Publications
Partners
Heads are set to roll at the Limpopo health department after an investigation into the hospital laundry scandal that was exposed by City Press in August.
A preliminary report has revealed that the laundry contract was irregularly awarded to a company that did not meet the required standards.
While the whip could soon crack on the officials who were implicated, the company involved will continue the work – at least for now.
Limpopo provincial government spokesperson Phuti Seloba said: “Contracts will only be terminated when there is a legal basis to do so.
“The investigation has revealed that the tender was awarded irregularly. The entire process was fraught with irregularities,” he said.
He said the provincial health department was going to haul several individuals before disciplinary committees.
“Those involved will have lots of music to dance to. Heads will be rolling without fear or favour, there won’t be any mercy where people are found to have deliberately broken the law,” said Seloba.
“The report shows that the company was not compliant at the time of the site inspection, but when the investigating team went [to check on the company], they found it had all the required equipment.
“We need someone to explain how the company passed through all the stages when it did not meet requirements … all those who sat in [bid evaluation and adjudication] committees have a lot of explaining to do,” added Seloba.
The probe into the laundry scandal was instituted after City Press reported in August on the questionable awarding of contracts and how the contractor had provided poor service that had breached infection control measures.
City Press reported how Mphefhedzi Business Enterprises was awarded contracts for laundry services for 22 of the province’s 41 hospitals.
The company got the lion’s share of the contracts although technical evaluation reports showed it did not meet requirements. Documents showed it was discovered during the site inspection that Mphefhedzi did not have most of the basic equipment required to render the services required.
Tender requirements stated that companies providing the hospital laundry services needed to have at least one 50kg-capacity industrial tumble dryer, while guidelines stipulated that hospital laundry should “under no circumstances be carried in open delivery vehicles, washed by hand or hung in the open to dry”.
Despite this, City Press found hospital sheets, blankets and patient gowns from St Rita’s Hospital in Sekhukhune hanging on makeshift washing lines and fences, and strewn across a field piled with litter.
The department has yet to respond to objections raised by other bidders who had better capacity, experience and charged lower prices per item handled, but did not get the contract. These businesses have promised to put pressure on the government to get Mphefhedzi’s contracts terminated.
Seloba said this was still being looked into.
“This matter is being handled by our legal unit and I need to emphasise that the fact the awarding was irregular does not necessarily mean it was unlawful. We’re looking at the potential legal basis for the termination of contracts and if it is an option, we won’t hesitate to do it,” said Seloba.
The aggrieved businesses had previously submitted letters to the department of health in the province, alleging fraud and corruption on the part of departmental officials. They are now demanding action.
“Now it’s been proved that there were irregularities, the right thing for the department to do is to terminate contracts and re-advertise. There were so many questions with Mphefhedzi, which was awarded contracts for hospitals far away from its operational site,” said the concerned business group leader Vincent Kanyongolo.
The laundry scandal seems to have served as a wake-up call for the provincial government. Seloba said the department was now going to embark on the vetting process of officials involved in supply chain management units across Limpopo.
“We can’t work with people we cannot trust. We will also strengthen capacity and internal control systems to prevent the recurrence of this case,” he said.
