By Palesa Nguqu
The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure has rejected a presentation from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and the Independent Development Trust (IDT) on the forensic report into the oxygen plant tender, citing that it was incomplete and lacked critical information.
Committee chairperson Carol Phiri expressed concern that the DPWI appeared reluctant to share the full report with the committee.
“It is troubling that the department and the IDT do not seem to trust the committee with the report,” she said.
According to Phiri, the committee had been scheduled to receive a briefing on the forensic investigation into allegations of maladministration, fraud, and corruption in tenders awarded by the IDT for the roll-out of oxygen plants on behalf of the Department of Health.
However, members raised concern that the document presented was not the original report compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which the committee had specifically requested.
Phiri noted that this was not the first time the department had failed to present complete forensic reports, citing a similar incident during the Telkom Towers forensic report meeting held on 10 September 2025.
The committee underscored its oversight role over the DPWI and its entities, such as the IDT, stressing the importance of accountability and transparency in government procurement processes — particularly for projects affecting public health and funded by taxpayers.
Deputy Minister Mr Sihle Zikalala informed the committee that PwC could not brief members directly and suggested that the IDT should present the findings.
He also recommended that the oxygen plant tender report be presented in a closed session to avoid compromising ongoing processes.
The committee, however, questioned why the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, had already briefed the media on the report but had not submitted it to Parliament.
It recommended that the minister be present when the original PwC report is eventually presented to the committee.
Phiri warned that allowing the presentation of an incomplete report would have distorted the facts about what transpired at the IDT.
“It does not please us having to send the department and the IDT away, as their attendance to the meeting becomes a fruitless and wasteful expenditure due to a lack of communication between the committee and the department,” Phiri added.
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