Three municipal officials in the Western Cape who colluded to award a personal protective equipment (PPE) tender at the start of the hard Covid-19 lockdown in a deal with a business owner have been ordered to jointly pay back R400,000.
The ruling comes after a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation into the Matzikama municipality.
The investigation revealed former municipal officials Aldrich Hendricks, Isak Edward Jenner and Jafta Booysen colluded with Nicolaas Jacobus Klazen to award a PPE tender to Duneco CC to supply gloves and masks without following supply chain management processes.
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the acting municipal manager in March 2020 was Lionel Phillips who established a Covid-19 team to arrange the purchase of PPE when the hard lockdown was announced.
“A municipal official was instructed to obtain quotes for PPE. The official sent out written requests for quotations to certain suppliers with responses to be received before the closing date of April 1 2020. Four suppliers responded,” he said.
Hendricks replaced Phillips as acting municipal manager on April 1 and on that day was provided with the quotations. He disbanded the Covid-19 team and appointed Jenner as the Covid- 19 co-ordinating officer.
Klazen and Hendricks then discussed the supply of PPE to the municipality.
“Klazen deposited money in the bank account of Hendricks’ wife before the tender was awarded, and Klazen failed to disclose his relationship with Hendricks,” said Kganyago.
The Special Tribunal agreed with the findings of the SIU and declared the decision taken by Hendricks as acting municipal manager in April 2020 to be irregular and invalid.
The Tribunal ordered Hendricks, Jenner and Booysen jointly pay R400,027 to the municipality, with interest calculated from April 22 2020. Booysen was the former CFO.
“The municipal officials resigned after the SIU investigation commenced. Booysen and Hendricks are employed as municipal managers at the Laingsburg municipality and Prince Albert municipality in the Western Cape. Jenner is a former MEC of cultural affairs, sport, and recreation,” said Kganyago.
The four were arrested by the Hawks and charged with fraud. They were released on R5,000 bail each.
The case will be enrolled at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court at Bellville in July.
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