Special Tribunal halts payment

Eastern Cape Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba
Image Source via Twitter @ANCECape

Special Tribunal halts payment of R10 million scooter tender

The Eastern Cape health department has said it would not be challenging the decision

Special Tribunal halts payment

Eastern Cape Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba
Image Source via Twitter @ANCECape

The Special Tribunal has granted an order, preventing the Eastern Cape health department from paying out the more than R10 million, for the controversial scooter project.

It was initially reported that health MEC Sindiswa Gomba, her department’s Superintendent General Dr Thobile Mbengashe and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Msulwa Daca as well as Fabkomp, the company that was awarded the scooter tender, will be appearing before the Tribunal on Friday, September 18, 2020.

However TimesLIVE reports that the MEC, Daca and Mbengashe claimed to have not been invited to appear.

Delivering the judgement, Judge Lebogang Modiba said:

“Pending finalisation of the review application in terms of Part B, the first to the third respondents (the Health MEC, the Superintendent General and the Chief Financial Officer respectively) are interdicted and restrained from making any payment in the amount of R10 148 750 or part thereof to the fourth respondent under tender no. SCMU3-20/21-0022-HO and pending finalisation of the review application referred to above, the first to the fourth respondents are interdicted and restrained from taking any further steps towards the implementation of the tender”

SIU welcomes tribunal decision

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the decision and said it would ensure that state funds are not abused.

“The Eastern Cape department of health agreed to an order interdicting and restraining it from making any payments in the amount of R10,148,750 regarding tender No. SCMU3-20/21-0022-HO,” the SIU said in a statement.

“The SIU will ensure that everything is done to protect the resources of the state from any misuse. In this case, we have successfully stopped the payment before it was paid to the contractor.”

The 100 scooters, fitted with extra chairs and gazebos, were initially meant to transport patients, however the Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize essentially said it was an absolute fail as it did not meet the necessary requirements to function as an ambulance.

“…the Scooter Project that was launched by the Eastern Cape Department of Health  (ECDOH) does not meet the basic criteria for patient transport as an ambulance,” he said in response to a written parliamentary question from the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Siviwe Gwarube.

“The purpose of this project by ECDOH is mainly for widening access to primary health care and delivering of chronic medicine for the most remote areas of the Eastern Cape province,” Mkhize also said.