08 Mar 2022

Government, including local authorities have tendering processes in place that give preference to small and micro enterprises including poverty eradication programme beneficiaries.

Local government and rural development assistant minister, Mr Mabuse Pule said this in response to a question in Parliament on Monday.

He said beneficiaries were usually engaged on direct appointment or competed amongst themselves where there was more than one supplier.

Thus, he said he was not aware that poverty eradication beneficiaries whose tuck-shops were constructed from corrugated iron sheets were often denied tenders by Ghanzi District Council.

“When procuring from poverty eradication beneficiaries, the material used to construct the structure has never been taken as a qualifying criteria,” he said, adding that tuck-shops that were currently engaged by Ghanzi District Council in the Ghanzi South Constituency included New Xade, West Hanahai and Bere.

He explained that the council had awarded tenders to such tuck shop owners to supply destitute persons with prescribed commodities using the coupon system.

“This arrangement is extended to other suppliers that include a local bakery and sewing beneficiaries who are engaged to supply bread and uniforms to schools respectively,” he said.

Ghanzi South MP, Mr Motsamai Motsamai, had asked the minister if he was aware that poverty eradication programme beneficiaries in his constituency whose tuck-shops were constructed from corrugated iron sheets were often denied tenders by the local council.

Mr Motsamai thus wanted to know if there was some special dispensation in the tendering process of local authorities to give preference to intended programme beneficiaries. Ends