An Eastern Cape company was selected for a R21-million tender to fix broken school hostels without the work being advertised.
Mzomba Developments Pty (Ltd), a company owned by Jongikhaya Mzomba, was awarded the tender by Mvula Trust to upgrade water and sanitation services in eight schools in the province.
Mvula Trust is an implementing agency working with a number of government departments.
A document signed by Education HOD, Ray Tywakadi, seen by the Saturday Dispatch, said it was an emergency infrastructure intervention.
Tywakadi signed off the work to Mvula Trust on January 16 but a few weeks later on February 2, Mzomba’s wife, Fezeka Manyika-Mzomba, a quantity surveyor, was employed by the trust as a technical services manager, which automatically gives her power to monitor the project given to her husband.
Manyika-Mzomba was previously employed by the education department’s planning and infrastructure section. Some of the projects the section was dealing with were broken school hostels.
Manyika-Mzomba was interviewed for the job by Mvula Trust on December 9, a month before the project was signed off to Mvula Trust.
Asked if there was no conflict of interest on this, Eastern Cape Mvula Trust regional director Johnson Klu accused the Dispatch of making wild allegations.
But Mvula Trust chief executive, Silas Mbedzi, said there was no conflict of interest.
“Fezeka Manyika-Mzomba was employed way after the Mvula Trust had already engaged the services of Mzomba Development. They offer different expertise that we needed within the organisation,” said Mbedzi.
Asked why the project had not been put out to tender, Mbedzi said: “Our current supply chain policy allows us to advertise or to engage people with the necessary expertise on an urgent basis.
“Mzomba Development were identified for their expertise on an urgent basis. We have been working with Mr Mzomba on other projects around school infrastructure for some time.”
Contacted for comment, Mzomba saw nothing wrong with this “as Mrs Mzomba is not a person that I report to”.
But he agreed the person he reports to at Mvula Trust was supervised by his wife.
Mzomba will employ a number of companies to do the work.
“I will then claim for them at the department but I must make sure I pick credible companies,” he said.
Manyika-Mzomba said: “I am not comfortable talking to you and I don’t understand even the conflict of interest issue but the CEO should talk to you. I am a junior employee here,” she said.
The schools to benefit are:
- Byletts Combined in East London (R3.897-million);
- Phandulwazi High in Alice (R426610);
- St Matthews in Keiskammahoek (R1.472-million);
- Mt Arthur Girls High in Lady Frere (R3.792-million);
- Freemantle High in Lady Frere (R1.353-million);
- Osborn Senior Secondary in Mount Frere (R5.851-million);
- Ndamase High in Qunu (R3.423-million); and
- Sophathisana High school in East London (R882714). — bonganif@dispatch.co.za