Thomson Reuters calls for retendering of R225m IT contract
Company says it has not paid the three former office of the chief justice staff who helped strike the deal
Image: 123RF/Lukas Gojda
Multinational media and technology company Thomson Reuters has called for the office of the chief justice (OCJ) to retender the court document management system contract in an open, transparent and competitive process.
“Similarly, Thomson Reuters is also seeking legal advice in relation to the termination of the contract with the OCJ’s former senior officials,” it said on Tuesday.
The company said there had been questions raised about the R225m contract it was awarded by the OCJ for the provision of its evidence sharing solution, CaseLines, and the actions of the OCJ’s former senior officials.
Sunday Times reported in June that three former OCJ officials were accused of corruptly setting themselves up for a large slice of a R225m IT contract after they helped to strike the deal.
They are former CFO Casper Coetzer, former spokesperson and chief director of court administration Nathi Mncube and former case management director Yvonne van Niekerk. They resigned in May and took their jobs as local partners to Thomson Reuters.
Through their subcontract they were set to earn 30% of the value of the deal, about R67.5m. It is unclear what work they have performed on the contract.
Thomson Reuters announced it had launched a formal investigation to understand the facts, during which all work with the subcontractor, ZA Square, was put on hold.
On Tuesday, Thomson Reuters said it had not paid Coetzer, Mncube or Van Niekerk nor received any payment from the OCJ for the CaseLines contract.
The company said CaseLines has facilitated access to justice and the smooth running of the high courts in Gauteng since 2019.
It said to ensure continued support is provided to the South African court system, Thomson Reuters will continue to provide the CaseLines product and associated services to the OCJ.
“Given the circumstances and our ongoing discussions with the OCJ, we believe that the proper path forward should be for the OCJ to retender the contract in an open, transparent and competitive process.”
The company said in line with its principles, it believed the investigations into the situation must continue so any wrongdoing was properly and thoroughly addressed and appropriate actions taken.
“Our commitment to the people of South Africa is that as a company we will do our part to assist in the ongoing investigations so any and all wrongdoing is addressed.”
The OCJ said it was conducting a review of active contracts for any impropriety, particularly within the information communications technology space. It said an internal review of all its supply chain management processes is likely to be completed within the next three months.
TimesLIVE