Furore over Durban website cost

SOUTH Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling for an investigation into the tendering process for the Durban City Council’s World Cup website, which was recently awarded to a BEE company at the cost of R5.5 million.

Marti Wenger, Shadow Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, said DA has ascertained that, using the specifications provided by the City Council, the website could not possibly have cost more than R250,000, and may well have cost less than half of that amount.

Wenger asked what had happened to the other R5.25-million and added that it could have been misappropriated by Ethekwini municipal officials.

The DA will be asking Municipal Manager Mike Sutcliffe to investigate the matter thoroughly in order to get to the bottom of what IT specialists have said the cost was exhorbitant.
“This is an outrageous waste of money, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal where 33% of its inhabitants live below the poverty line and where almost 300 000 people are living on less than R8 per day. Moreover, Durban is one of South Africa’s premier tourist destinations, but its facilities and amenities are becoming increasingly run down because of neglect and under-spending,” Wenger said.

“The DA will be asking Mr. Sutcliffe to provide details of what budget vote the funds came from, when and where the tender for the project was advertised, how many tender bids were received and the cost of each of these applications, and how the final decision was made. We will also be asking what steps the municipality will be undertaking to review this wasteful expenditure.”

IT News Africa