CRAIG BISHOP, Ncome | Thursday
THE national deputy director general of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Professor Musa Xulu, has been charged with misconduct and suspended following a forensic audit into tender processes totalling R2m.
Director general Dr Rob Adam said the contracts were awarded by the former National Monuments Council, now the SA Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), to two companies, Elethu CC and Themane Construction, for the construction of an access road to the Ncome/Blood River museum, and for the function held to open the museum last year.
The road cost R1,5m and the function R500000.
At the time, members of the public and rural communities criticised the ‘extravagant’ cost of the opening function, saying the money could have been better spent delivering basic services to local communities, rather than “paying for seven helicopters to transport VIPs to and from Ncome monument.”
Following independent forensic audits, it is alleged that Elethu CC project manager, Archie Khumalo, played no project management role in organising the function beyond the payment of subcontractors Xulu identified.
Khumalo was entitled to take 10% of the tender value, although it is alleged that he received more than this sum.
It is also alleged that Xulu intervened in order to prevent the road construction award to Doringberg Construction, on black empowerment grounds, despite the fact that the National Monuments’ Council had identified Doringberg as the company to build the road.
The road construction was awarded to Themane Construction, which immediately subcontracted the entire job to a white-owned company, Construction and Plant Hire, for substantially less than the original tender. Themane is accused of pocketing over R300000.
An engineer’s report into the access road construction, commissioned by Adam, revealed that the work was sub-standard and would have to be redone.
Department communications director Frans Basson defended the cost of the opening function, saying “it was not extravagant in terms of other unveilings of other monuments”. – African Eye News Service