Crucial security functions at Parliament, the South African Revenue Service (Sars), the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, two parastatals and several big private companies are in the hands of a firm with a history of corrupt practices, Friday’s Mail & Guardian reveals.
Africa Strategic Asset Protection (Asap) won a R32-million access-control contract and a R12-million asset-tracking contract for Parliament in what appear to be clear cases of tender-rigging.
Asap still has a R450 000-per-month maintenance contract at the legislature, despite repeated South African Police Service complaints that the company’s poor performance threatens security at premises frequented by MPs, Cabinet ministers and government officials.
Asap also stands to earn millions in commission after a Chinese company it represents won a massive tender from Sars for scanners that will enable customs officials to look inside containers without opening them.
And it helped supply electronic snooping equipment to the National Communications Centre, which helps law enforcement and intelligence agencies spy on telephone and internet traffic.
Asap and its subsidiaries have contracts at Coega, the National Prosecuting Authority, PetroSA and oil company BP.
Read the full story on Friday in the Mail & Guardian and on the Mail & Guardian Online