The education ministry has confirmed paying N$528 000 for the procurement of 240 mattresses for the Imarwa Ithete Secondary School in the Kavango West region.
This means each mattress cost taxpayers N$2 200 each in a tender to supply school furniture and laboratory equipment, which has caused a stir in the public domain.
In the tender, contractor Point Media CC supplied 90 learners’ chairs, 90 learners’ tables, three teachers’ desks and chairs, 33 science laboratory tools, 120 steel double- decker bunk beds and 240 mattresses.
The government was charged N$1 200 per learner chair, N$1 500 per learner table, N$2 700 per teacher desk, N$2 500 per teacher chair, N$4 000 for each laboratory tool, N$5 500 per bunk bed, and N$2 200 per mattress. It is a situation that has left members of the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) scratching their heads over what appears to be wasteful expenditure of the already meagre resources available in the State’s drained purse.
Venting frustration on Monday night was SPYL’s deputy secretary for education, Hofni Iipinge, who called the spending “unacceptable, unethical and an insult” to taxpayers.
“I am personally shocked by the exorbitant price that has been spent by the education ministry on the items purchased from the local company in the Kavango West region, which in my opinion [is] supposed to address the same problems faced by many schools in the same region,” he charged.
From his point of view, there is more than meets the eye. “We need to tackle corruption aggressively and decisively, and people should be fired if they cannot account for State funds… The country’s service delivery is in reverse [gear] due to corruption and mismanagement of State funds. [The] ministry of education should really come out and explain to the public as to what transpired before [they] agreed to pay such scary prices. Why did they recommend it in the first place? Were there any other better quotations provided? Does the ministry not have a cut-off price when purchasing furniture for schools or hostels?”, the outspoken Iipinge wanted to know.
“This is unacceptable, unethical and an insult to taxpayers… If there is no clear and understandable explanation, I am calling on the Ministry of Basic Education to get back the funds and give back the furniture wherever they took it from, and restart the process. This is unacceptable, and daylight robbery of State funds by individuals who want to put our government into disrepute,” he said in the heavily-worded missive. Contacted for comment, education executive director Sanet Steenkamp indicated that she was aware of the deal. The technocrat said she has since instructed those in the procurement department to prepare a full report, detailing whether all due processes were followed in the award, so that she and the minister [Anna Nghipondoka] can have a better appreciation of the facts. Steenkamp returned yesterday from a foreign mission. “Obviously, the first thing the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture will do is to ensure that we investigate whether all due processes were followed. If all due processes were followed and we have a record that due diligence was done, then we will look as to why this specific company received the award. Secondly, we will also look at the quality that has been delivered in the region, and then I’ll get back to you,” she stated on Sunday.
Purchase order
Late Monday afternoon, Steenkamp was back with a detailed response, confirming the legitimacy of the award.
“We confirm that the said purchase order (PO) was indeed issued by this ministry for the supply and delivery of seven school items, namely 90 learners’ chairs, 90 desks, three teachers’ chairs and tables, 33 science laboratory stools, 120 steel double Decker’s Bunk beds, and 240 mattresses,” she said in a statement.
She added that in accordance with Section 32 of the Public Procurement Act, five bidders, being Rucara Islands Investment CC, Katondo Trading Enterprises CC, Point Media CC, Forest Hill Investment, and Zegamena Investment were invited to submit quotations.
Only three [Rucara Islands, Katondo and Point Media] submitted their quotations.
Rucara’s bid amount stood at N$1.63 million, while Point Media’s was N$1.81 million. Katondo’s bid was deemed invalid due to erasures, the ministry said.
“From the bids’ evaluation table, it is evident that Rucara Islands Investment CC offered the lowest price. But given the fact that the bidder did not quote for all the items, their bid was deemed non-responsive. Equally, Katondo Trading Enterprises CC was also deemed non-responsive, as it did not attach a valid Social Security Commission good standing certificate. Consequently, and in terms of section 55(1), the procurement committee recommended the award of the procurement contract to Point Media CC, being the bidder having submitted the lowest evaluated substantially responsive bid, which met the qualification criteria as specified in the bidding documents,” Steenkamp noted.
She continued: “Having outlined the above, we would like to assure the public that all relevant legal processes as per the Public Procurement Act were fully observed, leading to the award of the above-mentioned bid.”
Whistleblower
The information came to light through land activist and whistleblower Job Amupanda, who took to social media to question the prices. He was stunned.
“This corrupt government will be the end of us, if we don’t stand up. Imagine a company that prints flyers in Rundu [was] given a tender to supply mattresses, chairs and tables to children at a government school. One chair for a child cost N$1 200, while one chair for a teacher cost N$2 500. This company called Point Media CC was paid close to N$2 million,” Amupanda said in a social media post which spread like wildfire last weekend. - emumbuu@nepc.com.na