The Citizen reports that the Special Tribunal has ordered a company to repay profits derived from an unconstitutional Mpumalanga personal protective equipment (PPE) contract after an investigation exposed irregularities in mask procurement.

According to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), it secured the court order to recover profits in respect of a R4.73 million PPE contract. The Mpumalanga Department of Health was found to have unlawfully awarded the contract to Tepa Trading and Projects in April 2020 for the supply and delivery of 220,000 three-ply masks. The contract was declared unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid and was set aside. The SIU’s investigation had revealed that the department did not follow a fair and transparent procurement process. It also found the process had not been not equal, competitive, or cost-effective. The Tribunal concluded that there were numerous irregularities in the procurement process and an official who lacked the required financial authority had illegally approved the contract. The Tribunal also ordered Tepa Trading to pay the SIU’s legal costs.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chulumanco Mahamba at The Citizen

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