Some firms hiked PPE prices by 500%

THE Special Investigating Unit is hot on the heels of 87 companies alleged to have unduly benefited from the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the eThekwini Metro.

The companies are alleged to have manipulated the prices of PPE.

This as some councillors and senior officials are raising concerns about the snail’s pace of the City Investigations and Integrity Unit (CIIU) investigation into the matter.

Senior officials are said to be hatching a plan to remove eThekwini municipal manager Sipho Nzuza, who has created enemies for pushing an all-out investigation into the city’s Covid-19 fund corruption involving more than R400 million.

Nzuza is on special leave due to charges of fraud and corruption related to a controversial Durban Solid Waste tender. He has been granted R50 000 bail.

Nzuza declined to comment saying that he was not in touch with the PPE matter since he was on leave.

The CIIU was expected to submit its report to Nzuza before he went on leave, and the municipality’s public accounts committee, but Nzuza said he had not heard from the unit.

It had been reported that some companies had been paid more than 500% above the National Treasury’s benchmark. President Cyril Ramaphosa had in July signed a proclamation for the SIU to get to the button of the countrywide misuse of funds allocated to deal with Covid-19.

An official, who asked to remain anonymous, raised concerns about some of his colleagues responsible for the issuing of the tender.

“They are refusing to give SIU all information,” he said .

But SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago disputed the allegation and said the investigators were delayed by the fact that they needed to separate “the relevant information from the daily expenditure batches.”

Another official at the city hall alleged that there was a push to kick Nzuza out of his office “in order to cook the books”.

The IFP said it had written several letters to the city demanding that the CIIU release the report. IFP caucus leader Mdu Nkosi said he was informed that the CIIU’s investigation was hampered by the lack of vital documents.

eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s spokesperson Mluleki Mtungwa said all matters related to the Covid-19 audit would be discussed at the next executive committee meeting.