EFF statement on PPE tender awarded to husband or presidency spokesperson KhuselaDiko

21 July 2020

The Economic Freedom Fighters is disgusted by the apparent conflict of interest that resulted in the awarding of a tender to provide Personal Protective Equipment by the Gauteng Health Department to MadzikaneThandisizweDiko, the husband of Gauteng ANC PEC member and Presidency Spokesperson KhuselaDiko.

According to reports Diko's company, Royal Bhaca Projects was awarded contracts that mount to RI 25 million only days after the President declared a national lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19 in March 2020. The contracts, which amounted to R47 million and R78 million respectively were given to Diko to provide supplies such as biohazard health care waste, biohazard health disposable bags, surgical masks and sanitisers.

Even more shockingly, Diko's company is said to have inflated the cost of the PPE's it was providing to the Department to amounts that were significantly above the regulated prices for PPE's. These regulated prices were put in place to prevent parasitic companies such as Diko's from exploiting a human crisis for personal benefit.

The EFF condemns this blatant conflict of interest which sees the kin of government officials profiting from a global pandemic. We have long argued that the tender system in South Africa is a method used to loot state coffers by exploitative companies and the only way to avoid this is to build state-capacity to manufacture goods and provide services.

We call for an investigation into the tender process which saw the husband of KhuselaDiko profiting from the Gauteng Health Departments need for PPE's and for her immediate dismissal as the Spokesperson to the President. It cannot be that Diko was awarded a tender swiftly after the announcement of the national lockdown and no undue influence was gained as a result of his proximity to the Presidency.

Issued by Vuyani Pambo, National Spokesperson, EFF, 21 July 2020