Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Kevin Mileham MP.
The decision of the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy to conduct an investigation into the decision-making process that informed the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP) puts into play a request from the Democratic Alliance that was made when the successful bidders were first announced in March of this year. That request was based on the irregularities that had emerged and the furore that erupted around the Karpowerships bid.
The DA asked that the Portfolio Committee investigate the composition of the bid adjudication committee, the role of ministerial and departmental officials in the bid process, the scoring of each bid, how exemptions were granted for various elements of the bids (including environmental approvals and local content requirements) and whether any specifications or deadlines were changed during the bid process.
This was initially rejected by the committee on the grounds that it was better handled by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. Despite a letter to the chairperson of SCOPA in this regard, no response has been received.
We therefore welcome this important step to ensure transparency and parliamentary oversight.
The DA will vigorously pursue an in-depth inquiry into the RMIPPPP, in order to ascertain whether South Africa is indeed getting value for money and solutions that can ease the rolling blackouts that are destroying our economy.