New deal signed as probe goes on

THE Eastern Cape Department of Education has awarded a multimillion-rand project to Mvula Trust to fix water and sanitation at more than 150 schools.

This comes a few weeks after the same trust was given a R21million contract by the department – only for the trust subsequently to award it to a company owned by the husband of one of its senior employees.

The same project, to fix broken school hostels, was never advertised.

The trust has been awarded the contract for the 154 schools as the department’s head, Ray Tywakadi, has called for an investigation into how the first R21-million tender was awarded without following proper procedures.

Mvula Trust, an NGO, is an implementing agency for a number of departments.

Last week, the trust called for contractors to bid to work on a water and sanitation project. Slightly more than 100 schools which will benefit from this are in the former Transkei.

Questions sent to the Department of Education about how much the project would cost taxpayers and when the trust was expected to finish, were never answered.

Education spokesman Mali Mtima only confirmed that Tywakadi had called for investigations into the R21-million tender “to unearth any wrongdoing that may have happened”.

Early this month, a company called Mzomba Developments, owned by Jongi Mzomba, was awarded the tender by Mvula.

Mzomba’s wife, Fezeka, is employed by Mvula as a manager and is automatically responsible for the work her husband’s company is doing.

At the time, Mvula chief executive Silas Mbedzi confirmed that it had given work to the company despite it not being advertised.

Numerous e-mails were sent to Mbedzi, but he failed to respond to questions by the time of going to print.

Two weeks ago, Mbedzi defended the failure to advertise the tender as the organisation was already providing project management to the trust.

“The company’s responsibility was to carry out a rapid assessment of the eight schools.

“The assessment reports were discussed by a joint team of education and trust staff in January and February, culminating in the department approving the scope of work per school, totalling R21-million.

“The budget has since been revised to R19 993 347,” Mbedzi said.