Warwick Bruce Chapman

The Speaker – eThekwini Council
Councillor James Nxumalo
City Hall
DURBAN

12 November 2009

Dear Mr Speaker

QUESTION IN TERMS OF SECTION 17 OF THE RULES OF ORDER

During the last questions on the issue of the R6.5 million fifaworldcup.durban.gov.za information portal at the July 2009 council meeting, Cllr Peer answered in respect of the first question that “in May 2008 the Municipality advertised for the appointment of a panel of consultants to assist the information services section to deliver on its various projects. From this panel, a quote system was used to obtain services for various projects, including the preparation of a new website.”

In respect of the provisions of the eThekwini Supply Chain Management Policy:

1. Can it be confirmed that the “quote system” mentioned above refers to the procedures outlined in sections 16-18 relating to procurement through quotations; and
1a. if not, which legal provisions were utilised to select and appoint the service provider?

17 (a) makes a mandatory provision requiring that “quotations must be obtained in writing from at least three different providers whose names appear on the list of accredited prospective providers of the municipality” and 17 (b) allows for quotations to be “obtained from providers not listed, provided that such providers meet the listing”.

2. If the quote system was used, were quotations received from at least three different providers as required in 17 (a); and
2a. if so, can a report be provided in terms of the records required by 17(d) showing all the “potential providers and their written quotations”?
2b. if not, in terms of 17(c) what were the reasons approved by the chief financial officer for not securing the required three quotations?

18 (a) stipulates that all requirements in excess of R30000 are “advertised for at least seven days on the website and an official notice board of the municipality”.

2c. was the required advertising as described above done in respect of this project?

18 (b) requires that “when using the list of accredited prospective providers the accounting officer must promote ongoing competition amongst providers by inviting providers to submit quotations on a rotation basis”

2d. what were the reasons for using the same provider of web development services used by the City previously instead of rotating as required above?

19 (1) requires that for “goods and services above a transaction value of R200 000 (VAT included) and long term contracts may only be procured through a competitive bidding process”

3. If the quote system was indeed used, then considering the mandatory provision outlined above, why was the quote system used to select the service provider for a project with a value of R6.5 million?

4. Was the scope of work upon which bidding companies prepared their quotation formally defined; and
4a. if so, then can the original scope documentation be provided to me?
4b. if not, why not?

Yours faithfully,

Councillor Warwick Chapman
Democratic Alliance

In response to the release of the DA’s Crooked Comrades Monitor, the ANC was quoted in the Mail and Guardian (“Tracking crooked comrades”, 8 October 2009) saying the DA was attempting to “tarnish the image” of the ANC. That comment made think that perhaps we also need to create a list of ANC Comrades with functioning deductive abilities.

I believe it is quite clear that one of our jobs as a political party is to show our opponents up when their actions and practice differ from their words and policies. This is an important component of the greater task of presenting our party as a capable alternative to that opponent. So, for example, when the ANC attempts to show the DA up by accusing us of being racist and then failing to back it up with facts, the DA, through the Crooked Comrades Monitor is not only accusing the ANC of accommodating criminality within its ranks but backing it up with facts.

In the same article, ANC spokesperson, Brian Sokutu said that the deployment of ANC comrades into public and private sector positions was not the business of the DA. Unfortunately on this point Mr Sokutu is wrong. The word public in reference to public sector jobs means appointments are everyone’s business since it is our money being spent, and unfortunately for the ANC, the DA is included in that “everyone”. The Crooked Comrades Monitor deals only with appointments in the public sector since President Zuma came to power on the back of promises to fight crime and corruption.

Were the ANC to attempt to build a similar list for the DA they would find that the Democratic Alliance has at the first hint of any suspicion of illegal activity, suspended membership of the person or terminated the relationship with the organisation involved pending full investigation.

The fact of the matter is that the ANC tolerates corruption and criminalism within its own ranks. How can a government stand up on a soap box and berate corruption as an evil of society, an enemy of the national democratic revolution and then at the same time allow this extent of complicity with corruption and criminalism to continue?

What South Africa needs is a clean, efficient and correctly resourced public service and representatives, and in order to feed the current climate of demand for service delivery, that should the single highest priority for the ruling party.

As the Ward Councillor for eThekwini Ward 18 where the Pinetown Home Affairs office is situated and a member of Democratic Alliance, I wish to express my sincere frustration at the situation at Home Affairs and other public sector organisations.

In February 2008, our leader Helen Zille visited the Pinetown Home Affairs office last to discuss our serious concerns about the state of service delivery in that office.  DA activists had earlier uncovered the charging of hundreds of Rands to “streamline” the process of obtaining an ID book.

While I have no doubt Minister Dlamini-Zuma was genuinely upset by the loss of this young man, he chose to end his life because of a frustrating reality which the DA so patently brought to the attention of home affairs over a year ago.  It is high time Government stopped viewing the opposition as yapping dogs and started viewing us as partners in Government.

In 2008 we acted in the interests of all South Africans by bringing this issue to the attention of the Department and I suspect our requests were ignored because of the party from whence they came.  President Zuma has committed the Government to working together to do more.  It should now be crystal clear to everyone employed in the public sector that people’s lives hang in the balance and their poor performance can be the deciding factor.

– DA Councillor Warwick Chapman