Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has requested that the Independent Development Trust (IDT) provide answers by Friday around the processes followed for three companies to be awarded a multimillion rand oxygen plant tender.

This is despite two of the companies lacking South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) registration.

This follows a report by the Daily Maverick claiming that the companies were awarded the tender by the IDT, which serves as the implementing agent for the oxygen plant roll-out on behalf of the Department of Health.

Macpherson said in a statement that he viewed the allegations in a serious light, ‘as the IDT, like any other State institution, must adhere to the Constitution’s Section 217, which requires that goods and services be procured through a system that is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective’.

The Daily Maverick report on Monday revealed that Bulkeng (Pty) Ltd and Maziya General Trading, in partnership with On Sit
e Gas Systems International – who does hold a SAHPRA licence – were awarded tenders by the IDT to install complex technical pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants at state hospitals across the country.

“As Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, I take these allegations very seriously, as the IDT, like any state institution, must adhere to the constitutional imperative outlined in Section 217.

‘Section 217 stipulates that when any organ of state contracts for goods or services, it must do so in a system that is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective.

“The article published by Daily Maverick, however, raises several significant concerns about the process followed in the appointment of Bulkeng (Pty) Ltd, Maziya General Trading, and On Site Gas Systems International by the IDT.

‘As the Minister responsible for the oversight of the IDT, I will ensure that there is transparency and accountability,” the Minister said.

Source: South African Government News Agency