Dr Thokozani Chilenga-Butao, Research Associate at PARI and Sandile Swana, political analyst, spoke to SABC Morning Live on 22 September 2020 about the upcoming Public Procurement Bill. For more information about PARI’s work on public procurement, see HERE.
“Reports of unrestrained corruption during the COVID-19 pandemic have further exposed the grave weaknesses in government and law-enforcement institutions. Corruption has left millions of South Africans exposed to further poverty and inequality while the corrupt few continue to amass part of the country’s resources. This has thrown the spotlight on the importance of public procurement which was meant to benefit the collective. In accordance to Section 217 of the Constitution, South Africa’s procurement system must be fair, competitive, transparent, equitable and cost-effective. It is yet to be seen whether the 2016 Public Procurement Bill will be effective in minimising corruption and billions of rands of wastage of public resources, as it is still to be passed.”
