Scrap tender system, find new funding model for municipalities – Hlabisa

By Simon Nare

The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Velenkosini Hlabisa, has called for the abolition of the tender system in municipalities to combat corruption.

Hlabisa, however, cautioned that he was not necessarily proposing a new law, but said he would sleep better at night if the tender system was completely scrapped.

He said that political parties would need to engage in discussions after next year’s Local Government Elections to find common ground on the issue, especially as many municipalities are likely to be governed through multi-party coalitions.

“We need to think outside the box when it comes to enhancing and maintaining infrastructure, especially as resources are becoming increasingly limited,” said Hlabisa.

“There has to be a new way of thinking—how are we going to fund infrastructure going forward? The issue of the tender process was clearly raised. I mentioned to the City of Ekurhuleni that life would be much better if the