms, a little-known Johannesburg-based company, has come under spotlight following revelations that Mpumalanga premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane’s office was investigating its allegedly irregular R265.3 million tender.

City Press has revealed when the contract of the previous telecoms provider, Kwa-Mahlaba Connect, expired in October, it continued to render services in November and switched off services on 2 December.

After Kwa-Mahlaba Connect switched off its services, at least 76 government sites were disconnected, leaving 15 000 civil servants without telephones.

Thula Nkumane, ABT Telecoms managing director, said it had been caught up in a handover tussle between government and the previous service provider, with the ripple effects impacting civil servants and, ultimately, citizens.

“The previous service provider has not handed government telephone numbers back to the state.

“This has led to the provincial government not being able to make or receive calls on the number range 013-766-0000 to 013-766-999 and 9999 for ABT Telecoms to facilitate a seamless continuation of telecommunication services to government offices and facilities,” he said.

Provincial department of public works spokesman Mxolisi Dlamini said the matter was subject to legal proceedings and his department was not able to extensively express itself on the issues.

However, he said this matter does not directly affect the alleged service delivery points, such as clinics and hospitals.

He said only a total of 54 sites comprising of administration offices of various departments have been affected.

According to Nkumane, ABT has built infrastructure and upgraded critical equipment and provided a block of numbers to enable government to make calls and continue service delivery.

He denied that ABT Telecoms had been paid R13 million.

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