The Western Cape Department of Education (WCED) and SITA are behaving like Pontius Pilate – indecisive, dismissive, and unwilling to act on blatant corruption.
Representations made to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education today expose a deeply compromised SITA board and a hardegat WCED that has consistently dragged its feet and washed its hands of the irregular awarding of the R1.2 billion LAN Networks BNC tender.
This comes after the Basic Education Portfolio Committee acceded to our ActionSA’s request to summon the implicated parties before it. Namely, WCED and SITA.
An independent forensic report by Cliff Dekker Homeyer (CDH) identified glaring irregularities in this tender process, including:
– Two pricing options which were raised on multiple occasions which were ignored.
– Failure to Meet Local Content Requirements: A blatant regulatory breach.
– Unjust Exclusion of Dimension Data: Undermining competitive fairness.
– Irregular Board Voting Processes: Round-robin decisions bypassing due governance and not reaching the 70% vote threshold (57%).
Despite these findings, the WCED has audaciously absolved itself of any wrongdoing, insisting on proceeding with this dodgy tender. Their claim that the CDH report “does not demonstrate reviewable irregularities” reflects a wilful denial of accountability which is surprising considering the Auditor-General (A-G) has now also flagged issues with the awarding of the tender.
The inaction of MEC David Maynier is equally appalling. Thousands of teacher posts slashed, now the revelations of this R1.2 billion dodgy tender. This raises serious questions about his commitment to transparent and ethical governance.
We demand that:
1. Immediate Replacement of the SITA Board: Install a fit-for-purpose leadership.
2. Ensure the SIU and Hawks investigate.
3. Review of the Tender Process: The WCED must stop dragging its feet and act decisively to address the flagged irregularities.
4. Accountability for MEC Maynier: He must explain why he has allowed this mess to fester unchecked.
South Africans deserve better than this ostrich-like “head in the sand” approach. The billions wasted in corruption scandals like this come at the expense of learners, teachers, and taxpayers. WCED and SITA must stop shirking responsibility and take immediate action to restore trust in their governance.
SITA and WCED Take a Pontius Pilate Approach to Fighting Corruption
The Western Cape Department of Education (WCED) and SITA are behaving like Pontius Pilate – indecisive, dismissive, and unwilling to act on blatant corruption.
Representations made to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education today expose a deeply compromised SITA board and a hardegat WCED that has consistently dragged its feet and washed its hands of the irregular awarding of the R1.2 billion LAN Networks BNC tender.
This comes after the Basic Education Portfolio Committee acceded to our ActionSA’s request to summon the implicated parties before it. Namely, WCED and SITA.
An independent forensic report by Cliff Dekker Homeyer (CDH) identified glaring irregularities in this tender process, including:
– Two pricing options which were raised on multiple occasions which were ignored.
– Failure to Meet Local Content Requirements: A blatant regulatory breach.
– Unjust Exclusion of Dimension Data: Undermining competitive fairness.
– Irregular Board Voting Processes: Round-robin decisions bypassing due governance and not reaching the 70% vote threshold (57%).
Despite these findings, the WCED has audaciously absolved itself of any wrongdoing, insisting on proceeding with this dodgy tender. Their claim that the CDH report “does not demonstrate reviewable irregularities” reflects a wilful denial of accountability which is surprising considering the Auditor-General (A-G) has now also flagged issues with the awarding of the tender.
The inaction of MEC David Maynier is equally appalling. Thousands of teacher posts slashed, now the revelations of this R1.2 billion dodgy tender. This raises serious questions about his commitment to transparent and ethical governance.
We demand that:
1. Immediate Replacement of the SITA Board: Install a fit-for-purpose leadership.
2. Ensure the SIU and Hawks investigate.
3. Review of the Tender Process: The WCED must stop dragging its feet and act decisively to address the flagged irregularities.
4. Accountability for MEC Maynier: He must explain why he has allowed this mess to fester unchecked.
South Africans deserve better than this ostrich-like “head in the sand” approach. The billions wasted in corruption scandals like this come at the expense of learners, teachers, and taxpayers. WCED and SITA must stop shirking responsibility and take immediate action to restore trust in their governance.