PARLY SEEMS POWERLESS

 Sir,

While working in the private sector we always made the observation that government had a tendency to spend way over what a private business would spend; buying or procuring any item or service for that matter.

I mean there have been stories about highly connected individuals who were making a killing by selling beans and mealie-meal to government at exorbitant prices.
The procurement process is one of the most notorious areas where corrupt public servants and their cronies loot public funds by inflating prices. And in the absence of any logical and credible explanation, the escalation in prices can only be explained this way.

I mean, how on earth does a huge project get cost escalations of almost 10 times the original estimates? This is absurd to say the least. I mean, to understand this, you have to ask yourself if any of the people involved would pay for a service or product that has its price escalated tenfold! None would accept that, no matter what the justification! Why?

Because common sense dictates that it is not acceptable. But how come when it involves State funds nobody seems to be asking those hard questions and resolving to stall such projects?

Robust

I mean, it is either they have no interest in what they do or simply don’t care. I am yet to hear robust debates when matters like these come before Parliament for supplementary budgets - but sadly none of this happens.

And our only hope, the Legislature, that has an oversight role here, seems unmoved by such developments. Looking at the lackadaisical approach adopted, one would vow they know something we don’t on these matters. Parliament seems powerless in the area of oversight when it comes to injudicious procurement.
As I concluded this letter, I asked myself if there would come a time when civilians would derive comfort in government’s control of the national purse. Maybe it was never meant to be that way.

B Dlamini

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