Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality is facing mounting pressure over its multi-million-rand Morokweng water project after a whistleblower accused the municipality of flouting tender rules. Tension is escalating between the municipality and the whistle-blower over the lucrative contract, which was awarded to HT Pelatona (PTY) LTD. The whistleblower alleges the company submitted an expired Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) certificate as part of its bid documentation. COIDA provides mandatory insurance for South African employees, covering medical costs and compensation for injuries, diseases, or death sustained at work. Employers are required to register within seven days of hiring staff and must pay annual assessments to the Compensation Fund. According to the whistle-blower, other companies were disqualified for failing to submit valid COIDA certificates, yet HT Pelatona was allegedly allowed to proceed. A copy of Pelatona’s COIDA certificate, shared with The Weekender, shows an expiry date of 31 May 2025. The whistleblower further claims procurement rules were breached when not all contractors were contacted after an arithmetic error was allegedly identified in the bidding process. It is alleged that Pelatona initially tendered just over R111 million, but the amount was later reduced to approximately R105 million. The consultant reportedly described the reduction as an arithmetic correction. However, the whistle-blower claims that the contract was awarded without informing other bidders of the adjustment before the evaluation process proceeded. Responding to the allegations, municipal manager Itumeleng Jonas dismissed claims of wrongdoing. “It is not factually correct that HT Pelatona had an expired COIDA at the time the tender was submitted.” Jonas said the company’s COIDA certificate was valid at the time of appointment and had been verified in the system. He confirmed that a condition was included in the appointment letter requiring HT Pelatona to submit a valid COIDA certificate within seven days of receiving the appointment letter. “This is true, and there is nothing unprocedural about this as it is legislated. It is common cause that HT Pelatona’s COIDA was valid at the time the tender was submitted.” In the appointment letter, Jonas stated that failure to submit a valid COIDA certificate would automatically render the appointment invalid. He further maintained that no company was disqualified for having an expired COIDA certificate. Addressing claims that the tender amount was reduced without notifying other bidders, Jonas referred to clause 3.9 of the tender conditions. “Notify a tenderer upon written request received after the closing date of tenders of all arithmetical errors made by that particular tenderer”. “In this instance, there was no written request received by the municipality to necessitate the notification of arithmetical errors. No irregularity was thus committed as insinuated,” he said. The dispute has intensified scrutiny over the Morokweng water project, raising fresh questions about transparency and adherence to procurement regulations in high-value municipal contracts. Post navigation NW tops jobless charts despite producing 80% of SA’s platinum District records 86 infrastructure vandalism cases
