Gauteng Education says the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has started interviewing its officials after more than R400 million was spent on sanitising and deep-cleaning schools last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
MEC Panyanza Lesufi says he has also written to the Auditor General regarding investigations into the matter.
Lesufi was addressing the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education which visited Gauteng as part of its oversight of school readiness for the 2021 academic year.
With a fortnight to go before the re-opening of public schools, the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has embarked on an oversight visit to three provinces, with Gauteng first on the list.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, says they are satisfied that the province will be ready to welcome learners on 15 February.
“Gauteng is ready, we can confirm that we are happy that they are ready to accept, teachers have actually started today, to accept the learners on the 15th and they have guaranteed to us that there will be PPE in the form of a mask and a sanitizer and there would be food for the kids to eat and all the schools are adhering to 1.5 metres and instead of platooning they will alternate days like they were doing last year.”
The portfolio committee also raised the issue of the R430 million paid to service providers between June and August last year to sanitise and deep clean schools.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, responded to the concerns. “Let me confirm that I have appointed the SIU. They have come back to me and if I’m not mistaken HoD they have already started the interviews.
“They are already in the department investigating the matter. I’m glad, when we get the report we will share it with you. The auditor general has acknowledged my letter, he is going to appoint people to come in here. The premier’s office as well I have written to the premier to look at all these things,” Lesufi explains.
Gauteng Education’s Head of the Department, Edward Mosuwe, says the expenditure was based on the standard operating procedure when a school had a positive COVID-19 case.
“ When a positive case was reported there were SOPs that were developed and that were approved. Initially, these SOPs required deep cleaning and disinfection in a specific way, and our response was based on the SOP, so we did not deviate from what the SOPs were saying, and health professionals. So, we ended up having to go to 2900 plus facilities to respond. When we responded to each of these we followed all of the necessary supply chain processes. The providers that were appointed by the department were selected from the central suppliers’ database, we don’t develop the database but the national treasury does.”
Gauteng Education spent more than R400 million in three months on decontaminating schools:
The portfolio committee will also be visiting KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape this week.
