Media statement by the Minister of Agricultue, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson on the appointment of an independent committee of inquiry on the procurement processes and procedures at the Fisheries branch
21 Mar 2012
The Fisheries Branch of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), which I lead, has been under media and public scrutiny with regard to alleged irregular processes and procedures being followed in the awarding of tenders.
Just recently fisheries made headlines for a tender that was awarded for the management and maintenance of DAFF's fleet of research and fisheries patrol vessels. The award, as is now common knowledge, was withdrawn on the basis of advice from senior counsel.
As a result of our own flawed processes, an innocent company, Sekunjalo, has been portrayed as the culprit in this saga and its reputation has been tainted.
The reality is that, based on legal advice, it was our processes and procedures that failed. Another company could have taken serious legal action against the department for awarding and then withdrawing a tender, based on shoddy government work. Based on the advice and further legal opinion I have decided to scrutinise broadly all the current and past tenders at fisheries.
To this effect, I am instituting an independent inquiry into the procurement processes and procedures at the fisheries branch. I have consulted with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development with the view to appointing a retired judge to head the committee of enquiry.
The inquiry will specifically look at processes and procedures relating to tenders with the view of determining whether there were in fact any irregularities in the chain of procurement, including maladministration, fraud or corruption, by government employees and/or the private sector and or both. The committee will make recommendations in this regard.
Our aim is that this committee should sit as soon as possible, hopefully at the beginning of April this year. This inquiry is not a witch-hunt. It is an attempt to allow fisheries to restore its image as a clean and capable branch.
I reiterate that the committee will be wholly independent. I therefore appeal to all our employees and the public to come forward with any information of wrong-doing whether factual or even mere suspicion. They may bring this to the committee for investigation.
This includes any information given confidentially to the media. We would hope that such information is passed onto the committee.
From now until the committee concludes its investigation, we will cease to respond or entertain any further allegations or queries as those would now be in the jurisdiction of the committee.
I wish to express my confidence in the leadership of the fisheries branch and our employees at large and to point out that this inquiry is not about them as individuals, but about good governance. Once the enquiry is concluded, we hope this will clear the way for fisheries to do its work without any more interference and or insinuation of corruption or maladministration.
Fisheries is a very important component of food security and economic development of this country and the functioning of this branch to its optimum levels cannot and should not be compromised by any misdeeds, if any, by individuals inside or outside the branch.
Statement issued by Rams Mabote, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, March 21 2012
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