It is high time that local government is professionalised along with other areas of the state that are getting that treatment, says Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke. The competency of municipalities’ admin staff is as important as the competency of their political leadership and if this is not addressed, Maluleke says, municipalities will continue to misfire.
The Special Investigating Unit has succeeded in its bid to overturn a R257-million contract for personal protective equipment, entered into by the Gauteng Department of Health and a company called Nkhane Projects and Supply during the Covid-19 pandemic of four years ago. The Special Tribunal, on 5 August, ruled the contract invalid and set it aside. Additionally, Nkhane must pay the SIU’s costs for the application, including the costs for two counsel where applicable.
Minister of Higher Education and Training Nobuhle Nkabane has called for the nomination of individuals to serve on the board of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, or NSFAS. The window for nominations opened on 13 August 2024 and will close on Tuesday, 3 September 2024.
A new Amnesty International report once again casts light on the disproportionate victimisation, harassment, and killings of members of Abahlali baseMjondolo, South Africa’s largest social movement representing the interests of shack dwellers, the homeless, and the poor. The report also highlights authorities’ lackadaisical attitude towards the ongoing violence, and the failure to make even desultory attempts to address it.
The City of Tshwane’s new e-commence and procurement portal aims to boost the fight against corruption within the procurement system, enable faster and more efficient procurement, and facilitate better value for public money. The system will minimise human intervention in procurement and track the performance and delivery of contracted suppliers, among other features.
Business is the most trusted sector in the world, above NGOs, media, and governments, according to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, released by global communications firm Edelman earlier this year. The survey also revealed that developing countries have a much greater overall trust rating in the four institutions than developed countries, and the UK was the worst of the latter, finding itself at the bottom of the table in terms of overall trust levels.
CW’s Kirsten Pearson recently undertook an analysis of the levels of public spending over the past financial year. She found a spike in new contracts, as well as in authorised deviations and expansions, in the few months before financial year-end – and particularly in November and December 2023. This year-end spending surge is likely to result in unwise procurement decisions as departments rush to use unspent funds to avoid having to give them back to Treasury.
While the new Public Procurement Act is now in law, it has not yet been enforced. There are still issues to be worked out and clarified before the act can be fully implemented, but there are also some aspects that can immediately be worked on to bring them into operation as soon as possible.
Banking giant Nedbank faces more legal woes, while the new procurement law is touted by President Cyril Ramaphosa as the state’s best response to state capture, and South Africa prepares to bid farewell to chief justice Raymond Zondo.
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