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An old mining town popular with tourists. Image: zuidafrikaspecialist.nl

 For The Old Print Shop, the winning bidder was R400,000 less than the losing bidder

The caravan park was awarded at R48,885 whilst the highest bid was for R1.4 million.

The current operators of the Pilgrim's Rest Country Club tendered R158,008 - but the successful bidders - which happens to be the company that got five tenders - tendered a mere R33 per month

- Source: Carte Blanche  

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“Yes, the Public Protector has decided to look into the matter,” it said.

“The investigation has commenced and the Public Protector is being assisted by her Mpumalanga provincial office to probe the matter.” 

The investigation would determine whether all statutory requirements had been adhered to in the awarding of tenders.

The Freedom Front Plus said the probe was the result of media reports that tenants were given 30 days’ notice by the department of public works to vacate their shops and make way for the new recipients of the tenders.

FFPlus parliamentary spokesman on economic affairs Anton Alberts asked Madonsela to investigate.

He said the original tenants had complained that they had not received responses, since November 2011, to their own tender applications, he said in a statement.

“It also appears that some tenants had been threatened by government officials that they would be removed from the properties if they did not vacate the premises by the end of July 2012.” 

In July, the High Court in Pretoria issued an order restraining the Mpumalanga provincial government from evicting occupants of Pilgrim’s Rest business premises.

Judge Stanley Makgoba criticised the tender process and the provincial authorities.

“I came to realise that the tenders awarded are marred with controversy and taken with some measure of illegality,” Makgoba said at the time.

“There is prima facie evidence that the awarding of the tenders was not made in accordance with the system that is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, [and] cost effective, as required in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.” 

The business owners had filed an urgent application to prevent their eviction, after being served with notices by the public works department.

The provincial authorities were interdicted from awarding any tenders for new occupants to use the buildings.

The court ordered the respondents to furnish the applicants with the documents relating to the contentious tenders process, and adjudication would begin.

Comments

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Sat May 25 10:53:32 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 16, 2012

Sinudeity_

Hehe, and the company that won ALL the tenders is connected to one business. The MEC refused to release the tender documentation. Just another case of ANC corruption.
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Aug 16, 2012

Chichi7

Lol- we do this to ourselves and later point fingers at other people when things fall apart. I do not undertsand why current business are being given hell when nothing was wrongfully done on their part.
yah neh!!
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Aug 16, 2012

Papage

ANC for you, they never stop to amaze.
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Aug 16, 2012

sabza007

Thuli Madonsela's ass must be protected 24hours a day. She is honestly doing her job,but she is also stepping on the Mafia's Zone who belong to her political party by the way.The Pilgrims rest issue smells trouble, remember that it was Public Works officials who were threatening people with evictions and forceful removals.There will be tenders war in this country,very soon.
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Aug 16, 2012

Mthondowethusi

ANC is very corrupt
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Aug 16, 2012

Mthondowethusi

SABZA

thats true , actually they will even start fighting amongst themselves , these ANC thugz
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Aug 16, 2012

Mfen'iyavova

But you still flock in by huge numbers at voting stations to vote for this avalanche of crap.stupid south africans.
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Aug 16, 2012

MommaC

Spaza shop mentality.
We have so many intelligent people in SA but this is what we elect to govern us?
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Aug 16, 2012

mambaaai

If its not Zumaville then its poor Mpumalanga getting nothing....and now its aimed at giving this all to who.....hmmmmmmm I think we know already. This all stinks again
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