Dated: 15/02/2007
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
Title: Cronje: Report on re-opening of schools and plans for improvement
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Below are excerpts from the report.
In regard to stationery, honourable members are aware of an ongoing dispute between the Department of Education and Indiza. Indiza demanded to be paid an amount of R128 million rand for previous work. I wish to reiterate that at the time Indiza indicated that they would stop deliveries and refused all communication with the Department, almost all schools had received basic stationery such as exercise books, pens and pencils. Learning and teaching should therefore not have been adversely affected by Indiza’s actions. In addition, reports from our schools and circuits indicate that some deliveries are indeed still taking place.
Only eight schools have now reported to us that they have not received the core stationery from Indiza. The Department is currently analysing the status of the schools and the orders supposedly placed with Indiza. It is only then that we can verify whether the schools did place orders or whether they should have ordered stationery on their own, depending on whether or not they are section 21 schools. Section 21 schools had the 2007 school funding norms allocation transferred to them in the second half of 2006 already and would therefore be able to purchase their own stationery from an alternative supplier should Indiza fail to deliver.
Let me place it on record that the sum of R128 million owed by the Department is not in dispute. The issue is who it is that the Department should pay. The Department awarded a contract to a joint venture called Indiza Motswedi. However, the invoices received came from Indiza Infrastructure Solutions, a different legal entity. We therefore cannot pay this entity without risking litigation against us from Motswedi. We have organised several meetings between Indiza and ourselves, five of which were unilaterally called off by Indiza. We believe firmly that it is in everyone’s interest if this matter were to be speedily resolved through the Department being provided with invoices from Indiza Motswedi as well as details of their bank account. I wish to signal that we have no intention of leaving this matter to go on without an end. In this regard, should such details not be provided, we intend approaching the High Court to expedite the resolution of this matter.
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