Dr Jabulani Mjwara, the ex-Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal, has come under the spotlight again. This, after a company of which he’s a director recently became the preferred bidder in a R12,8 million Msunduzi Municipality tender to dredge the Camps Drift canal in Pietermaritzburg. O pposition parties and the public were outraged to hear that Mjwara’s company, Planet Waves, was the preferred bidder, despite current investigations into Mjwara’s financial maladministration during his tenure.
He resigned when it was discovered that over R100 million of taxpayers’ money had gone missing from his department’s coffers. This was before an internal disciplinary inquiry could be initiated. The money is still believed to be missing. Meanwhile, the Msunduzi Municipality’s procurement manager, Francis Grantham, has defended Planet Waves’ selection as preferred bidder in a large advert in The Witness newspaper. “[Regarding] Dr Mjwara’s x previous tenure as head of department x the municipality responds as follows.
The municipality operates at a different sphere of government, with its own laws, rules, regulations and bylaws. All its citizens are invited to take part in the economic activities afforded them and unless a citizen has been found guilty and convicted in a court of law of an act or offence that precludes them from legally taking part in the tender procedures, council may not disbar them from tendering.” – Lloyd Phillips
Billions needed for power infrastructure
ixing Sa’s electricity GRID distribution will cost R26 billion after years of neglect. While the 1998 white paper on energy, which envisaged creating sustainable distribution entities fell by the wayside in favour of a 2006 Cabinet decision to create regional electricity distributors (Reds), an investment of R2 billion a year will be needed for future maintenance and refurbishment. This is according to Willie de Beer, chief operations officer of EDI Holdings.
Currently municipalities get some 20% of their monthly income from electricity distribution and while it seems the Reds system may be implemented after next year’s election, no legislation has been drafted to facilitate the transition. illem Doman, Democratic Alliance MP for Provincial and Local Government, explains the constitution would have to be amended because it’s currently the municipalities’ constitutional objective to supply electricity and maintain their networks. “But they’re prepared to hand over infrastructure and facilities to the Reds,” said Doman. – David Steynberg
