CETA insider exposes corruption as Minister was dealt Presidential rebuke

A whistleblower at the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) has blown the lid on corruption in the supply chain at the authority.

In an interview with Wayne Duvenage, CEO of civil action organisation, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, procurement professional Tumi details her efforts to combat irregularities, including the manipulation of tenders and the appointment of non-compliant service providers.

“I thought it was about time that I break my silence. I've been quiet for quite some time and enduring this abuse,” said Tumi. She said, when she joined the SETA in March 2012, it was under administration.

Tumi discussed how she was deliberate in adhering to compliance with supply chain management best practices yet was repeatedly suspended and victimised. Tumi highlighted what she believes are systemic issues within CETA, alleging that corrupt practices persisted.

A Duja Forensic Report into CETA's affairs was conducted around about the time that the authority was under administration, which was in February 2020 for an initial period of 12 months – was subsequently extended to February 2022.

A Higher Education and Training Parliamentary Committee meeting, held in mid-May, was briefed on the outcomes of the report, and members lambasted the department for failing to action the findings of the probe for more than a year.

During the briefing from CETA and the Department of Higher Education and Training, members “were alarmed” by findings in the report. It found, among other things, that there was R738 million in discretionary grants awarded without accounting authority oversight, excessive salaries paid to executives, and the accreditation of non-compliant training providers.

The Duja Report, which was commissioned at a cost of R18.9 million, revealed serious breaches in financial management, including that payroll costs had tripled over a three-year period due to unjustified salary structure adjustments and performance bonuses awarded without objective performance criteria. Transactions involving property to the value of R43.7 million had to be reversed following departmental intervention.

Tumi alleged that, around 2015 and 2016, she highlighted that there were irregularities in procurement, which resulted in her being sent on gardening leave. “I could have prevented it, but I was not allowed to play my role, and then we, the organisation, ended up being in trouble because certain things were not done properly,” she said.

In 2021, she was again put on suspension for alleged wrongdoings and said that she was also asked to disqualify a bidder for no apparent reason. “I told them, guys, are you kidding me? I told you, I advised you in that meeting, and I told you that there is no reason to disqualify this particular bidder, and you cannot find a reason that is not in line with the specification.”

Following this, Tumi alleged that the entire supply management chain team was suspended. She also alleged that there were instances where the executive committee pushed tenders through without due process.

Tumi called for urgent action from the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, and President Cyril Ramaphosa to address such abuse of power and protect whistleblowers.

Nkabane on Friday had to issue a public apology for her behaviour in front of the same Parliamentary Committee last week after being lambasted by President Cyril Ramaphosa. She had met with the committee to, ostensibly, explain why she appointed certain people as chairmen of 21 SETAs and then subsequently withdrawn those appointments.

The Minister faced accusations of lacking transparency in withdrawing the appointments, failing to provide a detailed explanation, and ensuring the process wasn't influenced by state capture or political dominance.

Nkabane was also accused of ignoring Members of Parliament's concerns and insisting that the appointment withdrawal was not flawed. One member suggested no-one would believe her.

Ramaphosa indirectly stated that the Minister had damaged the process and Parliament's reputation due to a viral video clip. He emphasised that all Ministers and senior officials must be conscious of their conduct during proceedings.

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