R320m Ekurhuleni fleet tender

Replacements don’t meet requirements and that price rigging is rife. By

‘Illegally’ removing vehicles

Rusty and Spanner say the ongoing actions of Ekurhuleni metro police forcibly removing municipal vehicles from suppliers’ premises – repaired but not yet paid for – are illegal. It has been alleged that the police were armed when doing this.

Henderson wrote in his January 2020 Risk Report: “It appears the tender is being predominantly driven by Ekurhuleni Region 3 – Eastern Region (Brakpan, Benoni, Springs and Nigel Mechanical Workshops). The principal role-player on paper driving the process is (CoE [City of Ekurhuleni] Benoni workshop manager) Lot Kekana.”

Kekana told he could not speak to the media. Questions to him included why suppliers were selected without meeting requirements, why prices for repairs were inflated after the tender was awarded and why previous suppliers had not been paid.

asked Sishi if he had been concerned about Henderson’s Risk Report. “N/A” was his response.

Henderson copied his report to former Zondo Commission secretary Pedlar and Sakeliga CEO Piet le Roux. (Sakeliga refers to itself as “a business community that reforms failing business environments where it can and rebuilds them where it must”.)

Pedlar, who has adjudicated tenders worth billions, is not surprised by the report.

“I’m an eternal optimist … but corruption appears to be endemic,” he says.

Le Roux comments: “From what I understand this is a clear case of tender irregularities and subsequent injurious actions by the municipality.”

When asked why suppliers’ invoices have not been paid, Sishi replied: “All payments for work done prior to the award of tender are paid upon receipt of valid official orders and invoices.”

Rusty and Spanner hit back

Rusty tells how the department “pleaded with me to fix a mobile clinic during Covid”. He was later told his submitted invoice had been sent to Sishi for signing but had got lost. He resubmitted. “But that was nine months ago and my invoices are still outstanding.”

Henderson says this illustrates how the city is forcing hundreds of suppliers to litigate against the city individually.

“This is one hell of a way to cook the books by first deferring, then writing off debt obligations,”he says.

Rusty and Spanner have engaged a legal representative to recover the monies owed to them. That’s not counting the millions apparently owed to the other roughly 148 suppliers.

A spokesperson for the Office of Executive Mayor Tania Campbell says an internal audit committee and an external audit firm have been appointed to conduct an investigation into the tender award, investigating allegations of irregularities with regard to contract number AFM/05/2020.