Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has said there were no irregularities in the awarding of a R932m million tender for personal protective equipment (PPE) at Limpopo Health, reports EWN.
Mkhwebane said after investigations into the 2020 tender, her office could not find evidence of nepotism or undue processes followed by the department, contrary to various allegations.
Mkhwebane said a probe into the multimillion rand tender irregularity allegations in Limpopo was triggered by a newspaper article by the Daily Dispatch.
The investigation had looked into whether due process was followed, if there was nepotism, and whether other service providers suffered through the awarding of the tender.
“We could not find any evidence indicating that the MEC and HOD had any influence in the awarding of PPE tenders, even though there’s evidence that indicates some of the service providers are related to the politicians and senior officials concerned. We could not find evidence to prove alleged possible influence in the procurement processes.”
However, she has found that some of the listed companies that were believed to have been awarded the tenders were politically-connected.
EWN article – Public Protector finds no irregularities in the awarding of PPE tender (Open access)
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