Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education was misled in approving the procurement of unnecessary sanitary towels, which resulted in huge financial losses and over-supply, a forensic investigation has found.
A survey conducted by the auditors revealed that an excess of 2.7million packs of sanitary pads were not needed.
During a media briefing yesterday, Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu said he had accepted the findings of the investigation and suspended three senior officials pending disciplinary hearings, including a deputy director-general: institution development support, chief director: social enrichment programmes, and director of special needs education.
He said the officials had been identified as “responsible for the mismanagement of the project”, which had resulted in oversupply and financial loss.
However, he said the officials would only be named, and a decision on whether they would be criminally charged would be made once the disciplinary hearings had been completed.
Mshengu highlighted the key findings of the investigation, which was initiated after allegations arose regarding the undersupply of sanitary pads and the over-supply to financially well-equipped schools that were not supposed to benefit from the programme.
It cost the department R129799654 between 2016 and 2019.
The project was launched in 2016 in a bid to reduce the drop-out rate and to improve the academic performance of female pupils. Sanitary pads were to be supplied to 953122 pupils.
“During the implementation of this programme, the allegations of oversupply, supply to non-deserving schools and possible flouting of processes and procedures was raised by unions and other organs of society,” Mshengu said.
This led to the commissioning of a forensic investigation conducted by Phumlani Mkhize and Associates.
Mshengu said the key findings of the report were that the initial programme had been expanded to provide sanitary towels for female pupils at all public schools from Grade 4 to 12, shifting the focus from supplying only indigent girls at select schools.
He said “incorrect” and “unreliable” statistics had been used to determine the number of beneficiaries.
“Neither a needs analysis nor any evaluations of the pilot project was performed. The department was misled in approving the procurement of unnecessary sanitary towels,” he said.
He said the issue of surplus stock had been identified and raised in a departmental meeting, and a decision was taken to deliver the surplus to districts and head office.
“However, in the submission made to the HOD subsequently, the number of female pupils to benefit remained unchanged and no issue of surplus stock was referred to, nor any evaluation of the first order,” he said.
“In a survey conducted by the investigators, it was revealed that an excess of 2702065 packs of sanitary pads were not needed. The site visits conducted by investigators in each district office confirmed significant surplus stock being stored in various places,” he said.
He said district offices had been found to have had no role in the project.
Mshengu said 388680 packs had not been delivered to district offices and head office and a further 64269 packs, valued at more than R4.3million had not been delivered to schools.
Opposition parties called for criminal charges to be laid immediately against the alleged corrupt officials who oversaw the oversupply to the department and non-delivery of sanitary towels.
DA MPL Imran Keeka said criminal charges should be pursued against corrupt officials and politicians.
“The entire corruption chain must be put under scrutiny. There must be no escape for anyone, including politicians if they are involved. The politicians are the ones who employ their cadres and when they are caught they want to walk away as if they had no hand in it,” he said.
“Criminal charges must be laid - it will be a gross oversight and neglectful if they don’t let the police conduct a separate investigation. It often happens that officials resign and then there is no accountability because no charges are laid,” he said.
IFP MPL Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa said there was “a gap” in the investigation’s findings.
“There were people except those now highlighted who also needed to be punished. The HOD is the accounting officer and every activity goes via the HOD.
“He is the one signing everything, so for me if they don’t say anything about the HOD, I feel the report is not complete,” she said.
She also called for criminals charges to be laid against corrupt officials, saying the department needed to be “exemplary” in its handling of the matter.
The Mercury