SABC supplier cries foul over tender

15 August 2018 - 10:33
By Aubrey Mothombeni
Image: Waldo Swiegers

One of SABC's service providers has filed papers in court to interdict the public broadcaster from finalising its tender appointment claiming its processes were riddled with irregularities and corruption.

This comes after the service provider, Tru-Fi Electronics, claimed that SABC officials illegally removed its tender bid and excluded it from participating in a project.

The company filed an urgent application at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg two weeks ago asking for an order to interdict and restrain the SABC from finalising the appointment of a service provider to supply audio equipment for Motsweding FM studios in North West.

According to court papers filed by the company's managing director, Magopa Matjila, his company was denied an opportunity to win the tender three times, in 2015, 2016 and 2017 because the SABC cancelled the three requests for proposals it had sent out.

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However, the same tender was advertised this year in February, and Matjila stated that his company submitted the tender bids again in the hope that the SABC would finalise the process.

The court papers show that after submitting the bids, his company's bids never reached the headquarters to be considered for appointment.

Matjila revealed in his affidavit that despite delivering the bids in person, he was made aware by an SABC official that his company was not on the list of the companies that had tendered for the project.

According to the papers, Matjila said he asked the SABC to provide him with the CCTV footage and a list of the tender register for all companies to confirm that indeed his tender was not received.

This he said he needed because he personally delivered the bids and placed them on top of the tender box as the box was already full at the time.

The spokesperson for the SABC, Kaizer Kganyago, said: "We are aware of this matter, however, we are not in a position to comment on it as it is sub-judice."

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