CPUT rocked by R200m tender row

The small army of guards who protect the Cape Peninsula University of Technology campuses are on duty because of a corrupt tender, it has been claimed. Allegations of corruption have been levelled against CPUT for the contract for guarding all its campuses across greater Cape Town. Four security firms lodged an urgent high court application against CPUT and its security providers last week in connection with a “security guarding service tender” advertised by the university in June. The four companies – Eden Security Services, Securitas SA, De Target Security and Pro Events Security Services – together made allegations of gross irregularities, fraud and corruption against CPUT.

The four applicants are challenging the new contracts with Manuel Security, Mgebe Security, Byers Security and Fidelity Security Services. The four applicants later withdrew the “urgent” grounds for their application, but won an order of the court for CPUT to provide them with documentation around the tender, in terms of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act. It is understood CPUT must hand over these documents by Friday, and the matter will resume on December 9.Sources told the Cape Argus the new guarding contract was for the next three years and involved more than 300 guards, with a financial value of R180m to R200m.

When approached for comment, a CPUT spokesman said: “Since the matter is still sub judice, CPUT is not in a position to discuss the current guarding situation nor the court application until the matter has concluded.” It is understood, however, that the guards in question are those stationed at all CPUT’s campuses, including Athlone, Bellville, Cape Town, Granger Bay, Mowbray and Wellington. It also includes the Groote Schuur and Tygerberg hospitals. The four applicants are demanding a “transparent due process to be followed” in the awarding of the guarding contracts, and allege that this was not the case. The applicants describe in court documents the lengths they went to in an attempt to gain information and clarity around the contracts from CPUT – but that these efforts allegedly fell on deaf ears.

In his founding affidavit, Mark Sangster of Securitas SA and formerly head of Cape Town’s City Police, wrote: “…I am extremely surprised that companies with such a lack of experience could have won the tenders to provide security services… Student campuses are notoriously unstable, and the safety of students will be compromised by the appointment of inexperienced security service providers. “I am convinced that, on an assessment of all of the circumstances, the tender process was seriously compromised by irregularities and improper influence.” Corinne Snelling, the head of the second applicant, Eden Security Services, in her founding affidavit, alleged “irregularities and collusion in the tender processes”.

Among these were that key pages appeared to be missing from their tender application. “The First Applicant’s tender documents were bound in a plastic ringbinder and they could not have fallen out inadvertently, the only inference being that they were intentionally torn out and removed by someone,” she alleged. CPUT declined to comment on these allegations.