Tebogo Msimanga |
DA says it won’t allow R40 Million festival contract to become a cash cow for ANC comrades
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West says it demands full transparency over the three-year R40 million contract awarded to Mega Works Trading Enterprise 200 (Pty) Ltd for managing the Mahika Mahikeng Festival.
DA North West Spokesperson on Arts, Culture, Sports, and Recreation Winston Rabotapi said although they welcome, in principle, the event’s comeback following an extended hiatus brought on by the Covid-19 outbreak and the opportunity it presents to display and promote North West talent “concerns about the tendering procedure still exist”.
The Mahika Mahikeng Festival was initially scheduled to take place in December last year, but it was postponed amid allegations that the owner of Mega Works Trading Enterprise 200 (Pty) Ltd, Mr Molefi Setlaleng, irregularly enjoyed preferential consideration during the tender-bid process. The event is set to take place from 17 to 19 March 2023.
Rabotapi added that the DA wrote to the MEC for Arts, Culture, Sports, and Recreation, Kenosi Mosenogi, requesting the full details of the bid adjudication process that led to Mega Works Trading Enterprise 200 (Pty) Ltd awarded this R40 million three-year contract. “We want to know how many bids were received, the names of each company, the cost of each bid, the names of the members of the bid adjudication committee and their record of decision”.
He reiterated that the DA will not allow this major flagship event to become “a cash cow for ANC cadres and cronies, especially as we near the 2024 election. We know from past experience, the ANC abuses government contracts to augment its bankrupt party to fund its election campaigns”.
