School PPE trucks blocked
Small EC firms angry ‘at being sidelined’ from delivery process
Trucks transporting personal protective equipment to schools in some parts of the Eastern Cape have been blocked from making deliveries by disgruntled local companies, who believe they are being sidelined in favour of businesses from outside the province.
The department of education is under pressure to deliver masks, sanitiser and other personal protective equipment (PPE) in preparation for the return of thousands of Grade 7 and 12 pupils and teachers to classrooms next week.
However, deliveries have been hindered in parts of the province by local SMMEs complaining they have been overlooked by government. In retaliation, they have intercepted trucks and barred them from making deliveries.
The latest reported incident took place on Tuesday, when three trucks making deliveries in the OR Tambo district were stopped by members of the KSD Business Forum near the Shell Ultra City in Mthatha.
Similar incidents were reported in Alfred Nzo, Mnquma, Nyandeni, Komani, Port St Johns, Amathole and Chris Hani.
Forum deputy chair Lungelo Mpongwana told the Daily Dispatch on Wednesday that they wanted to be included in the project, claiming work had gone to companies from KwaZulu-Natal. “Those main service providers bring their own people from outside the province to work as sub-contractors,” he said. “We also have a right to benefit. We pay debts, bonds for houses and have to send children to school.”
Mpongwana added that their members were unable to benefit from tenders in KZN and other provinces.
The SAPS intervened on Tuesday, taking the three trucks to a military base where they were kept overnight. Forum members held a meeting with police in Mthatha on Wednesday. The Daily Dispatch was at the scene but was barred from taking pictures by a police officer.
One of the forum members said the process of appointing service providers was not fair and transparent. “We won’t allow this. We are even prepared to die.”
Provincial education spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani said MEC Fundile Gade met with SMMEs in the OR Tambo district and explained that 49 service providers from the district had been appointed to deliver PPE to schools. “They were shocked to learn this. It seems some of those who were fighting were among those appointed. The MEC has previously stressed that any local company, so long as it meets the requirements, should be given work. Unfortunately not everyone could be appointed.”
Pulumani said trucks were able to resume deliveries late on Wednesday.
Mnquma Nafcoc chair Zukile Mbelani said they had decided to stop intercepting trucks and focus on negotiations with the department. He said they had written letters to Gade and education SG Temba Kojana detailing their unhappiness.
In Port St Johns, business chamber secretary Andile Manitshana said they were seeking legal assistance to stop the appointed companies from continuing with the deliveries.
“We believe the whole process should be nullified and the tender started afresh.”
He said this week alone they had intercepted and turned back at least three trucks.
Enoch Mgijima contractors forum chair Ayanda Duda said they had scheduled an appointment with education authorities to find out where the service providers appointed were originally from. He said if it turned out they were from the Eastern Cape, they would not have any problem with that.
He said only three of their members had been appointed and they wanted it to be more. The Dispatch reported last week that a truck had been stopped in Komani by the forum. However, Duda said they were no longer doing that.
Alfred Nzo business forum spokesperson Yedwa Ntonga said many people had applied online for the tender and were shocked that they had been overlooked. He added they had taken a stance that no fumigation would take place at schools and no deliveries of PPE either, until they received satisfactory answers from education bosses. A meeting was scheduled for Thursday.