23 November 2006
North West Public Works MEC, Mr Howard Yawa, MPL has welcomed the judgement
delivered against Tswaing Consulting Close Corporation by the Supreme Court of
Appeal (SCA)in Bloemfontein on Tuesday. The court upheld the claim of the North
West Provincial Government and ordered Tswaing Consulting CC to repay the
province R4 319 378.50 plus interest.
The SCA reversed an earlier dismissal of the application by the province and
its tender board to set aside a tender award, service contract and arbitration
agreement with Tswaing by the Mmabatho High Court.
The case arose from a fraud that had its origin in an ambitious programme
the former Department of Roads and Public Works embarked on in 2000 to upgrade,
rehabilitate and repair roads on a budget of over R156 million. The fraud
perpetrated against the province by Tswaing Consulting CC and its principal
member, Mr Shwai Nathaniel Mangope with the help of accomplices in the
provincial bureaucracy was uncovered after a forensic investigation by an
independent major firm of auditors, i.e. Price Waterhouse Coopers.
"The judgement vindicates the Departmentâs assertion that allegations made
last year September by the provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance, Mr
Chris Hattingh to the effect that the provincial government had lost the case
in the Supreme Court of Appeal and was considering a R15 million settlement in
the matter were misleading, typical Democratic Alliance sensationalism, cheap
politics and a total disregard of the due process of the law," says MEC
Yawa.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 083 629 1987
Tel: (018) 387 2447
Issued by: Department of Public Works, North West Provincial
Government
23 November 2006
