As the Democratic Alliance (DA), we commend the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, for his announcement in the National Assembly on 23 October 2024, where he pledged to open the tender evaluation and awarding process to full public scrutiny. The introduction of audio and visual recordings to document the tender process is a significant move towards fostering transparency and trust in public procurement.

This national commitment echoes a similar initiative by DA MEC for Public Works, Martin Meyer, who has already set a strong precedent by prioritising transparency in the tendering processes of his department. The DA remains committed to leading by example in both national and provincial governments to ensure that service providers appointed for infrastructure projects are qualified and capable.

We now challenge all other government departments to follow this example. Full transparency across the board will ensure that tenders are awarded based on merit and capability, while reduci
ng opportunities for corruption and irregularities. South Africa’s infrastructure development agenda is too important to be hindered by opaque processes or questionable awards.

The DA will continue to monitor the implementation of these transparency reforms, both provincially and nationally, and we remain steadfast in holding government to account, ensuring that taxpayer funds are used effectively and for the public good.

Source: Democratic Alliance