The adage goes: the wheels of justice turn slowly, and in the case of one Edwin Sodi, they grind even frustratingly slower.
But this week’s developments, albeit late, ought to make us see the connection between the rule of law and holding people accountable.
First, because the City of Tshwane has now asked the National Treasury to ban Sodi and his companies from doing business with the state for 10 years. The City is relying on at least one provision in law to blacklist Sodi and his companies.
The request follows the poor performance in the R292m tender to upgrade the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant by Sodi’s companies NJR Projects and Blackhead Consulting, and CMS Water Engineering that were awarded the contract.
Second, the department of public works and infrastructure told Sowetan it had also started taking legal steps to ban Sodi and other companies from state tenders.
The department’s spokesperson, Lennox Mabasa, said: “We have moved to the process of restriction and communicated our intentions to restrict.”
The department dumped Sodi’s company G-5 Group, which had been awarded a R282m contract to upgrade and extend the 65-bed Parys prison in the Free State to a 240-bed facility. The company abandoned the project before it was completed.
It has taken many years to reach this stage where Sodi and his companies could be held to account for poor performance on projects, and the asbestos saga is another example of this. On the face of it, Sodi appeared to be an untouchable, politically connected individual who scored major state contracts and pocketed money with impunity.
The plan to finally hold him and his companies to account is welcome, however, it needs speeding up across the country where there are projects he is alleged to have abandoned.
It is one thing for the state entities to express their intention to blacklist Sodi from state contracts and quite another for them to follow this through with action. In the case of Tshwane, that action has already been taken to the Treasury. We now await public works, which has managed only half a step, and others to follow suit.
This week’s developments ought to mark the start of the crumbling of the Sodi empire of impunity.
SOWETAN | Spare no effort on Sodi loot
Image: Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle
The adage goes: the wheels of justice turn slowly, and in the case of one Edwin Sodi, they grind even frustratingly slower.
But this week’s developments, albeit late, ought to make us see the connection between the rule of law and holding people accountable.
First, because the City of Tshwane has now asked the National Treasury to ban Sodi and his companies from doing business with the state for 10 years. The City is relying on at least one provision in law to blacklist Sodi and his companies.
The request follows the poor performance in the R292m tender to upgrade the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant by Sodi’s companies NJR Projects and Blackhead Consulting, and CMS Water Engineering that were awarded the contract.
Second, the department of public works and infrastructure told Sowetan it had also started taking legal steps to ban Sodi and other companies from state tenders.
The department’s spokesperson, Lennox Mabasa, said: “We have moved to the process of restriction and communicated our intentions to restrict.”
The department dumped Sodi’s company G-5 Group, which had been awarded a R282m contract to upgrade and extend the 65-bed Parys prison in the Free State to a 240-bed facility. The company abandoned the project before it was completed.
It has taken many years to reach this stage where Sodi and his companies could be held to account for poor performance on projects, and the asbestos saga is another example of this. On the face of it, Sodi appeared to be an untouchable, politically connected individual who scored major state contracts and pocketed money with impunity.
The plan to finally hold him and his companies to account is welcome, however, it needs speeding up across the country where there are projects he is alleged to have abandoned.
It is one thing for the state entities to express their intention to blacklist Sodi from state contracts and quite another for them to follow this through with action. In the case of Tshwane, that action has already been taken to the Treasury. We now await public works, which has managed only half a step, and others to follow suit.
This week’s developments ought to mark the start of the crumbling of the Sodi empire of impunity.
Public works takes steps to ban Sodi from state tenders
Tshwane asks Treasury to blacklist Sodi’s companies
NPA explains why it gave Sodi access to use his seized house
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