62% of PPE contracts investigated so far found to be irregular

Refilwe Moloto speaks to OUTA Rudi Heyneke about the investigation and findings 18-month long investigation into PPE procurement.

• These findings are only about a 9.4% of the Covid contracts that were investigated says OUTA

A host of MECs, mayors, captains, colonels CFO’s, directors, and heads of departments have been implicated in the investigation and findings of an 18-month long investigation into PPE procurement.

A total of 224 government officials have been referred for disciplinary action, 386 people will face the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and 330 companies are under recommendation for blacklisting. The report stems from the investigation of 5,467 contracts awarded to 3,066 service providers. Of these, 62% were found to be irregular.

The contracts investigated involved R14.3-billion and made up about 9.4% of the total amount of R152-billion that the state spent on Covid-19 expenditure between April 2020 and September 2020.

The 737-page SIU COVID-19 procurement report has painted a grim picture of South African government corruption.
Refilwe Moloto speaks to OUTA State Capture Projects Manager, Rudi Heyneke.

To add to the grim picture, these findings are only about a 9.4% of the Covid contracts that were investigated. The total amount of contracts that were signed by the government was R152 billion and the SIU only could manage to investigate around R14 billion.

Rudi Heyneke, State Capture Projects Manager – OUTA

He says there will therefore likely be far more will be exposed regarding PPE contracts as more are investigated.

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