Parliament wants Mboweni to explain Covid-19 corruption
Parliament has summoned Finance Minister Tito Mboweni to explain the procurement of personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This comes amid allegations that some high-profile politicians have benefiting from dodgy Covid-19 deals and that anti-corruption investigators were probing contracts involving more than R2 billion.
Chairperson of Parliament’s finance committee Joe Maswanganyi says there are widespread allegations of corruption involving provincial departments of health and some municipalities.
"From the report that we have, which the minister still has to verify and give us more information and context, is that there are challenges regarding the procurement scooter ambulances in the Eastern Cape. There are challenges in regards to PPEs procurements in the department of education in KwaZulu-Natal, there are challenges in regards to procurement to PPEs in the Gauteng.
"So what we want to know from the minister is, were those tenders which were awarded fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective? Because all of these are the requirements of the constitution.”
Maswanganyi says corruption cannot be tolerated in an environment where South Africans are losing their jobs and businesses are closing their doors due to Covid-19.
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