Beitbridge border fence reports: Calls grow for De Lille to be sacked

The latest SIU report on the Beitbridge border fence saga has included a long list of irregularities. Based on that, the SIU has put forward recommendations for the Department of Public Works.

While the department has been ordered to take action and implement the relevant recommendations, the SIU will approach the Special Tribunal in order to cancel the contract and recover the losses incurred by the State. At the same time, National Treasury’s report has also raised a few red flags. The Democratic Alliance (DA), following the reports, believes Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Patricia De Lille is implicated in wrongdoing and should be fired for her actions… or lack thereof. 

National Treasury has recommended that the emergency procurement on the fencing at the Beitbridge border post be investigated.

On Monday the 16 March 2020 De Lille issued a directive to the Director-General of the department, directing him to appoint a service provider using emergency procurement processes in relation to the erection and repair of the Beitbridge border fence. According to the minister, the purpose of issuing the directive was to secure the border in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

SIX KEY FINDINGS FROM THE SIU BORDER FENCE INVESTIGATION

The  SIU investigation revealed procurement irregularities perpetrated during the infrastructure delivery process, as well as possible acts of fraud. The irregularities identified include:

Advance payments exceeding R21.8 million

• The effecting of an advance payment of R21.8 million to the Contractor and R1.8 million to the Principal Agent within days of their respective appointments, was irregular as no material was delivered and construction had not commenced.

Total cost of the project

• The Value for Money Assessment conducted by the PICC technical task team indicated significant anomalies. The total project cost, which includes both construction and engineering fees, for the Contract, was R40.4 million.

Overpriced by R14.3 million

• Although the contracted amount was ostensibly calculated at 2016 prices based on an earlier contract, the evaluation indicated that some of the items quoted were in fact not based on these 2016 prices. This includes site establishment costs exceeding  R1 million, which should not have been charged, and excessive units rates for specific items. Using the 2016 Contract rates, at which this project was contracted, the assessment found that the overall total project cost should have amounted to R26.1 million was therefore overpriced by R14.3 million.

Project cost exceeded

• An assessment using market-related prices for materials actually used on-site and revised fees for engineering services provides for a total project cost of R23 388 023.97. This indicates that project cost was exceeded by an amount of R17 047 891.01.

Poor construction

• Poor construction practices compromised the effectiveness of the fence as a deterrent for crossing the South African border with Zimbabwe. The barbed wire coils were stretched beyond its recommended effective limit,  also making it easier to scale the fence. These factors undermined the effectiveness of the fence to mitigate border threats.

• The significant elements of the Border Fence Project were not implemented at all. For example, the design of the fence had a final height of 2.2m and the final actual height of the fence reached no more than 1.8m on either side of the border and making it more easily scalable.

Breaches of the Beitbridge border fence

• During the SIU site visit on 4 and 5 May 2020, at least 115 breaches of the fence were recorded which may have resulted in an untold number of unlawful crossings between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

DA CALLS FOR RAMAPHOSA TO FIRE DE LILLE 

The DA has called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire De Lille following the Beitbridge border fence reports.

“National Treasury and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) presented damning findings before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure today which suggests that Minister Patricia De Lille was much more involved in the procurement of the Beitbridge ‘Washing Line’ than she has previously admitted,” said DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Samantha Graham-Maré. 

According to the DA, these findings not only implicate the minister but also gives Ramaphosa enough evidence to fire her.

The party quoted Treasury as saying; “[it] is not clear which contract the Minister instructed to be varied […] it would seem the Minister had a contract, supplier or contractor in mind. “[In] terms of separation of powers, the Executive Authority, must not interfere in administrative functions”.

“This confirms information in the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) possession regarding the Minister’s instruction for a variation order for the appointment of a contractor,” said Graham-Maré. 

The DA said the variation order was seemingly pursued to ensure that the specific contractor, Magwa Construction was appointed. 

“While this process was later aborted, the contractor was still appointed via an accelerated procurement process. The DA is of the view that Treasury’s findings implicate Minister De Lille to the extent that she unduly interfered in the procurement process for the fence and that this makes her complicit in the corruption that took place. President Ramaphosa should do the right thing and fire Minister De Lille,” she added.