The Special Tribunal has dismissed four separate applications for leave to appeal from COVID-19 tender corruption accused companies in the Digital Vibes matter, businessman Hamilton Ndlovu, Caledon River Properties and LNG Scientific.

In the Digital Vibes matter, companies All Out Trading, Tusokuhle Farming, Azwakele Trading and Projects, Cedar Falls, Sirela Trading and Sithokozile Khaliphile Mkhize, had asked the court to grant them leave to appeal to have their matters separated from the main review application of the controversial R150 million Digital Vibes communications tender.

An application was also brought by flamboyant businessman, Hamilton Ndlovu.

Ndlovu sought to have an appeal granted which would have allowed him to appeal the order made by the same court for him to repay at least R158 million from monies he received from 19 National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) PPE tenders.

In the original order, the tribunal was scathing in its judgement – calling Ndlovu a “mastermind” of a “fraudulent procurement scheme and [channelling] funds deriving from the impugned payments through these companies”.

Another company which scored tenders worth at least R113 million in PPE tenders, LNG Scientific, sought an application for leave to appeal the decision by the Gauteng Health Department to apply to the Tribunal to have the costly tenders reviewed and set aside.

Finally, the Special Tribunal dismissed an application by the two companies awarded the controversial R41 million border during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two companies, Caledon River Properties and ProfTeam CC, had been ordered to pay back any profits accrued from the project.

The court ruled that all four dismissed appeals could be appealed in the high court.

Source: South African Government News Agency