Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
- The former Free State human settlements HOD has conceded that they did not follow correct processes when they considered a proposal for the asbestos audit project.
- Nthimose Mokhesi was testifying at the Zondo commission on Friday.
- The multimillion-rand contract was secured by a joint venture in 2014.
Former head of the human settlements department in the Free State Nthimose “Tim” Mokhesi has told the State Capture Commission that his department did not follow the correct process when it approved a proposal on the asbestos audit project.
Mokhesi testified before the commission on Friday after his application for a postponement was dismissed by the chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Mokhesi signed off on the asbestos audit contract in his capacity as the accounting officer.
The multimillion-rand contract was secured in 2014 by a joint venture between engineering consultancy firm Blackhead Consulting and Diamond Hill Trading 71.
He told the commission that when he received the proposal, he went through it and referred it to the supply chain manager, a Mr Matlakala.
Evidence leader advocate Paul Pretorius SC asked if he considered whether the “unsolicited proposal” which he was given by Blackhead Consulting director Edwin Sodi met the requirements.
“The instrument that was used for this proposal was not the correct one. I admit,” he replied.
“The application of that proposal and how it was applied was an issue, it was a problem. Mr Matlakala (supply chain manager) applied the wrong prescripts in this situation,” Mokhesi responded.
Gauteng and the Free State had extended the multimillion-rand asbestos contract to each other, however, the process had been found to be flawed.
Mokhesi said he initially thought the national human settlements department had provided the asbestos audit contract to Blackhead and not Gauteng.
He also said when Free State participated in the contract he did not ask for any documentation.
He said he relied on his supply manager who assured him that they have done their work.
“I am not talking about interns here. I am talking about senior managers. If you give me an assurance that you have done you work, that is sufficient for me because procurement documents are voluminous. I simply have to get an assurance that indeed you have done your work and that assurance was given to me.”
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When the contract was extended to the Free State, Mokhesi said he did not look at it to determine the terms and conditions.
The terms and conditions related to performance and price were different to what was entered into in the Free state.
On Mokhesi’s statement that he failed to look at the terms of reference “simply because of the voluminous procurement document”, Pretorius said: “I am not sure it would have been too difficult and too voluminous a task to simply establish what the price per unit was in Gauteng.”
Mokhesi also told the commission that although the Auditor-General in the Free State declared the contract invalid, they continued to pay the service providers.
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He said this was because work had already been done.
Asked if he investigated if there was value for money, Mokhesi said he had instructed the project manager unit to do so.
The commission is expected to continue on Monday with evidence from former Minister Nomvula Mokonyane’s personal assistant, Sandy Thomas.
