eThekwini Municipality hijacked by ‘business forum’

The DA in eThekwini has raised concerns about the awarding of a R42 million Durban Solid Waste (DSW) tender to Amadelangokubona Business Forum contractors, who are known for taking tenders unlawfully.

During a Finance, Security and Emergency Services committee meeting last week, the DA urged the city not to bow down to the pressure of contractors who want to forcefully secure tenders by using all resources available to remove them from the city’s procurement system, wrote DA eThekwini councillor Emmanuel Mhlongo.

“This came after the city announced the awarding of a three-month DSW contract to four companies that form part of the Amadelangokubona, for refuse collection across 49 wards, at a whopping R42m, which are extended.” Mhlongo said that in 2018 one contractor was given a tender to collect refuse in Umlazi Township for R208m and subcontracted other contractors, but failed to pay them for more than three months.

“As a result, there was no refuse collection in the township, and in July 2019 the City took a decision to insure the collection of refuse in this township. Again, in 2020 city employees were threatened by a contractor who demanded contracts from the city to collect refuse and the city gave in.”

He added: “Allocating tenders to certain companies without following due process is a violation of the MFMA (Municipal Finance Management Act), and is prejudicing other contractors. It is time for Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and the ANC government to come out of hiding and put the interests of residents first.”

Mhlongo said as the DA they wanted to put pressure on the municipality not to allow itself to be held to ransom by the Amadelangokubona. “We know that these people are not going to admit they are involved in taking contracts by force,” said Mhlongo. Amadelangokubona’s secretary-general Thulani Myeza denied the DA’s allegations.

“As a non-profit organisation, we don’t do business with either the government or the private sector. We are a registered NPO, and we don’t get involved in any government tenders … therefore I want to state categorically that these DA accusations are false,” Myeza said. Mdu Nkosi said the IFP wished to see this matter speeded up in court.

“We don’t want to accuse people about things without any evidence, hence we say let this matter be ventilated in court. Because of this, the people of eThekwini can not trust the municipality anymore … that includes the rate payers, as well as the business people who are now reluctant to invest their monies in eThekwini,” Nkosi said.

The EFF chairperson in eThekwini, Themba Mvubu, said all they wanted to know was whether due processes were followed in the awarding of these tenders. “Unfortunately, this happened before the EFF was part of the municipality, therefore we don’t have much to say.” ActionSA’s eThekwini caucus leader Alan Beesley said ActionSA was strongly against the awarding of the R42m DSW tender to Amadelangokubona contractors without due process being followed.

“The current ANC-led eThekwini municipality continues to be shrouded in controversy. The awarding of these dubious contracts further adds to the inability of the ANC to put its residents and businesses first and to create an environment for the municipality to deliver on its mandate,” said Beesley.

eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the DA’s statement was misleading. “The companies they are referring to were already providing a service to the city. Their contracts were extended under Section 136 because the long-term contracts were still being dealt with at BAC. This is nothing but disinformation.

“When we procure we do not look as to whether a company is affiliated with a business forum or not. But the companies are awarded contracts according to protocols governing SCM,” Mayisela said.