Open-Ed
- South Africa’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy has issued a tender for the Appointment of a Service Provider to render Effective Media Monitoring And Analysis Service for a period of Twenty-Four (24) months in the Department Of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Some of the content in the tender documents appear to have been cut and pasted from a service provider which could indicate that the outcome may be already determined. South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Mr Gwede Mantashe, enjoys much adulation and ego stroking within his party, the ANC. However, outside of these communist style structures and clusters, Mantashe who champions coal power, has a support base in decline along with his party. He is considered a bully who is attracting a litany of unnecessary court challenges at the expense of the tax payer. He was recently rattled by an anti-coal demonstrators at the Africa Energy Indaba. Read more
Related news: Court rules that Mantashes axing of nuclear board member was unconstitutional
South Africa is in a spiralling energy crisis, rotational load shedding is getting worse and the cost to the economy is a massive R950 million a day. But clearly paranoid, it seems now Mantashe wants to waste tax payers money on a cadre appointed service provider to monitor negative media about him and his department.
The media in South Africa largely publish articles on Mantashe’s performance as minister or rather the lack of it. The truth does appear to hurt Mantashe who continually remonstrates with the narrative that the west is trying to encircle the country’s energy sector or institutions like Eskom are agitating to overthrow the state by not dealing with load-shedding. Mantashe is responsible for new generation procurement in South Africa and the energy crisis has worsened under his leadership. Perhaps if he just got on with the job and did it properly, he would not attract so much perceived ‘negative press’. Read more
Tender Closing Date
06 April 2023 at 11H00, Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, Matimba Building, 192 Cnr Visagie and Paul Kruger Street Pretoria, 0001.
Non-Compulsory Briefing Session
22 March 2023 at 10h00.
1. General Conditions
2. SBD 1: Invitation to Bid
3. SBD 2: Tax Clearance Certificate Requirements
4. SBD 3.3: Pricing Schedule
5. SBD 4: Declaration of Interest
6. SBD 6.1: Preference Points Claim form in terms of the Preferential Procurement Regulations 2017
7. Terms of Reference
About Gwede Mantashe
Samson Gwede Mantashe, popularly known as Gwede Mantashe is a communist, South African politician, and trade unionist, who as of 18 December 2017, serves as the National Chairperson of the African National Congress. He is also a former chairperson of the South African Communist Party and Secretary General of the ANC.
He studied at the University of South Africa in 1997 and completed a B.Com Honours degree in 2002. He also acquired a master’s degree from the University of Witwatersrand in 2008. He completed his MBA through MANCOSA in 2021
He joined the migratory labour force to eke out a living in the mining industry. Beginning his mining experience at Western Deep Levels mine in 1975 as a Recreation Officer and, in the same year, moved to Prieska Copper Mines where he was Welfare Officer until 1982.
Related news: It’s not ‘foreign forces’, it is people in South Africa that are fed up with Gwede Mantashe
In 1982, Mantashe moved to Matla Colliery where he co-founded and became the Witbank branch chairperson of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), a position he held until 1984. He was then elected NUM Regional Secretary in 1985. In recognition of his skills, Mantashe became the NUM’s National Organiser from 1988 to 1993 and its Regional Coordinator between 1993 and 1994. He was elected Secretary-General of the African National Congress at the party’s 52nd national conference in 2007.
Mantashe and his family are implicated in a string of corruption scandals. Mantashe’s daughter received R1 million in illicit Eskom money. His wife’s business received an R639 million catering contract for the still incomplete Kusile coal power plant project that has been riddled with corruption and cost overruns. His foundation is also embroiled in corruption scandals over millions in irregular payments.
In the country’s Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, it was revealed that Mantashe received security upgrades to his three homes from the now-defunct company, Bosasa. The commission’s chair, Justice Raymond Zondo, said there was no evidence of contracts being awarded due to Mantashe’s direct interference, but there were “reasonable grounds for suspecting that Mr Mantashe accepted or agreed to accept gratification” from a company (Bosasa) that wanted business from the state and that further investigations had a reasonable prospect of making prima facie findings of corruption against Mantashe. Mantashe of course denies all charges. Read more
It is also important to recall that during Zuma’s ten-year presidency, Mantashe was a key figure in the project to shield him from accountability. As secretary-general of the ANC, he instructed members of Parliament to always side with Zuma or face discipline. As such, he was a key enabler of corruption during the Zuma years and remains part of the RET faction.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
