A special tribunal has ordered disciplinary action against 16 officials in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education for their role in the unlawful awarding of a R2.5 million contract for chemical toilets. The contract, meant to supply 72 units to 11 schools post-COVID lockdown, was irregularly awarded to Hawulethu in June 2020 and unlawfully extended. The ruling requires the company to repay the funds and emphasizes accountability in public procurement.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) uncovered irregularities in the procurement process for the chemical toilet contract, valued at over R2.5 million. Awarded in June 2020 shortly after the national lockdown eased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the deal aimed to provide 72 mobile toilets to 11 schools in KwaZulu-Natal. However, the 16 implicated officials failed to adhere to supply chain management protocols, leading to the contract's unlawful extension and execution.
The special tribunal, acting on the SIU's findings, declared the agreement invalid and set it aside. It mandated the KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the officials and ordered Hawulethu to refund the payments received. This decision underscores the need for strict compliance in government tenders, particularly in education where resources are stretched thin.
Responding to the ruling, SADTU provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza stated: “The department will have to comply in terms of ensuring consequence management. We have checked with the department when we saw this and the department is indicating that already they have engaged with some of these people who are still with the department and explained as to what happened.”
Similarly, NAPTOSA provincial CEO Thirona Moodley highlighted the broader impact: “Wasteful and irregular expenditure of this nature is unacceptable, especially in a department that is already deeply cash-strapped and struggling to meet basic infrastructure, staffing, and resource needs. Every rand lost to corruption is a rand stolen from learners, educators, and communities who rely on a functional public education system. NAPTOSA therefore fully supports the Tribunal’s order for disciplinary action, the recovery of all unlawfully obtained profits, and the enforcement of consequence management at the highest administrative levels.”
The case serves as a reminder of ongoing challenges in South Africa's public sector procurement, where lapses can directly affect essential services like school sanitation.