AN East London businessman, Odwa KK Matshaya, who had been dead for two years was the recipient of an Eastern Cape personal protective equipment (PPE) tender contract valued at R992 105.00.
His family were shocked to see his name on the list of 600 companies which were awarded contracts under the R1.2 billion COVID-19 procurement scheme.
Matshaya was the sole member of 2KS Construction and Projects.
Adding to confusion other Eastern Cape businessmen have said that their companies had been awarded tenders but they had not received contracts from the health department.
This casts further doubt of the procurement process which has been mired in corruption and scandals.
Recently the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) had frozen 40 companies and individuals bank accounts in Gauteng in connection with alleged tender fraud.
Matshaya’s relative works for the government and wanted to remain anonymous confirmed that Matshaya was dead and his company had appeared on the tender list, according to The Sowetan Live.
Speaking during a press conference, director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus likened this kind of corruption to ‘murder’.
With graft preventing health workers from obtaining the correct PPE the lives of both professionals and their patients are put at risk, said the WHO chief.
(COMPILED BY INSIDE POLITICS STAFF)
