Public Protector must investigate ANC role in National Schools Nutrition Programme

2 May 2023

A KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Education portfolio committee workshop has seen the ANC directly implicate itself in interference in a state matter – this time, in the awarding of a multi-billion Rand tender as part of the National Schools Nutrition Progamme (NSNP).

The DA in KZN has long maintained that the NSNP was used internally and externally by the ANC to win votes through a patronage system.

This was clearly demonstrated within an official KZN Department of Education (DoE) report, issued today, which states: “After the announcement by the ruling party, the Department issued a statement notifying the public of the termination. And also sent a circular to all districts and schools on the developments”. (view here)

There can be no clearer indication that this was a tender awarded to somebody so that the ANC would benefit. From start to finish the contract was dependent on the decision taken by the ANC.

Nothing in the awarding of the tender, the monitoring or the lead-up to the implementation of the processes ties up. In fact, all the DA heard from the DoE today was one excuse after another while there was no explanation for why the NSNP collapsed in the manner that it did.

The workshop also revealed that the DoE advertised the tender and received more than 1 000 applications, with PACINA (PTY) Ltd being the successful bidder.

Yet, the DoE failed to verify any of the information supplied by the company, including whether it had the capacity to deliver. It was already too late for KZN’s learners by the time it realised that PACINA (Pty) Ltd did not have the resources it claimed.

There can be no excuse for what happened in our province. It is an indictment against the so-called national and provincial leadership.

The DA has no doubt that the Minister of Education, KZN’s Premier and KZN Education MEC, Mbali Frazer, will stand on a podium and offer little more than an apology to the 2.5 million learners who were not fed a single meal for two full days.

They will do the same when it comes to millions of other learners who only received meals sporadically during a 10-day period at the start of the second school term in KZN.

The DA does not expect accountability from either the Minister, the Premier or the MEC. It is for this reason that we will ensure that this matter reaches the Office of the Public Protector for full investigation. The level of interference must be established.

The DA remains committed to stringent oversight of this ANC-run government. We will not rest until KZN’s people get the answers they deserve.

Issued by Imran Keeka, DA KZN Spokesperson on Education, 2 May 2023