Staff Reporter
KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka said his department had accepted findings by the Special Investigating Unit into an irregular R2.5 million contract for chemical toilets at schools, and that disciplinary proceedings would be implemented against the implicated employees.
Hlomuka was responding to an SIU statement released on Monday that said the Special Tribunal had ordered the MEC to initiate disciplinary proceedings against 16 departmental officials implicated in the awarding and extension of a contract for 72 chemical toilets in the Pinetown District.
Hlomuka said he had directed the head of department to ensure the SIU’s disciplinary directives were implemented “without delay, and that consequence-management processes are conducted fairly, consistently and within the prescripts of the law”.
The SIU welcomed the tribunal order, saying it “goes beyond declaring the contract invalid to actively enforcing consequence management at all levels of state administration,” and praised the judgment for reinforcing accountability at the senior levels of the education department, SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said.
The tribunal also set aside the unlawful contract and ordered the service provider, Hawulethu (Pty) Ltd, to repay all profits derived from it.
Said Hlomuka: “As the Executive Authority, I wish to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and ethical governance.”
The SIU investigation into the June 2020 procurement found that the contract, valued at R2,538,000.00, was awarded without any competitive bidding process, in violation of constitutional and public finance rules.
It said 16 officials failed to follow mandatory supply chain management processes and that Hawulethu was contacted and delivered goods before being formally appointed as a service provider. The company “overcharged by more than 100 per cent,” the SIU said.
Hlomuka said the department would cooperate with efforts to recover losses and backed the SIU’s legal bid to reclaim irregular profits.
He said that the department would tighten controls to prevent a repeat of the irregular procurement, including strengthening supply-chain checks, intensifying internal audit monitoring and expanding training and capacity-building programmes for officials.
He also ordered that quarterly progress reports on SIU-related matters be submitted to his office.
“It is important to highlight that the vast majority of our officials conduct their responsibilities with diligence and integrity,” Hlomuka said, but added that “any breach of public trust — no matter how isolated — undermines our collective mission to deliver quality education to the children of KwaZulu-Natal.”
“The Department will not tolerate any form of corruption or negligence that compromises the right of learners to learn in a well-resourced, functional schooling environment. Every rand allocated to this Department must reach our schools, our teachers, and ultimately, our learners,” he said.
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