GCIS was a mini-VBS, Manyi tells Zondo commission
Former Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) CEO and businessman Mzwanele Manyi has told the commission of inquiry into state capture that the entity irregularly paid over R7 million to service providers in 2011.
Manyi, who bought the Afro WorldView news channel from the Gupta family, appeared before the commission on Wednesday.
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo excused him from proceedings before lunchtime, saying the subpoena was a misunderstanding and he should return at a later date.
A determined Manyi objected - stating he was being treated unfairly as he is prepared to give his version.
He told the commission the acting CEO of GCIS Phumla Williams presided over the irregular tender related to an awareness campaign around the 2011 census.
The former director general at the Department of Labour was appointed the head of GCIS in 2011.
During her testimony, Williams told the commission that Manyi dismantled the existing bid adjudication committee when he took over at the entity from Themba Maseko.
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Manyi submitted a report by Treasury after an investigation into the irregular tender which found that Williams, who was not lawfully authorised, signed off the deal.
He said three service providers were appointed without due process and invoices were settled without rendering any services.
“I found the collaboration of bid adjudication members and procurement members, that whole team, somehow had a very elaborate scheme of doing this thing, a typical mini-VBS chairperson. That is the situation I found, and it was untenable, there is no way an accounting officer would have left that thing unattended. That is the chief reason why I had to change that bid committee.”
Reading from Treasury’s report, Manyi said the third service provider was appointed by StatsSA to commission artwork for the project and that R64 million was paid to that company which never delivered on its work.
He told the commission he had to request the Minister of Communications Nomvula Mokonyane to intervene.
“As they were giving this report they were doing it halfheartedly. They didn’t give the attachments that go with the report, some of the attachments I received last night hence I couldn’t submit them. One of the attachments makes reference to a memorandum that was authored by Williams herself, its talks about regularizing bulk buying, it sanitises everything that would have been procured from 2010 September to end of March 2011, and it so happens that all the shenanigans happened during that time.”
He believes the memorandum was put together to hide fraud and corruption.
Manyi will appear before the commission again on November 23 to continue his testimony.