18 Apr 2021

The Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Dumizweni Mthimkhulu, says Moffat Group won a tender to supply four million disposable masks at a cost of P4.95 each.

Responding to a question from Maun West MP, Mr Dumelang Saleshando, the assistant minister said the company was amongst 32 citizen companies that went through a competitive bidding process after they were selected from the COVID-19 procurement unit data base.

Mr Mthimkhulu said the company was to acquire 20 000 packages of 100 each of tie strips disposable masks thus making two million. There were also 20 000 packets of 100 each of elastic ear loops disposable masks thus making another two million.

“The total quantity to be delivered was therefore four million disposable face masks,” he said.

The assistant minister said indeed the ministry issued a purchase order to Moffat Group for procurement of surgical disposable face masks.

Mr Mthimkhulu further said procurement was done in accordance with Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) Emergency Procurement.

“Despite the emergency, my ministry widened the competition to all the companies available on our COVID-19 procurement unit data base at the time,” he said.

He said their commitment had always been, where possible, to procure COVID-19 commodities from the citizen-owned companies, adding that those companies would in turn procure from local or external manufacturers.

Mr Mthimkhulu said there were instances where government procured items such as testing reagents and equipment directly from the manufacturers.

He said the arrangement where they procured through citizen companies was made in such a way that it would empower citizen owned companies.

The house was also informed that an analysis of the prices as quoted by different bidders gave the ministry an idea of what the market charged on the surgical disposable masks. The assistant minister said at the time of procurement, the market price for disposable masks ranged between P6 and P10 due to the then high demand.

He said the PPADB was provided with all COVID-19 procurement reports on a monthly basis.

Mr Dumelang Saleshando had asked the minister to confirm if his ministry issued a purchase order to Moffat Group for the purchase of disposable face masks.

He asked the minister if the tender award was subjected to a competitive bidding process.

MP Saleshando further wanted to know why government did not procure the masks from the manufacturer. 

The minister was further asked to state the total quantities ordered, the price charged as well as the delivery time for the order.

The Maun West MP also wanted to know how government established that the price charged was reflective of the market value. ENDS