FINANCE Minister Tito Mboweni told Parliament on Wednesday that all contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) must be published with full details of companies which won tenders.
Mboweni, who was briefing the standing and select committees on finance regarding the procurement of PPE for COVID-19, said this was meant to increase transparency in procurement processes.
Information on who the competing bidders were and on what basis they lost must also be made clear, Mboweni told Parliament.
This should also reveal the age of companies, and whether they were established the night before and if any of the awardees are politically exposed persons.
This comes after more than R2.2bn of emergency COVID-19 funds were allegedly stolen in a corruption feeding frenzy by politically connected individuals through state tenders.
More than 90 companies are being investigated in Gauteng alone and the allegations of fraud stretch to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, Health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku and his wife, Loyiso Lugayeni-Masuku.
The Special Investigating Unit has been investigating allegations of corruption relating to PPE procurement contracts.
In the year-to-date, R3.6 billion has been spent on the COVID-19 response by national departments.
At provincial level, health and education departments as well as other COVID-19 response measures amounted to R6.8 billion.
(COMPILED BY INSIDE POLITICS STAFF)
