By Levy Masiteng
The Mpumalanga provincial government has recovered about 80% of the money it is claiming from a supplier linked to a controversial R2 million laptop procurement by the provincial education department, the Office of the Premier said.
The premier’s office said the province had recovered R685,712.70 of the R855,712.70 it had claimed from the service provider, with the outstanding R170,000 expected to be paid by the end of January 2026.
The matter relates to the Mpumalanga Department of Education’s purchase of 22 laptops and a printer in 2024, which drew public scrutiny after the per-laptop price was disclosed in early 2025.
Premier Mandla Ndlovu ordered a forensic investigation after being alerted by a whistleblower, and on May 5, 2025 his office published a report concluding that the procurement process was “flawed” and involved “misrepresentation and possible fraud”, including allegations that the supplier delivered laptops of lower quality than those approved and paid for.
The report said the department appointed a supplier to provide 22 Dell XPS 15 laptops at R91,482.50 each and one HP printer costing R8,269.45, with the overall contract value of R2,020,883.45, including accessories such as laptop bags and wireless mice.
However, the investigation document also recorded that 20 Dell XPS 13 laptops were delivered in December 2024 and two Dell XPS 14 laptops in October 2024, while a price table in the report listed no delivered XPS 15 or XPS 16 units.
On the disciplinary process, Ndlovu’s office said six employees were subjected to proceedings: charges against one employee were withdrawn for lack of evidence; a deputy director in ICT resigned after being served with charges; three officials’ hearings are continuing; and one hearing was suspended due to litigation by the employee against the department.
The office said the department also conducted lifestyle reviews of implicated officials through an external service provider and found “no material findings”.
The statement added that the education department’s head, Lucy Moyane, had faced five charges but was found guilty only of negligence related to approving a bid adjudication committee recommendation, and was sanctioned with a written warning. Moyane is expected to return to duty on 19 January, it said.
“We welcome the conclusion of this process because it affirms a principle of accountability,” Ndlovu said, adding that accountability should be pursued through “due process and fairness.”
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