Education MEC’s attempts to protect his Department - while dodging and deceiving KZN’s people - must stop

13 April 2021

The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes today’s media briefing by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Education MEC, Kwazi Mshengu, relating to the release of a departmental probe into reports following a Grade 12 boot camp last year and a further investigation into the DoE’s procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.(view here)

The DA welcomes the briefing in terms of the report on the goings-on at the matric boot camp held in the Harry Gwala District. This after learners at the camp were subjected to deplorable accommodation conditions which included cramped tents, no masks and toilets that were overflowing with human waste.

The findings of this report confirm what the DA has been saying all along – that KZN’s Education Department is a cauldron of corruption. The alleged financial misconduct involving the district manager must be condemned in the strongest terms.

The DA will be requesting a copy of the report from the MEC, in order to study the contents. In the interim, based on the MEC's presentation, we expect that he will summarily suspend the district manager, pending a comprehensive disciplinary process. It cannot be that she is simply given a slap on the wrist. The book must be thrown at her while charges of corruption must also be proffered in line with due process.

In addition, the companies referred to in the report must be immediately black-listed if they are indeed found to have been complicit in this racket. This means that no work from any government department must be given to them. In the event that any process confirms their criminal involvement, they must also be subject to the full might of the law.

As far as the MEC's comments on PPE procurement are concerned, both Treasury and the Auditor-General (A-G) found that the DoE paid prices based on Treasury note 5. This was a pricelist suggested by government and was most certainly not market-related for PPE at the time.

The DA finds it odd that there is now a suggestion that the Department negotiated prices when, in fact, its own HOD defended these high prices during a KZN Education portfolio committee in June 2020, while giving a slide presentation on PPE procurement.

It is clear that the MEC has conveniently forgotten the findings of a Special Investigation Unit (SIU) probe into DoE PPE procurement, which pointed to skulduggery by his own officials. This is evident from his attempt to manoeuvre around the fact that higher than market-related prices were paid. This must be seen for what it is – a pathetic attempt to dodge and deceive KZN’s public.

The big question is - how did Treasury come up with such massively inflated prices in the first place? The DA is yet to see proof that the DoE paid market- related prices.

A declaration of prices per item paid by KZN government Departments - released by the Office of the Premier - showed the prices that the DoE paid. If there were a few instances where the DoE paid slightly lower than the Treasury guideline, can we say that the Department is completely blameless?

The DA will also request the Treasury report from MEC Mshengu. We will study the contents of both reports highlighted today and will provide a detailed opinion on them.

The people of KZN deserve the truth from those they have elected to positions of power. If this is not what they are getting, they must implement change at the ballot box.

Issued by Imran Keeka, DA KZN Spokesperson on Education, 13 April 2021