Doctors putting on gloves.
- The Daily Dispatch reported that a dead businessman’s company was listed as having benefitted from the Eastern Cape health department’s Covid-19 procurement.
- The newspaper reported that Odwa KK Matshaya’s family was shocked when they saw his company, 2KS construction and projects, listed as having received R992 105.
- The Eastern Cape health department said it never awarded 2KS Construction a PPE tender.
The Eastern Cape health department has dismissed reports published by the Daily Dispatch on Saturday alleging that it awarded a Covid-19 tender to a businessman who died two years ago.
The Daily Dispatch reported that the deceased’s company was listed as having benefitted from the department’s Covid-19 procurement.
The provincial government had disclosed a list of more than 600 vendors that benefitted from the procurement meant for Covid-19 goods and services.
READ | Covid-19 tenders in Gauteng: Here’s the companies paid millions for goods and services
The newspaper reported that Odwa KK Matshaya’s family was shocked when they saw his company, 2KS Construction and Projects, listed as having received R992 105. It was reported that, at the time of his death, Matshaya was the sole director.
‘Falsehoods’
“The Eastern Cape Department of Health wishes to state categorically that the newspaper article that was published in the Daily Dispatch of 22 August 2020 contains falsehoods that border on absurdity,” said health spokesperson Siyanda Manana in a statement on Saturday.
Manana said the department never awarded 2KS Construction any PPE tender.
He further said the director of 2KS Construction was not the person listed in the Daily Dispatch article.
He said the director, a Mr Nceba Kwakweni, was alive. News24 asked Manana for Kwakweni’s contact details in order to verify the claims.
At the time of writing, Manana had not supplied the number as agreed.
Manana further said if companies were asked to quote on certain items, but did not receive any work, it was because the supply chain process was subject to compliance checks and competition with other bidders. The quote did not guarantee an award, said Manana.
