Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu has issued a strong call for accountability following a damning report into the Department of Education’s procurement of laptops, which revealed serious irregularities and inflated pricing.
In his address, Premier Ndlovu assured the public of his administration’s commitment to clean and ethical governance. “I firstly want to assure the people of Mpumalanga and the country that this government is committed to clean, ethical, and transparent governance,” said Ndlovu.
The investigation revealed that departmental officials irregularly specified the brand of laptops instead of the required functionality, effectively limiting supplier options and violating procurement regulations. As a result, the department acquired 22 laptops at a highly inflated price of R91,482.50 each, totalling just over R 2 million. The laptops delivered were 20 Dell XPS 13 and 2 Dell XPS 14 units, which are of lower specification than the requested Dell XPS 15, which itself should have cost no more than R66,095, including a 15% profit and VAT. The overpayment exceeds R25,000 per unit, highlighting not only poor procurement oversight but also raising suspicions of corruption. Following these revelations, Ndlovu announced a series of urgent measures to restore public confidence and recover lost funds.
Among the recommendations made in the report are:
- Recovery of financial losses from the supplier.
- Blacklisting of the service provider on the National and Provincial Treasury’s Register for Tender Defaulters.
- Disciplinary action against all eight implicated officials, including Head of Department Lucy Moyane.
- Lifestyle audits of all officials mentioned in the report.
- Referral to SAPS for criminal investigation.
- A comprehensive governance review within the Department of Education.
It was reported that eight officials were involved in the procurement scandal, including the HOD. While the specific disciplinary actions are yet to be finalised, the Premier stressed that mismanagement and greed will not be tolerated. Responding to questions about possible wrongdoing or failure of oversight by the MEC, the Premier stated that if any misconduct by the department’s MEC, Cathy Dlamini, is uncovered, it will be revealed through further investigation. Asked about the source of funds for the laptop purchase, Premier Ndlovu said it came from the department’s budget. He further stated that this was an injustice to learners, as the funds should have contributed towards achieving the targeted 90% pass rate for the 2025 matric class.
“We need to ensure that our governance structures and processes are effective and compliant with public service prescripts,” said Ndlovu. He has demanded a progress report by 30 June 2025 on the implementation of all recommended actions.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to build a capable, ethical, and developmental state,” the Premier concluded.
