Covid-19: Gauteng spent R2.1bn between April and July on medical supplies

To fight the Covid-19 pandemic, the Gauteng provincial government spent over R2.1 billion in just four months, mostly on medical supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE), detergents, groceries and the refurbishment and upgrading of buildings.

Gauteng released its Covid-19 Expenditure Disclosure Report, a 30-page document, which consisted mainly of a list of vendors and the amounts they were paid for goods and services.

The report also detailed the total spent by the different provincial departments and what the money was spent on.

According to the document, since the pandemic reached South Africa’s shores, Gauteng’s provincial departments spent a total of R2 112 992 618 on Covid-19 related goods and services – of which 91.78% of the spend (R1 939 319 260) was by the province’s health department.

This is because the procurement of Covid-19 PPE items was centralised, according to the report.

The Department of Social Development in Gauteng spent R79 616 368, the Department of Infrastructure R58 484 904, while the Department of Education spent a total of R15 716 277.

Other departments spent far smaller amounts, such as the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, which spent R5 418 243, the Department of Community Safety R1 540 000 and the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture R1 165 861.

The office of the premier, David Makhura, spent R8 483 878, while the provincial treasury spent just over R81 000.

These payments were made between April and July this year.

The report also details the preferential procurement spend, stating how much was spent with black-owned, female-owned and youth-owned companies.

Of the total spend, R1 899 396 167 was spent on black-owned businesses, R671 558 499 on female-owned businesses and R95 027 676 on what was termed as businesses owned by the youth.

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The province’s expenditure disclosure report also reveals what the money was spent on.Breakdown of expenditure:

Medical supplies – R948 539 654

Wash/Clean detergents – R438 359 449

Refurbishment and rehabilitation buildings – R351 865 180

Groceries – R78 091 552

Upgrading and adding buildings – R61 616 798

Ass Dev, Med & Allied Equipment – R37 826 474

Operating lease: buildings – R34 163 364

surgical/medical supplies – R30 357 890

Application sets – R18 980 000

Surgical consumables – R17 444 625

Voluntary workers – R10 666 500

Uniforms and protective clothing – R9 421 995

Uniforms, protective clothing and clothes – R8 792 079

Marketing – R8 402 890

Laboratories consumables – R8 099 594

The total payment made to date for goods and services is R2 062 628 043.

The report stated that most of the money was spent on medical supplies, comprising mostly of different PPE goods such as gloves, masks, respirators, visors, boot covers, thermometers.

The spend on washing and cleaning detergents included sanitisers and disinfectants products.

The report further said that the upgrading of buildings was the third most expensive cost.

This was due to the expansion and enhancement of the existing medical infrastructure, minor construction works undertaken at schools to enhance scholar safety in relation to Covid-19, and the establishment of quarantine sites to cater for the peak,

The disclosure report comes after multiple allegations of fraud and corruption across the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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