12 June 2015
Recent claims asserting that government has not responded to allegations of construction collusion with regard to road improvements done ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, are incorrect.
The matter has in fact been handled by the Competition Tribunal – a statutory body – and the findings have been made public.
The Competition Tribunal last year fined 15 construction companies a combined R1.46-billion after the investigation into collusion. This money has already been paid to government.
Government is also aware of and supports the position taken by SANRAL to lay criminal charges, in addition to pursuing civil claims, against the companies that were found guilty of collusion by the Tribunal.
Government remains committed to punitive and restorative justice in this matter and will ensure the recovery of public money from those companies and individuals who were involved in the collusion. Collusion on pricing in public tenders is an injustice to ordinary South Africans whose taxes are unfairly exploited by commercial conspirators.
It is regrettable that the Opposition to Urban Toll (OUTA) is persisting with baseless claims, without any proof or evidence, and without being verified or challenged by media who frequently treat these claims as gospel.
In this instance, the matter was dealt with by the Competition Tribunal even though OUTA might differ with the quantum of the fines that were imposed.
It is not for government to tell the Tribunal what fines to impose though it is within the right of government and the affected institutions to pursue other avenues to ensure justice is done. In fact, the Tribunal said as much.
Instead of OUTA showing the same disregard for the Competition Tribunal, like it has with court judgments in the past, it would serve the country well if it were to place any evidence of corruption in its possession with law enforcers.
What cannot be left unchallenged though is the notion that government, including its affected entities such as SANRAL, have not or are not addressing the tender collusion and price fixing scandal.
Enquiries:
Donald Liphoko
Acting Director-General
Cell: 082 901 0766
Issued by the Government Communication and Information System
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