ANC to lay charges against City of Tshwane over ‘tender irregularity’
The Tshwane ANC will be laying criminal charges with the Hawks against the City of Tshwane following allegations of another multimillion-rand tender that was awarded irregularly.
Tshwane ANC Chair Dr Kgosi Maepa during a press briefing at Tshwane House, 25 November 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
The city is now facing allegations of irregularly entering into a deal with engineering consultancy Aurecon to develop, sell and lease 52,000 of its properties.
It is alleged a senior city official had motivated for Tshwane to appoint a service provider to advise on the R10 billion property portfolio.
The official allegedly sat on the appointment committee and Aurecon was awarded the tender without following due process.
Shortly after the appointment in April 2018, the official then resigned to work with Aurecon as a sub-contracted consultant on the project. But according to the signed service level agreement (SLA), Aurecon was prohibited from appointing a third party or subcontractor, ANC head Kgosi Maepa said at a media briefing on Monday.
According to documents provided by the ANC, R6.4 million was invoiced by Aurecon and paid by the city in June 2018, two months before the agreement was signed between the two parties, Maepa said.
“This is in contravention of the MFMA (Municipal Finance Management Act). According to the MFMA, payment cannot be effected before work is done and the SLA is signed by the city manager and the service provider.
“We will be laying criminal charges with the Hawks via SAPS after consultation with our attorneys. We are immediately taking new evidence to the Public Protector and the National Prosecuting Authority’s panel of judges appointed by the president to deal with corruption and related activities in government.”
The city said last week that it would probe the alleged tender irregularity to set the record straight.
The Citizen reported last week of another alleged tender irregularity where an airport management company, Professional Aviation Services, was paid close to a million rand a month to manage the crumbling Wonderboom National Airport.
Maepa called for the intervention of the department of roads and transport in the mismanagement of the airport, which has been marred by allegations of corruption and maladministration.
“The DA has basically run down the city’s international airport and damaged all the management processes that were set up since the year 2000.”
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