DA calls for dubious Ayo Technology/EC Education contract to be scrapped

12 May 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Eastern Cape Premier to urgently investigate, and if necessary cancel, an allegedly dubious contract worth R160 million which the provincial Department of Education awarded to Sizwe Africa IT Group. Sizwe Africa is a subsidiary of well-known ANC ally Iqbal Survé’s Ayo Technology Solutions.  And according to Scorpio, the contract was awarded without a competitive bidding process.

If the Premier does not act timeously to look into this contract, we call on President Ramaphosa to take action.

A Scorpio investigation reported on in today’s Daily Maverick revealed that this deal, which will see online classes broadcast to learners via mobile studios across the Eastern Cape during the lockdown, was clinched by using loopholes in Treasury regulations. It is concerning, but perhaps not unexpected, that Education officials would exploit the country’s procurement legislation during a crisis in order to seemingly benefit the politically connected. All those who were involved in this contract should be subjected to an investigation and held to account for any wrongdoing.

The DA is of the view that with schools scheduled to reopen in the coming weeks, there will be a substantially reduced need for these broadcasted classes. In addition to this, the National Department of Basic Education has made digital platforms available for learning to continue during this lockdown. It would therefore seem that this contract is unlikely to lead to a substantial improvement in learning in Eastern Cape Schools and was probably little more than an attempt to extort taxpayers’ money.

We reiterate our call for the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), ShamilaBatohi, to give feedback on the status and progress of the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) special Covid-19 anti-corruption unit as it is becoming clear that opportunists are taking advantage of this pandemic for self-enrichment.

Issued by Belinda Bozzoli, DA Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology, 12 May 2020